第5章

TheDictatorDiscourses。

IhavebeenreadingBalzac"sPeaudeChagrin。Youhaveallreadthestory,Ihope,foritisthefirstofhiswonderfulromanceswhichfixedtheeyesofthereadingworlduponhim,andisamostfascinatingifsomewhatfantastictale。Ayoungmanbecomesthepossessorofacertainmagicskin,thepeculiarityofwhichisthat,whileitgratifieseverywishformedbyitspossessor,itshrinksinallitsdimensionseachtimethatawishisgratified。Theyoungmanmakeseveryefforttoascertainthecauseofitsshrinking;invokestheaidofthephysicist,thechemist,thestudentofnaturalhistory,butallinvain。Hedrawsaredlinearoundit。Thatsamedayheindulgesalongingforacertainobject。Thenextmorningthereisalittleintervalbetweentheredlineandtheskin,closetowhichitwastraced。Soalways,soinevitably。Asheliveson,satisfyingonedesire,onepassion,afteranother,theprocessofshrinkingcontinues。Amortaldiseasesetsin,whichkeepspacewiththeshrinkingskin,andhislifeandhistalismancometoanendtogether。

Onewouldsaythatsuchapieceofintegumentwashardlyadesirablepossession。Andyet,howmanyofushaveatthisverymomentapeaudechagrinofourown,diminishingwitheverycostlywishindulged,andincapable,likethemagicaloneofthestory,ofbeingarrestedinitsprogressNeedIsaythatIrefertothosecouponbonds,issuedinthedaysofeightandtenpercentinterest,andgraduallynarrowingastheydroptheirsemiannualslipsofpaper,whichrepresentwishestoberealized,astherosesletfalltheirleavesinJuly,astheiciclesmeltawayinthethawofJanuary？

Howbeautifulwasthecouponbond,arrayedinitsgoldenraimentofpromisestopayatcertainstatedintervals,foragoodlynumberofcomingyears！Whatannualthehorticulturistcanshowwillbearcomparisonwiththisproductofauriculturalindustry,whichhasfloweredinmidsummerandmidwinterfortwentysuccessiveseasons？

Andnowthelastofitsblossomsistobeplucked,andthebarestem,strippedofitsevermaturingandalwayswelcomeappendages,isreducedtothenarrowestconditionsofreproductiveexistence。Suchisthefateofthefinancialpeaudechagrin。Pitythepoorfractionalcapitalist,whohasjustmanagedtoliveontheeightpercentofhiscouponbonds。TheshearsofAtroposwerenotmorefataltohumanlifethanthelongscissorswhichcutthelastcoupontotheleanproprietor,whosesliceofdrytoastitservedtoflatterwitholeomargarine。Doyouwonderthatmythoughtstookthepoeticalform,inthecontemplationofthesechangesandtheirmelancholyconsequences？Iftheentirepoem,ofseveralhundredlines,was"declinedwiththanks"byanunfeelingeditor,thatisnoreasonwhyyoushouldnothearaverseortwoofit。

THEPEAUDECHAGRINOFSTATESTREET。

HowbeauteousisthebondInthemanifoldarrayOfitspromisestopay,WhiletheeightpercentitgivesAndtherateatwhichonelivesCorrespond！

ButatlasttheboughisbareWherethecouponsonebyoneThroughtheirripeningdayshaverun,Andthebond,abeggarnow,Seeksinvestmentanyhow,Anywhere！

TheMistresscommonlycontentsherselfwiththegeneralsupervisionofthecompany,onlynowandthentakinganactivepartintheconversation。Shestartedaquestiontheothereveningwhichsetsomeofusthinking。

"Whyisit,"shesaid,"thatthereissocommonandsointenseadesireforpoeticalreputation？Itseemstomethat,ifIwereaman,Ihadratherhavedonesomethingworthtellingofthanmakeversesaboutwhatotherpeoplehaddone。"

"YouagreewithAlexandertheGreat,"saidtheProfessor。"YouwouldpreferthefameofAchillestothatofHomer,whotoldthestoryofhiswrathanditsdirefulconsequences。IamafraidthatIshouldhardlyagreewithyou。AchilleswaslittlebetterthanaChoctawbrave。Iwon"tquoteHorace"slinewhichcharacterizeshimsoadmirably,forIwilltakeitforgrantedthatyouallknowit。Hewasagentleman,——soisafirst—classIndian,——averynoblegentlemaninpointofcourage,loftybearing,courtesy,butanunsoaped,ill—

clad,turbulent,high—temperedyoungfellow,lookeduptobyhiscrowdverymuchasthechampionoftheheavyweightsislookeduptobyhisgangofblackguards。Alexanderhimselfwasnotmuchbetter,——

afoolish,fieryyoungmadcap。Howoftenishementionedexceptasawarning？Hisbestrecordisthatheservedtopointamoralas"Macedonian"smadman。"Hemadeafigure,itistrue,inDryden"sgreatOde,butwhatkindofafigure？Hegotdrunk,——inverybadcompany,too,——andthenturnedfire—bug。Hehadoneredeemingpoint,——hedidvaluehisHomer,andsleptwiththeIliadunderhispillow。ApoetlikeHomerseemstomeworthadozensuchfellowsasAchillesandAlexander。"

"Homerisallverywellfarthosethatcanreadhim,"saidNumberSeven,"butthefellowsthattagversestogethernowadaysaremostlyfools。That"smyopinion。Iwrotesomeversesoncemyself,butI

hadbeensickandwasveryweak;hadn"tstrengthenoughtowriteinprose,Isuppose。"

Thisaggressiveremarkcausedalittlestiratourtea—table。Foryoumustknow,ifIhavenottoldyoualready,therearesuspicionsthatwehavemorethanone"poet"atourtable。IhavealreadyconfessedthatIdomyselfindulgeinversenowandthen,andhavegivenmyreadersaspecimenofmyworkinthatline。Butthereissomuchdifferenceofcharacterintheverseswhichareproducedatourtable,withoutanysignature,thatIfeelquitesurethereareatleasttwoorthreeothercontributorsbesidesmyself。Thereisatall,old—fashionedsilverurn,asugar—bowloftheperiodoftheEmpire,inwhichthepoemssenttobereadareplacedbyunseenhands。Whenthepropermomentarrives,Iliftthecoveroftheurnandtakeoutanymanuscriptitmaycontain。Ifconversationisgoingonandthecompanyareinatalkingmood,Ireplacethemanuscriptormanuscripts,claponthecover,andwaituntilthereisamoment"squietbeforetakingitoffagain。Imightguessthewriterssometimesbythehandwriting,butthereismoretroubletakentodisguisethechirographythanIchoosetotaketoidentifyitasthatofanyparticularmemberofourcompany。

Theturntheconversationtook,especiallytheslashingonslaughtofNumberSevenonthewritersofverse,setmethinkingandtalkingaboutthematter。NumberFiveturnedonthestreamofmydiscoursebyaquestion。

"Youreceiveagoodmanyvolumesofverse,doyounot？"shesaid,withalookwhichimpliedthatsheknewIdid。

Icertainlydo,Ianswered。Mytableacheswiththem。Myshelvesgroanwiththem。ThinkofwhatafussPopemadeabouthistrials,whenhecomplainedthat"AllBedlamorParnassusisletout"！

Whatwerethenumbersofthe"Mobofgentlemenwhowrotewithease"

tothatgreatmultitudeofcontributorstoourmagazines,andauthorsoflittlevolumes——sometimes,alas！bigones——ofverse,whichpouroutofthepress,notweekly,butdaily,andatsucharateofincreasethatitseemsasifbeforelongeveryhourwouldbringabook,oratleastanarticlewhichistogrowintoabookbyandby？

IthankedHeaven,theotherday,thatIwasnotacritic。Theseattenuatedvolumesofpoetryinfancybindingsopentheircoversatonelikesomanylittleunfledgedbirds,andonedoessolongtodropawormin,——awormintheshapeofakindwordforthepoorfledgling！Butwhatadesperatebusinessitistodealwiththisarmyofcandidatesforimmortality！Ihaveoftenhadsomethingtosayaboutthem,andImaybesayingoverthesamethings;butifIdonotrememberwhatIhavesaid,itisnotverylikelythatmyreaderwill;ifhedoes,hewillfind,Iamverysure,thatIsayitalittledifferently。

Whatastonishesmeisthatthisenormousmassofcommonplaceverse,whichburdensthepostmanwhobringsit,whichitisaserioustaskonlytogetoutofitswrappersandopenintwoorthreeplaces,isonthewholeofsogoodanaveragequality。Thedeadlevelofmediocrityisinthesedaysatable—land,agooddealabovetheoldsea—leveloflaboringincapacity。Sixtyyearsagoversesmadealocalreputation,whichverses,ifofferedtodaytoanyofourfirst—

classmagazines,wouldgostraightintothewaste—basket。Towrite"poetry"wasanartandmysteryinwhichonlyafewnotedmenandawomanortwowereexperts。

When"Pottertheventriloquist,"thepredecessorofthewell—

rememberedSignorBlitz,wentroundgivinghisentertainments,therewassomethingunexplained,uncanny,almostawful,andbeyonddisputemarvellous,inhisperformances。Thosewatchesthatdisappearedandcamebacktotheirowners,thoseendlesssuppliesoftreasuresfromemptyhats,andespeciallythosecrawlingeggsthattravelledalloverthemagician"sperson,sentmanyachildhomethinkingthatMr。

Pottermusthaveghostlyassistants,andraisedgravedoubtsinthemindsof"professors,"thatismembersofthechurch,whethertheyhadnotcompromisedtheircharactersbybeingseenatsuchanunhallowedexhibition。Nowadays,acleverboywhohasmadeastudyofparlormagiccandomanyofthosetricksalmostaswellasthegreatsorcererhimself。Howsimpleitallseemswhenwehaveseenthemechanismofthedeception！

Itisjustsowithwritinginverse。Itwasnotunderstoodthateverybodycanlearntomakepoetry,justastheycanlearnthemoredifficulttricksofjuggling。M。Jourdain"sdiscoverythathehadbeenspeakingandwritingproseallhislifeisnothingtothatofthemanwhofindsoutinmiddlelife,orevenlater,thathemighthavebeenwritingpoetryallhisdays,ifhehadonlyknownhowperfectlyeasyandsimpleitis。Noteverybody,itistrue,hasasufficientlygoodear,asufficientknowledgeofrhymesandcapacityforhandlingthem,tobewhatiscalledapoet。Idoubtwhethermorethannineoutoften,intheaverage,havethatcombinationofgiftsrequiredforthewritingofreadableverse。

ThislastexpressionofopinioncreatedasensationamongTheTeacups。Theylookedpuzzledforaminute。OnewhisperedtothenextTeacup,"Morethannineoutoften！Ishouldthinkthatwasaprettyliberalallowance。"

Yes,Icontinued;perhapsninety—nineinahundredwouldcomenearertothemark。IhavesometimesthoughtImightconsideritworthwhiletosetupaschoolforinstructionintheart。"Poetrytaughtintwelvelessons。"Congenitalidiocyisnodisqualification。

Anybodycanwrite"poetry。"Itisamostunenviabledistinctiontoleavepublishedathinvolumeofverse,whichnobodywanted,nobodybuys,nobodyreads,nobodycaresforexcepttheauthor,whocriesoveritspathos,poorfellow,andrevelsinitsbeauties,whichhehasalltohimself。Come！whowillbemypupilsinaCourse,——Poetrytaughtintwelvelessons？Thatmadealaugh,inwhichmostofTheTeacups,myselfincluded,joinedheartily。ThroughitallIheardthesweettonesofNumberFive"scaressingvoice;notbecauseitwasmorepenetratingorlouderthantheothers,foritwaslowandsoft,butitwassodifferentfromtheothers,therewassomuchmorelife,——thelifeofsweetwomanhood,——dissolvedinit。

（Ofcoursehewillfallinlovewithher。"He？Who？"Why,thenewcomer,theCounsellor。DidInotseehiseyesturntowardherasthesilverynotesrippledfromherthroat？Didtheynotfollowherinhermovements,assheturnedhertreadthisorthatway？

——Whatnonsenseformetobearrangingmattersbetweentwopeoplestrangerstoeachotherbeforeto—day！）

"Afellowwritesinversewhenhehasnothingtosay,andfeelstoodullandsillytosayitinprose,"saidNumberSeven。

Thismadeuslaughagain,good—naturedly。Iwaspleasedwithakindoftruthwhichitseemedtometowrapupinitsratherstartlingaffirmation。IgaveapieceofadvicetheotherdaywhichIsaidI

thoughtdeservedaparagraphtoitself。ItwasfromaletterIwrotenotlongagotoanunknownyoungcorrespondent,whohadalongingforseeinghimselfinversebutwasnothopelesslyinfatuatedwiththeideathathewasborna"poet。""Whenyouwriteinprose,"Isaid,"yousaywhatyoumean。Whenyouwriteinverseyousaywhatyoumust。"Iwasthinkingmoreespeciallyofrhymedverse。Rhythmaloneisatether,andnotaverylongone。Butrhymesareironfetters;

itisdraggingachainandballtomarchundertheirincumbrance;itisaclog—danceyouarefiguringin,whenyouexecuteyourmetricalpasseul。ConsiderunderwhatadisadvantageyourthinkingpowersarelaboringwhenyouarehandicappedbytheinexorabledemandsofourscantyEnglishrhymingvocabulary！Youwanttosaysomethingabouttheheavenlybodies,andyouhaveabeautifullineendingwiththewordstars。Wereyouwritinginprose,yourimagination,yourfancy,yourrhetoric,yourmusicalearfortheharmoniesoflanguage,wouldallhavefullplay。Butthereisyourrhymefasteningyoubytheleg,andyoumusteitherrejectthelinewhichpleasesyou,oryoumustwhipyourhobblingfancyandallyourlimpingthoughtsintothetraceswhicharehitchedtooneofthreeorfourorhalfadozenserviceablewords。Youcannotmakeanyuseofcars,Iwillsuppose;

youhavenooccasiontotalkaboutscars;"theredplanetMars"hasbeenusedalready;Dibdinhassaidenoughaboutthegallanttars;

whatisthereleftforyoubutbars？Soyougiveupyourtrainsofthought,capitulatetonecessity,andmanagetoluginsomekindofallusion,inplaceoroutofplace,whichwillallowyoutomakeuseofbars。Cantherebeimaginedamorecertainprocessforbreakingupallcontinuityofthought,fortakingoutallthevigor,allthevirility,whichbelongstonaturalproseasthevehicleofstrong,graceful,spontaneousthought,thanthismiserablesubjugationofintellecttothe—clinkofwellorillmatchedsyllables？IthinkyouwillsmileifItellyouofanideaIhavehadaboutteachingtheartofwriting"poems"tothehalf—wittedchildrenattheIdiotAsylum。

Thetrickofrhymingcannotbemoreusefullyemployedthaninfurnishingapleasantamusementtothepoorfeeble—mindedchildren。

IshouldfeelthatIwaswellemployedingettingupaPrimerforthepupilsoftheAsylum,andotheryoungpersonswhoareincapableofseriousthoughtandconnectedexpression。Iwouldstartinthesimplestway;thus:——

Whendarknessveilstheevening……

Ilovetoclosemyweary……

Thepupilbeginsbysupplyingthemissingwords,whichmostchildrenwhoareabletokeepoutoffireandwatercanaccomplishafteracertainnumberoftrials。Whenthepoetthatistobehasgotsoastoperformthistaskeasily,askeletonverse,inwhichtwoorthreewordsofeachlineareomitted,isgiventhechildtofillup。Byandbythemoredifficultformsofmetreareoutlined,untilatlengthafeeblemindedchildcanmakeoutasonnet,completelyequippedwithitsfourpairsofrhymesinthefirstsectionanditsthreepairsinthesecondpart。

NumberSeveninterruptedmydiscoursesomewhatabruptly,asishiswont;forwegranthimalicense,invirtueofhiseccentricity,whichweshouldhardlyexpecttobeclaimedbyaperfectlysoundTeacup。

"That"stheway,——that"stheway！"exclaimedhe。"It"sjustthesamethingasmyplanforteachingdrawing。"

SomecuriositywasshownamongTheTeacupstoknowwhatthequeercreaturehadgotintohismind,andNumberFiveaskedhim,inherirresistibletones,ifhewouldn"tobligeusbytellingusallaboutit。

Helookedatheramomentwithoutspeaking。Isupposehehasoftenbeenmadefunof,——slightedinconversation,takenasabuttforpeoplewhothoughtthemselveswitty,madetofeelaswemaysupposeacrackedpieceofchina—warefeelswhenitisclinkedinthecompanyofsoundbitsofporcelain。Ineversawhimwhenhewascarelesslydealtwithinconversation,——foritwouldsometimeshappen,evenatourtable,——withoutrecallingsomelinesofEmersonwhichalwaysstruckmeasofwonderfulforceandalmostterribletruthfulness:——

"Alas！thatoneisborninblight,VictimofperpetualslightWhenthoulookestinhisfaceThyheartsaith,"Brother,gothywaysNoneshallasktheewhatthoudoest,Orcarearushforwhatthouknowest,Orlistenwhenthourepliest,Orrememberwherethouliest,Orhowthysupperissodden;"

AndanotherisbornTomakethesunforgotten。"

Poorfellow！NumberSevenhastobearagooddealinthewayofneglectandridicule,Idonotdoubt。Happily,heisprotectedbyanamountofbeliefinhimselfwhichshieldshimfrommanyassailantswhowouldtortureamoresensitivenature。ButthesweetvoiceofNumberFiveandhersincerewayofaddressinghimseemedtotouchhisfeelings。Thatwasthemeaningofhismomentarysilence,inwhichI

sawthathiseyesglistenedandafaintflushroseonhischeeks。Inamoment,however,assoonashewasonhishobby,hewasallright,andexplainedhisnewandingenioussystemasfollows:

"Amanatacertaindistanceappearsasadarkspot,——nothingmore。

Good。Anybody,man,woman,orchild,canmakeadot,sayaperiod,suchasweuseinwriting。LessonNo。1。Makeadot;thatis,drawyourman,amileoff,ifthatisfarenough。Nowmakehimcomealittlenearer,afewrods,say。Thedotisanoblongfigurenow。

Good。Letyourscholardrawtheoblongfigure。Itisaseasyasitistomakeanoteofadmiration。Yourmancomesnearer,andnowsomehintofabulbousenlargementatoneend,andperhapsoflateralappendagesandabifurcation,beginstoshowitself。Thepupilsetsdownwithhispenciljustwhathesees,——nomore。Sobydegreesthemanwhoservesasmodelapproaches。Abrightpupilwilllearntogettheoutlineofahumanfigureintenlessons,themodelcomingfivehundredfeetnearereachtime。Adullonemayrequirefifty,themodelbeginningamileoff,ormore,andcomingahundredfeetnearerateachmove。"

Thecompanywereamusedbyallthis,butcouldnothelpseeingthattherewasacertainpracticalpossibilityaboutthescheme。OurtwoAnnexes,aswecallthen,appearedtobeinterestedintheproject,orfancy,orwhim,orwhatevertheolderheadsmightconsiderit。

"IguessI"lltryit,"saidtheAmericanAnnex。"Quiteso,"answeredtheEnglishAnnex。Whythefirstgirl"guessed"aboutherownintentionsitishardtosay。What"quiteso"referredtoitwouldnotbeeasytodetermine。ButthesetwoexpressionswoulddecidethenationalityofourtwoyoungladiesifwemetthemonthetopofthegreatPyramid。

IwasverygladthatNumberSevenhadinterruptedme。Infact,itisagoodthingonceinawhiletobreakinuponthemonotonyofasteadytalkeratadinner—table,tea—table,oranyotherplaceofsocialconverse。Thebesttalkerisliabletobecomethemostformidableofbores。Itisapeculiarityoftheborethatheisthelastpersontofindhimselfout。ManyaterebrantIhaveknownwho,inthatcapacity,toborrowalinefromColeridge,"Wasgreat,norknewhowgreathewas。"

Aline,bytheway,which,asIhaveremarked,hasinitagermlikethatfamous"Hebuildedbetterthanheknew"ofEmerson。

Therewasaslightlullintheconversation。TheMistress,whokeepsaneyeonthecourseofthings,andfearedthatoneofthosepanicsilenceswasimpending,inwhicheverybodywantstosaysomethinganddoesnotknowjustwhattosay,beggedmetogoonwithmyremarksaboutthe"manufacture"of"poetry。"

Youusetherightterm,madam,Isaid。Themanufactureofthatarticlehasbecomeanextensiveandthereforeanimportantbranchofindustry。Onemustbeaneditor,whichIamnot,oraliteraryconfidantofawidecircleofcorrespondents,whichIam,tohaveanyideaoftheenormousoutputofversewhichischaracteristicofourtime。Therearemanycuriousfactsconnectedwiththisphenomenon。

Educatedpeople——yes,andmanywhoarenoteducated——havediscoveredthatrhymesarenottheprivatepropertyofafewnotedwriterswho,havingsquattedonthatpartoftheliterarydomainsometwentyorfortyorsixtyyearsago,have,asitwere,fenceditinwiththeirtouchy,barbed—wirereputations,andhavecometoregarditandcauseittoberegardedastheirprivateproperty。Thediscoveryhavingbeenmadethatrhymeisnotapaddockforthisorthatrace—horse,butacommon,whereeverycolt,pony,anddonkeycanrangeatwill;

avastirruptionintothatonce—privilegedinclosurehastakenplace。

Thestudyofthegreatinvasionisinteresting。

Poetryiscommonlythoughttohethelanguageofemotion。Onthecontrary,mostofwhatissocalledprovestheabsenceofallpassionateexcitement。Itisacold—blooded,haggard,anxious,worryinghuntafterrhymeswhichcanbemadeserviceable,afterimageswhichwillbeeffective,afterphraseswhicharesonorous;allthisunderlimitationswhichrestrictthenaturalmovementsoffancyandimagination。Thereisasecondaryexcitementinovercomingthedifficultiesofrhythmandrhyme,nodoubt,butthisisnottheemotionalheatexcitedbythesubjectofthe"poet"s"treatment。

Truepoetry,thebestofit,isbuttheashesofaburnt—outpassion。

Theflamewasintheeyeandinthecheek,thecoalsmaybestillburningintheheart,butwhenwecometothewordsitleavesbehindit,alittlewarmth,acinderortwojustglimmeringunderthedeadgrayashes,——thatisallwecanlookfor。Whenitcomestothemanufacturedarticle,oneissurprisedtofindhowwellthemetricalartisanshavelearnedtoimitatetherealthing。Theycatchallthephrasesofthetruepoet。Theyimitatehismetricalformsasamimiccopiesthegaitofthepersonheisrepresenting。

NowIamnotgoingtoabuse"thesesamemetreballad—mongers,"fortheobviousreasonthat,asallTheTeacupsknow,Imyselfbelongtothefraternity。Idon"tthinkthatthisreasonshouldhindermyhavingmysayabouttheballad—mongeringbusiness。ForthelastthirtyyearsIhavebeeninthehabitofreceivingavolumeofpoemsorapoem,printedormanuscript——Iwillnotsaydaily,thoughI

sometimesreceivemorethanoneinaday,butatveryshortintervals。Ihavebeenconsultedbyhundredsofwritersofverseastothemeritoftheirperformances,andhaveoftenadvisedthewriterstothebestofmyability。OflateIhavefounditimpossibletoattempttoreadcriticallyalltheliteraryproductions,inverseandinprose,whichhaveheapedthemselvesoneveryexposedsurfaceofmylibrary,likesnowdriftsalongtherailroadtracks,——blockingmyliterarypathway,sothatIcanhardlyfindmydailypapers。

Whatisthemeaningofthisrushintorhymingofsuchamultitudeofpeople,ofallages,fromtheinfantphenomenontotheoldestinhabitant？

Manyofmyyoungcorrespondentshavetoldmeinsomanywords,"Iwanttobefamous。"Nowitistruethatofalltheshortcutstofame,intimeofpeace,thereisnoneshorterthantheroadpavedwithrhymes。Byronwokeuponemorningandfoundhimselffamous。

StillmorenotablydidRougetdel"IslefilltheairofFrance,nay,thewholeatmosphereoffreedomalltheworldover,withhisnamewaftedonthewingsoftheMarseillaise,theworkofasinglenight。

Butifbyfametheaspirantmeanshavinghisnamebroughtbeforeandkeptbeforethepublic,thereisamuchcheaperwayofacquiringthatkindofnotoriety。Haveyourportraittakenasa"WonderfulCureofaDesperateDiseasegivenupbyalltheDoctors。"Youwillgetafairlikenessofyourselfandapartialbiographicalnotice,andhavethesatisfaction,ifnotofpromotingthewelfareofthecommunity,atleastthatofadvancingthefinancialinterestsofthebenefactorwhoseenterprisehasgivenyouyourcovetednotoriety。Ifamanwantstobefamous,hehadmuchbettertrytheadvertisingdoctorthantheterribleeditor,whosewaste—basketisamawwhichisasinsatiableasthetemporarystomachofJacktheGiant—killer。

"Youmustnottalkso,"saidNumberFive。"Iknowyoudon"tmeananywrongtothetruepoets,butyoumightbethoughttoholdthemcheap,whereasyouvaluethegiftinothers,——inyourselftoo,Iratherthink。Thereareagreatmanywomen,——andsomemen,——whowriteinversefromanaturalinstinctwhichleadsthemtothatformofexpression。Ifyoucouldpeepintotheportfolioofallthecultivatedwomenamongyouracquaintances,youwouldbesurprised,I

believe,toseehowmanyofthemtrusttheirthoughtsandfeelingstoversewhichtheyneverthinkofpublishing,andmuchofwhichnevermeetsanyeyesbuttheirown。Don"tbecrueltothesensitivenatureswhofindamusicintheharmoniesofrhythmandrhymewhichsoothestheirownsouls,ifitreachesnofarther。"

IwasgladthatNumberFivespokeupasshedid。Hergenerousinstinctcametotherescueofthepoorpoetsjustattherightmoment。NotthatImeanttodealroughlywiththem,butthe"poets"

Ihavebeenforcedintorelationwithhaveimpressedmewithcertainconvictionswhicharenotflatteringtothefraternity,andifmyjudgmentsarenotaccompaniedbymyownqualifications,distinctions,andexceptions,theymayseemharshtomanyreaders。

Letmedrawapicturewhichmanyayoungmanandwoman,andsomenolongeryoung,willrecognizeasthestoryoftheirownexperiences。

——Heissittingalonewithhisownthoughtsandmemories。Whatisthatbookheisholding？Somethingprecious,evidently,foritisboundin"treecalf,"andthereisgildingenoughaboutitforabirthdaypresent。Thereaderseemstobedeeplyabsorbedinitscontents,andattimesgreatlyexcitedbywhathereads;forhisfaceisflushed,hiseyesglitter,and——thererollsalargeteardownhischeek。Listentohim;heisreadingaloudinimpassionedtones:

AndhaveIcoinedmysoulinwordsfornaught？

AndmustI,withthedim,forgottenthrongOfsilentghoststhatleftnoearthlytraceToshowtheyoncehadbreathedthisvitalair,Dieout,ofmortalmemories？

Hisvoiceischokedbyhisemotion。"Howisitpossible,"hesaystohimself,"thatanyonecanreadmy"GaspingsforImmortality"withoutbeingimpressedbytheirfreshness,theirpassion,theirbeauty,theiroriginality？"Tearscometohisrelieffreely,——sofreelythatbehastopushthepreciousvolumeoutoftherangeoftheirblisteringshower。Sixyearsago"GaspingsforImmortality"waspublished,advertised,praisedbytheprofessionalswhosebusinessitistoboosttheirpublishers"authors。Aweekandmoreitwasseenonthecountersofthebooksellersandatthestallsintherailroadstations。Thenitdisappearedfrompublicview。Afewcopiesstillkepttheirplaceontheshelvesoffriends,——presentationcopies,ofcourse,asthereisnoevidencethatanyweredisposedofbysale;