The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-22
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

Youthful Letters Which Show Control
ling Traits of His suius
The controlling traits of Lowell's tenn
permanent and genius are already appar-
ent in the letters of his college days. With
his classmate and early friend, George
Bailey Loring, he carried on for some
years an active correspondence, in which
his youth finds frank and full EXPRESSION.
1t was fortunate that he had u friend to
whom he was willing thus to confde his
Utmost self. He was already a great
reader. already Writing verse, already
feeling the pangs of first loves and the
spur OF first ambitious; trying his wings.
uncertain of their capacity of flight aud
Of the direction which their course should
take. In 1886, q Junior in college, seveu-
teen years old, he writes. Here l am, alone
-. Pope, Dante. q few Of the older
English poets. Byron. and last-Dot least
some OF my own compositions, lie
around me.' It is of interest to note
that Dante, who was to become "his
author" was already in his hands. And
already his fondness Tor nature. and his
love for his own home and native place
a love that was II life long passion with
him-unm istakably declare themselves.
You can't imagine" he says. in April,
1887. "how delightful it is out here. The
greatest multitude of birds OF every de-
scription that / ever recolIect to have
% Il AS C1 80 AAoo l.
Every day that the sun shines I take MY
book and go out to q bank in our garden
and lie n a His youthful
correspondent had spoken disrespect-
fully of Cambridge. and Lowell re-
pIies:-"To me tits not an internal
hole | can tell you. 1t Is my birth
place. the home of my childhood and
TO me its fields are full as green and its
woods as sombre rs n In less privileged
earth Show me a place so sweet as that
most delightful Of spots. sweet Auburnl
March me Fresh Pondi Show me any
/ likes Whittier "the better for sticking
up for old New. England. Yankee-land
Is NJ place to be laughed at"
His letters at this period are full of his
own verse. ana of mel ton Of the books
he has been reading, and which took him
far afield from his college studies. And
when IN his last college year his neglect
OF required duties led to his ".ustica-
ton" for some months in Concord, he
writes, Il acknowledge that 1
have been something OF a
dreamer, and L nave sacrl-
feed. perchance too asstduously, on that
| altar to the '.uakuown God" which the
Divinity has Dullded not with hands in
the bosom of every decent man, m
times blazing out clear with flame, like
Aoeps saerifice, heaven-seeking; some
times snothered with green wood and
earthward. Tx that of Cain. Lazy
quothal l haven't dug. tbs true, but I
lave done as well, and since my free
soul was mistress of her choice, and
could Of books distinguish her election
| have chosen what reading l pleased.
and what friends l pleased, sometimes
scholars and sometimes not"
After leaving college he wavered as to
the choice of u profession. He thousMt
Of going into the Divinity School; IL
tried the Law ana did not ike IL; he
tried a countiue-room aud liked it still
less; he thought of medicine, but
that was even worse, and he went
back to Law. But literature drew him
steadily more aud more strongly TO itself.
His verses were getting into print in che
magazines; he proposed to write a drama
on Cromwell aud R~eundheads who "nave
never hHd Justice doue them." He was
taking interest in public affairs. II am
fast becoming ultra. Democratic" he
writes in 1888. not yet twenty years old.
A for the TWO great parties which d.
vide this coNntry, l for Que dare TO say
that democracy does belong to neither
Of them. The Abolitioulsts are the only
ones with whom | sympathize of the
present extant parties."-Charies Elliot
Norton. In HdTper's for September.