, 1889-01-10
WHITTIER AND HIS FRIENDS.
Tho Poet Enters Upon His Eighty Second
Year.


With form erect. baoyaut step. pleasant
1.-The national poet of America" greeted u
Boston Herald repre- sentative in his cosy
sitting room in Mrs. Woodman's 8 homelike
mansion on Oak Knoll, Danvers, re-.
Gently. The occasion was the COM
pletiou Of the poets Slst year,
and his entrance on his S2d year
Of useful and we'll spent life. Motioning
his visitor to a seat, Mr.. Whittier seats
himself and enters readily into cUnversa.
tion. rne poet said his health was good,
but still he insisted that he was growing
old and had begun to feel the weight of
years. He does not however, seem, to
one who has visited him annually for six
or seven years. to have grown old. HIS
hearing is a little Impaired, but not no.
ticeably 40, save to one who speaks TO him
across the room. Mr.. Whittier seems to
eujOy these quiet visits from his friends.
Yesterday he talked about the weather.
books, men, and particularly of
some of his neighbors, and
his friend Samuel P Fowler,
who lay dead not far away. MIR.
man. His uowledRe Of natural history
was great. especially of plants He told
of finding what he thought must be
rare plant, which he carried to Mr.. Fowl.
er, in the full confidence tnat he had
caught him at last, Showing it to the
venerable naturalist, the latter remarked
that he had seen it before--a sample grew
in his garden the year before. Mr.. Whit.
tier laughed as he told this story on him.
self The poet also alluded to Dea, Fow.
ler's brother Henry, VINO was great orni.
thologist, ana. although a hard working
farmer. he had painted birds with as
nut ra N "a a a unoh0n
Among Mr.. Whittier's callers during
the day we're Ex-Governor and Mrs. Will
liam Claflin. MIR. Charles +. Coffin, Mrs.
Coffin and Mics Coffin. Mrs. Edna Dean
Proctor, Prof Douglass b. w. SIaden of
Australia, Mrs. Kimbal of Boston and
Rev. C. b. Rice OF Danvers. Mr.. Coffin
brought birthday basket of fruit, as he
has done for so many years. Mr.. Sladen
presented to Mr.. Whittier a copy Of his
poem I'D the Black Prince, with
this inscription: 10 the national poet
OF America, John Greenleaf Whittier, on
his S2d birthday, December Is, 1898. this
humble attempt at a national poem is Of
fered by Douglass Sladen." Mrs. John
G. Phillips of Commonwealth ave.
euue. Boston. sent bunch OF
papa gautier'' roses, which gave Mr..
Whittier much delight. Houghton. Milf
fit & Co. sent II basket of roses and ferns.
DR.. and Mrs Page of the Dauvers asylum
sent basket of flowers. There was also
u massive basket of roses from some school
children in New York. For some years
past on this anniversary Mr.. Whittier has
received barrel OF pitch pine kind
lings from the Whittier colored school
of Tuscaloosa. Ala. Yesterday the
kindlings came, and with them two
photographs. One was of the 200 children
composing the schools, and the other of
the same schoo, in the act of voting their
thanks to Mr. Whittier. The picture is a
cute one, and seemed to please the poet
i'm nensely.
The visitors were shown into the
poets "den" by lady of the
family. He uses small roll-top
desk and Il leather-bottom arm
chair. The desk looks more like that of
busy business man or a newspaper edit
or than an octogenarian poet. "And this
ROOM" said tine lady entering the library,
"is where Mr. Whittier comes and sits
with us evenings" Mr.. Whittier said his
ewes troubled him somewhat, and he did
not read much except on clear days. "Oh,
able to read ',the popular novel OF the
dav." A large table set in the
dining.room was visited by Mr..
Whittiers guests during the afternoon,
and they were most gracefully
waited upon by MIRA. Woodman. Miss
Johnson aud Miss Coffin. Mr., Whittier
will pass the winter in Danvers with these
friends who watch over him with loving
solicitude. and care for his health and
comfort like children for q parent.