New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-12
JOHN G. WHITTIERS BIRTHDAY
THE QUAKER POET ENDS HIS ETcr,,
FOURTH YEAR.
OLIVER WENDELL HoLME7s ELOQUENT rusr,.
-LETTERs FROM MANY OTHERS.

-LET,DERs FROM MANY OTHERS.
Boston, Dec. IL (speciaD.-In view Of the anna.
ing eighty fourth birthday anniversary Of the Doe, 49,
q, whittier, "The Journal will tomorrow mo-.
publish page devoted TO the occasion, includm.ss
letter from DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes TO the 80
Quaker poet and letters from Sarah Orne yewetf d.
Terry Cooke, Edna Dean Proctor. Alice Thornton ~,
Julia Ward Howe, the Rev. Dr. a. p. Peabody L.,
Iarcom. Harriet Prescott spoford, Richard Nales,
Johnston and W. It. W. Ball. expressing their ,,ss
ences for certain Of whittcrs poems and one from o.
Hon. Robert e. Winthrop. written in 1884, but nev~
before published. The genial Autocrat Of the B,,.s
fast Table writes to his old ffiend rs follows:
Ny dear Whittier: congratulate you on having climb
another glacier and ID another 10 you, 49,
OF the White Summit which ALREADY begEs % zee 3.
morning twilight OF the coming century. LIE "a v.s
Allied has been cannot be too long for your fem,
men and women. In their affections are seeu,s
whether you arc with them hero or near them IN AN.
higher life theirs hope your years have not heos
burden so that you are tired Of living At our aee !,
must live chiefly the past Happy Is he Who has ma
like your, to back Ii Is Of the felicia.
incidental VIII accidentsof my life that the l,s.
OF time has brought near together. .ha, d.
qucnty ind myself honorsd by seeing my name mntoaa
In near connection with YOU now.
We arc lonely very lonely, In thee las. years n.
image which / have used before this IL vriths
10 you recurs more " my thought We wev
on together cSs-
eratons ago. The life of whole generation passed. M
found lis in the cabin with roodly company u eoen,
Then the craft which held began going 70 pieces Until
a few OF US left the raft pieeed together q is
fragments and now rat. has at last nrted yog S
are left clinglng to the solitary spar which eli ua
still remains afoat OF the sunken vessel.
I have Just been looking over the hfatstones IN III,
,,r,.wod,s cemetery entitled 1.-The Poes and Poetry a
AMERICA In that venerable receptacle. just comp.na
l:s balf.century cxlstcnceor the date d the euu
before me is 1921 nrd the Of John Greeneaf WIT
tier and oliver Wendell Holmes next each Other In their ds
order as they should be- All around arc the "a,
dead-oo often OF tho forgotten dead. Three ~
there are sill among those OF the living Mr.. John 0sa
Sargent who makes Horace his own by faithful study snd
ours by scholarly translation; Isaac Mcclellan, who va
writing I'm $780, and whose last work Is dated 1885, I'd
christopher r. Cranch, whose poetsca gift has TOO any
found expression
or these many dead, you .he most venerated rsA
and beloved survivor; Of these few living the hu
ored representative Long may IL be before you Leave
world where your influence been beneneent vSs
vour example has been such Inspiration, where you w
30 truly loved and where your presence is papssl
OLIVER WENDELL HoLNEA
Lucy Larcom writes
1t is very difficult to name an especial hyorite among
the lyrics OF honored poet. IL Is mueh a. 90
were asked to express preference for VIA howef
forest tree among the thousand growhs that make New
here and have loved everything in it all our lvs Witt
tiers poetry IS an element Of the NewEngand sshss
phere in reading IL feel that we are simply dsuing
our natural BREATH and that, me, is ts chief charm nat
1t gives in almost every line the spirit OF The so and
the early settlers OF the SOIL In the noble simplicity Of Ne
former days In his sympathy with nature In her r.
cuar local and homely beauty in his deep spiritual pr
ception and ferysnt expression Of all that was best
Purtanism OF which Quakersm itself was protesting
phase he is great and unique Sometimes II seems
he were our only real New-Engand poet, although oAn
have written very beautiful local poetry. But we can
more separate the thought Of Whittier from New'Ensns
than we can that Of Burns from Scotland HIS pAxiocm
and his wide humanity pervading all he has wnte ia|
trste we'll the grandeur Of the type Of manhood which NJ
the natural ougowth OF the primitive integrity and rh
spread through the whole Nation has made IL hitherto sw
pride We have poet more thoroughly American shAa
he and we must rejoice in the tender softenA caau
Of his later verse, which, lacking nothing Of yeof or M
tensity seems suiused with an gog. like nat
sunset-illumined clouds.