Whittier's Bust in the Hall of Fame

98 BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION WHITTIER'S BUST IN THE HALL OF FAME A bronze bust of John Greenleaf Whittier, the Quaker poet, has been placed in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans on the campus of New York University, and was unveiled with appropriate exercises on Fifth Month 10, 1928. (See illustration on opposite page.) This bust, by Rudulph Evans, was given to the Hall of Fame by members of the Society of Friends, and was presented on their behalf by David M. Edwards, President of Earlham College. It was unveiled by James Weldon Johnson, former United States Consul to Nicaragua and Venezuela, who today represents as editor and publicist the race for whom Whittier wrote and labored. At the unveiling, the Gloria Trumpeters played the hymn by Lowell Mason, written to Whittier's words. After several wreaths had been placed at the base of the pedestal of the bust, Henry Van Dyke spoke the eulogy on Whittier. In concluding his remarks, he said, " Whittier had three surpassing qualities as a poet. Love of his native soil and landscape and the genius to describe it; deep sympathy with plain human life and the power to tell its story in simple, moving ballads; and a vital feeling of the reality of religion and the rare gift of translating its mystery and beauty into true poems. These three qualities stayed with him through his strenuous ' Quaker ' warfare against slavery, and gave a glory to his spiritual fighting for freedom. The confused noise and conflict have rolled away, but these three qualities abide in Whittier's poetry; faith in his country, hope in God, love of humanity,—and the greatest of these is love." After Dr. Van Dyke's address, James Weldon Johnson read the fine poem of Edwin Markham, written for the occasion. This poem, and also one written by J. Russell Hayes, are reprinted in Friends' Intelligencer, 6 mo. 9, 1928, pp. 451 and 452. Robert Underwood Johnson, the Director of the Hall of Fame and a graduate of Earlham College in the class of 1871, made a few introductory remarks at the beginning of the exercises. Other busts which were unveiled at the same time were those of Louis Agassiz, zoologist; Rufus Choate, lawyer and United States Senator; John Paul Jones, naval leader; and Samuel Finley Bréese Morse, inventor of telegraphy. JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER Sculptured by Kudulph Evans in 1928 ...