New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-23
TENNYSON.
PERSONAL NOTES AND JOTTINGS OF TIE
LAUREATE,

should now be rife SO many tales and anecdotes
Of Tcnnyson. No man ever disikcd such Things
more than he. Seldom could he be induced to read
or 10 listen to personal incidents of other great
men II was not that he felt no interest IN tllem'
But the dclicscy of his nature was supersensitVe'
and he shrank from looking into the private lives
of Others just he had horror Of others looking
into his own life Yet half Of the literature about
tle Laureate consists OF anecdotes, and Of these
largo proportion relates to that very dislike of pub
lcity. There is one. that will be historic. of
call which the Prince of Wales once made upon
him Tennyson had new page-boy, who knew
not the Prince, and who had been warned against
admitting strangers 70 The house on any preteXt
One day the Prince walked over from Osborne to
coo tho poct lie gained the entrance. which was
of itself no easy task, and Knocked at the door
Masters not in" he was told. The Prince, de-
tccting that this was a promiscuous answer. wh1ch
IL was the page-boy's instructions TO give to all
comers said: will you kindly tell him the
Prince of Wales wishes to see himp' The boy
eyed the visitor with an irritatingly knowing
lool, and replied "Walker!' which eQuiva-
lent TO SAYING Do you see anything green In my
eye?o This rude remark amused the Prince very
much. but the boy would certainly have slammed
the door in his face II Tennyson himself. who had
been listening to the conversation, had not put In
An appearance and welcomed the Prince to his
Freshwnter home.
A fitting companion. piece TO this scene Is found
In n visit paid many years before by the frinceS
fatbcr A maids answered his knock, and
saw tall, handsome gentleman, whom she haa
ocvcr seen before Without giving his name, he
asked If Mr. Tennyson In. She answered In
the negative: all the family really being out.
He then turned to go, whcreupon she asked II he
cared to leave any message. No" said he,
"cxcept that you night, II You please, tell Mr.
Tennyson that Prince Albert called
Many Interesting anecdotes relate TO the atti'
tudc u the country people toward their ilustrlous
ncighbor Sydney Dobel relates that they were
much amazed at his bad hat and his unusual
WAYS. and believed devoutly that he wrote his
pocsr~ while moving the lawn. Frcshwater boy
WIS once asked II he knew Mr.. Tennyson " lie
makes poets for the Queen, said the boy what
do you mean ?" said the Inquirer. Il don't know
what they means said the boy, but p'licem"n
often sees him walking about a-making of EN-
under tn, stars Another good story was told
BIZ Bishop Wilberforce At luncheon at Black
down. close to TTaslcmcre, a gentleman told the
Bishop the following conversation that passed
between a stranger and q resident Mr.. Tenny-
-on lives here. does not hop "Yes, he does
He is n great man. Well, don't we'll know
villa. YOU call great, but he only keeps one man
servant, and he doesn't sleep In the housel'
Yet another tells OF cottager near Farringford
who said ono day TO his clergyman: "They tells
me that this ere Lord Tennvson's great poet"
Certainly he is-a very great poet And I've
been rradin u man named Shakespeare-he was o
great poet. too" Indeed he was well,
said the rustic critic, as he struck his space ueep
into the soil. II don't think nothing O. neither
OF em.'
Few people know Tcnnyscn and his pecuari-
Ties better than did his neighbour Mrs Cameron,
the wcll-l5uown Photographic artist, who made
fine series Of character portraits. By photography.
70 illustrate Tcnnys ms poems Tho history OF
hcr .enrch for and selection Of models for these
characters Il interesting Maud" was a starving
Irish girl who served her both as model and
waitirq-mal The story Of her " Oenone' Is this
Mrs Cameron was at Oxford While walking In
the High she passed very beautiful elri.
Going Nd 70 her she asked who are you
I'm Mrs Donkin's cook" replied the mald'
Mrs Cameron got her address, called on Mrs
Donl,in. and obtained permission TO take the girl
20 Fr,shwafor for o time a. model She Is
Oo,on. The snonel TO tho story OF Mrs.
Camnron's Maud IS too pretty not t. DO given
When Mrs Cameron held her exhibition In Lon
DON Null was sf'nt up WIN Nh"f''N'' ~ -
plain the pictures TO tho public. gentleman
came in one day, end after having asked several
questions, left. year or two afterward he
nos.od into the Indian Civil Service, but before
a,artinr for the East he went down to Fresh
water and knocked ut Mrs. Cameron's door, beg
vim for Maud- hand. The beautiful Maud was
willing and they were married.
To his friends however Tcnnyson's door and
heart were always wide open. Good testimony 10
this ct.cc, Is given by Theodore Watts. who SAYS
What has been called his eXclusivcness Is en-
tirrlv mythical He the most hospitable OF
mon II was very rare indeed FOR him % part
(,om n friend at his hall door or nc the railway
station without urging him 20 return as soon a
possiblc and generally with the words. Como
whenever Won Ike Tho fact is. however that
for many years the strangrst notions seem TO have
cot abroad as 20 the claims OF the public upon men
of genius There seems to be scarcely any one
who does not look upon every man who has passed
into the putgatory OF fame as his or her common
property The unlucky victim Is TO be peste'ed
by letters upon every sort Of foolish subject ana
70 be- hunted down in his walks and insultcd by
scnscess adulation. Tennyson resented this ana
50 did Rossctti. and ~ ought every man VINO mas
reached emlnence and respects his own genius
vo,,hcr fo,ne nor life itself Is worth having such
terms as these. one day LORI l"hnNSoh With
walking round his garden at Farringford. saw
pcrchcd up In the trees that surrounded IT two men
who had been refused admittance AT the gate-two
men dressed like gentlemen He very wisely gave
thc public 20 understand that his fame NOT 70
bc taken M an abrogation Of his rights rs pri-
VAT. ENGLISH gentleman. For my part. whenever
hear any one railing against man of cminencc
with whom he cannot possibly have been brought
;r.o contact | know at once what IL menns-the
miler has been writing an lie letter TO the emf
ucnt one and received no reply"
Nevertheless. Tcnnyson did write letters. Prob
nblv he had a vain hope that theyiwould be do
stroved lie once told Sir Henry Taylor that she
thanked God Almighty with his whole heart and
soul that he knew nothing and that the world
knew nothing of Shakespeare but his writings and