The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-17
AN HOUR WITH Mr. FROUDE
INTERESTING CONVERSATION WITH
THE GREAT HISTORIAN.

Engia nd-American Merchants and
the British AristocracY-Prescott and
Motley-"Ever Is q Long Word"-Tho
American Ladies'.
On Monday a reporter called on James An
thoHy Froude, the great English historian.
sCome in" a clear, ringing 8oloe said as the
reporter knocked at the dgpr. The reporter
entered. He found himleN In one Of the
pleasantest rooms OF the Btssoert House. The
window was open, and the. flesh, braciug air
was streaming In. In an arm chair sat a man
| was smoking o delicious cigar. He rose, and
| with q bright emile took the reporters hand.
| HI was FrOude. The celebrated historian Is a
| tall, well-built man, With an:exceedincly good
natured, pleasant face, q mouth thai seems
ever to smile, fine brow1s eyes, large and
bright, and thoughtfuI-heh forehead and
graylsn whiekers, a la DGndrsary, It is an
| Froude becomes animated hIs eyes sparkle. his
large mouth Is drawn lntoA winning emile
| the whole face fairly beaniEWith good nature.
| In his dress Mr.. Froude displayed the utmost
| simplicity. He wore a sult Of gray, very much
| like q Scotch plaid. In bis manner the histo-
| rian Ia unaffected and modest
| THE GREAT HISTORIANS FrksF nPREss1oNs OF
AMERICA -.
Mr.. Froude (after havlngaana courteous tone
| Invited the reporter to be beated.) Does nv
| cigar annoy you, Sir?
Reporter. Oh, no! I don't. mind it In the
least.
Mr.. Froude. Perhaps the window annoys-
perhaps you would prefer t9'a have l. shut!
Pray, how do you like this ountry!
Mr.. Froude (speaklng Int pure. though very
broad Engllsh.) Find 1t very pleasant, I as-
sure you. Dear me. this b. The most polite,
the most civil people Ia theIVorld, 1 do declare.
I have seen nothing Ike it.l
Reporter. In what respect do you think
| Americans are, 70 polite
Mr.. Froude (his genial smile lighting up
his naturally cheerful fsce:) Dear me, every
body treats you with 60 reuch Kindness, so
much consideration. Irs actually living on a
bed of roses. HE pulled bis clgar.j
Reporter, And what do sou think OF New
York?
Mr. Froude. It's charming. What struck
me flrst-something that looked to me differ
ited-was the absence Of all dirt, Of all pow
erfy. I was 10 the poorer streets yesterday
near the riven and expected to see scenes
similar to those In many. parts of London.
But even poverty looks decent 1t seems to
me as II misery keeps up q respectable sp-
pearance before the worldja tais free country.
FRouDE's HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Reporter. How long did Il take you to write
your history OF Englandf
Mr.. Froude. l was at It twenty years. The
writing did not take me 80 much time as the
collection OF the facts. ! had to. travel over
The greater part of Europe to get all my mate
Vienna. I like 1t as we'll as any city I have
ever been In. The people are so charmingly
gracious, so polite, and Islil 10 simple, so old
fashioned. I like this old fashioned simplicity.
GREAT BRITAIN.
Reporter. Do you share the belief that EGG
land has seen It's best days?
Mr.. Froude lin bis pleasant, CHEEKY voice
No. I think 1t has as great q future before 1t
as 1t has had q great past. I cannot see that
our people now have lpsa energy, less vigor,
less enterprise, less plqcksthan they ever mad.
Look at India. / think 1t Is q remarkable
thing to see an empire Of l60, 000, 600 held In
peace by8 900 soldiers.
Reporter. And the navy ? Are the stric-
lures OF the English journals on the admins
tratlon of the navy not justified?
Mr.. Froude. Oh, dear, no I have O son
In the navy, and have taken q considerable
interest 10 the English navy. | think iT never
has been In as powerful a condition as 1t Is
now, No, you will not see q real battle OF
UorhluBi a1 ieosp INV AoS6 ~" ."
live.
|. Reporter. II is true, the English flag wave
In every corner of the globe.
MIR. Froude with bis winning smlle.) Yes.
England and America are marching Side ny
side In the van OF civilization. WHAT q ire
mendops power America will be IN lime! as
for England, I think q country loses lib
strength when Its men, when Its MANHOOD ID
Slapped. Now, In Paris what do you see !
When | was there-you have been In Paris OF
course-I saw the young officers oil the army,
lleutepsDts, captains, colonies and others dolng
nothing all day-lolllDg In the cafes and 10
the blliiard-rooms, and dangling after women.
Reporter. Are the English Gaardsmen-the
young military swells that you see IN Rotten
Row-not very much like these french OIL
GERS
Mr.. Froude, Yes, I presume they are, but
there are but few OF them. They are not The
English army. The EDglish officer has some.
thing else to do besides playing billiards and
waving his handkerchief to pretty ladies.
These young aristocrals have done some no.
Bile work In time OF war. You remember what
those five hundred or six hundred cavalrymen
did in the Crimean war !? How noble, the how
brave they were!
q ENGLISH ARfSTocRAcY.
Reporter. Are the English nobility a su-
perIor class of people?
MT. tFOuQ6s lucy Slo ~ uoItoC auu Nv
worse than anybody else. The only difference
Ia that they were bred to Incidence, aud are
yersed IL In the art Of doing nothing.
Reporter. Their incomes are generally very
Mr. Froude. Yes. but not so large as those
of many of your merchants and railroad men.
Men IKE the Duke OF Sutherland, the Marquis
of Butte, and others, enjoy nominal incomes
which are very large, from f300, 000-that Is
from 81, 600, 000-a year upward. But these In
comes are merely nominal. They are like the
Incomes Of German princes, who nave to
spend the greater part OF their revenues In the
maintenance OF their vast estates, In their
retInue. and 30 on. Deduct these necessary
expenses from the incomes of our English
dukes and marquises and you will find them
to be less than those of any of your merchant
princes. presume that none Of Them spend
In the mere iuXuries and necessarles of life
more than 500, 900 q year. There are men in
this country, / understand, who epend much
more than that.
ENGLISH MERCHANTS N AUTHoRs
Reporter. Are the INCOMES of the English
merchant princes generally as large as those
Mr.. Froude. oh, yes; their net incomes are
large. Look at Mr.. Brassey, the contractor.
He left Ell, OOO, 000-that Is nearly Gao, 600. 900.
We authors have to content. ourselves with
smaller fortunes. You will say that Dickens
made an enormous amount of money. So he
did; but, after all, Dickens left only $500 0
and his novels. l presume during his lifeline
he enIoyed an income Of from fS, 600 to $4,000.
That ia q good deal for an author, but 1t Is very