Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-10
CHAT ABOUT THAckERAY.
With a Specimen of the Charming
Private Letters He Wrote.


Private Letters He Wrote.
From the Philadelphia Times.
A further talk about William B. Reed.
who seems to have proven an almost in
exhaustible subject.
Reference has not been made to his init
mate acquaintanceship with William Make
peace Thackeray, the distinguished satirist-
novelist. These two gifted men were united
by bonds of the most cordial intimacy, and
upon two occasions when the English
writer visited this country William B.
Reed was his close companion. This rela-
tionship is most charmingly portrayed in a
memorial Of Thackeray written by Reed
shortly after the death of the author of
Vanity Fair" and "Pendennis and of
THE Virginians and other equally famous
works of standard literature. 1t is small
volume, which was intended only for pri-
vate circulation.
Thackeray's first visit to Philadelphia was
in January, 1853. He brought very few
letters Of personal Introduction, and seemed
more anxious about the reception accorded
his course of lectures on English Humor-
lists" rather than about any merely social
success. My personal relations TO him.
wrote Reed, happened to become very in
innate. He seemed to take n fancy to Inc
and mine, and l certainly loved him. He
used to come to my house, not the abode Of
wealth and luxury, almost every day, and
often more than once a day. He talked
with my little children and told them odd
fairy tales; and now see him tthis was
his second visiD one day in Walnut street
walking slowly along with my little girl by
the hand; the tall, gray-headed, specialized
man with an effort accommodating himself
to the toddling child by his side; and then
he would bring her home: and one day,
when we were to have great dinner civ
to him at the club, and my wife was Ill and
my household disarranged, the bell rang
and l said to him: must go and
carve the boiled mutton for the children
and take for granted you don't care to
come, and he got up and with a CHEEKY
voice said: love boiled mutton and chill
dren, too and 1 will dine with them And
we did. and he was happy and the children
were happy, and our appetite for the club
in my home"
Isn't that delightfully."- Thackerayian: II
love boiled mutton and children, too?"
In the most entertaining way Reed told
Of how Thackeray voiced the admiration Of
America. Il met him once at the house of
friend" he said, land there happened to
be an odd collocation at the table. There
was guest a man of brilliant talent of
mature age, and high education, measured,
at least. by our American standard, who
was distinguished by two peculiarites--his
remarkable physical resemblance to Thack-
cray and the fact that although upward Of
fifty years of age, born and bred in Ken
lucky, he had never crossed the Alleghe-
MES before, and never. until that very day,
seen ship or any square-rigged vessel.
Ifey-the bright backwoodsI1an, who had
never looked upon the ocean, and the vet
eran Londoner, who had made an Indian
voyage before the days of steam and had
seen fat man in white clothes and big
straw nat at st. Helena called 'Buonaparte'
were a charming contrast. The year 1863
carried both TO their graves, one in Kensal
Green and the other on the banks of the
Ohio.
1T was bright moonlight night on which
we CIhackeray and - walked home from
that dinner, and 1 remember well the walk
and the place, for l seem to localize all nv
assoclat lions with him. and L asked him
what. perhaps, he might have thought an
ABSURD question. What do you honestly
think OF my country, or, rather, what has
NEST struck you in America? Tell me cam
"a guy, Tor shall not be at all angry or hurt
II 1t be unfavorable or too much eated if
IL be not And then his answer as he
stopped 1--WE We're walking along Penn
sSqusre) and turning round to me- said:
I on Know what a virtue-proud people we
English are? We think we have got If ali
to ourselves. Now, that which impresses
me most here is that 1 find homes as good
as ours; domestic virtues as gentle and
cent be little different with its homelike
melodies. and the Common PRAYER Book in
your families. 1 am more stirred by pleas
an a ~, t sa than by anything else
nae keray seemed SO much pleased with
a merlca that Mr.. Reed for a while har-
nor ,s a. belief that he might be tempted to
sulate In this city becoming vacant hv tha
sudden death of William Peter. Mr. Reed
wrote 10 Thackeray, then in Washington
ee s ~ MN al TO to take the place if he could
is worth reading, as follows:
, NIX ANDERSON'S MUSIC STORE
Z p enisyI'anla avenue, Friday.-My Dear
h ne withdraw the Mr.. as wasteful and |
ridiculous excess) and thank Won for ths |
laHous autograph and the kind letter in
closing It, and the good wishes Won form
a aT me. Ihere are half dozen .houses /
cnn lay AZ anoW IN Philadelphia where 1 |
could md very pleasant friends and com
pahy' ana that good old library would |
give me plenty of acquaintance more
f put nome and my parents there, and some |
re" irlenos L have made in the last TWEEN
ts-nVe years, and tolerab!y fair prospect
Oh an honest livelihood on the famiIiar |
LONDON hagstones, and the library at the |
"A thenaeum and the ride in the park, and |
10 Paris now and again. and to Switzar
land and Italy in the summer, these are
lie.ie temptations which make me not dis |
conlehted with my lot about which |
srumpie only for pastime and because II ia
AZ EhSllshman's privilege. Own now that ali |
lnese recreations here enumerated have a
Pheasant sound. l hope l shall live 10 en-.
10y tnem yet a little while before 1 20 to |
NoA ct domuS eXiliS Plutonia' whittier
poor kind old Peters has vanished. So that
saturday was to have dined with him.
and MRS. Peters wrote, saying that he |
was Ill with influenza, he was in bed with
ms last illness, and there were to be no
more whistler parties for him. VIII Whis
ter himself, hospitable, pig-tailed shade
welcome him to hades! And will thew sit |
1oWn-no, stand up-to ghostIy sumner
aevourlng the iphthimous psychasof oysters |
ana all sorts of birds? 1 never feel nitv
Ior a man dying. only for survivors. if |
mere be such, passionately deplorine him
\ gu see the pleasures the undersigned pro- |
poses to himself here in future years-a
sight of the Alps, holiday on the Rhine
ride In the park, a colloquy with pleas,
ant friends in the evening. If 1t is death
70 part with these delights (and pleasures
tney are, and no mistake), sure the mind
can conceive others afterwards: and 7
know one small philosopher who is quite
ready TO give up these pleasures: ouite
content (after a pang or two of separa
tlen from dear friends here) to put his
nand into that of the summonfng angel
ma say, Lead on, o messenger of God our
rather, to the next place whittier the Di- |
vine Goodness calls us!'' We must be |
olindfolded before we can pass, l know:
out have no fear of what Is to come
any more than my children need fear that
the love of their father should fail them.
l thought myself a dead man once. and
protest the notion gave me no disuuiet |
about myself-at least, the philosophy is
more comfortable than that which is tine
tured with hrimstopo 80 >AS