Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-06
CHATS ABOUT NOTABLES
MRS. cOlQuTT WRITES OF FAMOUS
PEOPLE SHE HAS KNOWN

siAssy L.nier. ths Southern Post-Ds-
lixhtfuI Prsntice milford = Archibald
Forbes, the War Correspondent-ArA
Mary r. Bryan. Novelist. Poet. Editor.
| SPECIAL Corr.poedeneal
ATLANTA FEB 4-Undoubeediy the most
| striking figure in southern literature IS Sid
| ney Lani=r No Que else has achieved dis
| tinction In 50 many fields, and ne stands to-
day Is the foremost MAE in purely literary
| matters that the south has ever produced
His BOYS Frotssart. : King Arthur" The
| Welsh Legends, manifold articles in prose
for magazines and papers, his Centennial
cantata, the long poem Corn, and bis large
volume OF strong, inpassionei poetry. stamp
| him rs a genius of deathiess fame. His nu-
steal skill was marked, his mastery OF both
Cute and violin being complete, think the
mos; thrillingly sweet music | ever heard
| was ais imitation on the flute of the swamp
/ robins call. | knew Mr.. Lanier for the
| space of ten or twelve years, seeing him only
! at rare intervals, ami receiving from him
| occasionally noIe or snort letter in his Pc
| cuhariy dainty, tine lined hand
| The last time saw ilim was in Bruins
| wick Ca He was there on visit TO his
| wife and csiidren. who were making their
temporary home with Mrs. Laniers father
1 and brother. Sidney LanIer was then strug-
Cling in Baltimore, trying 10 get living
foothold a lecturer IN Johns Hopkins
| unworthy and member of choice
orchestra, in which, if | mistake not, ne play
| ed the violin. had heard Of his frail health
| and was surprised TO see MIN looking 50 well;
MS figure was not spare, his face was full
and his coIorng good He wore soft, long
. 70, Al1r II.
He was tall, erect, well made, features deli
cate yet strong, eyes of mystical splendor.
! HIS voice was rich and mellow aud his man
ner gentle He delighted in the bland air II
/ Brunswick in the wide reaches of STILL
waters and green bronze marshes, the moss
| draped water oaks and ali the allurements u
that time worn. >einitropical city, and
| wrote some of hi gran,.est poems there.
What can compare in word etching with the
following lines taken from The Marshes of
| Glynnf'
4 Simmons southwark aud sinuous uorthward the
| shlnmerBg band
Of the sand leach fastens the fringe OF the marsh
/ the folds Of the land;
Inward and outward. To north ward and southwark,
| the beach lines linger and curl
] As silver wrought garment that clings to and
i follows the firm. sweet limbs Of a girl
Vanishing. swervng, evermore curving again into
| sight,
Softly the sand beach was~rs sway to a dim, gray
| looping of light
| A mutual friend odd ME OF a beautiful
comparison SIR Lauer made to her He had
! been spending the evening with her in her
/ lovely home, and as they came out on the
moon flooded piazza together she called his
attention to the fragrant festoous of spotless
Lanar9ue roses that wreathed tine columns
All, yes" he said, lovely, lovely; beauti-
iul enough to be cry.tallized moonbeams y
| If I.anier is considered BY some obscure and
! u follower OF the poet OF the Opaque it
/ Is because they have not studied him thor
\ oughy, with the clalrvpyance that comes
| from an intense and earliest nature and one
attuned, like his, TO the saddest minor chords
| in the harmony OF life This gloriousy gifted
man breatned out his pare life one Septeni-
Der morning in tent pitched among the
North Carolina mountains, where he had
gone in search of RELIEF from that dire dis
/ ease, consumption.
have been told that b. nad no one with
him but his wife, that faithful, congenial
woman who bad b1en Ais rest and comfort
4 through many sad and struggling years /
/ Would he have chosen otberw ise, To pass, .
I like Matthew Arnold. though fleet from
sweetness into light his last earthly glance
resting On the wide, blu. extent Of ma jestic
/ mountains, his hand clasped in that of tho
! dear aud loyal woman who had sustained
him in life and who was endowed with n
4 spirit brave enough to support him to the
entrance of the valley OF tine shadows. Truly
poet death,
Stilled IL his song, like sound of summer birds,
/ flushed is his symphony linked to celestial
words;
Musician poet gone to chant in higher spheres
: The heavenly hlrIlOnleS too fine for ears
Prentice Mulsord. Ny first knowledge of
/ this strangely original man was through his 1
magazine and newspaper sketches, which APP !
pearcd generally in California publications |
| | soon made IT a custom to turn first, in the |
magazines, to the articles bearing his sigma |
/ ture, sure That whatever subject he touched
/ upon would be handled from an entirely |
| novel and unhackueyed standpoint which !
( often clothed an ordinary topic with dear |
| ness not its due His long experience as a
| practical miner gave him an insight into GER |
| tain phases of life not 10 he cultivated in any
| other way. He was the associate both in |
mining and in literature Of Bret Harte and |
| joaquin Miller. He reported for American
papers the Paris and Vienna expostions and |
! it Is safe to say made his letters highly inter
| esting.
! He spent several years in London and was
cordially esteemed by some of the most ad- |
yanced and exclusive literary circles. He is |
a sngulariy independent man and makes his /
! friends wherever it suits him to do so, with |
out the leas; regard 20 personal advantage |
| While was living in New York about ten or |
twelve years ago, | say "A line in The Herald |
to the effect that Prentice milford would de |
liver an address at - Broadwa y-some one
private pariors | knew that there could be |
but one Prentice milford, the combination
of names could never occur but once We
found about twenty or thirty oddly assor ted
people gathered together to hear the lecture
Mr. Milford stood by a small table and |
studied his appearance carefully. He looks
as little like a literary man as any one
know He is forid His hair and mustache are
light his expressive, alert eyes light gray or
blue Ills manner Of addressing an audience
is modest, almost shy.
In the lecture to which refer he recounted |
some of his mining experiences, and oh how
irresistioly funny he wasl WHAT quips and
9uirks! What raillery and humor. Ali told |
so quietly, simply, ! heard Mr. milford
many times. One OF his most noted lectures
commanded large audience in California
hall at the Centennial.
At the time that / saw most of him be
was writing for The Daily Graphic, prepar-
ing among other ehghtful matter that
sparkling, pungent cotuinn on the days do
inss. | saw a great deal of Mr.. Milford, and
never left his presence without feeling of
mental gam and refresnment. Every theme
he touches, either in conversation or in writ
ing, becomes flooded with the calcium light
of his superb originality. visited them once
at their summer lodgings at Port Richmond,
S L., where they were living. in true Bo-
herman fashion. in the queer little hotel and
in the very roouis where Aaron Burr died
Now. as all men know. Prentice milford Is
devotng himself 10 deep and vital questions
He mas written nuintertess striking pamphlets
in the Red Cross Library" on profound
topics, among them, Where We Travel
When We Sleep" Consider the I.ilies,n
THE Slavery of Fear" And be stands in the
front rank OF those VINO think and write on
the most occult subjects of advanced modern
thought
Archibald Forbes is known wherever the
English language is read as the most distin-
guished new spaper correspondent connected
with modern warfare A hero as great as
any who gained reaown in actual combat, a.
ne ran tae ,sine, sometimes even greater
risks AMI freely haxarded mis- life time and
time again "a the most desperate chances |
met hjm ia Atlanta, Ga, first at a large re-
ception given by Governor and Mrs. Colquitt
to a congress of physicians that had assem-
bled in that city. Mr. FORBES was at that
time man OF strong physique and youthful
appearance. His face, though not handsome.
was so resoIute and intrepid as to attract at
tention anywhere There was 80 much force
and courage IN the man that it showed In