New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-21
A Tale of Beginnings
THO MAS BA N G 7 o N
MACAULAY, one Of the most

MACAULhf ono vi "e h"o'
n nrominent essayists and historians
of the Victorian period, was born October
%. 1s0O-117 years ago next Thursday.
He died December %, 1852 Besides being
Il man of letters, he was, as Treveiyan
saws in his Life and Letters OF Lore
Macaulay." "a statesman, jurist, and
brilliant ornament of society, at time
when to shine in society was distinction
which a man of eminence and aoiiity
might Justly value"
The writings for which he IS chleny
known are the "History Of England from
the Accession of James H. some OF his
biographical essays, particularly on Mil
ton and Samuel Johnson, and The Lays
of Ancient Rome"
Macaulays childhood has furnished In
Vulnerable instances Of his astounding
CAPACITY for words, his remarkable
memory, his early inclination To litera-
ture. Among the tales that will never
die is this:
"One afternoon when the little fellow, then
aged four. was visiting, servant spilled
seine hot coffee on his legs. The hostess
soon afterward asked how he was feeling.
He replied, Thank you, madam, the agony
il abated.' 1t was at this same period OF
his infancy that he had a little plot OF ground
OF his own. marked out by row Of oyster
shells. which a maid one day threw away as
rubbish. He went straight to the drawing
49, anti m
some visitors, walked into the circle, and
said. very solemnly, Cured be Sally; for IL
(, written: Cursed Is he that removeth his
neighbor's landmark
In spite Of his precocity, and although
he made wonderful progress in all
branches Of his education, Macaulay had
to be driven to school. He thought he was
too busy with his literary activities to
waste time In school; but tho father and
mother pretended to look upon his produc-
tons merely as schoolboy amusements.
Ills correspondence with his father and
mother at this period Is interestingly
revealing. In one Of his letters to his son
the father wrote that he was somewhat
disappointed and grieved by something
which I heard last week through friend,
who seemed to have received an impression
that YOU had gained high distinction
among the young gentlemen at Shelford by
the loudness and vehemence OF your tones"
He continued:
"Now, my dear Tom, you can not doubt
that this gives me pain; and IL does so, not
SO much on account of the thing itself, as
because | consider it a pretty infallible test
of the mind within. | do long and pray most
earnestly that the ornament Of meek and
quiet spirit may be substituted for vehemence
ard self-confdence, and that you may be as
much distinguished for the former as ever
you have been for the latter"
To which Tom promptly replied, in
letter to his mother:
am sorry to hear that some
nameless friend OF paDa's denounced my
voice as remarkably loud. have accordingly
resolved TO speak In a moderate key except
on the underm entioned special occasions.
Imprimis, when / am speaking at tho same
time with three others. Secondly, when | am
praising the Christian Observer of which
his father was EDITOR Thirdly, when am
prasing Mr.. Preston or his sisters may
be allowed to speak in my loudest voice,
that they may hear me-"
However, the meek and quiet spirit that
his father prayed for were never Macau-
lays. Says Trevelyan: Many years were
10 elapse before the son ceased to talk
loudly and with confidence, and the litera-
ture that he was destined to distribute
through the world was Of another order
from that which Mr.. Macaulay here sug-
gests."
ihACAULAY at this time was only
wi thirteen years old. HIS letters,
though evidencing an unusual vocabulary
were natural and unrestrained. A year
later, however, they began to smack Of
the library. His pen was overcharged
with the rnetaDhors and phrases Of other