Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-13
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Alfred Tennyson. the third son Of Rev.
deorgs Clayton Tennyson and his wife Eliza
beth fmaiden name Fytch,, was born at som
ers5y. near Horncastls, Lincolnshire. August g.
lSn- His grandfather was George Tennysou
OF bayon Manor. a wealthy lawyer descended
IRON tn Plantngenets through the Norman
family ID Eyncourt The poets maternal grand
tather- like his father. was vicar, and mis- early
me was spent in an atmosphere of orthodoxy
and aristocracy- The home of his bovhooi was
surrounded by beautiful scenery His father
possessed strong and cultivated mind and his
mother was "a sweet and gentle and most mag
NATIVE woman Three of the sons of these par
ents showed poetic gifts. Alfrad's first stuiies
ware conducted at home and Mt the village
scnooL He was thoughtful child with a
lively fancy. His first verses were written on
STATE and while still child, at his grand =
fathers request. ha wrote an eiagv on the
nsath or his grandmother. With his older
brother Charles re was sent TO the grammar
sshooi AT Louth. and in that place was pub
ilshed Poems by Two Brothers, - written by
the TWO youths. The work printed by a
icutn nrrH. and another edition was issued by
London house in 1927 but il was many wears
before the poems attracted much attention. In
1879 Charles and Alfred Joined their senior
brother Frederick at Trinity college. Cam
bridge. ani it was here that Alfred became
intimate with Arthur Henry Hallam, whose
ssriy death w1s the foundation of one of
Iennyson's greatest works
In his first year at college Alfred wrote 9TH.
Lovers Tale. " which withheld from the
pubic. however. until 1872 In 1929 Tennyson
and HalIam competed for the chancallor's gold
medal the subject being "Timbuctoo" Tan
ny%on's poem, in blank VERSE won the priz,
and was the leading item in the academic pub
Iication OF that year. review of it in the
athennum was the first critical recognition of
ehs gifts OF the Young poet Mkt year camp
Forth a little volume written by Alfred and
entitled 'Posms Chiefly Lyrical" OF the fifty.
eoree pieces in the collection the author subse.
qu"ntly rejecte1 twenty three and extensively
revised several OF the Others but that all orig
tuaiiy had high marks of poetic merit is con.
'cedsd The poet father died in 1880 Charles
f"nnysOn publish I'd a volume of poems en-
titled "Sonnets and Fugitive Piac,s.' and this
and Alfred's collection were favorably reviewed
by Leigh Hunt and Arthur Hallam
Ahred's rank a poe9becams better under
stood when his volume Of 1893. Poems" came
from the press In this were first printed "A
Dream OF Fair Women ''The Palace of Art"
1Enone" and THE Lady of Shalott" The
fssu11ouS poet in late years rejected fifteen Of
= Sas thirty one poems and altered others Will
son Lockhart attacked him savagely In the
aaarerrlies, but his reputation grew steadily
Ono OF the greatest shocks of his life was the
death. in 1887 of HaIlam. who was engaged to
Ais sister Emily. Such was his grief and iucon-
soiabie frame of mini that he published very
little poetry for the next nine years. During
this period he lived quietly with his mother
obu stSt"Es WIN an uncle at Castor, among
friends IN London: and tho only poems pro-
duced were est Agnes USc,7l and the stanzas
"Oh' That 'Twere Possible" afterwards en-
bodied in Maud
This was the onl- Interruption to Tennyson's
lifelong literary career In 1872 he published
ms poems IN two volumes. adding TO those
from former works "Morte d Arthur" The
Gardeners Daughter" Dora s.JTIvsses {"
-Lockslev Hall. ""Godiva :" THE Two Voices "
and several other of his most noted minor
!,
manding figure in English literature At the
instance of Sir Robert Peel the queen awarded
MIN civil list pension of f2OO year. Bulwer
attacked the poet and the pension in THE
new Timon and Tennyson responded
with decided advantage through the
columns of Punch and other channels
The Princess" was published in 1S47 and I'm
Memoriam" in 1870 Tennyson became En-
slish laureate in 1850. succeeding Wordsworth
He was married the same year to Emily Sell
wood daughter Of Mr.. Henry Sellwood. Of
Horncastle. and chose a residence at Twicken-
nam The next publications were the ode on the
death OF Wellington us52). 1.-THE Charge Of
the Light Brigade" us5p. Maud and Other
Poems uS5o}- "Idylls OF the King" nS56J, the
welcome to Princess Alexandra tIs63) and
'EnOch Arden and Other Poems" 1854
Tue poets mother died in 1855 The offer
OF baronetcy was refused that year and also
three years later Queen Mary" a drama,
was placed on the stage in condensed form
IN ISIS: but the public was not at
rracted by this by any of Tennyson's
writings for the stage Rev. Charles Tenny-
son died in 1879. In 1894 Tennvson was raised
ia the pcerage under title of Baron Tennyson
Of A!dworth and Farringford Since that year
three small volumes .of poems have appeared,
containing among other pieces ''Locksler Hall,
sixty Years After" also drama tho sub
isct of Robin Hood. OF late years the laureate
divided his time between lis seaside abode at
Freshwater, Isle of Wight. AMI his residence at
Aldworth. on high ground in Surrey. 4 year
ago Sir Edwin Arnold saw the poet at Aldworth.
and wrote that ne was 'only weakened. not
broken By age Tennyso1's son Halam lived
with him. and was the mainstaY OF his parents
I'm their old age, Lady Tennyson having been
In infirm health for many years. The pension
of f2J) rccrive,! by Tennyson for fifty years
mas long been distribut ID by himself in a pri-
vste manner to needy. deserving authors An
institution in which the poet took warm inter-
est is the Gordon boys home. founded by Gen.
Gordon and commended to Tennyson's care on
the departure of the general for Egypt the OBJ
sect of the homs being to train boy waits into
of fortytwo years standing is considering tho
condition of English poetry outside of his own
work, like the fall of some grand, solitary tower.
There il no one TO succeed him. AID it would he
more than a just tribute to his genius to
leave the lsureateship untitled for the present
The chain Of the laureates Tennyson, Words
worth and Southey reaches back to the year
isis.