Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-12-22
tcontiau,d from rago 90
WHITTIER DAY.

From then until the close Of The bitter
struggle between the Blue and the
gray. he spoHt his timu In Hulting
forth in the strongest aud most bnnuti'
ful language the injustice done 60 tue
American slave: iu trying 60 toll the
poople south Of Mason and DiNOu'
iino that tue t1thiop had fcelingf, o.
heart and soul M other men; and nPo
in trying to convince the cottou.growc
of his error In holding the col0fcj man
lu bondage.
When the impending night o. civil
strife hung over TIN iair lhudi
no was one OF the fore
most torch.bcarers iu the long
ollumn OF heroes, aud although hu dll
not enter the ray a. PM Sheridan
sherman or Grant, he held a pen
inlghtiur than 70 yimcut u veterans.
Ii IL true TINT copy Of BurnRs
poems, which fell into his possession
while he was quite young, helped 60
reveal 10 him nia own latent TALENT
but II these had never reached HIN
he would have made tbs same wonder.
ful name for himself Some ps0pl
have said that II would be an r'ay
matter 10 be poet " one hal hnl the
education OF Longicllow. a man rau'
not be a poet unles8 that gin ls born 10
him, and Il makes NO uii .fruct
whether n man ~ born and raised ON "a
simple Quaker farm or D. reared in a
palace; that rif, that pfCci0us jewel
will, at some period In his life, throw
forth Ito brilliant rays anu dazzle
the eyes OF millions.
Spreading Of his poems, they gro COM
parntiyely few, but 10 pure, Vi apple,
original, charming and beautiful that
they should be read by every mao,
woman and child who speaks tue Eng
ish tongue. Some Of his m0si noted
works are. Snow Bound, Among the
Hiils, Tho Tent On the Buach, Maud
Muller, Msble Mnrlir, and The Angels
VI Buena Vista,
As 10 Whittier aud other poets,
ho had not tho grand style Of
Scott, and tho wonderful way OF tho
old English writer's, but the Dost COM
paflson can be made between him aud
Longfollow. Longiellow, no doubt,
was the better poet In n great many
WAYS, but at the same tiino ne could
not compare with Whittier In
as many others. Longfcllow gives
some wonderful descriptions OF foreign
NiiNtNf Uu AHN UNIV h"AA " hAhNhhA
gives pictures Of far oil landF,
In which no has never boen,
that would make one thiuk
he had passed tcoro OF aummurs in
that land. In picturiny n peaceful
country place or n pathetic scene,
Whittier far excols the Mnins man,
aud the comparison IL like holding a
candle next an incandoscent light He
falls behind Longfcllow whom he NJ
templs 20 doscribn Indian life and cus.
toms, and he has not the ability Of the
Harvard professor In being ablo 10
write upon any subject He, however,
on the whole, was simply great He
had always a kind word Tor the OPP
pressed or discouraged; was always
iaboring to make the world better. All
mon love him, anu he WAS as tender ~
the beat OF women.
A peculiarly noticeable thing that
goes through all bis work is this total
absence OF any wit. His sober, long.
drawn, sorrowml countenauce would
tell this n one had never read his
verse;, and II was once said by prom.
inent man who knew Whittier well,
that durlng the course OF his long
career no WAS never known 10 heartily