The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-02
LONGFELLow's GExTLENEss.
HoweIIs's RecolIections of the Great
est American Poet.
Harpers Magazin,

harper magazine
lie was reluctant TO make any criticism
OF other poets: / do not remember ever to
have heard him make one. and his writ
ings show no trace of the literary dtSlikes
in ourselves for righteous judgments. No
doubt he bad his resentments. but he
,hushed them in his heart. which he did
not suffer them te embitter. While Poe
was writing of .Longfellow and other
piagiarists.' Longfellow was helping to
keep Poe alive by the loans which always
very. very rarely spoke of himself at all.
and almost never of the grievances which
he did not fail to share With all who live.
He was patient. as ] said. of all things,
Eess. But il would have been a great
mistake TO mistake his mildness for soft
ness. It was most manly and firm: and
OF course it wax braced with the New
England conscience he was born to. IL
he did not find ii we'll to assert himself.
he was prompt in behalf OF his friends, and
one Of the fine things told of him was his
resenting some things said OF Sumner at
a. dinner in Boston during the old pro-
slavery times: he said to the gentlemen
present that Sumner was his friend. and
he must leave their company il they con-
tinued to assail him.
But he spoke almost as rarely of his
friends as of himself. He liked the large.
inpersonal topics which could be dealt
with on their human side. and involved
Characters rather than individuals. This
was rather strange in Cambridge. where
we were apt to take our instances from
the environment. 1t was not the only thin6
ne was strange In there: he was not to
that manner born: he lacked the final in
ttlnacies which can come only of birth and
lifelong association. and which make the
men of Boston breed seem exclusive when
they least feel so: he was Longfellow to
the friends who were James and Charles
and Wendell to one another. He and Haw-
thorne were classmates at college, but /
never heard him mention Hawthorne: I
never heard him mention Whittier or
Emerson, / think his r%eticence about his
luetance from criticism. He was the finest
artist of them all, and II he praised he
must have praised with the reservation of
an honest man. OF younger writer's he
was willing enough to speak. No new con-
tributor made his mark in the magazine
unnoted by him, and sometimes 1 showed
peculiar pleasure 4 remember his liking
for the first piece that Mr.. Maurice ThOmp-
son me. and how he tasted the fresh flavor
He admired the skill OF some OF the young
story-tellers; he praised the subtlety OF one
In workins out an intricate character. and
done that sort OF thing himself. II was
entirely safe to invite his Judgment when
IN doubt for he never suffered it to be-
me the manuscripts that must often have
been urged upon him.
Longfenow had a house AT Nahant. where
quarter Of a century. He found the slight
transition change enough from Cam
bridge, and liked IL perhaps because IL did
not take him beyond the range of the
friends and strangers whose company he
liked. AgassiZ was there. and Appleton.
sumner came to sojourn with him: and the
tourists OF all nations found him there in
half an hour after they reached Boston.
His cottage was very plain and simple.
but was rich in the sight of the iilimit-
able sea. and IL had a luxury OF rocks AT
the foot of it's harden. draped with sea-
weed. and washed with the indefatigable
tides. As he grew older and feebler he
ceased TO 60 70 Nahant: he remained the
whole year round at Cambridge: he pro-
fesSed TO IKE the summer which he said
warmed him through there. better than the
cold spectacle OF summer which had no
effect at Nahant.
The hospitality which was constant az
either house was not merely of the worldly
sort LOngfeilow loved good cheer: he
tasted history and poetry in a precious
wine; and he liked people who were ac-
quainted with manner and men. and
brought the air of capitals with them.
But often the man who dlned with Long,
fellow was the man who needed n dinner:
and from what / have seen of the sweet
courtesy that governed at thar board +
am sure that such a mar could never have
feit himself the least honored guest. The
poets heart was open to all the homeless
ness OF the world: and I remember how
Of his poem of The Challenge" then a
new poem. and said how / had been
touched by the fancy Of
THE poverty-stricken millions
Who challenge our wine and bread.
And impeach us all as traitors.
Both the living and the dead"
his voice sank in grave humility as he an.
swered; Yes. L often think OF those
things