Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-21

OF honey-comb that called out the poem,
"The Hive of Gettysburg" The scrap
book kept by his older sister when he first
began to publish his verses 1t contains
about fifty poems, most of them never coll
lected. His mothers Bible is here, with the
pathetic needle pricks that guided her hand
to the Twenty-fifth Psalm, as she became
blind in the last months Of her life.
Out in the beautiful garden, with its
grape arbor, its famous old apple and peach
trees, rosebushes. magnoias laburnums 4,
and cut-eaved birches, we had cup Of
tea and met mum of delightful people
of Amesbury. The young women WHO as
sisted, made me think of our own eighth
grade girls, for they were about that age
and looked as charming in their simple
dresses of white as they fitted about dis
pensing tea and cakes or cooling lemonade
to as we sat and listened to readings
from Whittier by one OF the women OF
Amesbury.
Our day in "Whittier-Land" would not
have been complete had we not ended It
by a boat ride on the Merrimac river,
which the poet loved and which inspired
some Of his finest descriptions. 1.-The River
Path" was inspired by evening on the
river in company with his sister:
A tender glow, exceeding fair,
1t was just such an evening as the poet
describes that we followed the turnings of
the Merrlmac through "Whitter-Land."
For, from US, ere the day was done
The wooded hills shut out the sun,
But on the rivers further side
We saw the hill-tops glonfied
The whole region on both sides Of the
river abounds in beautifully rounded hills
formed OF glacial deposits OF clay and
gravel and fertile to their tops. At many
points they press close to the river. which
has worn its channel down to the sea level
and feels the influence OF the tides beyond
HaverfAll. This gives picturesque effects.
The highest OF the hills have submits
about 400 feet above the river and there
are many little lakes and ponds nesting in
the hollows in every direction. The roofs
and spires OF cities and villages are seen
here and there among their shade trees
and give a human interest to the lovely
landscape 1t is not surprising that Whit
tier found inspiration for the beautiful pas
sages which occur in many poems which
has the Merrimac river for theme or illus
traton:
Stream Of my fathers; sweetly stIlI
The sunset rays thy valley all;
Poured slantwise down the long defile,
Wave, wood and spire beneath them
smile.
BUT get the poems or whittier ana read
The Laurels," Cousins MIL" Our
River" Revisited" The Laurel Party
and "In June on the Merrimac," TO see how
he has described II. In closing this letter l
wish TO remind you of the fact that none
OF the influences which surrounded the lives
OF our other New England poets and helped
to form their characters. came into the life
of Whittier. He had nothing in common
with them until very late I'm life. on the
lonely farm, In the little town Of HaverhiIl
were to be found none OF the culture and
learning OF Cambridge and Boston. The
great world Of literature was unknown 10
him FOR many years. College training he
had none Neither did he come from a
stock OF highly educated men and women
lie began his life work with no knowledge
OF the usages ard conventionalities Of the
world outside OF the home circle; he was
prepared for the battle with little education,
but was sustained by the desire to perform
his duty. The standard by which he meas
ured all things was the Standard Of Right.
Winters literary methods and style are
his own. His lack OF education and the
loneliness of those early years kept him
from literary, poetic or theological influ-
ences His devotion 20 abolition still further
separated him from his fellow-men and II
was not until late IN life that he had the
time TO study the old masters But with all
these discoursgemen his songs OF love.
OF truth, OF beauty, ana nature. and for
man and God, are beyond criticism How
hard the task, how brave the struggle, how
great the heights he scaled