Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-26
In Interview Discusses Men of Let
tiers in American and Foreign
Diplomatic Service.


leisure and opportunity to write given
by such appointments. AS ambassador
to Italy, DR. Page does not look forward
| to such leisure AS he expressed II To-
| day to his interviewer:
THE responsibility connected with the
| position comes to the front, and, al
| though / appreciate as much as any one
| in the world could the great honor OF
| such a position, the predominating feel
| ing with me is one of seriousness in the
| face of the duties 1 have assumed.
Long a Washingtonian.
DR.. Page was found in the study he is
temporarily occupying on H street near
| the Metropolitan Club, which he Is max
ing his headquarters since his house on
New Hampshire avenue has been closed.
A Washingtonian for a long time, he is
regretfuly saying goodbye to the city
and the people with which he is so closely
identified Today he was occupied with
a stack of letters foot thick, one Such
stack coming to him and his secretary
every day now. He said that he re-
garded himself as having been placed In
Ietter-writing heavy harness little be,
fore he really ought to be hooked up.
| but, he added, Il went into it with my
eyes open"
There is no reason DR.. Page said
why literary men should not prove rea-
| Notwithstanding the fact that they OFTEN
devote much time to writing, as ire
| auently they have had fair training In
| business or law, and are not likely TO De
| less they have shown some capacity
which would appear to justify their Sc
| lection.
'In fact. literary men have certainly,
| among the people of the two countries
1 am most interested in. not infrequently
| been honored in this way. Diplomatic
| history, both in England and America
| is full of instances Of literary men hav-
| ing been sent on diplomatic service, ana
the same is true of Italy. In our own
| country, to mention the earlier and most
distinguished instances, there were Ben
| jamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, the
Adamses and John Marshall, all men of
| letters, as we'll as statesmen. Then, after
| a long interval came others, also men or
great distinction. for example Lothrop,
| Motley, Bancroft, John Hay. Mr.. How
ellis Bret Harte and any number or oth-
| ers, some of them, however, having
names that are better known in letters
today, perhaps, than in the world of
| diplomacy.
Writing of "Home, Sweet Home"
IT think it was when John Howard
| Payne was consul at Tunis that he wrote
| the drama in which appeared the little
song that is better known today. per-
haps, than any other one song in the
world-'Home, Sweet Home
In Italy the diplomatic list of men
| of letters is a long and shining one. The
| three whose names at present shine out
| to me among all the rest are Dante.
Petrarch and Boccaccio. all OF whom
went at one time or another on embas-
sizes, and finally proved ambassadors to
I the world at large.
| Dr. Page was asked specifically about
himself. and his knowledge of and liking
| for Rome He said he preferred not to
mention himself ION the same day 1 have
| mentioned these other names"
| 1T is you," he said to his interviewer
| who have put me or wish TO put me in
| the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. l am speak
| ing historically and phlosophically'
| mo one may be said to know Rome
WELL" he declared. Il have been there
| number of times. and have always done
| what l could to learn something OF 1t.
have spent a number of weeks at time
| there in the summers and l spent one
winter in Rome and Italy few years
ago. OF course. Rome belongs to the
| whole world, and is one OF the two or
three cities in the world to which every
one may go and feel in it a personal
| possessOry interest"
DIR. Page reads Italian. and every morn
| ing nowadays goes at the task of ac-
| quiring the language. Coloquial Italian,
he thinks, is easy enough to acquire. but
| he declares that it is difficult to speak
the Italian language with ease and grace
Not to Write While Abroad.
He was asked about the possibility of
his writing book on Italy. or with the
scene of one laid there. during the three
or four years he is to remain in that
country.
Il feel pretty well satisfied" he an
| swered, that residence in Italy, under
| such conditions as will surround me. will
add to any mans experience, and deepen
hi tot
| in literature, because Italy Is a land of
| romance.
while l am there. however, / expect
to give all my attention and apply every
| energy ! possess to the proper uses of
the embassy, as Il want to try as far as
I can to justify the confidence the Presi-
dent has reposed in me, as well as that of
| my friends.
sador to Italy. l have three books now
substantially ready to be published-one
a volume of essays, already in the hands
! of the publishers Another is d long
| story. almost a novel, in which l have
| for the first time tried my hand at
| mystery plot. 1t is within few chapters
of being completed. The other is a his
tory of Washington which l have been
at for a couple of years. on which the
chief labor is already done Maybe
| shall be able TO put these books to press
| soon have, however. laid them en-
trely aside and do not expect to do any,
thing with them for the present"
! Dr. Page was asked about the diploma Z
| &c post at Lisbon, and the report mad.
| public yesterday that the novelist Mere
| dith Nicholson has declined it because
| Portugal would not. in the latter's opin-
| ion, be a desirable place of residence
| The report was news to him, and he did
not think he ought to comment on a dec
! lination of diplomatic post by another
writer.
Charles Page Bryan my kinsman, and
a man of letters he said however was
minister to Lisbon, and ne found the
! climate splendid and Lisbon a wonder
| fully beautiful city, l did when
visited there. One association OF litera-
! ture with that city to me is that Henry
| Fielding died and was buried there when
sent south from England to try and re-
! cover his health. That English novelist
| was only thirty-seven at the time"
State Department Conferences.
i DR.. Page, SO far as his approaching de-
| parture for Rome is concerned. is in the
hands of the Department of State He
| has not yet been informed as to when
/, the department thinks he should leave
/ for his post.
| Il have not yet done enough, he de-
| clared, Ito ask for holiday from the
4 conferences ! am having at the depart
| ment.