Evening journal., 1911-02-10
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Historian Who Refused
to Become a Diplomat
By Holland"


prophecy made by the famous publisher
Of Longfellow, Hawthorne. Lowell,
Emerson, Whittier, Holmes and other
great writers of that golden age"
period regarding the coming of the
present-day school OF writer's on the
life OF the West Today I tell of Mr..
Fields opinion of the historian Pres
colt and a little known fact relating
to him as they were told to me by Mr..
Fields. OF all the great writers in the
English language with whom Mr..
Fields has intimate personal associa-
ton. It seemed TO me from his manner
when he talked TO me of Prescott that
he held that well-nigh blind portrayer
of American civilizations Of other
days In highest personal esteem
"Ah, he was a grand character, "
said Mr.. Fields. day or two after he
had returned, in the late seventies,
from what was to be his last trip
abroad, che was as grand a character
personally as he was intellectually.
once asked him il il were true, as
had heard, that when he learned that
Mr.. Motley, the historian. was writing
history of the rise of the Dutch Re-
public he at once abandoned the pur-
pose, which he had long contemplate
ed, to write a work OF that character.
He told me in reply that he had col
lected a great deal of material for and
had outlined the plan of such a his
tory; but he learned by mere chance
that Mr.. Motley had already begun a
similar work, so he abandoned his
own plan and offered to send all of the
material he had collected to Mr. Mot
ley. That was sometime before Motley
set sail in 1851 for Holland to continue
his researches for the history that has
given him lasting fame
81 asked Mr. Prescott If he did not
think there was room enough for two
histories on the subject. His reply
was characteristic: Mr.. Motley was
first in the field, he had the right Of
pre-eminence'
81 have always thought that was as
noble a thing as any man of letters
ever did. And I have sometimes re-
gretted," continued Mr.. Fields, whose
eyesight, peculiarly enough was de-
fective, as was both Prescott's and
Parkman's whose publisher he was,
that Mr.. Prescott was not willing to
listen to the hint that If he were will
ing to accept the offer he could receive
appointment as our minister to some
one of the European courts.
when George Bancroft, who some
years previously had published his
great History of the United States, en-
tered Folks cabinet as Secretary Of
the Navy in 1S45. he was most anxious
that American literary achievement
should receive some official recogni-
ton from the new administration other
than that conferred upon him. To that
end he talked with the President. and
was authorized to convey hint to Mr..
Prescott that the President would be
glad TO appoint him to some personal
ly satisfactory diplomatic post in
Europe. But when the hint was taken
to Mr.. Prescott he made It clear that
however greatly he would appreciate
the compliment Of an appointment, Il
would be impracticable for him to
serve In any political capacity.
/ III was not so much his fear that
a position under the government
would interfere with his literary labors
that kept him from looking kindly
upon the hint The thing that stood in
| the way IN his mind was his partial
blindness-he could see but dimly. |
am sure that he was afraid that that
affiction would prevent him from do
ing his full duty by his country. And
! am also sure that but for his ar
Fiction, which he bore with sublime
patience, he would have been very glad
and happy TO serve as United States
minister to Holland"
Copyright, 1911. by e. ]. Edwards. All
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
OF "how Three Masters Acquired their
English Style.