The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-19
HON. THOMAS DAVIS.
He Was Eighty-Eight Years Old
Yesterday.
But That Fact, He Thinks, Does Not
Warrant Newspaper Talk.

Hon. Thomas Davis was lightweight
years old yesterday and today a NEWS re-
porter went up TO call on him and "make
an Item about it," The call was very
pleasant one for the reporter, the hospit-
able old gentleman did not show that
1t was not pleasant for him, but
the result was not as expected. Mr.. Davis
leaned back from his breakfast and told
his caller that 1t was not because OF what
he may have been or done in his life
that the newspapers wanted to write him
up now, for all that had been
published long ago. "It is now merely for
the fact that ] am SO years old am not
deaf nor blind nor bed-ridden. That is
the unusual part, but 1T does not warrant
q sketch OF the previous 81 years, and the
little celebration which my friends made
in my behalf yesterday was OF such pri-
vate nature that there is nothing about 1T
TO PRINT"
The intruder, with note book and PEN
Gil, realized the soundness of the old gen.
tleman's argument and felt half ashamed
OF those storeotyped questions about time
and place OF birth and early education
which from force OF habit he had been
turning over in his mind as he strolled
through the groves OF Davis Park toward
the stone mansion.
But MIR. Davis did not refuse to talk
about other lives than his own. After
saying that everyone who cared TO already
knew that he was born in Ireland, and
came to Rhode Island when he was eleven
In the State Senate and House
and represented Rhode Island at Congress
in 1854, when the Missouri Compromise
was repealed. He went on to talk about
the growth OF Providence, about some OF
the people who had been contemporary
with him in the days OF his own promin-
eDce.
He pointed to a group picture, sur
rounded by the roses on his table Of Elmer
son, Lowell, Whittier, Longfellow and
Holmes aud told the reporter To write
about such men as they had been IL he
must have items about old men.
"Whittier and Emerson were my
intimate friends he continued, "the
other three i only know by their books.
There" he said pointing to the photograph
OF a woman on his mantlepiece," Is the
portrait of Sarah Helen Whitman, prob
ably the ablest poet that ever lived IN
Rhode Island. She has been dead about
twenty years."
Then the ex-Congressm mau talked about
his land, the castle-like stone mansion
that ne had built 40 years ago,
when the land which 1t oc-
cupied was in North Providence
instead OF In the city that bought it some
time ago. This park, that now belongs
to the public, and which, am glad to see,
with a pleasant variety OF level
land and valleys" He pointed
through his window on the west side OF
the house and said to the reporter, who
didn't care whether he had q note book or
not: ."If you will walk along that bluff
when YOU 60 out you Will get magnificent
view OF the center of the city. But you
won't go that way, you won't have time
for such things, no one does now; you
will go out here on Gladstone
avenue and take one of those
electric cars that will whisk you
down into tie city faster than we people
ever dreamed of going in the old fash
ioned days. And everything else goes
tAat-,pay now, but il must be So"
The caller apologized for broaching the
original purpose OF his visit, and Mr..
Davis said: "Good morning-if there was
anything new, except the completion OF
one more year, should be glad to tell
you-good morning"