New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-28


common; none more hostile TO the yulgarity OF
thought amid which he passed his life.
But II Milton, why not Shakespeare 4 once
asked Dir. Bright il it was true that he ono not
read Shakespeare He said:
II is true, don't read him."
win you tell us why p
He gave the very oldest reason ever heard
1t Is the dialogue that spoils him for me-
The break from sentence TO sentence,
the question and answer, the continual Interrupt
ton of the thought, divert the attention ana I'M
pair the interest The How Of thought is MOI sps-
tanned the style goes to pieces
There Is no arguing with this, nor did 1
want to argue But the answer may stand o an
intellectual novelty. Tho Bible he knew weil
and II Bright's own incompatible style now and
then suggests any original it is the greater prophets
Of the Old Testament Whether his reading was
very various even among English poets may DC
doubted It Is singular that next to Milton tne
one whom he most quoted should be Gtorge
Withcr. have his own authority for it, he
said to me once +" II you come across qpota-
ton in any speech of mine which you don't rfcog-
nlze. it is probably Wither." He could hardly
explain what it was that attracted him in tins
obscure writer for obscure he is, and hardly more
than two or three of Wither's poems hold their
place in literature. Late in life Bright lead,
think, not very much except current wripn@
on subjects that were nearest 10 him. De NEW
the latest pamphlet on Ireland. and the newest
popular arguments for Free Trade. de hd
habit which was not critical Of mentiq1ng
these ephemeral writings in some speech q ms
own with unstinted praise. No advertis@ent
could be so effective. He sold countless thouhnds
of Mongrcdien's treatise by such an allusiont ana
other thousands Of poor history of EnFano.
He was not critical Even Milton had not fdmed
his taste in poetry He pronounced q pangyrlc
on such very mediocre verse as is to be pund
in the Epic OF Hades.H Mr.. Lewis Mdrlss
popuari Y, such as it is, dates from that sentnce
Between Mr.. Bright and Mr.. Gladstone conpaSD
were more numerous than reseInbhnees, Du no
contrast was stronger than between their poih
of reading Mr.. Gladstone has read, and noes
read. widely in at least half dozen languages
and his reading of the best books is contlrpouS
Both of them read the last thing before Sleeping
Mr., Gladstone reads Homer. Dir. Bright feao'
NOT even his beloved Milton. but the lasopam'
INLET somebody had sent him. and yet Dir. biao'
stones English style is one OF his weak poinf ana
Mr.. Bright's English style Of his strong poiniS
What q natural genius in the use OF wdds ne
must have had
What Mr. Bright liked ] have always fought
in poetFy--at any rate, in modern PetrS-
was the sentiment rather than the
poetry There is no evidence that i laow OF
tAat he cared much for the delicate art y Lord
Tennyson, or for Matthew Arnold in all hs force
and purity. His fayoritc among living q recent
writer's OF verse was Mr.. Whittier. Mn Bright
and Mr. Whittier had much in commot Both
were members of the Society Of Friend. Both
were AbolitioniS,s, and there were otler like
nesses on which need not dwell Mr.. Whittier's
anti-savery verse had endeared him 10 bis Eng
Fish co-relgioniSt whose enthusiasm embraced
much more than the autl-Slsvery verse Of the
American poet He admired the simplicity, tho
courage, the fervor IN holy cRUse, tho
faith in great things which are among
Mr. whitters best gifts. He admired him alto
Eether, quoted him, talked of him with height
One night at dinn@-I may he INDUCED IN saying
that 10 WAS at my housc--Mr. Bright turhed the
conversation to Mr.. Whittier. The ladies had
gone TO the drawingIoom.
"0f course you read Whittier"
Yes, have read him.
sBut, / mean, read him often. Do you mean
to say you don't know him by heart?
@No, not much by heart
Not his best things9 Don't you know Snow.
bound can't you repeat it?'
And upon a general admission from the four
or fre that were present that no one Of them
could repeat IT, Mr. Brights eye kindled, he got
up, walked to the fireplace, put his back against
the chimney piece and acclaimed the whole poem.
can sec him as he stood there, his beautiful face
lighted up with the glow about him and the
deeper glow within him; his voice subdned 10
the size of the room, but not less rich Deep
melodious, and true than II riding out 20 thou
sands his gesture, not frequent but decisive and
sometimes dramatic Sir. Whittier never heard
his own poetry 50 recited. ] thought should
tell him of the scene / ncyel did, but hope
somebody will tell him now. When Mr.. Bright
bad finished, we went up sttrs. He carried
Whittier with him, and talked d him 20 the ladies
ns he had talked to us; not, as said before,
critically, but with deep feeling and real appre-
hension Of what Is best in him Nor did 1t end
there Mrs. Proctor the deliAtful young lady
Of eighty, as Mr.. Lowell called her. was there;
alert, fresh, energetic, keen-wited, as she always
vas. think Whittier was new a her; not familiar,
at any rate She listened int,ntly. When the
company broke up, she drove Mr.. Bright home
gave him lift is the phrase bere / saw hHr
again not long after, and she told me thai le
repeated Whittier 10 her in the carriage all the
kept II standing o minute or two in front OF his
door while he finished what he Ind in hand.
In the society Of London Mr.. Bright was
unique figure. Needless to say he never was
man Of fashion. There wnsls long period dur
ing which the world Of fashion held aloof from
him. II ended before he became Cabinet
Minister and Pnvy Councillor. The Tribune
Of the People, as some OF his friends used to call
him, had ceased 10 be thought dangerous by
the Classes lie was asked often TO all sorts
Of houses and TO all sorts Of entertainments.
While breakfasts were the fashion. he went 10
breakfasts / think your friend, Mr.. Joseph |
Choate, Of New-YorlS will remember meeting him
nc breakfast and walking home with him across
Hyde Park. Mr.. Bright, know remembered
Mr.. Choote, and asked about him more than
once afterwsrd; be was charmed with the Ameri-
cans manner and talk, and quite forsaye him |
for being @ great lawyer. Lawyers, great or |