Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-04-30
awthorne OH Leigh Hunt-A Personal
"Reminiscences

awthorne OH Leigh Hunt-A Personal
"Reminiscences.
In the May number of the Atlantic
Monthly, Mr.. HAWTHORNE concludes his
article called Cup the Thames" with the
following sketch of his first interview
with LEIGH HUNT:
"He was then at Bammersmith, occu-
plying very plain and shabby little house,
IN a contiguous range of others like it,
with nc prospect but that of an ugly viii
lage street, and certainly nothing to crafty
his craving for tasteful environment, in
side or out. A slatternly maid servant
opened the door for us, and he himself
stood in the entry, a beautiful and venera-
BILE old man, buttoned to the chin in
black dress coat, tall and slender, with q
countenance quietly alive all over, and the
gentlest and most naturally courteous
manner. He ushered Us into his little
study or parlor, or both-a very forlorn
room, with poor paper hangings and car
pet, few books, no pictures that l remem
Der, and an awful lack of upholstery. |
touch distinctly upon these external blem.
ishes and this nudity of adornment, not
that they wonld be worth mentioning in
q sketch of other remarkable persons, but
because Leigh Hunt was born with such
a faculty of enjoying all beautiful things
that it seemed as il fortune did him as
much wrong in not supplying them as in
Withholding sutticlency OF vital breath
from ordinary men. Ali kinds of mild
magnitcence. tempered by his taste, would
have become him well but he had not
the grim dignity that assumes nakedness
as the better robe.
{" have said that he was g beautiful old
man. In truth, | never saw finer coun-
tenance, either as to the mould of features
or the expression, nor any that showed
the play OF feeling so perfectly without
the slightest theatrical emphasis 1t was
like child's face in this respect. At nv
first glimpse of him, when he met US in
the entry, discerned that ne was old, his
long hair being white and his wrinkles
many; it was an aged visage, in short.
such as | had not at all expected to see, 10
spite of dates, because his books talk to
the reader with the tender vivaclty OF
youth. But when he began to speak, and
as he grew more earnest in conversation,
l ceased to be sensible Of his age; some
times, indeed, its dusky shadow darkened
through the CLEAN which his sprightly
thoughts ditfused about his face, but then
another flash of youth came out of his
eyes and made an illumination again. |
never witnessed such a wonderfully illu-
sive transformation, before or since; and,
to this day, trusting only to my recollec.
ton should find it difficult to decide
which was the genuine or stable predica.
ment-youth or age. | have met no Eng
llshman whose manners seemed to me so
agreeable, soft, rather than polished,
wholly unconventional, the natural growth
of kindly and sensitive disposition, with
out any reference to rule, or else obedient
to some rule so subtitle that the incest OBJ
server could not detect the application of
1t.
'His eyes were dark and very fine, and
his delightful voice accompanied their
visible language like music. He appeared
to be exceeding y apprecative Of whatever
was passing among those who surrounded
him, and especially OF the vicissitudes in
the consciousness of the person to whom
he happened to be addressing himself at
the moment. | felt that no effect upon
my mind of what he uttered, no emotion.
however transjtory, in myself, escaped his
notice, though not from any positive vigi-
lance on his part, but because his faculty
OF observation was so penetrative and
delicate; and to say the truth, it little
confused me to discern always ripple on
his mobile face, responsive TO any slight
est breeze that passed over the inner res
ervolr OF my sentiments and seemed
thence 70 extend to a similar reservoir
within himself. On matters of feeling,
and within certain depth, you might
spare yourself the trouble of utterance,
because he already knew what you wanted
to say, and perhaps little more than You
would have spoken. His figure was full
of gentle movement, though, somehow,
without disturbing its quletude; and as
he talked, he kept folding his hands ner-
vously, and betokened in many ways a fine
and immediate sensibihty, qneek to feel
pleasure or pain, though scarcely capable,
L should Imagine, OF a passionate expert
ence IN either direction. There was not
an English trait IN him from head 10 foot,
morally, intellectually or physically. Beet,
ale or stout, brandy or port wiue, entered
not at all into bis composition. In his
earlier lie he appears to have given evil
dences OF courage and sturdy principle,
and of tendency to fling himself into the
rough struggle of humanity on the liberal
side. 1t would be t. Ag too much upon
myself to affirm that this was merely a
projection of his fancy world into the
actual, and that he never. could lave hit
downright blow, and was altogether an
unsuitable person to receive one. | beheld
him not In his armor, but in his peaceful
lest robes. Nevertheless, drawing my
conclusion merely from what l saw, it
would have occurred to me that his main
deficiency was lack of grit. Though
ANYTHING but timid man, the comtative
and defensive elements were not promi-
nently developed in his character, and
could have been made available only when
he put an unnatural force upon his in
stincts. 1t was on this account, and also
because of the fneness of his nature gen.
erally, that the English appreciated him
no better, and left. this sweet and delicate
poet Door, and with scanty laurels in his
declining age.
alt was not, think, from his American
blood that Leigh Hunt derived either his
amiability or his peaceful inclinatlons at
least, do not see how we can reasonably
claim the former quality as national
characteristic, though the latter might
have been fairly inherited from his ances.
tors on the mothers side, who were Penn
sylvania Quakers. But the kind OF ex-
cellence that distinguished him - his
fneness, subtilty and grace-was that
which the richest cultivation has hereto