[Boston—Saturday, 28 October 1865]
Oct 28. 1865. Meeting of Jamie’s Club where he was much amused by a story of Lowell’s about a parrot in Cambridge who had become highly educated and was heard to go and deliver political addresses to the ducks. When he first came to the ladies who have given him this fine education he could say very little more than “scratch” and he is sometimes heard now-a-days still as if ashamed of that accomplishment saying “scratch, scratch,” low to himself in a corner but if he finds himself perceived he will turn round quickly with a “howd’ye do, ladies and gentlemen.” Mr Lowell is deeply interested in the derivations of words, he says he has hunted up “pixies” and finds it from Puck—puckses “and so wider.” He complains much of his head, perhaps the trouble is he has filled it too full. Dr Hedge quoted a few words of an old Latin poem. Who is that from he asked. Why said Lowell repeating the remainder that is Walter Mapes. Speaking of Burns, Lowell said he showed his greatness as a poet by the words he had created.
Whipple amused them all by his naivêté in calling out for “stories” from Dana and afterward from Lowell.
Profr Holmes was ill but Longfellow was there and presided as usual in absence of Agassiz. He seemed nervous as is not infrequently the case and begged Jamie to sit by his side. His nervousness was probably not decreased by Lowell’s stepping up to him and saying “Longfellow you ought not to have printed those verses to Agassiz, they are all very well, but it was a private affair.” Dr Hedge sat next J. and was most kindly. A nephew of John Bright was present.
The Club is strongly divided about Banks. Emerson & Mr Forbes were present but sat at the further end of the table so I could have no report of their conversation.
Henry James was voted a member. Profr Gibbs was black-balled.
Mr Dana repeated an experience of the Rev. Chandler Robbins who was called to Cambridge to the marriage of an undertaker. The various sextons & Brother undertakers of the community were present and he was privately informed that the undertaker about to be married had fallen in love with the lady because he found her “so handy at the business” (she had been called in as an assistant) “being afraid of nothing—why there’s a corpse upstairs now” the narrator went on to say “but she don’t mind it a bit.”
It was a ghostly time enough for the poor parson.
