New-York tribune., 1907-12-05

and incose of tnese. with a hope that II may
The mass of thick hair on Thackeray's mead which
snowy white long before his too short living
had come to its end
London, England
The speech thus generously heralded by
spicuous OF letters is here reproduced from
this weeks Independent"
Thackeray found his audience in America al
most if not quite at home; he always
held it. and holds il still And. perhaps. too. it
may be remembered that Mr.. Thackeray seemed
TO Ike us nearly as well as we liked him, and
was never weary OF showing his good will-even
when he was somewhat more lonely in such
manifestations than he would be now.
/ never had the good fortune to meet Mr..
Thackerav in America, though l did meet
afterward your other great novelist of that
period. But for years l constantly hearing
gossip about Thaekeray from those who had
met him during his visit to us, like the genia!
friend among the BTalrnlns OF Boston, or like
the old Centurions Of New York. Their ac-
and they loved him They pictured him as big.
hearty and very human. They didn't find him
playing the lion the least little bit. and may
hope he didn't find us playing the spread eagle
too much. They pointed out the corner in the
Century where he used to sit exchanging literary
chat or. in Yankee parlance. Swapping stories.''
with a group OF clubmen about him They
could tell you years afterward what had been
Ihackeray.s faVorite cnalr and some mad even
great that they knew what particular con-
coction in a club tumbler had been his favorite
"nlghtcap."
There never was any lack Of admiration for
the other great novelist to whom I have re-
and the american Notes and Martin Chuz-
zewit" still fresh from the press. But
there was no such social and club tradition OF
Dickens. Perhaps the reason Is not very OBJ
scure. Dickens painted us. ior the very eyes in
all the world wherein we were then most
anxious 10 look well. in the books I have just
named. Thackeray represented America 10 the
mother country in the persons OF Henry Es-
mond and George Washington. No doubt we
h.H TsfTpr J,rig I.e nd ms
too l do not deny it, and do not deny that
they painted to the life. But we were
human enough to like il better when the others
were presented our national types.
No such consideration. however affected the
publishers touchstone-and, I am afraid, the
touchstone OF most men Of letters too-the
sales These went on in America very much as
they did in Great Brtain-perhaps more so.
The great popular circulation belonged to Dick
ems. the audience fit though fewer to Thack-
cray. 7 have not seen the late iigureS-perhaps
some publisher here will correct me If l am
wrong-but l fancy that the DISPARITY in sales
siye private libraries are without the works of
if not both; but I believe that In the severer
collections Of pure literature the name under
which we are assembled begins to lead.
We must not think of anything nearly
approaching comparison between these two
men of genius. It would be utterly idle if not
impossible. I may say. however, without dis
paragement or offence, that American men OF
letters are apt to speak with particularly warm
admiration of Thackeray. Simply a story
teller they may not rate him high other
British authOrs-not. in fact. high some
British authors of to-day. They may hint
al prolixlty. and at the frequency with which the
innocent reader is held by the buttonhOle for
overmuch moralzing. But criticism is silenced.
all carried away by his creations of charac-
ter. by the keen hut kindly analysis of human
nature the Scorn of meanneSS. the trenchant sat
ire that still hates to wound, the sentiment at
once healthy, manly and tender, the splendid
humanity. As for his style, il is thought Welnigh
perfect. Leslie Stephen has somewhere told
that at the beginning. if not to the end. this
style the work of constant revision and in
terlineation- For myself do not believe any
style of the first order was ever attained in any
other way. I have faith-here perhaps
speak, the Old editor, hardened in his preju-
dices-but I have sort of faith in the things
that are written at dash, and handed you
without n change of a word. 1t was no less a
genius than Sheridan. was it not who fornlu-
lated the immutable literary law that Your
easy writings curst hard reading"
But this rambling talk must not wander on.
AS 7 was thinking before dinner Of this man.
whose place is secure among the imn1ortals,
whom every one counts in the first rank of the
great Vctorians, / could not help recalling that
exquisite little essay of his among the Round
about Papers" Nil Nisj B0nHHl, noble q
paper as ever adorned even The Spectator.
You remember the warm tribute 1t pays to two
men Of letters then lately taken away. one from
you, both perhaps I may presume to say, from
u.s. Thomas Babngton Macaulay and Washing
ton irving. He called them the johnson and
them some words which ! venture to think this
company Of of letters will think we may
apply with equal justice and even greater fervor
10 William Makepeace Thackeray himself Let
me close by reading them:
1T has been his fortunate lot to give meal
culabe happiness and delight 10 the world.
kindliness. respect. affection. 1t may not be our
chance brother scribe. to be endowed with sucn
merit or rewarded with such fame. But the
rewards of these men are rewards paid to our
serr;cp We NAV not win the baton epau-
lettes; but God give us strength TO guard the
honor of the flag!"