The Washington herald., 1909-06-13

knowledge OF the science OF American law
and politics. and for the beauty and force
OF his dictiOn as a public speaker Mean
while. in all that We do We think less Of
our personal interests than what posterity
will say and how Il viii Judge US"
Did you study law with q purpose OF
entering upon a public career"
For many years my father was 4
Senator and a leader Of the Liberal party
Politics. therefore. became a part OF my
early education. After completing my
course in college, took lectures IN law.
that I might be prepared TO follow my
grandfather and my father into public
Office But 7 developed a taste Tor travel
and entered the diplomatic service. com
ing 20 Washington In 1876. az the age Of
twenty-seven. as atIache to the Brazilian
Legation In 1900 I was sent 20 represent
my country in England. Five years later
1 was made Ambassador 10 Washington" 3"
Biography OF Great Poet.
When did you begin to take part IN
the profession OF Iterature2"
''I wrote a biography and a study of
CamOens. the Portuguese poet. when I
was twenty-three years old. Camoens
stands in the same relation 10 Portugal
that Dante stands 10 Italy and that
Shakespeare stands 10 England. He fell
in love with a young lady TO the Queen.
and was banished from Lisbon. Going to
Africa as a soldier. he lost one Of his
eyes. an event. as told the students at
Vassar that disabled him for general
cOurtship. Still he was a poet OF love.
as well as the author OF PortugaTs great
epic. The Lusiad," which was published
IN l55z. and ran through thirty-eight
editions before the year Of I7o0 On his
return To Lisbon from Africa he wounded
man during a fight in the street. and
escaped punishment by taking service in
India as soldier He remained in India
for sixteen years. and The Lusiad' was
the rich fruit OF his exile. Strangely
enough ] have returned to Camoens. and
| since coming TO Washington as Ambassa-
/ dor I have addressed the students OF
Yale. Cornell. and Vassar on his place
/ In the worlds literature as a lyric poet
Il was a monarchist. and so when the
army of Brazil issued a prOnUnciamentO
against Dom Pedro II and the empire
vanished, I withdrew from public life
I II anything Is dying. events conspire to
hasten the end. The empire was doomed
] could see into the future. but that did
not soften the blow when Il fell The
/ republic was proclaimed on November
( Is, 1883 Dom Pedro was sent 10 Europe
and 7 went into mourning, During the
/ ten years that I remained apart from
public matters l wrote a three-volume
/ biography Of my father. which was. in a
sense. a constitutional history Of the en-
| pire under Dom Pedro H. But got No
money for il; have never been paid fol
any OF my writings. regarded the pub.
Usher of the book as my benefaetor. Il
gave me great delight 10 write about my
father. and I was handsomely paid II
that way for my labor. Then IN 1883
when the government Of Brazil invited
me to manage its case in Italy over
/! boundary dispute with Great Britain.
returned 20 public life. and when my
work was done prepared a history OF th,
arbitration. which. with maps and docu.
ments. filed eighteen printed volumes.
Opposed to Slavery.
In ISIS I said. you succeeded youl
father in parliament. and at once de
voted yourself 10 the abolition OF slav
cry. What caused you to become inter
ested in that question:
"Oh. I had foreseen that African or am
other kind OF slavery wGs impossible II
Brazil as a permanent institution. Z
had been abolished elsewhere on the con
tinent, and ] knew il could not endur,
for long among ourselves Freedom foi
men and women held IA servitude IS +;
neral and idealiStic question: cOnse
quently Brazil. by all her history, wa.
bound ultimately to reach the right de
cision. Moreover We had been legislat