The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-10-01


the hrst- born in the family,-should attach to
MN VINO has shed the greatest glory on her
history. Most insensible should we be If, in
auuluon TO that esteem which intelligent minds
iusiinctVely yield to genius, we failed to ex-
peflehce the special qualification arising from
It's pafentage and early development. Port
ianu does, indeed, count herself supremely
nohored IN being the birthplace OF Longfel
iow' and rejoces that his poetic genius,
oiVlnely born, however much nourished after
waia oy opportunity began here to MANIFEST
propnetlc signs of that exalted power, which
IN subsequent years caused its possessor to be
crowned King of poets with universal acclaim.
NO less gratifying to our pride comes the
knowledge OF the poets filial loyalty to the
nome OF his nativity and youth. The chang
ing vicissitndes of after years, the heaped- up
accumulation of. honors did not sunder his
affections from Loyhood ties, nor diminish the
force OF early associations. To his latest days
ne loved to revisit the familiar spots Of the
"dear old town.
.Where the friendships old, and the early loves
Come back with a Sabbath sound,
and some OF his most inspired moments were
devoted to celebrating the picturesque beauties
OF shore and isle of .the city by the sea" in
lyrics which will be repeated with ever fresh
enjoyment when this statue, like its original,
shall have mingled with the dust.
Sufficient cause for congratulation exists
then, in the circumstances and incidents of
this occasion, regardless of thronging memo
RES and suggestive lessons with which the
hour is fraught. And how shall l alludc to
these' Does not younger Pliny comprehen-
slvely express our position when he says, "If
our grief is alleviated by gazing ON the pictures
of departed friends in our homes, how much
more pleasure is there in looking on those
public representations of them which are me-
morals not only of their air and eountenance,
but also OF the honor and esteem with which
they are regarded by their fellow citizens
True It Isl that pictures and nementoes of
Longfellow hold familiar place in our house.
holds, imparting extreme pleasure; equally
true is it that such pleasure swells into ioy
when for the first time can be seen in one Of
our most central thoroughfares true delinea-
ton of him, whose living companionshIp is a
cherished memory in the hearts of many pre-
sent. For, happily, this statue is not delayed
as too often the case, until its subject bereft o
contemporaneous association, no longer pos
sesses power to awaken vivid personal recol-
lections. Speaking from my own experience,
how forcibiy am reminded of my first meet
ing with Longfellow in the summer of 1875 at
brunswick, whittier he had repaired to attend
the Doth anniversary of his famous class How
distinctly is recalled the impression made upon
me of his serenity of mind, his purity of heart,
his amiability and grandeur of life. To take
such a man by the hand conveyed, as with
electric current, sudden uplft to the
soul. To enter the atmosphere of
SO wholesome and bright pres
ence seemed like passing into realm of sun
shine. Experiences of this kind are readily
remembered by his friends, and, in like man
ner as shadow reflects substance, casual
acquaintance. even, verify their reality with
recurrence of similar impressions The power
to re-awaken such charm of personal relation
with the poet invests his statue with un-
wonted and peculiar interest. Herein is
recognized the air and countenance of the man.
as well as the tribute to the poets greatness
Herein the sculptor's art restores again 10 view
the departed, but not forgotten, form of
father, brother, friend, no less Enthusiastically
tnan It commentaries genius with monument
OF enduring bronze. Herein the penetrating
eye of early and succeeding friendship can
discern characteristic traces of youthful ex-
preston intermingled with well-known deeper
lines-the offspring of maturer age-and
crossed, alas, with burrows of sorrowful ex-
perience, the common portion of humanity.
Of such and kindred other associations. does
this statue speak. and because its voice awakes
familiar echoes in the soul, we hail it as mex
pressibly dear.
And yet the statues chief significance re-
mains to be considered. Transeending its
value as token of municipal pride, or even
as suggestion of sacred and tender relations
IN the past, is its use as memorial of public
veneratlon and esteem. In this view our
vision extends beyond local limitations and the
range OF personal recollection, to comprehend
sublime elevations of character and thought in
human history, wherein Longfellow appears
foremost and great like an Alpine mountain,
without setting up to be great at ALL" Mani
testing in the majestic simplicity of his nature
no appearance of the artificial or unreal in
the quality of his productions no evidence of
the transeendental or untrue; in al his facul-
ties veritable poet,
Is like nest of singing birds
Rocked on the top-most bough of life,"
and from very necessity of existence giving
utterance
ITO songs of that high art
Which, as winds do In the pine,
Find an answer In each heart"
These responsive heart throbs have found
expression in beautiful tributes from myriad
lips. Tributes to the sweet charm of his life
as well as the unexcelled merit of his
writings, "rich in noble conceptions and the
indescribable essence of beauty pervading
them" Tributes WE'LL woven together into a
wreath of immortal fame forever to encircle the
poets brow. Into this garland Holmes placed
brilliant leaf when he wrote,
with loving breath of all the winds
His name is blovn about the world;''
and Sumner early added laurel in saving,
"His poetry affords succour and strength to bear
the ills of life; while the words Of Under
wood came as offerings of choicest flowers to
his memory: His powers were rare his sense
of proportion and melody exquisite, his per-
ception of beauty keen, his sympathy bound
less" and, elsewhere, speaking Of his poetry,
"the blossoms ofevery garden have yielded him
their perfumes, and now in his verse we have
the aroma distilled from lilies and roses"
His class mate Shepley contributed lasting
forget-me-not when, writing of his appear
ance before his class in 1875, he said. "How
did we exult in his pure character and spotless
reputation, with what delight gaze upon his
intelligent and benignant countenance, with
what moistening eyes listen to his words"
And so might continue, almost indefinitely.
enumeratng rare blossoms, plucked from the
field Of universal esteem and gracefully offered
in never fading remembrance of him,
"whose verse
Was tender, musical and terse,
The inspiration, the delight,
The CLEAN, the glory, the swift flight
OF thoughts sudden, that they Seem
The revelations of q dream"
But, Mr.. President, do we need to pass be-
yond the sphere of our own consciousness for
similar attestationss By way of commonest
illustration, who of us has not been stirred
with patriotic feeling in reading Paul Reyere's
ride, or the launching of the ship. Who has
not been filled with melancholy regret at the
tragic fate of Hiawatha, or felt the romantic
side of his nature rise in corresponding ex-
ultation at the final reward of Ser FEDERICO. the
self-denying apostle of the gospel that "all
things come round to him who waits" In
brief, are not the testimonies universally borne
finding to-day their true expression in this
memorial of highest esteem, manifold and
heartfelt to accredit,
elbow sweet life was his how sweeta death.
Living, TO wing with mirth the weary hours
Or, with romantic tales the heart to cheer:
Dying, to leave a-memory like the breath
OF summers full of sunshine and of show ers.
grief and gladness in the atmosphere"
But, included in the memorial as its crown
ing advantage, can we overlook the important
lesson of this admonishing sculptures Is it
not, indeed, expressed in those familiar lines of
the poets immortal Psalm of Life, wherein
olives of great men all remind us" of the pos
slbility and duty of realizing such sublime per-
sonal character as shall impress itself upon
human events in indelible marks of blessing.
And considering, then, how perfect an ex-
emplihcation of this ideal life appears in the
history Of Longfellow himself, who can esti-