The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1901-01-25
THE LOST SCHOLAR.
Literary DisappesraBce Of the Famous
Samuel P.rr.


(wsstminstsr Rsvisw.)
OF all the meu 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. 10 the lover Of urtrodden literary
paths, his works, In eight volumes quarto
containing GOOD pages. offer an ideal re-
trent There Is no better way into the
world OF the last century, with ali Its for
gotten thoughts and figures. In bis own
day, Parr's:nams was as much on mems
lips ~ mis- friend Johnson's. Now. in
spite of his eight massive tones. the doo-
tor ~ only known to readers through the
mention OF him In Boswell, ami has be-
come, In common estimation, one OF the
least of that numerous class OF writer's
who, in Southey's 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 TAR to
seek. Parr was great in two fields Of
knowledge which are necessarily fenced
on from nine out OF ten readers-classical
scholarship and mstaphysics--and they
ara fields, besides, In which, since hts day,
explorations have been pushed so much
further than he could carry them that
his work has now little attraction even
for the erudite.
Another cause Of the decline OF Parr' 8
once colossal reputation lies In the fat
that great part OF IL was built on his
conversation, which, for learning and
WI al m QnYfaI
johnson himself. This sort OF fame Ia,
of course, inevitably limited TO m ana
own generation If he has not Boswell,
ana Parr, unfortunately, had not. The
| stories of the doctors immense greatness
as a talker-how he alona OF the Wings
Cared to stand mp TO johnson and return
\ him STAMP for stamp. and how the two
men "grappled with the fury of tigers
1 on a point In philosophy, and the "grsat
Chm" was forced to admit that Parr was
his equal-are now only stories whose
| foundations cannot be tested.
The weight Of contemporary evidence
Is so great as to place It beyond reason
able doubt that Parr was really one OF
the finest takers who ever opened lips.
Or the almost unequallsu character Of
PARIS learning there was even in de
| Quinoey.s mind no question.
Dr. Parr was born at Harrow in 1745,
the son OF q SURGEON and apothecary. lie
was educated at the school OF his native
/ tOW0s bDcu lar IEotu pOSh5hbluB Jus pre-
eminence among the English schools 1t
| holds today. Among his contemporaries
/ at Harrow was Sir William Jones, the
oncs famous Orientalist and classical
scholar, and the two boys ran a neck-and
neck race for the honors OF the school
| Or their prodigious attachments at That
early period OF their lives extraordinary
stories are told. AT the age OF 10 they
disputed In Latin on philosophical sub
jects, wrote poetry and dramas, and imi-
| tated ali the chief English prose writer's
down to johnson. Some of PARIS poetry
may be found in his works, ana In high
polish and rhetorical excellence it GER
tainly seems equal TO the early verse OF
Pope himself. On leaving school, Parr,
| ike johnson, had great dicifiulty In get
| ting to the university. 1t was only after
a year, as q surgeon apprentice. that he
secured funds TO enter Emmanuel College,
| Cambridge.
In his manners and domestic character
Parr was as rough and fierce as johnson.
| No man ever had more OF the Skin OF
the bear He could not bear contra
diotion without Indignation, was terribly
ssvere with his boys. and was described
| by his wife as the "tyrant OF the fire.
| side.' HIS domestic life was indeed,
| long series OF hroils and friction with his
wives the was twice married) and uaugh
| tsrs. some OF lis tastes and habits show
Il ooarsaness which reminds one OF Parson
IrulIiDer. he delighted in slAughtering
bulIooke, encouraged fighting among his
boys that he might enjoy the spectacle,
and Joined heartily wit h his parfsoiners in
the village feasts, with all their last-oen.
tury brutality and horse play. On pre-
Eenting q new set OF bells 60 the parish he
had the Iargest-holding seventy three
gRlIor s-filled with beer and emptied on
the village green. 1t is even said that he
used to encourage mis- 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 be
won Id leave the church In the intervals
OF the service for nire IN the vestry.
mo pipe, no Parr,'' he would roar when
objection was made by ladies to his
smoking In their company.
DIR. Parr was the last survivor OF the
genuine unadultsrate1 high-and-dry last
century scholars. Though he has only
bsen deaa seventy five years, the whole
world OF thought and from which he rep
resents Is as far removed from our own as
the original olas sioal world itself. And
while he was the last man of his typs.
the study Of his life and works, full OF
impsrfeotions as they are, compels one
to the belief that no less than the great
rival whom he resembled 40 closely, both
In the qualities OF heart and head, he
ranks among the greatest.
JOHN MAX AT1ENBOROUGH.