Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-31
Charles Reaas'. Interest in shs United

Charles Reade's Interest in the United States.
 IS. s. Conant In the Albany Evening Journal My personal acquaintance with Charles Rsade began at pleasant dinner at the
 house of MT. Wilkie Collins, in the summer l of 1875. We had exchanged many letters, l chiefly of business character, but confess that looked forward to the meeting with a vague apprehension that the overbeariug tone and manner which appear in his tren- chant and sarcastic controversial writings might be characteristic of him in social in- tercourse. The apprehension was entirely unfounded. So far from being aggressive or overbearing, Mir. Reade was one of the most genial and agreeable men I ever met. His manner was quiet and dignifed, and there was not the slightest trace in his conversa- upon his own opinions. nor was he at all in- clined to monopolizs the conversation.
 Mir. Reade was at that time about sixty one years old. He appeared to be in the very prime and vigor of manhood. His tall and commanding figure showed hardly q trace of years. his fine brown eyes shone with intellectual fire, and his countenance wore an expression of benevolent good na- ture. I was surprised at the extent and thoroughness of his knowledge of this coun- try, in which he was very different from most Englishmen, even those who are highly educated. He knew all our leading men in literature and politics, was well acquainted with the history and policy of the two great political parties, and was accurately informed as to the geography of the country. I have heard an educated Englishman speak of Bos- ton as the capital of the State of New Eng land, and was once asked if it was far from New York to Buenos Ayres, both cities being in the Americas, you know. Another once inquired of an acquaintance of mine how it was possible for the immense armies of North and South America to operate during the civ il wer on the narrow and mountainous Isth- mus of Darien, which wasn't so bad for ap intelligent Englishman, who probably got his ideas of the Americas from some antiquated school atlas.
 But Charles Reade possessed really accu rate knowledge of the United States so inti- mate, in fact, that in the course of our con versation I ventured to inquire into its sources. He smiled as he avowed that he did not depend on books, least of all the books of English travellers in America, but derived his information directly from Ameri can newspapers. It had once been his in- tention, he said, to visit the United States, and he propossd to qualify himself for intel hgent obser sation by recourse to contempo- rary sources of information, and he regarded the leading newspapers of B country like ours as the most faithful and trustworthy guides. 'When you come to my house." he added. sI will show you my library of scrap books. my treasury of contemporary knowl- edge"
 ''Have you abandoned the intention of visiting us ?" asked, adding that our people would give him 8 most hearty welcome.
 70 yes," said Mir. Reade, ''I am too old now. I have dread of the long sea voyage, and am afraid of the too generous hospital ity of you Americans. At my age I should break down under it. I am obliged to be careful of myself, and reserve myself for the work have laid out. But should like we'll te visit your grand country and see with my own eyes the marvel of which have read so much
 few evenings afterward I dined at MT Reade's house. Mir. Reade made himself ex- tremeIy agreeable to the ladies of the party, showing himself to be master of the most difficult of social mplishments-that of witty and original conversation. He was ready to listen and quick to answer, and SD far frem doing all the talking himself, he dis played the greatest tact in drawing out others aBd making the conversation general.
 I heard 8 great dea! about his so-called starrogance'' and impatisnce of contradic- ton. There is story that he once almost brutally snubbed g stranger, who ventured to praise his ''Cloister and the Hearth" as his best novel by telling him bluntly that anyone who was so stupid to think that was only 1t for g lunatic asylum. 1t may be that pores sometimes angered him beyond the limits of endurance but those who knew him most intimately declare that he was one of the most genial and kind-hearted of men, thoughtful of others and always ready to do generous act.
 Aftes dinner we went into MT. Reade's li- brary, where he exhibited his famous scrap books, and explained the system which they were made, and how he made use of them. They contained clippings from news papers, magazines and books on every cons ceivable subject and from all over the world, classified before pasting, and these lndexed under appropriate headings. 'When I want 8 peculiar murder, for instance" said MT. Reade, T turn to my index and ind just the one want, one, you know, which the critics will tell you could never happen out of novel" One of the scrap-books was made up wholly if I remember right, of quaint anecdotes I recollect that MT Reade showed me several of President Lincoln's apt stories. He was very anxious to know if could give an imitation of his style of telling thsm, and appeared to be quite grieved to find that I had never had the pleasure of hearing them from ''Old Abe" himself. II shoald appre- ciate them much better," he said, Eff I could catch the tone and manner in which they were told"
 When took my leave of him that evening he made me promise to send him characteris- tic things from America, any thing that would illustrate customs aEd manners, and especial ly the peculiar dialects of different regions of this country. His last injunction, I left his doorstep, was: Don't take 'hansum,' they are death-traps. If the horse stunbles and falls. you go under his heels and get your brains knocked out" Then, putting his head afectionately on my shoul der, hs said kindly, Good bye! God bless you, my son!" The sound of his genial voice, the expression of his eye and the pres sure of his hand as he said those words, will always be pleasant for me to remember.
 The Ca ifOrRia Idea of Jim Ksene.