New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-23
CARLYLE IN AMERICA.
THE AMERICAN ORIGIN OF THE AMEkl-
CAN COMMITTEE

,-yrpSON AND CAELILE-CATlNLE 40 ~ A"i-''i-
c,v u.ruor-MR. BEsANT's oPiNloN-cAE-
,y1.r.s LOVE FOR THE TRUE AMERICA
HIS OWN AccoUNT-ThE AMERICANS
WHO APPEAL TO AMERICANS TO
SAVE CARLYLEs HOUSE
London. February H.
=. MAY no as well TO ctate expressly that TIE
a,neric,, Committee for the Carlyle Memorial is
entirely independent OF the English Committee,
though Of course the two work In harmony to
the same end. The movement is an independent
ono No Englishman. so far as l know, has had
ANYTHING to do with the American effort, al
though il is true that few Americans have had
something TO do with the effort here in London.
The American Committee is American in ORR
gin as Il Is in composition. 1t is American also
in aim. On this last point also there seems to
have been a misunderstanding Mr. Laurence
Hutton misunderstood for one. He and others
seemed 10 think that the English had appealed 10
the Americans to help them. That is not so at
all. Every American name on the English hs'
is there either spontaneously or in answer to
some American appeal. There are seven In all
and they are all Americans living in LONDON
They all Joined the English Committee before
any American Committee in existence or
thought Of The United States Ambassador MI
Bayard is at the head OF them MI iou''e'
Bgelow. Mr.. Arthur Warren ana are lou'n"'-
sis Mr.. Howard Potter is an American oaiNei'
MIR Henry $. Welcome an American merchant
in London and Mr. B. F. Stevens, United states
Dispatch Agent. l believe Mr.. John Bigelow mas
since joined at the request of his son. out mat Is
. ne~sonal matter Mr.. Aston. Mr.. Pierpont
Morgan and one or two others sent subscriptions,
HI, are not on the committee here, and Mr. Pier
hoply fhp NJ
mjttee and will receive all American subscriD-
tons.
Whether this plain statement will assuage the
n,,riotic sensibilities that have been reused in
some quarters l cannot tell. l wish TO raise no
controversy and TO join in none. l do but state
the facts. The origin Of this American wish to
DO honor to Carlyle's memory may be found in
Concord. Massachusetts, American soil. If there
be such The inspiration of ii is Emersons 5; an
American if ever there were one, and one OF the
chief glories of American Literature if not the
chief l said the other day that If Emerson were
alive he would be the first TO join in any enter
prise having for its object any reasonable hon.
age 10 Carlyle. Nobody VINO knows the history
Of their relations will doubt that II was EN-
erson who introduced Carlyle to America. as it
was Carlyle who introduced Emerson to Eng
land The first American edition-nay the first
Resartus" was Emerson's "Sartor" appeared in
Fraser in numbers Emerson made acquaintance
with that extraordinary book In its magazine
form; collected the parts and caused them TO be
published in Boston by Messrs. James Munroe
& Co. in 1886. If there be an English EDITION
bearing an earlier date it was privately issued
reprinted for friends" That is the date OF the
beginning of Carlyle's influence upon American
thought We discovered him. He belonged to
us as much as he did to the English, or more
our Scottish friends will not allow anybody To
say that he was English at all But put to
them again the question: rs there such thing
as English Literature. and If there be. is or Is
not Thomas Carlyle one of its heroes" And
put TO the patriotic American this other ques-
ton: Have we have not any part in the
splendors Of English Literature. or do we mean to
cut ourselves off from It and renounce our liter
AIRY birthright?" Let US consider that, not In
spirit of irritation of captiousness but largely
as large question ought to be considered II 1t
be question at ALL it is a large question And
will quote a fresh piece Of English testimony;
Mr. Walter Besants, who says this same month
this:
AS regards modern writer. when the Amer-
cans adopt him. 50 TO speak when they receive
him into their libraries welcome him. learn from
him, delight in him. ne becomes an American as
well as an English writer.
That is the general proposition of this eminent
English author Is 1t for our interest or honor
to dispute 1t? Now comes the application:
The question about Carlyle Is simply whether
he is in this sense, an American writer have
they adopted him? Do they learn from MN?
Let us remember that there is small modern
current literature belonging To and common to
all English speaking countries. For instance. we
place Tennyson and Browning in this our com
mon literature, together with Lowell and Longfc'-
low There is also a current local or national liter
in i'll -spe
Ing of minor poets. minor novelists. minor essay
lists, who do not cross the frontiers of their own
country. The influence of Carlyle In this coun-
try has been enormous. 1t would appear from
Mr. Laurence Hutton's remarks that 1t has not
been great in America. Perhaps then Carlyle
does not belong TO the current common Nterd-
tune.
Which is a neat example OF the reductic ad
absurdum. But. again to avoid all sembance Of
controversy. ! will take what Mr.. Besant says
on the Stevenson meeting IN New-York. lie
speaks OF Robert Louis Stevenson belonging
Ito the common literature Of the English-spe
ing races-not the local provincial literature Of
Great Britain. Of the States. of Canada. OF Aus
tralia-but the common possession Of all" Then
he goes
The meeting held in honor OF that man;
ne was p Scotchman by BIRTH he not
dweller in the United States, but he was &C
knowledged to belong to the States. TO be part
of the honor and glory Of the States. just AZ
much as Lowell. was claimed TO belong TO us, al
though a Republican and an American to the
finger tips.
That memorial meeting IN honor OF Carlyie's
fellow Scot. Stevenson, maue no slight impress
sion on English opinion. The fact that the meet
Ing was held at all seemed remarkable. None
was held here Mr.. Stedmans eulogy on Steven
son is reprinted in 1.-THE Author" the official
organ OF the English Society Of Authors. Mr..
Besaht says Of 1t: Had / not heard Leslie
Stephens address on the completion Of the
Lowell Memorial In Westminster Abbey ] should
have said that did not know a single English
author capable OF such an address as Mr. Sted-
mans.-so dignihed so beautiful so worthy of
the writer whom 1t illustrated" If Mr.. Stedman
could lift himself to that height of homage 70