Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-14
CALIFORsIANS IN THE EAST.
A POET WHO AFFECTS EccsETRIcITY-
MILES AND MCCULLOUGH
Dramatic Talent - Wretched AS
sumption Of Originality.
Correspondence of the RECORD UsIoS.l


that affect eccentricity. The latter, in.
deed, are very apt, whatever their mental
or moral qualities, to prove immitigable
bores. Most CT us may, BY an effort Of
will, look leniently on any sort of oddness
or whimsey, if we believe it tempera
mental. But something akin to su.
perhuman charity or self-discipline is re-
quired to accept withort anger the as
sumption of peculiarities Artifciality
moves us, under any circumstances, to 9
degree Of indignation aud it is not strange
therefore, that men OF Joaquin Miller's
stamp excite irritation in those who are
often thrown into his society. Miller j:
counted az Californian, from the fact that
he passed seven Or eight years in the Gold,
Ell State, and is
AS SPURIOUS a SPECIMEN
As the Pacific slope has produced. He il
spurious in nearly every thing, although
there is no reason for mis- being so. Pos
sessed unquestionably of poetic talents, Of
energetic character, and more than average
judgment, he chooses to play a part which
any one OF ordinary penetration can sec
does not belong TO him. He is almost
always unnatural from his labored pretense
to be natural. To impose upon the general
public the impression that he is a gifted
savage, a child OF unframed, untaught
genius, appears to be his chief aim, and hi:
secondary aim to make people believe him
a very singular person. Both these pur,
poses are supplemented by an unfiaggins
disposition to advertise himself in all pos
sible ways. Having practiced for years al
this game, he has succeeded in deceivina
any number of casual observers, and i:
thus emboldened to 20 or. The shrewder
few, however, decline to be duped by his
shallow articles, and avoid him on account
OF the ceaseiess repetition of these.
Above everything, Miller wants to be
considered original. Consequently, he as.
sumes TO have no culture, no education
even he deliberately misspells, and writes
an abominable scrawl, forever asserting
that he is il!itorate that he reads nothing,
and has no knowledge of civilized customs.
That he has had no regular education hap.
pens to be true but that he is not reader
is wholly untrue. He has obviously pored
II,
Browning and Tennyson, and often repro.
duces them in his own verse. He is in.
fused with their spirit and method, though
Ii is quite likely that he would, if asked,
deny any acquaintance with their works.
He seems to think that any acknowledge
ment of culture on his part would detTact
from his merit; forgetting that nearly
every au5hor Of rebown has received all the
culture which his era could provide. His
talk, conduct, manners are generally for
effect. Not content to do premeditately
queer things, ne Is prone to speak of them
as queer to point out their queerness, and
to declare that he is a queer fellow. In
addition to these sham psculiarities, he is
FOND OF RoMANCING
About his past life, not caring whether
anybody believes his stories or not His
extraordinary experiences with William
Walker in Central America, which, as l am
told, he used to rscite melodramatically,
are regarded as apocryphal and he may
have intended that they should be SO re.
garded. There are those who discredit his
Modoc tales completely; nor is it to be
wondered at, for he appears to take pleas
without provocstion, and to be amused
when he is suspected of an attempt at
hoodwinking. He often admits his mex
actness and his inventions, fancying, no
doubt, that his admissions will help people
to think him singular. Ii he can be con.
sidered original and singular at whatever
price, has object is affirmed. As may be
inferred, Miller is rot liked, and has almost
NJ too
companions have grown tired of him-at
least OF his Alterations. They say that he
could be pleasant and interesting, If he
would; bus that ms transparent humbug-
gerry is repellart, and, after while, tire
some 10 the extreme. The people who i'm.
agine him to lie
HALF FOOL
Are greatly mistaken. He is really shrcwd
and calculating, as is evident from the fact
that he gets good prices for his inky wares,
and lives without mourning any indebted
ness. When he first came here, he was in
vited, in consequence of his talents, to a
number of houses, where he is no longer
welcome because OF his unconventional,
frequently offensive demeanor. His at.
tempt to act the barbarian in New York
drawing rooms has failed ignominiouslv. Ii
he had been barbarian he would have
been more endursble but nobody likes
Counterfeit barbarians, especially when they
can be so readily detected. He managed
to cojole London with his tomfoolery,
which probably encouraged him to repeat it
here, though in much milder form. One
might think the multitudinous rebukes re-
! L. s Al I
have cured him of bis simulated SINGULAR
ties but they have not, so far as known.
He seems to be persuaded that man must,
in order to be q poet, act like simpleton,
boor and biackguard. Being more
than forty, be ought to have learned better.
The public could dispense with his poetry,
if he would mend his preme6itatedly oGious
manners.
John Mccullough, though not native to
the Pacific eoast-who is, indeed may
justly be considered a Californian, since
San Francisco ives the first city to appreci.
ate his histrionic talents and assure him of
a future. Although reased in Philadel-
phia, where he made hard and long
struggle for recognition, he toiled there in
vain, and was forced to cross the continent
TO AWAKEN ADMIRATION
For his gifts. This has been the fortune
of a number of players. They might have
drudged until seniiity in the East but
going to the Far Yves. they reached a
favorable atmosphere of criticism, and q
region where meritwas not hampered by cus-
tom and tradition. California had bestowed
many of the greeness laurels upon McCuI-
Tough before he was known to any extent
here. He came but recently in his ripenees
to the leading cities of the seaboard, which
acquiesced In the verdict he had &C.
cured on tho Pacific. Notwithstanding
that some injudicious friends have over
praised him, and put him in place where
he does not rightly stand, all must agree
that he is a conscientious artist Of high
degree aud remarkable range. Moreover,
ne is as fine man as he is an actor, as all
who know him are aware. Unlike many
members OF his profession, he does not lose
bis interest and individuality as soon as
he has passed from the blaze of the
footlights. His nobility of character is
not merely professional, it is actual and
inherent His elevated nature informs mis-
presentations as in ''Othellc, "Virgipius, :"
and "Coriolanus y he seems what he is :;
he is what he seems to be in the upper
walks of the drama. McCullough's private
virtues are representative of the Golden
State-he is genuine, independent, indi.
vidual, chivslrous.
NOT a PARTICLE OF MEASNEss
II;Jao he 1araa axpauo;y> L. -