The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-04-04
LONGFELLOW.
The Lesson of the Dead Poets Life
as Illustrated by Mr.. Van
Wagner Last Night.

which throu9> this tabernacle every Sun
! day evening. Although Mr.. Van Wagner
had announced that the deferred sermon
which was postponed last sunday a week
would he given last night. the audience
was in no wise disappointed with the
timely remarks on the dead poet who -
lately PASSED away. which fell from the
reverend gcutleman's lips. Mr.. Van Was
uer spoke, IN Substance, - follows:
On FRIDAY afternoon died the greatest oi
American poets. hopr there i, no one
here who has not read his beautiful
poems. and been made happier anil better
by their per,Isal. No one can ne really
cultured who has not. Henry Wad,-
worth LOnsiellew WAS not only known
and react wherever the English Ian
guage is spoken, hut hi> fame had
extended To- all countries, and his
great poems bal been translated into
many foreign languages. His beautiful
songs have made mankind better. male
the whole world happier. And the world
j. the loser by his death. j shall no: en-
ter into u biographical sketch III Longfel-
low tonight, ior | presume that there Is
no person present who Is not familiar with
his career. His work was done; his life
was finished He himself said he would
write no more after he was seventy years
old. And he never did write but one poem
afterwards. We are not called upon To
saw. Is we are with regard To 50 MANY
poets, oh, what beautiful poems were
wrapped up in him, but which he never
wrote '" lie had NO more poems To C III
pose. hecau>e his work was done, his work
was finished In ten thousand households
tonight, in ten thousand pulpitS, his
praises are being sounded.
Let u, gather, ~ it were, around the
new made grave i'm Mt. Auburn, tonight,
and learn the lessons which the life and
career oi IongfeIlow teach. And first let
III gather the lesson oi the value of u
good name.
When We think ri Emerson, We remem-
b,r the purity and simplicity OF his lie.
and thee. qualities lend to- his great
ness and our appreciation al him
oi Poe. M matter how great the
genius ri the poet. his fame is de
tracted from. he Is rendered le>,
pliShment III good i, lessened, by the want
and remember how good and pure was his
liIc. Iliu HOW he llNsi duu NIttt hcdu-
mire l;ryon, W. admire Burns, but All,
think oi their lives. The flaw, the weak
nes>, i there and We cannot, with all their
genius, all their powers, forget that they
lacked in that goodness which ever goes
with greatness and with honest fame.
There i nothing of such value Is 4 good
name. Without it, III! fame, all genius, is
{ worthless. One OF the greatest orators in
the world has said that there was Just one
} thing that he wanted tn live for. and that
was 10 leave a good name TO his children.
! That was the only thing he lived for. And
/ that l. what every man and woman who
/ have children ought To- remember and SD
J live that when they die their children NAV
/ be- able TO start in life with good name.
! 1t is the best capital that they can have.
: We should also learn from the career of
, iongiellow that that life only is n success
I which accompli,hes something for the
! good oi humanity. Think what the great
! poet. whose songs have been read In every
/ cline. has done for man, The world has
been happier because LongfellGw has
lived. lis beautiful poems have beer
read and their lessons learned in thou
! sands oi households. Oh, that the day
NAV come when there shall be books in
every house in this land and when every
man. no matter how humble he be, NAV
have the newspaper, ii he viii, or some
musical instrument, to make his home
more glad and pleasant.
We should also learn from the life OF
. Lon.ieliow To extract all we can from this
I liie-to make the most Of this lie. We
should make the most OF this life while
we can. We should endeavOr not only
, To- bc happy ourselves, but IL make others
happy And every man should endeayor
To- surround himself with pleasures and
cUntcUtmcnt Ii he can hon0rablv DO SD,
hc should try I" accumulate and Ter save
and 20 enjoy this brief existence in the
best manner he can While do not be-
Iieve that man should give himself up 10
I the endeavOr tO accumulate money alone,
think that he should acquire property,
, ii he can, Tor his own enjoyment and the
happiness oi his family. Get all the good
out oi life that you can.
We also SEE i'm the life oi the singer who
i gone what the inspiration aud help of
faithful wives will DO. When Longfellow
was Young, he Tell in love with beautiful
r girl, whom ne married. Beautiful chill
dren gathered around their hearthstone.
/ And he worshipel and idolized her. Fin
ally her clothes caught hire one day. and
she WAS burned so severely that she died.
I He buried her, and it almost broke his
great hcart-slmost brought mis- brilliant
career to close. But ever afterwards
she was his inspiration. He always i'm
agiued that she was near him, suggesting
HI, finest thoughts and ever urging him
on. Woman should learn from this that
her sphere in lille Is not so much restricted
H. she imagines it is. Every woman can
do much towards squirting man on to the
accomplishment ri the successes OF this
life.
In the lie vi the Gead poet we also see
the ernobling influence and power OF
christianity. LongfellOw was always "a
christian and his poems breathe the in
SEPARATION and imagery of christianity. We
should also contrast his life with that OF
l. Il