Norwich bulletin., 1909-01-29
COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Midwinter Meeting Held at Peck Library-Endowment
Fund Amounts to $25,OO0---Memoria Papers On E.
c. Stedman Daniel c. Gilman and Donald G. Mitchell

/ been called a passion, to the old as
sociations of the home of his boyhood
and early mar hood. To understand
| this. one should have been with him,
as it has been my privilege to be. on
some of those visits to his old home;
to watch the alert interest with which
he inquired regarding the rlaces,
houses and people; and the zest with
| which he lived over his early life in
the midst of these old associations to
! which he seemed to cling more and
more closely with each added year of
lis life.
Among his early poems is one en-
titled The Inland City," which sings
the praises of Norwich with all the
ardor and love Of youth, but which,
as in his later years he grows to be
his own most severe. critic, is omitted
from the final edition of his collected
poems. 1t is to be found, however, in
Longfellow's Poems of Places, which
tends to show the esteem in which 1t
was held by one Of the great poets of
our days. The scenes and characters
OF those Poems of New England which
grouped together in the recently issued
edition of his poems may be traced to
Norwich; and in many of his other
poems linger distinct impressions OF
his early days.
With the quick, sure touch of poetic
genius he has also given us lasting
memorials of the days which followed
in his alert, busy. sympathetic life. But
we must resist the temptation loving
ly to follow his career as we find ii re-
fexed so clearly in his verse through
the lighter fancies of the young poet
to the grave sublimity of the veteran
bard. Enough to remember just now
that he was a born poet and a true
poet, Hsping verses of his own com
posing at the age of six. and led by
that Unborn impulse to build the verses
whose melodious rhythm, subtle fancy
and sublime flight will live in our
American literature. Don't call him
the banker poet, do not even call him
the poet-banker. for he was only a
banker, as he himself said, In the hope
that banking would pay its good,
sound tribute of dollars and cents to
poetry. giving the poet an independ-
ence which would free him from any
faint Of hack writing.
Think for a moment of that busy
life-editor and war correspondent,
banker lecturer at the Johns Hopkins
and Columbia universities and the Uni
versity Of Pennsylvania, president of
isthe American Copyright league. and at
one time of the New England society.
author Of poems appearing in part or
In whole in nine editions; author Of
prose works entitled The Victorian Po-
cts, the Poets Of America, The Nature
and Elements of Poetry; and, with 9TH
ers, of Canoes from the Poems of
Walter Savage Lander. Poems of Aus
tin Dobson, A Library Of American
Literature in eleven volumes, the works
of Edgar Allan Poe In ten volumes, A
Victorian Anthology. An American An
thology. to say nothing Of magazine
articles and addresses on various oc-
casions which well deserve to be COL
lected book form.
But a short time ago it was my priv
ilege to attend a meeting at the Car
negie Lyceum. New ork. In memory of
Edmund Clarence Stedman. 1t was
a fitting and worthy tribute to the
man, his life and his works. His por-
trait framed in laurel leaves. seemed
to be looking at us all in that bene-
fcent welcome which | think everyone
in the large audience knew so well.
Tributes to his personal worth and his
fame as poet and man OF letters were
lovingly paid by Richard Watson Gil
der. who presided; by Hamilton w.
Mabie, Seth Low. William c. Church
and Robert NJ. Johnson. letter from
William Winter. closing with verses
composed for the occasion. was read:
and poem by Stedman's son. Arthur
who so recently died after a visit to
WI w I'LL III quest VI "reminiscences OF
his fathers boyhood and early man
hoon. Mr.. Johnson, as secretary Of
the American committee of the Keats
Shelley memorial in Rome, Of which
Mr.. Stedman had been chairman. an
nounced the completion Of a plan to
furnish the largest room in the house
which Keats occupied in Rome as a
permanent memorial to stedman.
Daniel c. Gilman.
Nearly so years ago Daniel c. Gill
man, then young man of 2S, deliv-
ered the historical address at the cele-
bratiOn Of the 200th anniversary of
the founding Of Norfich. This young
man, a native Of Norwich, born here
July s, 1881, was at the time librarian
Of Yale college. The address was soon
published in book form. with copious
and valuable notes referring to many
original sources of information, and
making the work a sufficient and au-
thoritative outline history Of the town
for readers who 10 not find the leisure
to consult Miss Caulkins' voluminOus
history, which, as DR.. Bacon has said,
lis one Of the best and fullest of those
volumes of local lore that af1ict his
torical writer's with an excess of au-
thentic material" Forty-two years
after the delivery of this address its
author. who had since been president
of two universities, which owed their
organization and success to his efforts
was called upon to accept the presi-
dency Of the Carnegie institution at
Washington, with its endowment of
S10,OOO,OO0 and it's avowed primary
object 'to promote original research. -
Thus We may say that patient, intelIi-
gent spirit of research which was so
marked in the yo1ng man Of rs reached
its full growth and fruitage in the
distinguished scholar and university
president Of II. To tell even in out
line of those ~ years of active, dis
tinguished life in our higher institu-
tons Of learning and Of the following
seven years in that unique and still
higher institution to which he was
called would be more than l could
hope to do even in a larger limit of
time than that to which / must confine
myself
Fortunately. through all his busy
days and years. he has found time to
leave us soma very interesting treatises
and "reminiscences, in which he let's us
know much Of the experiences Of his
busy and highly useful and important
life. Foremost among these are his
University Problems" published in
1898. and THE Launching of a Uni
versity and Other Papers" published
in 1899 He has also contributed TO
the American Statesmen series, a life
of James Monroe, valuable in every
way. and especially so for its clear and
scholarly exposition OF the Monroe
doctrine THE Life of James Dwight
Dana" 1899. forms another valuable
biography which he has left us. Prom
inent in his literary work. too is his
supervising editorship of the Interna-
tional Encyclopedia.
In these delightful "reminiscences
\. Il L.
in the midst of q life apparently as
busy as ever: Il have heard travellers