The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
ONE on THE OLD SCHOOL,
JOHN HOLMES, ONLY BRofHER OF
THE "a uTOCRAT."

tug Ehen, Willis Ono Unhnppy hpEe Az
rair-nI New In I1Is Cambridge Homo.
BOSTON, Mnss., Dec. 1S.-In ono OF the plain,
old'fashioned houses on Appinn Way, Cam
fridge. n little south Of tho college yard, lives
John Holmes. the only brother OF DR.. Oliver
Wendell Holmes. tho most genial OF American
poets. Mr.. Holmes Is III, and 1t Is doubtful 10
any other ordinary circumstance could bave
brought him again into public notice. for fow
persons beyond his friendly neighbors know
about him, and the knowledge OF his varied 40.
oomplishments passed away almost entirely
with tho laet generation.
In their childhood days the two brothers wero
insepRrable. oliver was three years older than
John. but they always played the same games.
made the same visits, went to the same school.
and read tho samo books. They were both born
In the ancient house that stood whore the Har-
ward Law School stands now, on the northern
edge Of the college yard. diagonally across from
tho Appian Way, where John and his house
keeper 1.-Two now. Tho boys went TO school for
some timo In Cainbridgeport, and among their
schoolmates wore Richard H.. Dana, tho author.
and Margaret Fuller. who was later identified
DO prominently with tho Brook Farm move
mont. Both Oliver and John wero Of q lively,
happy disposition, strong. active. and full Of
pranks. Both were under the average height.
and John was a tat little boy.
1t was not until oliver left school and went to
Harvard that the brothers were separated.
Oliver soon began to take on some Of tho Inn
portance of every student. and, although he
came home every afternoon after recitations,
! still college life modified his WAYS gradually
and markedly, until John was made to feel that
he WAS very much younger than his brother.
/ When John went to Harvard Oliver was a Junior
In Johns class were John S. Dwight, the cele.
brated critic; J. S. Buckminster, afterward
Judge; George Ticknor Curtis. Estes Howe.
afterward an eminent doctor; Charles T.
Brooks. Josiah Gardner Abbott. and others
who got moro or less of the CLOSE Of
fame. In the class ahead Of John were Wen.
dell Phillips. who already had made o rcputa-
ton as a debater, and John Lothrop Motley, and
among the juniors, with his brother. were
Charles Sumner, Benjamin PIERCE, James Free.
man Clarke, and William Henry Charming. In
looking over the class lists of those days one
finds many a name that became known through
out the land. Chief among the students were
the sons of the Understanding Boston families.
John was graduated in 1882, three years after
Oliver. who was then mingling poetry and mod
icine. Then there came the not uncommon
crisis in the life of the young John. He fell In
love. Tho girl was a governess, lovely and
amiable. full of sympathy; and John loved
sympathy. Johns mother heard of the trysts
and forbade them. John said that he wished to
marry the girl. Mrs. Holmes said no; and she
called Oliver In and asked him to point out to
John the error OF his ways. Oliver, II little gild-
ed even then with fame. declared that the girl
was too Door To merit Johns choice. The girl.
by the way. was of good and respectable family.
divers objection was supported by Mrs.
Holmes, and the interview ended. However.
John had no intention of giving the girl up.
He left the house with the independence of q
Continental, and went to seek his sweetheart.
But she had left her homo. He wandered high
and low: but, restricted by his own family and
discouraged by the family OF the girl. he was
unsuccessful. He could not find out where she
was. 1t is said that a newspaper notice of her
death was the first news he got Of her. He
mote part of the country. striving among rela-
tives to keep up the pride that would not permit
her to marry into a family that looked down
John went to the Law School. and. Otto gradu.
S atiSps sta H I ed to t R%raedi esres oq IL r. B. s from ont H Tss
yard in 1893. but his liz lie , WAS devoted ' / to ~ .ite re:
lett, the compiler of Familiar Quotations,"
club was visited by Longfeilow. Or. Peabody.
and other brilliant and mild-manncred profess
Once, when the club was hoprishing, Bartlett
sent Lowell a big trout, which excited Lowell
to write these lines:
The friend who gave our board such gust.
Ana when deatn HOOKS MIN. as ne must,
May John H. write his epitaph.
The epitaph has not been written. for Mr..
Bartlett is alive and we'll to-day. -.
one day. The subject drifted to Holiness bach;
you ought to marry and have a larger house.
why, yes" John Holmes laughed. of course
i'll should take q better half / should improv.
Level admired Int.ed John HSIne e. warmly. He
l HIlnnnQ Hha hnlf I'M TnnQf halinhHN1II n man >
WINS in Paris, he sent this message home: "The
after John Holmes. She had 3 tame sparrow
been abroad with Lowell.
In those days the Younger Holmes spert much
publishes. Those Who have seen his writing,
say that he had e fascinating style, which wal
f B"s aol Miss f, @ss aif MIs and h ho% eslga h4 nes :
that he found %d't : small p body 81 pf" kindy d sous QUIZ
and then reveal his written impressions of Iif
and nature. was sufi cient charm 70 his mode o
ought to publish his works, and Lowell replied
Holmes Is one of those choice poets no viii
them" Some Of Holiness cronie@s begged hin
} to consent TO the publication Of a sketch or
dell Holmes had a brothcr. Bit John resiste,
the Importantly. He would not have any per
j, was a worthy rival Of him. or the like, The at
tachment or childhood never weakened bet eel
the Two brothers.
When Oliver was 70 years old. and his man,
distinguished friends met TO do him honor. JONI
was. unable to be with them. But ho sent thi
Testimonials:
"Beiween my brother, and myself there ha
, never been but, one subject Of rivalry, that o
a.E, and there | have long since gained tn,
, day. having fonna myself generally considered
at his superior on that point. Johns hair ha,
turned white prulnatnreS. ana II was Hbundan
enough 20 attract the most careless glance.l A
intermediary between my, brother and a easun
portion of society, ] have been made the deepest
tory OF many favorable opinions In his behalf
and can honestly say that ! ha We never acCepts'
any commission Tor my services in the way o
7 personal compliment
Oliver, who had settled in Boston. frequentl
: went over to Cambridge. He was a professor Il
: the Harvard Medical School then. and, besides
his literary lectures once in q while drew hin
toward the college. There, At u club or at III
5 house of one OF the many masters of literatur
: who lived in the old college town In those days
Oliver met John. Theirs was a striking con
! trast. Oliver, was spare, John, stout; Olive
. Oliver II ready visitor to any circle in the room