The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-10-14
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

Lord IenngS0n.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Alfred Tennyson. the third son Of Rev.
George Clayton Tennyson and his wife Eliza
beth (maiden name FytcheJ. was born at Som :
ersby near Horncastle Gincoinshtre August g.
lSUo His grandfather was George Tennyson,
OF Bayon Manor. wealthy lawyer descended
from the Plantagenets through the Norman
family D'Eyncourt. The poets maternal grand.
father, like his father, was vicar, and his early
hre was spent in an atmosphere of orthodoxy
and aristocracy. The home of his bovhood was
surrounded by beautiful scenery, His father
possessed a strong and cultivated mind. and his
mother was "a sweet and gentle and most irnag-
native woman" Three of the sons of these par
ents showed poetic gifts Alfred's first stu1ies
were conducted at home and at the village
school He was thoughtful child with a
| lively fancy His first verses were written on
slate, and while still child, at his grand i.
Iathers request he wrote an elegy on the
death of his grandmother. With his older
brother Charles he was sent to the grammar
school at Louth, and in that place was pub
hshed Poems by Two Brothers" I" written by
the two youths. The work was printed by a
Lodth firm. and another edition was issusd by
a London house in 1927 but it was many years
before tho poems attracted much attention In
1873 Charles and Alfred joined their senior
brother Frederick at Trinity college, Cam
bridge, aud it was hefe that Alfred became
early death was the foundation of one of
Tennysons greatest works 1851
In his frst year at college Alfred wrote "Ths
Lovers Tale, /" which was withheld from the
pubic however, until 1879. In 1879 Tennyson
and Haliam competed for tho chancsllor's gold
medal. the subject being "Timbuctoo." Ten
pyson's POEM. in blank verse won the prizs
and was the leading item in the academic pIb
lication OF that year. review of it in thu
Athepeum was the first critical recognition OF
the gifts of the young poet. N xt year cana
forth little volume written bv Alfred. and
entitled Poems Chiefly Lyrical" o. the fifty.
three pieces III the collection ths author sabse-
quently rejected TWENTY three and extensively
revised several OF the Others but that all orig
inally had high marks OF poetic merit is con-
ceded. The poets father died in 1890 Charles
Teunyson published a volume of posms en-
titled "Sonrets and Fugitive piee4s." and this
ana Alfred e collection were favorabIy reviewed
by Leigh Hunt and Arthur Hallam.
Afred's rank poet became batter under
stood when his volume OF 1889. "Poema." came
from the press. In this were first printed "a
Dream of Fair Women. "Ths Palace Of Art
Rnone" and "The Lady of Shslott.'' The
tasf1 1ous poet IN late years rejected fifteen Of
the thirty one poems and altered others. VIII
son Lockhart attacked him savagely Ia the
quarterlies. but bis reputation grew steadily
One OF the greatest socks of his life was the
death, in 1887. of Halam who was engaged to
his sister Emily. Such was his grief and incou-
solable frame of mind that he published very
little poetry for the next nine years. During
this period he lived quietly with his mother
and sisters with an uncle at Caistor, or among
friends in London; and the only poems pro-
| duced were est Agnes" (1837) and the stanzas.
"Ohl That T~ere Possible" afterwards en-
bodied Ia Maud
This was the onl interruption to Tennyson's s
lifelong literary career In 1912 he published
his poems in two volumes, aiding to those
4
Gardeners Daughter" 'Dora," "UIvsses, :"
"Locksley Hall. .""Godiva 1.-THE Two Voices -
and several other Of his most noted minor
poems. From this time onward he was a COM
manding figure in English literature. At the
instance of Sir Robsrt Peel the utteen awarded
him civil list pension of EGO a year Bulwer
| attacked the poet and the pension in 1.-THE
New Timon" and Tennyson responded
with a decided advantage through the
columns of Punch snd other channels.
Ihe Princess was published in lS47, and ''Ia
memoriam" in 1850 Tennyson became En-
glish laureate in 1850. succeeding Wordsworth.
He was married the same year to Emily Sell
wood, daughter of Mr.. Henry Sellwood, of
Horncastle, and chose residence at Twicken-
ham. The next publications were the ode on the
death OF Wellington 1882. ''The Charge Of
| the Light Brigade" 1854, MAUD and Other
Poems" 1S55). "Idylls OF the King 1856, the
welcome to Princess Alexandra 1889 and
"Enoch Arden and Other Poems" 1864
The poets mother died in 1865. The Offer
or baronatcy was refused that year and also
three years later. "Qneen Mary drama.
was placed on the stage in condensed form
in 1915; but the public was not at
tracted by this by any of Tennvson's
writings for the stage. Rev. Charles Tenny-
son died In 1879. In 1884 Tenpyson was raised
to the peerage under title of Baron Tennysou
OF Aldworth and Farringford. Since that year
three small volumes ,of poems have appeared,
containing among other pieces "Locks'ev Hall,
Sixty Years After;" also a drama on the. sub
ject of Robin Hood. Or late years the laureate
divided his time between his seaside abode at
Freshwater, Isle of Wight and bis residence at
Aidworth. on high ground in Surrey year
ago Sir Edwin Arnold saw the poet at Aldworth,
and wrote that he was 'only weakened, not
broken by age" Tennyson's son Hallam lived
with him. and was the mainstay OF bis parents
in their old age. Lady Tennyson having been
In infirm health for many years. The pension
of f200 recaive6 by Tennyson for fifty years
has long been distributed by himself in pr.
vate manner to needy, deserving authors. An
institution IN which thu poet took WAITE inter-
est is the Gordon boys home. founded by Gen.
Gordon and commended to TennvsoD's care on
the departure of the general for Egypt the ol-
1ect OF the home being to train boy waits into
soldiers and sailors. The death of the laureate
OF forty two wears standing is, considering the
condition OF English poetry outside of his own
There Is no one to succeed him. AID it would he
no more than inst tribute TO his geniu to
leave the laureateship unified for the present.
The chain cf the iaureates TenDyson, Words
worth and Southey reaches back to the year
1918.