Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11
CARLYLE IN CONTRAST.
Two Pictures of the Old ScOtchman
Thirty Years Apart.

From the New York Tribune.
Il went to see Thomas Carlyle" said
DIR. Theodore l.. Cuyler, I" at his house in
Chelsea, not far from the Thames. AS
l entered the room where he was / found
him sitting at his desk with open
German volume spread before him. He
gave me an impression of scrupulous
neatness. he was dressed almost COM
pletely in black. wore surtout, high
cellar, open at the front, and an old
fashioned black stock, and looked at first
sight altogether like a substantial coun-
try deacon appareled on Sunday morn
ing to go to meeting. But his head was
the massive head of Carlyle. Over it his
iron-gray hair, well brushed out above
the high forehead. -Four of the great
men l have met have come up to the
physical standards our fancy has set for
them. These tour are Gladstone, Web
ster, Carlyle and Whittier. You could
not have passed them in crowd without
turning about and looking after them
and admitting that they were entitled
to be called kings of men. One of the
guests at dinner given for Webster
cnce told his hostess that Webster must
be a fraud because no man could be so
great as he looked.
Thomas Carlyle's first words to me
We're. You're vera young man. to
which l responded, Yes, but I'll get over
that, i hope Then ne repeated nv name
and said: 'Ye're Dootch, aren't We? When
the Lord made Dootchmen he gave thin
mair coorage than any other nation.
Wnin Pheclip sent the Dock of Alva to
squelch the Dootchmen, the Dootchmen
squc.chcd the Dock of Alva like rotten
egg. This he followed up by calling
Napoleon bit rid rag of Friedman
told him he should come TO America.
and he said: 'Ah, We can talk ABBOTT we're
democracies and all yere ither cracies.
but the secrit of yere happiness is thot
We have vast deal O. land for a vera few
people Then told him had just come
from the land of Burns and that the
man who kept the cottage where Burns
had died had killed himself drinking to
the health of Burns. At that he let out a
great peal of laughter and said: Dye tell
lne thot? All. but bit drap'u send a
mon lang way
B1ographers on the sides of both houses
rave told us much of Carlyles domestic
life that should never have been told but
II you ask me what think of it, I'll say
that if you unite a man who's fearfully
dyspeptic and who suffers much from in
somnia to brilliant, proud-spirited and
sensitive woman, you have all the mate
rails for spontaneous combustion Thirty
years afterward l again saw Thomas Car
lyle. L was in London and wrote him a
note reminding him of my visit of thirty
years ago. and requesting another inter
view. The reply l got was probably the
shortest letter ever written. 1t was the
scrawl, Three pm. T c. And at 3 p.m.
l went with my friend, Newman Hall
After we entered the room Carlyle entered.
In place of the strong, hale man 1 had
seen thirty years before there shuffled
feebly Gcross the room a limp old man.
with hollow cheeks. red spot as big as a
smiling burning III either cheek and clad in
long blue gown. He sat down and glared
at us In peculiar and rather terrifying
way. 1t was difficult to start CONVERSE
ton with such man, and by way of do
ing so 1 introduced my friend, Newman
Hall, whom l thought Carlyle must have
Eeard of. His reply to my friend was:
An where do We live. sir?' Newman Halls
top hamper came down with a rumble
as the sailors say. spoke of John Bright's
popularity In America. and Carlyle said:
john Brights naething but a Manchester
holman. He ought to go to parliament with
strap around his waist an samples in
bis pocket He was in a pessimistic vein,
and expressed the belief that England had
gone down into cesspool of utter damna-
ton. During our interview he must have
used the word 'damnable' twenty times.
but after each outburst he would give
vent to hearty laugh"