The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-26
CARLYLE and TennysOn.
Some interesting Personal Facts About
the Philosopher and Poet


some Interesting Personal Facts About
the Philosopher and Poet
CARLYLE goes on the even and rather
morose tenor of his way in the very
commonplace and unpicturesque sub
urb of Chelsea. He has lived for many
years in a very plain house, on small
side street, called Cheyne Walk, the
interior of his home being plain to al
most dreariness. Since his wife's death
his accomplished niece, Mrs. Mary Car
lyle Aiken, has looked after the grim
old philosophers creature comforts
which are few, for he lives with Put
nam like, not to say Spartan simplicity.
afternoon walk through the Chelsea
streets, sometimes with a friend like
Froude, Ruskin, or our own country
man, Moncure Conway, but usually
alone, with very old felt hat askew on
his thick, stubby gray head; and a
more gloomy, ut1social, cynical old man
is seldom to be seen. No one could
pass him without taking note of him ;
bis face would attract the attention of
a street urehin, so singularly expressive
of wholly Unusual character is it. He
is very sallow and hollow-cheeked !; his
eyes, dull and CLASSY, are deep sunk in
| their sockets he wears a rough, short,
tangled beard and mustache, white, all
but here and there a stray streak OF
brown, his form is bent, and he stalks
on in the glOomiest apparent indiffer-
ence to the world about him. At home
he occupies a harumscarum study at
the top of the house most of the day
| of this, sometimes, when closeted with
friend, he makes a beer garden, with
his hurried pacing of the floor and his
bitter and voluble homilies about the
littleness of mankind. Carlyle was
right to decline to be gazetted as 9
grand commander of the bath; it would
be a very homogeneous ornament fol-
such as he, despising society as he
does, and knowing we'll that he needs
no superficial gliding to his golden
fame.
The poet laureate is by no means sc
Indifferent to the comforts and elegan-
cies of this life as the hermit of Cheyne
Walk. He lives in great luxury, in q
POLITICALLY picturesque country mansion,
| rich in its architecture, and lavish and
tasteful in it's adornments aud knick-
knacks. There are about it terraces
and fountains, greeneries and flower
parterres, avenues and lawns it is the
mansion of a rich man of high taste
and culture. Here for the most part,
both summer and winter, the most emil
nent of England's poets passes his time.
1t is rarely that he appears in the Lon
don streets, and more rarely that his
presence is obtained in the hospitable
houses of the West End. But I have
caught occasional glimpses of him in
the "city" and the bookstore quarter
of Paternoster Row. He is tall, gaunt,
shaggy haired, with a ragged-looking
beard and long, struggling locks, of a
| light brown, very much tinged with
gray. He wore a big SLOUGH hat and
| cloak when I last saw him, and were ii
| eyes, there would be nothing in the
least poetic in his appearance. Indeed,
he is almost shabby to the outward eye
his manner shy, and his apparent en-.
deavor is to pass hither- and thithel
quite unnOticed. l hear that he il
greatly bored by people, in large degree
Americans, L am sorry to say, who &C
down to the country house and insist
on seeing him, much as they would
Tom Thumb or the crown Jewels. He
gets bushels of letters begging for au
tographs, which he never by any chance
answers; and is said to have remarked
that enough stamps were inclosed il
these to give him a practical frankine
privilege. Those who, few in number
are received at the poets freside as his
friends, speak in glowing terms of hif
kindly and genial hospitality, and hi
sometimes almost childlike playfulness
He is full OF anecdote, and likes to tau
of his own literary experiences. Hi
library is said to be model of cozines
and elegant taste, and his gardens
which he loves, are described as beau
tiful and well kept.-Londo7a Letter.