St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-06
AMERICAS GREATEST POET.
Hawthorne's Niche in the Temple
..asr:'e of Fame,

.+S: of Fame.
:, A large audience, a majority of whom
1were ladies, assembled in the First NJ.
fE. church last evening to hear Leon
Nineent lecture on Hawthorne" Mr.
Vincent, a tall, pale-faced man, wearing
glasses, a short blonde beard, a frock
coat, a large collar and white necktie,
commenced by an analysis of the Ger
man character, showing sentiment to be
Its principal characteristic. Genius.
she claimed, is always associated with
melancholy, and is to a great extent
childishnesS. There is no great mind
without tendency to melancholy"
says Aristotle. Hawthorne'S genius de-
fled description; it was more like
bne of his chief characteristics
was melancholy. His mind al
ways scared among the clouds;
yet he had strong liking for the
earthly and tangible. When a boy. he
took great interest in licking another
boy, playing base ball and with cats,and
thought his time at college wasted,
while he was great athlete all his
life. That there was nothing of the
kid-glove order about him, is demon
strated by the various occupations in
which he was employed. His eyes
were wonderfully fascinating, and Bay
ard Taylor says they were the only eyes
which ever really flashed fire. He was
strongly affected by the personalities of
people, and the unconsolable sorrow of
his mother affected his disposition
deeply. He had the idea Of being an
author and evinced tendency for fan
tastie story telling at an early age. He
always liked the mysterious, but it was
necessary that it should at the same
speaker then gave Henry James great
raking down for lack of critical acumen
in his life of Hawthorne. His stories
and gems are full of great thoughts,
and those who cannot appreciate them
are lacking in perception. There is a
common falsenoOd told about him. and
that is, that he was addicted to intoXl-
eating liquors; that this was not SO,
the speaker conclusiyely proved.
James assertion that Hawthorne was
burdened with a family
is abs urd; his marriage with
Sophia Peabody was case of love at
first sight. and she writing to her mother
says that he was simple, just and mag
unanimous: though his will was strong
he had no thought Of governing. She
also tells about nm COOKING In. the
kitchen, while his thoughts scared
among the clouds. His genius was
quickened rather than hampered by his
marriage. The groundwork of the
''Scarlet Letter" was thought out while
he was collector of customs at Salem.
The speaker then gave an outline and
criticism of that work, pointing out the
curious mesmeric influence which alb
serbs the reader of the work. From be-
ginning to end it is book which shows
deep thought, every line. every page.
developing some beautiful idea. While
the darkness OF the story can almost be
felt, yet there is such an innate beauty
in the way it is told that fascinates the
reader, and human reality running
through all the phantasm that appeals
directly to the hearts of all thoughtful
headers. Hawthorne was rather ro-
mancer than novelist, as the novel is
the prose of romance and the romance
the poetry of fiction. He. was all poetry
fh his life, his books, his thoughts, and
lie was the greatest OF American poets.
His fame is absolutely solid and assured.
resting upon no temporary scaffold of
fashion, no eyanescent wave Of public
approval. .'.'.