Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-02-06
Literary Items.

says that his conscious inferiority will not al
low him to place his name on the same page
with our great dramatist 1t is to be publish
ed by NJ Pagnerre and Messrs. Lacroix &
Gle. they give him $4,000 cash for the
copyright of the first edition. He has with
drawn Les Chansons des Rues ct des Bots u
from the printers; it will not appear before
next year.
DICKENS PERSONAL APPEARANCE.-AL London
letter in regard to the funeral of THAcEERAY
has the following:
Charles Dickens was, of course, the OBJ
served of all observers, and he bore public
curiosity well, with those dark, handsome,
vivacious eyes of his, deeply lined face, mo-
bility of feature, and scanty, grayish beard,
worn in the French fashion, with the cheeks
shaven, his thin, curling hair, rather large
ears, and neutrality-suspicious. head.
NAPoLEoN's "LIFE OF CEsAR."-It is semi
officially announced from Paris that two vol
umes of this work are ready, but will not
Immediately appear since his majesty is going
to revise them, for the sixth or seventh time,
from documents furnished by learned cap
tain OF the Genie corps.
About THAcKERAY.-Mr. TON TAYLOR, in a
letter to the Manchester G,UTiia,, giving an
account of THAcKERAY's Journal, says:
Looking back over the experience of a long
and intimate acquaimtanceship with the dead,
find that all has disappeared but the impress
sion of one of the sweetest and kindliest
hearts, one of the robGstest, subtlestintelects
al, 1
cate ! believe this to be the impression oil
all who knew Thackeray well, and could Judge
him on fair data, and of none more than some
he had been at feud with, on causes due of
ten TO their own inconsideratenesS or want
of feeling, not unirequently to his own touch
mess in little matters, or his excessive sus-
ceptibility to opinion. Thinking of the in
ference which has often been drawn from
Thackerays writings that he was a man who
took cynical pleasure in laying bare baseness OF
littleness, in showing responsibility how much
it may have in common with the blackguard
ism it shrinks from-not because he loved re.
spectability less, but because he loved black.
guardism more-in revealing selfshness un-
der all sorts of masks, | am astonished how
the notion ever took root. Such differences
were contradicted by everything his friends
saw in Thackeray's life and manners. Nc
man delighted more to hear of good, gencr
Gus or unselfish actions, or was heartier OF
louder in his recognition of them. Better
still, no life was ever made up of such actions
But his subtle ken pierced through the null.
tiform DISCUSSES of selfishness and meanness
and his truthful nature compelled him to bare
what he found underneath. His hatred foI
pretensiOn and Pharisaism cOncurred with
his large charity in leading him to point out
how the web of all lives is shot with lights
and darks. But there was never any con
founding of black and white, still less any
sinister sympathy with evil thoughts, words
or doubts, or any preaching of the doctrine
either of despair or evil-worship. Perhaps
there never was a man who was more freely
resorted to by the needy and the helpless OF
his literary confraternity; and certainly there
was no man who ever recognized more fully
the claims of such brotherhood. All who
knew him must remember almost comical
cases of the straits he was often put to find
word and pay for unfortunate Haeute7Ws who
had socght his aid; how he groaned, and
sweated, and protested, but always paid and
comforted. | can hardly command myself
yet to write Of Thackeray's sweet and amiable
Manners rs companion, guest, or host of
the playfulness of his wit, the charm of his
manner, the gentleness of his voice, the
sweetness of his smile. There was much of
the child about him at such times, as there
was always something childlike in his calm,
candid face and soft, bright eyes. "Noman,
SAYS the Times writer of his obituary notice,
I" was more cordially hated or more warmly
beloved" | do not believe anybody cordially
hated Thackeray, though many disliked his
writings-all the snobs of course, aud many
good and amiable women who could not toler-
ate either his raillery, his irony, or his ina
bility to see geese as swans. | believe that
every one with any susceptibility to the good
in character who ever came into personal con
tact with Thackeray loved him. 1t was i'm
possible not to regret, sometimes, that he
should be so susceptible to the chafe Of small
annoyances from small men, but many great
men have shared this weakness with him.
But the essential nobleness and sweetness of
nature was so palpable and pleasant in the
whole way of his life, that these and other
weaknesses soon disappeared in their light. L
have no doubt that his abandonment Of the
editorship of the Co1nhW Magazine was far
more due to the pain it cost him to destroy
hopes, and shut the door against earnest,
often painful, effort, than to any less credita-
bic considerations. Indeed, he made so great
pecuniary sacrifice in throwing up the helm
of the CoYTtW that we can hardly believe he
did so from any cause that did not lie very
deep indeed in the nature of the man. Know
ing him well, and having heard him discuss
the position and duties of an editor, | am
convinced he renowned it not because of Ia
illness, but of sOft-heartedness. For there
was great deal of the woman, as well as of
the child, in the composition of the man whom
some of his critics delighted to paint as
cynic, a sneerer, and an unbeliever in all
goodness and generosity.
A writer in the American Literary Gazette
says
Thackeray, like Dickens, possessed the fac
ulty, not very common among Englishmen, of
making an excellent speech at the briefest
notice. When he lectured there was de-
gree of DaawdiSe honte in his manner, but
when he delivered an extempore speech in
public his manner and matter were alike e1-
cellent. His voice, which seemed muffled at
the lecture desk, pealed out with deep and
emphatic expression when he spoke the I'M
premeditated speech. His addresses at the
annual dinners of the Royal Academy and the
Literary Fund in London were admirable in
delivery as in language.
In stature he was about the ordinary height,
and his large head, well covered with hoary
locks was placed upon a neck massive as that
of O'Connell himself He would have been
handsome man but for an accident which
broke the upper portion of his nose His
burly and occasionally rough appearance was
that rather of hanC than head-worker.
EXPANDING THE LUxGs.-Sten out into the
purest air you can find stand perfectly erect,
with the head and shoulders back, and then
fixing the lips as though you were going to