Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-02-23

Americans Were always going to see
Carlyle. and were commonly rewarded
for their curiosity and admiration by being
told in his bluff, gruff way that their coun-
try was bent devilward, and that it merit
ed its doom. Many of them will remem-
Der his plain house in Cheyne row. Chel-
sea. and the plain drawing room in which
he commonly sat. consoling himself with
his clay pipes. surrounded by portraits of
Hume, Frederic. Goethe. Martin Luther,
Cromwell. and several of himself. one, it
must be confessed, among his most hon
ored heroes. A singularly striking. head
and face We're his. more SO i'm reality
than in any counterfeit presentment
The nose was shapcly, resolute,
aggressive, the eye labent and passionate,
ever changing, now tender. now stern,
now despairing, but always cleaning rs
with a challenge to fate; the chin long,
prominent, firm as adamant: the hair
rather coarse, abundant. diSortlered. half
falling. half bristling over an over-hang-
ing brow the mouth large. well-formed,
nervous. shutting like wise the whole
expression of the face supremely sad. pitt
ably despondent, though so hardy and de-
fiant that no one burst pity it or him, and
revealing to insight that the illuminating
soul behind it had hoped so much that it
had ceased hoping altogether--such in
picture and in original was Thomas Car
lyle, the Thor of British literature, the
great iconoclast of the nineteenth century.
Up to short time before his death he
used to take early morning walks; his
tall. bent heavy-set figure. neatly but
plainly clad; his clothes fitting loosely,
and crowned by a tumblcd black ielt hat,
Che had the moral courage TO reject inva-
riably a silk cylinder even in London),
drawing the eyes of persons wherever he
passed. but moving on as if desert lay
around him. lie walked when in good
condition, two or three miles through the
tortuous, grimy streets, sometimes wrapp-
ed in deep thought. unconscious of his
surroundings sometimes observing every
thing, gazing into shop windows, and
glancing everywhere. For the most part
alone, he was fond of the company Of one
of his intimates. and in such company he
usually kept up steady flow of peculiar.
pictorial talk. the counterpart of his print
ed sentences. showing that his style. often
called affected. had grown to be his nat
ural form of expression. lie had fond
ness for riding on top of the London omni-
buses for long distances. and not infre-
quently went below Temple Bar, alter
natelv communng with himself and TAX
ing in the crowded and diversified pano-
rama of the city.
Carlylc's hours of composition were
generally three To four-irom 10 or II A.
NJ. to 2 p. M.-unlcss he was specially
engaged or hurried. when he added an
hour or two TO the ordinary number. He
wrote unevenly, at times slowly. then rap
idly. but always with care, never allowing
his manuscript to go from him until it
suited him exactly. He frequently de-
stroyed whole pages upon which he had
labored hard and long being extremely
fastidious as to punctuation as well as to
words and arrangement. But the writ
ing of his books was much less than his
preparation for writing, which was most
thorough and conscientious. No man had
a keener appetite for work, and yet he
worked far faster than most authors. His
reading was stupendous, and he did II
with surprising quickness. despatching
volume OF ordinary size while many per-
sons would be occupied with few chap
ters. For 40 or 30 years of his lite he
read on an average from six to eight hours
a day. sitting up for that purpose general
ly until | or 2 O'Clock in the morning.
1t is said that having gone to spend an
afternoon and dine with new acquain-
tance, and arriving several hours before
his host, he entered the library. upon
which the gentleman prided himself. as it
contained a 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. 1--WE read EN-"
was the laconic answer; and it proved
that Carlyle had actually absorbed in the
time before dinner all that was valuable
to him in the well-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 he asked the
latter to send him few books t.,at would
be best worth consulting. Judge of the
novelists surprise when large van drove
up to his door and disct arged its load Of
volumes, in five or six languages, to his
amazement and dismay That was Car
| lyle's notion of a few books-really enough
for moderate library.
A characteristic anecdote is told Of the
Scotch age-breaker. A ship-owner, a
fellow w-countryman. went from Glasgow
to call on him. and entering his presence.
said with fervor and feeling: II have
come to see you, Mr.. Carlyle, to tell you
that admire and honor YOU that / have
built ship and named it after you on ac-
count Of the good you have done in the
world" Then quoth the author. with
his marked accent: Il don't balieve you,
maun, never did ony guide in the warld!
Naebody ever did any guide in the warld!
| There is ma guide in the warld!"
William Black, the novelist, once called
on Carlyle, and after little conversation,
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 ye goin' TO
write some real books-maun?