Ohio History Journal

OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL

QUARTERLY.

 

EDITORIAL NOTES AND COMMENT.

 

RECOLLECTIONS OF ROYALTY.

Elsewhere in this issue reference has been made to an ad-

dress delivered by our late Secretary, Emilius Oviatt Randall,

before the Kit-Kat club, entitled "Recollections of Royalty".

This address will long be remembered by those who heard it as

one of the most interesting and entertaining every delivered be-

fore a Columbus gathering. It was published in the April num-

ber of the Kit-Kat for 1918. The reader who peruses one or two

of its pages will not lay it aside until he has read it through.

Excellent as it is in printed form, it lacks, of course, something

of the charm   of Mr. Randall's personality and his inimitable

presentation. On the evening of its delivery he was at his best.

A year or more previous to this date he had been in failing

health and some of his close friends feared that he would not

regain his former strength and be able to actively participate in

the numerous societies to which he belonged. On the evening

that he presented his "Recollections of Royalty", however, he

brought to his assembled friends of the Kit-Kat Club and numer-

ous guests not only the rich treat and rare humor of his paper

but joy at beholding him again at his best and apparently re-

stored to health and vigor.

Mr. Randall in company with his father visited the Paris

Exposition of 1867. In speaking of this he said:

"The international expositions of later years have surpassed it in

size, but none of them have been so artfully organized, so admirably pro-

portioned in its several parts, so perfectly adjusted to facilitate the display

of the character and culture of each country. All eyes were turned

toward France, all roads led to Paris; it outrivalled the 'Field of the

Cloth of Gold'; never before nor since, such a concourse of distinguished

guests; within three months, the Emperor Napoleon and Empress

Eugenie entertained three Emperors, eight Kings, one Sultan, one Shah,

one Viceroy, five Queens, twenty-four Princes, seven Princesses, nine

(154)

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Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.         155

 

Grand Dukes, two Grand Duchesses, two Arch-Dukes, five Dukes, two

Duchesses, and last but not least one member of the Kit-Kat Club. It is

said a 'cat may look at a king;' certainly a Kit-Katter is no less privileged

and your writer begs to submit his report as your special correspondent

on the spot."

 

This introduction he followed with a glowing account.

"This comment," he tells us reveals that he "was then in this

susceptible period of youth-the threshold of seventeen-embryo

beau Brummel interval between the callow chrysalis and the full-

fledged male butterfly." In his diary, which he carefully kept,

he had written, "Here I notice the little boys are gentlemen, and

many of them -not near as tall as I-       wear stovepipe or plug

hats and carry little canes." Then follow his impressions of the

distinguished rulers and scions of royalty, all of whom he saw,

with scintillating comment on their later careers and the relega-

tion of many of them to humble uncrowned and untitled estate,

which he humorously describes as the "International Society of

Royal Hoboes." As a sample of the speaker's descriptive powers

we here quote his impressions of Napoleon Third and his beauti-

ful Empress, as he had seen them a little over half a century

before:

"Our introduction to the observed of all observers was happily

staged. It was a gala occasion as, floating in the ceaseless tide of sight-

seers on the Champs Elysees, one merry afternoon, soon after our arrival,

the bands suddenly ceased their brazen blare; the hum of the multitudin-

ous voices was hushed as there rang out the shrill notes of a silver-

tongued trumpet; a tumultuous rush to the street curb; a moment of

breathless silence; a squadron of mounted soldiery; six milk-white horses

in glittering harness, bestridden by red-coated, white breeched postillions;

a low open barouche, in the rear seat of which smiling and graciously

bowing, were the Third Napoleon and his beautiful Empress Eugenie;

they were attired in street custom, he in the conventional black frock

coat and tile silk hat, she in plain, walking dress, a small turban shaped

hat, which gave almost full view of her dark auburn hair, a ringlet of

which, obstrusively large it seemed to me, like a golden rope hung down

upon her shoulder; her features were surpassingly attractive, not only for

their physical beauty but for the sweet, charming expression indicative

of her disposition and gracious manner which so won the adoration of

her people and the immediate favor of all beholders. The Emperor, as

I noted him from this and many other opportunities of observation, was

short and stocky, rather Roman necked, large headed and heavy featured;

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156        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

his countenance betokened a sensual rather than an intellectual quality of

character; he had not inherited the Napoleon cast of face; he was Beau-

harnais, not Bonaparte; the forehead was broad, the nose prominent,

suggesting a certain German type; the eyes small, grayish-blue in color,

rather expressionless; as one biographer said, 'if they were windows of

his soul, their blinds were constantly drawn;' his hair was iron-gray;

his natural 'make-up' was given a distinguished air by the famous im-

perial goatee and the spreading, heavy, mustachios, each curled to a sharp

point and stiffly waxed. He bore an expression of extreme placidity, al-

most of sadness, an absent-minded look as if harboring some serious

thought that dominated his environment; pallid and apparently care-

worn, he was the living embodiment of Shakespeare's lines, 'All sicklied

o'er with the pale cast of thought.' Doubtless his prophetic soul uncon-

sciously glimpsed the gory aftermath, lurking just beyond the glory of

the present halcyon days."

 

One is tempted to quote at greater length but no quotation

can do justice to the address which deserves a wider circulation

than it has been accorded in the literary magazine from which

this extract is taken.

 

 

LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS.

Reference has been made in preceding pages to Mr. Ran-

dall's newspaper work. Following is a list of his writings, in-

cluding books and his more important contributions to periodicals

and other publications:

 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND

HISTORICAL QUARTERLY.

CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED.

Blennerhassett. 1888. v. 1, p. 127-163.

The Separatist Society of Zoar. An experiment in communism, from its

commencement to its conclusion. 1900. v. 8, p. 1-105.

Ohio in early history and during the Revolution. 1902. v. 10, p. 395-434.

The Dunmore War. 1903. v. 11, p. 167-197.

Clark's Conquest of the Northwest. 1903  v. 12, p. 67-94.

*Pontiac's Conspiracy. 1903. v. 12, p. 410-437.

Ohio Day at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. 1905. v. 14, p. 101-120.

Tecumseh, the Shawnee Chief. 1906. v. 15, p. 419-499.

*This monograph was republished in Great Events by Famous His-

torians, volume 13, pages 267 to 288.

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Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.         157

 

Washington and Ohio. 1907. v. 16, p. 477-501.

The Mound Builders and the Lost Tribes. The "Holy stones" of

Newark. 1908. v. 17, p. 208-218.

Tallmadge Township. 1908. v. 17, p. 275-306.

Rutland - "The cradle of Ohio." A little journey to the home of Rufus

Putnam. 1909. v. 18, p. 54-78.

David Zeisberger Centennial. November 20, 1908. 1909. v. 18, p. 157-

181.

Washington's Ohio Lands. 1910. v. 19, p. 304-319.

Brady's Leap. 1911. v. 20, p. 457-465.

 

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORKS SEPARATELY

PUBLISHED.

Bench and Bar of Ohio. A compendium of history and biography.

Illustrated with steel plate and half tone engravings. By George

Irving Reed editor; Emilius O. Randall and Charles Theodore

Greve, associate editors. 1897. 2 v. 470 and 397 p.

Syllabus of the leading principles of negotiable paper in Ohio. 76 p.

1899.

Dunmore's War. 1902. 33 p.

Ohio Centennial Celebration at Chillicothe, May 20-21, 1903. Edited by

E. O. Randall. 1903, 730 p.

Ohio in the American Revolution. (In Ohio Centennial Celebration,

1903. p. 120-146.)

The Mound Builder. (In Pearson and Harlor, Ohio History Sketches.

1903. p. 1-11.)

"Land Bill" Allen. (In The Hesperian Tree, 1903. p. 253-257.)

Law Reporting and Indexing. 1904. 17 p.

The Serpent Mound of Adams county, Ohio. 1905. 125 p.

The Serpent Mound. (In The Ohio Illustrated Magazine, 1906. v. 1, p.

530-542.)

Washington in Ohio. (In The Ohio Illustrated Magazine, 1907. v. 2,

p. 121-133.)

The Cahokia Mound. (In The Ohio Illustrated Magazine, 1907. v. 3,

p. 249-253.)

The Masterpieces of the Ohio Mound Builders; the hilltop fortifications,

including Fort Ancient. 1908. 120 p.

History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, by E. O.

Randall and Daniel J. Ryan. 1912. 5 v. V. 1 and 2 were written

by Mr. Randall; v. 3 and 4 by Mr. Ryan; v. 5 by Mr. Randall and

Mr. Ryan.

Recollections of Royalty. (In the Kit-Kat, 1918. v. 8, p. 57-104.)

Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications. Edited by E. O.

Randall. v. 4-28. 1894-1919.

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158      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

WILSON L. GILL.

Wilson Lindsley Gill younger by one year than Emilius O.

Randall with whom he was associated in 1866 in the editorship

of Whip-poor-will was born in Columbus, Ohio, September 12,

1851. His biographer states that he was a member of the first

kindergarten class in America, taught by Caroline Louise Frank-

enberg who had been for a number of years an associate of

Froebel. Mr. Gill was educated in the schools of Columbus,

at Dartmouth College, Sheffield Scientific school and was gradu-

ated from the Yale Law School in 1874. He pursued post grad-

uate studies in social and political sciences at Yale. He was gen-

eral manager of the Gill Car and Car Wheel Works of Columbus

from 1874-1884 and was afterwards engaged in various mer-

cantile and manufacturing enterprises. He was editor of Our

Country, a patriotic magazine from 1895-19O1. He was pro-

jector and engineer of the tunnel under 42nd Street, New York,

and East River.

After the Spanish-American War he was general super-

visor of moral and civic training in the Island of Cuba during

the first American occupation, where he introduced methods that

had been previously applied in the New York City public schools.

Later he was United States supervisor-at-large of Indian schools

in the department of the Interior and was charged especially to

organize every government Indian school as a democracy for

moral and civic training. He was president of the American

Patriotic League and prominently identified with other patriotic

societies, and was awarded the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, by

the Franklin Institute, for originating the school republic method

of moral and civic training. He was author of a number of

books, including City Problems; Gill's System of Moral and

Civic Training; The School Republic; The Boys' and Girls' Re-

public; Civic Practices for Boys and Girls; A New Citizenship.

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Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.         159

 

 

TRIBUTE OF THE CLARK COUNTY HISTORICAL

SOCIETY.

The press, prominent citizens and organizations in editorials,

in personal letters and formal resolutions gave expression to their

appreciation of the character and service of Mr. Randall. The

Historical Society of Clark County, Ohio, on March 3, 1920,

recorded its tribute and adopted resolutions as follows:

 

Occasionally in life we find a rare character, who, though anchored

to the routine of daily tasks, still finds time for self-development; and

on that account is able to perform advanced scientific and literary work

for which but few are inclined, or are capable. Mr. E. O. Randall was

such a character. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society

was indeed fortunate when his inclinations toward the subjects of history

and archaeology led him to become the associate Secretary and Editor

of the Society, November 10, 1894; having become a member in 1885,

and a Trustee in 1893.

Mr. Randall has left the imprint of his literary ability on all of

the publications of the society in the last twenty-five years. Perhaps

the greatest and most successful literary work of Mr. Randall was in

the writing and publication, in connection with the Honorable Daniel J.

Ryan, of a history of Ohio, in five large volumes, in which is shown

his clear diction and his invincible descriptive and narrative style of

composition.

Mr. E. O. Randall was a speaker of marked ability and members

of our Society will remember the several occasions on which we have

had the pleasure of hearing him in Springfield.

Be it resolved, That in the death of Mr. Randall our Society has

lost an honored leader along the lines of our organization, and many of

us a personal friend.

Resolved, That this Resolution be filed in the archives of the Society,

and that a copy be sent to the State Archaeological and Historical Society,

for their files.

 

 

A scrapbook carefully kept by Rev. D. A. Randall contains

much interesting information and is made up almost entirely

from his own contributions to various papers covering dates

from   1853   to  1883.   Notes accompanying      these  clippings,

some of which were from Whip-poor-will, indicate that he

contributed some of the material which appeared in that paper.

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160      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. Rev. Randall wrote not only interesting prose but creditable verse. A few of the poems that appeared in Whip-poor-will were written by him. Brief accounts of travels in foreign lands by "Uncle Austin" were also from his pen. A vacancy existed in the secretaryship of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society after the death of Mr. Randall until March 16th, when C. B. Galbreath was elected to the position. The contributions that appear in this issue of the QUARTERLY were collected by him and, with the approval of the committee, arranged for publication.

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