New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-21

or stones with her fatner III INC TO-
sunshine on the Pincio. and adds. ne wa"
never fatigued or annoyed-outwar"''' '' ~
as much control over the man we saw IN MN
sentinel on duty Therefore he p'o.eou''
with the tossing of the pebbles, geniahy 'nous''
ouiet,v NOT exbibitinC the least reluctance. and
uttering n few amused sounds. ike meno"
woodnotcs" Urconsciousy perhaps Mrs' La
throD confirms here the testimony OF her
mother The child was enchanted with her
game but the observer standing apart catches
that sense Of austere reserve which belonged u
, the "self-mpelled Greek statue. Is aware vi
man who could use the most chvairous cour
tesy toward children, could love them proiound-
w. and yet never quite artlessly uhpc"u ~
their companv. He could he jolly with them
Nrs Uavtborne describes him ut fun length
| undor the trees with one OF the children adorn-
ing him with blades Of grass. But even IN 'ha'
moment of careless joy he Is not careless; 'he
| character of the man stays immobile ana I'M
passive upon the horizon OF criticism On the
same page which bears the allusion to the
games in Rome. Mrs. Lathrop mentions ma"
tborne's manner of enjoying n cigar. He
puffed very deliberately. as If smoking were
rite" Possibly these trifing traits sprang from
his New England inheritance. showing that lie
took life with the gravity of his ancestors
cause of the genius that in him, because
OF the dreaminess in which his temperament
was saturated. He was extraordinary COM
bnation of the two seemingly antithetical ee-
mcnts. He at once a native or Ne"-hhs-
land ard an inhabitant Of "faery lands forlorn
His work * In nothing more remarkable than
its fusion of the purest romance with the BALD
est fact In some fragments which Mrs. La
throp cites from "A little "Scrap-Book or 1898
there are illustrations of the same mixed IN
SEPARATION. There is no romance perhaps III 'hs
passage which follows, but II IL as indubltapiy
significant of the writer's Imagination as II IS
Of his observant eye Sitting in his office on the
Long Wharf. at Salem, where his duties as
United States Surveyor chained him for such
weary period. ne looks out of window ana
writes; "Schooners more than any other YES
sells seem TO have such nam IS as Betsey, Emma
Jane, Sarah. Alice-being the namesakes OF the
owners wife. daughter or sweetheart They are
q sort of domestic concern. In which all the ram
ily take ar interest. Not a cold. stately. unper-
soniied thing, like a merchants tall ship. per-
haps one of half dozen. in which he takes
pride, but which he does. not love, nor has a
family feeling for. Now Betsey, or Sarah Ann,
seems Ike one Of the family-something like n
cow"
Perhaps II Hawthorne had let himself go mere
often on the note of humor. OF drolery, which
comes H. a little shyly. at the end of the foe
going quotation, he might not have impreSsei
the world the type Of severity which Is so
clearly SO, forth in this volume. But his hu-
nor was ltful. his gayety restrained and transit
tory beyond the habit of even those men who are
not counted frequent laughers. Thus Mrs
Lathrop declares that her fathers "en1oynent
of frolicklng fun was as hilarious rs that ac-
corded by some of us to widest comic opera;
she adds that ''he had a delicate way of throw
ing himself into the scrimm Ige Of laughter"
but she hints that the way very delicate
that there was always an element Of the most
jealous f-polse in IT, and she concludes With
the admission that "he never far removed
from his comparion--a sort OF NirSil-his knowl-
edge OF sin and tragedy at our very hearth
stones" 1t with such a memory in the
centre OF home joys" she continues, that the
Pilgrim Fathers turned toward the door, ever
and anon, to guard il from creeping Indian
forms" II this grave preoccupation made Haw
thorne a little deficient In savpir fa!re, and
caused him to scorn too earnestly Things which
the world can we'll afford to lccept with case. It
also enriched his nature. gave him peculiar Dig
nifty and soiidity. Thus there seems +. etulant
and unnecessarily emphatic resen mcnt of
legitimate urbanty of civilized life In his pro-
test against the white muslin cravat which was
part Of a gentlenan's evening dress In his day
II believe" wrote Mrs Hawthorne. he would
even rather weax a sword and cooked bat, for
he declares white muslin cravat the last abom-
nation the chief enormty of fashion. ard that
all the natural feelings Of a man cry out against
It: and that it Is alike abhorrent TO taste ana to
sentiment" This Is taking q trifie with absurd
seriousness. But it is the identical trait which
is at the bolt pm of some of the most admirable
episodes in his biography When he was living
in Lenox and the wife Of the friend from whom
he had rented his house behaved In an ungra
cous manner about certain fruit trees on the
premises Hawthorne took the little tangle out
of his wife's hands. to save her annoyance and
wrote a long letter TO the exacting disputant on
the other side of the garden wall. That letter,
which may be found in the seventh chapter Of
this volume-it is too long. or 1t would be quoted
here's really valuable illustration OF the
mans character. Courteous temperate, forcible
and as clear as crystal. it shows how the writer's
sense Of right was inleXible as his tact was
supple and charming. The matter was straight
ened out at once was inevitable. PERHAPS n
prettier example Of his discretion is afforded in
the anecdote which Mrs. Hawthorne sent home
from England during the consulate at Liver
pool Monday evening" she says. "Mr. Haw-
thorne went to Richmond Hill to meet Mr.. Buch
| anan oh. Ambassador The Queens
autograph letter spoken Of and, az
1t happens to be very clumsy expressed, Mr..
Hawthorne was much perplexed by Mr. BUchan-
ans asking him. before the whole company at
dinner. what he thought OF the Queens letter
Mr. Hawthorne replied that IT showed very kind
feeling. No.. persisted the wicked Ambassador.
but what do you think Of the stye?' Mr.. Haw-
thorne equal to him. or. rather conquered
him. however. for he said The Queen has per-
feet right to do what she phases with her own
English
| This might be called the rctort OF a courter but
| Hawthorne had nothing OF that sort OF thing I'm