Morris tribune., 1883-01-13
SANDIE MCPHERSON.
A Vignette in Prose.

"
was afectionately called by the genera
ton to whom he told SO many grim
truths. l had gone to him rs literary
aspirant-one of the many who, coming
up from Scotland to fight for fortune,
carried letters of introduction to the
great man. The nation delighted to
honor him, and despite his dislike TO
= the literary class generally, he never
failed to say kind word 10 any other
young brother Scot who sought his ad-
vice. For some reason or other he took
to me, and, though so many years his
junior, became frequent visitor at his
house, and received great deal of his
confidence. 1t was one winter evening,
as we sat alone together in his study
that study which was very Mecca to
literary pilgrims of all natiOns-that he
made the singular confession which
am about to place on record.
There he sat, aged, honored, famous
the leading man of letters, perhaps, Of
his generation-an old dressing gown
\ wrapped around him. slippers on his
Meet, his face grim as granite, gust as it
appears in Woodman's bust.) and his
eyes with that sad prophetic gaze which
is reproduced in all the photographs.
On the book-shelves close round were
well-thumbed volumes, nearly all OF
them presentation copies, with the auto
graphs of their mighty authors, CHEZ
among them set of Goethe, with notes
in the poets own handwriting. On the
wall, over the manteIpeee, was scroll
in vellum, given to E-cildoune by the
savants of Germany en- the occasion of
his sixtieth birthday, and his reception
of the Grand Cross of the Legion of
{. Sanscritan from the hands Of the
King of Thuringia. In the desk at his
elbow was precious correspondence
signed by such nam as Heine, Theirs,
Balzac, Hartmann, Darwin, Macaulay,
Colcridge, Dickens. Only the day be-
fore Ercildouno bad been sent
for by the Queen of Eng
land, as one Of the two or three great
men it behooved her to know and honor;
and, having spent several hours of CON
"versation with her. he had pronounced
her mice, hOmely body, Just like
scores of famero' wives he had meet in
Allandale'" Certainly, he vas one to
whom the world did hOmage-kings
might have envied his authoritative po-
sitiOn. 1t was, therefore, with some
surprise that l discovered, listening to
his confession, that the great man was
not altogether COEtuntcd with his sue
cess; that it had one serious qualifca-
ton, which hadlas he himself expressed
it, cost him many sleepLess night.
Let me explain tbs matter, as far as
possible, in bis own words. ! despair
of reproducing the peculiar accent and
the deep, pathetic burr" Of lis voice
which he preserved to the last, as we'll
ascertain ecCentricitles Of pronunciation,
which l shall not initiate.
"TOu think me q successful man. and
such, allow, is the popular opinion.
Well, maybe | have been successful be-
yond my merits, which are small enough,
Lord knows; but lest | should grow d aft
with my own self-conceit, the Lord sent
= Sandie Macpherson to kaep Inc hum
Hblem
''It is humiliating confession to make
but almost at any point of my long
career, from the very beginning, the
thought of having converted Sandie
would have been more precious to me
than the admiration of all the rest of
the world. Sandie, however, never be-
leved in me from the first. When
published my first book, my chief thought
was, "What will Slndie Macpherson
think Of this?' and when | heard the
criticisms, which cut me up like haggis
right and left, could have borne every
thing but the thought of how he would
rioat over them, down yonder in Scot
land. I was somewhat consoled, and
wee bit hopeful, when, some years after
ward, l published my History of the
Renaissance in Thuringia;" for the crit
les, knowing nothing of the subject,
praised it to a man, and talked havers*
about my industry, nv originality, and
nv erudition. | cared nothing for the
critics, but | said TO myself with smile:
''That's one for Sandie Macpherson, at
lastw
"Perhaps you will be asking who San
die Macpherson is, that / set such store
by his good opinion? Well, up till few
months ago you might have seen his
name-'Alexander Macpherson as it
of small grocer's shop in Gallowgate
of Glasgow"
"Sande and I were schoOlfellows"
"We first met in the Rev. Macindow's
seminary, out beyond the Cowcaddens,
and afterward we attended Mr. Parallels
mathematical and DR.. Skelpum's Latin
classes, in the High school. AS I mind
Sandie now, he was wee, snug
mouthed. black-aveezed laddie, with
ewes ike hawk, md stoop in the
shoulders. From first to last he was
ever at the top Of the. class. He carried
away all the prizcs at the Rev. Mr.. Mac
indow's, and when he came to the High
School, among lads twice his size, he
- IL,
as he had! 1t was wonderful wonder
full He could repeat the whole Latin
Delectus with his eyes shut, and he
knew the whole of Euclid, when we
we're perching over the "Pens Asin.
Drum" DR.. Skelpum himself was afraid
of him, AS for me, where he was dux I
, was Ounce. Ihad the laws nearly every
day from the doctor, and ever and aye,
: while I writhed in my corner, could
hear the cry, alexander Mcpherson.
tell Tammas ErGldoune how to construe
this or that passage in the Metamor-
phoses." Sometimes just to shame us,
he was put at the very bottom of the
class, and then-Lord, to see him loup-
M brae, and then standing, flushed
and triumphant, in his old place, at the
very topE
'SanQle lat0er was 3SiIlall tTdueSII1du
in Glasgow, and you may be sure he was
proud enough of his son. Sandie was
ever spick and span, had the best of
clothes, and silver watch and chain
given him by his aunt on his birthday.
His books were like himself-clean,
white and neat, with no thumb-marks
or dogs ears to disfgure the pages. He
wrote beautiful hand, like copper plate,
= and in the writing class, as we'll as the
rest, he was 'facile princeps.' Wellmight
he look with scorn upon my slovenly
dress, my books all thumbed and torn,
and on my handwriting, which was i'll to
make out as heather Greek. Well might
he be held up to me, as he was, for
shining light and example. "Tammas
Ercildoune, 60 out and wash your face;
when will We learn to be tidy, like Alex
ander MACPHERSON "Iammas, your