The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-08


All the historic ard patriotic associa-
fions of the place seemed to have had
their influence on the boy. To the last Of
his life he was proud OF his birthplace.
When he was but 20 years of age he sat in
an attic room of the quaint old house and
penned his stirring lines on the destruc-
tion OF the frigate Constitution, "Old
Ironsides," as was afterward thus de-
scribed:
And one who listened 10 the tale OF shame,
Whose heart still answered to that sacred
name,
Whose eye stil followed Ger his country's
tides
Thy glorious flag, our brave old Ironsidesl
From yon lone attic "A summers morn,
Thus Knocked the spoilers with his schoolboy
scorn.
The family was truly noble II was also
old MS age goes In New England John
Holmes settled in Woodstock, Conn, in
1856. His grandson, David, served as a
captain of the British troops in the French
war and surgeon In the patriot army of the
revolution. His son Abel, who was born
in 1863 and died in 1897 was graduated
from Yale in 17S2, studied theology and
became noted both as preacher and n
writer. His second wife was daughter
Of Oliver Wendell, and Of her five children
the third was the renowned genialist and
"Autocrat of the Breakfast Table"
Except the Historian Bancroft, no other
American had SO long literary career,
and probably no other had one so uni
forlnly brilliant At 16 he wrote musical
lines glowing with optimism, and at SO he
looked upon the world without asperty
and expressed himself with all the vivacity
of youth His native constitution and
l.~1.t D. I,I 4
maintaining this uniform cheerfulness.
and from his earliest years he breathed an
intellectual atmosphere.
While preparing for college at Phillips
Andover academy he made his first at
tempt at versifioation, turning tho first
book of the Eneid into heroic couplets
In 1899 he was graduated from Harvard
He was poet of the class at commence
ment, and was ono Of the 10 chosen into
the Phi Beta Kappa society.
His first poem TO attract general attention
was the famous one on the Constitution,
beginning:
Ay. tear her tatterei ensign downi
Long has it waved ON high,
And many an eye has danced to SEQ
That banner in the sky.
Beneath il rung the battle shout
And burst the cannCn's roar;
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
II stirred the popular heart as did the
"Star Spangled Banner" The young
poets fame became national in month !
and worldwide soon after. The poem was |
published in almost every paper in the |
United States apd circulated by thousands !
in handbills. A universal protest was |
echoed back from every section and the /
constitution was saved
His suddenly won popularity was never
once lost during the 90 odd years of liter.
AIRY life which followed. and though no
was often attacked for special utterances.
the attack always had in it something of
sorrowful tenderness. This was all the
more remarkable because most of the at
tacks were on religious grounds.
So far as DR. Holmes views on the mn.
seen and unknown can be gathered from
his writings he was a phiiosophic or scien- |
title panthelst, nor does IL appear that bs
ever had any orthodox faith, even In child. |
hood. In the "AutOcrat OF the Breakfast
Table" are found the most pointed OF DIR. |
Holmes stabs at the clergy, and there he
gives offei,se chiefly by ignoring what Is /
said on the other side a. simply beneath |
notice.
To the direct question, "Do you believe
man has an immortal soulf' the most that
could be got from him vas, Il hope so"
The young graduate had decided. or
more likely Il had boen decided for him,
Shat he was to be a lawyer. and he studied
law Cor one year. During this year he
wrote Evening: By Tailor" and either
popular pieces of humor, then decided
against the law and went to Paris as soon
~ he could afford it 20 study medicine.
xfter three Years abroad he published his |