The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-10
agle
COLONEL JOHN HAY.
A Literary Man Said to Be Slated for q
Diplomatic Position.

Diplomatic Position.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, March 2s-There are some
indications which lead public men at
Washington and in New York city to the
belief that it is the intention of the presl-
dent to appoint Colonel John Hay TO tie
French mission TO fill the vacancy caused
by the resignation of Whitelaw Reid. If
this proves TO be a correct impression it
will be something of coincidence, in view
of the relations which were established
thirty wears ago between Colonel Hay and
Whitelaw Reid.
From the time that Colonel Hay, as the
private secretary of President Lincoln,
young man who had just attained his ma
jority, made the acquaintance of White
law Reid. who went to Washington as the
correspondent OF the Cincinnati Gazette,
the relations between these two men have
been those Of most intimate friendship.
After Mr. Reid became the editor OF The
Tribune he urged Colonel Hay to become
permanent member of The Tribune staff.
That proposition was declined because
Colonel HAYS business and literary under
takings made it impossible for him TO &C
cept prolonged editorial engagement But
on various occasions, when Mr.. Reid took
a holiday, and when he celebrated his
honeymoon By an extensive tour through
Europe, Colonel Hay became pro tempore
the chief of The Tribune staff.
In diplomatic training Colonel Hay has
had greater experience than Mr. Reid en-
joyed when he went 90 Paris as minister
representing the United States govern
ment. Colonel Hays familiarity with the
executive departments which his expert
ence as private secretary TO President Lin
coin gave to him and his subsequent ap-
pointment 10 diplomatic post in Spain,
most admirably fitted him for the career
of a diplomat Very likely he would have
looked forward to such career with de-
light had not bis time been very much en-
tailed by obligations which he had entered
into in this country.
The estate of his father-in-law, Amasa
Stone, required the services of a very CON-
petent business man, and found them in
Colonel Hay. Moreover he regarded it as
his life work in a certain sense 10 tell in
permanent form what the life and achieve
ments of Abraham Lincoln had been.
Colonel Hay realized very early in the ad
ministration of Lincoln that the president
one of the great figures Of the Nineteenth
century. Therefore, in collaboration with
his associate. Major Nicolay, he kept every
scrap of evidence which could be utilized
as history, with the determination, after
sufficient period of time had elapsed, to
tell exhaustively the story of Lincoln's
life
It was prodigioUs literary undertaking,
and it required more than ten years to
complete it. In fact it is not completed
now, as a supplementary volume is to be
issued in the course of a year or two.
Colonel Hay and Major Nicolay had no
idea of great pecuniary remuneration
when they determined to tell the story of
Abraham Lincoln and to give to the world
an authentic and exhaustive record of that
marvellous career. They hoped only TO
give to the world life of Lincoln which
would be enduring and which would say
all that in future generations it was neces-
sary to know of him.
The two authors were somewhat aston
isbed when they received a proposition
from the publishers of The Century Maya
zine to print this biography as serial,
and they were at first not disposed to &C
cept it. They were in some doubt as to
whether such publication would be entirely
dignified
Prevailed upon rather against their in
clinations, they were little surprised to
find that the editors of the magazine had
more accurately judged public opinion
than they had themselves, for probably
nothing Of a serious nature which has been
printed serially in the magazines in this
at-rr haC ,ln,-
cess as the Life of Lincoln" by Colonel
Hay and Major Nicolay. Moreover, the
pecuniary rewards were large If COM
mon report is true, each of the authors
received something like 1000 for this
serial publication.
Nevertheless there is little doubt now that
Colonel Hay would have made his mark
as literary man even had he not gained
fame by reason of his official relation to
President Lincoln. Many of the critics re-
gard his 'Castilian Days" as even a finer
specimen of literary skill and descriptive
charm than is Mr.. Howells' venetian
Life" Curiously enough, in a spirit of
fun and with some idea of showing by
parody the defects and weakness of some
Of Bret Harte' dialect poems, Colonel Hay
wrote two or three poems of that kind.
He supposed they would be received in the
spirit of fun, and he was amazed to find
that they were accepted as sincere, and
that they received a higher tribute as liter
airy productions than any of Mr.. Harte's
efforts had obtained. The only effect of
these publications, so far as Mr.. Harte's
poems are concerned, was upon Harte him.
self. He perceived at once what John
Hays purpose was, and he stopped writ
ing dialect poetry and professed to be
ashamed OF all his poems and especially
that one which brought him his fame,
"The Heather Chinee"
If Colonel Hay goes to Paris as the sue
cessor of Whitelaw Reid he will be able
fully TO maintain the repute which Mr..
Reid has gained there. He has the same
acquaintance with public men that Mr..
Reid enjoyed; he is a most charming
speaker, especially over the dinner table,
and the science of entertainment is fully
understood by him, while his great wealth
enables him TO practice it. Yet he proba-
bly, would prefer to remain in this coun-
try dispensing hospitality in his Wash
ington house, enjoying the society of cul-
tivated persons and of his splendid library
Z. j. EDWARDS.
journalism I'm Rurmah