The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1908-02-07
The Celebration of Sidney Lanier's
Birthday

~ C9t A-tAA 4eCdd4flE 1AUb o4i 1CO- -
when they celebrated their club
poet. Sidney Lanier's, birthday at
the beautiful home Of Mrs. George
Hamilton We are indebted to
their gracious hospitality for an af-
/ ternoon of intellectual and social
delight which viii always be a JOY
to remember. This reading Club
has long been credit to a town
noted for its culture and refine
ment. Some Of the members have
! received diplomas in the CHATEAU
qua course. Necessarily this has an
elevating influence upon the com
munity for true culture gives us
sympathy with every form Of life
and enables US to work most success
fully for It's advancement. Refine
ment that carries Us away from our
/ fellowmen Is not true refinement -
/ On this occasion an exceedingly in
teresting programme was rendered
/ doubly pleasing by the exceptionally
/ fine readers chosen. MrsJ w Eek
ford, Mrs z. O. Sykes and Mrs. R.
/ p. Wendell read With true Southern
I enthusiasm and appreciation of the
fine art of our Southern poet, Sid
ney I.anier. rs described by emf
nent writers of both North and
+ South With undated interest we
/ followed the pathetic story Of the
poet. born in Macon, Ga on Feb.
3rd, 1912, his boyhood there dis
playing the musical talent which
caused him when a man to he call
ed the best violinist in America,
/ his graduation with first honors,
1 his career as a brave Confederate
soldier and his still more coura-
/ geous fight against disease and
poverty, finally his filling the posi-
I ton Of Professor of Literature in
John Hopkins University, Balti-
more when in the last stages Of con
sumption. Through all these years
he had written. but died without
seeing the world acknowledge his
talent,
One of Aberdeen 5 most charming
daughters, Mrs. Thomas Barrett
Green, nee Miss Corinne Sykes read
a piece from The London Times
showing how Sidney Lanier is APP
preciated abroad
Mrs. Binford effectively read
The Marshes of Glynn, The
Song of the Chattahoochee" and
lines to his wife's eyes My
Springs bringing out in her clear
ennuciation the rhymtnical beauty
and musical cadence of Lanier's
rare lyric verse. As the refrain of
some sweet song rings in our ears
long after the singers voice Is hush
ed so the wonderfully musical lines
Of Lanier will inger in our minds
days to come.
20, Love! o, wife! thine eyes are
My Spring from out whose shining
gray
Issue the sweet celestial streams
That feed my life's bright Lake of
Dreams. p My Springs.)
LAS the marsh hen secretly builds on
the watery sod,
Behold / will build me a nest on the
greatness of God.
| viii fly in the greatness of God as
the marsh hen flies
In the freedom that fills all the space
twixt the marsh and the skies.
BY so many roots as the marsh gras
sends in the sod
/ will heartily lay me hold of the
greatness of God!"( The Marshes
of Glynn)
Each member of the Club re-
sponded with beautiful verses from
Lanier. One of the sweetest was
Into the woods the Master came
Clean fOrespent, fOrespent with love
and shame,
But the olives they were not blind to
Him
The little gray leaves were kind to
Him
The thorn tree had mind to Him,
When out of the woods He came"
At the close of this most delight
ful afternoon lovely refreshments
were served appealing alike to the
artistic eye and aesthetic taste.
A y C.