The Portland daily press., 1874-12-12

Udkp bTDuUlc, VIZ, Iuc tAdCb lIutus L IIdf-
eled TO see him. | stayed in Glasgow many
days to know him took him down to the
Clyde, and verified every spot, and got him
to tell me each principal incident over again,
az its own site, and | noted down his very
words, as well as could. ..ls
The next thing was to rescue his features
from oblivion. | asked him TO meet me at
the photographers. He did so. But, horrible
to relate, dressed as all Scotchmen dress on
Sundays.
"James," said 1, severely, "was it in this
clerical suit you saved so many lives?'
''No likely" said he; "except yon earle
that was bathing O. the Sabba' day. Mon,
I was for coming in my auld claes that l
wrought in at the mill yon time: but the wife
cried shame: she wadna let me-"
Observe how devoid of common sense is
common sense fthe moment it NEEDLES with
genius. So sent him back tor his old clothes
and now present you, not indeed the hero
himself, but his true wreck. The picture
will misead you, unless you will allow for
that sad Misrepresentation of the manly
moth which takes place when a hero loses
his front teeth. Observe the thin straight
lips, and the stong chin: those lips, when
the teeth were behind Them, marked iron res
olution. Add to the straight, thin, American,
mouth, an eye full of fire; and, by the wreck,
you may divine the man.
OBSERVATIONS.
James Lambert is of ordinary size, but very
clean-built and wiry. TIE signs of great ac-
tivlty still lnger about him.. The easy atti-
tude in which I first saw him was that of
man who could spring across the room in a
moment from where he stood,
In manner he is two men; sometimes
grave, slow, and thoughtful; sometimes fiery
and vivacious; and the changes are well
| timed for he relates his feats with French
| vivacity, but makes his reflections in slow,
| thoughtful way that is Scotch all over. 1t is
| lust possible that "race' may have hand in
his vivacous half, for he admits French
progenitor, and "I.ambert" is French
name.
1 have not known him long enough to
| draw his whole character; but to what is re-
yealed in his recorded acts l can add one
| trait: he is man without bile. I offer one
| example,: after describing with great spirit
| how he saved respectable acquaintance, he
| told me that the said individual had after
| ward avoided him; and then he stopped and
went in moment from his French manner
| to his Scotch. -ss s#r LID 4
"And-I haze bsairved, sir, that the mair
| part-of them hae saved-shuns me-"
Straight exploded with ire at their base.
| ness. But could not convey my spleen in
| to this heroic bosom void of bile.
| ''No, sir" said he with the same measured
| thoughtfuness, 81 just-think-it is over
| great-a debt-to awe to ony man; and they
| feel it burden"
Almost any other man, finding in a certain
base biped, vanity too strong for gratitude,
would have vented the discovery in tones
either of wrath, Or of piteous complaint; but
this man sounded like patient, inquiring
philosopher; certainly faint tone of regret
| pierced through, but no more than became a
| philosopher, gently disappointed in mankind.
| To me who has seen so much storming, and
blubbering over trifes, this thoughtful. un-
complaining dignity was as pathetic as it was
| noble.
| being all about himself, you must rem ember
| that T kept drawing him out, and that the
| true balance of the dialogue is not presented.
| since have suppressed the greater part of
I nv questions, as not worth printing.
ought also to tell youItha his manner of
| relating his exploits had no touch of vanity,
nor Boosting, nor selfgratulation. 1t was a
thing both Strange and fine to see how he was
carried away out of the dark present into those
| glowing scenes, relighted by the sun of mem
| Ory. As he related, the whole man quivered
with excitement. When he was telling me
| how he dived for the little boy, opposite ''the
| dead house," l took his hand, and-under
| cover sympathy, being prying scounrel-
I turtively felt his pulse. 1t was beating about
one hundred and ten to the minute. his heart
acas once more doing the deed, and his poor
blind face shone with angelic goodness, and
| cleaned with heroic fire.
This hero and martyr has a ffoible, not an
| uncommon one in Glasgow; but still sad
| fault. He is too fond of whiskey-much.
Bookmakers' morality will say, why re-
veal the infirmity of such MANI" I'll tell
| YOU; because in less than 200 years the first
stone of honesty in biography will have to be
| laid; so, not to waste tie worlds time, I lay
| it now.
| Since, in this best of all possible worlds,
much is done for moderately good killers OF
men, you may be curious to know what man
| has done for this incompatible saver of men.
| He has earned the gold medal of the HUI
name Society twice, and the silver about
| twelve times.
| He has never received either.
| He better deserves every order and deco
| ration the State or the Sovereign can besow,
that does any gentlemrn or nobeman in this
land, whose bosom is a constellation. Yet
not a cross nor a ribbon has assembled from the
vulgar levels, where they grow like buttercups,
| to the breast of this immortal hero. And
why? he is but saver of men, not a killer;
and in the distribution of glory, the world,
incluing the very preachers of the gospel, is
| as rank a heather as ever in spite of Christ ;
| and fool in spite of Voltaire.
| The one public honor paid him is this A
suspension bridge has been built over the
| Clyde where he saved more than twenty lives
that one dark night; and over this bridge two
men pass gratis till they die-Bailey Harvey
| and Hero Lambert. The rest of mankind pays
| half penny. 80
| So much for his decorations. Then for his
pensions, He has but one; and that is local,
| not imperial, though the places the man a.
| dorns are the empire, and the world. The
| Barony Parish, Glasgow, allows him three
and six pence week. But he was earning
twenty-five to thirty when he fell blind. So
that his local allowance, for benefits to man
| kind, does not compensate him for his calam-
| ity, by five-sixths; and his heroic and phil
| anthropic feats are left out of the arithmetic
altogether.
| propose, then, to those who govern this
country, to depart from the stiff presidents of
| savages, and to take wider and more eElight-
ened views of heroism, beginning with James
Lambert, since they cannot begin better.
| They have the example of France; she be-
slows civic honors on the heroes who save, as
| well as on the heroes who kill.
propose to the Humane Society to bestow
| 9heir gold medal Anything else would be no
compliment to this great Saver.
As for the English public, that needs no
| spur. When this narrative appears in an in
| fuential journal, hundreds will desire to i'm
prove James Lamberts condition. The best
way to do that would be to secure him fixed
and large increase of income for the few years
he has to live. 1t is out ofmy way, but in
this one case, / would receive and acknowl-
edge donations with this object, and so, feel
sure, would you, Sir. zt
But also wish to procure him the blessed
boon OF personal sympathy. will not en-
courage raid of staring Ounces, pragmatical
charla.ans, and gaping quidnuncs; for that
would do him harm, not good. But I will
give his present address to any ladies and gen.
tlemen, who may be able and willing TO go to
him in the tight spirit. Any such superior
| soul, who will visit him in person, and
| with gentle hand draw him awhile from
the thing present, which he cannot see, to
the past, which he can see, will mount high
on what all old author calls ''the ladder of
charity" for this will be charity in very re-
fined and gracious form: it will be charity
plus brains. None will repent such visit;
though his estate is humble, he is one of ma
lures gentlemen, fit company for an emperor;
and he is a sight better worth seeing, than
half the public shows; for he is man with
out his fellow.
CHARLES READE.