_From Lincoln Centenary Ode_
Tall, ungainly, gaunt of limb,
Rudely Nature molded him.
Awkward form and homely face,
Owing naught to outward grace;
Yet, behind the rugged mien
Were a mind and soul serene,
And in deep-set eyes there shone
Genius that was all his own.
Humor quaint with pathos blent
To his speech attraction lent;
Telling phrase and homely quip
Falling lightly from his lip.
Eloquent of tongue, and clear,
Logical, devoid of fear,
Making plain whate'er was dense
By the light of common sense.
Tender as the bravest be,
Pitiful in high degree,
Wrathful only where offence
Led to grievous consequence;
Hating sham and empty show;
Chivalrous to beaten foe;
Ever patient in his ways;
Cheerful in the darkest days;
Not a demi-god or saint
Such as fancy loves to paint,
But a truly human man
Built on the heroic plan.
[Illustration: EMANCIPATION GROUP]
Moses Kimball, a citizen of Boston, presented to the city a duplicate
of the Freedman's Memorial Statue erected in Lincoln Park, Washington,
D. C., after a design by Thomas Ball. The group, which stands in Park
Square, represents the figure of a slave from whose limbs the broken
fetters have fallen, kneeling in gratitude at the feet of Lincoln. The
verses which follow were written for the unveiling of the statue,
December 9, 1879.
John Greenleaf Whittier, born December 17, 1807, in Haverhill,
Massachusetts. He lived on a farm until he reached the age of
eighteen, working a little at shoemaking and also writing poetry for
the _Haverhill Gazette_. Later he became editor of a number of papers,
and his poems in after life were full of patriotism and the love of
human freedom, all of which attained a strong hold on the hearts of
the people. He would have prevented war, if possible, with honor, but
when war came he wrote in support of the Union cause, displaying no
bitterness, and when the conflict was over he was most liberal and
conciliatory. He was one of the most popular of poets. He died
September 7, 1892.