The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-07-21
THE GENTLE sATIRIsr.

4 10 Wi1tt ABOUT ''Dtdo anu ON rs
that Pass in the Night aud 1.-The
Yellow Aster;r or to crticise Caesars
Column" and Looking Backward !"
| know it is the day to 60 wild with
, admiration over some trashy novel
about which the literary sharpers of
London cablegraph "such and such a
book has set this city on fire. The
magazines are full of it," but some
how, | don't feel like talking about
any of these subjects. therefore I'm
going to leave them entirely alone,
and write about great author that
has been dead for over thirty years
dead. but not forgotten. | mean the
great Thackeray. For SO many months
have been reading and re-read-
ing his novels. his Vanity Fair, +"
his Henry Esmond," his New
comes" his "Virginians, his Per
dennis;' and have spent SO many hap
Ply hours lingering over his Literary
Essays" and Ground about Papers,"
and -Four Georges" that now, when
l want to talk about them, to tell you
how much | admire. and love, and
reverence the mans great intellect and
noble character. such an host of friend
| ly persons comfort me, that among
them, scarce can make any selection
at all.
W ell then, I'll talk first of the ma
gician, and afterwards of his magic.
First of the artist and then of his art.
TO me jamie. Thackeray is not an
image comured up from the pages of
q biography, mere phantom of the
brain, but he is living, breathing
human being.
l seem actually To remember his face,
his honest, kindly face the broad fore
head crowned with its silver hair. the
blue eyes beaming in kindly humor
behind the gold-rimmed spectacles, the
sweet, serene mouth. And then the
| noble stature of the man, tall and COM
manding; possessing the dignity and
grace of gentleman, not dancing
master. l like to picture him walking
down Pail Mall, with one of his blossom
crenies," or sauntering alone. into the
Garrick Club rooms. Indeed, | like
to think of Thackeray always; in the
great London drawing rooms, where,
fancy, his appearance was more
striking and impressive than genial :
in the bright studios of the poor young
artists of Paris; in those gay, sunshing
ateliers, where much of bis own youth
was spent at the easel. like to think
of him, standing at midnigh on the
lonely deck of ship, and looking at
the holy stars above him and the
dark rolling pillows beneath. l also
like to think of him, wandering among
| the parlors and corridors of the St.
Charles Hotel at New Orleans, in that
'.springtime long ago" Above all else,
/ love to think of him. as he was in his
own pretty home, reading Charles
Dichens' stories aloud to his little
daughters, or correcting the proof
sheets of the "Cornhill Magazine.
Yes, the image of Thackeray is
always pleasant and dear to me; indeed
so pleasant, that often when reading
his pages stop short in the midst of a
sentence and take a look. as it were.
at the author This makes the words
more forciable. And then, when pict-
ure Thackeray to myself. and remember
the gentle tenderness that flowed
through all his life, it shocks me to re-
alize that many people regard him only
as cynic.
| That he has wonderful power for
sarcasm, that he is brilliant in wit, |
do not deny. But, think his sympo-
| thy is even more marked than his
satire. His tenderness for all that is
weak and helpless, his tender reverence
for goodness and purity, his honest adj
mlration for all sorts of heroism and
manliness and his leniancy with good
natured faults-these are the charac CT
eristics of Thackerary's novels. To be
sure, there are few subjects about
which he is Observation-Disclosures
and sham, and "woman's inhumanity to
woman" on these themes, he is Alto
gether sarcastic and severe.
Speaking of George Nv, he says: Il
look through all his life and recog-
nize but bow and grin. try and
take him to pieces, and find silk stock
ings, padding, stays, a coat with frogs
and fur collar, q star and blue rib
bon, pocket handkerchief prodigiously
scented, one of Truefiitts mutly brown
wigs reeking with oil, set of teeth
and huge black stock waistcoat, un-
der waiscoats, more under waiscoats,
and then nothing"
This is q true specimen of Thacker-
avs wit He tired to reach a man,
and there was no mar to be reached
only big display of fine clothes, q
great big sham.
And for such pretense. our author
has no sympathy. Whereas about some
faults that are innate in race, he is
very humorous. All of his lower class
Irshmen are big, warm hearted, drunk
en- rascals, but in spite of it all Thack-
cray loves them, Just as he loves jolly
Dick Steele.
OF negroes, he gives a remarkably
true, just estimate. Never for min
ute, does he pretend to say they are
scrupulous about the accuracy of their
statements, but he seems to think them
good enough people. Somewhere in
one of his Roundabout Papers," he re-
marks, "a favorite liar and servant OF
mine was man / once. had to drive
my brougham,' and them proceeds to
fat1 tho faIloxu,o rood f,.o sfo fa,ife ord