Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-04-06
Henry WadswOrth Longfellow,


sion where he was born, being the first
house erected in Portland of wholly brick
wall is still pointed out His father was
Hon. Stephen Longfellow, a leading LAWYER
of Maine, and his grandfather was the first
of the name who settled in the State, a
school teacher. Stephen Longfelow wa. an
active Federalist. member of the Hartford
Convention, and Representative in Con-
gress from 1928 to 1925. He was distin-
guished for his stores OF legal knowledge.
On his mothers side, Henry was a descend
ant Of John Alden. Aoer his preliminary
studies he was sent to Bowdoin College,
where he was graduated in 1928, in a class
which comprised among its members Ma
thaniel Hawthorne, Franklin Pierce. and
several others who won distinction in var
ious walks Of life. He intended TO de
vote himself to the study of law, but his
natural bent toward literature had been so
stimulated by the ha,tering reception Of
some pieces Of poetry he published during
his college course, that he dropped all
thoughts of Blackstone and Coke. Still. he
had advice the other way. for it is said that
the editor of the United State. Literary
Gazette. in which most Of his earlier poems
were printed. oracularlv advised him 10 give
up poetry and buckle down to law. Among
these yerses-which show his poctical quail
tiles from the outset-were the "Hymn Of
the Morayian Nuns" The Spirit Of Poe
try, Nv oods in Winter" and" Sunrise on the
Hills" In 1926 he was offered the profes-
sorshlp of modern languages and literature
in Bowdoin College, which position he ac-
oepted upon condition that he might devote
some time to preliminary foreign study
Early in the year he sailed for Europe. re-
naming abroad till 1879, and studying sue
oessINely IN France. Span. Italy and Ger
many. Upon his return he discharged the
duties Of the profcssorship IN his Alma
Mater for five years. During this time he
contributed to the North American Review.
and published his translation Of the "Copla.
de Manr,que" and his "Outrr- Mer." He
shorter poems Wer, already numerous al
this period, though IS Vet no collections nf
them had been made, The two volumes of
"Outre Mer" were received With much favor
though the reading world Of America was
much smaller then than It sat present
The same year Mr. IonstrIlov va, appo,nt
ed Professor Of Modern Languages and
Literature IL Harvard College, to succeed
Prof. llcsnor, who hal resigned the char
M I,oOglcIIOw tb,nmlds a second visit to
Europe and passed about lso yea, il Den
marx, Sweden GERMANY, Holland and
Switzerland. Duuog tbs up he lost bis
ulc al Rotterdam. No, q. 1885.
lie returned To America in 1886 and en-
tered upon the Har, ard Profcs,or,hip, which
he held for seventeen years, during which
not only hls official but ms literary iabors
we're remark ably uninterrupted and fruitful.
In 1872 Mr. Longfcliow again went abroad
and passed the summer at BoppaTd. on the
Rhine. On his return he continued hi, pro
iesslonal labor. with IN, accustomed accept
ability. until he resigned the Profcssor,hlp
IN 1854 and MAS succeeded by James k4s-
sell Lowell.
Man, OF Nr Longfcllow best and most
popular works we're Published during the time
th4t he MAS 4 professor at Harvard College.
Hi perlou came out IN 1889 and more than re
deemed the promise OF Outrc- Mer. Ii is a
prose romance. but with much poetr, 10 it,
and has remained fayurlte The Voices
O! the Night was published the same year
and II made him famou, as poet, some of
the contents taking firm and universal hold
Of the general mind. Two years later ap-
peared Ballads and other poems. which ~as
followed in 1872 by Poems on Slavery. In
1913 The Spanish Student was published ;
In 1915 The Poets and Poetry Of Europe
and the next year, The Betry. Of BRUCE, and
other Poems. Eyangeline. which some
critics consider his best poem. appeared il
lNiI. Whether the best Of hls poems or
not 1t ~s- yer. popular, and It's popular,t.
has undergone no abatement. Hans Chris
tian Andersen, the DANISH poet, once said
that he had never seen more beautiful DE-
scrpuons Of scenery, or read more beau
tlful poem than "Evangeline." HIS kasan-
agh. novel, followed IN 1919, and was in
turn followed. in 1850. BY Seaside and Fire
side, after which came The Golden Legend.
in 1851. and The Song Of Hawa aiha. in 1855
IhIs aboriginal poem called forth some
sharp criticism. but the critics and the pub
lie were not Of one mind then, any more
than they had been on some similar oCca-
sions, for the work had prodlglous run.
The Courtshlp OF Miles Standish Was pub
lI>hed IN 1873, and met with fiattering re-
ception. The Way-side Inn came out ia
1868 Flower de Luce in 1866 in 1907
20 a masterly translatlon of dante, which
was received with the greatest favor by the
scholarly world in 1871 The Divine Ir.ge-
DIV; in 1872 Three Books Of Song in 1874
The Hanging of the Crane and in 1870
Morliurl Sa!utamus, poem read al the
tiftieth anniversary of his class at BOwduln
College. lie has continued to publish in
the atlantic Monthly and IN the other peri
odicals, poems marked by some of the choic-
est touches Of his genius. His latest vol
umes are Christus, which comprises IN one
fine trilogy the Divine Tragedy, the Golden
Legend and the New England iragt dies ;
Aftermath, The Masque of Pandora, kera-
mos and Other Poems, and Ultima Thule,
the last four being slender volumes of the
short poems collected from the magazines to
which they were contributed, and the latest
of the series bearing in its title melancholy
prophecy of finallty, which is now fulfilled.
His poem, "Hermes Trismegistus" was pub
llshed in the February Century. and a poem
from his pen is among the announcements
iy, which is probably the last literary labor
to which he put his hand. The series of
Poems of Places which he edited comprised
thirty -one volumes Of the Little Classic"
size, filled with choice poems having local
associations or alluslons, and grouped under
the countries TO which they refer. The su-
perbly illustrated and complete edition of
his poems recently published. and the edi-
ton de luxe of Evangeline, published last
autumn in England attest the popularity Of
his writings on both sides Of the sea-a
popularity so great that the publishers find
1t safe to lavish mpon them the richest re-
sources of the book making art and the
highest skill of artistic decoration, knowing
that the public will give quick and sure
response to their enterprise. Among Eng
lishmen, no other American poet holds the
place which has been accorded to Mr.. Long
fellow. and no living English poet except
the Laureate has anything like the hold up
on the regard of the English people that
Mr.. Longfellow has enjoyed. Our limits,
of course, would preclude any adequate
Characterization of these admirable works,
which have largely constituted the glory Of
American literature, which have been trans
lated into most modern languages, and which
are the familiar property of cultivated men
wherever at least the English tongue is
known. Says one who is competent to
speak on the point: "You must look to Shak-
speare only for larger stock of the currency
of thought than Longfellow' for he is quoted
in Westminster Palace, in the British Parlia-
ment, and in all the pulpits of England. 1t
is because he humanizes whatever he touch
L.. L.. 81.