The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-20
Tuscaloosa" Might Have
Been Theme of Poem In
stead of Hiawatha
PLACE RENDERED
TO HIM IN 1889
Old Letter From Longfellow to His
Father Proves News Even to
Those Best Versed in Uni
versity Tradition
Rx Erred G. sTrcKNEY

University, April 9.-(SpeciaL)-S
its foundation more than so years ago the
University of Alabama has had inter
woven into its history the names of many
great men, but not until few days ago
did the fact come to light in Tuscaloosa
that the name of Henry w. LongfeIow,
generally ranked as the greatest of Amer
lean poets, was linked with this history.
To be sure, the connection is very slen-
der. but nevertheless 1t is recorded in the
poets own words
A few days since, one OF the university
professors, reading the life of Henry w.
Longfeliow. came upon statement which,
through three-quarters of a century old,
proved to be news even to those best
versed in university history and tradition.
In a letter TO his father. dated August
.. 1880, Longfelow writes:
by the way, I had yesterday the Of
fer of professorship in the University
of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. declined and
recommended S.. Good climate and
two thousand dollars year"
The fact that a position in the univers-
ty faculty was seriously rendered to Mr..
Longfellow is ample testimony to the
ambition of the then young and struggling
university. Mr.. Longfellow had already
seen five years of service in the faculty
of Bowdoin college, and, after two years
of preparation in Europe. had returned
to Harvard university as professor OF
had occupied for two or three years when
he received the offer from the Alabama
institution. He was also by that time
an author of some note.
Though fruitless, it is not uninteresting
to speculate upon the possible effect that
the acceptance of the offer by the poet
might have had upon his own writings
and upon American literature.
1t is certain that If he had decided to
come to Tuscaloosa he would have found
congenial company and an atmosphere
stimulating to his aspiration after fu-
ture eminence in literature" Though
Tuscaloosa was then but a young town
in commonwealth in which much OF
the work of civilization was still to be
done, it was the centre of culture in a
territory wider than the borders of Ala
bama.
-
with decided literary inclinations. Among
the number was Alexander Beaufort
Meek, at that time a brilliant young law
yer with taste for letters, who after
ward won ample fame as poet statesman
and editor. Then, too, there was Freder-
iclS A. p. Barnard. who, later in life be-
came president OF Columbia university
Barnard was at that time professor of
mathematics. natural philosophy, and as
tronomy in the university, but he was Q
man of too eXuberant a nature to be sat
isfied with the work of teaching alone,
even though educating the backwoods
youth was more strenuous task than
present day teaching. And SO this brill
liant young professor put in his spare
time writing poetry and contributing edi-
torials to one or more of the local papers.
Others also might be mentioned, but these
ARE enough to show that Mr. Longfellow
would have found here spirits akin to his
own.
But, as recorded in the brief quotation
from the letter of the poet to his father,
he preferred to stay at the old seat OF
learning in Cambridge rather than take
a position in the S-year-old University of
Alabama. Had he come to Alabama, Tus-
caloosa, the black warrior, might have
been the theme of his great Indian poem
instead of Hiawatha. and his other verse
might have berathed the balminess of
the south instead of the atmosphere of
New England.