Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-14
TOM MOORE AND DISRAELI.
Willis Description of the TwO--A
Graphic Sketch

From Editors Easy Chair In August Harpers
"'Mr. Moore cried the footman at
the bottom of the staircase; MIR.
Moore cried the footman at the top;
and with his glass at his eye, stumbling
over an ottaman, between his near-sight-
edness and the darkness of the room, en-
ter the poet. Hall glance will tell you
he is at hCme on a carpet. Sliding his
little feet up to Lady Blessington (of
whom he was lover since he was six
teen. and of whom some of his sweetest
songs were written) he made his COM
pliments with gaiety and an ease COM
bined with kind OF worshipplng defer
ence that was worthy of a prime minis
ter at the court of love. With the gen.
tlemen, all of whom he knew, he had
the frank, merry manner ola confident
favorite, and was greeted like one. He
went from one to the other, straining
back his head to look up at them( for,
singularly enough, every gentleman in
the room was six feet high and upward),
and to every one he said something
which from any one else would have
seemed peculiarly felicitous, but which
fell from his lips as if his breath were
not more spontaneous"
This is Willis description OF Moore,
i'm his audacious "Pencilings by the
Way" forty years ago. They were the
first and most brilliant instances OF mod
ern society" reporting, gratifying the
love of gossip and a national interest in
the personality of distinguished people.
Yet the sanctity of private life is so
great IN England that these free and easy
crayOns of authors and politicians in
the drawing-room were warmly re-
sented, and Thackeray has left the
resentment on record. Now,
however, that most of that fine society
is gone with its reporter, his sketches
are very life-like and amusing. There
is an air OF intense worldliness in the
literary life he describes, a graceful in
sincerity, as all its figures lived only
for some sensation and tiattery and APP
pIause; and it is easy TO fancy Carlyle
breaking in upon its dandyisms and
fiippancies, like John Knox upon the
perfumed courtiers of Queen Mary,
with his, "Thus saith the Lord" There
is great deal in the journal about
"Disrael the younger"-the Lord Bea-
consfeld of to-day-and it is curious
to compare the Prime Minister with the
exuisite of Park Lane. "Disraeli had
arrived before me, and sat in the deep
window looking out upon Hyde Park,
with the last rays of daylight reflected
from the gorgeous gold flowers of a
splendidly embroidered waistcoat. Pat
ent-leather pumps, white stick with
black cord and tassel, and a quantity OF
chains abOut his neck and pockets,
served to make him, even in the dim
light, rather a conspicuous object" lie
was lividly pale, and seemed to be a
victim to consumption, except for his
energy OF action and strength OF lungs.
His hair is described as extraordinary
as his taste in waistcoats. A thick heavy
mass of jet black ringlets fall over his
left cheek almost to his colarless stock,
while on the right temple it is parted
and put away with the smooth care
fullness of a girls, and shines most unc-
tuously
"'with thy Incompatible oil, Macassr.'
To CARLYLE, who had not yet made him
self known, and TO his grim humor and
melancholy sincerity even Walter Scott
was not earnest enough, such literary
being as this must have been as Gun
speakable" as the minister OF later
years. Willis says he might as well try
to gather up the foam OF the sea as to
convey an idea OF Disraeli's extraordinary
language i'm describing Beckford. He
adds that Disraeli talks like race
horse" and that it is great pity he is
not in Parliament.