Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived in this house, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, adjacent to Harvard College, for fifty years. Previously, in 1775-1776, it had served as the headquarters for General George Washington.
(Wikimedia Commons; click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dear friends:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another year is coming to a close, and it\u2019s closing upon a world racked with violence, fear, and evil. \u00a0But, as always, it closes with the boundless promise and the remarkable grounds for optimism represented by Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow\u2019s words come to mind, written in the darkest days of the American Civil War. \u00a0Not long before, as the result of a tragic fire that had grievously injured him too, he\u2019d become a widower for the second time. \u00a0And just days earlier, he\u2019d heard that his son had been seriously wounded at the Battle of New Hope Church in Virginia. \u00a0The original words of \u201cChristmas Bells\u201d read slightly differently from the lyrics with which many of us are familiar:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heard the bells on Christmas Day<\/p>\n
Their old, familiar carols play,<\/p>\n
And wild and sweet<\/p>\n
The words repeat<\/p>\n
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And thought how, as the day had come,<\/p>\n
The belfries of all Christendom<\/p>\n
Had rolled along<\/p>\n
The unbroken song<\/p>\n
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Till ringing, singing on its way,<\/p>\n
The world revolved from night to day,<\/p>\n
A voice, a chime,<\/p>\n
A chant sublime<\/p>\n
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then from each black, accursed mouth<\/p>\n
The cannon thundered in the South,<\/p>\n
And with the sound<\/p>\n
The carols drowned<\/p>\n
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was as if an earthquake rent<\/p>\n
The hearth-stones of a continent,<\/p>\n
And made forlorn<\/p>\n
The households born<\/p>\n
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And in despair I bowed my head;<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no peace on earth,\u201d I said;<\/p>\n
\u201cFor hate is strong,<\/p>\n
And mocks the song<\/p>\n
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:<\/p>\n
\u201cGod is not dead, nor doth He sleep;<\/p>\n
The Wrong shall fail,<\/p>\n
The Right prevail,<\/p>\n
With peace on earth, good-will to men.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u00a0join in that confidence. \u00a0In the end, through the coming of Christ, \u201call is well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u00a0want to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy, and successful 2016.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Posted from Richmond, Virginia<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 Dear friends: \u00a0 Another year is coming to a close, and it\u2019s closing upon a world racked with violence, fear, and evil. \u00a0But, as always, it closes with the boundless promise and the remarkable grounds for optimism represented by Christmas. \u00a0 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow\u2019s words come to mind, written in the darkest days […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>