The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-13

1t will be remembered that when the EN-
peror of Brazil was met by Secretaries Fish
and Robson in the Bay that His Majesty,
after slipping as promptly as possible out OF
the chains of diplomatic etiquette, asked
after two American citizens, not at all Of the
stamp of the bluff Secretary of the Navy
a real soldier and real poet, General Sher-
man and Mr.. Longfelow. The author Of
''Evangeline" was especially dear to the
Emperor, and he said CALAMITY, as Moham-
med said, that if Longfellow would not come
to Dom Pedro, Dom Pedro would 60 to Long
fellow. And His Majesty has kept his word.
A short despatch informs US that the Emperor
dined on Saturday at Cambridge with
Mr.. Longfellow, who had invited Oliver
Wendell Holmes and Ralph Waldo Emerson
to meet the South American potentate.
Here indeed, was pretty party, worthy Of
further celebration than line or two buried
pcrl,s in the files of the newspapers. The
Emperor of Brazil, who has been travelling
over the land pursuing the utilitarian with
the eyes of Argus, sits him down peacefully
at last to enjoy "the feast of reason and the
flow Of SOU" amid the honored names Of
American literature. To Cabinet Secretaries
important magnates as Mayors of Chicago,
Oil City, Cincinnati and SO forth, he has
been politely brief; with factory owners and
all the representatives of our wealth and in
dustry he has confined himself to questions
about spinning jennies, dye stuffs and
the like, but for long talk over the sacred
tablecloth he sits him down with poet, q
satirist and philosopher. 1t is the highest
compliment His Majesty could pay to Ameri-
can letters after having rendered the flowing
lines Of Longfellow into Portuguese. II
there was no faithful Boswell at the board
to take down the good things that were said
in solid chunks, rs the patient Scotchman
did who penned the sesquipedalian words
of johnson, must the memory Of that FAM
Gus dinner table on Saturday last be left to
a passing line? Aware Of what is due to the
dignity of art, and knowing how times have
changed, can we not yet hope that between
the poet, the satirist and the philosopher
this truly royal banquet will find an endur-
ing place in literature? To Mr.. Longfellow
tAC ouUJcCe lAASit PAcSSiAu AtoOAA IL cAAC SuAoS
of four hoary sages, we'll on in their battle
with the world, meeting in calm con-
verse amid the storm of life, and touched,
perchance, with tho sadness of his 'smorituri
to salutamus." The ''Autocrat of the Break
fast Table" has the example of Horace to
guide him, when the latter told the story Of
the journey of M@cenas, Virgil, varius and
himself to Brundisium, over which old
Father Prout loved to linger, spelling out in
old English letter the comprehensive line
"Lusum Il Mecenas; dormitum ego virgusquc."
Dr. Holmes can lavish his terse wit and
sly humor upon the subject, while Mr.. EN-
erson can battle the whole dinner in a sea OF
transcendental philosophy. Thus treated.
the visit of Dom Pedro to Cambridge would
be remembered as long as the Dialogues
of Plato, the songs of Horace or the epics Of
Homer. Dr. Holmes can keep the subject
on the earth, Mr.. Longfellow can take it to
the stars, and Mr.. Emerson can project il
into the universal ether imagined to spread
endlessly beyond the deep chasmata Of the
heavens. Such dinner with such a guest
would be worthy of the Immortality it would
receive.