The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-25
CBookman," in the Chris

1888, at one OF tnOSe cosmopolitan
gatherings held at the Hotel Cecil by
the American Society in London, l
was told that John Hay was at the
high table. AS soon as the speeches
began / sided round toward the high
table to have particular look at
him. For John Hay as a man of let
tiers interested me immensely.
Incidentally. at that time, he was
American Ambassador to the Court
Of ST. James; but that might hap
pen to anybody. What interested me
was to see the author of two such
desperate works as the rough Jim
Bludso," written as far back as 1870,
and the smooth speech he made in
1898 at the Omar Khayyam club, which
set all literary London talking.
By universal consent that speech
was the most polished and poignant
address eve rgiven at the club whose
monthly dinners were distinguished
by the best speaking in London. This
opuscule had been prettily published
by John Lane; today it is becoming a
photographed rarity. AS for Jim
Bludse," everybody knows it, and most
literary folk can quote
He waren't Saint-but at jedg
| ment
| I'd run my chances with Jim.
'Longside Of some pious gentlemen
That wouldn't shook hands with
| him.
He seen his duty, a dead sure
| thing
| And went for it thar and then;
| And Christ amt a-going to be too
hard
| On man that died for men.
Jim Bludso" and Little Brooches"
are the best Of Hays Pike County
Ballads" "They rolled out spontane-
ously," says Mr.. Thayer in his excel
lent Life of John Hay" and they shot
round the English-speaking world.
Every paper quoted them. John Hay
who by instinct and training was a
modish classicist Che was a bosom
friend Of Henry Adams) was almost
ashamed of the success of these rough
ballads.
Ashamed Of Ballads
Their popularity annoyed him. SO
much SO that he fatty refused Sted
mans invitation to include them
in can American Anthology" AS a
youth he desired to be poet, a real
poet, but his poetical verse las Mayor
Hylan might call it) is no better than
the verse produced by thousands OF
|
Quite early he discovered that for him
poetry was not a fame or a bread
winner. Perhaps that was why he
dropped his second name Of Milton
Two points of interest attach t
"Jim Bludso" Bret Harte's "Plair
Language from Truthful James" hat
been published a month before. Dia
lect was in the air. Bret Harte useC
a Chinaman, John Hay westernor
Possibly, probably, Hay had read tn
plain language of Truthful James
When ]. Hay. dashed off" "Jin
Bludso" in the train from Boston, i
is said, the poem lacked the last TIVE
lines. When Hay showed it to White
law Reid. editor of the Tribune, h
growled that it needed some though
drawn from it that was vital an
would live"
So Hay sat down and dashed Of
And Christ amt going to be too hard
On a man that died for men" job,
Hay was a ready man, as ready wit
Poem as with a Treaty, with Witt
cism as with an Arbitration, or witt
an epigrammatic couplet such as
There are three species of creature
who when they seem coming ar
going.
Diplomats. women, and crabs.
Had Worldly Wisdom
Some of these epigrams. says hi
| dignified biographer, have the tang Q
, worldly wisdom before it has SQUIRE
Z into synicism. True. A man who ha
been a diplomatist at every court @
Importance in Europe, ending wit
t seven years as Secretary of State a
e Washington, gathers much world
y wisdom.
e And the literary mind, it tie doe
{ not happen to dwell in Herber
Spencer or w. E. H. Lecky, like
r it's bit of worldly wisdom fun. Ha
l. was very happily married, but he Ell
s joyed writing
L Maidens, why should you worry /
|: choosing whom you shall marry?
Choose whom you may, you will fin
q you have got somebody else.
S Knowing all this you may imagin
$ fervor toward the high table to hav
Il a better look at John Hay. On the wa
e l thought Of his "Castilian Days.
S That is delightful book
:. 1t was my companion on my frs
s visit to Spain and of all the books
S l read on Spain that was the cheer
n fullest and the most intimate and IL
J. forming. AS I drew near the hig
y table, babbing behind an Hotel Gee
( palm when a speaker paused in hi
oratory, suddenly, 1 remembered tina
John Hay had been for four year
one of Abraham Lincoln's secretarie!
beginning at the age of %.
He was a Lincoln man. He ha
. been in daily. and often nightly col
verse with the greatest American
Had John Hay done nothing else, tina
by itself, would have been ampl
i honor for one life. / tried to recall
y passage from letter he wrote I
]. G. Nicolay, his fellow biographer {
II Lincoln. 1t was a passage setting
e standard for their joint efforts. Will
II l was trying to recall it l reache
Il the end of the high table-and ther
u was John Hay.
Was Logclan; Thinker
3 He looked severe man a thinke
a logician who would pursue a subjet
to it's logical conclusion. 1t was a
alert face, stern in repose. but whe
he spoke 1t lightened like a CLEAN {
y sun through set, gray clouds. 1t wa
a tired, rather pugnacious face. tn
=, fare NJ a man with whom il would mr.