The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-25

there came bevv of Americans from Emerson;
one Margaret Fuller, the chief figure of them,
lifting, lean, old maid. Not nearly such bore
as | expected" Of John Bright he speaks as
'the anti-corn law member who had come across
to meet me with his cock-nose aud pugnacious
eyes and Barclay Fox Quaker collar. John and
dlscorded in our views not little Carlyle
seems to have rather fanced Dickens, for he
calls him IA fine little fellow" and speaks of his
clear blue, intelligent eyes, eyebrows that he
arches amazingly; large protrusive, rather loose
mouth; q face OF most extreme mobility, which
he shapes about-eyes, eyebrows mouth, and
all-in very singular manner when speaking;
snrmount this with a loose coil of common
colored hair, set on a small, compact figure,
very small, and dressed a la Dorsey-well, this
is Pickwick. For the rest, quiet shrewd little
Fellow who seems to guess pretty well what he
is and what others are" Lady Holland is de-
scribed as brown skinned, SILENT sad, con-
centrated, proud old dame" Lord Holland, who,
by the way he calls ''old Holland" strange to
say, pleased him very much: "a very tall,
bald headed man; small gray, composed-looking
eyes, the immense tuft Of an eyebrow, which all
the Foxes have; stiff upper lip, roomy mouth
and chin, short. angry, yet modest nose" Elmer
son seems TO have been pretty well liked by
Carlyle though he does speak of his talk as be
ing ''moOnShiny"
OF Gladstone Carlyle says: Talk copious,
ingenious, but of no truth or sincerity-plctures,
literature, finance, properties greatness of the
outlook for Italy etc. A man ponderous,
eopious-man once of some wisdom, or possibly
of it, but now possessed by the prince or many
princes of the power of the air. Tragic to me
rather, and far from enviable. From whom one
felt ones self divided by abysinal charms of i'm
measurabilties. Mr. Gladstone Carlyle consid-
cred to be incapable of high or sincere pur-
poses" He did not look on him merely as an
orator who, knowing nothing as it ought to be
known, had flung his force into words and spac-
cous sentiments but as the representative of
the multitudinous cants of the age-reigious,
moral, political, literary differing in this point
from other leading men, that the cant seemed
actually true to him, as if he believed it ALL and
was prepared to act upon it." He, in fact, be
lieved Mr.. Gladstone to be zone of
those fatal figures created by Englands
evil genius to work irreparabe mischief,
which but he could have executed"
This. in sum, Mr. Froude says, is the opinion
that Carlyle has expressed to him hundred
times, with a hundred variations. OF the two
party chiefs he preferred MIR Dlsraeli, who, he
thought was under no illusion about himself
To him the world was a mere stage, and he
mere actor playing part upon it. He admitted
no good qualities in Gladstone, but he allowed
that Disraeh had some. HE was good natured;
he bore malice'-qualities, one would think
that would hardly commend him to Mr.. Carlyle
Louis Napoleon was, in his eyes, 'the abomina-
ton of desolation-a mean and perniclous ad-
venturerh Carlyle had known him personally
in his old London days. and Napoleon had once
spent an evening in Cheyne row. Carlyle had
spoken his mind freely, and the Prince had gone
away inquiring if the man was mad. Carlyle
admired and almost loved TennysOn. He says
IA fine, large featured, dim-eyed, bronze-colored,
shaegy-haired man is Alfred; dusty, smoky, free
and easy who sweeps outwardly and inwardy
with great eomposure in an inarticulate element
of tranquility and tobacco smoke; great now and
then when he does emerge, a most restful,
bury solid hearted man Carlyle and Ruskn
were good friends, and he admitted that Ruskn
was man of genius" Lord Wolseley, then
Sir Garnet went with Mr.. Froude one day to
call upon Carlyle, at Cheyne row, Carlyle hav
ing expressed wish to see him He was much
struck with Sir Garnet, and talked freely with
him on many subjects He described the House
of Commons as Six hundred talking asses, set
to make the laws and administer the concerns of
the greatest empire the world had ever SEEM with
other complimentary phrases. When he arose
to 60 he said well, sir, l am glad to have
made your acquaintance, and l wish you well
There is one duty which l hope may yet be laid
upon you before you leave the world-to lock
the doors of yonder place 1.-THE House of Com
mons and turn them all out about their bust
ness" One feels in reading these sharp sayings
Of Mr. Carlyle that he was cross just as some
men are amusing. and that if the little girl who
asked her mamma if it not time for Mr.
Sydney Smith TO say something funny had met
the Chelsea philosopher she would have asked
her mother with equal antiepations of pleasure,
il ii was not almost time for Mr.. Carlyle to say
something disagreeable.