The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-10-09
CEDARMERE.


IN Hampstead bay, about thirty miles
from New York. Mr.. Bryant had at
that time been editing The Evening Post
for fourteen years, and Mr.. Goodwin,
who three years before had married, was
associated with his father-in-law in the
editorial management of the ablest and
best afternoon newspaper New York has
ever had.
Mr.. Bryant's old home is now occu-
pied by his grandson, Mr.. Harold God
win, the managing editor of The New
York Commercial Advertiser. 1t is the
show place of the neighborhood, and no
visitor is permitted to linger long in that
part of Long Island without making
pilgrimage to Cedarmere, which was the
poets home for about forty years The
public road runs very close by one end
of the house, which is only partially
protected from the dust of the highway
by hedges and shrubbery. The lawn in
front of the old fashioned house slopes
toward pond, which has been made
about twenty-five feet above the waters
Of the bay and stretches to the border OF
the estate. A very large locust tree,
some five feet in diameter, stands imme-
liately in front of the house, but it is
rapidly yielding its life to the borers,
which have left so few healthy speci-
mems of the ceratonia siliqua in America.
1t was from point very near this
tree that | took photograph of the
house. The sun was under u cloud, and
was walking back and forth on the
lawn trying to find themost suitable place
in which to set up my camera. The gar
dener noticed what seemed to him my
quandary. and came to my rescue by
telling me that the spot in the walk near
the locust tree was the place they
usually took the photographs from" !
did not inquire whether the amateur
photographer often visited Cedarmere.
did not need to do this. His remarks
told the tale plainly enough.
The editors of the Encyclopedia Bri-
tannica have denied Bryant place in
that work. His work they regarded as
too evanescent to entitle him to such a
mark of distinction This was a most
amazing decision to men of letters in
America, and the narrowness of judg-
ment displayed almost reconciles one to
the troubles which the American pub
fishing pirates are now making for the
Messrs. Black, of Edinburgh. Consid-
ering the space given in that work to
third and fourth rate European poets,
and American, too, for that matter,
surely a paragraph might have been
spared for the author of "Thanatopsis. y
This is Of small consequence, however,
as his place in literature is too secure tc
be affected by such slight.
Just across the highway from Cedar
mere is Clovercroft, the country seat OF
Mr.. Parke Goodwin. The entrance is
through u vine covered archway, and a
few steps bring the visitor to the main
! door of the house. This door opens inn
mediately from the driveway into the
hall. and upon that front Of the house
there is no porch or piazza. But upon
the front which overlooks the bay there
is piazza of generous proportions, de-
signed primarily for summer time COM
fort, and made picturesque by the vines
which Chamber over it. The trees and
shrubbery protect the house completely
from the dusty highway, and on the
piazza and the velvety lawn in front OF
| it the occupants Of Clovercroft can en-
joy whatever privacy they choose.