Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-02-09
Authors Matinee.
'ritter for the HERALD.

The remark that the suffering poor are
living we'll this winter and the next char
liable undertaking should be to help
those who are helping the poor seems not
wholly impertincnt when we consider the
multitudinOuS demands made in the name
of charity. Occasionally. however, the
bread cast upon the waters returns i'm
mcdatelv. and buttercd besides; such
was the return at the Authors Mat nee
given last Thursday afternoon, at the
Hollis Street Theatre under the auspices
Of the WomLn'S Press Association. Mrs
Julia Ward Howe, the president Of the
Association, presided. Mrs. Howe, a
quaint hgure i'll a plain silk dress and
dainty lace cap, presented a striking con
trast as she sat beside the stately Mrs.
Dorr in her sweeping gown of black vel
vet. before recitins her poem, The Bat
tie Hymn Of the Republic, she modcstly
apologized for her prcerment to the first
place on the programme on the ground,
that the committee, in true old-timc fash
ter She then introduced L. L. Hale as
the Oldest son. Mr.. Hale's STOPPING fig
ure and genial face have been familiar to
Boston audiences for many years, yet AS
he read his thrilling story OF The New
England Chevy Chase he seemed to have
lost none OF his youthful vigor and en-
thusiasm. Samuel Clemens. better known
as Mark Twain introduced his remarks
by saying that it was his first appearance
in public with the design OF doing good,
but he intended to preach to the young
and middle aged on the text Honesty,
Within Certain Limitations is the Best
Policy. He proceeded to prove his point
by stories from his personal experience,
and at the close repeated his text, adding
in Respondent tone, But it is not
Business" MIR. Clemens hunor is not
extravagantly hilarious, but rather that
which keeps one in a pleasant simmer
OF enjoyment" Louise Chandler MouIton
next read three OF her love poems. To-
gethcr with the genius Of a poet Mrs
! Moulton possesses, to wonderful degree
the power OF interpreting her works ,
every word glowing with the feeling be-
| hind it she cast, as it were, Il love charm
over all, and made her poems, especially
the one entitled On the Way to Already,
possess new and deeper meaning for many
within sound OF her voice. Charles Follen
Adams, before reciting his poem entitled
Der Oak and Der Vine remarked that he
hoped that in his tribute to woman his
memory would be less capricious than
that of the gentleman who attempting to
] quote SCOTS beautiful poem on Woman
mixed with it Pope's denuncation Of vice
with the following remarkable result
20 Woman in thine hours OF ease
Uncertain, COY and hard to please"
but seen too oft, familiar with thy face.
We first endure, then pity, then embrace "
Mr. Adams 'German-Englsh dialect never
fails to appeal to an audience. and the
poem in which he dwclt on the virtues Of
the Long Handled Dipper that Hangs by
the Sink to the disparagement of the Old
Oakeu Bucket seemed to touch rcspon
sivc chord in the heart Of every listener
7. w. Higsinson, well known as an his
torian and as an exponent of all kinds o
reform, then gave the audience rcm
niscence of a morning with Tcnnyson
Knowing Mr.. Tennyson's aversion tc
all Americans, Mr.. HigginSon had not
planned to visit him, but was convinced
by some English friends that his triI
would be decidedly incomplete without
an interview with the poet laureate
Armed with letters Of introduction h
approached the Isle of Wight with mucl
trcpidation, but when he was usherec
into the presence Of the poet Mr.. Tenny
nimity was immediately restored. Ate
the first reserve had worn away the poe
proved the most genial of hosts, showing
him his private den" with large collec
ton OF pipes of every description, also hi
garden. which Mr.. Higginson remarked
was more to his own taste. MIR. Tenny
son also introduced him to his next doc
ncighbor, Mrs. Cameron. an ecccntri,
artist, who hired her maids Tor their pro
, files, and attired her husband in n long
dressing gown Of baby-blue, trimmed
, with black velvet, Mr. Iligginson de
clarcs that Mr.. Tenny son was very " Tn
. English" with his sallQw face, unkemp
hair and beard, his linen by no means
immaculate, and his Hitting clothes, h,
presented an appearance in decided con
trast from that Of typical wcll-groQmet
Englishman. Mrs. Julia {. r. Dorr reat
} her poem, entitled An Old Fashioned
} Garden, in which she describes her own
an old fashioned garden indeed, not oil,
laid out in studied figures and forms, bu
: Astounding in the harmonious confusion
of nature. After having read with mucl
} interest The Reflections of a Married Maj
: and The Opinions Of a Philosopher w
, had anticipated seeing and hearing Rober
4 Grant. Unfortunately. (tbe programme
t had been long, aud presumably feeling
4 the pressure of time he read his selection