第6章

andnow,onemightaswellaskforthelostbooksofLivyasinquireatabookstorefor"GaspingsforImmortality。"

Theauthorsofthesepoemsareallroundus,menandwomen,andnoonewithafairamountofhumansympathyinhisdispositionwouldtreatthemotherwisethantenderly。Perhapstheydonotneedtendertreatment。Howdoyouknowthatposteritymaynotresuscitatetheseseeminglydeadpoems,andgivetheirauthortheimmortalityforwhichhelongedandlabored？Itisnoteverypoetwhoisatonceappreciated。Somewilltellyouthatthebestpoetsneverare。Whocansaythatyou,dearunappreciatedbrotherorsister,arenotoneofthosewhomitisleftforaftertimestodiscoveramongthewrecksofthepast,andholduptotheadmirationoftheworld？

Ihavenotthoughtitnecessarytoputinalltheinterpellations,astheFrenchcallthem,whichbrokethecourseofthissomewhatextendedseriesofremarks;butthecommentsofsomeofTheTeacupshelpedmetoshapecertainadditionalobservations,andmayseemtothereaderasofmoresignificancethanwhatIhadbeensaying。

NumberSevensawnothingbutthefollyandweaknessofthe"rhymingcranks,"ashecalledthem。HethoughtthefellowthatIhaddescribedasblubberingoverhisstill—bornpoemswouldhavebeenbetteroccupiedinearninghislivinginsomehonestwayorother。

Heknewonechapthatpublishedavolumeofverses,andlethiswifebringupthewoodforthefirebywhichhewaswriting。Afellowsays,"Iamapoet！"andhethinkshimselfdifferentfromcommonfolks。Heoughttobeexcusedfrommilitaryservice。Hemightbekilled,andtheworldwouldlosetheinestimableproductsofhisgenius。"Ibelievesomeof"emthink,"saidNumberSeven,"thattheyoughtnottobecalledupontopaytheirtaxesandtheirbillsforhouseholdexpenses,liketherestofus。"

"IftheywouldonlystudyandtaketoheartHorace"s"ArsPoetica,""

saidtheProfessor,"itwouldbeagreatbenefittothemandtotheworldatlarge。Iwouldnotadviseyoutofollowhimtooliterally,ofcourse,for,asyouwillsee,thechangesthathavetakenplacesincehistimewouldmakesomeofhispreceptsuselessandsomedangerous,butthespiritofthemisalwaysinstructive。Thisistheway,somewhatmodernizedandaccompaniedbymyrunningcommentary,inwhichhecounselsayoungpoet:

""Don"ttrytowritepoetry,myboy,whenyouarenotinthemoodfordoingit,——whenitgoesagainstthegrain。Youareafellowofsense,——youunderstandallthat。

""Ifyouhavewrittenanythingwhichyouthinkwellof,showittoMr。______,thewell—knowncritic;to"thegovernor,"asyoucallhim,——yourhonoredfather;andtome,yourfriend。"

"Tothecriticiswellenough,ifyouliketobeoverhauledandputoutofconceitwithyourself,——itmaydoyougood;butIwouldn"tgoto"thegovernor"withmyverses,ifIwereyou。Foreitherhewillthinkwhatyouhavewrittenissomethingwonderful,almostasgoodashecouldhavewrittenhimself,——infact,healwaysdidbelieveinhereditarygenius,——orhewillpooh—poohthewholerhymingnonsense,andtellyouthatyouhadagreatdealbettersticktoyourbusiness,andleavealltheword—jinglingtoMotherGooseandherfollowers。

""Showmeyourverses,"saysHorace。Verygooditwasinhim,andmightyencouragingthefirstcounselhegives！"Keepyourpoemtoyourselfforsomeeightortenyears;youwillhavetimetolookitover,tocorrectitandmakeitfittopresenttothepublic。"

""Muchobligedforyouradvice,"saysthepoorpoet,thirstingforadraughtoffame,andofferedahandfulofdust。Andoffhehurriestotheprinter,tobesurethathispoemcomesoutinthenextnumberofthemagazinehewritesfor。"

"Isnotpoetrythenaturallanguageoflovers？"

ItwastheTutorwhoaskedthisquestion,andIthoughthelookedinthedirectionofNumberFive,asifshemightanswerhisquestion。

ButNumberFivestirredherteadevotedly;therewasalumpofsugar,Isuppose,thatactedlikeapieceofmarble。Sotherewasasilencewhilethelumpwasslowlydissolving,anditwasanybody"schancewhosawfittotakeuptheconversation。

Thevoicethatbrokethesilencewasnotthesweet,winsomeonewewerelisteningfor,butitinstantlyarrestedtheattentionofthecompany。Itwasthegrave,manlyvoiceofoneusedtospeaking,andaccustomedtobelistenedtowithdeference。Thiswasthefirsttimethatthecompanyasawholehadheardit,forthespeakerwasthenew—comerwhohasbeenrepeatedlyalludedto,——theoneofwhomI

spokeas"theCounsellor。"

"IthinkIcantellyousomethingaboutthat,"saidtheCounsellor。

"Isupposeyouwillwonderhowamanofmyprofessioncanknoworinteresthimselfaboutaquestionsoremotefromhisaridpursuits。

AndyetthereishardlyonemaninathousandwhoknowsfromactualexperienceafractionofwhatIhavelearnedofthelovers"

vocabularyinmyprofessionalexperience。Ihave,Iamsorrytosay,hadtotakeanimportantpartinagreatnumberofdivorcecases。

Thesehavebroughtbeforemescoresandhundredsofletters,inwhicheveryshadeofthegreatpassionhasbeenrepresented。Whathasmoststruckmeintheseamatorycorrespondenceshasbeentheirremarkablesameness。Itseemsasifwritinglove—lettersreducedallsortsofpeopletothesamelevel。Idon"trememberwhetherLordBaconhasleftusanythinginthatline,——unless,indeed,hewroteRomeoandJuliet"andthe"Sonnets;"butifhehas,Idon"tbelievetheydiffersoverymuchfromthoseofhisvaletorhisgroomtotheirrespectivelady—loves。Itisalways,Mydarling！mydarling！Thewordsofendearmentaretheonlyonestheloverwantstoemploy,andhefindsthevocabularytoolimitedforhisvastdesires。Sohislettersareapttoberathertediousexcepttothepersonagetowhomtheyareaddressed。Astopoetry,itisverycommontofinditinlove—

letters,especiallyinthosethathavenoloveinthem。Thelettersofbigamistsandpolygamistsarerichinpoeticalextracts。

Occasionally,anoriginalspurtinrhymeaddsvarietytoanotherwisemonotonousperformance。Idon"tthinkthereismuchpassioninmen"spoetryaddressedtowomen。IagreewithTheDictatorthatpoetryislittlemorethantheashesofpassion;stillitmayshowthattheflamehashaditssweepwhereyoufindit,unless,indeed,itisshoveledinfromanotherman"sfireplace。"

"Whatdoyousaytothelovepoetryofwomen？"askedtheProfessor。

"DideverpassionheatwordstoincandescenceasitdidthoseofSappho？"

TheCounsellorturned,——nottoNumberFive,asheoughttohavedone,accordingtomyprogramme,buttotheMistress。

"Madam,"hesaid,"yoursexisadorableinmanyways,butintheabandonofagenuinelove—letteritisincomparable。Ihaveseenastringofwomen"slove—letters,inwhichthecreatureenlacedherselfabouttheobjectofherworshipasthatSouthAmericanparasitewhichclaspsthetreetowhichithasattacheditself,beginswithaslendersucculentnetwork,feedsonthetrunk,spreadsitsfingersouttoholdfirmlytoonebranchafteranother,thickens,hardens,stretchesineverydirection,followingtheboughs,——andatlengthgetsstrongenoughtoholdinitsmurderousarms,highupinair,thestumpandshaftoftheoncesturdygrowththatwasitssupportandsubsistence。"

TheCounsellordidnotsayallthisquitesoformallyasIhavesetitdownhere,butinamucheasierway。Infact,itisimpossibletosmoothoutaconversationfrommemorywithoutstiffeningit;youcan"thaveadressshirtlookquiterightwithoutstarchingthebosom。

Someofuswouldhavelikedtohearmoreaboutthoselettersinthedivorcecases,buttheCounsellorhadtoleavethetable。HepromisedtoshowussomepictureshehasoftheSouthAmericanparasite。Ihaveseenthem,andIcanassureyoutheyareverycurious。

Thefollowingverseswerefoundintheurn,orsugar—bowl。

CACOETHESSCRIBENDI。

Ifallthetreesinallthewoodsweremen,Andeachandeverybladeofgrassapen;

IfeveryleafoneveryshrubandtreeTurnedtoasheetoffoolscap;everyseaWerechangedtoink,andallearth"slivingtribesHadnothingelsetodobutactasscribes,Andfortenthousandages,dayandnight,Thehumanraceshouldwrite,andwrite,andwrite,Tillallthepensandpaperwereusedup,Andthehugeinkstandwasanemptycup,StillwouldthescribblersclusteredrounditsbrimCallformorepens,morepaper,andmoreink。

V

"Dolce,manontroppodolce,"saidtheProfessortotheMistress,whowassweeteninghistea。Shealwayssweetenshisandmineforus。Hehasbeenattendingaseriesofconcerts,andborrowedtheformofthedirectionstotheorchestra。"Sweet,butnottoosweet,"hesaid,translatingtheItalianforthebenefitofanyofthecompanywhomightnotbelinguistsormusicalexperts。

"Doyougotothosemusicalhullabaloos？"calledoutNumberSeven。

Therewassomethingverymuchlikerudenessinthisquestionandthetoneinwhichitwasasked。Butweareusedtotheoutbursts,andextravagances,andodditiesofNumberSeven,anddonottakeoffenceathisroughspeechesasweshouldifanyotherofthecompanyutteredthem。

"Ifyoumeantheconcertsthathavebeengoingonthisseason,yes,I

do,"saidtheProfessor,inabland,good—humoredway。

"Anddoyoutakerealpleasureinthedinofallthosescreechingandbangingandgrowlinginstruments？"

"Yes,"heanswered,modestly,"Ienjoyshebrouhaha,ifyouchoosetoconsideritsuch,ofallthisquarrelsomemenagerieofnoise—makingmachines,broughtintoorderandharmonybythepresidinggenius,theleader,whohasmadeahappyfamilyofthesesnarlingstringedinstrumentsandwhiningwindinstruments,sothatalthoughLinguaecentumsent,oraquecentum,notwithstandingthereareahundredvibratingtonguesandahundredbellowingmouths,theironegrandblendedandharmonizeduproarsetsallmyfibrestinglingwithanotunpleasingtremor。"

"Doyouunderstandit？Doyoutakeanyideafromit？Doyouknowwhatitallmeans？"saidNumberSeven。

TheProfessorwaslong—sufferingunderthisseriesofsomewhatperemptoryquestions。Herepliedveryplacidly,"IamafraidIhavebutasuperficialoutsideacquaintancewiththesecrets,theunfathomablemysteries,ofmusic。Icannomoreconceiveoftheworkingconditionsofthegreatcomposer,"UntwistingallthechainsthattieThehiddensoulofharmony,"

thanachildofthreeyearscanfollowthereasoningsofNewton"s"Principia。"IdonotevenpretendthatIcanappreciatetheworkofagreatmasterasabornandtrainedmusiciandoes。Still,Idoloveagreatcrashofharmonies,andtheoftenerIlistentothesemusicaltempeststhehighermysoulseemstorideuponthem,asthewildfowlIseethroughmywindowsoarmorefreelyandfearlesslythefiercerthestormwithwhichtheybattle。"

"That"sallverywell,"saidNumberSeven,"butIwishwecouldgettheold—timemusicbackagain。Yououghttohaveheard,——no,Iwon"tmentionher,dead,poorgirl,——deadandsingingwiththesaintsinheaven,——buttheS_____girls。IfyoucouldhaveheardthemasIdidwhenIwasaboy,youwouldhavecried,asweallusedto。Doyoucryatthosegreatmusicalsmashes？Howcanyoucrywhenyoudon"tknowwhatitisallabout？Weusedtothinkthewordsmeantsomething,——wefanciedthatBurnsandMooresaidsomethingsveryprettily。Isupposeyou"veoutgrownallthat。"

NoonecanhandleNumberSeveninoneofhistantrumshalfsowellasNumberFivecandoit。Shecanpickoutwhatthreadsofsensemaybewoundofffromthetangleofhisideaswhentheyarecrowdedandconfused,astheyareapttobeattimes。Shecansoftentheoccasionalexpressionofhalf—concealedridiculewithwhichthepooroldfellow"ssalliesareliabletobewelcomed——orunwelcomed。Sheknowsthattheedgeofabrokenteacupmaybesharper,verypossibly,thanthatofaphilosopher"sjackknife。Amindalittleoffitsbalance,onewhichhasaslightlysquintingbrainasitsorgan;willoftenprovefertileinsuggestions。Vulgar,cynical,contemptuouslistenersflyatallitsweaknesses,andpleasethemselveswithmakinglightofitsoftenfutileingenuities,whenawiseraudiencewouldgladlyacceptahintwhichperhapscouldbedevelopedinsomeprofitabledirection,orsointerpretanerraticthoughtthatitshouldprovegoodsenseindisguise。ThatisthewayNumberFivewasinthehabitofdealingwiththeexplosionsofNumberSeven。Doyouthinkshedidnotseetheridiculouselementinasillyspeech,ortheabsurdityofanoutrageouslyextravagantassertion？Thenyouneverheardherlaughwhenshecouldgivewaytohersenseoftheludicrouswithoutwoundingthefeelingsofanyotherperson。Butherkindheartneverwouldforgetitself,andsoNumberSevenhadachampionwhowasalwaysreadytoseethathisflashesofintelligence,fitfulastheywere,andliabletobestreakedwithhalf—crazyfancies,alwaysfoundonewillingrecipientofwhatlighttherewasinthem。

NumberFive,Ihavefound,isatrueloverofmusic,andhasarighttoclaimarealknowledgeofitshigheranddeepermysteries。Butsheacceptedverycordiallywhatourlight—headedcompanionsaidaboutthesongsheusedtolistento。

"Thereisnodoubt,"sheremarked,"thatthetearswhichusedtobeshedover"Oftinthesullynight,"or"AuldRobinGray,"or"Aplaceinthymemory,dearest,"werehonesttears,comingfromthetruesourcesofemotion。Therewasnoaffectationaboutthem;thosesongscamehometothesensibilitiesofyoungpeople,——ofallwhohadanysensibilitiestobeactedupon。Andontheotherhand,thereisagreatamountofaffectationintheapparententhusiasmofmanypersonsinadmiringandapplaudingmusicofwhichtheyhavenottheleastrealappreciation。Theydonotknowwhetheritisgoodorbad,theworkofafirst—rateorafifth—ratecomposer;whethertherearecoherentelementsinit,orwhetheritisnothingmorethan"aconcourseofsweetsounds"withnoorganicconnections。Onemustbeeducated,nodoubt,tounderstandthemorecomplexanddifficultkindsofmusicalcomposition。Gotothegreatconcertswhereyouknowthatthemusicisgood,andthatyououghttolikeitwhetheryoudoornot。Takeamusic—bathonceortwiceaweekforafewseasons,andyouwillfindthatitistothesoulwhatthewater—bathistothebody。Iwouldn"ttroublemyselfabouttheaffectationsofpeoplewhogotothisorthatseriesofconcertschieflybecauseitisfashionable。Someofthesepeoplewhomwethinksosillyandholdsocheapwillperhapsfind,soonerorlater,thattheyhaveadormantfacultywhichisatlastwakingup,——andthattheywhocamebecauseotherscame,andbeganbystaringattheaudience,arelisteningwithanewlyfounddelight。Everyoneofushasaharpunderbodiceorwaistcoat,andifitcanonlyoncegetproperlystrungandtuneditwillrespondtoalloutsideharmonies。"

TheProfessorhassomeideasaboutmusic,whichIbelievehehasgiventotheworldinoneformoranother;buttheworldisgrowingoldandforgetful,andneedstoberemindednowandthenofwhatonehasformerlytoldit。

"Ihavehadglimpses,"theProfessorsaid,"oftheconditionsintowhichmusiciscapableofbringingasensitivenature。Glimpses,I

say,becauseIcannotpretendthatIamcapableofsoundingallthedepthsorreachingalltheheightstowhichmusicmaytransportourmortalconsciousness。Letmeremindyouofacuriousfactwithreferencetotheseatofthemusicalsense。Fardownbelowthegreatmassesofthinkingmarrowanditssecondaryagents,justasthebrainisabouttomergeinthespinalcord,therootsofthenerveofhearingspreadtheirwhitefilamentsoutintothesentientmatter,wheretheyreportwhattheexternalorgansofhearingtellthem。

Thissentientmatterisinremoteconnectiononlywiththementalorgans,farmoreremotethanthecentresofthesenseofvisionandthatofsmell。Inaword,themusicalfacultymightbesaidtohavealittlebrainofitsown。Ithasaspecialworldandaprivatelanguagealltoitself。Howcanoneexplainitssignificancetothosewhosemusicalfacultiesareinarudimentarystateofdevelopment,orwhohaveneverhadthemtrained？Canyoudescribeinintelligiblelanguagethesmellofaroseascomparedwiththatofaviolet？No,——musiccanbetranslatedonlybymusic。Justsofarasitsuggestswordedthought,itfallsshortofitshighestoffice。

Pureemotionalmovementsofthespiritualnature,——thatiswhatIaskofmusic。Musicwillbetheuniversallanguage,——theVolapukofspiritualbeing。"

"Angelssitdownwiththeirharpsandplayateachother,Isuppose,"

saidNumberSeven。"Musthaveanatmosphereupthereiftheyhaveharps,ortheywouldn"tgetanymusic。Wonderifangelsbreathelikemortals？Iftheydo,theymusthavelungsandairpassages,ofcourse。Thinkofanangelwiththeinfluenza,andnothingbutacloudforahandkerchief！"

——ThisisagoodinstanceofthewayinwhichNumberSeven"ssquintingbrainworks。Youwillnowandthenmeetjustsuchbrainsinheadsyouknowverywell。Theirownersaremuchgiventoaskingunanswerablequestions。Aphysicistmaysettleitforuswhetherthereisanatmosphereaboutaplanetornot,butittakesabrainwithanextrafissureinittoasktheseunexpectedquestions,——

questionswhichthenaturalphilosophercannotanswer,andwhichthetheologianneverthinksofasking。

Thecompanyatourtabledonotkeepalwaysinthesameplaces。ThefirstthingInoticed,theotherevening,wasthattheTutorwassittingbetweenthetwoAnnexes,andtheCounsellorwasnexttoNumberFive。Somethingoughttocomeofthisarrangement。OneofthosetwoyoungladiesmustcertainlycaptivateandperhapscapturetheTutor。Theyarejusttheagetobefallinginloveandtobefalleninlovewith。TheTutorisgoodlooking,intellectual,suspectedofwritingpoetry,butalittleshy,itappearstome。

Iamgladtoseehimbetweenthetwogirls。Iftherewereonlyone,shemightbeshytoo,andthentherewouldbelesschanceforaromancesuchasIamonthelookoutfor;buttheseyoungpersonslendcouragetoeachother,andbetweenthem,ifhedoesnotwakeuplikeCymonatthesightofIphigenia,Ishallbedisappointed。AsfortheCounsellorandNumberFive,theywillsoonfindeachotherout。Yes,itisallprettyclearinmymind,——exceptthatthereisalwaysanxinaproblemwheresentimentsareinvolved。No,notsoclearabouttheTutor。Predestined,Iventuremyguess,tooneortheother,buttowhich？Iwillsuspendmyopinionforthepresent。

IhavefoundoutthattheCounsellorisachildlesswidower。IamtoldthattheTutorisunmarried,andsofarasknownnotengaged。

Thereisnouseindenyingit,——acompanywithoutthepossibilityofalove—matchbetweentwoofitscircleislikeachampagnebottlewiththecorkoutforsomehoursascomparedtoonewithitspopyetinreserve。However,ifthereshouldbeanylove—making,itneednotbreakupourconversations。Mostofitwillbecarriedonawayfromourtea—table。

SomeofushavebeenattendingcertainlecturesonEgyptanditsantiquities。IhaveneverbeenontheNile。Ifinanyfuturestatethereshallbevacationsinwhichwemayhavelibertytorevisitouroldhome,equippedwithacompletebrand—newsetofmortalsensesasourtravellingoutfit,IthinkoneofthefirstplacesIshouldgoto,aftermybirthplace,theoldgambrel—roofedhouse,——theplacewhereitstood,rather,——wouldbethatmighty,awe—inspiringriver。

Idonotsupposeweshalleverknowhalfofwhatweowetothewiseandwonderfulpeoplewhoconfrontuswiththeoverpoweringmonumentsofapastwhichflowsoutoftheunfathomabledarknessasthegreatriverstreamsfromsourcesevenasyetbutimperfectlyexplored。

IhavethoughtagooddealaboutEgypt,lately,withreferencetoourhistoricalmonuments。Howdidthegreatunknownmasterywhofixedthetwoleadingformsoftheirmonumentalrecordsarriveatthoseadmirableandeternaltypes,thepyramidandtheobelisk？Howdidtheygettheirmodelofthepyramid？

Hereisanhour—glass,notinappropriatelyfilledwithsandfromthegreatEgyptiandesert。Iturnit,andwatchthesandasitaccumulatesinthelowerhalfoftheglass。Howsymmetrically,howbeautifully,howinevitably,thelittleparticlespileupthecone,whichiseverbuildingandunbuildingitself,alwaysaimingatthestabilitywhichisfoundonlyatacertainfixedangle！TheEgyptianchildrenplayinginthesandmusthavenoticedthisastheyletthegrainsfallfromtheirhands,andtheslopingsidesoftheminiaturepyramidmusthavebeenamongthefamiliarsightstothelittleboysandgirlsforwhomthesandfurnishedtheirearliestplaythings。

Naturetaughtherchildrenthroughtheworkingofthelawsofgravitationhowtobuildsothatherforcesshouldactinharmonywithart,topreservetheintegrityofastructuremeanttoreachafar—offposterity。ThepyramidisonlytheconeinwhichNaturearrangesherheapedandslidingfragments;theconewithflattenedSurfaces,asitisprefiguredincertainwell—knowncrystallineforms。TheobeliskisfromanotherofNature"spatterns;itisonlyagiganticacicularcrystal。

TheEgyptiansknewwhatamonumentshouldbe,simple,noble,durable。

ItseemstomethatweAmericansmighttakealessonfromthoseearlyarchitects。Ourcemeteriesarecrowdedwithmonumentswhichareveryfarfromsimple,anythingbutnoble,andstandasmallchanceofbeingpermanent。Thepyramidisrarelyseen,perhapsbecauseittakesupsomuchroom;andwhenbuiltonasmallscaleseemsinsignificantaswethinkofit,dwarfedbythevaststructuresofantiquity。Theobeliskisverycommon,andwheninjustproportionsandofrespectabledimensionsisunobjectionable。

ButthegiganticobeliskslikethatonBunkerHill,andespeciallytheWashingtonmonumentatthenationalcapital,areopentocriticalanimadversion。LetuscontrastthelastmentionedofthesegreatpileswiththeobeliskastheEgyptianconceivedandexecutedit。

ThenewPharaohorderedamemorialofsomeimportantpersonageorevent。Inthefirstplace,amightystonewasdislodgedfromitsconnections,andlifted,unbroken,fromthequarry。Thiswasafeatfromwhichourmodernstone—workersshrinkdismayed。TheEgyptiansappeartohavehandledthesehugemonolithsasourartisanshandlehearthstonesanddoorsteps,forthelandactuallybristledwithsuchgiantcolumns。TheywereshapedandfinishedasnicelyasiftheywerebreastpinsfortheTitanstowear,andontheirpolishedsurfaceswereengravedinimperishablecharacterstherecordstheywereerectedtopreserve。

EuropeandAmericaborrowthesenobleproductionsofAfricanartandpower,andfindthemhardenoughtohandleaftertheyhavesucceededintransportingthemtoRome,orLondon,orNewYork。Theirsimplicity,grandeur,imperishability,speakingsymbolism,shameallthepretentiousandfragileworksofhumanartaroundthem。Theobeliskhasnojointsforthedestructiveagenciesofnaturetoattack;thepyramidhasnomasseshanginginunstableequilibrium,andthreateningtofallbytheirownweightinthecourseofathousandortwoyears。

AmericasaystheFatherofhisCountrymusthaveamonumentworthyofhisexaltedplaceinhistory。Whatshallitbe？AtemplesuchasAthensmighthavebeenproudtorearuponherAcropolis？AnobelisksuchasThebesmighthavepointedoutwithpridetothestrangerswhofoundadmissionthroughherhundredgates？Afterlongmeditationandtherejectionofthehybridmonstrositieswithwhichthenationwasmenaced,anobeliskisatlastdecidedupon。Howcanitbemadegrandanddignifiedenoughtobeequaltotheofficeassignedit？Wedarenotattempttocarveasinglestonefromthelivingrock,——allourmodernappliancesfailtomakethetaskaseasytousasitseemstohavebeentotheearlyEgyptians。Noartisticskillisrequiredingivingafour—squaretaperingfiguretoastonecolumn。Ifwecannotshapeasolidobeliskoftheproperdimensions,wecanbuildoneofseparateblocks。Howcanwegiveitthedistinctionwedemandforit？Thenationwhichcanbragthatithas"thebiggestshowonearth"cannotboastagreatdealinthewayofarchitecture,butitcandoonething,——itcanbuildanobeliskthatshallbetallerthananystructurenowstandingwhichthehandofmanhasraised。Buildanobelisk！Howdifferenttheideaofsuchastructurefromthatoftheunbroken,unjointedprismaticshaft,oneperfectwhole,ascompleteinitself,asfitlyshapedandconsolidatedtodefytheelements,asthetoweringpalmorthetaperingpine！Well,wehadthesatisfactionforatimeofclaimingthetalleststructureintheworld;andnowthatthenewTowerofBabelwhichhassprungupinParishaskilledthatpretention,Ithinkweshallfeelandspeakmoremodestlyaboutourstonehyperbole,ourmaterializationoftheAmericanloveofthesuperlative。Wehavethehighercivilizationamongus,andwemusttrytokeepdowntheforth—puttinginstinctsofthelower。Wedonotwanttoseeournationalmonumentplacardedas"thegreatestshowonearth,"——perhapsitiswellthatitistakendownfromthatbademinence。

Idonotthinkthatthisspeechofminewasverywellreceived。ItappearedtojarsomewhatonthenervesoftheAmericanAnnex。TherewasasmileonthelipsoftheotherAnnex,——theEnglishgirl,——whichshetriedtokeepquiet,butitwastooplainthatsheenjoyedmydiatribe。

ItmustberememberedthatIandtheotherTeacups,incommonwiththerestofourfellow—citizens,havehadoursensibilitiesgreatlyworkedupon,ourpatriotismchilled,ourlocalprideoutraged,bythemonstrositieswhichhavebeenallowedtodeformourbeautifulpublicgrounds。Wehavetobeverycarefulinconductingavisitor,sayfromhismarble—frontedhoteltotheCityHall。——KeepprettystraightalongafterenteringtheGarden,——youwillnotcaretoinspectthelittlefigureofthemilitarygentlemantoyourright。——

Yes,theCochituatewaterisdrinkable,butIthinkIwouldnotturnasidetovisitthatsmallfabricwhichmakesbelieveitisatemple,andisaweak—eyedfountainfeeblyweepingoveritsowninsignificance。Aboutthatotherstonemisfortune,cruellyremindingusofthe"BostonMassacre,"wewillnotdiscourse;itisnotimposing,andisrarelyspokenof。

Whatamortificationtotheinhabitantsofacitywithsomehereditaryandcontemporaryclaimstocultivation;whichhasnobleedifices,grandlibraries,educationalinstitutionsofthehighestgrade,anart—galleryfilledwiththefinestmodelsandrichinpaintingsandstatuary,——astatelycitythatstretchesbotharmsacrosstheCharlestoclaspthehandsofHarvard,hertwin—sister,eachlendinglustretotheotherlikedoublestars,——whatapitythatsheshouldbesodisfiguredbycrudeattemptstoadornherandcommemorateherpastthathermostlovingchildrenblushforherartificialdeformitiesamidstthewealthofhernaturalbeauties！