New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-24
A GOOD FRIEND.
aNMTEREsT1TG CHARAoTER

$780, Macmillan a. Co.
Thomas Poole. the subject Of this memoir. pos
sesses two claims to attention. In the nrst place
as the friend. adviser and. helper Of Coleridgs
and IN, associate OF Wordsworth, Southey, Hum
nbrev Davv and many other notable men; IN the
econd nlaca as one of those strongly tndviduaized
eharaoters. the number Of which is diminishing
with the progress Of democracy. Tom Poole, as
ALI his friends and acquaintance called hun, was
the son of a well-to-do tanner at Neither Stowey
i'm somersetshire At an early age he manifested
powarful intelligence and masterful ways lie
was one of those who seem born to govern
and direct others and in whom feebier folk tacltiy
recognize administrative and directive superiority
so that they naturally to be centres oil SOCIAL
activity and business enterprise and are leaned
t,non bv hundreds. Nothing could have been
more natural than for so infirm soul as D. /.
Coleridee to fall into this relation to Tom Poole.
Tbe latter was not only self-suficing hut pos
sessed large surplus vitality and energy which
he was accustomed to dispense freely. lie eau
Gated himself largely, and became fair scholar
his strong good sense enabling him to make the
most of ali his requirements That he was
man of natural distinction is clearly demonstrated
nv the high opinion of him held by SO many men
of mark. Another indication OF TINS Is the ease
with which, when he travelled on the Continent
he secured admittanoe TO people OF the hrs' coll
MIA that he was somebody" and all who talked
with him became convinced that ms appe~r"n00
did not belle him.
He prospered in his fathers business, though Ia
.xcuth he had dislixed it greatly. The french
Revolution made q somewhat fiery Repuphcan Oh
him. and, as he was arbitrary and dogmauc III
HIS expresson. it is no wonder that he shocked
and sometimes disguised his conservative reiatiohS
and friends In some respects, lndeeo' ms manner
must always have been against him. CultNatihg
when young an exaggerated ciownisnness 10 en-
phasize his democratic creed, he SO assimliaOea
this rouch way that in after life he could not
shaba "A oH His temper also was hasty, though
his erplosions left no rancoE NO doubt ne musU
have given offence often as the following anecdote
NAV suggest At certain dinner party one OF
ths guesfs. stranger, persistently depreclaOeo
Coleridpe and Wordsworth: This Poole never
eould endure without an outburst; accoroinsS
he boiled over with indignation, ana Oei0re nc
could be iudiciously got out of the room hao toio
tbe rev4er in the most emphatic manner tnat ne
was n fool peacemaNng friend Followed MN
into tho garden where he was fumng ana panoihs
and soon brought him round to state OF extreme
nenitenoe Did l call him a fool how very
wrong OF me, how very wrong. Would II DO
w. sood IN anologizep am sure if it would
s5ye him any satisfaction, would apologize IN
o rooment, So into the house be returned, ana az
,,noa began 70 express his regrets. am sure
sir am very sorry / am very sorry was SO
rnds "a vou iast now. i apologize most sincerely
wish I wasn't so hasty. IL was extremely
,,,rone Of me- But-but-but with great gulp'
as IL he werc all but cholrng)-how could you DC
such id ioolr'
II mnst be said that this is the worst case
recorded of him. though Southey once said here
comes Tom Poole, clodhopping over my leeilhsS'
Southey. being less friend than an acquaintance
-,erhans made fewer allowances lie used to say
that Tom Poole is not content TO De your irIeuu'
he must be your savior" Wordsworth, DaVy'
,bs wedrewoods and poor Coeridge knew better
how staneh ana warm heart Pooles somewhat
ouch exterior covered These volumes contain
a great deal of interesting correspondence between
CoI.r,dre and Poole bat it is for the most part
ynelaneholy enough. One sees Coleridge going out
into the world filed with hope and ambition, ms
mind warming with literary projects, hardly any
,bino Of which he was TO realize; and then, only
too Quickly, the fatal lethargy Of his tempera-
ment began to weigh upon him, ana MS
homeless impracticahty TO dig pitfalls ior MS ieeV
IA is doubtful IL he earned his own hVlng
single year after he was married. WeogeWoou
sars;onsd him. and the pension maintained his
wife and children. Tom Poole supplied him
from time to time with money, none of which
was ever repaid BE was always lamenting his
condition and writing begging letters; and like
most people who sponge upon their friends ne
GINS norbjdly sensitive and quick to take offence
Several times he broke with Poole; once because
the latter would not lend him one hundred pounds
with which to spend winter at the Azores.
When Coleridge took to laudsnum lis moral
character never robust, went to pieces, aau ne
was lost man. But he was always more inter
estiue than the world will ever have an idea
Of
Conversation was his forte and unfortunately
he was never reported. Had he Dved IN ohe
psriod of stenography, type-wr1tng ana phono-
graphs, we should doubtless have han 'ne mono
loeues Of the old man eloquent reported at
iIsnott--hnt then again had he lived later he
wouN have been voted too slow for anything"
ana the public would have dropped his meta
ra,vsical discussions as they dropped Inc
Tri,uds that most impossible of periodicals. Inc
intensely uractical mind of Tom Poole inevitably
reyolted from the interminable subtleues ana
day dreams Of Coleridge, and he was CONTINUALLY
though fruitlessly, trying to brace his frlend UP
and stimulate him to some useful enterprise
ultimately he realized the futility OF the ehorb
and towards the last the correspondence between
the two virtually ceased, II is &C once interest
ing and amusing to find Wordsworth regarded as
"a suspicious character Poole had secured for
bin house at AlioAuen, DeionbhS " 1855 ~
lAIbyn. When she learned who her tenant was
she was indignant She held the poet OF Rydal
Mount TO be a positively disreputable person,
ana though Poole wrote to her pledging himself
moot solemnly for the Z" entire responsibility OF
his friend. the lady was memorable, and words
worth received peremptory notice to quit.
De Quincy met Poole and took to him, des-
cribing him as an ideal model for a useful
member of Parliament ). . A stout, plain-look-
ing farmer, leading a bachelor life in rustic,
old-fashioncd house." but who turned out to be
a polished. wellread gentleman, who had travelled
widely, who was devoted to the poor OF his neigh,
borhood, the counsellor and helper of all around
him and the executor and guardian to the