The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-03-29
THE LOST SCHOLAR.
LITERARY DIsAPPEARANcE OF
THE FAMOUS SAMUEL PARR.
Parr Delighted in slaughtering Buuocks,
Encouraged Fighting Among His Boys
That He Might Enjoy the Spectacle
and Joined in Horseplay.

OF all the men who have enjoyed the
highest fame In the world Of English
scholarship and literature not one is
more faded in reputation today than
Dr. Parr. To the lover Of untrodden
literary paths. his works, in eight vol
umes quarto. containing 5000 pages,
offer an ideal retreat There is no
better way into the world Of the last
century. with all its forgotten thoughts
and figures In his own day PARIS
name was as much on mems lips as his
friend Johnson's. Now, in spite of his
eight massive tones, the doctor is only
known to readers through the mention
Of him in Boswell, and has become, in
common estimation. one Of the least Of
that numerous class Of writer's who, in
southeys words, draw their fame from
johnson as the mistletoe draws its life
from the oak. The reason why PARIS
works have thus gone the way to dusty
death is not far to seek. Parr was
great in two fields Of knowledge which
are necessarily fenced of om'nine out
of ten classical scholarship
and metaphysies-and they are fields,
besides. in which, since his day, expior-
ations have been pushed so much furth
er than he could carry them that his
work has now little attraction even for
the erudite The weight Of contem-
porary evidence Is SO great as to place
Ii beyond reasonable doubt that Parr
was really one Of the finest takers who
ever opened lips. OF the almost un-
eQualled character Of PARIS learning
there was even IN De Quiney's mind no
question. Dr. Parr was born at Har-
row IN l745, the son Of surgeon and
apothecary. He was educated at the
school Of his native town, then far
from possessing the pre-eminence
among the English schools it holds to-
day In his manners and domestic
character. Parr was as rough and fierce
as Johnson. No man eve. had more OF
the skin of the bear" He could not
bear contradiction without indignation.
was terribly severe with his boys and
was described by his wife as the "ty-
rant OF the freside." His domestic life
was. indeed. a long series Of aroils and
friction with his wives (he was twice
married) and daughters. Some OF his
tastes and habits show a coarseness
which reminds one OF Parson Trulli-
Der. He delighted in slaughteIing bull
locks, encouraged ighting among his
boys that he might enjoy the spectacle,
and joined heartily with his parish
toner's IN the village feasts. with All
their last-century brutality and horse
play. On presenting new set Of bells
to the parish he had the largest-hoid-
ing seventy-three gallons-flied with
beer and emptied on the village green.
Il Is even said that he used to en-
courage his boys to rob the orchards
near his house at Hatton, and praise
the thieves for their daring. His love
Of smoking was so excessive that he
would leave his church In the iIfer-
walls OF the service for a pipe in the
yestry. NO pipe. no Parr" he would
roar when objection was made by la
dies to his smoking in their company.
DR.. Parr was the last survivor OF the
genuine unadulterated high-and-dry
iast-century scholars. Though he has
only been dead seventy-fve years. the
whole world Of thought and form
which he represents IS as far removed
from our own as the original classical
world itself And while he was the
last man OF his type. the study of his
life and works. fun Of imperfections as
they are. compels one to the belief
that no less than the great rival whom
he resembled SO closely. both in the
qualities Of heart and head, he ranks
among the greatest-John Max Atten-
borough. in the Westminster Review.