BIGLOW PAPERS, The. Lowell's mas terpiece, 'The Biglow Papers,' one of the most delightful books ever written by an American, embodies the best humorous and satirical verse since Byron. The papers, first and second series, are made up of one prose paper and of 19 poems in a variety of metres, aggre gating about 3,800 lines, and treat topics sug gested by the Mexican and the Civil Wars. They are written in Yankee dialect, and pur port to be the spontaneous effusions of a cer tain Hosea Biglow, a rustic political philosopher and an astonishingly ready versifier, and are edited for publication by his friend and pastor, the Rev. Homer Wilbur. Though the papers vary greatly in length, subject matter and tone, they produce a remarkably uniform impres sion. The first series was inspired by Lowell's indignation over the Mexican War, while he was in the midst of his labors on the National Anti-Slavery Standard. Five numbers were printed in the Boston Courier, beginning June 1846, and the four remaining numbers were printed in the Anti-Slavery Standard, ending September 1847. All were anonymous. Lowell himself was astonished at the success of his verses, which he had regarded as mere jeux d'esprit. Hosea Biglow became a household name, and it was evident that the despised anti slavery cause had found a powerful champion. When the first series was published in book form in 1848, with the name of the author, Lowell became famous. Fourteen years later, urged by his friends and in response to a wide spread public demand, he began the second series, the 11 numbers of which were pub lished in the Atlantic Monthly between January 1862 and May 1866. These dealt with slavery, States' rights, the Civil War and national poli tics in general. Though the second series ex hibits the same moral earnestness, and though it contains the best single number of all the 'Papers' (uSunthin in the Pastoral Line," VI), it is perhaps on the whole not quite so sponta neous and convincing as the first.
Apart from their humor, wit, wisdom and metrical facility,
Wilbur embodies the cautious element of the New England character, with something of °the harmless vanity and amiable pedantry of a certain type of New England Clergyman.° His elaborate introductions and notes, for all their pedantry and verbosity, are no less delight ful in their way, and often no less trenchant, than the winged words of the versifier. Though inconsistently portrayed, he is not unworthy the companionship of the immortal Adams and Primrose.
Lowell's justification for his use of dialect in 'The Biglow Papers' by the plea that he needed a speech more racy than °literary* language, was unnecessary; for the dialect adds meaning and point to his satire; it is redolent of the soil; it helps to express both Hosea and his race. Though Lowell follows °Sam Slick' and other satirists in his use of the New Eng land rustic who discusses politics in dialect, he so far surpasses his predecessors that he actually now seems the first to have given to literature the Yankee dialect and the Yankee rustic Again, 'The Biglow Papers' reveal Lowell himself, a great personality, fun-loving and fun-making, witty, wise, fearless and patriotic; and also his race, for he is here the spokesman for New England. With such qualities, the 'Papers) have as a whole lost little with the years. Their relation to their times is plain enough to the reader with any knowledge of American history; while their satire on peren nial political follies and human foibles and their essential poetry and humanity, are as fresh as ever. From the first series, however, the reader is apt to prefer Hosea's views on °recrutin* (I), °B. Sawin's first letter" (II), °What Mr. Robinson Thinks," with its facile refrain, worthy of Gilbert at his best (III), and °The Pious Editor's Creed° (VI) ; and from the second series, °The Courtin,' prefixed to the series and independent of it; °Jonathan to John" (contained in II); that most delightful of New England pastorals, °Sunthin in the Pastoral Line" (VI), in which sentiment and imagination have free play, with little regard to satire or the general purpose of the series; and the poignant verses on the price that we pay for liberty and peace (X), The best edition of 'The Biglow Papers' is that contained in the Cambridge edition of Lowell's complete poetical works, edited by H. E. Scudder.