Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-02-28

From prouder seats of honor and renoun,
Through shadowing years thy memory still discerned
The haunts and faces Of the seaside town.
AND we,though round the world thy song had flown,
Rejoice to know the minstrel was own.
From yonder wave that mOans along the bay,
From yonder woods that whisper of thy fame
Awoke the themes of many a soaring lay
Whose wings ,anfuried were dipped in sunrise flame
Here Nature taught thee her serenest truth,
And gave thy soul to drink of deathless youth.
Sovereign of heartsl 1t was their heritage,
A rare and happy realm to have and hold.
Magian bringing forth from avery age
Treasures timeworn, and changing them to gold !;
Priest! At the altar of the worlds delights,
With garments beautiful and always white.
For shone abroad thy fair and full orbed life
With the still radience of a morning star,
And fell thy song on days of cloud and strife
Like bells OF peace, rung clear from afar,
The latest cadence waited on the air,
Thy liies amen,-"Tis daybreak everywhere"
o, well may generous England give place
To thee among her sons of song sublime!
No pure life that haunted shrine shall grace,
No sweeter voice ring down the aisles OF time.
Yet we. with tenderer worship, lift above
FRANCES L. MACE.
Bangor, February, 1885.
This was followed by Mendelssohn's choral,
To God on high, from ST. Paul, performed
by the Haydn Association. Secretary II.
w Bryant then read letters from James w.
Bradbury. President of the Maine Historical
society, JOnn ". w hitler,
LETTER FROM J. G. WHITTIER.
OAK KNOLL, DANvERs. Mass, Feb. l5
Dear Friend Il am sorry it is not in my
power to accept the invitation of the commit
tee to be present at the unveiling of the bust
of Longfelow on the 9th inst or to write
anything worthy of the occasion in metrical
form.
The gift of the Westminster Abbey COM
mittee cannot fail to add another strong tie of
sympathy between the two great English
speaking people. And never was gift more
fitly bestowed The city of Portland-the
poets birthplace, "beautiful for situation, "
looking from its hills on the scenery he loved
so WE'LL Deerings Oaks. the many-islanded
bay and fair inland mountains, deectable in
sunset needed this sculptured representation
of her illustrious son, and may well testify
her Joy and gratitude at its reception. and
repeat in so doing the words of the Hebrew
prophet: so man, greatly beloved Thou
shalt stand in thy place"
am very truly thy friend,
JOHN G. WHITTIER.
Prof. Charles F. Richardson of Dartmouth
College, Mrs. Elizabeth Akers Allen, George
William Curtis, John Boyle O'Reilley, Ed
mund c. Stedman, Rev. Caleb ID. Bradley of
Boston, a poem, Oliver Wendall Holmes.
LETTER FROM OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
BosroN, Jan. "a, 1885.
NV Dear Sir.-I thank you and your as
sociates for your kind invitation to be pres
ent at the unveiling of the bust of Longfel-
low | regret that shall be unable to be
with you on that very interesting occasion.
Of all the marbles that fill Westminster
Abbey with the glory of great memories, not
one bears one speaking language so elo-
quent as that which is faithfully reproduced
in the bust before us. For it announces
itcelf as pledge of brotherhood recorded IN
the most sacred shrine of great nation with
which we have sometimes been at varence,
bu. to whose home and race our affections
must ever cling, so long as blood is thicker
than water.
The seemingly feeble link of sentiment
is often stronger than the adsmantine chain
of treaty. 1t is the province of literature,
and especially poetry which deals with the
sentiments common to humanity, to obliter
ate the geographical and political boundaries
of nations and make them one in feeling the
beautiful tribute of Englishmen to an Ameri-
can poet, giving him place in their proudest
mausolem, by the side TO their brBvest, best,
nobest, grandest is a proof of friendship and
esteem so genuine that it overlaps all the
barriers of nationality. How much we owe
10 tue mttuOiy VI poet nv has NoH lOI
his birthplace, for his country. for American
literature, the honors sparingly granted to
the children Of the land which holds his mon
umental effigy.
Yours very truly
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
A poem by Mrs. Caroline Dane Howe of
Portland was then read.
Nathan Appleton of Boston was introduced
and made a brief address, giving some pleas
AIT family "reminiscences.
Hon. Joseph w. Symonds next made an
address on the poets corner in Westminster
Abbey. He exhibited an autograph of the
last verse of Longfeilow's ode to Burns, just
received by the society from Rev. Samuel
Longfellow.
The Haydn Association sang Excelsior.
Prof. Henry L. Chapman of Bowdoin Col
leg folio wed with scholarly address, on
American lterrture in England. He discussed
the natural kinship of the American and
English people and their literatures read ex-
tracts from the English writer. Dowdeu, to
confirm his arguments. He stated that Long
fellows clai m to English sympathy and felic-
itated this commonwealth which holds the
site of the ancient pemaquid, at being the first
American State to have a representation in
that ancient Mausoleum of our race.
The Havdn Association then rendered
Haydn's chorus, THE Heavens are telling"
Hon. George f. Talbot was unable, on ac-
count of sickness, to be present, but his son
read his address entitled The Debt of Port
land to the Memory of Longfellow." 1t
touched lightly on the many writing of the
author, which alluded to the city of his birth.
Excelsior was repeated by the Hayden As
sociation and was received with much ap-
plause.
Hon Charles F. Libby President of the
Longfellow Statue Association. spoke briefly
MR.. LIBBY's SPEECH.
1t is proof of the permanent basis of moral
distinctions and of clear apprehension by
our race of its best line of developemeut, that