The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-20
THE DEArn or BArARD TIrLoR


many respects interesting and rcmarka-
bio. In his youth he was q printcrs
boy. with rhymIng tendencies, In hia ma
tive Stnte OF Pennsylvania; and when less
than 90 he atartcd out with slender purse for
Europe. whcrc no made two years struilng
tour. tho sketches Of which he turned into tho
book TINT 1r0t brought him into notice. Rn-
turning to Now York, he procured employment
aa writer, reporter and correspondent for the
tribune. that then belonged To Horace Greeley;
and his relations with that paper. though
sometimes rather slender. and in later times
not agreeable, woro kept up through all tho
years NJ his life. Tho appetite FOR travel. not ns
an explorer. dscovcrcr or scientific observer.
but az n rover and bcholdrr OF passing strange
scenes and thinga. had taken hold Of him dur
ing his early European adventures. lie went
to California with tho gold hunters OF 1919, aud
mnde a book of his letters about II. Two years
aftcrward no went to Egypt and up the Nile.
from which came volume Of his wandnrings
in those parts OF Africa. In another year no
made his way to India. China and Japan, and
these countrics furnished another series of
sketches subsequently,. and in moro recent
years ho took other tours through various
parts Of Europe and Off among the Rocky
Mountains ofthis country.
II Is as n traveller that Mr.. Taylor became
best known to his generation. We must believe
that he had what in tho lack Of filter terms We
may call an innate bent for going up ana down
the earth for no began his iournoyings more
than thirty years ago. when but boy-whon
"knapsack and STAFF" wcre by necessity his
whole out1t-nnd II seems but few months ago
that wo heard OF him now in Egypt. now In
Iceland. This lust Of tho eye" this greed of
seeing. Of observing cities and men and man.
ners. was in his blood and temperament; and
tho best years of his life were realization Of
the exclamation which Tcnnyson puts into tho
mouth Of that oldest Of travellers. Ulysses
Icanuoi rest from travel. will drink
Lite To the lees
Tho greater part Of Mr.. Taylor's writings con-
ssts OF reports Of what he saw in his numerous
Journcyings in many and widely separated
lands And when we say thnt Mr.. Taylor was
repOri0'-by which we mean specifically n news
paper reporter-wo both define the nature Of
his work and suggest the test by which that
work should be tried. For there are travel
lcrs aud travellers. and Goethe instructs us
that " the eye Woes only that which brings
with it the power Of seeing" Humboldt
travels. and his cosmic eye sees everywhere the
subtle play and mighty complex OF terrestrial
and celestial forces. 4 Talnc travels going no
further than across the Straits OF Dover. and
reveals to us for the first limo a whole now
English psychology. Schlicmann travels.
with Homer in his brain. aud he gives W. back
buried Ihum md tho plains Of windy Troy.
Mr. Taylor was not grcgt traveller rs these.
for example. wero great travellers. He was in
no special sense equipped for discovery or OBJ
scryation. He was not u scientist, he WINS not
Psychologist; he was not an archTologist. And
furthermore, he had no such charm Of style us
glows in the pages Of Eothen." and Outlines
makes up for matter 10y dclightsomencss OF
manner But he had what was the filter Tor his
purposc-thc faculty OF seeing what tho ordi-
nary reader mainly cares 10 hear about. and tho
gift OF expressing what he saw in Ineligible
and agreeable form. A wicked mot. put into
the mouth OF Alexander Won Humboldt was
some years ago current. to the effect that
Bayard Taylor had travelled more and seen
less than any man alive" Humboldt never
said this; aud 1t would not have been
truc hdd he said il. Taylor. in fact. had
tho outfit of knowledge suited to his pur-
pose; and. as a writer for the average reader
lac was rendered the more instructive by being
the less profound. Could the matter be ascer-
tanned. II would probably be found that in the
case OF three fourths Of the American people
their stock Of knowledge Of foreign lands is in
tho main derived from his pen pictures. The
educational effect Of his geographical obserya-
tions has been remarkably widcs proad. and is.
on the whole. scryiccahle.
Besides his books Of travel. Bayard Taylor
wrote several poor novels and other light works (;
but rs he himself lamontcd not long ago. neither
those nor his other Efforts an author brought
much to his pccuninry account. and lauterly were
entirely pronilcss 10 him.
As a pot Bayarl Taylor covered long time
and many themes. There were thrty-fou
years between the appearance Of his first book
OF verses and his volume OF Prince Dcuka-
lion" Just now from the press. Thirty years
ago he was writing ballads and other light
pieces; then he turned out his Oriental
poems next his poems OF travel and then
other. and still other poems OF ono kind and
another. He went into tho business Of transla-
ton. giving TO his publishers Frithiofs Saga. a"
and subsequently $500 producing an excellent
English version OF Gocthcs Faust" All through
his career. his Pegasus was often used for Job
work; and whether the occasion were tho
American Centennial. the Goethe commomora-
ton. or tho death of Bryant, he was sure
to be up to it. Within the last few years
he has been doing poctcal work Of a
moro ambitious kind than he had previously
attempted; and his desire to win place in tho
ranks far above him. and to deal with themes
that only genius should approach. is seen in
The Mosque OF the Gods" Tho Prophet
and Prince Deukalion the last his latest
work. an attempt To record the voice Of the ages
respecting the development and destiny OF man
on earth.
His grand ambition for some years past was
10 write the life Of Goethe and he had collected
a large amount OF material to serve the pur-
pose but he was about the last man in the
world for that hard job.
In February last Bayard Taylor was nomi-
mated by Hayes as Minister to Germany and he
reached Berlin in that capacity in April Tho
duties of the office are Of very slight account
but he coveted it for literary reasons. Dropsy
| was in his system. and has ended his life
1t looks like long career-though he was but
Of middle age-a career Of roaming and writing.
He has left many books but we apprehend that
none OF them has the abiding quality within 1t.
Quick-MovinE Horses In NJ. Nicholas Avenue.
There were more horsemen and horses in st.
Nicholas avenue Wedne sday than were before
seenin that fashionable thoroughare There
Der off trials Of speed. The introductory between
Mr. D Cons team, the brown mare Lizzie Kellor and
| bay geding Tommy Moore and Freeman's bay geding
| O..