The Washington herald., 1911-07-23
The Centenary of Thackeray's Birth.

Carlyle, in his description of William
Makepeace Thackeray. describes the
famous Victorian essayist as a big,
fierce. hungry, weeping man." the CEN
tenary of whose birth was honored by
the Titmarsh Club OF London July Is.
| Carlyle's description Of the famous
novelist was not bad shot at the tenn
perament of Thackeray. He was big
physically as well as Intellectually. He
| was fierce against all sham and injustice.
He was hungry for love, and tears never
were far from his laughter and satire.
Charlotte Bronte, who prided herself on
her great powers of observation. after
reading Vanity Fair" made for her
self a preposterous picture of Thackeray
as a prophet, "the very master of that
working corpse who would restore to
rectitude the warped system Of things.
But coming to know him personally aft
erward she modified her poetic imagina-
ton, and she wrote that Thackeray's
feelings were not such as could be
gaugeo by ordinary calculation. ''yari-
able weather is what I should expect
from that quarter
That was a Just estimate Of the man.
|
changeable artistic temperament, and
well might have been the different sorts
of man he was to be. He was worldly
and cold; he was a cynic. yet he had
sentiment; but generosity was the lead
ing note Of his character.
In proof Of this 1t is only necessary to
mention his generous appreciation Of his
great rival, Dickens. Stories abound in
illustration Of this attitude Of Thackeray
toward his contemporary. Perhaps, the
most delightful is contained In a passage
in one OF his lectures. 1t is a passage in
which he spoke of the love that children
had for the works of his more popular
rival, and told how his own children
would come to him and ask. why don't
you write books like Mr.. Dickens" In
the same vein is the delightful story he
used to tell Of the two ladies with whom
at different times he used to discuss
Dickens Christmas Carol and how
each concluded her remarks with the fer
vid exclamation, God bless him. A
story to himself.
William Makepeace Thackeray was
His father was Richmond Thackeray. !
son Of W. NJ. Thackeray. OF Hadley, in |
Middlesex. Both his father and grand |
father were Indian civil servants, and |
his mother, Anne Becher, was the daugh- !
ter Of another servant OF the John !
and, We are told, a reigning
beauty at Calcutta Brought to England !
at the age of six, young Thackeray |
early was sent to Charterhouse, where |
his centenary was observed. He is de-
scribed as a gentle, rather timid boy. |
He was popular. but had no skill in
games. In fact, he never had any taste
for them in life. He was always known
by his faculty Of making verses, chiefly |
parodies..
In his earliest writings Thackeray sl-
ways spoke OF Charterhouse as "Slaugh-
terhouse.' In 1923 he went up to Trinity
College, Cambridge, where, however, he
remained only one year. He still re-
tanned his faculty of bright parody and
his most notable achievement at Cam
bridge seems to- have been an amusing
ioggerel on Tennyson's ''Timbuctoo." the
prize poem Of the year. The
'our first and last lines bear reproduc-
ion: .-... ..
In Africa-a quarter Of the world
Mems skins black: their hair is crisp and
cIrled.
And somewhere there unknown to public view,
mighty city lies, called Timtuctoo. Il
see her tribes the hill Of glory mount.
And sell their sugars on their own account.
While round her throne the proetrate nations
come
Sue for her rice and barter for her rum.