Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-10-15


Alfred Tcunysou was born ut Somersby
a village in Lincolnshire, England lie
was one of u family of twelve children
the father of whom WAS The Rev. q Clay
ton Tennysou, LII d., rector of Somerby
aGd vicar OF Grimsby. Alfred was taught
the rndimcn.ary subjects partly ut home
and partly mt the village school
His ii So verses were written upon the
model of HON sons 'Seasons." In lS2I
he went TO Trinity college, and the follow.
ing year gained n gold medal for q poem
4 "limbuctoo
Early in his career he met with severe
criticism, particularly from Bulwer-Lyt
ton, who wrote of him in the New Iimon,
q publication of that day:
=" Let School. Miss Alfred vent her chaste
delight
10 'dariing little rooms SO warm and
bright
.Chaunt I'm a-weary in infectious strain
And catch the 'bluely' singing i the
pane
Tcnuyson replied 10 this in versihed
sarcasm, which caused n ccssation of hos.
liilt es from that quarter, though he was
viliied and adversely criticised for many
years.
Tennysou was always careless of his
dress, careless to n degree not far re.
moved from untidiness He was to be mel
about bis house wearing a soft SLOUGH hat
a suit the worse for wear, long, struggling
locks and an untrimmcd beard, while he
was rarely without "A short, black pipe IN
his mouth. ueer tales are told of his dis.
agreeable manners, his churlishncss, bis
vanity, aud bis general i'll manners.
Jhe creating OF lennyson n peer was
not conducive TO lowe lug his dignity and
reducing his vanity. lie was created "a
peer by Queen Victoria early in 1884 in
consideration of his di tinguished SER
vices. March II of that year lac took his
seat in the hou,e Of lords.
enuyson turned his attention toward
he d amatic art first in 1870. when he
wrote 1.-The Window. or the Songs of the
Wrens," which was set to music by Sir
Arthur Suilivan. In 1873 he wrote Queen
Mary" n drama, aud his last effort in the
dramatic line was "Ibe Fore tiers, -
which was frat presented Ia London n
few months ago The former works of
the poet laureate were unsuccessful, but
in THE Forestersn he scored n success
which put him in the ii-st rank with con-
tempo aneous dramatists. While there
we're many parts which received severe
criticism. yet there were unmi taxable
Tennysonian passages and lines that re-
eeived he highest compliment.
Bibliomaniacs are eager to give a high
price for the little anonymous volume Of
Poems by Two Brothers." published in
1927, the earliest Published verses Of
Alfred and Charles Tennyson. In 1880
appeared Poems, Chiefly Lyrical" aud
from that time on Tennyson's fame as n
poet grew rapidly. The Mort d'Arthur,n
"Locksley Hail." the MAY Queen" and
1.-TWO Voices" followed each other In
rapid succession.
"Iu Memoriam," the laurcate's greatest
poem, called by a competent critic " the
most, some say the only Influential poem
Of the century" was suggested by the
death of young Arthur Hallam. Hallam
was n son of the son OF Hallam the his.
'orian and was engaged to marry Jenny
sons sister, "a fac not known generally
until many years later. For seventeen
years Tennyson had borne the sacred
triet Of his f.iend's death. during which
lime he composed the elegies contained
In the volume I'm Memoriam.n 1t IL q
series OF marvelously touching monodies,
Is respondent with religious and philo
'ophical speculation. and was the work OF
many years. In this work appear tho we'll
known lines:
''Tis better to have loved and lost,
Than mover to have loved at all"
And also appears In the same work that
beautiful refrain commencing:
"Iiing out wild bells to the wild sky.n
Tcnuyson succeeded Wordsworth in 1886
- BoNh o'A0@tS VI lAbAtthus II u
noble poems. rs that on the death of the
priuce consort, and the famous Charge
Of the Light Brigade show that the
laureate did not consider his Office an
Idle honor. The Charge Of the Light
Brigade" Is by many regarded rs Tenn,.
sons most famous production: and rs O
'yr!c 1t Is unsurpassed in any language. ;
The residence of Lord ~Icnnyson has
been on the Isle of Wight for several
years. near Freshwater Gate. He owned
there a c~ommodlous stone house. with q
pleasant library. where he spent the most
of his hours of literary work, surrounded
by his books
Until 1881 he had lived in various.
places, principally in London, but In that
year he was married to Emily. daughter
Of Henry Scllwood, and his removal to the
Isle of Wight followed almost immcdi-
ately. He owned a home In Pete sfeld,
Hampshire, another In Aldworth, Hasie
mere, Surrey, and a fourth in London