Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-27
The Place of lonufeIIow.

The wisdom in all things of the col
1ege graduate, on whose diploma the
Ink is not well dried. is not to be as
sailed lightly. Yet a little wonder
ment is pardonable when, among the
Princeton class statistics, it is an
nounced that majority of the 25S
young men, just graduated, voted
LonSfellow into first place among ia
Norite poets. These young men are
fresh from four years of presumably
sound literary training. The music of
the great singers of all the ages has
echoed in their ears. If they have
gained knowledge of the elements of
literature they should be able to differ
entiate the note that sounds in all
poetry truly great from the smooth
tinkling of respectable mediocrity. Yet
they cast their votes for Longfellow.
Longfellow is likable. He never Of
tends by originality of theme or form.
His well-worded platitudes are war
ranted to withstand all climatic
changes, and are guaranteed to give
harmless pleasure to both young and
old in all well regulated families. No
one begrudges him his bust in West
minister Abbey. nor his rank among
IptSlOH cIOlCe COlItttlOH OI letlcneS.
But even Boston Is awakening slowly
to the fact that the cratic genius
whom Boston once abominated be-
cause he pointed out the clay feet of
its idols. was a truer artist and Il
greater poet than any of the smooth
versifiers of that period in American
civilization, which was marked by
horse furniture and wax flowers
under glass globes. 1t was not nee
essary for the Princetonians to pick
out Poe. although ii would have been a
graceful compliment to a family that
in another field has done much for
PrinCeton's fame. But these seniors
surely know something of Burns and
Byron, of Shelley and Keats, of
Browning and Tennyson. Yet they
give Longfellow their votes. Among
the things that pass human under
standing must henCeforth be classed
the literary taste of the Princeton grad
uate of 1902.-New York Mail and Ex-
press.
It is difficult to understand what
ever caused this remarkable outburst
Of spleen and ignorance in the editorial
columns of the paper of which no less
a man than Richard Henry Stoddard
has long been literary editor We do
not believe that Mr.. Stoddard wrote it,
or that anybody wrote it who knows
anything about poets and their place
in the popular heart. Longfellow is
the favorite poet of the American peo-
pie. This is no more to be disputed
than that New York is our national
metropolis. The vote of the Princeton
seniors is to the credit of their univer-
sfty sand to the credit of their own
heads and hearts. If similar vote
had been taken at a hundred other
American colleges and universities in
all parts of the land, the result in at
least ninety of them would have been
the same as at Princeton. Longfellow
Is the great poet of childhood of the
school, of the fireside and of the Ii
brary. In mentioning American poets
his name is almost always first on the
lips and first it is likely always to be
ingly intimated in the Mail and Elk
press reference to Westminster Abbey
is such as has never been given any
other American writer. Other land.
have had their great poets and Ameri
ca has others whose claim to immor.
tality is secure, but no poet, foreign o.
native, can compare with our Maine
born Longfellow in the affections o
the American people. Let us quote tn
opinion of Longfellow's place in on
literature held by Professor Charles F
Richardson of Dartmouth, in his in
valuable volume American Litera
ture."
For many years the most repre-
sentative name in American poetr,
has been that of Henry Wadswort
Longfellow. Others have often rivalle,