St. Landry democrat., 1888-08-04
GREAT MEMS NE!GECOES
Some Stories of Longfellow, Hawthorne
and Other Noted Writers.

| Some Stories of Longfellow. Hawthorne
and Other Noted Writer'S
A ''society' woman at whose table
Longfellow was dining asked him: son,
Mr.. Longfellow, have you ever pub
lished bookp' This was alter two
thirds of his life-work was done. llaW-
thorne says that in his later years ne
met many people who knew him well as
the ex-sulveyor of the Port of Salem,
but who never knew that he had writ
ten any thing, and had not even heard
that there was such d book as line
Scarlet Letter." Even the genial "Auto-
GRAFT is not appreciated by every body
in his own town. One day an American
gentleman went into d BARRIERS shop as
DIR. Holmes was going out. ''Do you
know who that was that just went out?'
asked the barber. Being curious to
see what account of DR.. Holmes the
barber would give, the visitor shook his
head. why" said the barber, ''that's
old DR.. Holmes" ''And who is DIR.
Holmes?" '.Oh; he's been a doctor here
good many years. / believe he ain t
practicin' any more, but he's thought a
great deal Of"
A crushing remark was once made
by would-be flatterer to Mr.. W. ID.
Howells, the American novelist. Shortly
after the publication of 1.-The Lady OF
the Aroostook,'' "a Foregone Conclu-
5ion,n and Venetian Life, a lady asked
that gentleman for his autograph,
whereupon he wrote some impromptu
verses in her album. She read them
over, and then gave an encouraging
smile. "Oh, Mr.. Howells," she OK
claimed, Il should think you might do
something for the papers and maya
zines; I've seen much worse things than
that in print!'
When even Dickens and Thackeray
met with experiences somewhat similar
to this, the small fry can scarcely hope
to escape. Men we'll known in other
walks of life are scarcely less fortunate
than the novelist. Take, for instance,
the story told by a clergyman as being
part of conversation held by him with
an ,Englishman to whom he pointed out
General Grants residence in New York.
The Englishman asking: What name?"
and seeming to attain no further light,
the clergyman repeated it to him and
said: "Of course, you have heard OF
General Grant? He was our President
for eight years, ending in 1877"
''Ah!' remarked the Englishman, still
with no evidence of recalling a fact
previously known.
Then, too" proceeded the clergy
man, ''he was great General, and was
in command of 100000 men at the
close of the war. You remember our
late war, of course?"
.'Well, no. was the answer. "Beg
pardon, but l have just arrived in this
country, and was so long at sea that ]
have not heard the latest news. / was
at sea sixteen days, really"
This gentleman was scarcely abreast
with the times, and his ignorance
reminds one of Mark Twain's IA
nous question to a railway carriage
bore: adam? What's his other
name?n
1t is really surprising how few emil
nent Americans are known to the aver
age general reader" in England. Tn
America, the names of many of our
men must he familiar in
consequence of the frequency and IA
with which their actions are
discussed in the columns of most of the
great newspapers. One is surprised, in
deed, to see English affairs dealt with
as if England were only some two hun
bred or three hundred miles from New
York.
Greatness is paid homage to by some
people in peculiar ways. Every body
must remember the story told in con-
nection with Victor Hugo. The great
poet was startled one morning by the
intrusion of three Englishmen. "Vic-
tor Hugo" said one, consulting pocket
book. The poet bowed, thinking that
he should be asked for his autograph
next. After the visitors had stared for
q few seconds the pocket-book was again
consulted. eleven o'clock; the lionsr'
said the spokesman. Then the party
bowed and walked out of the ROOM
Chambers Journal.