The Washington herald., 1907-12-18
DEAD POET HONORED
Whittier'S Birthday Ami
yersary Celebrated.
PRESIDENT EULOGIzES LIFE
Justices stafford and Barnard Join
Other Distinguished Speakers in
and DIR. ThirkieId Delivers Ad-
dress ON Personal RecoIIectiOns.

/ More than two hundred admirers OF the
life and works of John Greenleaf Whit
ter assembled in the Friends Meeting
House. 1911 ! street northwest, last
night, TO pay honor 10 his memory, and
| celebrate the one hundredth anniversary
Of his birth. The audience represented
those who have enjoyed a serious study OF
the works of Whittier and the speakers
selected for the occasion were perhaps
those best fitted 10 praise and eulogize
the great poet and litterateur. Bernard
T. Janney, supervising principal Of
schools. acted rs chairman OF the meet
ing. Aside from the regular programme
arranged for the evening. Mr.. Janney
| called upon many notable persons present
TO address the meeting upon The subject
Of Whittier
Justice StaEOrd's EHgc=S.
Justice Wendell p. Stafford. Of the su-
preme Court Of the District Of Columbia
delivered the chief address Of the even
ing. Justice Stafford spoke OF the great
genius OF Whittier 'rs a poet and lauded
/ his life as a man. During his talk. Jus
/ tice Stafford reciJed many of the writings
/ OF Whittier in illustration Of his observa-
tions. These We're delivered In mastery
| style and won the applause and apprecia-
! tion Of those present
! Justice Job Barnard. also OF the Su-
preme Court OF the District. read i'm a
scholarly manner My Birthday"
Others who took part We're Mr.. Claude
/ Lindsay. piano solo. Miss Janet Brown
recitation. In School Days" Miss T. T.
Marshall, "Naughaut the Deacon" Maj
/ John Tweedale Barclay of Try" and
two songs by Mrs r. T. Barnard.
Among those who We're called upon by
Nr. Janney TO address the meeting were
! Corp James Tanner and Thomas W
Sidwell.
At Howard University.
Dean William A. Wilbur. Of the George
Washington University. was the prin-
! cipaI speaker at the centenary exercises
held last evening At the Howard Uni
versity.
Do. Thirkield. president Of Howard Uni
versity. delivered the opening address.
his subject being Personal RecoHections
OF Whittier" Following this address.
recitations were given by the following
students: G. h. Washington. Kathleen
Burner. Bertha Mundy, and Charles +.
smith
Mr. Wilbur was then introduced by Dr.
Moore, dean Of Howard University. and
gave an entertaining address on The
Quaker Poet" After a brief description
Of his works and contemporaries. the
speaker said: Two things are clear 70
us to-day. First that Whittier was i'm
pOrtant in the events leading up to enan-
cpation. thus realizing his political am
bition; and, second. that the high moral
incentive Of his auti-slavery convictions
supplied 90 him the motives which gave
him poetry 10 write. and so he realized
his literary ambition"
DR.. Moore closed the evenings exer-
clses with bencdiction and prayer
Celebration in New England.
In Boston commemorative observances
were held in many schools and by literary
societies The centennial centered about
Amesbury, the Essex County town. where
the poet lived a greater part of his life.
and in Haverhill. his birthplace
At AmeSbury the cXpercises were held
in the town haIl, large chorus Of school
children singing some of WhittIer's
poems set 90 music George ". Cate pre-
sided, and the principal speakers were
eX-Gov. John u. Long. Booker T. Wash
ington, and Edwin ID. Mead. Of Boston.
The following letter from President
Roosevelt was ready by Alden p White,
Of Salem.
1T is with very real regret that find
myself unable TO accept your invitation
10 be present AT Amesbury on the oc-
casion OF the Tooth anniversary of the
birth Of Whittier / have always felt "A
peculiar affection and reverence for good
Quaker poet I do not for one moment
subscribe to the belief that We can di-
vorce the art OF the artist, and especially
the art Of men OF letters. from charac-
ter and from the teachings that told
character
1T seems to me that all good Amer