Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-18
AN AMERICAN NOVELIST

published Papers.
From, the Washington Post.
eyes, have met many famous men and
women while abroad" said Mr..
Julian Hawthorne, the novelist,
10 reporter, as the two shared
a sofa in Wizards Hotel parlor.
''You might run the whole list through
and find few whom / have not associated
with in a greater or less degree Of init
macy, especially among the younger
generation. CARLYLE ! never saw. He
was very old. and living at Chelsea life
of strict seclusion. did not care to dis
turb the old gentleman by going to stare
at MIN simply because he was famous. l
saw George Eliot quite a number of times,
but it. was not possible 10 get upon very
satisfactory terms with her. There were
a few who enjoyed her intimate friend
ship, but the vast number, even the
most fortunate, could get no nearer than
her receptions brought them, and then
they were fain TO be content with sitting
silently while their hostess, from the I'M
approachable throne of her greatness, de-
livered brilliant mOnOlogues In the man
ner Coleudge and CARLYLE. With Brown
ing ] was upon terms Of most delightful
accomplished man Of the world. Wher-
ever there is a gathering of brilliant so
CIety YOU are sure to tind Browning. But
in his appearance you would neye. dis
cover either the poet or the social genius.
You would see a fine, large man, whose
appearance of robust health and powerful
masculinity would strongly Impress you.
But no other suggestion about him would
prevent you from concluding that he was
l.tt.r ha
shows himself to the world the poetry of
his nature lies latent, reserved for the
hours of solitary work or the retired COM
partnership of some congenial spirit. In
the drawing room Of fashionable London
no conversation can elicit a flash OF it.
Tennyson, on the contrary, never casts
aside the robe and cbaplet OF the poet.
Wherever and whenever he appears the
image and superscription Of the bard is
written upon him. He dwells upon the
peak of Parnassus and never descends. I
knew Ruskin well-the great tiery-hearted
man. Anthony TrOllope, too, was one of
the men Of letters whom / knew best. Be
meath a rough exterior he hid a tender
heart. | was admitted TO a mOstintimate
acquaintance with the novelist Black
more. Although q university man. be
Cultivates garden whose produce he sells
TO the London market. He has composed
his yoluminous novels with wonderful
rapidity. He writes but three hours a
week aud produces nearly two three-yol-
ume novels year, for each of which he
receives the very comfortable sum of
$4,000. Among the younger literary men
none is more remarkable than Edmund
GOsse. When the comparative disad-
Vantages Of his early life are considered
in connection with the amount of rare
work he has already accomplished at 30
years Of age, he must surely be pro-
nounced a genius. Andrew Lang is an
other rising man, whose talent, how
ever, runs more to scholarship that litera-
ture."
''How is our great internationalist re-
ceived abrOad~
"Henry James, you mean? He is quite
3 lion. All the great people gladly throw
their doors open to him, but of late he has
not seen so much of society. His health
is delicate and he has TO exercise great
care. What do / think of his genius?
That he has made it extremely difficult
for any one who shall hereafter essay the
same kind Of fiction to obtain an audience.
HIS exquisite work has educated the pub
lie to fastidiousness which disdains what
would previously have been accepted and
read with avidity."
"Will not Cambridge rejoice to receive
Gr. Lowell againY
Eyes, undoubtedly. And in England
he Will be sadly missed, for he was
extremely popular there. But he was
feared, as well as loved mean be was
intensely patriotic, and never lost an
opportunity of making it known to his
British cousins. l do not think he ever
for moment contemplated remaining in
England as the incumbent Of q profess
sional chair IN one Of the universities, or
otherwise"
Odd you see much of artistsp
my associations were chiefly with
them, for once | thought would be an
artist myself. My father always told me
never TO be a writer. ] knew Millais.
who stands at the head of contemporary
English art; Sir Frederick Leighton, the
President Of the Royal Academy; Alma
Tadema, the great Dutchman. English
by marriage and adoption, aud Watts,
who IN the highest and rarest qualities of
imagination has never been eXceiled in
art. That was a cTeditable exhibition Of
Watts paintings in New York some
months ago, but his masterpiece-his
''Daphne"-was absent. It's owner would
not consent to lntrust the priceless canvas
to the perils OF the ocean,
did you meet Hugo or Turgenieff
while on the continent?o
mo; Victor Hugo was like Carlyle.
oAtN anu AhhSNcbHiblbs 1 uhO nhue once
an engagement TO spend an evening with
Iurgenief, but, unfortunately, something
occurred to defeat ito my lasting re-
greet, for | never had another opportunity
to meet him To me Turgenieif is the prince
OF noVelists. | read him Oitener than any
other-always with exquisite and insatia-
bic delight. He and Hugo were unap-
proachable. the one the genius of literary
form, the other Of literary color"
'YOu did not reside continuously in
London during your last sojourn in Eng
landY'
''No; toward the close Of the seventies
my friend, Howard Helmick-an Ameri-
can artist, by the way. who, while little
known in his own country, holds the
highest position in art abroad, his Opin-
ions being solicited and referred to by such
eminent artists as | have mentioned
Howard Helmick drew me 10 kinsale, on
the southern coast OF Ireland. II is a
strange, exotic town, bearing everywhere
the inefiaceable impress OF an alien civil
ization. To one who ~ cOnYersRnt with
spain moment suilioes TO reveal i'm the
houses of kinsale the characteristic span.
ish architecture. Long ago in the cantu-
rles when the Moors were dominant on
the Peninsula small colony of Spanish
refugees founded kinsale. Their descend
ants have not died out TO this dav, al
though the population is now more Irish
thun spanish. What is very curious IN
that you see In common use the earthen-
ware Jars which arc uoculiar 20 the Nile