New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-10
IN ANCIENT GUILFORD.
PROFESSOR C. F. JoHNSoN'S TRIBUTE TO
FITZ GREENE HALIECK
VISITORS TO THE HOUSE BUILT BY THE REV
HENRY WHITFIELD PLANS FOR THE
EXERCISES no BE HELD TODAY.

HENRY WHITFIELD PLANS FOR THE
EXERCISES TO BE HELD TODAY.
New-Haven Sept. 0 SpeciaD.-The exercises
connected with the celebration Of the settlement
of Guilford were continued to-day. being chiefly
Of a literary character All the townspeOple and
many strangers assembled in the historical First
Church. Joel Benton, of Armenia, n. Y, pre-
sided. and introduced as the first speaker George
II. Wilcox, of Detroit Mich. who read an original
poem. The most interesting feature Of the pro-
gramme was the paper read b. Professor {. F. john
son, Of Trinity College on Fitz Greene ilalleek.
Among other good things the paper contained the
following:
When you call the roll of your dead and gone
worthless. when you name those who subdued the
wilderness and made possible the Connecticut
of to-day, or name those others Of Guliord's sons
who have gone from here into wider fields and
won honor or distinction or wealth, when you
trace the influence OF Guilford in the councils
Of the Republic or in the building of our great
Western empire, it is meet and proper that you
should honor also those of her children whose
principal Network in another wcrd, the
world of art. Fitz Greene Halleck was born in
this village, in house fronting on the green,
July s, 1890. lie could trace his descent from
more than one ancient and honorable family. As
a boy he read poetry eagerly and wrote boyiSh
verse. The most genuine poetic influence Which
reached him during his formative period seems
to have been that of Burns. Soon after his re-
turn from Europe, in 1922, he wrote the spirited
martial lyric Marco Bonzarls' This poem is
slightly vulgarzed to the present generation from
the fact that most Of us have murdered it on
the platforms of school exhibitions. but
there is so much poetic life in it that
it survives innumcrable massacrcs by the innO-
cents. 1t is a noble ode, and the ode is form
in which the English language has few great
poems to show. 1t is Of the essence of an ode
TO be varied in movement, but vigorous and
dcclamatory to appeal to some one of the broad
general sentiments of humanity, and to show
throughout n Pindagic fervor 1t is the lyric.
sustained and elevated by intense but masculine
emotions
Henry p Robinson read paper on "GuilfOrd
and Madison in Literature" in which brief ref
erence was made to several of Guilford
and Madison who have been honored in the
literary world
One of the principal points of interest to-day
was the old stone house built by the Rev. Henry
Whitfield in 1899. This is open to the pub ic.
and is handsomely decorated in evergreent
On the roof are the dates, 1891 $50. Among
the people who visited the house tins morning
was Mrs Catherine B.amble, of New-London
She is one of the direct descendants of William
Dudley, who was great friend of Whitfield
and lived near him in GuilfOrd. Mrs Bramble
has the record copied from the books of the
parish Of Ocl<ley, in County Surrey, England,
giving the date Of the marriage of William
Dudley and Jane Tulman, by the Rev Henry
Whitfield August a. 1876. Another place
which was thronged was the stone house where
relics were exhibited In all, nearly 500 separate
articles are on exhibition, and the collection
includes relics from the Indians and from the old
settlers, of every nature and description.
tomorrow will be the grand day OF tho
celebration At sunrise colonial salute of SIX
guns will he fired. Between and / a. m. pro-
ccssons will march through the principal streets.
At IL o'clock the literary exercises will begin
with historical address by Professor Samuel
baltimore. will read a paper on GuilfOrd and
Madison from 1865 to 1861. Miss Kate Foote;
of Guilford will rad paper on Guilford and
Senator Hawley, Colonel T. w. Higginson PROBES
sor W R. Dudley, Of Cornell University, and the
Rev. John Todl, of this city, will deliver addresses