Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-11-05
Memoir. of The Au.hor of .Kiennl..

II
Which mother must patiently teach to you
NARY D. BRINE.
Memoirs of the Author of ssRieuzI.,
The Friendships Of Mss Russell Milford is
the title OF book just pnblished in En-
gland, from which we give some extracts
which will illustrate how other peoples let
tiers and conversation, If filed away, iournaled
! and kspt-for- some Rev. A. G. LEs,range
Miss Mitford's biographer and contributor)
to revise and publish, can contribute 10 the
| fame of the dead and the establishment of
the living. Barry Cornwall writes to her:
81 have just met lat Mr.. Kenyon's) Daniel
Webster, the famous American orator. He
| has bread, strongly marked brow, with a
dark, deep set eye taat looks full of intelli-
gence and vigor. / do not remember ever 10
have encountered q man whose looks
struck me SO much. He is little cold In
his manner Qike most of his countrymen in
general), but it, is not offensive. 1t is rather
grave self-possession than supercIliousness"
Ruskin wss one of Miss Mi.ford's regular
correspondents. He writes to her after she
had received a fall while riding: 81 hate
ponies and everything four.legged, except an
ass colt and an armchair. But you are bet
ter and the spring is come; and / hope-for
l am cure you will allow me-to bring nv
young wife to be rejoiced (under the
shadow of her new and grievous lott
by your kind comforting. Mr. Rus
kin, as usual where he compli-
ments, is extraysgant. He has Just
read Mrs Mitford's Atherton, and he fuds il,
in common with all her works, an indescrib-
able perfume OF sweetness, as of a lily OF the
valley and honey, utterly unattained by any
other writer, be il who he or she ma p James
L. Field writes: "You ask if Longfellow is
clergyman. He is not and never was. His
brother, Samuel Longfellow, now residing
IN Paris, was once pulpit man, but he has
given up the pulpit and taken to practice.
l remember good story of DR.. Charming
in this way: The reverend doctor and the
medical doctor were both at a party in Bos-
ton one evening, and some one being taken
i'll, the man of medicines, Dr. Walter Chan
ming, was sent for. The servant entered the
room where the brothers were sitting and
Charming? said Walter, the physician, the
one who breaches or the one who practices?'"
Miss Milford relates in enc of her letters a
conversation Mr.. Fields had with CARLYLE.
"You know what blusterer CARLYLE is,n
adds she: 80, sir, you are an Americana
quoth the sc fsuficient Scotchman. MIR.
Field assented
sAhi that's wretched nation Of your ain.
LIS all wrong. 1t always has been wrong
OF YOUR, George-(did anyone under the
sun ever dream of calling Washington
George before ?)-your great mon George
was monstrous bore, and wants taking
down few hundred pegs"
Really, Mr.. Carlyle" replied my friend,
"you are the last man in the world from
whom should have expected such an obser-
walton. Look at your own book on Crom-
WE'LL What was Washington but Cromwell
without his personal ambition and without
his fanaticism?"
"Eh, sir" responded Carlyle, "George had i
neither ambition nor religion, nor any good ;
quality under the sun-George was just
Oliver with all the juice squeezed outp :.
wish you had heard Mr.. Fields tell this :
story. / have known many brilliant takers
but never any one that approached him. II
Is the triumph oil meekness and animal
spirits without noise or abruptness-full OF |,
enjoyment and perfectly unconscious. His !,
is for your pleasure and his !
owp, without an idea of display. Another /
thing in Carlyle displeased him far more. J
Every one knows that Emerson makes him I
a perfect idol, and il was thought that if (
Carlyle cared for any one in the world il
was for Emerson. l have heard it said OF
them that they are not only like brothers,
but like twin brothers. Well, remember
hat Emerson and Hawthorna both live at
Concord, and you will appreciate the kind
ness of Mr.. Carlyle's speech.
"Isna there place called Concord near
ye? What like is III"
"a pretty little New England town." was
Mr.. Fields answer, "of no political impor-
ance, but lively aud pleasant as a resi-
ience."
'Prettyi livelyl Ye ken I had fancied it
10 be a dull, dresry place, VII drowsy
liver making believe to creep through it,
slow and muddy and staguaut, like the folk
hat inhabit it,"
So much for Mr. Carlyle, who has had the
iouble misfortune of writing according to
he humor-that is, the ill-humor of the
the slightest regard to
aud truth, and to be surrounded
~ none but admirers or listeners borne
Town by mere noise. In Eogland his FASH
on is walking rapidly, and have no doubt
,ut that, like most overrated men, he will
i've to share the common fate OF idols
Knocked down by his former wors5ipers 10
evenge OF their own idolatry.
Mr.. Fields is coming back IN the spring,
hank God and means to bring Mr.. Haw-
horne with him. He wants him to write
ON lance on Seton Court, with which he has |
een more struck than any otLer thing he
as seen in England He also hopes TO
ring DR.. Holmes, my pet Of poets. tran ,
cribed in a letter to Mr.. Hawthorne what
ear Mr. Starkey said of his works. Mr..
Holmes Ito whom L read it) says it is the
nest criticism that has been made on his {
lyle.
"a very clever person, and a very re- {
iarkable one, is Bayard Taylor, and 1
oubt not, as good as he is clever" said Miss 8
iilford, "but yet did not fancy him. Mr.. ,
ields has spoiled me. He is shy and r
awky, long rather than tall (you know =
hat mean), and with total absence OF s
lat strange, delightful thing called charm, I
hich is 10 conversation what the scent ia to ]
he rose" o
Writing of the evident wealth of some I
merican authors, she says: "There is no
Id to the contrasts in America. Bayard
sylor was telling me the story of a young
bet of the name of Stoddrd, still under q
Iirfy. His father was the captain of small j
erchantman, which, with all the crew, him !!
Ii included, was lost in the North Sea, =
aving the only child 30 young and the I
idow so poor that Ia most singular Instance C
the States) he had no more time for
hooling than served him 10 learn TO read. o
I'd taught himself to write some years after. a
e supported his mother by making molds "
r iron castings; SO he continued for long Ii
lille, in spite of most feeble health, until
me of his poems becoming known enabled a
m to add the earnings of his head 10 the L
Dor of his hands. Now, the marvel of this h
that this poor lad-an American, too 81
It only shows the highest genius-other "
W. born youths have done that-but a de- h
ee of taste and refinement rarely matched II
modern poetry."