The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-18
IVAN TURGENIEFF.
Some Descriptive Words OF One Novel;
ist About Another.

1t is always pleasant to read what
one novelist says Of another, and the
paper on Ivan Turgenieff, the Russian
writer, by Henry James, in the Janu-
airy Atlantic. is full Of interest. He
thus describes the personal appearance
Of Turgenietf:
He was with everything that was
said, and the simplicity, naturalness,
bonhomie, of his talk made it as charm
ing as it was just. His contribution to
every discussion always touched the
essential part Of it.
did not intend to 90 into these de-
tails Immediately, for / had only begun
to say what an impression Of magnif-
cent manhood be made upon me when
first knew him. That impression, in
deed, always remained with me, even
after it had been brought home to me
how much there was in him of the
quality of genius. He was beautiful
intellect, OF course, but above all he
was a delightful, mild, masculine
figure. The combination OF his deep,
soft, lovable spirit, in which one felt
all the tender part of genius, with his
immense. fair Russian physique was
one OF the most attractive things have
known. He had a frame which would
have made it perfectly lawful, and
even becoming, for him to be brutal;
but there was not grain Of brutality
in his composition. He had always
been
PASSIONATE SPoRTsMAN.
70 wander in the woods or the steppes
with his dog and gun, was the pleas
ure of his heart. Late in life he con-
tinued to shoot, and he had friend in
Cambridgeshire for the sake Of whose
partridges, which were famous, he used
sometimes to cross the channel. 1t
would have been impossible to imagine
better representation of nimrod of
the north. He was exceedingly tall,
and broad and robust in proportion.
His head was one of the finest, and
though the lines of his features were
irregular there was great deal of
beauty in his face. 1t was eminently
OF the Russian type-almost everything
in it was wide. His expression had a
singular sweetness, with a touch of
Slav languor, and his eye, the kindest
of eyes, was deep and melancholy. His
hair, abundant and straight, was as
white as silver; and his beard, which
he wore trimmed quite short, was of
the color of his hair. In his tall per-
son, which was very striking wherever
it appeared, there was an air of neg
lected strength, as if it had been part
of his modesty never to remind himself
that he was strong. He used some
times to blush like boy of 16 He
had very few forms and ceremonies
and almost as
LITTLE MANNERS
as was possible to q man of his natural
prestance. His noble appearance was
in itself manner; but whatever he
did he did very simply and he had not
the slightest pretension Of not being
subject to rectitication. l never saw
any one receive it with less irritation.
Friendly, candid, unaffectedly benig-
nant, the impression that he produced
most strongly and most generally was,
think, simply that of goodness.
As on the part of other Russians whom
have known, there was something
almost Asiastic in
HIS FACULTY OF PROCRASTINATIoN.
But even il one suffered from it little,
one thought Of 1t with kindness, as a
part Of his general mildness and want
OF rightly. He went to Russia, at any
rate, at intervals not unfrequent, and
he spoke of these visits as his best time
for production. He had an estate far
in the interior and here, amid the still
ness Of the country and the scenes and
figures which gave such charm to the
Memoirs OF Sportsman, he drove
his pen without interruption.
1t is not out of place to allude to the
fact that he possessed considerable
fortune; for such an accident in the
lie Of man Of letters has the highest
Importance. 1t has been Of great value
to Turgenief, and think that much of
the fine quality OF his work is owing 10