The St. Louis Republic., 1901-02-24
TA|1QnAAH5ttHaglen u
LECY LARCOM.

4
The gentle poet, Lucy Larcom, the friend
/ OF Whittier and OF Phillips Brooks. has
| her own distinct place in the history OF
American poetry. She was the inill-giri
poet" OF Lowell. Mass. She belonged to
that group of New England poets who oc-
cupied SO much of public attention twenty
/ live and thirty years ago.
| Lucy Larcom was born in Beverly. Mass,
| In 1874, and died at Boston in lsyS. Her Ete
| was a quiet one. At about 13 years OF age
| she entered the cloth mills at Lowell, Mass
+; Her father had died and the family of nine
| children were left to mothers care.
4 Bread-winning was an important duty TO
| these children. Lucy was next TO the
| youngest in the family. but she assumed her
| share of the burden. She has told the story
| OF her life in part in "a New England Girl
| hooc."
\ This residerce at Lowell was one of the
important epochs of her life. The mill girls
were daughters of cultivated families In
many instances. Literary clubs and classes
| for study were common. At one time one
| Of the ministers was asked how many
| teachers he thought he could furnish from
among the working girls. He replied.
| about 5oe."
| the operatives. and Lucy was thrown in
close association with these strong young
women. She had always been studious. and
| 1t Is said that she could read at the age
| Of 2is years. It was In this earnest. self
reliant school that Lucy Larcom was edu-
Gated until she came to Illinois. Her sis
| ter had married. and the young couple de-
cided to come West. They invited Lucy to
accompany them. This Is how Lucy Lar
! com came to St. Clair County. Illinois. to
the neighborhood called Looking-Glass Pratt
| rie. where she supported herself by teach
/ ing In the district schools. She taught in
| many different places-Waterloo. Lebanon.
/ Sugar Creek. Woodburn-and generally the
rate Of payment was $14 month. Board
| and lodging cost her LIS a week. and she
| did her own washing and ironing. 1t was
here that she obtained her real education
| in books. She was as she said. "a tolera-
Bile teacher for children" and she had am
bitions to become q teacher Of higher
| grades.
! 1t was in ls4e that she left her Massachu-
4 sets home. and in September. 1S4s. she was
| enrolled as q student at Monticello SEMI
nary. Godfrey. Ill. She tells this story OF
| that time:
Its principal Cfiss Fobes>-I wonder now
| that could have lived so near her for a
| year without becoming acquainted with ner
but her high local reputation as an IN
| tellectual woman inspired me with awe. and
1 was foolishly diffident. One day. how.
| ever upon the persuasion Of my friends at
Vine Lodge, who knew my wishes for a
| higher education. / went with them to call
| upon her. We talked about the matter
| which had been in my thoughts so long.
| and she gave me not only cordial, but
| an urgent, invitation to come and enroll
| myself as a student. There were arrange
! ments for those who could not incur the
| current expenses, to meet them by doing
part of the domestic work. and of these 1
| gladly availed myself. The stately lime
| stone edifice standing in the midst OF an
| original growth of forest trees. two or
| three miles from the Mississippi River, be-
came my home-my student home-for three
| years The benefit of those three years
| have been reaping ever since, 1 trust not
! altogether selfishly. 1t was always my DE-
| sire and my ambition as teacher to help
my pupils as my teachers had helped me"
\ From her early childhood Lucy Larcom
had written poetry. One of her well-known
poems is Hannah Binding Shoes.
\ Poor lone Hannah.
Sitting at the window binding shoes.
\ Faded vrinkied. =
sittinss stitching in q mournfai muse.
\ Rricbt-eyed beauty once was she.
/ When the bloom on the tree:
Sprinr and winter
Hannah's at the window binding shoes.
Not neiehbor
| Passing nod or answer VIII refuse
To her whisper.
rs there from the fishers any news''
| Oh her heats adrift with one
ON an endless voyage eonei
| Night and morning
Hannah's at the window binding shoes.
Fair young Hannah
Ben. the sunburnt fisher. gaily woos:
/ Hale and clever.
l For G willing heart and hand he sues
| May-dav skies are all agiow.
And the waves are laughing so!
u.nnab leaves her window and her shoes.
| MAY 4. passing:
Mid the apple-borghs q pigeon cooes.
| For the mild southxester mischief brews.
| Round the rocks Of Marbehcad.
| Outward bound a schooner sped.
silent. Lonesome.
| Hsnnah's at the window binding shoes
'Tis November:
| Now no tear her wasted cheek bedews:
From Newfoundland.
Not sail returning will she lose.
4 Whispering hoarsely. Fishermen.
| Have you. have you heard Of Ben!'
OLD with watching.
| Eannah's the window binding shoes
/ Twenty winters
| Bleach and tear the ragged shore she views:
4 Never one has brought her any news
| Still her dim eyes silently
4 Chase the white sails DER the sea.
Hopeless. faithful.
| Hannahs at the window binding shoes
Miss Larcom wrote of her literary ven
| lures: while a student and teacher at the
West was still writing. and much that l
| wrote was published. A poem printed In
n
gcstion of the editor Of the Lowell Offering.
was the first for which I received remuner-
ation-$5. Several poems written for the
manuscript school journal at Monticello are
| in the Household collection of my verses,
among them those entitled Eureka Hand
in Hand With Angels and Psyche at
! School, These and various others written
! soon after. were printed in the National
| Era, In return for which copy OF the pa
per was sent to me- Nothing further was
asked or expected.
THE little song. Hannah Binding Shoes
written Immediately after my return from
| the West was study from life-though not
| from any one life-in my native town. II
| was brought to notice in a peculiar way
| by my being accused Of stealing It by the
| editor OF the magazine to which had sent
| 1t, with request for the usual remunera-
| ton, IL accepted. Accidentally or otherwise
! this editor lost my note and signature. and
| then denounced me by name In u newspaper
as literary th;eftess'; having printed the
| verses with nom de plume in his maga-
| zine without my knowledge. 1t was awk-
! ward TO have to come to my own defense.
4 but the curious incident gave the song a
| wide circulation.
II did not attempt writing for money un-
1 til 1t became necessity. when my health
failed at teaching. although should long