Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1893 — They Knew a Poet. [ARTICLE]

They Knew a Poet.

"Fifty years ago the general atmosphere of undergrjßuato life at Harvard Colloge was literary,” says Dr. Edward Everett Hale. ‘'Very much more so than it is now," he adds, when “athletics is more talked of among the young follows than any other ono subject. “In my day literature and matters connected with bellos-lettrcß were decidedly ahead of all other things that engaged us. In lectures, in societies, in discussions, literary subjects took a very largo place. “Wo were enthusiasts about Byron; Moore’s 1 Life of Byron’ was a familiar book to ovorybody. Tho poems of Coleridge, Shelley, and Koats had, just been ropublished here in one great volume, and we were quite familiar with them. “While we were in colloge Mr. Emerson returned from Europo with the first volumo of Tennyson. We recognized tho king at once. Wo passed that volume, which Lowell hud borrowed from him, from hand to hand, and because wo could not have the book, we copied it, and had the versos in manuscript. “It was a very fine instance, it seems to me, of tho prompt prescience of young people in knowing where tho light was to broak forth. “By the same token, I always like to say that we knew just as well that James Lowoll was to Iks one of tho living poets of his time as wo know now that he has been one"