Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-04-06

III l1t bilIllt lllnt, lllut ut ltNOlN'u w tuh'
them to Boston, to subject them to the
Judgment of his friend Phillips, whose
new literary enterprise, the North imcr-
icun RCricw, though but recently cstab-
lshed, had already acquired some name.
l will quote Mr.. Godwln's account of the
reception of the poem by the ReuiCW CO.
terio: "Mr. Phillips was not at home
when he called, and so he left his package,
with his name When it was put into the
editors hands he read the poems with an
absorbed interest, saw at once their SUI
pcrioritv to what he had been i'll the habit
of receiving, ami he hastened with them
to his fellows in Cambridge, to take their
opinions. They listened attentively to
his reading of them, when Dana, at the
close, remarked, with quiet smile: 'Ah,
Phillips, you have been imposed upon
no one on this side of the Atlantic is ca
pable of writing such verses. Phillips
rejoined, with some spirit, that he had
not been imposed upon. Il know, he
said, tho gentleman who wrote the best
of them, at least, very well an old ac-
quaintance of mine-Dr. Bryant--at this
moment sitting in tho State House in
Boston, as Senator from Hampshire coun-
tv. Then responded Dana, Il must
have look at him, and putting on his
clogs and his cloak he trudged over to
Boston. Arrived at the Senate said Mr..
Dana in conversation afterward, with
the Rev. Robert G. Waterston, Il caused
the doctor to DO pointed out to me. |
looked at him with profound attention
and interest and while | saw man Of
striking presence, the stamp of genius
seemed to me to be wanting. 1t is good
head, I said to myself, but do not sec
"Thanatopsis' in 1t, and he went back n
little disappointed. Mr.. Wnterston, in
communicating the incident, thinks it
remarkable for u penetration and origin
ality characteristic Of Mr. Dana's saga
cious Judgment
Both of these poems appeared in the
NOyh Americd,, for which Mr.. Bryant
soon after wrote prose essay on Amerl-
can poetry, which was then at n pretty
low ebb About this time Mr.. Dana
started periodical called The Idic Hours,
for which Mr.. Bryant wrote a number Of
his best known poems. A man such as
our lawyer-poet could not remain long in
quiet New England hamlet. He longed
for association with the literary men of
the day, SO he came down to Boston to
cast about him and see what was best to
be done. While there, he met the Danas
Quinccys, Adamses, Otises and Moths,
and enjoyed an intellectual feast. This
was in 1922, the year the first collection
Of Bryant's poems was printed. The
praise awarded his verses determined Mr.
Bryant to abandon the law and devote
himself to iterature-a wise resolve. Mr..
Charles Scdgwick wrote, urging him to
come to New York, where any deiiclo Il
cies Of salary might be eked out by teach
| ing foreigners, of whom there were many
eager to learn our language and litera-
ture. On the strength Of this encourag-
ing letter Mr.. Bryant came down to New
York, where he met the literary men of
the day, among them "A1r Cooper, the
novelist" who, he writes to his wife, ZEN
crossed the whole conversation, and
seemed giddy with the great success his
works have met with" The success of
Mr.. Bryants verses had evidently not
turned his head, for when asked what
compensation he expected for The Past
and "Thc Death of the Flowers, he said
81 apiece would satisfy him. The pub
| hshers, Messrs. Cummings, Hillard 4
Co.,, "appreciating the worth of their
contributor, offered him 5000 Il year for
IN average Of one hundred lines month
about l6i cents a line--expressinG al
the same time ''their profound regret that
they wore unable to offer compensate III
more adequate.
A gentleman met Mr.. Bryant in n New
York book store few years ago, anC
said 81 have Just bought the earliest
edition Of your poems, and gave $50 fol
it. "More, by long shot, replied Mr.
BRYANT. ethan | received for writing tn,
whole work.
However, Mr.. Bryant was not discour
aged, and in 1925 took up his abode ii
New York us assistant editor of the Nsu
York Rsrj"W on salary of $1,000 year
Mr.. Bryant had charge of the fine art'
department, and his associate wIote o
music and the drama. The RcricW wa
not success, and Just ms things SCENE,
at their darkest Mr.. Bryant was asked t.
act temporarily as assistant editor of th
Ecc,iHg Post, us the place had beei
, offered Mr.. Il. II. Dana, who had not ye
given his answer. Mr. Dana could no
very well leave Boston, SO Mr.. Bryan
was retained, and in 1927 began his caree
with the paper whose fame he made.
Notwithstanding lis hard work as tn
editor of daily paper lie found time t
collect and publish volume of his poems
Washington Irving was then Minister t
England, and to him he sent the advanc
sheets in the hope that he could find hir
n publisher in London. The task MI
Irving gladly undertook, but met man
rebuf's before finding one, which lie tina
/ ly did in Mr. Andrews, who consented t
undertake it on the condition that lin
= in the "Song of Marion's Men" whic
, reads
1.-The British foeman ircmbes,"
: should be changed to
. "Thc foemau tremhles in his camp
+ to avoid wounling British susceptible