New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-30

the avenues of literary labor and the dlScipihe VI
the mind in youth His counsel was always summed
up in two words-calmness and patience. lie did
not believe in seeking experience or in going 10
meet burdens. 'What you desire Will come. IL you
will but wait for it that he said to me again
and again. "My great ambition once was, ne
remarked. one evening, to edit magazine. Since
then the opportunity has been offered to me many
times--and did not take it, and would not mat
same night he spoke of his first poemthe first that
ever was printed-and described his trepdatlon,
when going in the evening, to drop the precious
manuscript into the editors box. This was AZ
weekly newspaper Office in Portland, Name wheh
he was boy. Publication day arrived and the
paper came OUTPUT not word of the poem buU
had another copy" he said land / immediately
il to the riv al weekly, and the next week IL was
published" And then he described his eXultaVion
and inexpressible JOY and pride, when.-having
bought copy of the paper, still damp rom .io
press and walked with it into by-street oil INC
town,-he saw for the first time, poem OF his own
actually in print! Il have never since had such
thrill of delight he said, cover any of my publca-
TONS"
His sense Of hulnor found especial pleasure III
the inappropriate words that were sometimes SAID TO
him by persons whose design it was to be compn-
mentary, and ne would relate, with Keen reIisn
of their pleasantly, anecdotes, against HIMSELF ~
illustrate this form of social bunder. Years ago nc
told me- NJ Cambridge about the strange gentleman
who was led up to him and introduced at Newport
and who straightway said with enthusiastic fervor,
-" Mr. Longfellow, Ihaye long desired the honor OF
knowing wont Sir. an one of the fao men who
have read your 'Evangeline'" This anecdote, Ill
recent days he coupled with another about an
English lady who, being introduced ex-
claimed: "Why, Mr. Longfellow, L thought
You were dead p "No, madam, you see take the
liberty of livingn "Yes-but l thought at least
you belonged to Washingtons time" Another OF
his favorites related to me day or two a1ter
occurred The poets rule was to reserve the morn
ing for work and visitors were not received before
u o'clock noon One morning a man forced his
way past the servant who mad opened the hall-door
and burst in upon the presence of the astohlsheu
author in his library and thereupon ensued TINS re-
markable conversation: "Mr. Longfellow, you're
poet, / believe" "Wcl sir, some persons have
said So" All right Mr. Longfellow! Poet it is!
Now I've called here TO see if l couldn't git you to
write SOME poetry for TO have printed and stuck
onto MY medicine bottles. You see 90 round
selin this medicine, and, if you'll do it,
it'll help immensely; and I'll just tell
you right now, if you give me the poetry
I'll give you bottle of the carmnative-aDd it's
81 bottle" For the full enjoyment of this story
1t was needful to see the poets face. and, hear
the delicious, bland tone of voice in which he added
-" The idea of it's being carminative of all
things" More than twcnty-four years ago he told
me that incident-sting by the wide fireplace, IN
the library back of his study. AS write his
words now the wind seems again TO be moaning ir
the chimney, and the freight flickers upon his
pale, handsome, happy face, and already silvered
HAIR He took such delight in any bit of qniet fun,
like that He was so gracious so kind, so wiShful
to make everyone happy that came near him! And
now he is gone forever.
About poetry he talked with the eanestness
of what genuine passion, aud
yet with no particle of self-assertion.
Tennysons Princes" was a book
when first heard him speak of it, and remember
Mrs Lhngfellow sitting with that volume in her
hands and reading it by the evening lamp. The
delicate loveliness of the little lyrical pieces that
are interspersed throughout its text was in partic
ular dwelt upon a supreme merit. Among ms
own poems, his favorite at that time Evan
gelinc " but he said that the style of versifcation
which pleased him best was that of " The Day is
Done -; nor do | wonder, reading this now, together
with THE Bridge" d" Twilight" " The Childrens
Hour" and "The Open Window" and finding that l
cannot see them. through the tears they brins. lie
said. also-and have often had occasion to think
Of it snce-tbat he sometimes wrote poems
that were for himself alone. that he should
not care ever to publish, because they were
too delicate for publication. One of his
savings was that " the desire of the young
poet is not Cor applause, but for recognition"
lie much commended the example, in one
respect. of the renowned Italian poet AL
6eri. who caused himself to be bound into his
his library chair and left for certain period of
time, each day, at his library table-his servants
being strictly enjoined not to release him till that
time Rad past: by this means he forced him
self to labor No man ever believed more firmly
than Longfellow did in regular, proportioned, reso-
lutte incessant industry. His poem of " The Build
ersD contains his creed; his poem of 1.-The Ladder
Of ST. Augustine 4" is the whole philosophy of his
career Yet have many times heard him say
1.-THE mind cannot be controlled; and the
fact that he was, when at his best,
poet of pure inspiration is proved,
beyond all possibility of doubt, by such
poems as Sandalphon," "My Lost Youth" 1.-The
Releapuered City," 1.-THE Fire of Drift Wood"
"Suspiria," "The Secret of the Sea" The Two
Angels -" and "The Warden of the Cinque Ports
Either of them is worthy OF the brightest name that
The two writer's of whom he oftenest spoke, within
NV hearing were Lowell and Hawthorne. OF
Lowell he said Is o aea
came into this ROOM" he said. land sometimes he
would go there behind the window, curtains,
e aTg No one disturbed him; he and went
as he fixed He was a mysterious man" With
irving's works he was especially familiar, and he
nfteu quoted from them his talk 10 me. One
simmer day at his cottage at Nahaut | found him
reading Coopers sea stories and had the comfort of
hearing from his lips tribute TO that great writer
the foremost novelist in American literature
matched since Scott, in the power to treat with,
free inspiration and vigorous and splendid de-
crintjve skill the vast pageants of nature. and to
Sm]d ard sustain ideals of human character worthy
of srch surroundings. Longfellow, was in fine
spirits that day. and very happy and have always
thought of him as he looked then, holding his
daughter Edith in his hands-a little child, with
long, golden hair, and lovely, merry face-and, by
tho I,r.ul