Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-12-11

not fIutter MIN tnaC ODJoctlOn WAS I'd
ken to his eulogy by John Brown, and
after the Presidents proclamation he
wrote to his friend: Think Of it,
Sam, slavery abolished in one day.
John Brown just hanged for attempt
ing by arms that liberation which the
President of the United States by arms
new proclaims. Two years ago the
army and navy Of the United States
joined to take back Anthony Burns
to slavery; now army and navy are
pledged to protect the liberty of every
escaping black man" A patriot in
every fibre of his being, despite his
detestation of war, he saw that, given
! this method of settling issues the
government could not have refrained
from the action it took against the
rebellious states, and he character
lied as grand" the enthusiasm
shown by the north in it's rush to
defend the Union, During his later
years at Cambridge Longfellow was
a frequent speaker at the Radica
Club, organized in 1867. He deliv-
cred addresses at the meetings of
the Free Religious Association. and
for year preached before the 28th
Congregational Society on "a strict
ly free platform, wholly unembar-
rassed by creed or covenant" He
took an active interest In the work
Of the Cambridge Social Union, and
was elected an honory member Of
the Boys Aid Society.
One of the greatest services rem
dered by Longfellow to his donolni-
nation was the contribution he made
to the improvement of it's .hymnol-
ogy. Associated in this task with
his life long friend, Samuel John
son, he came to it superbly equipped
with poetical feeling, critical power
and command of materials. The col
lection which then existed, while con !
tanning good features, was hopelessly
cut of date It's doctrinal attitude
needed emendation; there was also
call for verse that should express
''the dignity Of humanity, the hope
fulness of being, the obligations of
rectitude and brotherly love" It is
said that during their work the two
men criticised and compared thou
sands of hymns, ransacked the collec-
tions of all denominations and the
poetry of other languages. From this
profusion the best things were chosen,
along with number of hymns
written by the compilers or by their
friends, to be described in the vol
ume as "ononymous" The "Book-
Of Hymns" as it was called, had
success and wide cir
culatiOn, the first societies to adopt
it being the Church of the Unity
at Worchester and Theodore Parker's
congregation in the Music Hall. When
a copy reached Longfellow it called
from him this apostrophe: From be-
ginning to end fine, full train of
music, swelling, dying, varying in
mood but rising at last into grand,
triumphant swell OF sure prophecy"
Longfellow died in 1892, after
writing a. biography of his brother,
and was laid to rest in the pictur-
esque Western Cemetery at Portland.
Something will be said during the
centenary celebration today about his
place in the ''transcendentral move
ment," about hik attitude towards
matters Of creed and worship, about
the relations he held with his own de-
nomination. But the chief emphasis
will be laid on the man. All who have
testified stress the strength, dignity
and simplicity of his character, his
sweetness Of disposition, his love of
truth and, as his biographer phrased
it, "the pure spirituality of his life
and all its motives" On March 25.
1894, in the church of the Second Uni
tartan Society of Brooklyn, there
was unvailed a bronze tablet to the
memory of it's former pastor, bear
ing the words "a man of gentle ma
ture, liberal culture, loving heart;
faithful preacher and pastor, earnest
in reform; the friend of little child.
rem. A poet of religion, he gave us
many songs of hope and cheer"