Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-05-09
A Short Sketch Of Alfred Tennyson

A Short Sketch of Alfred Tennyson.
Read before the Ladies Literary Society BY Mrs
8. N. Hutsel.
The name of the poet TennysOn is al.
most as much of q household word in
this, as in his own country; and it seems
quite natural in classifying our great
American poets to include Tennyson, at
least am inclined ANONYMOUSLY, to do it
myself.
He certainly represents one of the most
scholarly as well as the most widely pop
ular English writer's. His literary tastes
are inherited, his father having been the
quiet, scholarly rector of Somersby in Lin
eolnshire, England, at which place our
poet was born eighty-two years ago.
His brothers, like himself, contributed
valuable articles to the "World of Let
ters;" but Alfred outstripped them all, al
though Charles was one Of his first and
ablest critics, and published in conjunc-
ton with him a volume of poems in 1917.
Henry VanDyke says that at least one
cause of Tennyson's popularity is that
there'is so much OF the Bible in his writ
ings; there being nearly three hundred d.
rect references to the Bible in his poems.
One is perfectly safe in saying that there
is no other book which has so great an in
auence over the literature of the world as
the Bible; and the English literature has
felt this influence deeply, and shown it
clearly. We value the volume as liter
airy possession, because of its universal
popularity. It establishes bond of SYM
pathy between the most cultured and the
simplest Of the people. The book is
found upon the table of the scholar and
the peasant.
What lover of Dickens does not enjoy
talking "Micawber" to kindred spirit?
Zone touch of nature makes the whole world akin.'
We all love Tennyson's "May Queen"
and doubtless recited it-flll three parts
when our turn came to speak our
piece" on Friday afternoon, and who can
recall poem more beautiful and pathetic
tho doubt if st the time we recognized
from chapter in Job.
"And the wicked cease from troubling and the weary
are at rest"
Then again, the story of Enoch Arden,
his parting words to his wife.
''Cast all your cares on God;
that anchor holds.
Is he not yonder in those uttermost
Parts of the morningf If fee to these
Can go from Hint and the sea is His,
The SEA is His, He made it.
When he was cast away in the awful
loneliness of the Island it is said
HAD not his poor heart
Spoken with That, which being everywhere
Lets none, who speaks with Him, seem all alone
Surely the man had died Of solitude.''
On his return, after being absent many,
weary years, to find his wife married to
another, his home no longer his, it is by
prayer that he finds strength to keep the
resolve to be silent and bear his secret to
the end.
Tennyson was appointed poet laureate
in 1850, and his appoint ment as such ex-
ceeds by ten years, the appointment of
any other poet in England, to like
position. He lives in quiet elegance on
the Isle of Wight. and sees but few
people, devoting most of his time to liter
AZURE.
1t is certainly privilege which we all
must appreciate to be able to speak of
him contemporary (?) as it we're.
It is said, that natural wish to avoid
being mobbed by the vulgar herd has
almost become a mono mania with the
poet, and yet if such annoyance is denied
him, he is capable of resenting it.
So Tennyson like the rest of mankind
is human, after all.