Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-06-17

ideal to express he might have
less difficulty in expressing them. Ihls
was the substance OF what it took sew
eral pages of the leading reviews to
say. The London Quarterly, which on
the whole was perhaps the most ignor-
ant, bigoted and brutal publication ever
tolerated in any country, dealt with
him in a style that passed for humorous
In Squire Westerns stables, and Chris
topher North was hardly less brutally
and ludicrously offensive. Tennyson
was defended by his friend Hallam,
whom be has immortalized by his "In
Memorium," and on the whole was not
discomftted by the professional critics,
knowing, perhaps, that the professional
critic is of all men the most unreliable
In his judgment of others, because his
habit Of sitting in judgment on others
cannot fail to cultivate his egotism at
| the expense Of his intelligence.
Tennyson had made up his mind to be
professional poet and he set about 1t
in businesS-like way. 1t is not mers-
| " that he let his hair grow and Guilt
waited systematically unconventional
and picturesque appearance. Though
there are those who believe that every
| thing he did in this direction was done
methodicslly, il is more to the purpose
TO know that be made up his mind TO
devote his life to writing verse, and
that in order to do so he resolved TO live
IS best he could on very small income
he had Inherited, relying on poetry to
| increase it if it was ever TO De Increased
at all.
In 1897, or Whereabouts, Tennyson be-
came acquainted with Carlyle, and it is
said that Friendship based upon close
kinship of tastes sprang up between
them;', that they went for long walks
together and often dined together at the
! Cock Tavern on the Strand; that they
met in Carlyle's house in Chelsea and
had wit combsts recalling those OF
Shakespeare and Ben johnson at the
Mermaid.
In one Of his letters to Emerson Car
lyle gives a sketch Of Tenuyson which
has the merit Of being picturesque, even
though some may not be able 10 under
stand the reason for speaking OF him as
the son OF "Gentleman Farrier."
alfred" writes Carlyle, "is one Of
the few British and foreign fgures-a
not increasing number, l think-who
are and remain beautiful to me-a true
human soul or some authentic approx
nation thereto to whom your own soul
can say brother. He often skips me In
his brief visits to town; skips every
body, indeed, being a man solitary and
sad, as certain men are, dwelling In
an element OF gloom-csrrying a bit
OF chaos about him, in short,
which he is manufacturing into
cosmos. Alfred is the son OF a
Lincolnshire Gentleman Farrier, l
think; indeed, you see in his verse
that he is q native of meated oranges
and fat pastures, not OF mountains,
with their torrents and storms. He had
his breeding at Cambridge, as il for the
law or the church. Being master OF q
small annuity on his fathers decease,
he preferred clubbing with his mother
and sisters, to live unpromoted and TO
write poems.
SIN this way he lives still, now here,
nov there; the family always in reach
of Lo don, never in it; he himself max
ing RAJ and brief visits, lodging in
some ole comrades rooms. l think he
must be u. der 40-not much under il.
One OF the finest looking men in the
world. A great shock Of rough,
dusty-dark hair; bright, laughing,
hazel eyes; massive, aQheline, face,
most massive, vet most delicate; OF q
sallow brown complexion, almost In
dian-looking; clothes cynicSlly loose
free and easy: smokes infinite Tobacco o.
His voice Is mu,ical, petallic-ht for
loud laughter AMI piercing wall and all
that may lie between; speech and spec
ulasiOn free and plenteous; l do not
meet in these lats days such company
over a pipe. We will see what he Will