The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-03-24
OSCAR WILDE.
The Esthetic Poet and Art Lecturer
Goes West.

The Esthetic Poet and Art Lecturer
toes West.
Sometime since the associated press
announced the completion of a contract
by which Oscar Wilde, now adjudged
the impersonation of estheticism, was
to appear upon the Pacific coast in a
series of lectures, and yesterday he
passed through this city en- route to
San Francisco to commence the season.
The fact of his passage was announced
by yesterdays papers, and there wa
quite a gathering of people at the
depot, some, Of course, as a matter of
business, but many to satisfy great curl
oslty about a person of whom every
body had heard much, and almost
everybody knows little.
The curious crowd assembled were
not disappointed, for the object of curl.
Gus gaze appeared on the platform of
the Pullman, and was Immediately
recognized from his faithful resemb.
lance to the portraits and cartoons
which have been floating about the
country during the past few months.
His appearance is that of a big over
grown boy, a ponderous chin and face
utterly innocent of beard, being set in
a back ground of straight uncut hair,
which hung to his shoulders, and all
surmounted by a white SLOUGH hat. He
wore a dark velvet coat, light panta-
looms and an innocence which WAS
sweet to behold. Like other mortals
afflicted with hunger more practical
than the esthetic yearning of his poems,
he threw away his cigarette and made
his way to the dining room of the rail-
road house and did ample justice to a
substantial dinner, doing, betimes, the
gallant to a member of the Barton
opera company, which WAS entirely
CONSTANT and esthetlc; the members
are all daisies, you know.
After dinner the few moments pend
ing the departure of the crowd was
spent In promenading the platform or
mingling with his fellow passengers,
always surrounded by the curious
crowd.
In conversation the gentleman is not
all uninteresting, although not the
most entertaining conversationalist to
those not riding his pet hobby, which
he always trots out before his victim as
n fond mamma exhibits her most won
derful baby under the sun. He ex-
pressed great ennui at the monotonous
journey from Omaha to Cheyenne, and
made some suggestions for improve
ments upon the scenery, which, if not
attended to by nature herself, might be
carried out by the Union Pacific Ry.,
as the next lower power. He said that
he had thus far found more simple sane
people In the west than in the east, and
the reporter looked out on the gathered
crowd and assented to the ''simple"
term, but hesitated about accepting
the "sanen qualifications; and he was
obliged to dissent entirely, when the
esthetic apostle stated that this western
country was Of less interest to our Eng
lisa relatives, because Of an indepen-
dence in the civilization we are build
ing which they could not understand,
because 1t was unlike anything in the
mother country. 1t was suggested
that English capital and En- glish capt.
tallsts scattered over this west, spoke
of a practical interest, large and gem
eral. This was a phase of the question
so far removed from sunHowers and
daisies that he had not considered it.
He was somewhat surprised at the
absence of ladies in the crowd which he
was quick enough to see, was largely for
his benefit, an absence which was quite
apparent, there being none at all beyond
passen gers aud those accompanying de-
parting friends to the trains. When the
reporter tried to explain it by saying
that Wyoming was a woman rights
territory, and the demands of business
left them but little time to divide with
the lrmer vessel in l~eizure, he tried to
laugh the matter aside, but there was
something of willowy disappointment
in the laugh. He commented favora-
bly, upon the fine physiques among the
and many beautiful women he had
seen in the west, and had a deal of
ambitious talk to offer about poetry and
art and their relations, or rather, the
relations he wanted to make them to
have to civilization.
Wilde is accompanied by a servant
and secretary, spends a deal of time
with his cigarette, and is making a
deal of money by being u smarter Bot
tom than the people are sensible folks.
He may stop in Cheyenne on his return
and try and influence so me lilies,
etc, into Cheyenne's art circles.