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“ [153] shafts of song,” as Mr. Stedman has said, “were shot true and far and tipped with flame.” It is only in this respect that Whittier resembles Burns. His character was as firm, and his life as well ordered, as Longfellow's. It has, indeed, been the fashion among those who remember the famous phrase, “Great wits are sure to madness near allied,” to condemn all these poets as too respectable, too orderly. How could such steady and respectable members of society be expected to produce really great poetry? The theory upon which this question is based cannot be discussed here. Let us admit that, for better or worse, the literature of New England has been the wholesome product of a simple and healthy way of living. Longfellow and Whittier — who died Sept. 4, 1892 undeniably lacked the flexibility of mind and the buoyancy of spirit which belonged to several of their contemporaries, notably Holmes and Lowell. To Holmes, especially, with his sunny temperament and friendly voice, his ripeness of humor and nicety of phrase, our literature is greatly indebted; he is likely to stand, moreover, as one of the few great humorists of the world.
Boston, New York and Chicago. Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1903.
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