Senator Wilson, Speaker
Colfax, Governor Claflin and others called upon him, congratulated him
on the fortunate turn of affairs, and hoped they might be of service to
him. Quakers have always had a good reputation for shrewdness, and
Whittier was not lacking in that quality. He understood perfectly well
what they wanted of him, and was a good deal amused by it, but he liked
to converse with vigorous and experienced men, and could obtain from
them a better understanding of affairs than was to be found in the
newspaper. His letters on politics were always able and interesting; and
he sometimes adopted exactly the opposite view from what his advisors
would have liked to have him. It is true he formerly dedicated a poem to
Colfax as an ideal statesman, but perhaps Whittier was more nearly right
in this than public opinion has been, since that time.
He disliked being lionized and was rarely seen in public. The adoration
of young women was of all things the most disagreeable to him. He
created quite a sensation by appearing at one of Emerson's noon-day
lectures in May, 1866, and as soon as the discourse was over he became
the centre of a small circle of celebrities. Yet he seemed even more
glad to meet his humbler and more familiar friends. He said, "If I come
again, it will be to hear that man," referring to Wendell Phillips, who
stood a little at one side watching Emerson and Whittier with the air of
an art critic.
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