Wichita eagle., 1889-08-30

| ment. The year he received his medical de-
gree 1886 he published book containing
his poems to that date This volume con-
/ tanned one of the best known as well as the
most delicate mixtures of the comic and the
pathetic in all his pieces: The Last Leaf"
DR.. Holmes served for awhile as professor
of anatomy and physiology at Dartmouth,
and in 1S49 filed tho same chair in the medi-
cal school at Harvard While he is not known
to the public as a writer on medical topics
he gained three of the Boylston prizes for
medical dissertations. They were published
together In 1885 Besides these he has pub
lished half dozen books ON medical science
When in 1857 James Russell Lowell began
his work as editor of new magazine called
The Atlantic Monthly, DR.. Holmes was called
upon to put shoulder to the wheel and start
the new enterprise on the road to popular
favor. He began with a series of papers
called the ''Autocrat of the Breakfast Table"
Twenty-Five years before he had begun a Sc
ries of articles with that title for The New
England Magazine. The papers not only sue
cesSfully launched the magazine but when pub
lished in book form became the most popular
piece of literary work bearing the authors
name, not only then but ever afterwards.
Indeed they were so fascinating that the pub
lie eagerly absorbed every body ''at the break
fast table, that Dr. Holmes would write
about The Professor at the Breakfast
Table, end ''The Poet at the Breakfast
Tablen followed the ''Autocrat and are stilI
regarded among the doctors best works.
In verse DR.. Holmes has touched very little
that is not especially noted for the sparkling
rather than the poetic He has written some
pieces, however, in which there is the true
poetic ring. Perhaps the best specimen of
this kind of verse in his works is THE Cham
bered Nautilus" The most marvellous fea-
ture, however about him, is the work which
he has been able 10 do upon occasion. Let
there be meeting of his classmates 20 cee
brate their past in college, dinner Of doc
tors, supper of authors; DR.. Holmes would
be called upon to cook up something choice IN
verse to grace the literary menu. And when
the feast was set the doctors dish would not
only be devoured by tho classmates or doctors
or authors, but would be seized upon by the
whole public. Indeed many of his choicest
pieces were produced in this way.
DIR. Holmes during his long life in lit
erature wrote only two novels-''Elsie Ven
ner," a study of heredity, and The Guardian
Angel" Elsie Venner' being scientific
novel, its appreciation is limited, and the au-
thor succeeded in his novels rather in draw
ing character than for dramatic power.
Beyond his literary work Oliver Wendell
Holmes Is known among his friends as a gem
ial companion and especially wit One Of
his witticisIns, produced more than thirty
years ago, has crept into variocs forms and
been attributed TO otaerS, but it was perpe-
trated by the doctor himself. II is this:
Dr. Holmes was one day standing about
an autopsy table. He is 2 little man, and q
number Of other physicians in attendance
were all exceptionally large men. Holmes
looked up at the massive frames about him
and for q moment seemed 70 be impressed
with his own insignlficance But it did not
take him long TO recover his equanImity.
70 pom MY word, gentlemen" ne exclaimed,
CHANGING With a twinkle in his eye from one
10 The other, i feel like three cent piece
amnog q lot Of penniss!"
The doctor il his poetical WORKS, bess Of
ali American psoers, touches The modern taste.
Such poets as VIII Carleton, Lowell in bis
" Bigiow Rapers'l and Bret Hsrte ant John
Hay are Of this scnool bus Holmes overtops
them ali; while the plane on which lis poems
sre written is far higher titan theirs In
some there Is depsh az meaning uznonced
by the casual reader, bat what remains y so
good that 1t staIds Of ftss9 TIE Weader-
ful One Harse Shay, " for instance. was writ
ten TO show a collapse - !dgEcsl reasoning.
Bot few Of those VITO have read u know this:
YET the ''0ne Horse Shag7 s7l hves perhaps
the mcst popular Of all tke Ioctors efforts.
Fortuna te..y Fer his admirers. the author aiso
Still lives, and Is IGNORED 70. ss pse;, author,
Wit huIhoIIst- alone. bu- A. 81 original Il al
these, and - Soe 1noss genial AID lOvsb!s of |