The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-01
A Recollection Of Lowell.


In reading again the lately published
Letters of Lowell, / have been greatly
struck with his intimate acquaintance
with Nature. his affection for her, and his
! abit of perscEifying inanimate things.
Writing to Mr. Norton, in 1856 he said:
How do love the Earth. feel it thrill
Z Under my feet l feel, somehog. as il il
We're conscious Of my love, as If some
thing passed into my dancing blood from
IT, and / get rid Of that dreadful duty
feeing-'what right have I TO be?'-and
not a golden-rod Of them all soaks i'm the
sunshine or feels the blue currents OF
the air eddy about him more thOughtless-
~ than l." Only a few months before his
death he wrote TO another correspondent.
Il think Nature grows more and more
beautiful and more companionable as
one grows older and the earth more
motherly-tender to one who will ask to
sleep in her lap so soon"
These suggest few words he once
spoke TO me, which. as showing this pecu-
liar side of the man, may be worth re-
peating here.
Some time in the seventies I walked
over from the Piccadilly side of London
with Mr. Henry James, Jun. 20 lunch
with q. p. Cranch and his family. who
were lodging opposite Bloomsbury Square.
We We're met at the door by Mr.. Cranch
and his daughter, and we saw that Mrs
Cranch. standing in a bow-window, was
in earnest conversation with a gentle
man. whose back was turned orr way. In
a moment or two Cranch said Come here
jim: I want you to know two young coun-
trvmen Of ours and friends Of mine"
Jim" came forward. and. 10 our sur
prise. Jim" was James Russell Lowell,
| had never thought that any man alive
could call him Jim" Ny companion
must lave known him before; but it was
my first meeting with the man whom
regarded. even then. as the first citizen OF
America He was quite as charming In
his manner as | had found him IN his
books: one of the most entertaining ana
agreeable persons had ever met and
one OF the handsomest men, physical
~. 7 think. I ever saw. | cannot remem-
her anything Of his conversation. except
that I told him that only a fortnight or
50 before ! Rad dined at his own house
Elmwood. with the ole Bulls who were
his tenants: and that ! had smoked
cigar in his library. and had looked az
the backs of his books. finding no little
satisfaction in reading, among the many
my own collection He replied that he
did rot care so much for his books as
for his trees and could | tell him how
they were looking. and how they were
feeling? I'm sure they miss me-" he
said "They seem TO droop when | 90
away and I know they brighten and
bloom when I 20 back 10 them, and
speak 10 them. and shake hands with
their lower branchesr He spoke serious
~ and tendery, and l was rewarded with
very apprecia tive and responsive smile
WHEN replied "'They half forgive you
being human"
Lowell was associated With one OF the
most curious experiences OF my life
curious because it cannot be explained.
J remember distinctly going 10 a large
dinner at the Savage Club. IN London, as
the guest of Harry Beckett. the actor. |
remember distinctly sitting between Beck
EFT and Samuel Phelps. at the tower end
of one Of two long tables far away from
the raised platform uoon which the guests
Of honor were placed. remember that
II was at the time Of an unsuccessful
movement 20 erect monument TO Lord !
Rvron I'm Westminster Abbey. and that |
the members of the Savage club had sub |
scribed largely for the testimonial. and |
were greatly chagrined at the opposition /
raised in Influential quarters remem-
bsr tina. the Prince Of Wales was 10 have |
presided ~ the feast. but was absent, |
and I remember wondering Afterwards !
what would have happened II he had /
been I'm the chair. | don't remember VINO !
aid preside but I remember tnat the |
several speakers alluded 10 the Byron |
matter. and very bitterly. And | remem-
her when Lowell arose 20 speak tnat
Al
20 catch his words crowded forward to the
dsis IN order TO miss nothing OF his won
derful eloauence. And ! remember Win
absolute dstinctness that this, In part.
&c what he said. clearly, solemnly, ana
most innresslvev. 1.-THE Dean ana Chap-
,o, If your great Abbey OF Westminster
have refused a resting place 20 the pc
a,stal NJ a statue OF one OF the greatest
81 ,,our poets I'm the ground "hiCh ~
..a,,,,.ed nv the rotten ashes OF the mis-
,rosses Of your kings" ! remember per-
ractlv the effect OF these words. the pro
found silence which followed the eaten
ing OF breaths. the looks. or as'oiii7n-
ment. and then the sudden outpurst OF ell
,husiasm and wild cheering.
remember all this as II Il happened
Yesterday And vet am assured WA,
:. ever harnaned al all. am told nv
~ CbarIes Eliot Norton that he never
"a ~ T,owelPs having made such a
~ ,bat he hardly thinks he could
49, ,,aaa such a speech. Beckett ana
n,..,,s are dead can find no one VINO
-. hxara Of such a dinner; | can ma
- ~,cor1 of Il I'm any of the LONDON !
,-,.s,s T could not have invented IL.
49, no, dream H. How DO the psy-
c,oiorists account for t?-Harper
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