New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-26
DR.. JohnSOn'S Negro Servant
and His Portrait.

by the author.
Mr.. Reade's book is an excellent eX-
ample Of the sO-called scientific col
lection and enumeration of unimpor-
tant details 1t is method about the
invariable usefulness OF which there
may be granted considerable differ
ences Of opinion, and which is often
rendered suspect by the devotion 1t
gets from the dullard. Mr.. Reade sum-
mons in support of IL Johnson's own
assertion TO Boswell: "All knowledge
is Of itself Of some value. There Is
nothing so minute and so inconsider-
able that I would not rather know It
than not" 4 highly entertaining essay
might be written On the development
and ramifcations Of the Doctors be
lief. the conclusion Of which would pos
sibly be an irreverent suggestion that
/ he was Not Infalible. But we would
not horrify Mr.. Readc by such hint;
and we are ready to acknowledge with
admiration the meticulous care with
which ne has searched every Granny of
information concerning mis- subject and
the industry with which he has mar
shalIed almost endless ranks OF foot
\ notes.
II must be conceded that Frank Bar
Der. the negro servant Of DR.. Johnson
has no interest for the reader except
as a means Of revealing to as the kind
ness and benevOlence OF his master
qualities OF the good man with which
we were long ago made acquainted
The servant seems to have been an
ordinary specimen Of his class, and not
so grateful for Johnsons patient kind
ness that he could forbear running
away. not once, but twice When he
was about twenty-four the doctor
made an heroic attempt to have him
properly educated; he kept the young
man at school in the country for sew
erai years at the expense Of many
hundreds of pounds. The results or
the expenditure appear to have been
Franks requirement Of a pretty good
handwriting, an imperfect knowledge
oF smelling and a desire 10 read Miss
Burney's "Evelina"-a desire which
extremely amused his master. In
Franks moral training Johnson took a
deep interest. and often ended the rec
ord of his days doings with noting that
ne had prayed with Francis A
rather strained spirit of respect for the
negro's humanity is exhibited IN
story told by more than one friend;
when his beloved cat, Hodge, got so
old that his digestion was too delicate
for anything but a diet Of oysters,
Johnson used to go out and buy them
himself that Francis the Blacks deli
IN cacy might not be hurt at seeing him
Iself employed for the convenience Of 4
. ouadruped.'" Franks delicacy might
surely have been assuaged had his
elderly master made one Illustrative
shopping expedition and then assigned
the task TO him. During Johnson's
last illness he manifested continual
concern for his servants spiritual well
fare; he explained ScriptuTal passages
to him and talked much on religious
subjects Attend Francis" he often
said, TO the salvation Of your soul.
which is the object OF greatest imDor-
lance"
The illustrious photographer be-
queathed nearly all his possessions to
annuity. Most Of this property he
seems TO have foolishly squandered,
and when he died he left his white
wife and their children IN poverty. AS
johnson had no near relatives, nobody
had right to question his will, though
the reader cannot but sympathize with
the wrath OF his step-daugnter, Lucy
Porter, at seeing her mothers wedding
ring the property Of the negro. SO
angry was she that when he offered it
10 her she refused to take it. We cam
not be sorry that Frank saved from
the fire Johnson's own annals Of his
childhood, yet it was undoubtedly
failure Ia fidelity TO the master, who,
when dying. ordered the volume to be
destroyed The BARRIERS appear to
have sold, as time went on, the most
interesting relics Of their benefactor,
slhN manly Va IhCAh a. . liO" ~ SoNA NSA
In the museum at Lichheld.
Mr.. Reade has a chapter on portraits
supposed to be Of Barber, and gives
special attention to the one which he
reproduces In his frontispiece. The
original, he says, was bought at auc-
ton by Sir George Beaumont in 1896
as Head OF a Black Man." and is
still In the possession Of his family.
MIR. Reade has not seen it. nor has he
been able to have it photographed, and
his frontispiece is from a water color
copy, now I'm the British Museum,
which was made by Henry Edridge in
1908. This portrait the author informs
US, has for many years been accepted
as Of Barber and as by Sir Joshua, but
he adds, that 1t represents Barber is
yet to be proved" Some interesting
light is thrown upon the subject by the
portrait which we reproduce.
This is Enthusiastically the original on
which Edridge based his water colcr,
the slight differences perceptible being
no more than those inevitable between
o painting by master and a copy OF
IL by feeble craftsman. Our portrait