Chapter I: Front Matter

FOUR AMERICAN POETS

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

A BOOK FOR YOUNG AMERICANS

BY
SHERWIN CODY
Author of “The Art of Short Story Writing,” “Story Composition,”
“In the Heart of the Hills,” etc.

WERNER SCHOOL BOOK COMPANY
NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON

THE FOUR GREAT AMERICANS SERIES

Biographical Stories of Great Americans for Young Americans

EDITED BY JAMES BALDWIN, Ph.D.

In these biographical stories the lives of great Americans are presented in such a manner as to hold the attention of the youngest reader. In these lives the child finds the most inspiring examples of good citizenship and true patriotism.

VOLUMES NOW READY:

I. FOUR GREAT AMERICANS

GEORGE WASHINGTON, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
DANIEL WEBSTER, ABRAHAM LINCOLN

BY JAMES BALDWIN, PH D.

Cloth, 246 pages, Price, 50 cents

II. FOUR AMERICAN PATRIOTS

PATRICK HENRY, ALEXANDER HAMILTON
ANDREW JACKSON, U. S. GRANT

BY ALMA HOLMAN BURTON
Author of “The Story of Our Country,” etc.

Cloth, 254 pages, Price, 50 cents

III. FOUR AMERICAN NAVAL HEROES

PAUL JONES, OLIVER H. PERRY
ADMIRAL FARRAGUT, ADMIRAL DEWEY

BY MABEL BORTON BEEBE

Cloth, 254 pages, Price, 50 cents

IV. FOUR AMERICAN POETS

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT, HENRY WADSWORTH
LONGFELLOW, JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

BY SHERWIN CODY

Cloth, 254 pages, Price, 50 cents

OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION

COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY WERNER SCHOOL BOOK COMPANY.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

THE STORY OF WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT

I. THE LOVE OF NATURE 9

II. BRYANT’S CHILDHOOD 14

III. WHAT THE BOYS DID WHEN BRYANT WAS YOUNG 19

IV. THE YOUNG POET 23

V. THANATOPSIS 28

VI. BRYANT BECOMES A LAWYER 33

VII. A LITERARY ADVENTURER 37

VIII. THE EDITOR OF A GREAT NEWSPAPER 40

IX. HOW BRYANT BECAME RICH 46

X. BRYANT AS AN ORATOR AND PROSE WRITER 49

XI. OTHER EVENTS IN BRYANT’S LIFE 54

XII. HONORS TO THE GREAT POET 61

XIII. LEARNING TO LOVE A POET 65

THE STORY OF HENRY W. LONGFELLOW

I. A GREAT POET 71

II. LONGFELLOW’S ANCESTORS 73

III. LONGFELLOW’S BOYHOOD 76

IV. SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIMES WHEN LONGFELLOW WAS YOUNG 82

V. COLLEGE DAYS 86

VI. THE YOUNG PROFESSOR 91

VII. THE “BEING BEAUTEOUS” 95

VIII. THE CRAIGIE HOUSE 98

IX. THE FIVE OF CLUBS 103

X. LONGFELLOW BECOMES A FAMOUS POET 106

XI. HOW SOME OF THE GREAT POEMS WERE WRITTEN 111

XII. THE POET’S SECOND MARRIAGE 117

XIII. EVANGELINE, HIAWATHA, AND THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 122

XIV. THE GOOD OLD MAN 128

THE STORY OF JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

I. THE QUAKER OF THE OLDEN TIME 133

II. A FARMER’S BOY 138

III. WHITTIER’S FAMILY 144

IV. STORIES OF THE POET’S CHILDHOOD 148

V. SCHOOL DAYS 151

VI. HAVERHILL ACADEMY 157

VII. THE FRIENDSHIP OF GOOD WOMEN 161

VIII. POLITICAL AMBITION 166

IX. THE GREAT QUESTION OF SLAVERY 171

X. HOW WHITTIER WAS MOBBED 175

XI. SOME OF WHITTIER’S FAMOUS POEMS 182

XII. THE END OF A SUCCESSFUL LIFE 187

THE STORY OF OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

I. THE TRUE HUMORIST 195

II. THE BIRTH OF OLIVER HOLMES 198

III. AN AMERICAN ARISTOCRAT 202

IV. CAMBRIDGE 207

V. SCHOOL LIFE 213

VI. COLLEGE LIFE 218

VII. A BUDDING POET 223

VIII. DOCTOR HOLMES 228

IX. THE AUTOCRAT 235

X. “THE FAMOUS CLASS OF ’29” 242

XI. A FEW STRAY FACTS 247

XII. THE END COMES 252

THE STORY OF WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT

BRYANT