The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-27
He Will Do No Literary
Work While Serving as
Ambassador.
ALL ENERGY TO HIS DUTIES
Discusses Men OF Letters in
Service OF This and
Other Countries.

ashinCton June c6-Dr. Thomas
Nelson Page. the new ambassador to
italy. has decided to abandon mis-
work AS novelist. historian and es-
saNlSt during his pr. 81 ntation Of the
United states at the court OF Rome
This vas brought out during the
course Of I'm Interview to-day with
the author ~ a ncwspape!. man. who
sought pr Pages views on the gen
eraI subject of nan OF letters in tho
American Diplomatic service
In past years literary mon the
world over have frequently sought
appointment 80 diplomatic service for
the sake Of the leisurc and opportunity
TO writ" siron by such appointments.
as hmpassad"r 10 Italy, Dr Page
does not lopk forward to such leisure
AS H. expressed i, to-day to his IN
tervicwor
The responsibility connected with
the position comes to the front. ana.
although appreciate as much as any
ono IN IN" world could the great honor
Of such position. tho rre,!ominating
feeling with mo is ono OF seriousness
in tho face Of the duties ! have as
sumed'
Or. Page was found in the study he
is temporarily occupying on stree,
near tho Metropolitan Club. which he
Is ma King MS headquarters since his
house on New Hampshire Avonu. has
oeen closed 4 Wash!nEtonian for
long time. he is regrettullv saving
good by 10 the city and the people
with which h" is SO CLOSELY ident,-
fed.
TO-DAY ne vas occupied with stack
OF letters foot thick. one such stack
coming To him and his secretary ever
DAY now He said that he regarded
himself as having been placed i'm lot
tor writing heavy harness little be-
fore he really ought to be hooked
up but, he added, 4 went into IT with
my eyes open"
There is no reason" Or page said
"why literary men should not prove
rea soma bly, good amba ssadors and min
listers, Notwithstanding the fact that
they often devote much time to writ
ing as frequently they have had a fair
training in business or law and arc
not likely 10 be selected as amhasaa-
doris or ministers unless they have
shown some capacity which would ap-
pear TO Justify their selection
In fact. literary men have certain
ly, among the people Of the two cen
turtles am most Interested in not in
Diplomatic history. both in England
and America, i fun of instances OF
literary men having been sent on di-
piCnatic service and tho same is true
of Italy. In our own country. 10 men
ton the earlier and most distinguished
instances there w.re Benjamin Frank
lin Thomas jefferson. the Adamscs and
John Marshall all men OF letters. as
We'll as statesmen. Then. after a long
interval, came others, also men OF great
distinction. for example. Lothrop. Mot
ley. Bancroft. John Hay. Mr.. Howell5.
Bret Harte and any number of others.
some OF them. however, having names
that are better known in letters to-
day perhaps than in the world OF di
plomacy
Writing Of "Homc. sweet Home"
Il think 4; was when John Howard
Payne was consul at Tunis that NJ
wrote tho drama In which appeared the
little song that & better known to-
day. perhaps. than any other one song
In the Home, sweet Home
lin Italy the diplomatic list Of men
Of letters is long and shining one
Tho three whose names at present
SHINE out 10 M among all the rest are
Dante. Petrarch and Boccaccio. all Of
whom went a, ono time or another on
embassies. and finally proved ambas-
sailors to the world AZ large"
Or. Page was asked spc ciacally about
himself and his knowledge of and
liking for Rome. He said ne preferred
not TO mention himself "on the same
day have mentioned these other
names"
1t is YOU" he said to his inter
viewer. who have put me or wish TO
pu, ne in the men Of letters ella SIS
am speaking historically and philoso-
phically."
40 one may be said TO know Rome
we'll NJ declared Il have been there
number OF times. and have always
done what could TO learn something
OF il nave spent number OF weeks
at time there in the summers. and |
spent ono winter in Rome and Italy
few years ago. OF course. Rome be
longs TO the whole world. and is ono