Page:Fourteen sonnets and poems.djvu/15



ENRY WILMARTH HAZZEN was born in Weare, N. H., April 14, 1842. From his earliest boyhood he manifested the traits of character which distinguished him in manhood. He was thoughtful, poetic, dreamy, studious, and even then was endowed with a strong sense of justice, and sympathy with all who suffered. His early surroundings were not in harmony with his finely attuned spirit. There was no outlook for the unfolding of his rare talents, and his passion for study and the acquisition of knowledge was severely repressed. His early life, consequently, became a struggle which was prolonged to manhood.

All the while, he was encouraged by the few who recognized his genius, and by the steady progress he made towards the goal of his high ambition. He always felt that he had been severely defrauded in failing to secure a thorough classical training. But if he lost in this respect, he gained in other directions, for he utilized the few opportunities afforded him so thoroughly, that no college education could have done more for him. He acquired a power of concentration