The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-20
An Intimate Chat With Thomas Nelson Page


copyrighted. 1913, by Frank G. Car
penter)
Washington, D. c.
THE selection of Thomas Nelson
Page as our ambassador to Rome IS
worthy addition to the long list Of
eminent literary men who have been
chosen to represent us at the great courts
of Europe. The fashion of such appoint
ments began in the days of George Wash
ington, when Joel Barlow the author of
The Columbiad" was made our consul
TO Algiers, and 1t was continued during the
Jefferson administration when Barlow was
appointed minister to France. Even be-
fore that we had Benjamin Franklin, the
newspaper man and the author of Poor
Richards Almanac" to represent us in
Paris, and little later on John Quincy
Adams, the author of the longest diary
known to literature. began his diplomatic
work as secretary of our legation at the
court of st. Petersburg.
Farther on down the list come Wash
ington Irving, who got the materials for
his Life OF Columbus and other vol
umes while serving in a diplomatic ca
pacity at Madrid, and Bayard Taylor,
the traveller, who with his many other
volumes, wrote studies in German litera-
ture and translation of Faust" during
the time he was minister to Germany.
While John Hay was in Spain he penned
his beautiful "Castihan Days" and w. u.
IIoweils wrote his beautiful Italian
sketches while he was consul at Venice.
AS to Germany, another diplomat who
was also a literary light was George Ban
croft, the historian, and at the court OF
st. James we have had such men as
John Bigelow, James Russell Lowell and
Whitelaw Reid. Every one of these men
has filled well the place to which he was
appointed and | predict the same for
Thomas Nelson Page. Like the most OF
his predecessors of literary note, he is
almost as well known in Europe as in the
United States. His stories have been
translated into many languages and they
have delighted the English speaking
world.
I wish / could make you acquainted
with our new ambassador to Rome. No,
I do not mean that! 1t is not the am
bsssador that | wish you to know. 1t IS
q she author of "Marse Chan" Meh Lady,
the stories of the Old Dominion, Tommy
Trot's Visit to Santa Claus" John Mar
vel Assistant" and that wonderful Life
of Robert z. Lee, Southerner." 1t is
Thomas Nelson Page, the friend of the
north and the beloved OF the SOUTH the
man whose thorough Americanism and
broad sympathy with the people and the
country stand strilkingly out among those
who know him best It is Mr.. Page, your
friend and my friend as we'll as the
friend and servant of the public In the
highest sense of the word. and that not
withstanding the arduous literary work
he has always in hand.
Mr.. Page has always been a hard work.
age that DR.. Oster has fixed for the
chloroforming process he is doing more
of actual literary composition and has
more work on and than when he left
the practice of the law to devote himself
to literature, almost generation ago.
If you will look on the book counters
you will see volume of delightful sto-
ries entitled The Land of the Spirit,
which has Just been published by Scrib-
ner's. lie has also a book of ESSAYS.
which is almost completed. long novel
which Is we'll under way and history of
Washington city. upon which he has been
working for several years. and one third
of which is yet to be done
At the time of Mr.. Pages marriage to
Mrs. Florence Lathrop Field. now over
% years ago, it was predicted that his
labors as an author were ended, and
that he would join the ranks of our gen.
tleman loafers. The truth is that his
literary product has been twice as large
since then as during the 10 years pre-
ceding His wife is woman of broad
culture and fine literary taste. and she
has been an aid rather than a hindrance
10 his work. Since his marriage he has
written Is different books and some of
his best work has been the product of
that period
Thomas Nelson Page began his life as
a worker. lie comes of one of the Oldest
families of virginia His boyhood home
Oakland in Hanover county, was granted
TO one of his ancestors, the colonial mag
nate, Thomas Nelson and his father