The Washington herald., 1910-11-06

Poems" the proof sheets of which
arrived when he was on his death
bed.
The latter volume contained q
poem, THE Silent Voices" pointing
also TO the dumb hour clothed in
black" but IL Is the earlier poem.
Crossing the Bar" which will al
ways be associated with the death
of the poet.
Tennyson, no doubt, had long in
mind this passage OF man from time
TO eternity. for his great poem or
In Memoriam" is peryaded by the
thought, at first giving rise 70
doubts and questionings. but finally
ending In the assurance Of faith
and hope. In many instances will
the student OF Tennyson find his at
titude toward the subject Of another
life, but neither he nor any one
else had struck the note which vi
brated in Crossing the Bar"
The poem was received by the
critics. and by the public at large,
with delight and establishment. They
found no end Of pleasure and mean
ing in the beautiful utterance Of the
poet. and there can be little doubt
but that with such abiding faith the
poets prayer was answered in full.
AS the end drew near the mind of
the poet seemed to turn more and
more to the future and the eternal.
Il believe" he said. that God RS
veals Himself 10 every individual
soul; and my idea OF heaven Is the
perpetual ministry of one soul to
another"
Several times during the last few
days OF Tennysons life he called for
his Shakespeare, and they brought
him the volume or volumes contain
ing Lear" "CymbeIine," and "Troi-
lus and Cresida." Among the pass
ages the dirge OF "cymbeline"
was read to him at his request.
He fell asleep. has nand resting on
the page OF him who is the mas
ter OF all poets, the glory OF Eng
lish literature and OF human genius.
on the volume OF Shakespeare OF
"Cymbeline." on the dirge in that
play which he had asked TO have
read To him. The voiume lies with
him in his grave at Westminster
Abbey.
The last words spoken by the poet
were words OF blessing 10 his wife
and 10 his son. For the next few
. hours" says the latter. the full
moon flooded the room and the great
landscape outside with light; and
we watched in solemn stiffness"
Nothing" says his physician. DR..
Dabbs, could have been more
striking than the scene during the
last few hours On the bed a fguTe
of breathing marble, Hooded and
bathed in the light of the full moon
streaming through the oriel win
dow; his hand clasping the Shake
speare which he had asked for but
recently, and which ne had kept
by him 10 the end. The moonlight,
the majestic figure as he lay there,
drawing thicker breath irresist-
ibly brought 10 our minds his own
Passing of Arthur
on the day of the funeral West
minister Abbey was crowded from
end 10 end by a vast multitude OF
mourners. The nave was lined by
men Of the Balaklava Light Brigade,
by some OF the London Rife Volun-
teers. and by the boys of the Gordon
Boys Home. in token OF their grati-
tude for what he had done for each
and ali OF them.
Nothing could have been more
simple and majestic than the fu-
neral service. two anthems being
sung. the words of both being his
own: Crossing the Bar" and sill
ent Voices"
The tributes of sympathy came
from many countries and from all
creeds and classes. The grave of
the poet is next to that of Brown
ing. and in front OF the monument
to Chaucer, in the Poets Corner OF
the Abbey.
The Press Company.l