The Portland daily press., 1872-09-25
HOrrid, You Know.
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT AND RALPH
WALDO EMERSON AS NEGRO MINsTRELs,
INavv York Corrasnondenca Chioooo

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT AND RALPH
WALDO EMERSON AS NEGRO MINsTREIs,
New York Correspondence Chicago Tribune1
The fluctuations of fortune in this country,
are SO sudden, and men SO frequently change
their ayocations, that it is not strange for
eigners can be made dupes in regard to the
antecedents and occupations of our public
men. -HHr
An Englishman, quite well informed for an
Englishman in regard to America, arrived
here recently, and was much astonished at
the peculiar things he saw and heard. Final
ly, he was prepared to credit anything, and
strolling through Barclay street the other
morning observed over small shop the sign:
SWIM. C. BRYANT, TAILOR"
81 say, now'' he remarked to his COM
panion-a Journalistic wag of some note-"Jo
you see that sign there? It's the same as
your favorite poet, the author of "Thanatop-
sis 1t isn't the same family, dare say,
now?"
''Not only the same family" was the reply,
"but the same man."
SIS it, indeed? Well, that is very strange
/ thought Mr.. Bryant was a wealthy journal
ist, the publisher of one of the great newspa-
pers here" 0T
''He was" answered the joker, q few
years ago. Then he owned the greater part
ofthe Eoening Post, but he went up to Sa-
ratoga one summer, got to drinking cham
pagne and betting on faro till he became
bankrupt, and was for sometime dependent
on the charity of his friends"
''Really, that is very extraordinary, nowl
think l remember something of your Mr.
Bryant's singular career Let me see. After
he lost his fortune, didn't he go into the ne
gro minstrel business? Seems to me that |
have heard of Bryant's minstrels. Develish
queer that great poet should black his face
and play tamborine, now, isn't it ?''
''Oh, no!-not queer here nothing is queer
in this country. Bryant made great deal of
money with his minstrels by dancing the
Camptown hornpipe every night to crowded
houses"
"How did he happen to be tailor then?"
''He tried to mon0polize the peanut market
by getting up corner in the trade and,
again losing every dollar he had, he was
forced to set up this shopin order to make a
livelihood"
ga corner in peanuts? Now, don't ex-
actly understand that, youknow. Did he get
into the corner himself, or did he get some
body else into the corner? But there's no use
| in my trying to understand such a beastly
| business. It's enough to floor fellow COM
| pletely, you know, to think of a great poet
| getting peanuts in a corner, and then burst
| ing up as you say in America, you know"
''Not many of our public men do 90 into
thepeanut trade; but the minstrel business is
| quite fayorite with our scholars and think
ers. You've heard of Emerson, the sage of
Concord, as he is often called, have you not !?
''Ralph. Waldo Emerson? Oh, yes; he
whom we name the American Carlyle, you
know. He isn't negro minstrel, is hep
''Of course he is. He's playing here now,
and when it comes to first class banjo solo,
Ralph Waldo Emerson is mighty hard to
| beat"
''But, really, now," said the perplexed
| Englishman, 81 shouldn't think a man who
wrote the English Traits would be forced to
do that sort of thing. What's the use of be-
ing man of genius in America, you know, if
you have to earn your bread and butter by
playing bloody banjo, you know? This is
indeed an extraordinary country, and the
more l learn about it the les understand
|