James Russell Lowell: A Biography, Volume 1Houghton, Mifflin, 1901 - Authors, American A biography of James Russell Lowell, an American Romantic poet. |
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abolitionism abolitionists American anti-slavery appeared Atlantic beautiful Beaver Brook believe Biglow Papers bobolinks Boston Briggs Broadway Journal called Cambridge character child church contributors copy dear delight doubt edition editor Elmwood Emerson England English expression eyes father feel gave give Graham's Magazine hand heart Holmes hope humor interest James Russell Lowell Journal judgment kind later lectures letter literary literature living Longfellow look Lowell Institute Lowell wrote Lowell's magazine Maria White ment mind Miss nature never Norton once passage poem poet poetic poetry political printed prose published reform Richard Grant White Robert Carter Rome satire seems seen sent Sir Launfal slavery spirit sure thing thought tion took truth verse volume walk Watertown week WILLIAM JAMES STILLMAN wish word write written youth
Popular passages
Page 50 - Cambridge, some thirty years ago, was an event without any former parallel in our literary annals, a scene to be always treasured in the memory for its picturesqueness and its inspiration. What crowded and breathless aisles, what windows clustering with eager heads, what enthusiasm of approval, what grim silence of foregone dissent...
Page 216 - Rest unto our souls." —Rest unto our souls! — 'tis all we want, — the end of all our wishes and pursuits : give us a prospect of this, we take the wings of the morning, and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth...
Page 268 - And then referring to a recent notice of him which intimated that he was well to do, he says : " I wish I might be for a day or two. I should like such an income as Billy Lee desired, who, when some one asked his idea of a competence, replied, 'A million a minute, and your expenses paid ! ' But I am richer than he thinks for. I am the first poet who has endeavored to express the American Idea, and I shall be popular by and by.
Page 265 - The success of my experiment soon began not only to astonish me, but to make me feel the responsibility of knowing that I held in my hand a weapon instead of the mere fencing-stick I had supposed.
Page 391 - For remember that there is nothing less profitable than scholarship for the mere sake of scholarship, nor anything more wearisome in the attainment. But the moment you have a definite aim, attention is quickened, the mother of memory, and all that you acquire groups and arranges itself in an order that is lucid, because everywhere and always it is in intelligent relation to a central object of constant and growing interest.
Page 412 - PM, and rose at eight. The time occupied was longer by about four hours and thirty minutes than I am in the habit of consuming in that kind of occupation, but it was the richest time intellectually by all odds that I have ever had. Leaving myself and
Page 238 - I think that he chose another text, or delivered another sermon there ? Hath not a slaveholder hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same summer and winter as an abolitionist? If you pinch them, do they not bleed? If you tickle them, do they not laugh ? If you poison them, do they not die...
Page 263 - ) at one sitting. When I came to collect them and publish them in a volume, I conceived my parson-editor, with his pedantry and verbosity, his amiable vanity and superiority to the verses he was editing, as a fitting artistic background and foil. It gave me the chance, too, of glancing obliquely at many things which were beyond the horizon of my other characters.
Page 419 - door,' ' poor,' ' store,' ' more.' It annoyed me, but I do not find that any one else has been troubled by it, and everybody likes the poem. I am glad that the Philistines have chosen some verses of mine l for their target, not being able to comprehend the bearing of them. I mean I am glad that they did it rather than pick out those of any one else for their scapegoat. I shall not let you rest till I have got a New England pastoral out of you.
Page 261 - Very far from being a popular author under my own name, so far, indeed, as to be almost unread, I found the verses of my pseudonym copied everywhere: I saw them pinned up in workshops ; I heard them quoted and their authorship debated...