Chapter John Greenleaf Whittier of Index by Simonds History of American Literature

these momentous years. When we compare Whittier's Voices of Freedom (1846) with Longfellow's Poems on Slavery (1842), we feel at once the difference in the spirit of the two men in this matter. Longfellow's verses are "literary"; Whittier's are the vehement utterances of emotion and conviction.

"They were written," said the poet, "with no expectation that they would survive the occasions which called them forth: they were protests, alarm signals, trumpet-calls to action, words wrung from the writer's heart, forged at white heat, and of course lacking the finish and careful word-selection which reflection and patient brooding over them might have given. Such as they are, they belong to the history of the Anti-Slavery movement, and may serve as way-marks of its progress."¹

It is interesting to see how loyal Whittier remained to the ideals and inspirations of this period, the distinctive epoch in his life. "The simple fact is," he wrote to E.L. Godkin, "that I cannot be sufficiently grateful to the Divine Providence that so early called my attention to the great interests of humanity, saving me from the poor ambitions and miserable jealousies of a selfish pursuit of literary reputation."² The poet himself never regretted the fact that this alliance had placed these limitations upon his verse; he rather saw in it the real inspiration of his life, the true birth of poetical power. "My lad, if thee would win success, join thyself to some unpopular but noble cause," said he in after years to a youth who came to him for counsel.

Politics and Journalism.

In 1835, Mr. Whittier was elected as representative in the Massachusetts legislature, and at the close of the term was reëlected; but ill health prevented further service. In 1836, the homestead at East Haverhill was sold and the adjoining town of Amesbury became the poet's residence, his mother and his younger sister, Elizabeth, making his home. For a time he was again associated with one or another local newspaper; and from 1847 to 1860, he was corresponding editor of the New Era,¹ published in Washington, the mouthpiece of the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. It was in this paper that a number of Whittier's poems were first printed, including Ichabod,that most effective utterance of scorn and grief, inspired by the Seventh of March speech of Daniel Webster.

Literary Work

But meanwhile Whittier's pen had not been employed exclusively on writings for the cause. In 1836, his narrative poem Mogg Megone had been published-afterward a thorn in the poet's flesh, for to his mature taste it did not appear deserving of a permanent place in his works. He said that it reminded him of "a big Indian in his war paint, strutting about in Sir Walter Scott's plaid." In 1843, Whittier published Lays of My Home The Songs of Labor appeared in 1850; The Chapel of the Hermits, and Other Poems, in 1853; The Panorama, and other Poems, in 1856; and Home Ballads, in 1860. In these collections Whittier was taking his position as distinctively the poet of New England. Here are nature poems: Hampton Beach, Lakeside, and Summer by the Lakeside, April, and The Last Walk in Autumn; narrative poems embodying old New England legends: Cassandra Southwick, Skipper Ireson's Ride, and The Garrison of Cape Ann; idylls of the farm:Maud Muller, The Barefoot Boy; and in deeper vein, the exquisite ballad, Telling the Bees, quaintly reminiscent of the New England setting, like the rest. Here, too, we find the strongly personal poems, My Psalm, Memories, and My Playmate. While Whitter's prose works have never attracted much attention, we may note the publication during this period of the following volumes: The Stranger in Lowell (1845), a series of sketches written while the writer was editing for a brief period a newspaper in the city named; The Supernaturalism of New England (1847); Leaves from Margaret Smith's Journal (1849), an attractive study of life in the Massachusetts Bay Province, realistically presented and worthy of a wider reading; Old Portraits and Modern Sketches (1850), and Literary Recreations and Miscellanies (1854), both volumes made up of essays and studies which had appeared in the Era.

In War Time.

During the years of civil war, Whittier published two volumes, In War Time (1864) and National Lyrics (1865), which included the poems inspired by the events of this exciting period. Like the earlier songs born of the movement against slavery, these compositions lack art and finish; they were written in the