Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-10-06


Grundy In grudging astonishmcnt. AMI
thus the man who In his youth had doubt
less dreamed that he would live forever |
with the great Elizabcthans. masters at |
once of life and literature, like Ra'eign |
aud Sidney had to he content with a I
half-sueccss and left the European siage |
with a reputation insultingly incommen-
surate with his ambitions and abilities.
'0f course the fault WINS oven Creates
on the side of the audience than OH that
Of the actor. Few Englishmen know aay-
thing about poetry or care for it in any
way, and just as the term artist sug-
gests poverty to them, so the word poet
suggests Il harmless form of lunacy, or Mt
least a wilful effeminacy even more con
tempiible. In spite of his great abil tvs
and many charming gifts Mr.. .ansse
Lowell was rated in England much below
his worth. Mr.. Bayard has not suffere
in the same degree from lack of COM
prehension. He came to England as n
simple gentleman with no adventurous
recommendations and Englishmen at
once recognized him for what he was
and honored him accordingly. For. cur
iously enough, this people thinks more OF
gentleman than of an artist, or poet,
or saint, or even of captain or states.
man: they hold the heroic cheaply aud
cherish their convention pass:onntely,
perhaps because it has more to do with,
manners thnn with emotions. Some timi
elapsed before ordinary Engishmrn be;
gan TO see that Mr.. Bayard was gentle
man of a wonderful type. They wanted
him us an Ambassador now and then
to stand upon his dignity and administer
the snub genteel. They hoped That he
would be very exclusive and refuse to
know that poundcr or the Semitic who
was nothing if not familiar. But 30; Mr.
Bayard had no touch of aristocratic
morgue; he met everyone with the same
gentle courtesy. and his kindlinFss needed
no armor of pride to protect him against
liberties which no one thought of tak-
ing. Was it his fine presence-the tall
slight figure with the handsome face and
silver hair-that held the vulgar tore
sppct. or was 1t the touch of deafness that
nccentunted natural dignity? We pre-
fer to believe that Mr.. Bayard's sympa-
thctic kindness brought out the pest in I'LL
who met him. he listened to the most
insignificant with such evident interest;
he was MT such pains to understand the
most inarticulate that every ,ne protected
Tim as a sort of pubic treasure that none
had right to monopolize. Those kindly
blue eyes. and that sunny expression that
showed such love of life and yet was. 30
fleeting as not to exclude thoughts of
life's sadness. won Mr., Bayard much
affection. i X
. But perhaps the rarest quality Of tle
Il: a oiY ~
have indicated already that there WAS
no touch of pose or pride or self asser-
ton or vanity. or priggiehness or conceit
about him. but the negations go but q
little way towards establishing his noble
ingenuousness. He seemed to have moth
ing to conceal, and nothing that heS
pecially desired to put forward. Even in
intimacy no one ever heard him tell a
loose tale or touch risque incident; but
with this reserve he was eagerly INFER
cstcd in all that men do or suffer or en-
joy. lie was delighted in n cruise OIL n
torpedo catcher with Lord Chas. Beres-
ford. and he seemed 10 take as much
pleasure in the cricket match between
Eton and Harrow as he did in n debate
in Parliament. He liked athletics without
being nm athlete, and was highly intelli-
gent without leaving the impression Of
intellectually. At all times and in all
places he stood for mans freedom and
brotherhood with a courageous optimism;
there was in him no faint of the patriot.
sectary. Although he cherished high
belief in the nobility Of man and in the
future of the race, there was no oh rii-
sion of religion or hint Or superstition.
He loved ideals because they appealed 10
his manhood, and yet he was not lack
| ing In worldly wisdom, He was simply
u man OF exquisite balance and eharm-
| ing temperament.
Our readers will perhaps wonder
| whether we intend to present this <ur-
| iously beautiful nature as an ordinary
product of America. The question were
=, easily answered: Fine characters are
rare. We imagine, as fine poets. But 1t
| is curious to say the least of it, that men
like Mr.. Bayard are not as rare in Amir
| lea as they are in most countries"
The London Daily Telegraph, alsu in
| speaking of a farewell reception to AIr.
| Bayard says: rj
| There was much more. however, than
| the mere grace of international courtesy
about the compliment paid to the Ameri-
| can Ambassador. 1t was, as could be
perceived in every word of the Lord
Mayors impressive speech, and in the
hearty applause which it evoked, ines
sage of fratcrnal goodwill AMI affection
| from one of the two great Engish-sppak-
| ing peoples to the Other; and thar Mr..
Bayard so felt and acknowledged it was
equally evident in every word of his tlo'
auent and dignifed reply. In his account
of the spirit in which he mas so admirably
discharged. of the motives which inspired
him, ana of the high ideal which he pro,
simple recital of story which every
| act of his official life ms imparshmnly
| inscribed on the diplomati, records Of thp
two countries. No minister who had
not thus justly and nobly conceived of the
| relations which ought to subsst between
England and America, and Of the part
which Providence designed them to play
| in the great drama of humanity, could
| have so acquitted himself as Mr.. 1}ayard
has done during his Term of office. He
did not touch, and he did well in moi
| touching, ON those specific causes of diff.
| ference which for Il time embarrassed
the relations between the English and
American peoples, To do so wouli have
been TO commit the Roman )irence OF
marring an suspicious occasion by the
| utterance of ill-omened words. Put We
| all remember, and We are all grateful
to him for the 'yeOman service" which
he rendered to the cause of peace and
goodwill in that hour of crisis; and on
| this side of the Atlantic at any rate. we
rttl Ia it,,,x saI ~