"Hall of Fame," upon the banks of the Hudson, would
appeal more strongly than Westminster Abbey; and it is probable that the
interest inspired by that enterprise was partly due, at the outset, to
the acceptance of Longfellow in England's greatest shrine. It may be
fairly said, however, on reflection, that there is no absolute
inconsistency between these two opinions. No one, surely, but must
recognize the dignity of the proceeding when an American writer, born
and bred, is, as it were, invited after death to stand as a permanent
representative of his race in the storied abbey. On the other hand, it
may easily be conceded that the dignitaries of Westminster are not, of
themselves, necessarily so well versed in American claims as to make
their verdict infallible or even approximate. The true solution would
appear to be that in monuments, as in all other forms of recognition,
each nation should have its own right of selection, and that it should
be recognized as a gratifying circumstance when these independent
judgments happen to coincide. The following is the best London report of
the services on this occasion:--

"On Saturday, March 2, 1884, at midday, the ceremony of unveiling a bust
of Longfellow took place in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey. It is the
work of Mr. Thomas Brock, A. R. A., and was executed by desire of some
five hundred admirers of the American poet. It stands on a bracket near
the tomb of Chaucer, and between the memorials to Cowley and Dryden.
Before the ceremony took place, a meeting of the subscribers was held in
the Jerusalem Chamber. In the absence of Dean Bradley, owing to a death
in his family, the Sub-Dean, Canon Prothero, was called to the chair.

"Mr. Bennoch having formally announced the order of proceeding, Dr.
Bennett made a brief statement, and called upon Earl Granville to ask
the Dean's acceptance of the bust.

"Earl Granville then said: 'Mr. Sub-Dean, Ladies and Gentlemen, ... I am
afraid I cannot fulfil the promise made for me of making a speech on
this occasion. Not that there are wanting materials for a speech; there
are materials of the richest description. There are, first of all, the
high character, the refinement, and the personal charm of the late
illustrious poet,--if I may say so in the presence of those so near and
so dear to him. There are also the characteristics of those works which
have secured for him not a greater popularity in the United States
themselves than in th