Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-28
AT CITY HALL, AUGUSTA.
CONTINUED from Page Ten.)

the poets early maternal ancestors
John Alden and Priscilla Mullcns. We
have been told in harmonious Verse.
Such was the boy of Longfellow and
such was the college, when he became
a student at Brunswick and occupied
with his brother 9 room in Parson Tit
combs house on Federal street.-the
house in which Uncle Toms Cabin"
was afterwards written. In this house
the LOngfellOW brothers stayed during
their Sophomore year but during their
Junior and Senior years occupied What
is now y Winthrop Hall.
From the beginning Henry Longfei-
low was an exemplary student. 1t is
the testimony Of both teachers and
class mates that be was ''diligent and
conscientious, most attentive to all his
college duties" In a class many Of
those members had an excellent record
for scholarship maintained a praise
worthy position. His letters home
from which extracts have been pub
lished, show that even at this time lie
had an ardent love for literature.
1t is a remarkable coincidence chat
americas greatest novelist and her
most wideiy-loye1 and best-hnown
poet should have been in the same
class in 4 little country college. And
how as classmates they regarded each
other is perhaps q question Of mora
than idle curiosity to the student of
literature. They were not. We know,
ESPECIALLY intimate. And yet while
they were not intinateS they by no
means regarded each other in rivalry
or with Indifference. The college r.
Int .,rt ,l1e
mate, bridge, were always kindly and
led to a strong friendship In later life"
Even in Longfellow's first year in
college, he was supposed to be, as his
classmate Bradbury put it. respectfully
devoted to the muses. AS a matter
of fact LonSfellow began to WOO the
muse Of poetry when very young. |
need not tell you that the famous song
Of Mr.. Finny's unoffending turnip that
grew and grew and never did any
harm" originated not with the embryo
poet but probably in the fertile. or
barren, brain of some newspaper cor
respondent. Longfcllow did, however.
when only IS years old, have printed
! in the corner of the portland Gazette
some far more croIitable lines entitled
| in college he wrote numerous verses
| some of which We're published in the
Portland papers and 16 during his
| Senior year III the UNITED States Lit
erary Gazette" Poetry did not then
| flow so freely from America pens as
| it does today; else these verses would
probably not have appeared in one Of
| the leading literary periodicals OF
| America.
But, although not giving rare prom
| Use. they We're undoubtedly very credit
able lines for boy OF IS, some con-
| temporary critics even comparing
| them favorabiy with Bryant's or rerci
walls; as in somewhat the same vein
| his prose writings then and later were
compared with Irvings. Undoubtedly
! reminders of both Bryant and Irving
can be found in his early writings, for
! ne was 4 great admircr, and probably
an unconscious initator Of both Of
| these writer's. Some of these college
| verses, the poet afterwards rated high
| ly enough to include in his collected
| works; and il the cambridge Edition.
| we are told that the five poems: IAN
| April Day." Autumn" woods il
| Winter" Hymn of the Morarian Nuns
! and Sunrise on the Hills" We're writ
| ten during his last year in college in
| No. 81 winthrop hall.
| OF college honors Longfellow seems
| to have secured his share. In his
| Junior year he was poet at the annua
| meeting of the Peucinian Society; and
| during that year he also took part III
| a public exhibition. In this exhibition
| discussion Of the respective claims
| of the Indian and the white man tC
| this continent was assigned to him
| and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. assuming
| the character of King Philip and argu-
| ing for the Indians; Bradbury, the
| part Of Miles Standish, and presenting
| the claims of the white man. ''Wheth-
| er this occurrence had anything to dc
| in suggesting the subject for one OF
| his admirable poems or not" writes
| Mr.. Bradbury. zone thing is certain
| that he subsequently made q great deal
| more of Miles Standish than l did on
| that occasion"
| At graduation Longfellow stood
| third in his class and therefore had
| the honor of delivering one of the
| English Orations." In this COM
| mencement Grafton entitled Native
| Writers" the future author of 'Hiawa-
| tina" and The Courtship Of Miles
| Standish" had much to say for the
| literary resources of his country. "Our
| hills" he says, "shall become renoWn-
| ed in song like those of Greece and
| Italy. Every rock shall become a
| chronicle of stored illusions, and the
tomb of the Indian prophet be as hal
| lowed as the sepulchers of the ancient
| kings"
During his last year Longfellow like
most seniors, had difficulty in decid-
| ing upon his future profession. His
| father wished him to be n lawyer; he
demurred and even suggested that he
might be a farmer.
Possibly in his ineXperience he
thought the Maine farmer has much
| time for communng with nature ana
| for studying literature. At any rate
| his love for books was ardent and his
desire for learning intense. The fact
| isl will not disguise it in the least.
| for | think l ought not" he writes his
| father, the fact is, l most eagerly