Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1882 — DEATH OF LONGFELLOW. [ARTICLE]

DEATH OF LONGFELLOW.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the distinguished poet and litterateur, died at his residence in Cambridge, Mass., after a long illness, on Friday, March 24. He had just passed his 75th birthday, having first seen the light of day on the 27th of February, 1807—Portland, Me., enjoying the honor of being his birthplace. We print herewith a brief biography of this much-lamented man of letters: Young Henry’s early education received the utmost care from his parents, and at the age of 14 years ho entered Bowdoin College, in his native State, from which he was graduated in 1825. After leaving college he entered his father’s law office, but the law was so ancongenial to his tastes that after a few months of study he abandoned Blackstone and Kent, and commenced the study of literature. Having been tendered the professorship of modern languages at Bowdoin he went abroad to qualify himself for the duties of the obair, and spent three and a half years in Europe. He returned to the United States in 1829, and at once assumed the duties of his professorship. He remained at Bowdoin until 1835, when he accepted the professorship of modern languages and belles lettres at Harvard. Again he went abroad, and after a year ho entered upon his duties at Harvard, in 1836. This position he held nntil 1854, when he resigned and devoted himself exclusively to his own writing and the publication of his works. He began his literary work while a student at Bowdoin, many of his early poems being published in the United Staten Gazette, and while a professor he contributed many able criticisms to the North American Review. His first collection Of poems was published in 1839. “Ballads and Other Poems” appeared in 1842, and “ Poems on Slavery ” and the “ Spanish Student * the year following. The poem that brought him the most fame, “Evangeline," appeared in 1847, ani “ Kavanagh ”in 1849. “ Hiawatha ” was published in 1855, “Miles Standish” m 1858, “ Hanging of the Crane ” in 1874, and “ Keramos ”in 1878. No American poet has been so greatly admired in Europe as Mr. Longfellow*, aud his works have been translated into most of the continental languages. He visited Europe in 1842, again in 1868, and again the next year. The honorary degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him by Cambridge University in 1868, aDd that of D. C. L. by the University of Oxford in 1869. In 1873 he was elected a member of the Bnssian Academy of Sciences, and in 1877 a member of the Spanish Academy. On the 27th of last month the 75th anniversary of his birth was widely celebrated by the various literary institutions of the United States, but his health has latterly been so broken as to render it impossible for him to attend to his own correspondence.

Wax candles instead of gas are nsed at many Fifth avenue houses on occasions of entertainments, much to the disgust of the gas companies and to the pleasure of the esthetic crowd.