The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-01-17
Sumner and Tennyson.

Charles Sumner being abroad in
| 1857, met Tennyson, and the Senator,
never remarkable for modesty, talked
| to the poet of American politics and
| his own position toward the south and
slavery. He soon perceived that the
Englishman was very impatient under
his discourse and recognizing the fa-
miliar truth that a man is bore who
| talks about himself when you want to
talk about yourself, he dropped the
subject in order to let his companion
play bore.
Tennyson seized the opportunity at
once. As they were in the library he
| took down volume and asked: ''Have
you ever read the .PrincessP'
Sumner replied that it was one of his
| favorite poems.
Read it. then,' demanded the bard,
| pushing the book toward him. AL
though fully conscious of the extreme
delicacy of reading verses before their
author, he opened to the page and be-
gan. He had not finished twenty lines
before the Briton almost snatched the
volume from his hand, saying: This
is the way it should be read. "
Then, in his high, pompous, chanting
tones he recited the greater part of the
poem, affording his compulsory listen
er no chance for word. Sumner en-
dured it all without protest; but he nev-
er, it is said, called on Tennyson again
never, never, never. No human
creature would have the hardihood to
repeat such an experience.
L. Buchanan Read the dead poet, a
native of Ches~r county, Pennsylvania,
was in London in the summer of 1861,
and was invited to meet Tennyson at
the house of q common friend. He
went with eagerneSs and enthusiasm to
see the illustrious singer, who figured
in his mind the strikingly handsome,
noble-looking creature whose portrait,
taken in his younger days, is so famil-
lar. An introduction revealed a very
dissimilar person, thin-faced, fussy
man, with scant hair, blue glasses, and
round shoulders-the reverse of his
ideal
Immediately the Briton broke out
with: Il wish to say, Mr. Read, that
L have in the past had a liking for your
country; but, as it is now plainly going
to the dogs, / feel bound to tell you
that you must not look for sympathy or
aid from US Englishmen.
Very properly nettled at such unpar-
donable rudeness, Read replied with
heat, ''Do not disturb yourself, Mr..
Tennyson, about our country. We
don't care a-either for you, or your
aid or sympathy. 1t is not worth hav-
ing under any circumstances. We pro-
pose to fight this thing out ourselves,
regardless of Europe. John Bull and
his noble family can 90 to-for all
us. We Americans are not going that
way, just at present"
This insolent response, as Read him
self said, instead of offending the elder
poet, seemed to have modifying effect.
After that, to use his own words
''Tennyson treated me quite decently,
and spoke very kindly of America and
Americans. If / allowed his effrontery
to pass in silence, he would have had
no respect for ME. The only way to
get on with an Englishman who bully
you is to bully them in turn"
Hardly any author of the day is so
entirely and exclusively literary as
Tennyson. He is SO deeply dyed in
ink that the native hue of the man has
been lost. He is writer of verses and
nothing more His individuality has
been erased by his ceaseless, lifelong
striving after apt words and cunning
phrases. He will enjoy his baronage,
but in his 75th year he can not enjoy it
long.