Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-15
With the Ghosts at Gore Hall.
FAMOUS FREouENTERs VANISHED LIBRARY, IN
ANEcDoTE RECOLLECTION.

ature for which no one cared or
should care? He really believed that
at the spring cleaning" of house
holds, persons benevolently inclined
toward Harvard College expected the
library to receive with welcome their
accumulations of pamphlets. No
chance there for an original version
of Mother Goose or for an old Irish
ballad to come to light" Thus time
was saved for weightier matters.
Professor Child, Various Enthusiast.
No one ever asked Professor Child
for a kindness without receiving it
double. A man of little learning
might give slight attention to an tg-
norant questioner: this student of the
sources of literature poured forth his
richest knowledge for one who wanted
to know. | knew him to bring book
after book of musical Anglo-Saxon to
explain and illustrate his answer to
chance question about the meter
of Chaucer. How easy it would have
been to say, You'll find the matter
treated in volume so-and-so of such
an author" but this mans helpful
spirit found more joy in sharing the
vestigation. Moreover his enthusi-
asm was not for books or literature
alone, but for every human inter-
est.
How could he have OWNED one day
young mans pressing need of five
dollars and happen to present, 50 OPP
portunely, very necessary piece OF
copying? That a new instructor who
was to give a reading from the Ger
man one evening might not be over
shadowed by the fame of the greater
lights then shining, Professor Child
personally spoke to everyone he could
reach, of the value of this especial
evening reading. AS result, the
room was filed with interested listen
ers. How many people shared the
sweets of that rose garden in which
he spent his leisure
1t was Professor Child who intro
duced Boyesen to the American world
of letters This unwritten story Is
perhaps worth depression.
Boyesen in America.
In 1871 in the suburbs Of Cinein-
natl, the writer met Hjalmar HJorth
Boyesen, young teacher, fresh from
Norway, carrying about him treas
ured manuscript and eager for a
sympathetic listener. This manuscript
was the idyl of Gunner. Did he
write anything later so fresh and
sweet and simple? He himself had
then q child's simplicity. He was
open, artless, half-overconfident that
you would think his story beautiful.
/ half too diffident at his bold plunge
into the English speech. He talked
| of Norway, of two younger brothers
who had ventured with him to this
| land of promise, and of the preceding
| year which was spent near Boston,
| where he was close to the homes OF
Longfellow, Lowell and Emerson, and
| yet as far from knowing them as when
! the ocean rolled between. There was
/ a golden enchantment about Boston
/ then to him. There lived poets and
men of genius He was a fluent talk
er, and he poured out his enthusiasm
over what he knew of our literature
and over poetry and art in general
Then. growing confidential, he con-
| fessed that he. too, was perhaps a
poet and genius. He loved romance,
he appreciated poetry, he had even
himself written a romance. There
were little poems in it. Did we ever
/ hear of the spring dances of Norway
/ A vivid description followed of that
| chaste and exquisite movement. would
we hear just the beginning of his
story? And we, only too glad, listen
ed for hours to the first reading OF
| his Morse Idyl." His slight accent
and an occasional mispronunciation
! helped the illusion of foreign atmos-
phere His voice was rich, and the
intonations varied with the changing
sentiments. No one could have ques-
toned that an author is the best
reader of his own compositions. The
reading met applause and approval
with some friendly criticisms on idi-
oms, and he was assured that the
work was worthy the notice of that
charmed circle in Boston. He was
attentive to all suggestions, for ne
had a high ideal of writing the pur-
est English.
The plan was then made that on
NV return east he should accompany
me to Cambridge. With such COM
panion, the journey to New YORK was
passed among the warm blue fiords
| of norway anu llle dh' PiANS -
Maine, and cheered by song ana sto-
ry from many lands. Our ride across
the city was, through his irterpreta-
ton, amid columns Doric, Ionic, Cor
inthian, and past Greek and Gothic
arches. Yet he confessed that New
York had been cold and unattractlve
TO him, while Boston was aglow with
his ideal. Coming from perhaps the
most courteous nation in Europe, three
emigrant boys on landing could hard-
" have understood the jostling OF
crowds and the curt replies OF OIL
cials. During the day which we spent
in the city, Mr. Boyesen. through the
courtesy of a gentleman, stranger
to US both, had the opportunity ol
seeing the more attractive side OF
life in New York-the city which art
erwards became his home.
Coneenial Spirits.
Upon our arrival at Boston we wen'
10 Cambridge, to the Harvard LII
hrary, where DIR. Ezra Abbot was as
sistant librarian. 1t did not take tina
sympathetic listener long to see tha'
the young stranger possessed IN Ms
northern lore something valuable even
though the special manuscript he heio