Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-17
LECTURE AT THE BEW-CEN1upy CLUB.

LCuluhC ~ tHE nCWTulWluhi oLuo.
An admirable lecture on civilian
Makepeace Thackeray" was delivered
Monday night before the New Century
Club by Mr.. Bliss Perry OF Princeton
College, "As a man Of letters Thack-
cray has been, happy In that, although
he never had q boom like some modern
authors, nor founded school of writer's
although his readers do not catch
their breath as over the stories OF Kip
ling, nor water with their tears his
pages like the roots of The Bonny
Briar Bush, yet his fame has mover
suffered eclipse; the world has been
loyal to him. NJ
"wher, he was a boy his aunt, Mrs.
Richie, was alarmed to find that her
husbands hat lust fitted the boys
head. But, the family physician said;
DO not be alarmed; his head Is large,
but there's great deal in it, When
IL years old he was sent to the Charter
House School. He did not love. it
much then and called it the Slaughter
House,, but after he became famous
his memory Of 1t softened and it
figured as Gray Friars In THE New
comes. He was D pretty, gentle, rather
timid boy, more skilled in verses than
in games. He had a sure sense of
truth and detected the false sentiment
in L. E., L. IS lines on sViolets, dark
Blue Violets, which he parodied in
'Cabbages, Bright Green Cabbaees.
He went To Trinity College, Cam
bridge, whore. he chose his friends
among the gifted ones, James Sped
gerald, Arthur Hallam and the Tenny-
IL Ir,,, chr
buttons for the morrow, but today was
apt to conclude that "a little idleness
does one good, He Thought of writing
for college prize on the poetry, re,
ligion, society and government of an
Client Greece, but instead burlesaued
Tennyson's prize poem on Tim
buctoo,' which he recognized as an cid
poem revamped He left Cambridge
without taking degree; If we believe
that he represented his own expert
ences in sPendennis,' he deserved none.
AFTER he left Cambridge he went to
Germany and settled awhile at Weimar,
where his stay brought fruit in
sketches of life at small German court
| which appear in Fitz Boobies Con
fessions' and Vanity Fair He once
| wore Schiller's sword at a masquerade.
He came back to London and studied
| law, but complained the sun won't
4 shine into law chambers; | long fol
fresh air-and for fresh butter, | would
say, only it wouldn't be romantic.
He became an art student at Paris
When the 'Pickwick Papers took tht
world by storm Thackeray offered some
illustrations for them which Dickens
did not find suitable. When Thack
cray became famous he reminded
Dickens of this, but he would no
acknowledgment ys
| Although his married life was soor
wrecked because his wife's mind failed
he always spoke of marriage as tn
crown of life and made no parade o
his grief through all the struggle h
was called on to endure in Tightening
his wife's melancholy and in caring TO
their two little children. Meanwhile
The Yellow Plush Papers, Barr.
Lyndon and The Great Hoggart
Diamond were passed around from
publisher to publisher. The editor o
| the Edinburgh Review asked of
brother editor, will you tell me, con
fdentially. Of course, whether you kno9,
anything about q certain Mr.. Thack
erayY' Meanwbile Tennyson, who's
poem Thackeray had burlesqued, wa
far on his way TO fame, and Dickens
Kinglake, Stirling all had won thei
, spurs. 1
elm 1s47, Vanity Fair appeared an
his fame was won. 1T is an, exposur
OF what deserves irebnke in public an
u private; not so much an arraignmen
Of life, but of artificial English society
!, Thackeray was not critic standin
outside Of society and rebuking it; h
J was a part of it himself. His las
word, like his first, is one of profoun
melancholy Which Of us has his dt
sire and having it., is satisfied? Let i
/ shut up the box and the puppets.
is surprising that any should G Il it a
amusing book its wit and humor ar
, as the sparkle of steel it Is terribl
: book. fhaokeray had gained an audi
ence now everybody asked him
dinner. WJt.&fs
+" 'Pendepnis' is not so great boo
as Vanity Fair, but it, too, allots fat
] in accordance with character. Blanch
| Emery, with her sham grief, is sketche
with the pen, that showed us Beck
. Sharp, but she lives in a world {
good people w
But Henry Esmond' shows Thaci
} eray's highest art. 1t is more mob
and beautiful than Vanity Fair NJ
! that the plot is hett nor the sty
superior, but there is high bred rt
) serve, classic self restraint, and pun
, conception Of life. and the eacredne!
! of its duties, of the strength of loyalt,
of the peace Of remuneration, of til
| love of women, and the friendship
men; there As not single false {
I melodramatic note. Anthony TrolloI
i said this is so much the best nov,
that there is no second to it, Thackera
had tried to express the best in hi
but he found that people liked mo-
:, the second best, and 1t was long tin
! before the English public recongize
! the merits of the book.
"In tThe Newcomes,' Thackera
> shows the preachers habit of stoppir
n TO rebuke or praise, but he careful
. finished his most lovable character.
2 all: If Becky Sharp is best know
= Col Newcome is the best beloved ar
II is conceived in spirit of love. TT
= Virginians' is like the talk Of ram
. ling old man. Thackeray died at
but was old at AZ. 1t is best to tai
the last glimpse OF him not in
latest story, where he repeats himsel
but in The Roundabout Papers, wi
i their discussive, reminiscent, inimit
!. BILE talk, touched with lifetime
: knowledge, always gentle and loyabl
y Douglas Jerrold said:'I have know
y Thackeray for IS years and do net sno
n HIM yet; with his great body and bra
he held out Jewels in both hands to ;
indifferent world.
"Howell's says: There is finer a
!, today than Dickens or Thackeray''
4 H. IL IL,