Year: 1875

The President Photographed.


Joaquin Miller in the Independent.
ho I" Tho Queen. God bless her." Th
Us Us first time heard that expression and sa,
ne as the perfect and manly respect which thos
!, Britons paid to their country through thei
=: sovereign, as they lifted the first glass a
a. dinner, was on the waters Of Oregon in
,e little British man-of-war, and years AM
e. years ago. Yet shall never forget it. An,
D. whenever and wherever | see it-and that il
ot whenever and wherever see true Eng


lis. uan and gentleman abroad-I, too, fee
II like rising to my feet and saying, {" Tn,
d Queen. God bless her!" for know that
p am in good company, with quiet and brave
y y and patriotic gentlemen, and men who would
% % not for the world, in nv presence, at least
a say one word against my country or its rep


resentatiye. To stick a pin here, and stop
4 and think a moment, l do not believe one
2 can really recall single great act or express
Q sion in the life of the Queen of England. In
t truth, she seems to me to have always been
Q q s'rt Of negative and helpless, though, no
q d. bt, most kind-hearted and well-disposed
woman. But in all the girdle of the earth
you will not find one lady 50 universally
respected and beloved as she. And all that
; love and respect means whole line of bat
tie ships. 1t is Nelson and Wellington in
, one. 1t is Gibraltar. 1t is one of the
strongest towers in the English battlement.
Yet all this love and respect, out of which
comes his strength, is owing not so much to
the simple virtues Of her majesty, but to the
manly, decent bearing and respect of her
| n trtro ord tho


might urge second reason for behaving


with at least tolerable decency toward the


unfortunate man who happens to be set up


as a mark for mud-balls, whoever he may be.


And that reason is-though fear this ar


gument will not be of much force or pract-


cal use in political America-that reason is,


| say, we ought to have in this land of pro-


Tossing Christianity some little regard for the


truth. And, finally, did you never reflect


that il is hardly manly to throw mud at


man who cannot stoop to throw mud back


atyou? You see that sort Of practice un-


der such circumstances, is very much like


striking woman. was an utter stranger


and alone, and did not at all know where


was to begin or how to proceed to CRAFTY


what deemed laudable desire to see the


president of my country, but after being


brushed down by the African. descended


from my room and confronted the clerk of


the hotel with an interrogation.


Mr.. Clerk walked up and down behind his


battlement, bristling at the mouth with


tojthpicks. He was the true non-committal


American hotel clerk, and did not answer


ne for 4 long time. lie had two wooden
| tpothplcks in his mouth already, and was
| eating away at them as If he were a sort of |


certaur and they were kind Of long oats |


that he was very fond Of. knew perfectly |


well that he was wondering and wondering |


as he walked up and down, and now and |


then dipped down into the little trough and


took another nibble of oats, whether was a
Democrat or Republican and really believed


in the third term. Armed with newspa-


per and cigar, lay in ambush for the pres-


dent in one Of the little canvas shades by


the roadside, along with crowd Of pleas


ure seekers, until nearly Eve O'Clock, when


some one at my side said, quietly, 81 There


goes the president :" Perhaps 1t was an


old affair with the others but there was


no commotion, no expression Of good or il!


will whatever, if | may except the little boy


on the grass at the outside of the awning,


who tllped a peanut shell after the little


one-horse open carriage as it whirled at


good pace up the long, level road. He had


passed within few PAGES Of US. In fact,


had been looking at him for half minute


before knew that it was the president of


the mighty republic, and the great captain


that the world was in u roar of admiration


over only II few years ago. The face is a


great face. There is no doubt of it what
ever. Ii is made up Of savage strength aud
gent!encss together.


To get back TO the subject. The presi-
dent was driving alone, holding the reins in
safe-careless fashion, as if he was used to
them, and now and then lifting his hat to
the right aud left whenever there. was anv
recognition or demonstration whatever, and
believe invariably to the ladies whom he
met driving down the beach. In the little
knots OF people with whom happened to
be sitting, | saw but one hat touched. |
afterwards discovered that this only gentle


man Of our little group was the French bar
Der. Perhaps had as well say it here as
anywhere, that do not think the American
has less politeness in his make-up-save, per- !
haps. on the Pacific coast and the further
South, where there is a sprinkling Of Latin
blooi-than any other human being that is
civilized enough to wear hat. \ man in
the plainest black, a very broad-shouldered,
strong-built man, melted away in the crowd
of carriages of the line, and |, for the first
time in my life, had seen president of my ..
country. Dogs, horses, whiskey bottles
all that picture was demolished. even
looked in vain for the cigar as he drove back
By us, after half an hour, for it was not. !
Yet afterward noticed, not to enter into /.
detail about tribes, that the cigar is the rule
when driving.


The sandy beard is a bit gray, hair thick
and black, the face full and the very picture
of health and composure, and the man may
safely count on quarter of century OF {
rest upon earth after his retirement. How C
We met, how | came TO be so honored as to i
sit with the great captain and talk with him, T
under his roof, Of lands and scenes we were
equally familiar with in Oregon, and all t
that, would be very interesting indeed But a
here shall draw the line. The mans cot c
tage il his clstle, and it shall not be invad- a
ed. All the pleasant little things that il
passed under the presidents roof are sacred. C
But the satisfaction that felt on finding s.
this man one of the simplest and sincerest, il
the purest and the best of men, cheerfully q
share with YOU who have pride and patriot o
ism to glory in our country's renown, and Ii
the honor and the good name Of her great S
men. Ii has been my fortune during the n
past five years to meet with, in one way and
another, about all the heads of the great II
powers Of the old world, and i am free to Y
say that saw nothing there more courtly h
and decorous, and at the same time simple il
md manly, than the bearing and behavior o.
of the President of the United States, who, b
am informed, has still for the first time to d
7isit - Grants race track C,


Mine was not hurried visit at all, bat tt
extended over some time at Long Branch, if
md if this man S everyday life is any key to ST
MS character, the country had ought to
,ount itself very proud. indeed, of this fig Y,
ire for its great gallery, am perfectly u
lware, however, that know nothing at all te
lbout tho political life of the great captain, n,
md it is possible that be is even as great a pi
allure as an administrator as was the duke n,
" Wellington. | can only say to my peo- e,
ole of the great West, who have not an op- ri
TO the man Us he is, or his n,
ife and surroundings, that they must jour IN
ley far before they find simpler, more n
gentle and refined little household, than Il
hat which our president rules over in the al
cottage at Long Branch. In his domestic q
he is certainly a success, and e,
! kinder father is not to be found. ! take W
he responsibility Of prophesying that this re
will be the verdict of time upon his admin So
stration of the affairs of the common state, ',
Ilso. Gainsay it who will. In conclusion, Ii
must say that some weeks of idling about OF
he Branch, where the president was to be
cen almost daily, some little intercourse
With him, some conversation on knotty sub
ects, which i, seems to me congress only ed
ucceeds in tying up tighter every time it tv
ouches them, some close observation in E, g.
hat gentle and happy household, and all ~ ~
hat, assures me that this man is not only y
very great man, as the world has long =; =;
incc said, -but also very good man, in- II
iced. Y


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