Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-25

that looks Ike q coat, don't theyT'
The painter kept his coat on.
Ernest had an opportunity to 90 to
South America with Agassis, as the
artist Of his expedition, but his father
objected because Of the risks. And the
son says: That was very character
istic Of my father; he always thought
It wiseet not to do a thing" Can you
expect q poet like this to write with
his eyes in fine frenzy rollins?" 1t
seemed to me when read this remark
that It was q more illuminating criti.
cism Of the poetic genius Of Longfellow
than had ever before seen in so few
words.
Therefore when the son says that
although he cannot vouch for the re-
port that Sarah Bernhardt kissed his
father when she called on him he thinks
that it Is likely, I cannot help picturing
to myself the spectacle of the staid
New Highlander doing his best to sur
vive the shock Of the salute from the
electric Parisienne. cannot see him
rising to 1t as some other poets would
have done.
One Of the mcrits Of the book Is
that u settles tho long contropcrted
question Of tho authorship Of O
poem.
TT IS the rhyme about the little girl
L who had little curl right down the
middle of her forehead. Carolyn Wells.
in her Book Of Humorous Poetry"
credits It to that voluminous author,
Anon. But the son says that 1T was
while walking up and down with his
second daughter that my father COM
posed and sang to her the wall known
lines" There are three stanzas in the
complete poem. the second and third
telling how Jemima stood on her head
and was "hurrahing with her heels
and how her mother did spank her
most emphatic" about which the son
says nothing, but they are so completely
In the spirit Of the first stanza that the
c6hclusion that the same man wrote
the whole Is irresistible.
As to James Russell Lowell, the
author says he was n vain man given
to secluding himself at homo while he
was in Cambridge because he did not
think he was properly appreciated. 1t
was not until he went TO London as
the American Minister and was fiat.
tered and feted that he came out OF
his shell and flourished. He tells also
of n visit to Tennyson and finding
book OF his fathers poems on the table
he turned to it to verify a passage
which he could not remember. Tenny.
son came up to him and in gruh
voice asked him II he did not get
enough Of that at home. Tennyson 3
wife he describes as lady who seemed
to be continually engaged in smoothing
away the friction caused by the rough
ness of her husband. William VIM
ter, in his young manhood, used to call
on Longfellow and was so shy that
he did not dare refuse the proffered
cigar. It always made him so sick that
he had to go out into the garden, but
be invariably smoked IT. Henry James
was charming talker when in the
mood and in his youth "had not ac-
quired the stutter that he picked up IN
England" Henry and Charles Fran
els Adams were always contrad!cting
each other. he says, and he remarks
that Henry probably said that Charles
had quite as good an education as was
good for him, and Charles, after read.
ing The Education Of Henry Adams,
would have said 1t was rubbish. Inc
authors own comment on 'The Edu-
cation" is that 1T is like red pepper;
it tickles the palate without giving
much nourishment and leads nowhere.
The book is so full Of interesting
things that 1t is difficult to stop quot
ing them. Enough has been quoted,
however, to let the reader know OF the
quality of the whole, and that is really
what a book notice is for.
GEORGE W. DOUGLAS.