, 1874-12-06

sang to him in private. Ho first recognized tie
talent Of Bos1o, rs also tlla: OF Eottealr!. tia
great contra-baaso player, both OF whom c.uo
here without any reputation, eud to both Of whom
ho Immediately assigned an eminenco which vas
| afterwards confirmed by tho critical Judgment
OF Europe. He WAS also the first to fecognize
Ars; Moulton's Chen Miss Greeuoush) dtasir-
guishcd vocal talent. He had known be. from,
her childhood. and long before alo had ever
thought OF appearing in public she had srns
for him By the hour, day after daT. Listening
with appreciation and profit to his criticisms
This emlnence as musical critic waa recog-
nzed so much as matter Of course that sn
Italian sculptor who came to Now York and mada
carlcature statucttes OF distinguished people,
selected him as Tue musical critic OF tue city, and
made statuette Of him Which you Will find re-
ferred to in TX Marrol's Lo1gnotto." It is
mentioned aptopos OF report that Mr. Grant
White himself was tho author Of that work; but
Nr. Mitchell {''1k Marvel y set it aside On the
ground that Ir. ". was " too much takon up
with his fiddle and the composers 81 to have TINA
for the more serious work OF writing the !" Lor-
gnetto." And, in whimsical and eatirical book,
New York in Slices" that was published
twenty- five years ago, which have by me, there
Is passage about lin which is
AMUSING ESoCdu TO BE COPIED.
is portrayed, Of which he uas ous, although I'll
Of them we're much older than h1msa1f,-Parh
Goodwin, Willis, and Charles Fenuo Hoffman,
At the next table, in attitule Of stless sef-com-
ploseney, sits tai, striking,!ooklng man, with
and decidedly handsome mouth. He has evidently
just finished his b1eskfast for there stands tho gra
to Drown himself in it. and before LIN lie he deIfcats
remainB of the GUYS Nairotr wh which he has teo1
tEiting- Al:hough stu under IS. he Ia evidently
thoroughbred man Of the world epicu-c an a.na-
teur, diletante gallant, critic, Almost corcorb
You would think at nrst thst he had travelled So hs
operas tllnt he does not know-f1om the score: few
picturcs statues or churches that he is not familiar
with-by deser1pton But he has IN reality
been out OF New York. He Is prejudice, vauty. OBJ
snacy, aud ala very remarkable young mau. and
wields intellectual battls1x between bis thumb aud
Front de Duf castle Of s.uridty that be may Chance
to fall IN with. That IL Mcbard Grant White tho
musical critic OF a morning paper.
The predictions OF this anonymous sasizist
seem to have been
PETTY WELL FULF7LLED;
but there seem to Bio also some castles Of stupid-
ity yet to be beaten down. and all because. his
time and attention being given to more serious
labors, he ceased absolutely, about fifteen years
articles that he had already written-not the nero
notices, but the careful, thoughtful criticisms
between 1915 and 1858, would make, should
think, two or three big octave Volumes I know
this, because myself have cut them ont and
preserved them something that be was too busy,
OF too Indifferent to their fate, to do. Aud non
no who perhaps has done moro than any othel
man in the country ior the cause OF the highe,
music, and to make such performances as thos.
Of Theodore Thomas acceptable and appreciated
(which Mr.. Thomas himself handsomely ac-
knowledSed Ut the beglnnin. OF his caraer),-he,
OF sill men. Is arrafgn5d bocanze, be1ng "ignoftne
Ct music, y he ventures to write about it!
This reminds ME Of
AN AuUs1xo c1ncUAsrAEcD,
with mention OF which will close this too long
lot;er. When Mr.. Grant Whites Shakespeare
articles first appeared in PutIaanls 1Haqazine,
twenty years ago, aJ7er il ,eas discotered ,sho
crosc them. thera Was an outbreak Of surprise
and Indignation at the writer's presumption.
does this musical critic ltnon about shakepears?
Let him mind bus own businesa." But Shak-
speare's Scholar" the Essay on Henry w."
the Life and Genius" and, above all, the edi-
And. now that he takes up lis musical pen
again, there ia the counser-cry: f. Whist does
this Shakespeare scholar aud phi1ologiss know
about music? Let him mind his own business"
But James Russell Lowell was iittts wiser than
these wise people In his article upon the
Shakespeare, he mentioned Mr.. Whites eminence
ns musical critic as among the qualifications
that fitted him for the great task that has won
him no small part Of his reputation.
One word more, after tbs fashion-aa it Ia
Baid-of nv sex. In one OF the articles that
hare provoked me to this communication, It Is
confessed that ''Mr. Richard Grant White is
brilliant writer. wlcse wit and language CON-
mand admiration,'' and that she las the ear
s'goes without saying;" but thore is ono othor
thing about Mr. Grant White which 'ae1 sure
that lie, and k1o'o his nearest friehus. value
moro than ahy reputation for brillitncy OF style
OF wit; and that ie. that he ia
CONSCIENTIOUS WRITER;
aud that, although. like others, he mag err in
his Judgment. he never undertakes TO write
critically on any subject that be has not patient
1y studied and investigated. Ho is never, to use
q phrase he himself Is fond OF, false to his in
fo11aotro1 and ho ir1nraa
to support what he does not approve, or to
praise friend or censure an enemy. except &C.
cording to his honest Judgment. But Of per-
sonal censuIe even Of his enemies, he has always
been very chaFy. Because hs has not .l the K look
man Of the world and Of society (which
Isn't his faut.-ho can't help IT.. thoss
who don't know him may bo led to regard him as
8 superficial trifcr; but what he really IS is d
laborious student. 8 hartl-working man Of let
ters having always some subject before him, to
which he deyotes hinlself almost day and night,
but which even hs few friends hardly bear him
mention until he begins to write abont it.-flnd-
ing time, besides, for tho leading art,cles, Gisi
cisms. and magazine articles which bring him SO
large part Of his income.
HAVE MERELY STATED FACTS,
as you Will SEQ facts known most OF thern, to
hundreds and thousands here, and some OF
graphical dictionaries. and Men Of the Times"
but those who know them will say nothing,
whilo the ignorant and the envious SANDER
him undisputed. I will only SAY that
those who are writing, those ill-hstured
untruths about him would do well to remember
the issue OF the Shakespeare discussion, and the
fate OF the unhappy "pundit." tho malignancy
and pedantry Of whose personal attack upon The
author OF s.Words and Their Uses II brought
upon him SO memorable q punishment, h1st
wards from two or three OF the highest author
tiles in England, tho Saturday Repieu and the