The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-03
Lives Of great men all remind rs
We can make our lives sublime.
And. departing leave behind his
Footprints on the sands Of time.
-Ionefellows Psalm Of Life

And. departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands Of time.
-Longfclow's Psalm Of Life
On February q. 1907, the 100th anniver-
sary Of the birth of Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow viii be celebrated at Cam
bridge, Mass. The Cambridge Historical
Society viii have charge of the event,
and will be assisted by representative.
committee the head Of which is Charles
Eliot Norton That day VIII be observed
as "LongfelIow's Day in all the schools
of Cambridge. In the evening there will
be a meeting. at which Mr. William Dean
HoweIls will be the principal speaker,
and President c. w Eliot, Col Thomas
Wentworth Higginson, and Prof. Charles
Eliot Norton will also make addresses a
special chorus from the public schools
will sing the cantata. rhe Village
Blacksmith" During the week of the
celebration a public exhibition will be
held at the Cambridge Public Library of
rare and beautiful editions of the poets
works, together with memorabilia con-
nected with his name. 10 which the Har-
ward Library and many collectors viii
niversary there will be a special chill
dren's hour" for the pupils Of the schools.
An enduring and valuable memorial Of
the event. a special bronze medal OF the
poet. will be struck by Bella l. Pratt.
There viii be 200 of these medals. and
they viii be given as prizes. each year. in
the Cambridge schools. In honor OF the
anniversary. Houghton. Miffiin. * Co.
the poets publishers, viii issue two new
volumes-One containing an appreciation
by Charles Eliot Norton. together with
a collection Of photographed poems.
and the other finely Illustrated edition
Of THE Hanging OF the Crane"
A visitor 10 Cambridge, in MassaChU-
sets, is very sure TO make his first
question. Where is the Longfellow
house?' and any one whom he meets will
be able to tell him. The ample, digni-
fed mansion. built in colonial days. and
famous as the headquarters of Washing
ton during the first year of the War for
Independence, stood in L0ngfellOw's time
in the midst of broad fields. and looked
across meadows to the winding Charles
and the gentle hills beyond. Great elms.
fragrant uIacs. and syringas bordered the
broad path which leads to the door and
when the poet was living the passer-by
would often catch a glimpse of him pac-
ing up and down the shaded piazza,
which is half screened by the shrubbery.
Here came. in the summer of 1887,
slight, misunderstanding young man, who
lifted the huge brass knocker which hung
upon the front door and very likely
thought of the great general as he let it
fall with a clang. He had called 10 see
the owner of the house, Mrs. Andrew
Craigie. widow of the apothecary general
of the northern provincial army In the
Revolution The visitor asked if there
was a room in her house which he could
occupy. The stately old lady, looking all
the more dignihed for the turban which
was wound about her head, replied, as
she looked az the youthful figure:
81 lodge students no longer
But 7 am not a student; I am pro-
fessOr in the university"
a professor" She looked curiously at
one so unlike most professors IN appear
ance.
Il am Prof. Longfellow.' be said.
"Ah. that is different. 7 viii show you
what there is" She Ted him up the
broad staircase, and. proud Of her house.
opened one spacious room after another
only 10 close the door Of each, saying,
You cannot have that" until ut length
she led him into the southeast corner
room Of the sec, nd story. This was Gen.
Washingtons chamber" she said. You
may have this and here he gladly set
I'D his home The house was a large
one. and already Edward Everett and
Jared Sparks had lived there, afterward
when Mr. L0Hgfe.low was keeping house
IN IT, the maker of the dictionary. Mr..
Joseph r. Worcester. shared it with
him. for there was room for each family
20 keep a separate establishment, and
even third could have found independ-
enr quarters. After Mrs Cragie died,
Mr.. Longfellow came into possession OF
the house. and it has remained In the
family ever since.
The record Of the popularity Of books
taken from the public library during the
past week shows that an nOn-hctiOn, ID
sens Peer Gynt' and Bernard Shaw's
Caesar and Cleopatra" were most
called for In fiction, the books most
used were Hichen's THE Call Of the
Blood" and Ralph Cona0r's THE Doc
Tor" while in the juvenile class again
the call was for Lang's THE Pink" and
THE Red" Fairy Books This continued
popularity Of the Lang fairy books is ex-
planned. perhaps, 10y the fact that the
public librarian gives very rigid scru-
tiny TO all Juvenile books. Each Juvenile
book offered is read and most carefully
considered. and comparatively few titles
out of those considered are ever added
10 the library. The librarian regards *
as 4 much better policy with the young
20 have an adequate supply Of q smaller
and selected number Of titles than 20
multiply the supply Of inferior books
Saws the Librarian. We try % keep up
with the demand for the Lang Fairy
Books, and you can see what the result
is"
Ripley Hitchcock, Of New York, who
has some reputation as a literary critic.
told at the Century Club about as harsh
criticism as he had ever heard. "As
harsh a criticism as I know Of" sad
he, was cOmpactly and neatly uttered
by a bishop last spring.
a minister wrote a commentary on the
Lamentations Of jeremiah" and sent
It 20 the bishop, with q note asking for
a few critical words
The bishop sent back the book after he
had read il. with this judgment:
There is but one thing that / regret
about this work-namely. that jeremiah
Is not living now to compose a fresh
book of lamentations on your c0mmen-
tary."
e. p. Putnam's Sons announce the
following books as now ready or soon
IN he T.od,. fo- modification. "Oy, sbe