Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-10

Polyantt.uses. and Ordeals, and
Monthly Chronicles, and. there was
once upon q time the Dial, with Mr..
Emerson. Mr.. Alcott and Margaret
Fuller at the helm. Mr.. Lowell. Ed
ward Everett Hale, W. W. Story and
e. P. Whipple had found place TOR
their literary output tn the Boston
Miscellany. magazine about the site
OF Harper's, with q 'sdasik. and regal
lent chocolate cover. Bunker saiu
Monument was roughly ,depictso son
1t. and in the foreground wassa com.
fortatly dressed cupid, who ihAdatust
thrown aside his bow and arrows.
while his young eyrs gained curISusiy
at the obelisk. the mesuing Of ~hSch
had himself edited, with Robert Csr.
ter. the Pioneer; and Charles fsie
had tried to establish q literary four
nal entitled Today Ave years, before
the Atlantic began; but none Of, these
satisfied Boston. and 70 thisss dinner
and this discussion. S}p'Tfsi
Unexpectedly TO himself, Mr. Eow.
ell was now nominated as editor of
the magazine to be. but he. accepted
the responsibility with several pro-
yisos. He demanded that Dr.. Holmes
should contribute, that George Nith-
OILS Of Cambridge should read proofs
and that did not mean what iss usual
ly meant when proofreading Is spoken
of. for Nichols. publisher Of Lowell's
early poems. careful successor. OF
Charles Folsom. could correct au-
thors who misquoted authorities or
fell into any other .inaccuracy. Mr..
LEVEL meant to secure vivacity and
correctness. Next he asked that
Longfellow. Motley, Emerson, Whit
tier and others whose names 'blason
our provincial SCROLL" as Holmes
says. should support him. and this Of
course meant that the publishers
should support them! Thus the first
dinner ended in complete harmony.
and nameless magazine was in
sured. .... @
The magazine was nameless. though
Mr.. Emerson thought 1t might DO
called Town and Country. and other
titles had been suggested. but none
had proved at once satisfactory. Dr..
Holmes told me that. one day. after
he had retired to ibis virtuous
COUCH" he suddenly reused himesR
and exclaimed to his wife: Il have It!
It shall be called the Atlantic Month
ly Magazine! Soon you'll hear the
boys crying through the streets.
Here's your Atlantic. 'lant!c. 'lantic,
'iantic.'" Atlantic 1t became. but the
publishers dropped the word maya
zine, and were sufficiently upbraided
by the word mongers for their stu
pidity in making a noun Of an adjec-
tive, although Monthly" had been
used in England perhaps 70 100 years
in the same way. After the magazine
had been launched, after the critics
had exhausted themselves In discuss
ing Emerson's "Brahma," which APP
pared in the first number. some. OF
tie contributors conceived the idea
OF dining by themselves, with no pun
Usher in the room. They chose Tor
the purpose Porters Tavern In CAM
bridge. situated not too far from Har-
ward Square and the coliege-0ietN
able walk for a literary man befcro
or after dinner. 1t was a place that
Mr.. Lowell once told me was the best
in the world for good dinner. and
Dr.. Holmes assured me that II Low
ell thought 1t the best place II cer.
tainly was, ''for."& he added. stcTesai
knows" The third number had Just
appeared. TWAS toward the end az
December. 1887. Mr. Emerson was
present. He, was older than the 9TH
ers. 81.
It would not do, to give imagination
play and picture to ourselves the
scene and the flow Of wit Or. Holmes
gives US the only light on the subject
that I know Of. With his help we
may. indeed, imagine. the scene and
listen to the conversation. The ave.
nue. on which Portcrs Tavern was
situated runs from Harvard Square
to Lexington, and at the time was
called North" In respect TO the a..
rec.ion that it took when 1t left tho
vicinity Of the college. 1t has since
been greatly, heightened, and out OF
respect to the state Is called Massa-
chusetts. The evenings In December
are cool. and slight fall OF snow
whitened the sidewalk as the diners
sat around the table. Mr.. Porter
wss In attendance. slight man. one
of the old time hosts who used 70
.ut the Joint themselves, stand be-
hind the chairs Of the guests. ana
ask them IT the game was rightly
cooked. 6 He had culinary WISDOM
ard delighted in expressing IT IN
aphorisnss. He was accustomed to
tell his guests that game to be prop
erly cooked should be carried slowly
through O warm kitchen and when
asked what was the best part OF q
goose after the breast. he replied:
"You may as we'll give the rest TO
the poor"
There was lively conversation az
this dinner. Doubtless there was q
game on the table. and there may
have been some sort of spirituouS
l,ouor, for Cambridge was not at thae
date a no-license city. The following
year the Autocrat made ZONE re-
marks on the subject OF temperance
that seem to bear on his experience
that December evening. II beiive m
temperance" he said. may. almost
in abstinence, as q rule. for healthy
people, l trust practice both. bus
let me tell you. there are companies
Of men Of genius in which ! some-
times 20 where the atmosphere OF in-
tegect and sentiment. il so mucn
more stimulating than alcohol that y
7 thought fit to take wine ~ would
he to keep me sober" Drs Holiness
racoI,acted that particular dinner so