The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-08

their belief or condition, and held un-
reservedly to the brotherhood of human
ity. Religious in strict import, but not
in the least theological, he ever vindi-
Gated the doctrine that God is love and
that the ultimate destiny of the race is
happiness. Without cant or assumption
of any sort, just to everybody, harsh to
none, he followed the example and
obeyed the teachings of Jesus, consider
ing that in these, irrespective Of dogma,
are the essence and substance of Christi
anity,
Whittier lived so very long that the
opinions of his contemporaries during
the past thirty years concerning his lit
erary work may be regarded as tho ver-
dict of posterity AS his reputation
grew steadily with his years, it is fair TO
presume that his posthumous fame will
continue TO increase The inspiration Of
his muse sprang from his compassion for
an oppressed people, and his broad, deep
humanity fired him to the last. Despite
his aye, his verse, after eighty never fall
tered ~ imped; it was as clear, vigor-
GUS and fervid as in his prime-another
proof that poets are always young.
Whittier's Poetry
To read his poems anyone would think
him facile writer, but he was not. He
never composed easily, and continued
practice did not tend to make him fluent.
Unlike many authors, he did not try to
conceal the great pains that expression
had cost him from youth TO old age.
my own language he often said,
''seems at times foreign to Inc. Words
will not come at my command; they
elude me when want them most; the
word, the one and only word, particu-
larly. l have frequently ransacked my
brain, tortured my memory for hours,
before could run down the sole word
that would exactly serve. hope that
parent. If it were, doubt if anybody
would or could read them"
Our poet was not regularly or classic
ally educated he had never been on for
eign soil or Travelled much at home, in
which he may have been fortunate.
Perhaps to this is due the fact that he is
altogether American, even New Eng
landish, in his themes and their treat
ment. He sings of what he had seen
and felt and known of humble things,
of the emotions of the heart. of the
aspirations of the average mind He is
profoundly lyrical, and so natural and
spontaneous that those read him intentiy
who say they do not care for poetry in
general.
1.-The Voices of Freedom" as the col
lection was named, and all his anti
slavery poems, mostly done without
compensation, to help the cause, helped
it incidentally. They had perhaps more
influence than any other single agency
in educating the country to the barbar-
ism of slavery and to cause at last its ex-
tinction. Many rampant southerners, in
the days before the war, declared that
Whittier was more malicious enemy
and wrought more Earln upon them
than Garrison himself.
The rising generation knows next to
nothing OF those scorchiny lyrics which
finally set the land ahlaze and burned
away the vast foul spot on its naturally
fair bosom.
Some of Whittier'a occasional poems
are lucidly beautiful, like the one to
Burns, whom he resembled, in so far rs
New England Quaker farmer may re-
semble an incOnstant Scotch plowlnan.
Morally antipodal, thoy We're, in the
quality of their genius, much alike;
Let those who never erred forget
His worth In vain bGwailings.
Sweet soul Of song. own my iebt
CEchnCeled By his fallng,'
Lament who will the ribald limo
Which tells his lapse from duty:
How kissed the mad1sning lips Of vine,
Or wanton ones Of hearty.
But think, while falls that shade between
The erring one aud Heaven.
That he who siuned like MagfaIen,
Like Eer. maT te forgiven
Through all his tuneful art. ha'y strong
The human feeling gushes;
The very moonlight of his song
Is warm with smiles and bl3shes.