isa-normaladvance-1909-00134

Description:	134THE NORMAL ADVANCEEdgar Allan Poe-In certain foreign lands Edgar Allan Poehas long since come into his own, but Americans have been too busy cursing the man tohave time to see the poet. Now, however, whenPoe has been dead a good sixty years, hiscountrymen are beginning to appreciate hisworth.On Tuesday, January nineteenth, the onehundredth anniversary of the poets birth,celebrative exercises were held at the BostonAuthors Club, where Mrs. Julia Ward Howepresided—this was fitting, for Poe was born inBoston at Richmond, Virginia—here he spenthis childhood at the University of Virginia,at Charlottesville, where the poet was a student at Providence, Rhode Island—here lived,and was wooed by Poe, Mrs. Sarah HelenWhitman, also a poet in this city—Poe livedhis last years here and at Baltimore, where heleft the world that had held an overflowingcup of sadness eyer to his lips.The New York exercises were held at Ford-ham, in the northern outskirts of the city,—■and at Columbia and New York Universities.The Poe house, in Fordham, is still standing.It was to this little three-room cottage that Poebrought his child-wife, Virginia, and here theylived during the last three years of her life.Virginias mother, Mrs. Clemm, who was morethan mother unto the poet, was with themhere. And here, too, Poe, bowed down by hisagony of grief for his wife, upon whom helavished the tenderest love of his passionatenature, wrote three of his most beautiful poems—Ulalume, The Bells, and Annabel Lee.It is remarked that no more pitiful sight wasthen to be seen than this unfortunate man,going from office to office, pleading with theeditors to accept his manuscript. A bust ofPoe was unveiled in Poe Park, just opposite thecottage, and, later, the house itself was thrownopen for visitors to enter.I had the privilege of attending the memorialmeetings at New York University, and atColumbia. At the University of New York,George E. Woodberry, one of Poes ablest biographers, presided, and made an address.Chancellor Henry M. MacCracken, of the University, read a greeting from Charles W. Kent,Head of the Department of English Literaturein the University of Virginia. HamiltonWright Mabie delivered an oration on Poe atthe End of a Century. He expressed the belief that the real obstacle in the way of adequate appreciation of Poe has been, and is, alack of the sense of beauty, the undevelopedartistic feeling in the country.Edwin Markham gave a beautiful poem,written for the occasion, and later, as HenryNoble MacCracken, of Yale, read an addresson Poes Life at Fordham, Markham sat onthe platform and wept. It seemed to me thatperhaps this gray haired man, himself a poet,had an appreciation of the poets sorrows thatwe of the common crowd could not reach.Wilton Lackaye, now starring on the dramatic stage of the city, read grandly, and, likePoes Isrofel, wildly well, four of the poetspoems—Ulalume, To One in Paradise,To Helen, and The City in The Sea. Theprogram was closed with the reading of TheRaven, by Mr. David Bispham, with piano accompaniment. Those who heard him in a recital in the Artists Course, at Terre Haute,know the wonderful beauty of his work. Hedid this just as well—his interpretation wasperfect.In the evening, at Columbia, I heard ThomasNelson Page, of Virginia, and Brander Matthews, of Princeton.In life he worked for a dollar or two apage, and starved, said Mr. Page.While his works have been discussed andlauded by makers of literature in every tongue,
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34164
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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