New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-04
TIE POEE-AUTOCRAT.
INTERESTING LECTURE ny JOHN W. CHADWICK on
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

INTERESTING LECTURE ny JOHN W. CHADWICK OF
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
In the Second Unitarian Church, of Brooklyn,
last night, Mr. Chadwick gave the last OF his winter
series OF Sunday evening lectures lie spoke to largo
and appreciatlve audience for more than an hour on
oliver wendell Holmes. After describing Holiness
early fe his college career his attempt to study law
although his father wished him to into theology his
adoption OF medicine profession and his acceptance
OF tho PROFESSIONALLY OF Anatomy and Physiology at
Cambridge, and noting some Of his earlier poems, Mr.
Chadwick proceeded TO this effect,
at was q happy day for DR.. Holmes when
The Atlantic Monthly was started in 1851 He
was then forty-eght years old. and his pub
lshed poetry to date in his collected writings
amounts to only 40 pages For years he had written
less But suddenly there was wonderful rebirth The
AutoLrat secured for him fame incomparaby greater
than he had before enjoyed The Professor and The
Poet at tho Breakfast Table followed. The novels
Elsie Yenner and The Guardian Angel also trickled
from his pen The Breakfast Table series was sprnkled
thick with poems marked by an energy of grace such as
his earlier poems had but seldom shown Later he wrote
a brief biography OF Morley, and OF his Em-
erson, published six months ago, 1000 copies are
already their rounds Tho subjects OF his novels are
of the kind that Hawthorne liked to handle III he had
handled them, how different the treatment WOua nave
been OF the breakfast Table series Inc Autocfat IL
easily In point of excellence 1t contains aDout
twice as many poems as tne oven renter
difference In quality than In quantity. Greatly enjoying
all of these books have been surprised 10 nnu now
little duotabe they The charm Is oftenest IN the
turning OF a phrase, tho choosing OF WORD. Inc ma
chinery OF the breakfast Table which creaks niue III
The Autocfat fairly scIoeches In tho later DOCKS
Take up the collected poems OF the Auocra emu tne
first thing that mpresses you Is the number OF MS Occi
slonal poems. OF the three hundred less dozen or
twenty that he has preserved one nuhdre1 mnse an
occasional character In this respect he stands rst
among our poets and without second Half at least OF
occasional poems been written for his college ana
his class and the remainder for every imaginable stua
ton In 1861 he called his song "A Voice OF the Loya
North In 1862 he sang the voyage OF the uOOu
Shin Union! In 1868 his burden was choose ye thls
dny HON We will serve and In 1864, 'Ihe Last harge
But we do not find his CHARACTERISTIC note IN MS
Odes This Is i'm such pieces as Mare RuDrum iooo,
'The Bows 1859 Tho Old Man Dreams, 1907, " nat
rrrpe there Is In them In rers de SocitH Dr Holmes
might have made Locker and DObson look wen 10 lnel
aurels IL he had early TO the stage oG ol
the measures In which they most delight mat OF Inc
Last Leaf OF his earliest poems BUT ms hetes or
the part exceedingly c0nyentlOhM anu tIi.o
In the course OF the lecture Mr. Chadwick reau P's
or the whole OF "frs Her Book" "Tho First Fam
Lending Punch Bowl" the poem written Tor the Burns
centennial celebration, "Tho Old Man Dreams r mo
BOYS" Voice OF the Loyal North" Ine Living rem en-
pie" The Last Leaf" Old IrOnsides Nearer . my
Snow Line and The Chambered Nautilus ~, ~ tn's
last poem he quoted DE- Holmes as saying n men, "a
wrote that did better than could, aud auueu! We
shall all agree think that IL Is his most perfect p3
do not know II anything more beautiful Ia ahJ VI Jul
poots" , rr uoluas,a
hymn beglnningi
Lord Of all being throned afar.
Thy glory flames from sun aud star