The farmer and mechanic., 1910-07-12
eenia1 noets and cordial, appreciative

/ illuUlned by the mOQll , pd4e ihy, etIiN
! gowned by the hosts Of stars in the
/ heavens far above him. 1t was after
visiting his two intimate friends, Lord
| Byron and Leigh Hunt, both men OF
genius that he, in com pany with cap
tain Williams, set sail in small BOAT
for Levici. That night a violent storm
followed the waves were lashed ana
scourged by the terrible gusts of wind
which swept in such fearful violence
across the gulf, and amid its dlretul
and awful scene the poor, helpless
young poet was swallowed up, ana
his classic face disappeared, to De
never again seen in life, beneath the
kissing surges of the fateful gulf.
Shelley. so richly endowed, was but
thirty years of age. Thus sank into
watery grave a most rare genius;
mild, benevolent, gracious man
nered EngliShman-one IN Whom
purity of task and delicacy of senti-
ment were so happily, 50 rarely blend
ed after life's fitful fever, he sleeps
we'll" His body was afterwards re-
covered and burnt by his two friends
The heart was found unscathed by the
flames, and was deposited in an urn
which stands in the English burying
ground at Rome, Italy. the place he
had SO touchingly described in record
t ing the reception of the body Of John
Keats, another great poetical genius
OF English blood and parentage The
burning Of the body on the funeral
pyre is depicted by Leigh Hunt in his
| charming Autobiography" in colora
so beautiful and graphic [ can not re-
! fuse to give them. and they will please
readers Of insight and taste:
1.-The beauty of the flame arising
from the funeral pile was extraordi-
/ nary. The Weather was beautifully
fine. The Mediterranean, now soft
| and lucid. kissed the shore as If to
make peace with it. The yellow sand
! and blue sky were intensely contraste,d
with one another: marble noun tains
/ touched the air with coOlness; and
! the flame of the fire bore away to-
ward heaven in vigorous amplitude,
waving and quivering with a bright
ness of inconceiva BILE beauty. It seem
| ed as tho it contained the CLASSY es-
/ sence Of vitality. You might have ex-
pected d sera phic countenance to look
out OF 1T, turning once more before it
departed, TO thank the friends that
| had done their duty"
| Before alludine to his genius and
productions, let me record one or two
events in his life which clearly illus
I trate the unselfish goodness and gen
! ueness Of his heart. He had a literary
friend,-an old schoolmate-who had
! become greatly embarrassed. and had
been brought to the very door of pow
erty itself ShelleyAs sym pa TIA etic, kind
| for him, out Of his own income. fur
nlshing his INDECENT friend with an
annuity Of nearly s475. Leigh Hunt
tells us that while he himself was in
prison on account of certain politica
articles he had published, he found
| himself involved to the amount Of
some $4,000, every cent Of which WA
promptly, generously paid by Shelley
out of his own private income, which
did not exceed q thousand pounds a
year, or less than $1,000. Another in
stance is related by Hunt, which ex-
hlbItS the Independence, the nobility
Of character and deep sym pat thetic ma
tpre of the man in a strong, unmis-
taxable light. Shelley was at a ball
and then being somewhat distinguish
ed as a poet and the son Of a Raronet
he was an object of interest and OBJ
SerNauon. There was a large mum
} ber OF ladies in attendance, among
, them many Of rank and fashion
These were seated according to thei,
: social position, the upper ten oc-
cupying the front seats, the next clas:
the second. and Sc on to the rear
bench, which was occupied by only
one person, and she Of that class O
all others the most unfortunate. /
was expected that Shelley would TAX,
one Of the fair and elegantly attiret
ladies Of fashion as his partner in the
dance. But to the surprise OF many
he wound his way to the rear. anC
| led forth the desptsed and neglected
daughter of misfortune, she blushins
, and overcome with grateful confusi on
| That was enough to create surprise
; . and invite criticism.
Now let me turn 10 the poet anC
: his creations. Shelley was not only
! consummate genius, but he was be
: yond fair doubt one OF the most diff
; cult to com prehend. to fathoIn, to ex
plain. This opinion OF him is not new
bat has long existed among critics O.
: true insight and exceptional gifts
More than sixty years ago a finely en-
, dorsed literary English critic wrote O
!. him that of all poets Shelley's geniu:
: was "the most exceptional and abnor
: NAL, the most difficult to classify o
any Of the gFe2s lQetCal manifesto
tons of that time and possibly of an,
. other period. For, he held, that ''nt