Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-12-05
Letters from Bayard Taylor.
rr NUMBER I.
Explanatory and Retrospective.
Correspondence of the n. Y. Tribune


Explanatory and Retrospective.
Correspondents of the \. Y. Tribune.
GOTTA, Germany, Oct. %, 1856.
More than three months have elapsed
since I Isailed from New York in the Asia,
and not link has yet been forged in that
chain which is TO connect The TRIBUNE and
its readers with their rowing friend and cor
respondent. 'All beginnings are difficult"
says a German proverb, which l have found
to be true; but no less true is the antithesis: !:
sTThe first step is the only difficulty" 1
have delayed taking this first step, not from
any want of treadmill practice, but because
it was to be the beginning of a two years
race, and I determined first to take breath,
and grid up my loins for the start.
All, my friends, known and unknown, to
whom have written from Ethiopia and
Palestine and India and Japan, and who ex-
pect me to converse with you from under
the arch of the aurora borealis, and from
the isles
"wherc wild Lofodrn
Whirls to death the roaring whale"
YOU do not know how much more easy it is
for You to read difficult as that may be,
sometimes) than for me to write. Did you
ever try to catch colt which had been sta
bled all winter, when he is turned ont to
grass again? Even so irksome is it to drive
to the pen brain which has been steadily
in harness for two years and half in the
land of lectures, the empire of newspapers,
the swift, unrosisting, excitable, oYerworkcd
Republic. The spirit of Work infests our
atmosphere: we cannot escape the malady
Our souls are pitted and SCARED with it, and
there is no vaccination whereby We can avoid
it. If YOU once plunge into the stream,
YOU must strike out with the boldeSt while
breath and nerve remain. There is no such
thing as rest inside of Sandy Hook, and
felt no relaxation Of the unnatural tension,
until the Gulf Stream rolled its tropical op-
late between me and the maternal shores
Our country gives US everything, but she
exacts everything from Us in return. What if
we play truant now and then? whatif we fly
from the never-ending task, 10 dream Sum
mer day in the quiet air of Europe, or the
lazy langour of the East? We leave our
household gods to await our return, and we
pray that the urn which is to hold our ashes
may be placed beside them.
But the relief of Summer holiday in
Europel The sober, respectable reposo of
staid and starched Old England-the gay
nonchalance Of Partisan streets-the drow-
sy quiet of slow, good-humorcd, patient,
wsrm-hearted Germany-the deep, delic-
ious draughts of Aspine air, cool from the
eternal glaciers, and musical with echoes of
the cow-herds horn-the silent dream of
Venetian days, aud the sublime desolation
of the Roman Campagna-to feel all this,
and to see it anew, through three pairs of
Young American eyes, which looked on Eu-
rope for the first time, was an overpayment
for all foregone toll. gave myself up to
it with an idle satisfaction in which there
was no reproach, except when stray TRI-
BUNE fell into my hands, and 1 remembered
that two votes were lost to Fremont (miue
and my sailor's) by my absence. 1t is some
satisfaction, however, to know that the space
which my letters would have occupied, had
I written sooner, has been used to better
advantage in the momentous campaign
which now draws near its close. God grant
that tomorrow week may give to Freedom
that victory which must be hers in the end
am now taking few weeks rest in my
German home, before setting out on my
Journey to the north, and viii commence
my suspended duties with brief resume of
my Summers experiences, which you, in the
breathing time after the contest, may find
space to print. and my friends leisure to
read. l landed in Liverpool on the 21st of
July, in the midst of violent rain las usually
and under circumstances of delay and dis
comfort which strongly suggested com
parison in favor of New York. Thence, byI
familiar ways, through lovely Warwickshire
10 London, where L spent eight days. The |
season was over, and the great city was
rather dull, but was in time to witness the
last representations of Ristori and Johanna
Wagner. The former saw in Medea,
role which served better than any other,
perhaps, to contrast her with her great riy-
al, Rachel. She is much the more beauti-
ful fthe two, and has the advantage of
speaking in a more musical, passionate and
Sympathetic language. Her reading IS very
fine, but falls little short of that exquisite
artistic perfection which Rachel has attained,
With noble head, full and rounded fig |
ure, and beautiful arms, her poses and ges-
lures have not tho same antique grace
She touches more, however, if she charms
less. Medea's VOWS of revenge against the
faithless Jason were superbly deelaimed, but
you did not feel quite sure that she would
be capable of carrying them into effect
The terrible calmness of Rachel, in Rorane,
on the other hand, chills your blood.
Wagner, whom heard in Tdncredi, is an
imposing young lady of thirty-as nearly
as could guess by gas-light-with pro
fusion of fair hair, blue eyes, a long nose
and an ample mouth. She is exceedingly
selfposessed and Independent in her demea-
nor, and both looked and acted the young
knight with a great deal of spirit. Her
defamation is magnificent, and impressed
me much more than her singing. Her voice
appears to be somewhat worn, and she has
fallen rather short of the public expectation.