The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-02

tnan his critical Judgment and in
sight he would be stupid beyond en-
~durance.
From about 1916 10 1875. I read
many works by Northern writer's. I
read Bancroft. Irving, Prescott. Coop
er, Dana, Hawthorne. LonSfelIow. IN
Guiding his prose. also. Whippie. ana
many others. For the last thirty years
! have read much less. / read an ex-
cellent volume OF essays BY Lowell.
the best of all New England ~essayfs-
and his poetry. Emerson. a volume
Of essays by Prof. Woodbury., one ~
Prof S~hackford. Of Cornell Cniyer-
stty. stories by Mrs. WIggin and two
others. two volumes by DR.. Holmes,
poetry included, Richard rant White
and some little Of other writers. My
reading has been chiefly among Brit
tsh authors, with moro or less Of
European and ancient writer's. l long
ago, before 1860, read the productions
Of a young and remarkably promising
Yankee author whose work very much
pleased and entertained me. II was
Thorna Bailey Aldrich. born in New
Hampshire, at Portsmouth, in 1896,
and died in March last in Boston.
having but Just turned his SEVENTEEN
years. / began to read him In 1856,
or 1857. and read more or less by him
during the next three years when he
80 SA&koA ~ w 4 =
very enjoyable n. Y. Home Journal,
a weekly literary paper l subscribed
to for more than two years, reading
it regularly when in my Gems, Mr..
Aldrich was decidedly gifted as a
prose writer and when his charming
Ballad Of Baby Bell" and Little
Mabel' appeared, ne caught the pub
lie ear at once and became q decided
favorite. He was a correspondent in
the great war OF a Northern paper.
and was with the army that invade
our dear Southland-the Army of the
Potomac. He edited much. n most
successfully. Every Saturday. and
later The Atlantic Monthly, both Bos-
ton publications. He vas a superb
success. His best prose books are
The Story Of a Bad Boy and Mar
jorie Daw." His fame will, however,
! rest mainly upon his poetry. which IS
not luminous but exquisitely fine.
No Northern poet has excelled him in
the beauty and finish of his poety. 1t
is full OF real inspiration and is high
ly artistic. He had are skill, delight
full technique. and was not without
as his Judith of Bethlia" indicates
stength and even dramatic qualities,
country Mr.. Aldrich was not probably
so we'll known and admired as some
few of the other New England
l~iterate. As q poet he perhaps did
not rank with the foremost OF Amer
lean poets in the judgment of New
England and New York critics, and
yet in certain high qualities he was
equal to the best. and in certain en-
dowments ever surpassed the very
best-Longfellow, Lowell, Holmes.
Bryant and Whittier. The elegance.
the exquisite workmanship Of his
poetry, enabled him to sit at the head
as the most admirable NJ perfect
versifier of all his Northern contem-
/ poraries. His last poem before he was
called to dwell beyond the grave, was
a fine tribute of appreciation and af-
lection in cOmmemoration of Long
fellow who had been dead for prob
ably more han twenty years. 1t was
on the occasion of the Centenary of
the most pOpula poet, but not the
greatest, of all Americans. | think
my readers will admire the following.
the closing lines of the excellent tri-
butte to the poet who preceded him:
80 gracious poet and benign,
Beloved presence, now as then
Thou standes by the hearths Of
men.
Their tireside joys and griefs are
thine;
Thou speakest to them of their dead
They listen and are comforted.
They break the bread and pour the
wine
OF life with thee, as in those DAYS
Men saw thee passing on the street
Beneath the eIms-O reverend feet
They walk in far celestial ways.
Wilmington, n. c.