The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-04-26
CARLYLE UPON SUNDkY MEN AND
THINGS.

\ charming companion with his frie ntis.
he has 10 love OF pluln ss uous acquaint-
ances and. in fact, sincerely holds to his
famous article OF belief that most men
are foolsat all events. most English
men; for he thinks at heart that most
Germans are, To say the least OF it, good
fellows. As to his opinion Of americans.
it is briefly expressed i'll the pithy saying
that American institutions have simply
produced population Of 1000, 900 bores.
Frenchmen he dislikes with an unreason-
ing aversion. He does not believe in
them, not even in NJ. Gambetta. He
never did believe in them. Being in IL
Paris drawing-rooln on the Gath of Feb
ruary, 1S4S, a deputy rushed in, almost
wild with excitement, to announce the
proclamation of the republic. Instead of
exhibiting a proper amount of awe at the
tidinSs, Mr.. Carlyle burst out into an
immodcrate fit of laughter, and almost
Immediately after took leave of his hosts,
still laughing. He considers the aboli-
ton OF slavery mistake, and the benfits
of a free press altogether illusory. The
Catholic Church and Mr.. Darwin are
both hopelessly in the wrong. The lat
ter is an atheist without knowing it. AS
for the former, Mr.. Carlyle has all the old
Scotch Presbyterian prejudices against
the Scarlet lady. The true religion is
one which Goethe imagined, but forgot
to explain. Meanwhile, everybody's duty
is to obey-whom, Mr.. Carlyle is not quite
sure.
In his habits, Mr.. Carlyle is above all
things regular and temperate to degree
He has none of what are fairly enough
described as "the minor vices" at least
hardly any for he loves a pipe, and
could not, therefore, qualify for admis-
sion into that most virtuous of societies,
the Anti-Tobacco League. So far from
being an epicure, he rather disconnected
the company at a memorable supper party
given by Sir William Hamilton, by refus-
ing to take any thing more than potato.
He excused himself by saying that, in
those days, a potato constituted an ex-
cellent supper, and regrets that potatoes,
like other things, have since degenerated.
Talking of vegetables, he once described
Lord Clarendon as " boiled-lcek" kind
of statesman, clearly not fit to tie the
strings of Bismarck. This was at
dinner party given in 1885, and Mr.
Carlyle, at the same time, took care to
express his contempt for the English re-
form agitation, then at its height. "Of
all the proposals ever made" he observed
i'll grave, sad tone, this one to give
power to the uneducated is the most
fatuous. Mr.. Walpole should not have
shed tears into Mr.. Edward Beale's hat,
but have kicked that gentleman down
the stairs of the home Office
We all know he is worker; but not
all men know to how severe test his
industry, patience and courage were once
put. He lent his manuscript of the
French Revolution to the late MI Mill,
who in turn lent it to Mrs. Taylor. She,
through some unaccountable careless
ness, allowing it to drop from her hand
to the floor (the lady cannot have slept
over that most glowing and picturesque
of narratives?) without picking it up,
and the next morning housemad duly
lighted the fire with the priceless leaves.
Mill went to recount the mishap to his
friend and looked so thoroughly miser-
able that CARLYLE, so far from utterinp a