The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-30

the precincts OF the Cnufca o. 6FouCnes-
ter and claim has been made for that
place Of the honor Of having suggested It:
but collateral testimony awards Il to
Stoke Poges, where hts mother lived. and
his affection for her sanctifed everything
connected with her. When size died he
wrote Of her: Beside her friend and sis
ter hero sleep the remains Of Dorothy
Gray. widow. the careful. tender mother
OF many children. one OF whom alone had
the misfortune to survive her"
Gray owed all the affection he received
to his mother. His father. although In
comfortable circumstances, treated his
family with cruel neglect. Gray's father
bad ~ q partner Mary Antrobus. whose
sister. Dorothy, he married: but before
the marriage Dorothy's money had been
put into the business, reserving all her
share Of the profits 70 her separate use.
It is recorded that for thirty years the
wife mot only found herself In all man.
ner Of apparel. but also for Ill her chill
dren to the number Of twelve, and most
Of the furniture Of his house." She also
educated the only surviving child at Elton.
Her life was one Of misery. the extent OF
which was not known to her SON until
late In life, when in consequence OF her
husbands treatment, beating. kicking.
punching and most vile and abusive Ian
guage." she was compelled to leave him.
Her declining years were spent in peace. in
the beautiful and picturesque home In
Buckinghamshire. where Stoke Poges y
situated.
The mansion was at different times oc-
cupied by the Earis Of Huntington and
the Hatton family. OF which z wel-known
member, Sir CHRISTOPHER Hattoc. was pro-
NOTED by Queen Elizabeth for his grace
full person and fine dancing" Sir Edmund
Coke, who married sister Of Lord Bur-
lington, at one time owned 1t. Disraeh.
the elder. in his Curiosities of Literature
describes 1t as the residence Of the Penn
family. At the period Of the poem it was
owned by Countess Gotham. and the fact
that the scene was identified with the
Elegy is shown by Lady Gotham seeking
an introduction to her occasional neigh
Dor. the author. He acknowledges 1t In
"A Long Story"
The day Of lyrical poets was beginning
to wane with Gray. The profundity of the
poetry made 1t the themes of learned and,
to this generation 1t would seem. pedantic
and mechanical analysis. The Elegy
struck a chord In human nature and few
poems of the same length and character
have furnished SO many favorite quota
tons ''rhe cocks shriIl clarion" "the
short and simple annals of the poor"
''soms village Hampden." some mute.
inglorious Milton" ITO fortune and to
fame unknown" and Melancholy marked
him for her own" are only few Of the
lines which have found their way into
thousands OF other writings. Probably no
verse Is better known wherever the En-
glish language is spoken than the follow
ing:
Full many a gem Of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves Of ocean bear;
Full many a flower Is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Still. nothing else that Gray wrote will
impress itself upon literature. Scholars
and critics enjoy his learning and his imi-
tations. but they will lose interest and
remain only as very fine examples Of q
school. Gray once proposed writing his
tory Of poetry and his schedule has been
preserved. He divides the periods into
schools. The italian is illustrated by
Dante and Petrarch, the Provenceaux by
Chaucer and many minor poets now en-
tireiy forgotten; the Second Italian by
Ariosto and Tasso: another unnamed, In
which he places Spenser and ends with
Milton: and the French school after the
restoration, with which he associates Dry
den. Addison and Pope: and he might
have included himself. The classification
he makes. therefore. is entirely too abb
| struse for the general reader. and a critic
! of this age would not follow his divisions.
| Disappointing as it might be to Gray,
his learning has departed with him; and
| he will have to be content with the fame
| awarded him as the author OF the lode Ia
Spring. the lode to Adversely" and the
| Elegy.