EDITOE'8 TABLE. 



Now WO were told by one who ougbt to know, that ho never exi)rc8sed or entertained a 

 desire to go to college, and if he had, wo are quite certain that the I'aniily means did not 

 forhid. El>cwhere, too, he speaks of his never being heard of as a partuor in tlie musory. 

 This wo know to be a mistake, for he was recognized and licard of as liavliig h\> full ohare, 

 and more tlian his share of iullueuce in the business affairs of the nursery linn, and we 

 believe ho was always in childhood and manhood regarded with mure than orduiary respect 

 and affection by his brothers and sisters. 



The memoir refers to " a certain aristocratic hauteur''^ in Mr. Dowxixo's manner, which 

 was always evident in his personal intercourse. "In his dealings with workmen, with 

 publishers, with men of affairs of all kinds, the same feeling whicli Lhcy called 'stiffness,' 

 ' coldness,' pride,' ' haughtiness,' or ' reserve', revealed itself." Tliis is explained as follows : 



"Its origin was, doubtless, two-fold. It sprang first from his exqui.-ite montal organization, 

 which instinctively shrunk from whatever Avas course or crude, and which made bis artistic taste 

 so true and fine. That easily extended itself to demand tlic finest results of rneu, as of trees, and 

 fruits, and flowers; and theu committed the natural error of often accepting the appearance of 

 this result, wlierc the fact was wantiug. Hence he had a natural fondness for the highest circles 

 of society — a fondness as deeply founded as his love of the best possible fruits. His social 

 tendency was constantly toward those to whom great wealth had given opportuuity of that 

 ameliorating culture — of surrounding beautiful homes with beautiful grounds, and filhng thera 

 with refiued and beautiful persons, which is the happy fortune of a few. Hence, also, the fact 

 that his introduction to Sir. Muukay was a remembered event, because the mind of the boy 

 instantly recognized that society to which, byaffiuity, he belonged; and hence, also, that admira- 

 tion of the character and life of the English gentleman, which was life-long with him, and which 

 made him, when he went to England, naturally and directly at home among them. From this, 

 also, came his extreme fondness for music, although he had very little ear ; and often when liis 

 wife read to him any peculiarly beautiful or touching passage from a book, he was quite unable 

 to speak, so much was he mastered by his emotion. Besides this delicacy of organization, which 

 makes aristocrats of all who have it, tlie sharp contrast between his childhood and his mature life 

 doubtless nourished a kind of mental protest against the hard discomforts, want of sympathy, 

 and misunderstandings of poverty." 



Here again Mr. Curtis seizes upon the imaginary poverty of Mr. Dow^ttng's childhood, 

 want of syrapath}', &c., to sustain a theory far from being philosophical. If it were true 

 that Mr. Downing had been oppressed in his early years by poverty or unkind treatment, 

 would that the more incline him to be proud and aristocratic? We see instances of this 

 kind in the world sometimes we admit, where ignorant and selfish men become purse-proud 

 and insolent, forgetting their humble origin ; but Downing was not the man to do this. 

 He would have been just what ho was if he had inherited a kingdom, instead of the red 

 cottage at Newbiu-gh. His pride, reserve, or whatever else it might be called, and wo 

 admit that it was very generally observed and commented upon, Avas owing, as we always 

 thought, to a severe sell-discipline both of mind and manners to which Mr. Downing con- 

 tinually subjected himself. There Avas a certain self-restraint apparently upon him at all 

 times and in all places that bade defiance to every thing. Miss Bkemee in her letter refers 

 to this matter. She says : 



" T am not sure of being right in my observation, but it seemed to me that in the course of no 



long time, the mind of my friend had undergone a change in some views that to me seem of 



importance. When I knew him at first he seemed to me a Httle too exclusive, a little aristocratic, 



en told him, and used to taunt him with, half in earnest, half in play— and we had about 



erne some skirmishings, just good to stir up a fresh breeze over the smooth waters of daily 



