The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-28
STORIES OF CARLYLE.
Parson MiIburn's Impressions of
the Great Writer.
a PEN PICTUREoFTHE GREAT MAN
His Relations 70 His Wife and His Flirta-
lions With Lady Ashburton-Emer-
son and Carlyle.

WAsHINGToN, Sept. %, 1890. Especial cor
respoadence Of THE Herald. IL had long
talk last night with the Rev. DIR. w. II.
Mil5urn, the blind chaplain Of Congress,
about Thomas Carlyle. DR.. Mlburn was
intimately associated with Carlyle during
the SIX years which he spent in Europe.
These years were scattered through the
most stirring periods of Carlyle's life and
the doctors acquaintance beginning in 1857
when Carlyle was at the beginning of his
prime, extended from that time on until
1876, few years before his death. l asked
DR.. Mii5urn how he
BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH CARLYLE.
He replied:
az had letter of introduction to him
from Judge Mitchell King, of Charleston,
South Carolina. King was a fellow Scotch
man and he and Carlyle had long been
friends. Very many Americans visiting
Europe took letters to Carlyle, which were
often given rather indiscriminately. Now
you must know that in England a letter OF
introduction means much moro than it does
with us. Il is in the nature of a draf,
drawn by one person upon the courtesy and
hospitality of another 1t must be honored
by an invitation 10 at least one meal at the
gentleman's house with presentation to his
family and few hours of intercourse.
Here we give letters ofintroduction TO any
body and everybody and few of them have
more than passing significance.
''Mr. Carlyle was then famous as man
of letters, and he was deluged with intro
auctions. Like Thackeray. he had been a
long time liz securing public recognition,
and 1t Is a singular fact that he was appre-
ciated and honored in America before he
was in England. Here his popularity was
almost boundless, and this fact explains
why so many going abroad sought the per-
sonal acquaintance of one whom they SO
greatly admired. But the truth is Carlyle
tired Of 1t, so many called upon him from
little apparent motive save sheer curiosity.
He once wrote of the United States, "a ma
ton of twenty millions of people, chiefly
bores.n These Americans who intruded
themselves upon him were to alarge extent
men and women of one idea-people with
''isms," vegetarians and enthusiasts upon
one subject or another They thought to
get hearing from MIR. Carlyle and find in
him an encouraging and sympathetic friend.
But they were disappointed in this, for he
was not in any broad sense a philanthro-
pist. These drafts upon his patience made
him somewhat irritable and gave to many
of his American visitors the impression
that he was brusque and testyt to most
unpleasant degree.
''MR. CARLYLE SEEMED TO FEEL
That letter of introduction from his old
friend, Judge King, meant something, and
both he and his wife received me with warm
hearted cordiality. My welcome could not
have been more sincere and hospitable
They were very kind to me and passed
oh 10,
their roof l believe one reason why b,
seemed to like me was that l smoked with
him, thing which most of his guests from
Boston and other parts of New England did
not do. You know-that is, presume you
do-that pipe is wonderful promoter of
sociabllity. l was with Carlyle many times
and never saw even sign of the brusuue.
ness of which had heard Americans com
plain.
Thomas Carlyle had" continued DIR.
Milburn, "a number of Americans among
his intimate friends He liked LongfelloH
and was especially fond of Emerson.
Longfellow noticed his work in the English
reviews long before he had gained great
reputation as an author. The first COPY OF
Sartor Resartus that came to America was
brought by Longfellow. 1t was made up OF
clippings from Fraser's Magazine, in which
a part of the book was first published.
Longfellow cut these out, had them bound
and brought them over to America with
him. He once told me that it was he who
called Emerson's attention to CARLYLE and
through him Emerson began to read these
strong reviews which emanated from
Carlyle's pen. He had learned
TO admire him before he went to Europe.
and while at Rome he fell in with a man
who knew Carlyle and got letter to him.
Emerson took this letter and went to Scot
land and called upon Carlyle at Craigen-
puttock. He spent some time here with
CARLYLE, and the two lay out upon the hills
among the trees and overlooked the coun-
try where Wordsworth walked. They be-
came quite intimate, and Emerson left
Scotland with an increased admiration for
Carlyle. / think, but am not sure, that he
took copy of Sartor Resartus in the ex
tracts from the magazine home with him,
aud that he published these in Boston. and
that this was the first publication, of Sar-
tor Resartus. it was certainly
BETTER APPRECIATED IN AMERICA
than in England and it was not until after
our literary circles were talking about il
that the English took it up. l have chatted
with Carlyle about his writings and he has
told me OF the troubles he had in getting a
Publisher. He carried the manuscript
from one printing house TO another in vain
and finally got the editor CT Fraser to pub
lish it as serial. The editor found it not
at all popular with his subscribers and he
al once began TO receive protests against
the continuance of its publication. Finally
one OF the nohlemen wrote him and asked
him whether he was going to keep on pub
fishing the writings of ''that damned tailor
through all eternity" You know Sartor
Besartus is a book on the "Philosophy of
Clothes and it was from this that the
nobleman gave it its title. The man was
an influential man and this settled the
question. Upon this Fraser's Magazine
stopped issuing the work and it was
thrown back into Carlyies hands until
Emerson took it to America
Senator Resartus was the first work of
Carlyle in the style in which he ACQUIRED
his fame. He had prior to this written in
the classical English OF the day and his
articles possessed high literary merit and
were accepted by the reviews. He got
his latter style largely through the read ing
OF the German, and cut himself entir civ
free from the hidebound restrains of ordi-
nary classical English.
What was your idea of Carlyle,s an
pearance!r l asked.
Carlyle" replied the blind pa-son
twas
TALL AND RATHER GAUNT
in appearance growing thinner in flesh
with advancing years. He had a head like
Daniel WeOster's covered with a luxuri-
ant growing shaggy, iron-gray hair which
hung down like a fringe over his broad
forehead. He was somewhat careless as to
dress. His house was in Chelsea twenty
steps from the bank of the Thames
Here he lived from 1884 until his death in
ISL IL was his habit in the summer even
ings to go out into the yard and sit under
the awning. Under such circumstances /
had many long talks with him
ITO one who is blind the voice is the only
means OF recognition. 1t stands for the
whole face-the entire bodily presentiment.