第18章

Lifeisapetitverreofaverypeculiarkindofspirit。Atseventyyearsitusedtobesaidthatthelittleglasswasfull。Weshouldbemoreapttoputitateightyinourday,whileGladstoneandTennysonandourownWhittierarebreathing,moving,thinking,writing,speaking,inthegreenpreservebelongingtotheirchildrenandgrandchildren,andBancroftiskeepingwatchofthegamekeeperinthedistance。But,returningresolutelytothepetitverre,Iamwillingtoconcedethatallafterfourscoreisthebaindepieds,——thesloppingover,sotospeak,ofthefullmeasureoflife。I

rememberthatonewhowasverynearanddeartome,andwholivedtoagreatage,sothattheten—barredgateofthecenturydidnotlookveryfaroff,wouldsometimesapologizeinaverysweet,naturalwayforlingeringsolongtobeacareandperhapsaburdentoherchildren,themselvesgettingwellintoyears。Itisnothardtounderstandthefeeling,neverlesscalledforthanitwasinthecaseofthatbelovednonagenarian。Ihaveknownfewpersons,youngorold,moresincerelyandjustlyregrettedthanthegentleladywhosememorycomesupbeforemeasIwrite。

Oh,ifwecouldallgooutofflowerasgracefully,aspleasingly,aswecomeintoblossom！Ialwaysthinkofthemorning—gloryastheloveliestexampleofagracefulyieldingtotheinevitable。Itisbeautifulbeforeitstwistedcorollaopens;itiscomelyasitfoldsitspetalsinward,whenitsbriefhoursofperfectionareover。

Womenfinditeasierthanmentogrowoldinabecomingway。Averyoldladywhohaskeptsomething,itmaybeagreatdeal,ofheryouthfulfeelings,whoisdaintilycaredfor,whoisgratefulfortheattentionsbestoweduponher,andentersintothespiritoftheyounglivesthatsurroundher,isasprecioustothosewholoveherasageminanantiquesetting,thefashionofwhichhaslonggoneby,butwhichleavesthejewelthecolorandbrightnesswhichareitsinalienablequalities。Witholdmenitistoooftendifferent。Theydonotbelongsomuchindoorsaswomendo。Theyhavenoprettylittlemanualoccupations。Theoldladyknitsorstitchessolongashereyesandfingerswilllether。Theoldmansmokeshispipe,butdoesnotknowwhattodowithhisfingers,unlessheplaysuponsomeinstrument,orhasamechanicalturnwhichfindsbusinessforthem。

Buttheoldwriter,IsaidtoTheTeacups,asIsaytoyou,myreaders,laborsunderonespecialdifficulty,whichIamthinkingofandexemplifyingatthismoment。Heisconstantlytendingtoreflectuponanddiscourseabouthisownparticularstageoflife。Hefeelsthathemustapologizeforhisintrusionuponthetimeandthoughtsofagenerationwhichhenaturallysupposesmustbetiredofhim,iftheyeverhadanyconsiderableregardforhim。Now,iftheworldofreadershatesanythingitseesinprint,itisapology。Ifwhatonehastosayisworthsaying,heneednotbegpardonfursayingit。IfitisnotworthsayingIwillnotfinishthesentence。Butitissohardtoresistthetemptation,notwithstandingthattheterriblelinebeginning"Superfluouslagstheveteran"isalwaysrepeatingitselfinhisdullear！

Whatkindofaudienceorreadingparishisamanwhosecuredhisconstituencyinmiddlelife,orbeforethatperiod,toexpectwhenhehasreachedtheageofthreescoreandtwenty？Hiscoevalshavedroppedawaybyscoresandtens,andheseesonlyafewunitsscatteredabouthereandthere,likethefewbeadsabovethewaterafterashiphasgonetopieces。Doeshewriteandpublishforthoseofhisowntimeoflife？Heneednotprintalargeedition。Doeshehopetosecureahearingfromthosewhohavecomeintothereadingworldsincehiscoevals？Theyhavefoundfresherfieldsandgreenerpastures。Theirinterestsareintheout—door,activeworld。Someofthemarecircumnavigatingtheplanetwhileheishitchinghisrockingchairabouthishearth—rug。Somearegazinguponthepyramidswhileheisstaringathisandirons。Somearesettlingthetariffandfixingthelawsofsuffrageandtaxationwhileheisdozingovertheweatherbulletin,andgoingtosleepovertheobituariesinhismorningoreveningpaper。

Natureiswiserthanwegivehercreditforbeing;neverwiserthaninherdealingswiththeold。Shehasnoideaofmortifyingthembysuddenandwhollyunexpectedfailureofthechiefservantsofconsciousness。Thesight,forinstance,beginstolosesomethingofitsperfectionlongbeforeitsdeficiencycallstheowner"sspecialattentiontoit。Veryprobably,thefirsthintwehaveofthechangeisthatafriendmakesthepleasingremarkthatweare"playingthetrombone,"ashecallsit;thatis,movingabookweareholdingbackwardandforward,togettherightfocaldistance。Oritmaybewefindfaultwiththelamporthegas—burnerfornotgivingsomuchlightasitusedto。Atlast,somewherebetweenfortyandfifty,webegintodangleajauntypairofeye—glasses,halfplaythingandhalfnecessity。Induetimeapairofsober,business—likespectaclesbestridesthenose。Oldageleapsuponitashissaddle,andridestriumphant,unchallenged,untilthedarknesscomeswhichnoglassescanpenetrate。Natureispitilessincarryingouttheuniversalsentence,butverypitifulinhermodeofdealingwiththecondemnedonhiswaytothefinalscene。Themanwhoistobehangedalwayshasagoodbreakfastprovidedforhim。

Donotthinkthattheoldlookuponthemselvesasthehelpless,hopeless,forlorncreatureswhichtheyseemtoyoungpeople。Dotheseyoungfolkssupposethatallvanitydiesoutofthenaturesofoldmenandoldwomen？Adentistofoldentimetoldmethatagood—

lookingyoungmanoncesaidtohim,"Keepthatincisorpresentable,ifyoucan,tillIamfifty,andthenIsha"n"tcarehowIlook。"I

venturetosaythatthatgentlemanwasasparticularabouthispersonalappearanceandasproudofhisgoodlooksatfifty,andmanyyearsafterfifty,ashewasinthetwenties,whenhemadethatspeechtothedentist。

Mydearfriendsaroundtheteacups,andatthatwiderboardwhereI

amnowentertaining,ortryingtoentertain,mycompany,isitnotasplaintoyouasitistomethatIhadbetterleavesuchtasksasthatwhichIamjustfinishingtothosewholiveinamoreinterestingperiodoflifethanonewhich,intheorderofnature,isnextdoortodecrepitude？OughtInottoregrethavingundertakentoreportthedoingsandsayingsofthemembersofthecirclewhichyouhaveknownasTheTeacups？

Dear,faithfulreader,whosepatienteyeshavefollowedmyreportsthroughtheselongmonths,youandIareaboutpartingcompany。

Perhapsyouareoneofthosewhohaveknownmeunderanothername,inthosefar—offdaysseparatedfromthesebytheredseaofthegreatnationalconflict。Whenyoufirstheardthetinkleoftheteaspoons,asthetablewasbeingmadereadyforitsguests,youtrembledforme,inthekindnessofyourhearts。Idonotwonderthatyoudid,——I

trembledformyself。ButIrememberedthestoryofSirCloudesleyShovel,whowasseenallofatremorjustashewasgoingintoaction。"Howisthis？"saidabrotherofficertohim。"Surelyyouarenotafraid？""No,"heanswered,"butmyfleshtremblesatthethoughtofthedangersintowhichmyintrepidspiritwillcarryme。"

Iknewtheriskofundertakingtocarrythroughaseriesofconnectedpapers。AndyetIthoughtitwasbettertorunthatrisk,moremanly,moresensible,thantogivewaytothefearswhichmademyfleshtrembleasdidSirCloudesleyShovel"s。Formyselfthelaborhasbeenadistraction,andonewhichcameatatimewhenitwasneeded。Sometimes,asinoneofthosepoemsrecentlypublished,——thereaderwilleasilyguesswhich,——theyouthfulspirithascomeovermewithsucharushthatitmademefeeljustasIdidwhenIwrotethehistoryofthe"One—hossShay"thirtyyearsago。Torepeatoneofmycomparisons,itwasasifanearlyfruithadripenedonagraftuponanold,steady—goingtree,totheastonishmentofallitslater—

maturingproducts。IshouldhardlydaretosaysomuchasthisifI

hadnotheardasimilaropinionexpressedbyothers。

Oncecommittedtomyundertaking,therewasnoturningback。ItistruethatIhadsaidImightstopatanymoment,butafteroneortwonumbersitseemedasiftherewereaninformalpledgetocarrytheserieson,asinformercases,untilIhadcompletedmydozeninstalments。

Writersandspeakershavetheiridiosyncrasies,theirhabits,theirtricks,ifyouhadrathercallthemso,astotheirwaysofwritingandspeaking。Thereisaveryoldandfamiliarstory,accompaniedbyafeeblejest,whichmostofmyreadersmayprobablyenoughhavemetwithinJoeMillerorelsewhere。Itisthatofalawyerwhocouldnevermakeanargumentwithouthavingapieceofthreadtoworkuponwithhisfingerswhilehewaspleading。Someonestoleitfromhimoneday,andhecouldnotgetonatallwithhisspeech,——hehadlostthethreadofhisdiscourse,asthestoryhadit。NowthisiswhatI

myselfoncesaw。Itwasatameetingwherecertaingravemattersweredebatedinanassemblyofprofessionalmen。Aspeaker,whomI

neverheardbeforeorsince,gotupandmadealongandforcibleargument。Idonotthinkhewasalawyer,buthespokeasifhehadbeentrainedtotalktojuries。Heheldalongstringinonehand,whichhedrewthroughtheotherbandincessantly,ashespoke,justasashoemakerperformsthemotionofwaxinghisthread。Heappearedtobedependentonthismotion。ThephysiologicalsignificanceofthefactIsupposetobethattheflowofwhatwecallthenervouscurrentfromthethinkingcentretotheorgansofspeechwasrenderedfreerandeasierbytheestablishmentofasimultaneouscollateralnervouscurrenttothesetofmusclesconcernedintheactionIhavedescribed。

Idonotuseastringtohelpmewriteorspeak,butImusthaveitsequivalent。Imusthavemypaperandpenorpencilbeforemetosetmythoughtsflowinginsuchformthattheycanbewrittencontinuously。Therehavebeenlawyerswhocouldthinkouttheirwholeargumentinconnectedorderwithoutasinglenote。Thereareauthors,——andIthinktherearemany,——whocancomposeandfinishoffapoemorastorywithoutwritingawordofituntil,whenthepropertimecomes,theycopywhattheycarryintheirheads。IhavebeentoldthatSirEdwinArnoldthoughtouthisbeautiful"LightofAsia"

inthisway。

Ifindthegreatcharmofwritingconsistsinitssurprises。Whenoneisinthereceptiveattitudeofmind,thethoughtswhicharesprunguponhim,theimageswhichflashthroughhis——consciousness,areadelightandanexcitement。Iamimpatientofeveryhindranceinsettingdownmythoughts,——ofapenthatwillnotwrite,ofinkthatwillnotflow,ofpaperthatwillnotreceivetheink。AndhereletmepaythetributewhichIowetooneofthehumblestbutmostserviceableofmyassistants,especiallyinpoeticalcomposition。

Nothingseemsmoreprosaicthanthestylographicpen。Itdeprivesthehandwritingofitsbeauty,andtosomeextentofitsindividualcharacter。Thebrutalcommunismofthelettersitformscoversthepageitfillswiththemostuniformlyuninterestingcharacters。But,abuseitasmuchasyouchoose,thereisnothinglikeitforthepoet,fortheimaginativewriter。Manyafineflowofthoughthasbeenchecked,perhapsarrested,bytheillbehaviorofagoose—quill。

Manyanideahasescapedwhiletheauthorwasdippinghispenintheinkstand。Butwiththestylographicpen,inthehandsofonewhoknowshowtocareforitandhowtouseit,unbrokenrhythmsandharmoniouscadencesarethenaturalproductsoftheunimpededflowofthefluidwhichisthevehicleoftheauthor"sthoughtsandfancies。

Somuchformydebtofgratitudetothehumblestylographicpen。Itdoesnotfurnishthepropermediumforthecorrespondenceofintimates,whowishtoseeasmuchoftheirfriends"personalityastheirhandwritingcanhold,——stilllessfortheimpassionedinterchangeofsentimentsbetweenlovers;butinwritingforthepressitsuseisopentonoobjection。Itsmovementoverthepaperisliketheflightofaswallow,whilethequillpenandthesteelpenandthegoldpenarealltakingshort,laboriousjourneys,andstoppingtodrinkeveryfewminutes。

Achiefpleasurewhichtheauthorofnovelsandstoriesexperiencesisthatofbecomingacquaintedwiththecharactersbedraws。Itisperfectlytruethathischaractersmust,inthenatureofthings,havemoreorlessofhimselfintheircomposition。IfIshouldseekanexemplificationofthisinthepersonofanyofmyTeacups,I

shouldfinditmostreadilyintheonewhomIhavecalledNumberSeven,theonewiththesquintingbrain。IthinkthatnotonlyI,thewriter,butmanyofmyreaders,recognizeinourownmentalconstitutionanoccasionalobliquityofperception,notalwaysdetectedatthetime,butplainenoughwhenlookedbackupon。WhatextravagantfanciesyouandIhaveseriouslyentertainedatonetimeoranother！Whatsuperstitiousnotionshavegotintoourheadsandtakenpossessionofitsemptychambers,——or,inthelanguageofscience,seizedonthegroupsofnerve—cellsinsomeoftheidlecerebralconvolutions！

Thewriter,Isay,becomesacquaintedwithhischaractersasbegoeson。Theyareatfirstmereembryos,outlinesofdistinctpersonalities。Byandby,iftheyhaveanyorganiccohesion,theybegintoassertthemselves。Theycansayanddosuchandsuchthings;suchandsuchotherthingstheycannotandmustnotsayordo。Thestory—writer"sandplay—writer"sdangeristhattheywillgettheircharactersmixed,andmakeAsaywhatBoughttohavesaid。

Thestrongerhisimaginativefaculty,thelessliablewillthewriterbetothisfault;butnotevenShakespeare"spowerofthrowinghimselfintohischaracterspreventsmanyofhisdifferentpersonagesfromtalkingphilosophyinthesamestrainandinastylecommontothemall。

Youwilloftenobservethatauthorsfallinlovewiththeimaginarypersonstheydescribe,andthattheybestowaffectionateepithetsuponthemwhichitmayhappenthereaderdoesnotconsiderinanywaycalledfor。Thisisapleasuretowhichtheyhavearight。Everyauthorofastoryissurroundedbyalittlefamilyofidealchildren,asdeartohim,itmaybe,asareflesh—and—bloodchildrentotheirparents。YoumayforgetallaboutthecircleofTeacupstowhichI

haveintroducedyou,——onthesuppositionthatyouhavefollowedmewithsomedegreeofinterest;butdoyousupposethatNumberFivedoesnotcontinueasapresencewithme,andthatmyprettyDelilahhasleftmeforeverbecausesheisgoingtobemarried？

No,mydearfriend,ourcirclewillbreakapart,anditsdifferentmemberswillsoonbetoyouasiftheyhadneverbeen。ButdoyouthinkthatIcanforgetthem？DoyousupposethatIshallceasetofollowthelove（ortheloves;whichdoyouthinkisthetrueword,thesingularortheplural？）ofNumberFiveandtheyoungTutorwhoissoconstantlyfoundinhercompany？DoyousupposethatIdonotcontinuemyrelationswiththe"CrackedTeacup,"——thepooroldfellowwithwhomIhavesomuchincommon,whosecounterpart,perhaps,youmayfindinyourowncomplexpersonality？

Itakefromthetopshelfofthehospitaldepartmentofmylibrary—

thesectiondevotedtoliterarycripples,imbeciles,failures,foolishrhymesters,andsillyeccentrics——oneoftheleastconspicuousandmosthopelesslyfeebleoftheweak—mindedpopulationofthatintellectualalmshouse。Iopenitandlookthroughitspages。Itisastory。Ihavelookedintoitoncebefore,——onitsfirstreceptionasagiftfromtheauthor。ItrytorecallsomeofthenamesIseethere:theymeannothingtome,butIventuretosaytheauthorcherishesthemall,andcriesoverthemashedidwhenhewaswritingtheirhistory。Iputthebookbackamongitsdustycompanions,and,sittingdowninmyreflectiverocking—chair,thinkhowothersmustforget,andhowIshallremember,thecompanythatgatheredaboutthistable。

ShallIevermeetanyoneofthemagain,inthesepagesorinanyother？WillthecrackedTeacupholdtogether,orwillhegotopieces,andfindhimselfinthatretreatwheretheowneroftheterribleclockwhichdrovehimcrazyiswalkingundertheshelterofthehighwalls？HastheyoungDoctor"scrownyetreceivedthesealwhichisNature"swarrantofwisdomandproofofprofessionalcompetency？AndNumberFiveandheryoungfriendtheTutor,——havetheykeptonintheirdangerousintimacy？Didtheygetthroughthetuttotremantepassage,readingfromthesameoldlargeeditionofDantewhichtheTutorrecommendedasthebest,andinreadingfromwhichtheirheadswerenecessarilybroughtperilouslyneartoeachother？

ItwouldbeverypleasantifIcould,consistentlywiththepresentstateofaffairs,bringthesetwoyoungpeopletogether。Isaytwoyoungpeople,fortheonewhocountsmostyearsseemstometobereallytheyoungerofthepair。ThatNumberFiveforesawfromthefirstthatanytendererfeelingthanthatoffriendshipwouldintrudeitselfbetweenthemIdonotbelieve。AsfortheTutor,hesoonfoundwherehewasdrifting。Itwashisfirstexperienceinmattersconcerningtheheart,andabsorbedhiswholenatureasathingofcourse。Didhetellherhelovedher？Perhapshedid,fiftytimes;

perhapsheneverhadthecouragetosaysooutright。Butsometimestheylookedeachotherstraightintheeyes,andstrangemessagesseemedtopassfromoneconsciousnesstotheother。WilltheTutoraskNumberFivetobehiswife;andifhedoes,willsheyieldtothedictatesofnature,andlowertheflagofthatfortresssolongthoughtimpregnable？Willbegoonwritingsuchpoemstoheras"TheRoseandtheFern"or"ILikeYouandILoveYou,"andbecontentwiththepursuitofthatwhichhenevercanattain？Thatisallverywell,onthe"GrecianUrn"ofKeats,——beautiful,butnotlovesuchasmortalsdemand。Still,thatmaybeall,foraughtthatwehaveyetseen。

"Fairyouth,beneaththetrees,thoucanstnotleaveThysong,norevercanthosetreesbebare;

Boldlover,never,never,canstthoukiss,Thoughwinningnearthegoal,——yetdonotgrieve;

Shecannotfade,thoughthouhastnotthybliss,Foreverwiltthoulove,andshebefair！……

"Morehappylove！morehappy,happylove！

Foreverwarm,andstilltobeenjoyed,Foreverpantingandforeveryoung！"

Andso,good—bye,youngpeople,whomwepartwithhere。Shadowsyouhavebeenandaretomyreaders;veryrealyouhavebeenandaretome,——asrealasthememoriesofmanyfriendswhomIshallseenomore。

AsIamnotinthehabitofindulginginlatesuppers,thereaderneednotthinkthatIshallspreadanotherboardandinvitehimtolistentotheconversationswhichtakeplacearoundit。If,fromtimetotime,hefindsaslightrefectionawaitinghimonthesideboard,IhopehemaywelcomeitaspleasantlyashehasacceptedwhatIhaveofferedhimfromtheboardnowjustbeingcleared……

ItisagoodrulefortheactorwhomanagesthepopularstreetdramaofPunchnottolettheaudienceorspectatorsseehislegs。Itisveryhardforthewriterofpaperslikethese,whicharenowcomingtotheirconclusion,tokeephispersonalityfromshowingitselftooconspicuouslythroughthethindisguisesofhisvariouscharacters。

Astheshowisnowover,asthecurtainhasfallen,Iappearbeforeitinmyproperperson,toaddressafewwordstothefriendswhohaveassisted,astheFrenchsay,bytheirpresence,andasweusetheword,bythekindwayinwhichtheyhavereceivedmyattemptsattheirentertainment。

ThisseriesofpapersisthefourthofitskindwhichIhaveofferedtomyreaders。Imaybeallowedtolookbackuponthesuccessionofserialarticleswhichwascommencedmorethanthirtyyearsago,in1857。"TheAutocratoftheBreakfast—Table"wasthefirstoftheseries。Itwasbegunwithouttheleastideawhatwastobeitscourseanditsoutcome。Itscharactersshapedthemselvesgraduallyasthemanuscriptgrewundermyhand。Ijotteddownonthesheetofblottingpaperbeforemethethoughtsandfancieswhichcameintomyhead。Averyodd—lookingobjectwasthispageofmemoranda。Manyofthehintswereworkedupintoformalshape,manywererejected。

SometimesIrecordedastory,ajest,orapunforconsideration,andmadeuseofitorletitaloneasmysecondthoughtdecided。I

rememberacuriouscoincidence,which,ifIhaveevertoldinprint,——IamnotsurewhetherIhaveornot,——Iwilltelloveragain。I

mentionit,notforthepun,whichIrejectedasnotveryedifyingandperhapsnotnew,thoughIdidnotrecollecthavingseenit。

Mulier,Latinforwoman;whyapplythatnametooneofthegentlebutoccasionallyobstinatesex？Theanswerwasthatawomanis（sometimes）moremulishthanamule。PleaseobservethatIdidnotlikethepoorpunverywell,andthoughtitratherrudeandinelegant。SoIleftitontheblotter,whereitwasstandingwhenoneofthenextnumbersof"Punch"cameoutandcontainedthatverysamepun,whichmusthavebeenhituponbysomeEnglishcontributoratjustaboutthesametimeIfelluponitonthissideoftheAtlantic。Thisfactmaybeaddedtothechapterofcoincidenceswhichbelongstothefirstnumberofthisseriesofpapers。

The"Autocrat"hadtheattractionofnovelty,whichofcoursewaswantinginthesucceedingpapersofsimilarcharacter。Thecriticismsuponthesuccessivenumbersastheycameoutwerevarious,butgenerallyencouraging。Someweremorethanencouraging;veryhigh—coloredintheirphrasesofcommendation。Whenthepaperswerebroughttogetherinavolumetheirsuccesswasbeyondmyexpectations。Uptothepresenttimethe"Autocrat"hasmaintaineditsposition。Animmortalityofawholegenerationismorethanmostwritersareentitledtoexpect。Iventuretothink,fromthelettersIreceivefromthechildrenandgrandchildrenofmyfirstsetofreaders,thatforsomelittletimelonger,atleast,itwillcontinuetoberead,andeventobeafavoritewithsomeofitsreaders。Nonomnismoriarisapleasantthoughttoonewhohaslovedhispoorlittleplanet,andwill,Itrust,retainkindlyrecollectionsofitthroughwhateverwildernessofworldshemaybecalledtowanderinhisfuturepilgrimages。Isay"poorlittleplanet。"EversinceI

hadatencentlookatthetransitofVenus,afewyearsago,throughthetelescopeintheMall,theearthhasbeenwhollydifferenttomefromwhatitusedtobe。Iknewfrombookswhataspeckitisintheuniverse,butnothingeverbroughtthefacthomelikethesightofthesisterplanetsailingacrossthesun"sdisk,aboutlargeenoughforabuckshot,notlargeenoughforafull—sizedbullet。Yes,I

lovethelittleglobulewhereIhavespentmorethanfourscoreyears,andIliketothinkthatsomeofmythoughtsandsomeofmyemotionsmaylivethemselvesoveragainwhenIamsleeping。Icannotthankallthekindreadersofthe"Autocrat"whoareconstantlysendingmetheiracknowledgments。Iftheyseethisprintedpage,letthembeassuredthatawriterisalwaysrenderedhappierbybeingtoldthathehasmadeafellow—beingwiserorbetter,orevencontributedtohisharmlessentertainment。Thisacorrespondentmaytakeforgranted,evenifhisletterofgratefulrecognitionreceivesnoreply。Itbecomesmoreandmoredifficultformetokeepupwithmycorrespondents,andImustsoongiveitupasimpossible。

"TheProfessorattheBreakfastTable"followedimmediatelyontheheelsofthe"Autocrat。"TheProfessorwasthealteregoofthefirstpersonage。Intheearlierserieshehadplayedasecondarypart,andinthissecondseriesnogreateffortwasmadetocreateacharacterwhollyunlikethefirst。TheProfessorwasmoreoutspoken,however,onreligioussubjects,andbroughtdownagooddealofhardlanguageonhimselfandtheauthortowhomheowedhisexistence。I

supposehemayhaveusedsomeirritatingexpressions,unconsciously,butnotunconscientiously,Iamsure。Thereisnothinghardertoforgivethanthestingofanepigram。Someoftheolddoctors,I

fear,neverpardonedmeforsayingthatifaship,loadedwithanassortedcargoofthedrugswhichusedtobeconsideredthenaturalfoodofsickpeople,wenttothebottomofthesea,itwouldbe"allthebetterformankindandalltheworseforthefishes。"IfIhadnotputthatsnapperontheendofmywhip—lash,Imighthavegotoffwithouttheilltemperwhichmyantithesisprovoked。Thirtyyearssetthatallright,andthesamethirtyyearshavesochangedthetheologicalatmospherethatsuchabusivewordsas"heretic"and"infidel,"appliedtopersonswhodifferfromtheoldstandardsoffaith,arechieflyinterestingasatestofbreeding,beingseldomusedbyanypeopleabovethesocialhalf—casteline。IamspeakingofProtestants;howitmaybeamongRomanCatholicsIdonotknow,butIsuspectthatwiththemalsoitisagooddealamatterofbreeding。TherewerenotwantingsomewholikedtheProfessorbetterthantheAutocrat。IconfessthatIprefermychampagneinitsfirstburstofgaseousenthusiasm;butifmyguestlikesitbetterafterithasstoodawhile,Iampleasedtoaccommodatehim。Thefirstofmyseriescamefrommymindalmostwithanexplosion,likethechampagnecork;itstartledmealittletoseewhatIhadwritten,andtohearwhatpeoplesaidaboutit。Afterthatfirstexplosiontheflowwasmoresober,andIlookedupontheproductofmywine—pressmorecoolly。Continuationsalmostalwayssagalittle。Iwillnotsaythatofmyownsecondeffort,butifotherssaidit,Ishouldnotbedisposedtowonderatortodisputethem。

"ThePoetattheBreakfastTable"camesomeyearslater。Thisseriesofpaperswasnotsomuchacontinuationasaresurrection。Itwasadoublyhazardousattempt,madewithoutanyextravagantexpectations,andwasreceivedaswellasIhadanyrighttoanticipate。Itdifferedfromtheothertwoseriesincontainingapoemofconsiderablelength,publishedinsuccessiveportions。Thispoemholdsagooddealofself—communing,andgavemetheopportunityofexpressingsomethoughtsandfeelingsnottobefoundelsewhereinmywritings。Ihadoccasiontoreadthewholevolume,notlongsince,inpreparationforanewedition,andwasrathermorepleasedwithitthanIhadexpectedtobe。Anoldauthorisconstantlyrediscovinghimselfinthemoreorlessfossilizedproductionsofhisearlieryears。ItisalongtimesinceIhavereadthe"Autocrat,"butI

takeitupnowandthenandreadinitforafewminutes,notalwayswithoutsomedegreeofedification。

Thesethreeseriesofpapers,"Autocrat,""Professor,""Poet,"areallstudiesoflifefromsomewhatdifferentpointsofview。Theyarelargelymadeupofsoberreflections,andappearedtometorequiresomelivelyhumaninteresttosavethemfromwearisomedidacticdulness。Whatcouldbemorenaturalthanthatloveshouldfinditswayamongtheyoungpeoplewhohelpedtomakeupthecirclegatheredaroundthetable？Nothingisolderthanthestoryofyounglove。

Nothingisnewerthanthatsameoldstory。Abitofgildinghereandtherehasawonderfuleffectinenliveningalandscapeoranapartment。NapoleonconsoledtheParisiansintheiryearofdefeatbygildingthedomeoftheInvalides。BostonhasglorifiedherStateHouseandherselfattheexpenseofafewsheetsofgoldleaflaidonthedome,whichshineslikeasunintheeyesofhercitizens,andlikeastarinthoseoftheapproachingtraveller。Ithinkthegildingofalove—storyhelpedallthreeoftheseearlierpapers。

ThesameneedIfeltintheseriesofpapersjustclosed。TheslightincidentofDelilah"sappearanceanddisappearanceservedmypurposetosomeextent。ButwhatshouldIdowithNumberFive？Thereadermustfollowouthercareerforhimself。Formyself,IthinkthatsheandtheTutorhavebothutterlyforgottenthedifferenceoftheiryearsinthefascinationofintimateintercourse。Idonotbelievethatanaturesolarge,sorichinaffection,asNumberFive"sisgoingtofalldefeatedofitsbestinheritanceoflife,likeavinewhichfindsnosupportforitstendrilstotwinearound,andsocreepsalongthegroundfromwhichnaturemeantthatloveshouldliftit。IfeelasifIoughttofollowthesetwopersonagesofmysermonizingstoryuntiltheycometogetherorseparate,tofade,towither,——perhapstodie,atlast,ofsomethinglikewhatthedoctorscallheart—failure,butwhichmightmoretrulybecalledheart—

starvation。WhenIsaydie,Idonotmeannecessarilythedeaththatgoesintotheobituarycolumn。Itmaycometothat,inoneorboth;

butIthinkthat,iftheyareneverunited,NumberFivewilloutlivetheTutor,whowillfallintomelancholyways,andpineandwaste,whileshelivesalong,feelingallthetimethatshehascheatedherselfofhappiness。Ihopethatisnotgoingtobetheirfortune,ormisfortune。Vieillefillefaitjeunemariee。WhatayouthfulbrideNumberFivewouldbe,ifshecouldonlymakeuphermindtomatrimony！Inthemeantimeshemustbeleftwithherlambsallaroundher。Mayheaventemperthewindstothem,fortheyhavebeenshornveryclose,everyoneofthem,oftheirgoldenfleeceofaspirationsandanticipations。

Imustavailmyselfofthisopportunitytosayafewwordstomydistantfriendswhotakeinterestenoughinmywritings,earlyorrecent,towishtoenterintocommunicationwithmebyletter,ortokeepupacommunicationalreadybegun。Ihavegivennoticeinprintthattheletters,books,andmanuscriptswhichIreceivebymailaresonumerousthatifIundertooktoreadandanswerthemallIshouldhavelittletimeforanythingelse。Ihaveforsomeyearsdependedontheassistanceofasecretary,butourjointeffortshaveprovedunable,oflate,tokeepdowntheaccumulationswhichcomeinwitheverymail。SomanyofthelettersIreceiveareofapleasantcharacterthatitishardtoletthemgounacknowledged。TheextremefriendlinesswhichpervadesmanyofthemgivesthemavaluewhichI

rateveryhighly。Whenlargenumbersofstrangersinsistonclaimingoneasafriend,onthestrengthofwhathehaswritten,ittendstomakehimthinkofhimselfsomewhatindulgently。Itisthemostnaturalthingintheworldtowanttogiveexpressiontothefeelingthelovingmessagesfromfar—offunknownfriendsmustexcite。Manyadayhashaditsbestworkinghoursbrokeninto,spoiledforallliterarywork,bythelaborofansweringcorrespondentswhosegoodopinionitisgratifyingtohavecalledforth,butwhowereunconsciouslylayinganewburdenonshouldersalreadyaching。I

knowtoowellthatwhatIsaywillnotreachtheeyesofmanywhomightpossiblytakeahintfromit。StillImustkeeprepeatingitbeforebreakingoffsuddenlyandleavingwholepilesoflettersunanswered。Ihavebeenveryheavilyhandicappedformanyyears。Itispartlymyownfault。Fromwhatmycorrespondentstellme,ImustinferthatIhaveestablishedadangerousreputationforwillingnesstoanswerallsortsofletters。Theycomewithsuchinsinuatinghumility,——theycannotbeartointrudeuponmytime,theyknowthatIhaveagreatmanycallsuponit,——andincontinentlyproceedtolaytheiradditionalweightontheloadwhichisbreakingmyback。

Thehypocrisyofkind—heartedpeopleisoneofthemostpainfulexhibitionsofhumanweakness。Ithasoccurredtomethatitmightbeprofitabletoreproducesomeofmyunwrittenanswerstocorrespondents。Ifthosewhichwereactuallywrittenandsentweretobeprintedinparallelcolumnswiththosementallyformedbutnotwrittenoutresponsesandcomments,thereaderwouldgetsomeideaoftheinternalconflictsanhonestandnotunamiablepersonhastogothrough,whenhefindshimselfdriventothewallbyacorrespondencewhichisdraininghisvocabularytofindexpressionsthatsoundasagreeably,andsignifyaslittle,asthephrasesusedbyadiplomatistinclosinganofficialcommunication。

No。1。Wantmyautograph,doyou？Anddon"tknowhowtospellmyname。Anaforaneinmymiddlename。Leaveoutthelinmylastname。Doyouknowhowpeoplehatetohavetheirnamesmisspelled？

WhatdoyousupposearethesentimentsentertainedbytheThompsonswithaptowardsthosewhoaddresstheminwritingasThomson？

No。2。ThinkthelinesyoumentionarebyfarthebestIeverwrote,hey？Well,Ididn"twritethoselines。Whatismore,IthinktheyareasdetestableastringofrhymesasIcouldwishmyworstenemyhadwritten。AverypleasantframeofmindIaminforwritingaletter,afterreadingyours！

No。3。Iamgladtohearthatmynamesake,whomIneversawandneverexpecttosee,hascutanothertooth;butwhywritefourpagesonthestrengthofthatdomesticoccurrence？

No。4。YouwishtocorrectanerrorinmyBroomstickpoem,doyou？

YougivemetounderstandthatWilmingtonisnotinEssexCounty,butinMiddlesex。Verywell;butaretheyseparatedbyrunningwater？

Becauseiftheyarenot,whatcouldhinderawitchfromcrossingthelinethatseparatesWilmingtonfromAndover,Ishouldliketoknow？

Inevermeanttoimplythatthewitchesmadenoexcursionsbeyondthedistrictwhichwasmoreespeciallytheirseatofoperations。

AsIcometowardstheendofthistaskwhichIhadsetmyself,I

wish,ofcourse,thatIcouldhaveperformeditmoretomyownsatisfactionandthatofmyreaders。Thisisafeelingwhichalmosteveryonemusthaveattheconclusionofanyworkhehasundertaken。

Acommonandverysimplereasonforthisdisappointmentisthatmostofusoverrateourcapacity。Weexpectmoreofourselvesthanwehaveanyrightto,invirtueofourendowments。ThefigurativedescriptionsofthelastGrandAssizemustnomorebetakenliterallythanthegoldencrowns,whichwedonotexpectorwanttowearonourheads,orthegoldenharps,whichwedonotwantorexpecttoholdinourhands。Isitnottootruethatmanyreligioussectariesthinkofthelasttribunalcomplacently,asthesceneinwhichtheyaretohavethesatisfactionofsayingtothebelieversofacreeddifferentfromtheirown,"Itoldyouso"？Arenotothersoppressedwiththethoughtofthegreatreturnswhichwillbeexpectedofthemastheproductoftheirgreatgifts,theverylimitedamountofwhichtheydonotsuspect,andwillbeverygladtolearn,evenattheexpenseoftheirself—love,whentheyarecalledtotheiraccount？IfthewaysoftheSupremeBeingareeverreallytobe"justifiedtomen,"

touseMilton"sexpression,everyhumanbeingmayexpectanexhaustiveexplanationofhimself。Nomaniscapableofbeinghisowncounsel,andIcannothelphopingthattheablestofthe,archangelswillberetainedforthedefenceoftheworstofsinners。

Hehimselfisunconsciousoftheagencieswhichmadehimwhatheis。

Self—determininghemaybe,ifyouwill,butwhodeterminestheselfwhichistheproximatesourceofthedetermination？WhywastheA

selflikehisgooduncleinbodilyaspectandmentalandmoralqualities,andtheBselflikethebaduncleinlookandcharacter？

Hasnotamanarighttoaskthisquestioninthehereorinthehereafter,——inthisworldorinanyworldinwhichhemayfindhimself？IftheAll—wisewishestosatisfyhisreasonableandreasoningcreatures,itwillnotbebyadisplayofelementalconvulsions,butbythestillsmallvoice,whichtreatswithhimasadependententitledtoknowthemeaningofhisexistence,andiftherewasanythingwronginhisadjustmenttothemoralandspiritualconditionsoftheworldaroundhimtohavefullallowancemadeforit。Nomelodramaticdisplayofwarringelements,suchasthewhite—

robedSecondAdventistimagines,canmeettheneedofthehumanheart。ThethundersandlightningsofSinaiterrifiedandimpressedthemoretimidsoulsoftheidolatrousandrebelliouscaravanwhichthegreatleaderwasconducting,butafarnoblermanifestationofdivinitywasthatwhen"theLordspakeuntoMosesfacetoface,asamanspeakethuntohisfriend。"

IfindtheburdenandrestrictionsofrhymemoreandmoretroublesomeasIgrowolder。Therearetimeswhenitseemsnaturalenoughtoemploythatformofexpression,butitisonlyoccasionally;andtheuseofitasthevehicleofthecommonplaceissoprevalentthatoneisnotmuchtemptedtoselectitasthemediumforhisthoughtsandemotions。Theartofrhyminghasalmostbecomeapartofahigh—

schooleducation,anditspracticeisfarfrombeinganevidenceofintellectualdistinction。MediocrityisasmuchforbiddentothepoetinourdaysasitwasinthoseofHorace,andtheimmensemajorityoftheverseswrittenarestampedwithhopelessmediocrity。

Whenoneoftheancientpoetsfoundhewastryingtogrindoutverseswhichcameunwillingly,hesaidhewaswritingINVITAMINERVA。

VexnottheMusewithidleprayers,——

Shewillnothearthycall;

Shestealsupontheeunawares,Orseekstheenotatall。

SoftasthemoonbeamswhentheysoughtEndymion"sfragrantbower,ShepartsthewhisperingleavesofthoughtToshowherfull—blownflower。

Fortheeherwooinghourhaspassed,Thesingingbirdshaveflown,AndwintercomeswithicyblastTochillthybudsunblown。

Yet,thoughthewoodsnolongerthrillAsoncetheirarchesrung,SweetechoeshoverroundtheestillOfsongsthysummersung。

Liveinthypast;awaitnomoreTherushofheaven—sentwings;

EarthstillhasmusicleftinstoreWhileMemorysighsandsings。

IhopemyspecialMinervamaynotalwaysbeunwilling,butshemustnotbecalleduponasshehasbeenintimespast。Nowthattheteacupshaveleftthetable,anoccasionaleveningcallisallthatmyreadersmustlookfor。Thankingthemfortheirkindcompanionship,andhopingthatImayyetmeettheminthenowandtheninthefuture,Ibidthemgoodbyefortheimmediatepresent。