Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-19
UNIVERSITY EXTENSION.
Prof. Demmon's Last Lecture in a Profit
able Course.

able course.
AT the meeting of the university ex-
tension class in West Michigan College
hall last evening. the Hon. Roger w.
Butterfield announced that Prof. Car
hart OF the university, bad been Sc
cured to give n course of six lectures
on ELECTRICITY" the first lecture to DO
given IN three weeks. Mr.. Butterfield
expressed the pleasure it gave HIM to
say that thus far all the expenses of
the course had Leen paid, and there
was little money ahead. He hoped
that al! would interest themselves In
selling tickets for the next course,
which promised to be of exceeding in
terest.
The subject of Prof. Demmon's lee
ture was Alfred Tenuyson. As = set
ting for what was to follew, the profes-
sor gave a short review of the ten
dencies of the eighteenth century, and
spoke of the influences they had upon
the literary age, beginning with the
reign Of Queen Victoria, reigu which
Is second only to that of Elizabeth IN
literary prominence. The character
istics of this Victoria era were dwelt
upon TO some extent, and then the
parentage and education of Tennyson
received the attention of the
speaker. Tennyson was born al
Somersby, England, in August. 1909.
HIS father was vicar of Somersby, and
his mother was.fhe daughter of vicar,
SO that, as a boy, he WAS surrounded
by the deepest religious influences. lie
was educated at Cambridge. bur even
before entering college his poeticai ca
haA ri ,os.,c
were handled roughly by the review
ers, but in 1s42 q revised edition ap-
peared, which contained many new
poems and omitted many OF the old.
The wonderful melody OF these poems
placed him in the foremost rank of
poets, and many Of the literary men of
the day sounded his praises. Carlyle
said that Alfred Tennyson had proved
thai Singing in the English tongue
wss possible to some degree"
Professor Demmon thought that not
ouly does Tennyson excel as a great
literary artist, but that he is \ great
teacher of morals; that it has been his
province TO show the relation of art and
morals, and tiiat he has always been
alive to all the questions of the fever
ish days of the nineteenth century. "In
Memoriam,' the speaker said ,breathed,
more than any other poem, of the specu-
lative troubles of the age. and answered
them. Tcnnyson's poems are gospel
of hope aud progress, and being such,
their author has endeared himself to
the whole world. lie has appealed to
To the moral and religious natures of
mankind, has looked into the human
heart, aud voiced the heart cries of the
age.
Carlyle's description Of Tennveon
was read by Professor Oemmon, and
the picture drawn of the two great
masters "sitting smoking their pipes
togetacr-and saying nothing"
"A noteworthy feature of Tenny-
sons poem Is that he stands aloof from
the anguish and terror of the affec-
TONS" SAID the speaker. ''The COM
psrative failure of his dramas NAV be
attributed to several causes. Among
others, be is too suggestive, and lacks
humor. He can't be several characters
at the same time. But in bis power of
ornate description, he 10 the best speci-
men among the poets. contining him.
self, however, To quiet, dreamy scenes.
Again, hrs correspondence of sound
aud sense u very prominent, ss may be
appreciated by reading 'Morte d.
Arthur The Bugle Song from The
Princess and Break. Break, Break
Referring TO the critics of Iennyson,
Mr.. nemmou sad an interesting chap
ter might he written about them. but
that be wished the poet had treated his
critics as Wordsworth did. bad let them
alone. That Tennyson himself at last
took that view was evident, for IN sIi
the later editions OF his poems, his
answers 10 his critics do not appear.
The last one devoted 10 them "a en-
titled 'fThe Flower"
The Judgment of those people who
see IN n dccadence OF power and genius
IN the latter poems OF Tennysou VAS
ssssiled by the speaker, who declared
ms opinion 20 be that some Of them
were the best ne had ever written. The
poem, Crossing the Bar" written
after The author had reached the fcuf
score mark was read IN proof o. Tire
assertion. and the attention Of the
audience called 10 its psthos. power
Of conception and hesniy of sentiment
In conclusion. Prof. besnnioa spoke
of toe powers of the laureate as a
writer Of dialect, and read ono OF hs
late poems. Nellie Mc(see' as an
illustration, spoliglzsns, however. for
his lmpossiblhty % give the poem in
the rich Ifsh brogas" which Il called
for.