YOUNG PEOPLE'S UNION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1866, 13 September 1895, Page 4

YOUNG PEOPLE'S UNION.

» The usual fortnightly meeting of the Congregational Young Peoples' Union washeldon Wednesday evening.the president occupying the chair. Thesubjectset aside for .the. evening was " American Authors," the programme being m charge of Miss Williams. The first paper was -read by Miss Maine on " James .. Russell Lowell." After a brief introduction, Miss Maine sketched his individual form of thought and his work against the slave trade. As , a humourist Lowell could be classed wijth the most successful ; and his earnest enthusiasm for right made him a keen critic and satirist. His verse is graceful and patriotic, and, being an earnest Christian, it has a strongmoral teaching. The essayist claims, that Lowell could be cjassed with ,the highest of , literary men, and gave appropriate readings from his works, illustrating his inspiration, satires and patriotism. After a song " The Bridge " by Miss B. Kice, Miss Avison read a paper on "Oliver Wendell Holmes." Miss Avison mentioned the coincidence that he was born m the same, year as Gladstone, Tennyson, and Darwin, and the influences this had upon him. He was by profession a doctor, and only m late years pursued his literary gifts. His humour and various styles were sketched, with interesting illustrations. " Tlie Village Blacksmith " was then rendered by Mr Orwin, after which Miss Williams read, a paper on "J\ G. Whittier," the Quaker poet. .. Miss Williams opened by remarking that we are indebted to America for a great deal of the literature we now enjoy, and regretted time would only allow a. few authors to be<mentioned. Whittier's childhood was then sketched, showing what scant education he received when young, and a piece, was read, from his fife, showing m what rural flurroundings.he was brought up. At the age of 19 his first book was published ; and after that he rose, to ,tlie front rank through his denunciation of slavery, yet withal he had a manly generosity. At heart a peaceful man, he would have liked to retire and pursue his art, but he had a duty to peform, and most of his poems were written for a purpose and not for art. Several beautiful poemß were read from his works and made the essay very interesting. A reading from Longfellow by Miss J. Priest, a vocal duet, " Excelsior," by Miss Peters and Mr Boli,and a reading from Mark Twain by Mr S. Kice completed the programme. The meeting closed jn tfte usual manner,