The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-09-25

A Visit to Mr.. Fitx-Hreen Hal
leck.
Joel Benton writes in the New York Lead
cr as follows:
"The readers of Halleck's poems NAV not
all know that he is passing the evening Of hIs
days serenely at his old home in the beautiful
seaside town Of Guiliford, about sixteen miles
east Of New Haven. He has had q residence
for seventeen years in the hospitabe, old
fashioned mansion at the southwest corner of
the green; but this building was changed in
the spring to a hotel, and he resides now in a
plain white cottage, about twenty rods direct
ly west of the old locality.
sMr. Halleck is seventy three years of age,
but he met me at the door with smiling face
and spnghtIy elastic step, which awakened
my earliest recollection of him, and led me to
1862, and remarking how little he had chang
ed he replied playfu1ly: 20, yes; but you see
| have whitewaxhed my beard, so that should
not be taken for twenty FIVE and be drafted.
Speaking Of the war, seriously, he said that
he thought it had cured the South of two
things-'the crime of slavery and the folly of
State sovereignty Now that this ngly ques
ton of slavery is disposed Of and settled in
the only way it could have been, the futnre
which opens before the country is glorious.
He thought the ridculousness of Stste sover-
eighty was never better exhibited than when
South Carolina, puffed by her own Importance
and boastlng her ability to control the world
by cotton broke loose from the historic Union
and Immediately sunk her identity in a con-
federaey which was at the mercy ofa Missis-
sippi autocrat.
Although Mr.. Halleck has given his whole
sympathy to the North in the current struggle
with rebellion, he has never mingled in poll:
tics, never voted for President, and, indeed.
never voted but twice in his life, land then
only through considerations of Friendship for
local candidates. The reason for this some
what unusual course may be found parity in
the fact that his temperament and profession
led him early in life to shun political associa-
tons, and partly because his theory of prac-
teal government, which believe he does not
conceal, is better met by form wherein the
monarchical and aristocratic elements have
more emphasis, and in which individual in.
huenee is not so completely absorbed and null
liied by purity. Mr.. Halleck knew lMr. Cal
houn well, and thought he was q mdn of very
little breadth Of mind, and moderate ability,
beyond the peculiar topics which political
leadership led him to discuss. Mr. Efdell, of
Trent notoriety, he knew when he was a tai
low and soap professor in New York.
"Our poet likes Schillef. but has
little love OF Goethe verse. end morally
speaking, thinks Goethe's faust The worst
book he ever read. Aarlowe's Faust is bet
ter. if you want the story. lie doea not care
especially for the German poets, but INLAND
would probably please him.
'Of American poets he likes his friend
Bryant. fand Longfellow-and Whittier is
among the very best. The noontide of Amer.
ican admiration which is now drifting towards :
the young English Arnold, will he likely TO
pass Halleck by, for he admires neither Mat
thew Arnold nor his father. But it is the
prose Of the latter now which attracts attention
Holmes humor he il delighted With His
poems are good, but he should not write so
many.
son the translations of Homer he had some
thing TO say. He used to like Cowr er's. but
Pope's is the only one than an English reader
can go through with delight. Lotd Derby
has rendered his well. but he has, unfortu.
nately, left the poetry out | remarked that
Pope knew little or nothing Of Gr&ek- But
he replied that Pope himself was a boet. and
If he was not always literal, or oitdn so, he
had made his work attractive VIII sther the
original is taken into account or nod
Il read him poem or two from my coat
pOchSt one Oh WHICH WAS DF the auIlOr OF
Studies. The other treated of the poet S in.
piration-whereupo he told a story Lady
Morgan once called upon the music compo.
ser, Rossini, al Paris. The servant said tha.
no one at that hour could be permitted to enter.
But YOU must let me in. said the Lady Nor
gan: Il will take the risk'-and in she went.
Rossin was too busy at first to look up. He
was seated at the piano, with his coat off. in
deep study. After short interval he turned
round and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Oh says Lady Morgan. i have found you
in moment of inspiration. you have-but
this inspiration is laundering hard work The
coarseness of the phrase may be excused since
the musician could speak scarcely speak Eng
lish. The comment was apropos to the poem.
"Mr Halleck lives in his usual plain, I'M
pretentious style. He is full of anecdote and
pleasantly. His table has but few books on
it. and among them | found 4Eschylus and
Spenser. His own young America,' the la
test child of his Zen, for which Mr.. Bonner
paid FIVE hundred dollars, lay folded under q
book lust as it was cut from the Ledger r.
A MODEL WIrE.-She is all in all, gentle
as a ring dove, yet high-soaring as a falcon:
humble below her deserving, yet deserving
beyond the estimate of panegyricl an exact
economist in all superfnity, yet q most boun-
tifnl dispenser in all Eberality; the chief reg
ulator in her household, the fairest pillar in
her hall and the sweetest flower Of her bower
having in all opposite proposngs seuse to
nnd nd md nr,f 10 80.