SOURCE: “Evangeline,” in North Granville Quarterly, January, 1865, pp. 208-09. Reprinted in Longfellow among His Contemporaries: A Harvest of Estimates, Insights, and Anecdotes from the Victorian Literary World and an Index, by Kenneth Walter Cameron, Transcendental Books, 1978, pp. 77-78.

In the following essay, the author gives a summary of Evangeline and examines Longfellow's love of nature as evidenced in the poem.

Longfellow ranks among the best of our American poets. Ever since his first appearance before the public, he has been slowly growing nearer and nearer the popular heart. To-day he stands as the representative of our own poets. He took this stand through no sudden brilliant outburst of genius. His truthfulness and simplicity met appreciation slowly, until now his volumes are found almost by every fire-side.

His poems display no depth of thought, no grand portraiture of character; but through every one there is that perfect harmony with...