The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-01-23

4A1o LIVE Of 1sHTAhHAEST.-IA6 excerpt
following is part OF an article ON Tenny.
son, printed in the London Standard OF
December 8: ''Natnre," runs the article
in question, ''rejoices in cont:asts. and
criticism imitatea her examples. and q
better foil to the man of lettsrH! whose
genius and disposition were lsst the sub.
tsot OF our consideration. could scarcely
be found than ia the living poet whose
name heads this paper. 4 AIr. Disraeli
mas been only in part man OF letters.
Mr.: Tennyson has been nothing else
and his case. il in consequence OF his
less personal and dramlti interest, il.
wlthal, more rare. and, therefore, at least
equally worthy of our contemplation,
IL would scarcely be possible, adequately
and rightly. to describe Mr.. Tennyson's
disposition and practice than BY saying
that he had positively shrunk from active
lie, and from the public ken. Tue
many -headed beast must know he oh.
serves scorufully- in In Msnnriam.' but
the many -headesi beast knows very little
about him. aud he has taken good onre
that very little shall be- known. The
world generally knows him by his poems
and his portrait, end that is about all.
His lofty lament for the male friend of
his youth, though much bought and
somewhat read, must necessarily be ca
Ua''e to his own multitude, and is not
associated with that kind Of romantic
incident which is best understood by the
crowd. We are not aware that many
II, indeed, any-hare cared to euu uire:
Who was A,n = p though, truly, there
nre, III poetlcnl literature, fewer pieces
OF seemingly personal confession more
exquisite, or better calculated to excite
vulgar curiosity than, sLocksley Hall
Bnt MIR. Tennysou has dwelt seanIously
remote from the general eye, and 'out
OF sight. out Of mind. is always true in
respect OF the gaping many. Mr.. Ten.
nyson has been singularly fortunate in
succeeding III this desire TO escape OBJ
servation, and his success has lent to his
career, In our opinion, dignity and ho.
horabie privacy which, in an age of peo-
pie plotting for notoriety, and making
racket, have much distinguished him.
Dir. Tennyson has never fetched and
carried sing-sopg up and down, or made
clubs, coteries ,r drawing rooms subser-
went to q low itch for popularity. There
exists IN this metropolis a number of
singing gentlemen, who pass their lives
IN pralsing each other, 10 order to push
themeelves;. and one ambitious burd.
while he lived abroad. could obtain little
or no recognition in England, has, by
coming to .London, and lndustriously
pulling the scci Il aud critical wires TINT
Jerk man, during life. into prominence,
reached, We must suppose, the summit
OF Ms desires. To nll such unworthy
work Mr. Tennyson has been stranger.
be says. very beautifully and very Just
~. that WadsWorth uttered nothing
base. He himself has done nothing
bsse. Whether or no the fame he at pre-
cent enjoys be greater than'time will ui,i-
mateiy allot him, such as it is, he has hon
estly won it. He waited for it with no.
Die patience; and If. when it came, it
came IN On exaggerated form-as is so
often tha case IN this country-he has
nothing to do with the exsggeratio iou.-
ot him, AS Laureate, TINT he has always
been Singing songs unbidden,' he has
certalny remained like q poet hidden
"Fhe world, however, does not like
what it regards as its very proper privi-
iege to be denied il, preferring, where
famous man is concerned, as Dickens has
mus'ugly described of himself, to
'como up staifs and see, aud bring it's
brothers.; and gossip, accordingly, has
circulated some iii il.natured stories at the
expense of what is called Mr. Tennyson's
excessive reserve. They will tnd no
currency here. The only anecdote which
We may repeat, since it Is not ill. natured,
is the following: A weIl-known Prince of
the House of Brunswick, naturally fa.
miliar with Mr.. Tennyson's shrinking
habits. yet ANXIOUS to pay his respects to
the poet, in the neighborhood of whose
home in the Isle Of Wight he found him.
self, made q call unaccompanied aud
strictly iucognito. A page came to the
door. Whom shall say?' The Prince
of Wales, was the reply. Whereupon
the pnge, performing gesture somewhat
similar to one lately described by Mr..
fennyson as performed by Lynette, in
other words, putting his dexter thumb
TO nose 'tip-tllted like the p, tul of IL
Hover. playfulIy observed: 'Ha, yes;
Prince Of Walesi We know trick
worth two Of that and slammed the
poets door in his Royal Highness' face.
We believe he is the ouly living English
man Of notori.ty whose talent for pri-
vacy no American has ever bufflsd. We
may possibly have seemed to dwell some
what over long upon this one particular
truit OF tho poets character; but, if we
have done NO il ia hpoursa xUa h,t;ov,