The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-01-05

mestIc happiness followed. The wine
of life was tremblingly full in the cur
of the poet IN and before his saith year
when MS wife was burnt to death be.
fore his eyes. To amuse her younger
children, Mrs. Longfellow had been
making seals. A lighted drop of waS
fell into her lap, and her skirts of gauze
at once enveloped her in flames. Hear
ing his wife scream, the poet rushed
from his study in time to snatch rug
and throw it around her ere she fel
mortally injured. She was buried
July IL, 1861, and she never looked
talrer than on that day-the anniver,
sary of her marriage. Terribly as the
fire had burnt her, it had spared one
side of her beautiful head.
"In the days when Miles Standish
first strobe about New England the
glayes of the English dead were hid
from the Indians by being covered with
waving corn. The grave that held his
beloved in his heart Longfellow hid
from his friends. Hardly once was he
heard to allude to his wife after the first
shock was over. His diary remained
for long after that terrible day COM
plete blank it was noticed that from
that same day ne aged rapidly his
heart was full Of his secret-full, but
silent as the grave always is i; and above
this grave the strong man sowed his
thoughts, and they ripened like the corn
in autumn"
1t has been said that "of all the great
literary figures who have loomed upon
the latter part of the nineteenth cen,
tury, Lord Tennyson has been the most
fortunate in his married hfe." In 1850
ne married Miss Emily Sellwood, the
daughter Of a solicitor. The young
couple lived for the first two years at
Twickennam. Their first baby died
but in 1858 there was another year
old, "crazy with laughter and babble,
and earth's new home."
"If music be the food of love-" it
need not surprise US that few, if any
other, of our great musical composers
were like Handel, who throughout life
was so welded to his art that he cared
nothing for the delights of woman's
love.
Hadyn married hairdresser's daugh-
ter, W ho had a dismal, mischievous,
sullen nature, venomouS tongue, and
savage temper. So intolerable did
she at last become that he had to sepa-
rate from her.
Almost equally unfortunate was
Weber. He was won't to say: "To
be true artist, you must be true
man." But the beautiful singer,
Gretchen, with whom he fell in love at
Stuttgart, however she may have con-
soled his somewhat arid life was not a
beneficial Influence, for she led him
into many sad extravagances, and an
unwholesome taste for playing the cav
alier.
The Countess Caroline, an enthusias-
tic girl of great beauty, became the OBJ
ject of Schubert's romantic passion
His exterior was anything but that OF
an ideal lover. Rude, unshapely tea-
lures, thick nose, coarse, protuding
mouth, and a shambling, awkward fig
ure, were redeemed only by eyes Of
uncommon splendor and depth. The
inexperienced maiden, belonging to a
naughty family, hardly understood the
devotion of the humble-born genius
Only once he was on the verge of full
revelation. She asked him why he had
dedicated nothing to her. With abrupt
passionate, intensity of tone, Schubert
answered, "What's the use of that
Everything belongs to you" This
brink of confession seems to have fright.
ened him from any further intercourse
with the family, yet he never forgot his
beautiful dream, or loved another
woman.
More fortunate was Mozart. In hi:
25th year he proposed to a beautiful
Young singer, Aloysa Weber; but she
saw nothing attractive in the thin, pale
young man, with his long nose, grea
eyes and little head for he was any
thing but prepossessing. Her younger
sister, Constance, however, secretly
loved him, and he soon transferred hi:
repelled affections to her. Her family
objected on the ground that his reputa
ton was not then sufficiently established
Upon this he composed an opera
which he always considered as his high
est effort, and which Immediately
silenced the objections OF Constance's
friends, who now gladly gave her tc
him. He worked very hard, pouring
out symphonies, operas and sonata:
with astonishing rapidly. He made
more money than most musicians, yet
was always pursued by the spectre o
want. This was not owing to persona
indulgence, extravaganza or riotou:
living, but because he was lavishly gen,
erous to those who, in many instances
needed help less than himself. Like
many other men of genius and sensi
bility, he could not say "no" to ever
the pretense of distress and suffering
He was good husband and his wife
we'll deserved his love. His playful
tenderness was displayed in many
quaint wavs. He would, for example
rise long before her to take his horse
back exercise, ana always kiss hel
sleeping face, and leave little note like
the following resting on her forehead
"Good morning; dear little wife