The Portland daily press., 1879-04-23
MOtley's BOyhOOd and Beauty,
[E. P. whipple in the May Harper'sl

lE. P. Whipple in the May Harper'sl
John Lothrop Motley was born In Doiches.
ter, Mass, on April 10, 1914. His biographer
| tells as that the historians life was saved q
| nundred years before he was born. One Of his
maternal ancestors, child living 10 Haverhill,
MASS, was hidden By housemaid under .
wash-tub in the cellar of her fathers house
when it wss assailed by Indians in 1908. The
ssvages missed their prey by this comical con.
triyance, and Motley thus became q possible
human being hundred and six years before
he entered life. His father was Q prosperous
Boston merchant who had Irish blood in his
veins, and his mother was q daughter of that
race of Lothrop which has given so lmany ex-
cellent Protestant clergymen to New England
churches. Thomas Motley, the father, Is still
remembered as one of the finest Of that old
school OF commercial men who were prominent
In society as well as in commerce, and In whom
the sagacity OF the merchant was combined
with the manners and the sentiments of the
accomplished and genial gentleman. The
mother, by the testimony of all who knew her,
was remarkable for her somewhat regal beau
ty, for 'the charm of her serene and noble
presence" and for the admirable way 10 which
Chs performed all the duties Of mstron. TIE
-ou was one of those pre-eminently handsome
boys, who, as the world goes, seemed doom ed
to be ruined, because fortune has saved them
Tom laboring for a living, and nature has been
prodgal in lavishiog upon them physical beau
ty When Motley had grown 10 mans
estate, Lady Byron declared that he
more resembled her husband than any per-
son she had ever met; bat Wendell
Phillips, bis playmate and classmate, objects
to this opinion on the ground that Motley was
handsomer than Byron. And here it may be
well to state that Mr.. Phillips, though the
greatest iconoclast of institutions and reputa-
tions that modern New England has ever seen,
has always been exceedingly tender TO Motley.
though Motley must have often offended him
by the course he took In political affairs. It
may also be said that Motley never said harsh
word of Phillips. The affection between them
was SO close that, though they took widely d.
vergent roads, which led eventually, however
to the same goal, each instinctively recognized
the integrity Of the other while they seemed
diametrically opposed in methods as well as
aims. There can be no stronger evidence than
this OF Motley's strong hold on the hearts of all
MS classmates during the ups and downs" of
his subsequent career.
The beautiful boy was saved from being
spoiled by combination in bis nature of an
immense intellectual ambition with q CORES.
ponding self-distrust. To the end of bis life
he was consumed with desire to perform
great tnings, and to the end OF his life he was
painfully sensible that he had not come up TO
his lofty ideal. Like many other young men
OF genius, he was desultory In his studies, and
in school and college never reached the STAN
dard OF ''the good boy" or the diligent student.
His intellect developed by process of intellec-
tusl irritation. A certain swiftness of mind,
catching. quickly at the spirit of what he
studied, but neglecting the orderly technicali-
tiss which denote the progress Of . student In
bis class, distinguished his course through
school and college. All his schoolmates and
classmates had immense confidence in the brill
liancy Of his talents, but his 'grade" did Dot
correspond to his reputation. Bis fellowstu-
dents were also sometimes offended by the al
most cynical haughtiness of his behavior.
Still his reserve would 80 often give way to o
hilarious sympathy with their pursuits, that he
never lost popularity amid all the eccentrici-
ties OF seclusion In which he indulged. His
great distinction, in which he excelled all has
plsymates and classmates. was his knowledge
Of foreign languages. His early familiarity
with German i'm impressed even George Bancroft
while Motley was q boy in his school ct Round
Hill; and sfterward, when Motley was q stu
dent in Harvard college. an address by him on
Goethe In one of the college exhibitions was
so good as to induce such trained scholar as
Joseph COgswell so send il to Madame Goethe.
Her reply was significant. ~ wish," shs said,
"to see the fist book that young man will
writen