The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-02-24
THOMAS CARLYLE.

THOMAS CARLYLE.
Traits and Peculiarities OF the Gren,
Ic0n0clast.
Americans were always going to see.
Carlyle, and were commonly rewarded
for their curiosity and admiration by
being told in his bluff, gruf way that
their country was bent devilward. and
that it merited it's doom.
Up to very short time before his
death he used to take early morning
walks his tall, bent, heavy-set figure,
neatly but plainly clad his clothes fit-
ting loosely, and crowned by tumbled
black felt hat Che had the moral courage
to reject invariably silk cylinder even
in London), drawing the eyes Of persons
wherever he passed, but moving on as if
desert lay around him. he walked,
when in good condition, two or three
miles through the tortuous, grimy
streets, sometimes wrapped in deep
thought, unconscious of his surround
lngs sometimes observing everything,
gazing into the shop windows or glanc.
ing everywhere. For the most part
alone, he was fond Of the company OF
one OF his intimates, and in such com
pany he usually kept up steady flow of
peculiar, pictorial talk, the counterpart
OF his printed sentences, showing that
his style, often called affected, had
| grown to be his natural form of express
sion. He had fondness for riding on
top of the London omnibuses for long
distances, and not infrequently went
below Temple Bar, alternately commun-
ing with himself and taking in the
| crowded and diversified panorama of the
city.
Carlyle's hours Of composition we're
| generally three to four-from 10 or II
a. m. to 2 p. m.-unless he were spe-
cially engaged or hurried, when he add
ed an hour or two to the ordinary num-
| Der. He wrote unevenly-at times
slowly, then rapidly, but always with
care, never allowing his manuscript to
go from him until it suited him exactly.
He frequently destroyed whole pages
| upon which he had labored hard and
long, being extremely fastidious as to
punctuation as well as to words and ar
rangement. But the writing of his
books was much less than his preparo-
ton for writing, which was most thor
ough and conscientious. No man had a
keener appetite for work, yet he worked
far faster than most authors. His read
ing was stupendous, and he did it with
surprising quickness, dispatching vol
ume Of ordinary size while many per-
sons would be occupied with few chap
ters For forty or fifty years Of his Life
he read on an average from six to eight
hours q day, sitting up for that purpose
generally until l or 2 o'clock in the
morning.
| It is said that, having gone to spend
an afternoon and dine with q new &C.
quaintance, and arriving several hours
before his host, he entered the library.
upon which the gentleman prided him
| self, as it contained number of rare
and curious volumes. The host came
and dinner was eaten. After leaving
the table, he told the author that he
should be happy to show him his books.
! Give read 'em," was the laconic an
swer; and it proved that CARLYLE had
| actually absorbed in the time before
! dinner all that was valuable to him in
the weu-chosen library.
When Charles Dickens had decided to
write "a Tale of Two Cities" knowing
that Carlyle had made special studies for
his " French Revolution, p he asked the
latter to send him few books that
would be worth consulting. Judge of
the novelist's surprise when large van
drove up to his door and discharged its
load Of volumes, in five or six languages,
to his amazement and dismay. That
was Carlyle's notion of few books
really enough for a moderate library.
A characteristic anecdote is told Of the
Scotch image breaker. A ship-owner, a
fellow-countryman went from Glasgow
to call on him, and, entering his pres
ence, said, with fervor and feeling: ssI
have come to see you, Mr.. Carlyle, to
tell you that I admire and honor you
that have built ship and named It az
ter you on account of the good you have
done in. the world" Then quoth the
author with his marked accent: ct
don't believe you, maun ! Inever did
ony guide in the warldi Naebody ever
did any guide in the warId There is
nae guide in the warld T.
William Black, the novelist. once
called on Carlyle, and, after little con
versation, the philosopher remarked
You know Scotland vary well, see.
I've read your novels with pleasure.
They're vary amusing, vary. But
when are ye goin' to do some wark
when are yu goin' to write some real
books, maun 2"
Carlyle, though generally polite to
persons who brought letters Of introduce
ton, could not be depended upon as to
manners. He had moods, and vary
variable ones, having been troubled for
years with dyspepsia. When suffering
with it he was often very rude, especial
" to Americans, against whom, after
our civil war had broken out, lie ap-
peared to have violent prejudice, not
1nfrequently berating them in his Ger
manized English, as though they had
done him some great wrong. The truth
Is that he enjoyed scolding with his
tongue nearly as much as with his pen.
They Passed 1t.
A rather stupid Dutchman was chosen
to the Pennsylvania Legislature few
years ago. He had nothing to say more
than Aye " or $ No, when his name
was called, and surprise was created one
day by his introducing certain bill