The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-08-04
MACAULAY.

had met with Macaulay before but as VOC
have not, you will Of course, ask lady's
FIRST question, How does he look 7"
Well, my dear, so far us relates to the
mere outward husk OF the soul, our engravers
and daguerreotypists have done their work
us well us they usually do. The engravinss
that you get ia the best editions Of his works
may be considered, suppose, "a fair represen-
tation OF how he looks when he sits TO have
his picture taken, which is generally differ
en from the way anybody looks Mt any other
time. People seem to forget, in taking like.
nesses, that the features Of the face are
nothing but an alphabet, and that dry,
dead map Of persons face gives no more
senlation of an alphabet shows what there
is in poem.
Macaulay's whole physique gives you the
impression ofgrea, strength and stamina OF
constitution. lie has the kind Of frame
which we usually imasinc as peculiarly En-
gli,h short, and firmly knit. There is
something hearty in all his demonstrations.
He speaks in that full, round. rolling voice,
deep from the chest, which we also conceive
as being more common in England than
America. AS to his conversational II Is just
like his writing that is to say. it shows
very strongly the same qualities Of mind.
was informed that he was famous Tor
most uncommon memory; one CT those men
to whom it seems impossible to forget q
thing once read and he has read all sorts
of things that can be thought of, in all Ian
guages. a gentleman told me that he could
repea, all the Newgate literature, hanging
ballads last speeches and dying confessions |;
while his knowledge OF Milton is 80 acute,
that if his poems were blotted out Of exis-
tence, they might be restored amply from
his memory. The same accurate knowledge
extends to The Latin and Greek classics, and
too much Of The literature ofmodern Europe.
Had nature been required to make u man.
to order, for perfect historian nothing bot
Ter could have been put together, especially
since there is enough Of the poetic fire inclu
dcd in the compassionate fuse all these mul.
tipied materials together, and color the his.
torical capitalization with them.
Macaulay is about fifty. lie has never
married, yet there are unmstakab!e eviden.
ces in the breathings and aspects of the fam.
Il1 SiCiO w WHoh bO Who otttoobuoNt s'ss
the social part is not wanting in his conior-
nation. Some very charming young lady
relatives seemed to think quite Us much Of
their gifted uncIe as you might have done
had he been yours. '..
Macaulay is celebrated as q controversial
list and like Coleridge, Carlyle and almost
every one who enjoys this reputation, he
has some times been accused Of not allowing
people their fair share in conversation. This
might prove IN objection, possibly to those
who wish to talk /; but as prefer greatly
to hear, il would none prove to me. |
must say, however, that on this OCCASION
that mater was quito equitably managed.
There were, should think, some twenty or
thirty at the breakfast table, and tho convcr-
sation formed itself into little cddies oI two
or three around the table, now and then
swelling ont into q great bay OF general dis
course. Mrs. Store.