Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-14
POET AND PRESIDENT.
How Edwin Arnold and Benjamin
Harrison Talked.

Mr.. Arnold's Letter to the London Telegraph.
A few steps led from Abraham Lincoln's Gus
tomary council chamber to an inner official apart
ment, where at this hour President Harrison
was sitting in debate with certain of his minis
tiers. On receiving my card he did me the
signal honor to receive me at once in the
inner council chamber. Rising from a group
of Secretaries of State, comprising Mr.. Noble,
Mr.. Proctor and others, the President ap-
preached with cordial welcome to Washing
ton on his lips-a courteous, kindly, shrewd
and business-stamped gentleman. of middle
height or less, with light hair, beginning to
''catch the snow" simple in style as were his
surroundings. After some very friendly words
our dialogue took some such shape as this:
You are pleased, l hope, with the states?'
.'Who could fail to be pleased, Mr.. President,
having eyes to see and mind to appreciate?
ANY reasonable Englishman must be proud and
glad, think, to be able to wander over SO
splendid country and never feel himself other
wise than at home in this your transatlantic
England"
I've know you have always been and are q
true friend to America"
II consider myself half an American. Nv
children bear the American names Of .Emer-
SON and Charming; my late wife was an
American. l represent in very humble way
the bond of common blood and language which
i CLOSER
tween the countries"
1--WE hope that, too, most sincerely; and nv
son, who has just returned from England, as
sures me that good will and good wishes toward
America are more and more felt in England"
Il venture to say, sir, that that is so. A con-
stantly increasing number Of Englishmen-and
/ trust and believe of Americans, also-ardently
hope that no question will ever again arise be-
tween us which cannot and will not be settled
by reason and by right-the only proper arbiters
between two such peoples"
THAT ought to be so, and will be so, il We
make proper mutual allowances for each other.
What has impressed you chiefly in your jour-
neys here?"
THE magnificent distances Mr. President
see a large terrestrial globe standing by your
chair 1t makes me think rather ruefully of
DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes line, when he de-
scribes the western giant as
'Twirling the spotted globe to find ua'
'Ah! we do not measure Great Britain by
her acres! She also is 30 large that we never
could have remained under one government
even If the war Of independence had not hap
Eyes! Still it is sad to think that that stupid
affair of the Boston tea chests was caused by a
majority Of single vote in the house of COM
mons"
well, il we had remained one people geo
graphically You would have had to be gov
erned from Washington, perhaps, - We are pre-
ponderant in numbers and area"
.'As to that, sir, you must put Canada and our
colonies in the scale, and India. However, I
hope that, together, England and America will
some day dictate peace, in the interests Of uni
versal humanity, TO the world, and that the
language Of Shakespeare win become that Of
the globe"
some further general remarks, the pleasansin-
tefviev terminated.