New Britain herald., 1925-05-29
LONGFELION'S FACTS"
 BEING REVISED

prlsinE that pocucal imaginings are placed upon the inquisitorial spit and fried In the fire of public cynicism. Not even such a poet as Longfcllow has been overlooked lay poctical modernIsts seeking 10 diff ferentiate fact from fiction and truth from legend.
 The latest "rrror" credited 10 I.ongfcllow had 10 do with "Tho Wreck Of the Hcsporus," Careful perusal of old records by devastat- ing critics up Boston way elicitcd the knowledge that the schooner was never wrecked upon Norman's Woe, but was safe in Boston harbor during the entire storm. lt is ha- Iieyed that the poet liked the ru- phonious twang of "Normans Woe" and "Hespcrus' and per miltcd his imagination to run riot (which some win say has been q common failing of poets since the days of Homer or before.
 Longfclow, 1t seems we'll estah- lishcd, was a particularly crudite offender with respect 10 getting mixed in his facts. He appears 10 have been a sort of cub reporter in the realm of poetry. In the cX- hilarating story of "IIawatha,' for instance. the Indian lore has been shown 10 be completely erroneous. "The Skeleton in Armor" has been shown to have no basis in fact whatever. and the tower instead of having been built by Noraemcn. merely was an old windmill,
 Nearly everyone has become familiar with the sad omission in "Paul EcvcrC's Ride" Longtcllow gol only half the story; the other half had to do with William Dawes, who also rodn q stcod and spread the alarum throughout every Mid dIoscx village and farm. The poet , evidently took the best sounding namc of the two and let it 20 at that,
 Hut thrre was d village smtthy" somewhere and the rrstful phjloso- phv ot the "rsaIm of Life" still holds good; and the waysde inn still stands,
 T,rlaps LorgfclloN lad no ill., toanon of having lis poctical tales rocard,I as straight history" Those who made the mistake Of re- gorJing them as historic master pieces as well as poeucal chef came after him,
 We have become accustoncI however, 10 having legends, school day iJo,a'ry and juvenile concep- lions generally faU about our ears- Eyan q, orre Washington, whom inuum rable teachers pictured as being d model gentleman who
  nr>rr told lie and never uttered q naughty word, has been written and spokrn of as a man who dealt in all rnectNe line of cuss words when the occasion seemed to re- Qulre il; Iu fact, as adept at it as an editor who half an hour before gong to press discovers that half Inc available copy hasn't been set up into type. But so far as We are concerned. we cant prove the mat ter one way or the other and arc no, much concerned about it.
 Legends tend to grow up around all outstanding events and form an aureole upon the heads of c9le- bratel personalities. Succeeding gennrauons usually hear only the good, with the bad features care fully censored or oIimi0atcd, either officially by so-canod historians, or Ky poets who scribDle elusive rhymes for poSterHy. l. is sign Of .h tunes that Vi no longer want yarmsHcI history or facts; we can stand to look u'o tuc face of the murtald, rru'l without pucker- ite an syr aal Ifof'r 10 do so. In o.lur vonls. ~. aase about decided that many oc our aura'cd heroes ,,ai-, Duuf4n !. Ing, after all.