This is the ocr text of an article from the Wednesday, February 18, 1885 issue of the Rockford Gazette titled "The Opening Lecture".
THE OPENING LECTURE.
Frol'. Ilti/zcn Atfdrcttgeg a Large Audience iu Hie Unity Course 011 Ileury W. Longfellow.
It was intended to have held the first lecture iu the Unity oourse in Christian Union parlors one week ago Inst night, but owing to tho snow blockade on the railroads the leoturer was unable to reach this city from Mt, Carroll, and the leoture was postponed until last night, There are to be several leotures in the course, wliioh have been arranged by the Unity club oonnectod with tho Christian Union sooiety, aud a very interesting number of evening talks are down on the program whioh has been arranged, Prof, Hazzen, tho lecturer of last evening, is connected with the Mt. Carroll Femule Seminary, and has been for tho past fifteen years, Ho is a bright and entertaining spenker, Mr, Hazzen devoted the early part of liis discourse to a dissertation on literature, its necessity to all nations and its value, Ho eulogized the greatness of America, and asserted that we have a literature here, which, in its distinctive character, capability and completeness surpasses any other that had ever been produced, as muoh as the nation under whose inspiration it waB engendered, surpasses in power and grandeur all others that have gone before it, or that exist contemporaneous with it,
Amerioa has produced six groat writers oaoh unique, distinot, and special in himself, Six prophets of God wore present at the dedication of the great temple of American civilization, viz: Bryunt, Long" fellow, Whittier, Holmes, Lowell, and Emerson, Classified, they may be referred to as follows: By rant, the poet of nations; Longfellow, tho poet of sympa* thy; Whittier, the poet of the inner light; Holmes tho poet of humor; Lowell, the poet of oriticism; Emerson, the poet ot universality; and all unswerving fervent poets of patriotism. ,
Mr, Hazzen indulged in a few reflections regarding genius in poetry, the li<jht in which poetry is viewed by different nations and different people, and the oflioe of poetry, and then proceeded with a bio-graphioal sketch of the great poet Longfellow, The second great song maker of Amerioa, without ostentation or parade of | any kind in his writings, Longfellow was ono of the ripest and best scholars of his age. With his domestic life was mingled groat grief. His first wife died a year after marriage, and his second wife met her demise in a very tragic manner, being severely burned by her olothing oatohing fire from the open grate, But Longfellow's. sorrows did not embitter hie writings, but rather had an opposite effect, Longfellow was born at Portland, Maine, Feb, 27,1807. His father was the Hon. Stephen Longfellow, a well known lawyer of that city. The place of his birth was surrounded by varied and pleasing scenery, affording ample objeots to stimulate a naturally poetio temperament and to develop the poetio spirit. He received a college eduoation, graduated at tho age of nineteen, and entered his father’s' law office, but Blaokstonic pur* suits had no attractions for him, He was appointed professor of modern languages at Bowdeon, went abroad|for three years, discharged the duties of Professor for five years, was transferred to Harvard, passed two more years on the continent, and then hold the position at Harvard for seventeen oonsooative years, when he resigned, and then devoted himself exclusively to leterature.
Tho latter part of the leoture was devoted to a discussion of Longfellow's prominent poems and quotations from tho same, and a oloso and aoourate analysis of the groat poetks methods of work.