The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-04
BIRTHDAY OF CARLYLE.

BIRTHDAY OF CARLYLE.
Today is the centenary of Thomas
Carlyle. One hundred years ago the
strange man was born. Fiery in tenn
per and cutting in tongue he was from
his earliest. lisping age, terror even
TO his parents. his old father threshinS
him on that account many and many
q time. When mere boy he attend
ed church and, disguised with the viol-
snce of the minister, he arose and
cried Indignantly: Eye may glover
and blink your cen at me till you are
blind. and I'll no believe such stuff"
No man has really ever fathCmed
Thomas Carlyle He had a mission
to perform and performed it, but there
Is no indication that he cared whether
he performed it or not. He did not
know exactly why he was on earth and
what was intended for himself. For
he himself said that the chief elements
of his destiny lay too deep below view
or surmise and can never be known TO
any son of Adam.
But the man did accomplish much.
He awoke the corrupt England to it's
immoralities, its shame and its cruel
ties
Yet he asked nothing for it for him.
self or his. He did not care for money
or for life. He did not care for fame.
Goose goodness which men call fame.
Ach Gott" he cried. He found no
enjoyment in life. His wife he may
have dearly loved. but her principal
duty and pleasure was TO c0ncOct some 1
thing for his troubled stomach.
And yet no more vigorous scholarly 1
man ever lived. His history of the 4
French Revolution is the most scathing
arraignment of aristocracy in history:
his apoStrophe to Childhood in Sartor
ResartuS one Of the tenderest things
ever penned.
HIS literary style was as peculiar as
the man and to some minds. as unin- /
telligible He viewed nothing through
conventiGnality or tradition. His idea
of the revolver was not like that OF
any other writer's before or since. He
admired the revolver because ut made
all men alike tall
His phrases were complicated. Lon
don after he had been in the town a
week he nicllnamed Fog Babylon"
and the whole city had the appelation
on It's tongue within twenty-folr hours.
He never complmented anyone thar
he did not qualify the compliment with
criticism. He approved nothing hur
birth, childhood and death: explained
birth and death vigorously and lust
as vigorously swept his own eNplaDa-
tons away with doubts. He loved
TennySon, knew him as a cenius vet
spoke of him as sitting on dung
heap. surrounded by dead dogs of old
classics" He loved John Sterling and
wrote the tendereSt tribute ever given
by one man 10 smother. vet he said OF
him. Mem: Not TO dine again verr
soon where John Sterling is 10 be. he
maddenS me with inceSSant inanities."
he loved Leigh Hunt. whom he called
the talking nightingale. and who acted
Ike a mendicaBt friar. as if noverfx
were special virtue TO he rewarded
He loved Emerson. yet said of him
that "he is happy child Of philosophy
chasing butterflies of fancy over the
summer fields"
Charles Lamb was "diIn-a5 irSo-,
ity. He never could have known an,
sad story Of Charles and Mary Lamb :
So tenderly guarded. or he would nor
have said this. for Carlyle had ever .
tender heart Jane was my dame. nv
JEANNE. or dame goody: his own neo- !
pie he never nicknamed. nor aRvopa
but her whom he really loved. Golfer.
idge was the Kantean meraphvsician ,
and quondan poet; George Sand \ !
great improper female: a volume could
say no more: himself a verb: ALWAYS :
being, necessarily ADDING, continual
ly a-su4ering.
o'Connen. whom he met in Ireland
that poisonous professor Of Rlaruev. !
Harriet Aartineau. her awful pres
ence; MazzlnL rosewater inlbecile. ana !
even adam 4 fortunate orans-ou,anc