FAMOUS MEN AND THEIR SWEETHEARTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 389, 14 May 1910, Page 9

FAMOUS MEN AND THEIR SWEETHEARTS.

An announcement of particular interest to biographers of literature was recently made. It was well-known that the celebrated French poet, Alfred de Musset, had a secret love affair. Who the idol of his affections was, to wnom .he addressed his famous love-letters, which, it is announced, will shortly be translated into English, no one knew. The secret is now revealed that it was Aimee d'Alton, wife of his brother, Paul de Musset.

As may well be imagined, the loveletters of such a poet tell of his passion in the most beautiful words, a remark which also applies to the love-letters of Thomas Carlyle, which were publish-' ed last year. The Chelsea sage, in his later years, could scarcely be described as a sentimental man, but when he was first .attracted by the charms of Jane Welsh, whom he ultimately married, he proved himself a passionate lover, although differences in temperament ultimately made the marriage a very unhappy one. Judging- by the following extract from <a love-letter written by Carlyle in 1823, however, it will be_ seen that he anticipated no unlmppiness. "The only thing I know," he said, "is that you are the most delightful, enthusiastic, contemptuous, attectionate, sarcastic, capricious. warm-hearted, lofty minded, half-devil, half-angel of a woman that ever ruled over the heart of man; that I will love you. must love you, whatever may betide, till the last moment of my existence; and that if we both act rightly our lot may be the happiest of a thousand mortal lots." And it was shortly afterwards that Miss Welsh .said in one of her letters, "God bless you, my darling; [ am yours ever and wholly."

The story has often been told How Bismarck first met Johanna von Putt'kamer; how he was at once smitten with her charm, and being invited to pay a visit to her home, and finding the whole Buttkamer family lined up to greet him, flung himself off his horse and impetuously embraced Johanna before the whole family.. It was an'ideal marriage, and Bismarck to the end of 'his life used to say, referring to his wife, "She made me what I am.''

According to a new Bismarck biography, .however, it appears that one of the Iron Chancellor's youthful loves was a Miss Basse]], to whom he .paid ardent court when he was twenty years old. and to whom- he was at one time engaged. He first met Miss Hussel at Wiesbaden, in the company of her uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of C , and Bismarck made no secret of his tender fondness for ''the British blonde of unusual beauty." A betrothal appears .actually to ha.ve taken place, but tlie engagement to the "irresistible English miss" was broken off, "when, where, or why." writes the biographer, "nobody .seems ever to have heard." ' The 'manner in which Bismarck demonstrated iliis love for Johanna von Puttkamer reminds one that Garibaldi fell in love at first sight while in Brazil. On entering a certain house the first person whom his gaze fell on was a beautiful girl. "It 'w&s Anita, the ther of mv children," says Garibaldi in his autobiography. "We both remained in an ecstatic silence, gazing at each other like two persons who do not meet for the first time, and who seek in each other's lineaments something which shall reveal the secret of their hearts. 'You must be mine.' I spoke but little Portuguese, and I said these audacious words in Italian. Howevei, they seemed to have .some magnetic power, and I tied a knot which daatli only could break."

There was something sweetly pretty and pathetic in Oliver Wendell Holmes' proposal to the lady of his choice, as they walked across the Boston common: "Shall we take the long way together?" Nor was Daniel Webster's proposal less simple and "beautiful. As he sat one day holding a skein of yarn for Grace Fletcher to unwind, 'what could be more natural or more graceful than 'his significant words: "Miss Grace, you and I have tied and untied a good many knots. Are you willing that we shall tie one which can never be untied?" When Schumann, the- famous composer, fell head over heels in love with Clara Wieck, his master's daughter, his path of courtship was by no means One of roses, for Herr Wieck had no wish his only daughter the wife of a penniless musician, and toe forbade the lovers to hold any communication with each other. But love laughs at parental frowns, and, as Schumann could not even write to his lady-love, he poured out his soul to her in a series of "Letters to Clara/' printed in a musical journal of which he was editor. When the time was ripe for settling liis destiny he made music the vehicle of his passion, and actually proposed to Clara on the piano undei the very nose of her father, without a single word being uttered, and leceived her" joyful assent through the same medium. Spohr won his wife with dramatic suddenness. After playing a duet at a Court concert with Dorette Scheidler. a beautiful and gifted harpist, and while the tumult of applause was still ringing in their ears, he said to his companion, "Shall we play together thus through life?" For answer "the lady burst into tears and sank into his arms."