,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,italic text is denoted by underscores4 ,illustration3 ,,daniel ,,webster4 ,engraved by ,gustav ,kruell2 after a daguerreotype in the possession of ,josiah ,j4 ,hawes1 ,boston4 ,,scribner',s ,,magazine ,,published ,,monthly ,,with ,,illustrations ,,volume ,,xxvi ,,july-,,december #ahii ,,charles ,,scribner',s ,,sons ,,new ,,york ,,sampson ,,low1 ,,marston ,co4 ,,limited ,,london ,copyright1 #ahii1 ,by ,charles ,scribner's ,sons4 ,printed by ,trow ,directory1 ,printing and ,bookbinding ,company1 ,new ,york1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,,contents ,,of ,,scribner',s ,,magazine ,,volume ,,xxvi ,,july-,,december1 #ahii4 ,,page ,,accent1 ,a ,,question ,,of4 ,point of ,view1 #chj ,,aguinaldo',s ,,capital--,,why ,,malolos ,,was ,,chosen1 ,,lieut4-,,col4 ,j4 ,d4 ,,miley1 #cbj ,illustrated with drawings by ,jules ,gurin and ,f4 ,d4 ,steele1 from photographs4 ,,american ,,language1 ,,the4 ,point of ,view1 #gfb ,,american ,,society ,,and ,,the ,,artist1 ,,aline ,,gorren1 #fbh ,,american ,,urbanities4 ,point of ,view1 #aba ,,anne4 ,a ,story1 ,,mrs4 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson1 #aaf ,,antarctic1 ,,american ,,seamen ,,in ,,the1 ,,albert ,,white ,,vorse1 #gjj ,illustrations drawn from photographs taken by ,frederick ,a4 ,cook1 ,m4,d41 during the recent voyage of the ,belgica4 ,,antarctic ,,exploration1 ,,the ,,possibilities ,,of1 ,,frederick ,a4 ,,cook1 ,m4,d4 7,of the ,belgica ,expedition71 #gje ,with drawings from the author's photographs4 ,,archibald1 ,,james ,f4 ,j4 ,havana ,since the ,occupation1 #hf ,,architecture1 ,,the ,,use ,,and ,,abuse ,,of ,,decorative ,,conventions ,,in4 ,field of ,art1 ,,frederic ,,crowninshield1 #cha ,,art ,,in ,,the ,,schools--,,first ,,considerations4 ,field of ,art1 #eji ,,art ,,in ,,the ,,schools--,,the ,,new ,,york ,,photographs1 #fcg ,,aunt ,,minervy ,,ann1 ,,the ,,chronicles ,,of1 ,,joel ,,chandler ,,harris4 ,,iv4 ,,an ,,evening ,,with ,,the ,,ku-,,klux1 ,illustrated by ,a4 ,b4 ,frost1 #cd ,v4 ,,how ,,jess ,,went ,a-,,fiddlin'1 #caj ,,vi4 ,,how ,,she ,,and ,,major ,,perdue ,,frailed ,,out ,,the ,,gossett ,,boys1 #dac ,,vii4 ,,how ,,she ,,joined ,,the ,,georgia ,,legislature1 #dci ,,author',s ,,story1 ,,an1 ,,maarten ,,maartens1 #fhe ,,balzac1 ,,the ,,paris ,,of ,,honor ,,de1 ,,benjamin ,,ellis ,,martin and ,,charlotte ,m4 ,,martin1 #ehh ,illustrated by ,j4 ,fulleylove1 ,,baxter1 ,,sylvester4 ,the ,great ,november ,storm of #ahih1 #eae ,,birrell1 ,,augustine4 ,john ,wesley--,some ,aspects of the ,eighteenth ,century in ,england1 #gec ,,browne1 ,,william ,,maynadier4 ,the ,royal ,intent1 #dif ,a ,royal ,ally1 #bba ,,brownell1 ,w4 ,c4 ,the ,painting of ,george ,butler1 #cja ,,butler1 ,,the ,,painting ,,of ,,george1 ,w4 ,c4 ,,brownell1 #cja ,with reproductions of ,mr4 ,butler's work4 ,,cahan1 ,,abraham4 ,rabbi ,eliezer's ,christmas1 #ffa ,,channing1 ,,grace ,,ellery4 ,francisco and ,francisca1 #bbg ,,chat1 ,e4 ,g4 ,the ,foreign ,mail ,service at ,new ,york1 #fa ,,chinon1 ,,ernest ,c4 ,,peixotto1 #gcg ,illustrated by ,mr4 ,peixotto1 ,,colton1 ,,arthur4 ,the ,portate ,ultimatum1 #gac ,,colvin1 ,,sidney4 ,see ,stevenson ,letters4 ,,cook1 ,,frederick ,a41 ,m4,d4 ,the ,possibilities of ,antarctic ,exploration1 #gje ,,copley ,,boy1 ,a1 ,,charles ,,warren1 #cbf ,illustrated by ,f4 ,c4 ,yohn1 ,,crowninshield1 ,,frederic4 ,the ,use and ,abuse of ,decorative ,conventions in ,architecture1 #cha ,,cuba4 ,see ,havana ,since the ,occupation4 ,,davis1 ,,richard ,,harding4 ,the ,lion and the ,unicorn1 #abi ,,dewey ,,reception ,,in ,,new ,,york1 ,,the ,,sculptures ,,of ,,the1 ,field of ,art1 ,illustrated from telephotographs by ,dwight ,l4 ,elmendorf4 #gfe ,,drew1 ,,mrs4 ,,john1 ,,autobiographical ,,sketch ,,of4 ,,with ,,an ,,introduction ,,by ,,her ,,son1 ,,john ,,drew--,i4-,,ii41 #dag1 #eec ,illustrations from photographs and prints in the collections of ,peter ,gilsey1 ,douglas ,taylor1 and ,john ,drew1 and from a ,painting by ,sully1 engraved by ,h4 ,wolf2 with ,biographical ,notes by ,douglas ,taylor4 ,,elmendorf1 ,,dwight ,l4 ,telephotography1 #deg ,,english ,,voice ,,on ,,the ,,american ,,stage4 ,point of ,view1 #abc ,,field ,,of ,,art1 ,,the4 ,architecture1 ,the ,use and ,abuse of ,decorative ,conventions in1 #cha ,art in the ,schools--,first ,considerations1 #eji ,art in the ,schools--,the ,new ,york ,photographs1 #fcg ,dewey ,reception in ,new ,york1 ,the ,sculptures of the1 #gfe ,modern ,house1 ,one ,way of ,designing a1 #abe ,painters ,who ,express ,themselves in ,words1 ,concerning1 #bed ,,francisco ,,and ,,francisca1 ,,grace ,,ellery ,,channing1 #bgg ,illustrated by ,walter ,appleton ,clark4 ,,gibson1 ,c4 ,d4 ,the ,seven ,ages of ,american ,women1 #ffi ,,gorren1 ,,aline4 ,american ,society and the ,artist1 #fbh ,,grant1 ,,robert4 ,search-,light ,letters1 #ajd1 #cfd ,,hadley1 ,,arthur ,t4 ,the ,formation and the ,control of ,trusts1 #fjd ,,harris1 ,,joel ,,chandler4 ,the ,chronicles of ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 #cd1 #caj1 #dac1 #dci ,,havana ,,since ,,the ,,occupation1 ,,james ,f4 ,j4 ,,archibald1 #hf ,illustrated with drawings by ,jules ,gurin1 ,e4 ,c4 ,peixotto1 ,t4 ,chominski1 and ,f4 ,d4 ,steele1 and from photographs4 ,,hoar1 ,,senator ,,george ,f4 ,daniel ,webster1 #gd1 #bac ,,hundred ,,thousand ,,copies1 ,a4 ,point of ,view1 #bec ,,inanimate ,,objects1 ,,etiquette ,,toward4 ,point of ,view1 #fcf ,,irland1 ,,frederic4 ,where the ,water ,runs ,both ,ways1 #bei ,,japanese ,,flower ,,arrangement1 ,,theodore ,,wores1 #bje ,illustrations from paintings by ,mr4 ,wores4 ,,knox1 ,,judson4 ,the ,man from the ,machine1 #ddg ,,la ,,farge1 ,,john4 ,concerning ,painters ,who ,express ,themselves in ,words1 #bed ,,la ,,farge1 ,,john1 ,,russell ,,sturgis1 #c ,illustrations from unpublished drawings and from paintings by ,mr4 ,la ,farge4 ,,lion ,,and ,,the ,,unicorn1 ,,the1 ,,richard ,,harding ,,davis1 #abi ,illustrated by ,howard ,chandler ,christy4 ,,maartens1 ,,maarten4 ,an ,author's ,story1 #fhe ,,mail ,,service ,,at ,,new ,,york1 ,,the ,,foreign1 ,e4 ,g4 ,,chat1 #fa ,illustrated by ,w4 ,r4 ,leigh4 ,,man ,,from ,,the ,,machine1 ,,the1 ,,judson ,,knox1 #ddg ,illustrated by ,f4 ,d4 ,steele4 ,,man ,,on ,,horseback1 ,,the1 ,,william ,,allen ,,white1 #ech ,illustrated by ,a4 ,i4 ,keller4 ,,martin1 ,,benjamin ,,ellis ,,and ,,charlotte ,m4 ,the ,paris of ,honor de ,balzac1 #ehh ,,matthews1 ,,brander4 ,in the ,small ,hours1 #ejb ,,max--,,or ,,his ,,picture1 ,,octave ,,thanet1 #gci ,illustrated by ,howard ,chandler ,christy4 ,,miley1 ,,lieut4-,,col4 ,j4 ,d4 ,aguinaldo's ,capital1 #cbj ,,militarism ,,and ,,women4 ,point of ,view1 #ejg ,,modern ,,house1 ,,one ,,way ,,of ,,designing ,a4 ,field of ,art1 #abe ,,navy1 ,,on ,a ,,text ,,from ,,the4 ,point of ,view1 #gfc ,,page1 ,,thomas ,,nelson4 ,the ,spectre in the ,cart1 #agi ,,painters ,,who ,,express ,,themselves ,,in ,,words1 ,,concerning4 ,field of ,art1 ,,john ,,la ,,farge1 #bed ,,peacemaker1 ,,the1 ,,bliss ,,perry1 #fdc ,illustrated by ,f4 ,c4 ,yohn4 ,,peixotto1 ,,ernest ,c4 ,chinon1 #gcg ,,perry1 ,,bliss4 ,the ,white ,blackbird1 #if ,the ,peacemaker1 #fdc ,,philippines4 ,see ,aguinaldo's ,capital4 ,,play',s ,,the ,,thing1 ,,the1 ,,albert ,,white ,,vorse1 #afg ,illustrations by ,w4 ,glackens1 reproduced in color4 ,,photography1 ,,pictorial1 ,,alfred ,,stieglitz1 #ebh ,illustrated by the author's photographs4 ,,point ,,of ,,view1 ,,the4 ,accent1 ,a ,question of1 #chj ,american ,language1 ,the1 #gfb ,american ,urbanities1 #aba ,english ,voice on the ,american ,stage1 ,the1 #abc ,hundred ,thousand ,copies1 ,a1 #bec ,inanimate ,objects1 ,etiquette ,toward1 #fcf ,militarism and ,women1 #ejg ,navy1 ,on a ,text from the1 #gfc ,superstitious1 ,a ,convention of the1 #fcd ,vain ,seeking1 ,a1 #ejf ,women1 ,the ,public ,manners of1 #abb ,world with ,no ,country1 ,a1 #fce ,,portate ,,ultimatum1 ,,the1 ,,arthur ,,colton1 #gac ,illustrated in color by ,w4 ,glackens4 ,,praed1 ,,the ,,education ,,of1 ,,albert ,,white ,,vorse1 #bij ,illustrated by ,henry ,mc,carter4 ,,quiller-,,couch1 ,a4 ,t4 ,the ,ship of ,stars1 #dg1 #bcd1 #ced1 #djb1 #faa ,,rabbi ,,eliezer',s ,,christmas1 ,,abraham ,,cahan1 #ffa ,illustrated by ,w4 ,glackens4 ,,real ,,one1 ,,the1 ,,jesse ,,lynch ,,williams1 #fbj ,illustrated by ,henry ,hutt4 ,,royal ,,ally1 ,a1 ,,william ,,maynadier ,,browne1 #bba ,illustrated by ,a4 ,i4 ,keller4 ,,royal ,,intent1 ,,the1 ,,william ,,maynadier ,,browne1 #dif ,,royle1 ,,edwin ,,milton4 ,the ,vaudeville ,theatre1 #dhe ,,sandhill ,,stag1 ,,the ,,trail ,,of ,,the1 ,,ernest ,,seton-,,thompson1 #aia ,author of ,wild ,illustrated by ,animals ,i ,have ,known4 ,mr4 ,thompson4 ,,search-,,light ,,letters1 ,,robert ,,grant4 ,,iii4 ,letter ,to a ,young ,man ,wishing ,to ,be an ,american1 #ajd ,,iv4 ,letter ,to a ,political ,optimist1 #cfd ,,senior ,,reader1 ,,the1 ,,arthur ,,cosslett ,,smith1 #gbe ,illustrations by ,albert ,sterner4 ,,seven ,,ages ,,of ,,american ,,women1 ,,the1 ,c4 ,d4 ,,gibson1 #ffi ,a series of drawings4 ,,ship ,,of ,,stars1 ,,the1 ,a4 ,t4 ,,quiller-,,couch 7,q471 ,chapters ,,xiv4-,,xxix41 #dg1 #bcd1 #cea 7,concluded471 #djb1 #faa ,,small ,,hours1 ,,in ,,the1 ,,brander ,,matthews1 #ejb ,,smith1 ,,arthur ,,cosslett4 ,the ,senior ,reader1 #gbe ,,spectre ,,in ,,the ,,cart1 ,,the1 ,,thomas ,,nelson ,,page1 #agi ,full-page illustration by ,f4 ,c4 ,yohn4 ,,stevenson1 ,,robert ,,louis1 ,,the ,,letters ,,of4 ,edited by ,,sidney ,,colvin4 ,,from ,,bournemouth1 #ahhd-he1 #bj ,,drawing by ,e4 ,c4 ,peixotto4 ,,bournemouth 7,,continued71 #ahhe-hf1 #bdb ,,saranac ,,lake--,,winter1 #ahhg-hh1 #cch ,illustrated with drawings from photographs by ,jules ,gurin4 ,,the ,,voyage ,,of ,,the ,,casco2 ,,honolulu 7,,july1 #ahhh-;,,june1 #ahhi71 #dfi ,,life ,,in ,,samoa3 ,,november1 #ahij-;,,december1 #ahid1 #egj 7,concluded47 ,,stevenson1 ,,mrs4 ,,robert ,,louis4 ,anne1 #aaf ,,stieglitz1 ,,alfred4 ,pictorial ,photography1 #ebh ,,storm ,,of #ahih1 ,,the ,,great ,,november1 ,,sylvester ,,baxter1 #eae ,illustrations by ,h4 ,w4 ,ditzler4 ,,sturgis1 ,,russell4 ,john ,la ,farge1 #c ,,superstitious1 ,a ,,convention ,,of ,,the4 ,point of ,view1 #fcd ,,telephotography1 ,,dwight ,l4 ,,elmendorf1 #deg ,illustrated by the author's photographs and telephotographs4 ,,thanet1 ,,octave4 ,max--,or ,his ,picture1 #gci ,,thompson1 ,,ernest ,,seton4 ,the ,trail of the ,sandhill ,stag1 #aia ,,trusts1 ,,the ,,formation ,,and ,,the ,,control ,,of1 ,,arthur ,t4 ,,hadley1 #fjd ,president of ,yale ,university4 ,,vaillantcoeur1 ,,henry ,,van ,,dyke1 #aec ,illustrated by ,walter ,appleton ,clark4 ,,vain ,,seeking1 ,a4 ,point of ,view1 #ejf ,,van ,,dyke1 ,,henry4 ,valiantcoeur1 #aec ,,vaudeville ,,theatre1 ,,the1 ,,edwin ,,milton ,,royle1 #dhe ,illustrations by ,w4 ,glackens4 ,,vorse1 ,,albert ,,white4 ,the ,play's the ,thing1 #afg ,the ,education of ,praed1 #bij ,american ,seamen in the ,antarctic1 #gjj ,,warren1 ,,charles4 ,a ,copley ,boy1 #cbf ,,water-,,front ,,of ,,new ,,york1 ,,the1 ,,jesse ,,lynch ,,williams1 #che ,illustrated from drawings by ,henry ,mc,carter1 ,jules ,gurin1 ,e4 ,c4 ,peixotto1 ,w4 ,r4 ,leigh1 ,c4 ,l4 ,hinton1 ,g4 ,a4 ,shipley1 and ,g4 ,w4 ,peters4 ,,webster1 ,,daniel4 ,i41 ,,ii4 ,,with ,,unpublished ,,manuscripts ,,and ,,some ,,examples ,,of ,,his ,,preparation ,,for ,,public ,,speaking1 ,,george ,f4 ,,hoar1 #gd1 #bac ,senator from ,massachusetts4 ,with a portrait and fac-similes4 ,,wesley1 ,,john--,,some ,,aspects ,,of ,,the ,,eighteenth ,,century ,,in ,,england1 ,,augustine ,,birrell1 #gec ,,where ,,the ,,water ,,runs ,,both ,,ways1 ,,frederic ,,irland1 #bei ,illustrated with photographs by the author1 and with drawings by ,jules ,gurin1 ,h4 ,l4 ,brown1 and ,howard ,giles from photographs4 ,,white ,,blackbird1 ,,the1 ,,bliss ,,perry1 #if ,,white1 ,,william ,,allen4 ,the ,man on ,horseback1 #ech ,,williams1 ,,jesse ,,lynch4 ,the ,water-,front of ,new ,york1 #che ,the ,real ,one1 #fbj ,,women1 ,,the ,,public ,,manners ,,of4 ,point of ,view1 #abb ,,wores1 ,,theodore4 ,japanese ,flower ,arrangement1 #bje ,,world ,,with ,,no ,,country1 ,a4 ,point of ,view1 #fce ,,poetry ,,advertising ,,sign1 ,,an1 ,,marvin ,r4 ,,vincent1 #gea ,,ballad1 ,j4 ,,russell ,,taylor1 #bbj ,,celebrants1 ,,the1 ,,carolyn ,,wells1 #he ,illustrated by ,oliver ,herford4 ,,cricket ,,song1 ,,the1 ,r4 ,h4 ,,stoddard1 #ebf ,illustrations in color by ,harvey ,ellis4 ,,enduring1 ,,the1 ,,james ,,whitcomb ,,riley1 #ajc ,,herb ,o' ,,grace1 ,,the1 ,,arthur ,,colton1 #dja ,illustrated by ,orson ,lowell4 ,,hey ,,nonny ,,no4 ,a ,song1 ,,marguerite ,,merington1 #daf ,,hush6 ,a ,sonnet1 ,,julia ,c4 ,r4 ,,dorr1 #abj ,,loneliness1 ,j4 ,h4 ,,adams1 #gab ,,narcissus1 ,,guy ,,wetmore ,,carryl1 #ebe ,,nemesis1 ,,benjamin ,,paul ,,blood1 #gb ,,old ,,home ,,haunts1 ,,the1 ,f4 ,,colburn ,,clarke1 #bhi ,illustrated by ,henry ,hutt4 ,,poppy-,,garden1 ,,in ,a1 ,,sara ,,king ,,wiley1 #cbe ,,romance #cfc ,,silent ,,wayfellow1 ,,the1 ,,bliss ,,carman1 #ddf ,,slumber ,,song1 ,a4 ,for the ,fisherman's ,child1 ,,henry ,,van ,,dyke1 #bih ,illustrated by ,maude ,cowles4 ,,song ,,with ,a ,,discord1 ,a1 ,,arthur ,,colton1 #fjc ,,suicide1 ,,the1 ,,edwin ,,markham1 #eea ,,tears4 ,a ,sonnet1 ,,lizette ,,woodworth ,,reese1 #efi ,,three ,,kings1 ,,the4 ,,harrison ,s4 ,,morris1 #fec ,a ,christmas ,ballad1 ,illustrated in color by ,walter ,appleton ,clark2 decorations by ,t4 ,guernsey ,moore4 ,,urban ,,harbinger1 ,,an1 ,e4 ,s4 ,,martin1 #aij ,with an illustration by ,w4 ,glackens4 ,,veery-,,thrush1 ,,the1 ,j4 ,,russell ,,taylor1 #cej ,,wind ,,at ,,the ,,door1 ,,the1 ,,bliss ,,carman1 #feb ,,scribner',s ,,magazine ,,vol4 ,,xxvi4 ,,july1 #ahii4 ,,no4 #a4 ,,john ,,la ,,farge ,by ,russell ,sturgis ,illustration3 ,a ,study4 ,the artist of four hundred years ago1 or of any great time for individual effort as opposed to the associated and unrecorded work of more primitive times1 was a many-sided man4 ,he was probably a traveller1 if not a monk2 he was almost certainly a man of adventure2 a man of thought1 whether monk or layman4 ,the artist did not travel far2 but he encountered more personal risk between ,florence and ,naples than our contemporary does in voyaging to the ,isles of ,summer2 he encountered in ,sicily1 in ,hungary1 or in ,spain a people as remote from him as the ,japanese are from us2 and he had still ,constantinople and ,cairo to visit1 places more distant and as inaccessible to him as ,thibet or ,kafiristan in the nineteenth century4 ,the old artist was something of a scholar1 too1 with a habit of study and meditation1 if not master of many books4 ,and1 moreover1 the old artist was very much in love with his work and loved to play with it as well as to work in it2 so that he touched many materials1 handled many processes1 and used many methods of artistic utterance4 ,again it is worth noting that no one had discovered1 in #adii1 that architecture was an art to be practised without regard to the other manifestations of the artistic spirit2 nor yet that the sculptor and the painter were two workmen whose art was to be practised apart from and independent of building or other industrial occupation4 ,all these things have been so much changed of late that it is noticeable in ,mr4 ,la ,farge's life that he should be1 in many ways1 like a painter of old time1 that is1 traveller1 reader1 collector and student2 colorist and decorator2 painter in large and in little4 ,he has been a working artist for forty years1 and has done many things4 ,he has made many book illustrations which have been published and many which have never been given to the world4 ,the illustrations to ,browning's book1 ,men and ,women1 as it was originally published in #ahee1 are among these2 and there are reproduced here the full-page design for the beginning of ,protus and also two studies for ,fra ,lippo ,lippi3 ,the little children round him in a row ,of admiration1 half for his beard and half ,for that white anger of his victim's son4 ,this was early work4 ,the illustration to ,misconceptions is as mystical as that for ,protus2 and that which concludes ,bishop ,blougram's ,apology is as realistic as these studies of children4 ,illustration3 ,study for ,browning's ,men and ,women4 ,then1 still of his early days1 are to be considered the faithful little studies and close-to-nature drawings which served as a foundation for a structure of knowledge which was to pile itself high enough4 ,sic itur ad astra2 and with a different result from the tower-building recorded in ,genesis4 ,the reproduction given on page #i is from a sketch-book of #ahfj2 and the work has been a careful drawing in black on white1 done in the flat country about ,bayou ,tche4 ,these are drawings in values1 or made for values2 that is to say1 the relative force of darkness or of light is carefully preserved4 ,a certain green of the trees may be lighter than the blue1 still water below1 but is very much darker than the same water where it reflects the pale evening sky2 the reflection in the water of those same trees is a shade or two darker than the mass of trees themselves2 and so on1 forever4 ,of the same epoch is this drawing of a beacon page #aj1 a flaming cresset1 a signal light seen against a night sky4 ,these are warnings to steamboats on the ,mississippi to avoid a shoal or to make a landing4 ,other studies1 those of pure line and those of masses1 those of his youth and those of his maturity1 are scattered over these pages4 ,he has produced also a very great number of water-color drawings1 generally small1 and very commonly having for their subjects pieces of foreground detail1 such as one or several blossoms in a pool of water1 or a water-lily or two afloat on the surface of a still pond4 ,it might almost be said that his water-colors were generally of such detail as this1 except that the work done during his journeys into tropical and oriental lands has resulted differently4 ,again he has produced1 during those years of work1 a few large pictures painted in oil-color or by a process which he learned in his youth and in which melted wax has a part2 though this is not the encaustic process of antiquity or of modern revival4 ,one or two of these are portraits1 several are landscapes1 several are studies of interesting details which he wished to preserve and which for some reason or other had struck him as more easily rendered on a large scale and in the more solid material2 and some are1 to all appearance1 concepts for mural decoration--advance studies for that which was to be painted on a still larger scale1 or in combination with other parts of a large composition1 and finally to be fixed upon the wall where it was to remain permanently4 ,some1 also1 of the water-colors produced in recent years are1 though not large in superficies1 very large in treatment4 ,a glowing color composition suggested by the mountain country of ,fiji1 a monochrome study of a river landscape in ,japan1 may be as grandiose in character and may contain as much matter1 both in represented detail and in artistic purpose1 as an oil-painting of four times the surface-measurement4 ,some illustrations given on another page of this treatise may partly show the qualities here suggested4 ,illustration3 ,study for ,browning's ,men and ,women4 ,he has produced1 also1 a few such mural paintings as those whose intention is assumed in the last paragraph4 ,of these1 much the largest is that which covers the end wall of the ,church of the ,ascension in ,new ,york4 ,there are others in ,st4 ,thomas's ,church and in the ,church of the ,incarnation1 both in ,new ,york ,city2 the interior of ,trinity ,church in ,boston was painted by him with a series of figure subjects1 though the chromatic treatment of this interior does not include any large single painting of great importance2 and of late years1 two lunettes in the ,villard-,reid house in ,new ,york and one in the ,walker ,art ,gallery at ,bowdoin ,college have been added to this summary list4 ,there is reproduced here the last-named picture page #ag2 a picture of fantastic subject in the literary or narrative sense4 ,athens is its given name2 but it represents ,pallas making a drawing of the lovely and unadorned genius of the open country or wood1 while the robed and crowned impersonated ,city looks affectionately at both the subject and the recording goddess4 ,to be classed under the head of mural paintings also is the remarkable composition of small pictures involved in a large design with panels and arabesques1 which decorates the wooden vaults of that gallery in ,mr4 ,cornelius ,vanderbilt's house1 which used to be called the ,water-,color ,room1 and which now1 since the alteration of the house and the removal of this painted vault into the new building1 may be considered the gallery of entrance for stately entertainments4 ,to a limited extent1 the work of other painters is associated with his own in the last-named achievement1 as also in ,trinity ,church4 ,in this1 the work of the artist comes very near to decoration pure and simple4 ,the reader is not to understand that any sharp distinction is made here between decoration and that painting which is not so designated4 ,it is to be hoped that he1 the reader1 will see as he reads that to deny this distinction is part of the life-purpose of ,john ,la ,farge2 a purpose which his critic is glad to recognize and to second4 ,it is merely with reference to its placing--to its apparent intended service--to its fixed location and its consequent exclusion from the category of gallery pictures or easel pictures that the words decoration and decorative are here applied to certain paintings4 ,for throughout his career this artist has leaned strongly toward the treatment of his expressional and significant painting in a decorative way4 ,illustration3 ,panel1 from ,one of the ,ceilings in ,cornelius ,vanderbilt's ,house4 ,inlaid glass1 ivory1 bronze1 marble and silver1 and mother-of-pearl4 ,illustration3 ,figure from the ,vanderbilt ,ceiling4 ,decoration in the more usual sense has been also a large part of his work4 ,thus1 when in #ahgh he contracted with ,mr4 ,cornelius ,vanderbilt for a carved ceiling1 it appeared that his intentions in the matter were those which could have been suggested only by a mind full of the decorative idea4 ,a carved ceiling might have been almost anything2 but this one was an elaborate composition of colored sculpture1 or1 if you please1 of polychromy in relief2 certainly one of the most remarkable undertakings of the time4 ,what seem to be 7for the true constructional character of the ceiling is not here guaranteed7 what seem to be the beams1 the constructional part of the ceiling1 were of light-colored walnut4 ,the panels within were filled with figures of armed warriors and of draped women of about half life-size1 and these panels were framed by rim within rim1 moulding within moulding1 of elaborate sculptured pattern4 ,all these sculptured patterns1 all these figures1 were invested with color in a way which it is hard to describe2 for different chosen woods1 alloys of metal of which some are of ,japanese origin1 opaque and colored glass1 ivory1 mother-of-pearl1 and even coral are combined to give delicately tinted color and subtle variety of surface to the work4 ,that ceiling has been broken up2 but there has been great good judgment shown in its rearrangement4 ,the panels of the ceiling are now arranged so that they are well lighted both by day and by night1 and show admirably4 ,although the original design has disappeared1 the separate panels1 each with its enclosing mouldings and woodwork1 at least four by six feet in superficies1 are well displayed4 ,one of these panels is here engraved page #f4 ,here also is given part of a decorative frieze in which castings specially made of blue glass were used with ivory and with carvings in solid nacre1 in combination with the carved walnut4 ,illustration3 ,dry ,bed of the ,dayagawa ,river4 ,drawn by ,john ,la ,farge4 ,illustration3 ,study for ,values4 ,similar work has been done by ,mr4 ,la ,farge in connection with his own paintings1 and sometimes where no paintings were used4 ,this use1 on a large scale1 of rich material1 rich in color1 in surface and in lustre1 as a medium for sculpture1 is almost peculiar to this artist among modern men4 ,others who have cared for color in sculpture have played with it1 rather1 in small objects of the cabinet2 and this remains true in a general way in spite of a pleasant use of enamel in some ,french work in bronze of a more important or1 at least1 more pretentious character4 ,at a time not far removed from the undertaking of the ceiling and the mantelpiece above mentioned1 a monument was put up in the ,newport ,cemetery under the direction of ,mr4 ,la ,farge page #af4 ,he associated with himself in this task the sculptor1 since so widely known1 but then a young man1 ,augustus ,st4 ,gaudens1 who had already worked with him on the carved and colored ceiling4 ,every student of architectural designs will be struck by the informal character of this design3 the steps which are clearly not meant to be ascended and which have an obvious symbolic meaning2 the horizontal cross sunk in the table of the monument in such a way that few persons can be so placed as to see it favorably2 the inscription carved upon the butt or foot of that cross2 the apparently disproportionate slenderness of the upright cross with its thin cylindrical shaft2 the placing of other inscriptions on the body of the massive base in which no specially arranged panels or medallions have been prepared for them2 and1 most of all1 the treatment of the leaf sculpture which1 though composed carefully enough and far enough in itself from being a piece of crude realism1 is yet realistic in its disposition--suggesting the natural fall of sprays and branches of leafage allowed to dry and harden in the sun4 ,no architect--as we now understand the term--no architect1 even one who had kept himself free from the neo-classic influence and the teaching of the schools1 could have designed such a piece as this4 ,it is the more interesting to see how the highly trained decorative artist who has not been fettered by the taught maxims of the architect's school or the architect's office has handled this problem--a problem rarely met by decorators of modern experience4 ,about #ahgf these same demands upon him for decoration led him to the careful observation of ancient stained glass1 with a view to providing the modern world with something which might be to it what the windows of ,reims ,cathedral and ,fairford ,church were to the ,middle ,ages4 ,it appeared to the modern artist that there was still a course open to him which had not been tried by the decorators of the ,middle ,ages1 early or late4 ,it appeared that the modern materials and processes of glassmaking might give to the artist in glass a palette such as the medival man had never possessed4 ,what is called opal glass1 opaline1 and also opalescent glass may be said to have formed the basis of a new system of window decoration1 though the other essential1 the leaden framework1 was to play its own part in the artistical result4 ,uncolored opaline glass has a milky-white look when seen by reflected light2 but by transmitted light its color passes from a cloudy bluish-gray to red1 with a yellow spark4 ,if1 now1 such glass be charged with color of many shades1 the chromatic effects producible by the combination of such translucent materials1 at once contrasting in color and harmonized by the opaline quality1 might prove successful beyond what had been known4 ,to this1 then1 ,la ,farge set himself2 to obtain glass of richness1 depth1 and glow of color hitherto unattempted1 and in a multitude of tints2 so that1 whereas the thirteenth-century artist had five or six colors in all1 susceptible of nothing more than a gradation from darker to lighter1 as the glass was thicker or thinner or more or less thickly flashed--now1 colors were to be supplied by the score1 each color capable of these same gradations in darker and lighter1 and each color harmonized with all the other colors by the common quality of softness and a certain misty iridescence caused by the opaline stain4 ,even in a piece of glass so brilliant in color that the opalescence is hardly perceptible1 its presence in that part of the general chromatic scheme will surely be felt4 ,illustration3 ,on the ,bayou ,tche2 ,study for ,values4 ,a window is1 when considered as a work of fine art in color1 a translucent composition1 there being no part of it which can appeal to the eye by other than transmitted light4 ,the artist has1 then1 the need of something strong to lean upon1 some background1 some fond upon which to relieve his more brilliant pieces of translucency2 for it can be easily understood that color composition which is wholly translucent will tend toward feebleness1 toward paleness1 toward a certain evanescent and doubtful character of its colors1 from which it must be saved4 ,this needed background was found in the use of the leads2 that is to say1 of those strips of lead made generally in the form of a capital ,i1 in which the edges of the separate pieces of glass are held4 ,by taking these leads as the artistic sub-structure of the composition1 by placing them where needed1 and by cutting the glass accordingly1 by combining the colors of the glass in such a way as to allow the leads to be put where they were needed for this purpose of background1 results were obtained which no artist in glass had ever yet attempted4 ,la ,farge's use of leads1 in this way1 remains peculiarly his own in the subtlety and refinement of the linear design4 ,occasionally1 indeed1 a certain amount of opaque painting1 of that solid non-translucent painting which the men of the ,middle ,ages used continually1 has been used to increase the area of his lead sash-bars or to diminish the brilliancy of a background4 ,all artists recognize the need of the repentir1 of the amendment made after the work is partly done1 or even1 to all eyes but their own1 completed2 and painting in opaque color has been used by ,la ,farge when it has appeared that the lead-sash was not quite sufficient for the background needed4 ,in like manner1 painting in translucent colored enamels has been used by him where it has appeared to him that no glass available would produce the tone desired4 ,as such instances are occasional and rare1 these devices are not a part of the essence of ,la ,farge's work in glass1 and they are mentioned here merely because their existence must be understood as accidental4 ,the treatment of heads and hands and other necessarily nude parts of the body1 in order that these surfaces may harmonize with the generally unpainted drapery and background1 would require pages of discussion if entered upon at all4 ,illustration3 ,study of a ,mullein-stalk4 ,the purpose of this article is not1 however1 to dwell in detail upon the historical development of his art1 but to criticise it in its main features1 and to institute an inquiry into those traits of ,la ,farge's personality which have made his work especially interesting to all persons who care for the retention of noble design in that which is obviously novel1 original1 modern in art4 ,illustration3 ,study of a ,beacon4 ,in the first place1 then1 ,mr4 ,la ,farge is very individual as a designer4 ,he hardly belongs to any school of designers4 ,the reader will suggest at once that1 as there is no school of designers at the present day1 a man of force is compelled to be individual2 and this dictum will be readily accepted4 ,inasmuch as there has been no time since ,la ,farge reached the age of intelligence and of interest in art--no time when he has not been a student of ,japanese art2 inasmuch as he began1 as long ago as #ahfj1 to buy and study what few pieces of ,japanese art and handicraft he could find--it has been thought that he is strongly influenced by ,japanese design2 but this it will be hard to establish4 ,his design is individual and personal1 and it is that whether we take design to mean his way of conceiving the human figure2 or his way of composing human figures in large groups with care for the effect of line and mass2 or whether we think1 rather1 of the filling of the panel or the canvas1 the parallelogram or the half-circle1 with masses of color and tendencies of line4 ,illustration3 ,study for a ,decoration for a ,page of ,browning's ,men and ,women1 #ahfa4 ,now1 in this individuality of his art1 there is a weaker as well as a stronger side4 ,it cannot be ignored by those who admire his larger and statelier designs that they lack something of stateliness4 ,the figures in his small woodcuts are carried out of the strict and grave system of academic drawing into an extreme of freedom of gesture and movement1 and that with the evident purpose of expressing in the strongest possible way the intense meaning of the artist2 but this hardly allows of mention except as a virtue4 ,bishop ,hatto in his screaming agony1 as the rats attack him on every side while he crouches at the foot of the column on the capital of which the cat has taken refuge 7for each and all the details of which see ,southey's poem7--,bishop ,hatto is almost liquified1 has almost lost the solid substance of his corporeal form1 in his horror and hopelessness4 ,enoch ,arden1 the long-haired1 long-bearded solitary1 hardly shows the strong man1 the vigorous sailor under his rags and through his squalor2 the emphasis is laid on the fourteen years' solitary confinement in this lonely island1 and the strong heroic soul which the poet drew has not interested the artist as part of this design4 ,these are small drawings for wood-engraving and for book illustration2 but the same character of design occurs again and again in the larger and statelier pieces2 and it may there be less easy to accept4 ,the impression made upon a student of mural painting1 ancient and modern1 by such a painting as that in the ,church of the ,ascension is that it is1 in a sense1 lacking in repose4 ,the ,adoring ,angels around the risen ,saviour are individual in their gestures1 in the pose of their bodies1 in the expression of their faces4 ,they are personalities rather than parts of a ,glory of ,angels4 ,the figure of ,christ itself has the same peculiarity and is marked by a singularly free and unconventional pose of the body and gesture of the right arm1 suggestive rather of the teacher of men than of the ,son taken up to his ,father4 ,moreover1 this effect as of too much movement and incident1 as of too little stability and gravity1 is heightened by the flowing drapery1 which is so marked a feature of the composition that it remains uppermost in the minds of many students to the very end of their study of the picture4 ,something of this may be seen in the illustration given here of the noble window which was sent to the ,exhibition of #ahhi page #ae4 ,the subject is the ,sealing of the ,servants of ,god4 ,these groups are of indubitable truth and power as illustrations of the passage in the ,apocalypse2 but as parts of a solemn color design another standard needs to be applied to them4 ,illustration3 ,study for the ,wolf-,charmer4 ,illustration3 ,another ,study for the ,wolf-,charmer4 ,so much for the less agreeable side of this familiar and personal way of designing4 ,in the favorable aspect there would1 of course1 be very much to be said1 for he is no illustrator1 he is no story-teller1 he is no composer of pictured fable or pictured record who does not understand how to give his figures that life and movement1 that action and expression1 which will explain all that is explainable of their purpose and their function4 ,nothing1 for instance1 can be more perfect as a bit of mystical story-telling than the ,wolf-,charmer1 the picture in which the gaunt and haggard magician1 with his pipe at his lips1 comes out of the forest surrounded by his drove of gigantic wolves4 ,two studies for the wolves are given here2 and the spirit of the design is interesting to trace in them4 ,to give the savage creatures something more than their due size1 and1 above all1 something more than their due ferocity1 is a natural and obvious device2 but to express1 as the artist has expressed1 their familiarity with their leader1 their sympathy with him1 their spirit entering into his as he heads and controls them1 is something admirable in descriptive art4 ,so in that grim picture in which some part of the spirit of feudal ,japan is contained2 the picture which tells the tale of little ,kio-,sai2 the rushing and turbulent stream between its high banks is gray and sombre as if with the swollen waters of a flood2 and upon it1 whirled along in its course1 the severed head which frightened the child floats face upward with something of its living expression still lingering about the eyes and lips1 but still as dead1 as corpse-like as a severed head could be4 ,this powerful drawing1 made within the last two years1 is to be cited as a characteristic specimen of expressional art4 ,there is nothing in the picture but whirling water and floating head2 and yet the stern1 fierce1 half-savage1 feudal system of ,japan1 which coexisted with an almost too subtle refinement of manners and of thought1 both literary and artistic1 is expressed in this little square of grave coloring4 ,so1 in the numerous ,south ,sea ,island studies which have filled many a frame and delighted so many a student of water-color drawings1 it is hard to say whether the pictures of movement and action1 of fishing with cormorants1 of riding and marching1 of bustle and life1 or the pictures of tropical and oriental men and women in repose1 are more delightful--half naked girls carrying canoes1 seated dancers going through the sacred movements of the siva1 portraits of individuals1 and studies of groups intended to preserve for the artist the recollection1 and for the instruction of those at home the singular life1 of these brown islanders1 so different from the negroids of the southern groups1 so over-civilized in ceremony and tradition1 with all their lack of policing and of steady social conditions4 ,in all this work the artist's indifference to the accepted conventional ways of expressing his meaning is altogether fortunate for his art4 ,he knows how to tell a story in pictures which have very much1 if not all1 of his highest artistic qualities1 and this he would hardly be capable of were he more fettered than he is by the rules of the academies as to how the action of man should be put into form and color4 ,illustration3 ,the ,floating ,head4 ,in connection with this matter1 the question comes up how far ,mr4 ,la ,farge is a thorough draughtsman4 ,it hardly becomes one who is not ready to go into the minute examination of his work1 figure by figure1 to challenge its merit in the way of anatomical correctness and academic severity of drawing2 but it is to be said1 at least1 that the strongest reason exists for the belief that many of the draped figures would prove incorrect if an absolutely accurate drawing of the nude body in the position assumed by the draped figure could be laid upon the drapery4 ,it is difficult here to express one's exact meaning1 because there is no such thing as an absolutely correct drawing of the nude body in any position2 but if we take a draped angel or a draped ,st4 ,peter or a draped ,buddhist priest from this gallery of pictured men and women1 we can imagine the consummate draughtsman1 the ,paul ,veronese of the present1 if there were such a man1 pointing out that a figure seated or standing in that position could not get within the drapery which the artist has pictured4 ,we can even imagine the painter aware of the fact--in advance of all criticism by others4 ,it will be observed that ,la ,farge has seldom painted the nude4 ,his early work involved a great deal of drawing1 both from the nude model and in the way of designed and composed nude figures4 ,naked figures represented on a small scale1 as among his numerous ,eastern subjects1 exist1 of course1 in his work in great numbers2 but the nude in the larger ,european sense of elaborately rendered1 well modelled1 thoroughly understood naked figures1 male and female1 is rare in his work4 ,mural painting in churches hardly allows of that2 glass is1 of course1 wholly foreign in its purpose and mission from such art as includes the nude1 and hardly allows even of the naked hands and head4 ,now1 let it be admitted for the moment not only that ,la ,farge is not given to drawing the nude1 but even that he has not done consummate work in that direction2 let that be admitted1 and let us then see how that affects his pictures and drawings4 ,it need not be asked whether it affects the decorative value of his work--considered as a body of art it cannot affect it badly2 we need think1 now1 only of fine drawing considered by itself4 ,it is a part of the true traditional doctrine of art that no man should paint from the model1 nude or draped2 that no man should draw from the model1 nude or draped1 with the intention of using the drawing upon his wall surface or canvas4 ,it is a tradition which ought to have been left intact as it came from older men1 that when the artist composes it is his duty to forget his anatomy and to forget the preparatory drawings which he has made by hundreds1 and to draw directly upon his canvas or sheet of paper the figure which he now conceives as a part of his design1 the figure which he desires to put into his composition as one of its elements4 ,he is free then to do what ,la ,farge himself does freely1 to compare this result with the model1 nude or draped1 or first nude and then draped2 but this comparison has for its purpose1 not the correction of the drawing or the picture with reference to its anatomical correctness nearly so much as it has in view the lifelike appearance of the figure4 ,given a draped figure which does not seem to stand quite as firmly upon its feet1 or to be moving quite as freely1 as the composer himself desires1 it is required by consultation of the model to rectify those errors in the drawing which have led to this unfortunate result and to give to that figure the lifelike character which it does not yet possess4 ,illustration3 ,a ,study4 ,illustration3 ,study for ,bacchanal ,drawing4 ,illustration3 ,study for the ,watson ,window1 #ahhi4 ,this is the one carried out and sent to the ,paris ,exposition4 ,it is a characteristic of ,mr4 ,la ,farge's art as a painter that he is primarily a colorist4 ,now it is fairly safe to say that no man since the great ,venetians has been at once a consummate draughtsman of the human figure and a consummate master of color2 and that apparently the mind of the workman cannot lead his artistic production in such paths that both of these excellences may be attained at once4 ,the workman1 if he is sincere1 and if he is well advised1 follows the course which is easiest for him1 and if he conceives of every figure and every group of figures with their setting of landscape or architecture primarily as a piece of splendid coloring1 to be taken from nature as an abstract piece of coloring1 and so modified that it will tell as an abstract piece of coloring on canvas or on wall--if that is the artist's object he will not improve the work produced on these lines by giving his time and strength to the proposed consideration of accuracy of drawing4 ,illustration3 ,monument in ,newport ,cemetery ,erected ,under the ,direction of ,john ,la ,farge and ,augustus ,st4 ,gaudens4 ,to ask whether ,la ,farge's work would be artistically better if it were consummate in drawing is to ask a question which no one can answer4 ,it is certain that no wise student will go to ,la ,farge to learn figure drawing in the technical sense4 ,it is not that which his art offers the student4 ,there are1 however1 two large pictures1 which can hardly be challenged--the two lunettes in the ,villard-,reid house2 and it is probable that if these pictures were within easy reach of the public1 and could be seen as the wall paintings in the ,congressional ,library can be seen by all the world and every day1 they would tend to raise the general opinion of ,la ,farge's capacity and range as a painter beyond what even his admirers now hold4 ,the pictures represent ,the ,dance and ,music4 ,in each of them1 smiling landscape forms the background1 a landscape not to be called sunny because the work of the true colorist hardly allows of sunshine4 ,sunshine and full glowing color are not generally found possible of simultaneous presentation1 and ,la ,farge certainly makes no attempt to combine them4 ,if1 then1 we consider one of these two groups of six or eight maidens invested in rather bright and high-lighted colors and set off by a landscape somewhat deeper in tone than their own figures--if we consider each of these pictures as a mural painting intended to be festal in character and to glorify and heighten the beauty of the room which it adorns1 while at the same time it is in itself a piece of coloring of almost the highest quality--we have then1 perhaps1 the fairest and most complete idea of what one of these lunettes is as a work of art--what it has been in the artist's well-realized purpose4 ,the beauty of composition in line and mass in either of the pictures1 noticeable as it is1 is not important in comparison4 ,the power of line-composition is not very rare2 except in its very highest manifestation1 it is almost like correct spelling2 necessary1 but deserving no special remark4 ,but when it is said of any picture that it is a piece of coloring of the highest or almost the highest rank1 there has been said of it the utmost that can be said of a work of graphic art4 ,it is not claimed that color is essentially greater or nobler than form1 but that color is the graphic artist's especial domain1 in which he alone can rule2 and further1 that color is peculiarly artistical1 ideal1 abstract1 and in this way loftier4 ,is it possible for the mind of man to conceive of anything more perfect1 more remote from1 and1 in a sense1 superior to1 whatever else there is in the world of humanity than a color composition of the highest quality8 ,there is only one product of the human mind which can be compared with it2 a musical composition of the highest class2 a symphony of ,beethoven1 alone1 can be compared to a great composition by ,titian4 ,that such a color-gift and such a color-purpose are to be seen in all of ,mr4 ,la ,farge's work alike would be hardly too much to say4 ,the touch of the consummate colorist is not as evident1 but is as discoverable by one who knows how to look1 in a piece of nature-study from ,fiji1 six inches square1 as it is in a large composition of saints and angels4 ,the disposition and the power to give to tinted paper the glow1 the radiance1 the wealth and charm of that strange and inexplicable thing1 the mingling of tints into a resulting color-scheme--these are in small work the same essentially that they are in large4 ,nor is the background of the ,ascension picture in the eponymic church to be exalted above the bits of hillside and surf in the drawings of oceanic life1 otherwise than as its greater size allows it greater splendor4 ,illustration3 ,athens4 ,mural ,painting in the ,walker ,art ,gallery at ,bowdoin ,college4 ,that this power over color is the life and soul of the decorator need hardly be urged4 ,decoration which is applied to a flat surface and which is not in relief1 except1 perhaps1 to a slight extent and occasionally1 has for its main object1 its main desideratum1 richness or refinement of coloring1 or both4 ,if one has a wall to decorate1 the first idea of the true decorator is to invest it with splendor or with delicate strength of color4 ,he seeks for fresco1 or the encaustic process1 or mosaic1 or1 as in modern times1 oil-painting upon a strained canvas1 indifferently and according to the spirit of his time and the practice of his contemporaries2 but his object is one and the same--to invest his wall or ceiling with noble color4 ,little may he care what the subject of the painting or mosaic may be4 ,according to the requirements of the epoch or community in which he lives1 it may be a procession of saints or a dance of bacchanals2 the primary object which he has in view is to procure a most enjoyable and delightful piece of color--and other things are of secondary importance4 ,glass1 then1 would seem to be especially prepared for ,la ,farge's work1 and ,la ,farge especially prepared for glass4 ,consider the memorial window which fills a window-opening in a church at ,north ,easton1 ,mass41 a town which owes much to the lady whose memory is thus honored4 ,upon a background of broken and changing blue are relieved the three figures larger than life-size which nearly fill the opening4 ,two of these figures are clothed1 one in drapery of the most vivid green1 the other in drapery of orange-brown2 that is to say1 these are the general colors offered to the eye of the spectator by the infinite number of minor tints1 all passing into one another in subtle gradation1 which make up the general mass of drapery4 ,it is to be observed1 then1 that these figures are also seen to be clothed in rags1 and that the idea1 the notion of wretchedness and tatters is maintained in spite of the sumptuous clothing of glowing color which invests it all4 ,that is an instance as good as can be found of what the colorist has to do in this world4 ,he does not ask whether beggars have ever been dressed in such garments as have been described1 but he has to express the two-fold image1 ,beggary and splendid color1 and out of these he makes up his work of art1 as unlike as may be to anything in nature1 but none the worse for that4 ,to return to mural painting2 there is one merit which all ,la ,farge's brother-painters agree in awarding to him1 and that is the power of putting a painting upon the wall so that it does not change the character of the wall as a part of the building4 ,his painting takes nothing away from the solidity of the wall which it invests4 ,the upright mass retains its rigidity and weight1 it still carries the roof1 it still holds firmly to the adjoining walls1 it is a massive and trustworthy part of the construction1 and the painted picture has added to rather than taken from its permanent and resting quality4 ,how this is done is fully as inexplicable as is the glow and splendor of color itself4 ,no one can say abstractly and without having the picture immediately before him how any such result is attained1 nor is it easy to explain the picture1 even to the looker-on1 in any such terms as will fully express this quality4 ,it is one of the most valuable qualities which mural painting can possess--mural painting which fluctuates between the flatness which is also feebleness and a kind of realism which carries with it the effect of out-of-doors--of a hole in the wall4 ,the same thing obtains in his minor work1 and here the background1 the temple1 or rock1 forty feet away1 is as perfectly detached from the foreground figures as would be a distant and airy mountain miles away1 while still the picture remains flat cardboard or flat canvass invested with light and shade and color4 ,we are brought naturally to the consideration of ,mr4 ,la ,farge's landscape4 ,he is not generally considered as a landscape painter2 and yet he has produced a great deal of landscape in the secondary or accessory part of his work4 ,he has also painted landscape of first intention1 so to speak1 landscape which is nothing but landscape1 and that1 at different times in his life2 always succeeding1 and yet always turning away from landscape to what seems to be his chosen work of figure subject used decoratively4 ,landscape-painting is unquestionably the art of our epoch1 the one branch of the art of painting which this century has excelled in2 and1 therefore1 ,la ,farge was inevitably drawn toward landscape painting1 he being a man of his time1 if also a man of strong individual peculiarities4 ,it would be hard for a student of art in the abstract1 a theorizer1 a critic and a lover of the arts of the past1 to avoid painting landscape when everybody around him is painting landscape2 and accordingly ,la ,farge has turned his attention to that1 but the odd thing is that he has not stayed there1 that he has not continued to be a landscape painter primarily4 ,it would seem to the hasty observer of landscape painting that this department of art alone would have afforded material for all of his artistic dreams and for all his artistic purposes1 for what is more truly decorative than landscape such as is shown in the wonderful ,paradise ,valley8 ,that picture is made up of light and color4 ,the surface of thick1 lush1 summer grass1 the surface of rock dimly seen1 the surface of ocean1 the hazy sky1 all together go to form a mass of glowing and yet delicate color the like of which it is very hard to find in simple landscape anywhere in ancient or modern art4 ,until recent years there were only half a dozen such pictures of wide landscape1 numerous as were his studies in that style2 for otherwise his finished landscapes were chiefly those composed of foreground rock1 of iris seen against a wild-rose covered bank1 of three or four water-lily blossoms and a dozen little buds floating on still water2 or else they were landscape backgrounds to figure subjects in which the landscape was evidently made1 of deliberate purpose1 a thing of less intention and of inferior interest4 ,during the last ten years1 however1 ,la ,farge has produced an immense number of singularly effective drawings in monochrome and in color1 made either on the spot in ,samoa1 in ,fiji1 in ,japan1 or elsewhere in the far ,east1 or made after his return home1 from studies carefully noted during his stay abroad4 ,of these landscape drawings1 some are of extended and really vast stretches of country4 ,mountains are introduced which are several miles away1 and show in relief against a pale sky1 every detail of the mountain being rendered as the eye could have seen it from the point of view occupied by the painter1 and the whole wrought into a wonderfully glowing panorama of green passing into blue against the green mystery of the firmament4 ,there are also among these drawings pictures which are ,turnerian in their love of and sympathy with mist and vapor and their enjoyment of pure and delightful color produced by sunlight upon such vapor4 ,among these are four drawings of the ,valley of ,tokio seen from a hill above the city1 the vision of the artist reaching across the valley and including its whole extent and the mountains which form the boundary4 ,in other words1 each of these landscapes includes a range of one hundred square miles of country at least1 and its investing and overflowing drapery of cloud and of low-lying vapor2 and yet these were four small drawings1 mere studies on leaves of a sketch-book4 ,it is the greatest misfortune to ,americans that they have been scattered among four different owners4 ,if it were possible for the ,boston ,museum1 under its wise direction1 to gather these four drawings into its ownership and to exhibit them side by side well lighted and isolated from other conflicting art1 a real service would be done to the whole community of art students2 for there is in them an abundance of the true landscape feeling1 of the true landscape sympathy1 of that love of the magnificence1 and the refinement of nature which no transcript can give1 but which the thought of the artist when stimulated powerfully by the contemplation of the glory of nature will transfer to his material medium4 ,much of this character exists in the sepia drawing of the ,dry ,bed of the ,dayagawa ,river1 page #g which hardly needs analysis in words1 since it is capable of fairly complete reproduction4 ,illustration3 ,a ,study4 ,illustration3 ,skerryvore4 ,,the ,,letters ,,of ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson ,edited by ,sidney ,colvin ,,from ,,bournemouth3 #ahhd-ahhe ,in order of date the letters now to be quoted follow next on those from the ,french ,riviera which were printed in the ,april number4 ,when in the late spring of #ahhd ,stevenson was prostrated by the worst of all his many attacks of hemorrhage from the lung1 he was still residing in that chalet at ,hyres which he had hoped to make his permanent abode4 ,partly the renewed failure of his health1 and partly a bad outbreak of cholera in the old ,provenal town1 which occurred in the ensuing summer1 compelled him to abandon this hope4 ,as soon as he recovered strength enough to be able to travel by even the easiest stages1 he moved to ,royat in ,auvergne1 and thence in the course of ,july to ,england4 ,after consultation with several doctors1 all of whom held out good hopes of ultimate recovery in spite of the gravity of his present symptoms1 he moved to ,bournemouth4 ,here he found in the heaths and pine-woods some distant semblance of the landscape of his native ,scotland1 and in sandy curves of the ,channel coast a passable substitute for the bays and promontories of his beloved ,mediterranean4 ,at all events he liked the place well enough to be willing to try it for a home3 and such it became for all but three years1 from ,september1 #ahhd1 to ,august1 #ahhg4 ,these1 although in the matter of health the worst and most trying years of his life1 were in the matter of work some of the most active and successful4 ,for the first two or three months the ,stevensons occupied a lodging on the ,west ,cliff called ,wensleydale2 for the next three or four1 from ,december1 #ahhd1 to ,march1 #ahhe1 they were tenants of a house named ,bonallie ,towers1 pleasantly situated amid the pine-woods of ,branksome ,park2 and lastly1 about ,easter1 #ahhe1 they entered into occupation of a house of their own1 given by the elder ,stevenson to his son1 and re-named by the latter ,skerryvore1 in reminiscence of one of the great lighthouse works carried out by the family firm off the ,scottish coast4 ,during all the time of ,stevenson's residence at ,bournemouth he was compelled to lead the life1 irksome to him above all men1 but borne with invincible sweetness and patience1 of a chronic invalid and almost constant prisoner to the house4 ,he was hardly ever free for more than a few weeks at a time from fits of hemorrhage1 fever1 and prostration1 accompanied by the nervous exhaustion and general distress consequent equally upon the attacks themselves and upon the remedies which the physicians were constrained to employ against them4 ,a great part of his time was spent in bed1 and there almost all his literary work was produced4 ,often for days1 and sometimes for weeks together1 he was forbidden to speak aloud1 and compelled to carry on conversation with his family and friends in whispers or with the help of pencil and paper4 ,the few excursions to a distance which he attempted--most commonly to my house1 at the ,british ,museum1 once to ,matlock1 once to ,exeter1 and once in #ahhf as far as ,paris--these excursions almost always ended in a break-down and a hurried retreat to home and bed4 ,nevertheless1 seizing on and making the most of every week1 nay1 every day and hour of respite1 he contrived to produce work surprising alike1 under the circumstances1 by quantity and quality4 ,during the first two months of his life at ,bournemouth the two plays ,admiral ,guinea and ,beau ,austin were written in collaboration with ,mr4 ,henley4 ,in #ahhe he published three volumes1 viz43 ,more ,new ,arabian ,nights1 the ,child's ,garden of ,verses1 and ,prince ,otto 7the two latter1 it is true1 having been for the most part written a year or two earlier1 at ,hyres74 ,in #ahhf appeared ,the ,strange ,case of ,dr4 ,jekyll and ,mr4 ,hyde and ,kidnapped1 the two books which1 together with ,treasure ,island1 did most to win for him the fame and honor which he ever afterward enjoyed among readers on both sides of the ,atlantic4 ,at the same time he was a fairly frequent contributor of essays to magazines and of stories to ,christmas annuals and other periodical collections4 ,the year #ahhg1 the last of his life in the old country1 was chiefly1 with the exception of the ,life of ,fleeming ,jenkin1 a year of collections and re-prints2 in it were published ,underwoods1 ,the ,merry ,men1 ,memories and ,portraits1 and the ,black ,arrow in volume form4 ,the correspondence of these three invalid years at ,bournemouth is naturally in a less buoyant key than that of the relatively flourishing and happy year at ,hyres which preceded them4 ,but it is none the less full of interest1 and of that vivid play of mood and character which never failed in him whether he was sick or well4 ,the specimens which ,i shall here give will be taken1 with a few exceptions1 from his communications with his brother men of letters1 including some whose acquaintance or friendship he had now for the first time formed1 as ,mr4 ,henry ,james1 ,mr4 ,william ,archer1 and ,mr4 ,locker-,lampson1 besides such intimate friends and associates of earlier days as ,mr4 ,henley1 ,mr4 ,gosse1 ,mr4 ,symonds and myself4 ,but first come two or three to his parents and other correspondents3 ,,bournemouth1 ,sunday1 #bhth ,september1 #ahhd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,people1--,i keep better1 and am to-day downstairs for the first time4 ,i find the lockers entirely empty2 not a cent to the front4 ,will you pray send us some8 ,it blows an equinoctial gale1 and has blown for nearly a week4 ,nimbus ,britannicus2 piping wind1 lashing rain2 the sea is a fine colour1 and wind-bound ships lie at anchor under the ,old ,harry rocks1 to make one glad to be ashore4 ,the ,henleys are gone1 and two plays practically done4 ,i hope they may produce some of the ready4--,i am1 ever affectionate son1 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,,wensleydale1 ,,bournemouth1 ,october #crd1 #ahhd4 ,,dear ,,mr4 ,,chatto4--,i have an offer of #be for ,otto from ,america4 ,i do not know if you mean to have the ,american rights2 from the nature of the contract1 ,i think not2 but if you understood that you were to sell the sheets1 ,i will either hand over the bargain to you1 or finish it myself and hand you over the money if you are pleased with the amount4 ,you see1 ,i leave this quite in your hands4 ,to parody an old ,scotch story of servant and master3 if you don't know that you have a good author1 ,i know that ,i have a good publisher4 ,your fair1 open1 and handsome dealings are a good point in my life1 and do more for my crazy health than has yet been done by any doctor4--,very truly yours1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,mr4 ,stevenson1 the elder1 had read the play of ,admiral ,guinea1 written in ,september by his son and ,mr4 ,henley in collaboration1 and had objected1 with his usual energy of expression1 to the stage confrontation of profane blackguarding1 in the person of ,pew1 with evangelical piety in that of the reformed slaving captain who gives his name to the piece4 ,,bonallie ,,towers1 ,,branksome ,,park1 ,,bournemouth1 7,the three ,b's71 7,november #eth1 #ahhd74 ,,my ,,dear ,,father1--,allow me to say1 in a strictly ,pickwickian sense1 that you are a silly fellow4 ,i am pained indeed1 but how should ,i be offended8 ,i think you exaggerate2 ,i cannot forget that you had the same impression of the ,deacon2 and yet1 when you saw it played1 were less revolted than you looked for2 and ,i will still hope that the ,admiral also is not so bad as you suppose4 ,there is one point1 however1 where ,i differ from you very frankly4 ,religion is in the world2 ,i do not think you are the man to deny the importance of its rle2 and ,i have long decided not to leave it on one side in art4 ,the opposition of the ,admiral and ,mr4 ,pew is not1 to my eyes1 either horrible or irreverent2 but it may be1 and it probably is1 very ill done3 what then8 ,this is a failure2 better luck next time2 more power to the elbow1 more discretion1 more wisdom in the design1 and the old defeat becomes the scene of the new victory4 ,concern yourself about no failure2 they do not cost lives1 as in engineering2 they are the pierres perdues of successes4 ,fame is 7truly7 a vapour2 do not think of it2 if the writer means well and tries hard1 no failure will injure him1 whether with ,god or man4 ,i wish ,i could hear a brighter account of yourself2 but ,i am inclined to acquit the ,admiral after having a share in the responsibility4 ,my very heavy cold is1 ,i hope1 drawing off2 and the change to this charming house in the forest will1 ,i hope1 complete my re-establishment4--,with love to all1 believe me1 your ever affectionate1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,about the same time1 ,mr4 ,t4 ,stevenson was in some hesitation as to letting himself be proposed for the office of ,president of the ,royal ,society of ,edinburgh4 ,,bonallie ,,towers1 ,,bournemouth1 ,november1 #ahhd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,father1--,i have no hesitation in recommending you to let your name go up2 please yourself about an address2 though1 ,i think1 if we could meet1 we could arrange something suitable2 but what you propose would be well enough in a way2 but so modest as to suggest a whine4 ,from that point of view it would be better to change a little2 but this1 whether we meet or not1 we must discuss4 ,tait1 ,crystal1 the ,royal ,society1 and ,i1 all think you amply deserve this honour and far more2 it is not the ,true ,blue to call this serious compliment a trial2 you should be glad of this recognition4 ,as for resigning1 that is easy enough if found necessary2 but to refuse would be husky1 unsatisfactory1 and a trifle rotten4 ,sic subs4 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,my cold is still very heavy2 but ,i carry it well4 ,fanny is very much out of sorts1 principally through perpetual misery with me4 ,i fear ,i have been a little in the dumps1 which1 as you know1 sir1 is a very great sin4 ,i must try to be more cheerful2 but my cough is so severe--my uvula1 larynx1 and pharynx being all to pot--that ,i have sometimes most exhausting nights and very peevish wakenings4 ,however1 this shall be remedied1 and last night ,i was distinctly better than the night before4 ,there is1 my dear ,mr4 ,stevenson 7so ,i moralise blandly as we sit together on the devil's garden-wall71 no more abominable sin than this gloom1 this plaguey peevishness2 why 7say ,i7 what matters it if we be a little uncomfortable--that is no reason for mangling our unhappy wives4 ,and then ,i turn and girn on the unfortunate ,cassandra4--,your fellow culprit1 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,with reference to the two following letters1 it should be explained that ,stevenson and his old ,edinburgh friend and comrade1 ,mr4 ,baxter 7who was also his man of business71 were accustomed in their correspondence1 as the whim took them1 to merge their own identities in those of two fictitious personages1 ,johnson-,thomson and ,thomson-,johnson1 ex-elders of the ,kirk and types of a certain cast of ,edinburgh character4 ,their language is of the broadest ,scots2 and for some readers it may be desirable to mention that hoast means cough and sculduddery loose talk4 ,,bonallie ,,towers1 ,,branksome ,,park1 ,,bournemouth1 ,november #aath4 ,,my ,,dear ,,charles1--,i am in my new house1 thus proudly styled1 as you perceive3 but the deevil a tower ava' can be perceived 7except out of window72 this is not as it should be2 one might have hoped1 at least1 a turret4 ,we are all vilely unwell4 ,i put in the dark watches imitating a donkey with some success1 but little pleasure2 and in the afternoon ,i indulge in a smart fever1 accompanied by aches and shivers4 ,there is thus little monotony to be deplored2 and what might still weigh upon me my wife lightens by various inexplicable attacks1 now in the pleasant morn1 now at the noon of night4 ,i1 at least1 am a regular invalid2 ,i would scorn to bray in the afternoon2 ,i would indignantly refuse the proposal to fever in the night4 ,what is bred in the bone will come out1 sir1 in the flesh2 and the same spirit that prompted me to date my letter regulates the hour and character of my attacks4--,i am1 sir1 yours1 ,,thomson4 ,postmark1 ,,bournemouth1 #acth ,november1 #ahhd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,thomson1--,it's a maist remarkable fac'1 but nae shner had ,i written yon braggin'1 blawin' letter aboot ma business habits1 when bang6 that very day1 my hoast begude in the aifternune4 ,it is really remaurkable2 it's providenshle1 ,i believe4 ,the ink wasnae fair dry1 the wards werenae well ooten ma mouth1 when bang1 ,i got the lee4 ,the mair ye think o't1 ,thomson1 the less ye'll like the looks o't4 ,proavidence 7,i'm no sayin'7 is all verra weel in its place2 but if proavidence has nae mainners1 wha's to learn't8 ,proavidence is a fine thing1 but hoo would you like proavidence to keep your till for ye8 ,the richt place for proavidence is in the ,kirk2 it has naething to do wi' private correspondence between twa gentlemen1 nor freendly cracks1 nor a wee bit word of sculduddery ahint the door1 nor1 in shoart1 wi' ony hole-and-corner wark1 what ,i would call4 ,i'm pairfec'ly willin' to meet in wi' ,proavidence1 ,i'll be prood to meet in wi' him1 when my time's come and ,i cannae doe nae better2 but if he's to come skinking aboot my stairfit1 damned1 ,i might as weel be deid for a' the comfort ,i'll can get in life4 ,cannae he no be made to understand that it's beneath him8 ,gosh1 if ,i was in his business1 ,i wouldnae steer my heid for a plain1 auld ex-elder that1 tak him the way he taks himsel'1 's just aboot as honest as he can weel afford1 an' but for a wheen auld scandals1 near forgotten noo1 is a pairfectly respectable and thoroughly decent man4 ,or if ,i fashed wi' him ava'1 it wad be kind o' handsome like2 a punnote under his stair door1 or a bottle o' auld1 blended malt to his bit marnin'1 as a teshtymonial like you ye ken sae weel aboot1 but mair successfu'4 ,dear ,thomson1 have ,i ony money4 ,if ,i have1 send it for the loard's sake4 ,,johnson4 ,the following to ,mr4 ,henry ,james1 who from about this time began to be a frequent and ever welcome visitor at the ,bournemouth home1 refers to the essay of ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 called a ,humble ,remonstrance1 which had just appeared in ,longman's ,magazine4 ,mr4 ,james had written holding out the prospect of a continuance of the friendly controversy which had thus been opened up between them on the aims and qualities of fiction4 ,,bonallie ,,towers1 ,,branksome ,,park1 ,,bournemouth1 ,december #hth1 #ahhd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,henry ,,james1--,this is a very brave hearing from more points than one4 ,the first point is that there is a hope of a sequel4 ,for this ,i laboured4 ,seriously1 from the dearth of information and thoughtful interest in the art of literature1 those who try to practice it with any deliberate purpose run the risk of finding no fit audience4 ,people suppose it is the stuff that interests them2 they think1 for instance1 that the prodigious fine thoughts and sentiments in ,shakespeare impress by their own weight1 not understanding that the unpolished diamond is but a stone4 ,they think that striking situations1 or good dialogue1 are got by studying life2 they will not rise to understand that they are prepared by deliberate artifice and set off by painful suppressions4 ,now1 ,i want the whole thing well ventilated1 for my own education and the public's2 and ,i beg you to look as quick as you can1 to follow me up with every circumstance of defeat where we differ1 and 7to prevent the flouting of the laity7 to emphasise the points where we agree4 ,i trust your paper will show me the way to a rejoinder2 and that rejoinder ,i shall hope to make with so much art as to woo or drive you from your threatened silence4 ,i would not ask better than to pass my life in beating out this quarter of corn with such a seconder as yourself4 ,point the second1 ,i am rejoiced indeed to hear you speak so kindly of my work3 rejoiced and surprised4 ,i seem to myself a very rude1 left-handed countryman2 not fit to be read1 far less complimented1 by a man so accomplished1 so adroit1 so craftsmanlike as you4 ,you will happily never have cause to understand the despair with which a writer like myself considers 7say7 the park scene in ,lady ,barberina4 ,every touch surprises me by its intangible precision2 and the effect when done1 as light as syllabub1 as distinct as a picture1 fills me with envy4 ,each man among us prefers his own aim1 and ,i prefer mine2 but when we come to speak of performance1 ,i recognise myself1 compared with you1 to be a lout and slouch of the first water4 ,where we differ1 both as to the design of stories and the delineation of character1 ,i begin to lament4 ,of course1 ,i am not so dull as to ask you to desert your walk2 but could you not1 in one novel1 to oblige a sincere admirer1 and to enrich his shelves with a beloved volume1 could you not1 and might you not1 cast your characters in a mould a little more abstract and academic 7dear ,mrs4 ,pennyman had already1 among your other work1 a taste of what ,i mean71 and pitch the incidents1 ,i do not say1 in any stronger1 but in a slightly more emphatic key--as it were an episode from one of the old 7so-called7 novels of adventure8 ,i fear you will not2 and ,i suppose ,i must sighingly admit you to be right4 ,and yet1 when ,i see1 as it were1 a book of ,tom ,jones handled with your exquisite precision and shot through with those side-lights of reflection in which you excel1 ,i relinquish the dear vision with regret4 ,think upon it4 ,as you know1 ,i belong to that besotted class of man1 the invalid2 this puts me to a stand in the way of visits4 ,but it is possible that some day you may feel that a day near the sea and among pinewoods would be a pleasant change from town4 ,if so1 please let us know2 and my wife and ,i will be delighted to put you up and give you what we can to eat and drink 7,i have a fair bottle of claret74--,on the back of which1 believe me1 yours sincerely1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,p4,s4--,i reopen this to say that ,i have re-read my paper1 and cannot think ,i have at all succeeded in being either veracious or polite4 ,i knew1 of course1 that ,i took your paper merely as a pin to hang my own remarks upon2 but1 alas6 what a thing is any paper6 ,what fine remarks can you not hang on mine6 ,how ,i have sinned against proportion and1 with every effort to the contrary1 against the merest rudiments of courtesy to you6 ,you are1 indeed1 a very acute reader to have divined the real attitude of my mind1 and ,i can only conclude1 not without closed eyes and shrinking shoulders1 in the well-worn words ,lay on1 ,macduff6 ,during a crippling fit of ill-health1 ,stevenson had received a commission for a sensational story for the ,christmas number of the ,pall ,mall ,gazette4 ,the commission ended in his sending the managers of the paper a recast of a gruesome tale which he had written and condemned in the ,highlands three years before1 ,the ,body-,snatcher4 ,he rightly thought this beneath his own standard of merit1 and would not take the full fee which had been offered for it4 ,two of the following letters to ,mr4 ,henley refer to this matter3 ,bloody ,jack1 or ,jacques1 let it be understood1 was his regular nickname for his arch-enemy1 hemorrhage from the lungs4 ,dec4 #ahhd4 ,,dear ,,man1--#ast ,disagreeable4 ,do try and lay your hands on these three poems2 they were surely not lost in transmission8 ,it seems hard ,i should have to make them a third time4 #b;d ,disagreeable4 ,i have done a kind of a damned machine for the ,p4 ,m4 ,g41 and have near died of it--7weakness1 insomnia1 ,bloody ,jacquerie7--and am now so dissatisfied that ,i have told them not to pay me till ,i see a proof4 ,i think1 or ,i fear ,i will think1 it is not worth the money offered2 in which case1 of course1 ,i will not take it4--,yours ever1 ,the pale wreck1 ,the spectral phantom1 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,the abhorred miscarriage1 ,dec4 #ahhd4 ,,dear ,,lad1--,i have made up my mind about the ,p4 ,m4 ,g41 and send you a copy1 which please keep or return4 ,as for not giving a reduction1 what are we8 ,are we artists or city men8 ,why do we sneer at stockbrokers8 ,o nary2 ,i will not take the #dj4 ,i took that as a fair price for my best work2 ,i was not able to produce my best2 and ,i will be damned if ,i steal with my eyes open4 ,sufficit4 ,this is my lookout4 ,as for the paper being rich1 certainly it is2 but ,i am honourable4 ,it is no more above me in money than the poor slaveys and cads from whom ,i look for honesty are below me4 ,am ,i ,pepys1 that because ,i can find the countenance of some of our ablest merchants1 that because ---- and ---- pour forth languid twaddle and get paid for it1 ,i1 too1 should cheerfully continue to steal8 ,i am not ,pepys4 ,i do not live much to ,god and honour2 but ,i will not wilfully turn my back on both4 ,i am1 like all the rest of us1 falling ever lower from the bright ideas ,i began with1 falling into greed1 into idleness1 into middle-aged and slippered fireside cowardice2 but is it you1 my bold blade1 that ,i hear crying this sordid and rank twaddle in my ear8 ,preaching the dankest ,grundyism and upholding the rank customs of our trade--you1 who are so cruel hard upon the customs of the publishers8 ,o man1 look at the ,beam in our own ,eyes2 and whatever else you do1 do not plead ,satan's cause1 or plead it for all2 either embrace the bad1 or respect the good when you see a poor devil trying for it4 ,if this is the honesty of authors--to take what you can get and console yourself because publishers are rich--take my name from the rolls of that association4 ',tis a caucus of weaker thieves1 jealous of the stronger4--,ever yours1 ,,the ,,roaring ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,you will see from the enclosed that ,i have stuck to what ,i think my dues pretty tightly in spite of this flourish2 these are my words for a poor ten-pound note6 ,illustration3 ,stevenson's ,skye ,terrier ,bogue4 ,from a photograph made at ,hyres4 ,christmas1 #ahhd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,lad1--,here was ,i in bed2 ,bloody ,jack2 not writing1 not hearing1 and finding myself gently and agreeably ill used2 and behold ,i learn you are bad yourself4 ,get your wife to send us a word how you are4 ,i am better decidedly4 ,bogue got his ,christmas card1 and behaved well for three days after4 ,it may interest the cynical to learn that ,i started this hmorrhage by too sedulous attentions to my dear ,bogue4 ,the stick was broken2 and that night ,bogue1 who was attracted by the extraordinary aching of his bones1 and is always inclined to a serious view of his own ailments1 announced with his customary pomp that he was dying4 ,in this case1 however1 it was not the dog that died4 7,he had tried to bite his mother's ankles47 ,i have written1 with the aid of bloudie ,jack1 a long and peculiarly solemn paper on the technical elements of style4 ,it is path-breaking and epoch-making2 but ,i do not think the public will be readily convoked to its perusal4 ,did ,i tell you that ,s4 ,c4 had risen to the paper on ,james8 ,at last6 ,o but ,i was pleased2 he's 7like ,johnnie7 been lang1 lang o' comin'1 but here he is4 ,he will not object to my future manoeuvres in the same field1 as he has to my former4 ,all the family are here2 my father better than ,i have seen him these two years2 my mother the same as ever4 ,i do trust you are better1 and ,i am yours ever1 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,winter1 #ahhd-e4 ,,dear ,,henley1--,we are all to pieces in health1 and heavily handicapped with ,arabs4 ,stories for the ,new ,arabian ,nights4 ,i have a dreadful cough1 whose attacks leave me tat #ij4 ,fanny is quite gone up with my bad health4 ,i never let up on the ,arabs1 all the same1 and rarely get less than eight pages out of hand1 though hardly able to come downstairs for twittering knees4 ,i shall put in ----'s letter4 ,he says so little of his circumstances that ,i am in an impossibility to give him advice more specific than a copybook4 ,give him my love1 however1 and tell him it is the mark of the parochial gentleman who has never travelled to find all wrong in a foreign land4 ,let him hold on1 and he will find one country as good as another2 and in the meanwhile let him resist the fatal ,british tendency to communicate his dissatisfaction with a country to its inhabitants4 ',tis a good idea1 but it somehow fails to please4 ,in a fortnight1 if ,i can keep my spirit in the box at all1 ,i should be nearly through this ,arabian desert2 so can tackle something fresh4--,yours ever1 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,,bournemouth1 ,winter1 #ahhd-e4 ,,dear ,,boy1--,i trust this finds you well2 it leaves me so-so4 ,the weather is so cold that ,i must stick to bed1 which is rotten and tedious1 but can't be helped4 ,i find in the blotting book the enclosed1 which ,i wrote to you the eve of my blood4 ,is it not strange8 ,that night1 when ,i naturally thought ,i was coopered1 the thought of it was much in my mind2 ,i thought it had gone2 and ,i thought what a strange prophecy ,i had made in jest1 and how it was indeed like to be the end of many letters4 ,but ,i have written a good few since1 and the spell is broken4 ,i am just as pleased1 for ,i earnestly desire to live4 ,this pleasant middle age into whose port we are steering is quite to my fancy4 ,i would cast anchor here1 and go ashore for twenty years1 and see the manners of the place4 ,youth was a great time1 but somewhat fussy4 ,now in middle age 7bar lucre7 all seems mighty placid4 ,it likes me2 ,i spy a little bright caf in one corner of the port1 in front of which ,i now propose we should sit down4 ,there is just enough of the bustle of the harbour and no more2 and the ships are close in1 regarding us with stern-windows--the ships that bring deals from ,norway and parrots from the ,indies4 ,let us sit down here for twenty years1 with a packet of tobacco and a drink1 and talk of art and women4 ,by the by1 the whole city will sink1 and the ships too1 and the table1 and we also2 but we shall have sat for twenty years and had a fine talk2 and by that time1 who knows8 exhausted the subject4 ,i send you a book which 7or ,i am mistook7 will please you2 it pleased me4 ,but ,i do desire a book of adventure--a romance--and no man will get or write me one4 ,dumas ,i have read and re-read too often2 ,scott1 too1 and ,i am short4 ,i want to hear swords clash4 ,i want a book to begin in a good way2 a book1 ,i guess1 like ,treasure ,island1 alas6 which ,i have never read1 and cannot though ,i live to ninety4 ,i would ,god that some one else had written it6 ,by all that ,i can learn1 it is the very book for my complaint4 ,i like the way ,i hear it opens2 and they tell me ,john ,silver is good fun4 ,and to me it is1 and must ever be1 a dream unrealised1 a book unwritten3 ,o my sighings after romance1 or even ,skeltery1 and ,o6 the weary age which will produce me neither6 ,,chapter ,i ,the night was damp and cloudy1 the ways foul4 ,the single horseman1 cloaked and booted1 who pursued his way across ,willesden ,common1 had not met a traveller1 when the sound of wheels-- ,,chapter ,i ,yes1 sir1 said the old pilot1 she must have dropped into the bay a little afore dawn4 ,a queer craft she looks4 ,she shows no colours1 returned the young gentleman musingly4 ,they're a-lowerin' of a quarter-boat1 ,mr4 ,mark1 resumed the old salt4 ,we shall soon know more of her4 ,ay1 replied the young gentleman called ,mark1 and here1 ,mr4 ,seadrift1 comes your sweet daughter ,nancy tripping down the cliff4 ,god bless her kind heart1 sir1 ejaculated old ,seadrift4 ,,chapter ,i ,the notary1 ,jean ,rossignol1 had been summoned to the top of a great house in the ,isle ,st4 ,louis to make a will2 and now1 his duties finished1 wrapped in a warm roquelaure and with a lantern swinging from one hand1 he issued from the mansion on his homeward way4 ,little did he think what strange adventures were to befall him6-- ,that is how stories should begin4 ,and ,i am offered ,,husks instead4 ,what should be3 ,what is3 ,the ,filibuster's ,cache4 ,aunt ,anne's ,tea ,cosy4 ,jerry ,abershaw4 ,mrs4 ,brierly's ,niece4 ,blood ,money3 ,a ,tale4 ,society3 ,a ,novel4 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,the following letters to myself refer to a project1 eagerly embraced at first1 but afterward abandoned for want of time and strength1 for a short life of ,wellington to be contributed to a series edited by ,mr4 ,andrew ,lang for ,messrs4 ,longman4 ,in the third letter to me1 and in that to ,mr4 ,j4 ,a4 ,symonds which follows it1 are expressed something of the feelings of distress and bitterness with which1 in common with1 but even more deeply than most ,englishmen of sense and spirit1 ,stevenson at this time felt the national disgrace of ,gordon's fate in the ,soudan4 ,,bonallie ,,tower1 ,,branksome ,,park1 ,,bournemouth1 ,jan4 #dth1 #ahhe4 ,,dear ,s4 ,c41--,i am on my feet again1 and getting on my boots to do the ,iron ,duke4 ,conceive my glee3 ,i have refused the #ajj1 and am to get some sort of royalty1 not yet decided1 instead4 ',tis for ,longman's ,english ,worthies1 edited by ,a4 ,lang4 ,aw haw6 ,now look here1 could you get me a loan of the ,despatches1 or is that a dream8 ,i should have to mark passages ,i fear1 and certainly note pages on the fly4 ,if you think it a dream1 will ,bain get me a second-hand copy1 or who would8 ,the sooner1 and cheaper1 ,i can get it the better4 ,if there is anything in your weird library that bears on either the man or the period1 put it in a mortar and fire it here instanter3 ,i shall catch4 ,i shall want1 of course1 an infinity of books3 among which1 any lives there may be2 a life of the ,marquis ,marmont 7the ,marchal71 ,marmont's ,memoirs2 ,greville's ,memoirs2 ,peel's ,memoirs2 ,napier2 that blind man's history of ,england you once lent me2 ,hamley's ,waterloo2 can you get me any of these8 ,thiers1 idle ,thiers also4 ,can you help a man getting into his boots for such a huge campaign8 ,how are you8 ,a good new year to you4 ,i mean to have a good one1 but on whose funds ,i cannot fancy3 not mine1 leastways2 as ,i am a mere derelict and drift beam-on to bankruptcy4 ,for ,god's sake remember the man who set out for to conquer ,arthur ,wellesley1 with a broken bellows and an empty pocket4--,yours ever4 ,r4 ,l4 ,,shorthouse4 ,,bournemouth1 ,jan4 or ,feb4 #ahhe4 ,,dear ,s4 ,c41--,i have addressed a letter to the ,g4 ,o4 ,m4 propos of ,villainton2 and ,i became aware1 you will be interested to hear1 of an overwhelming respect for the old gentleman4 ,i can blaguer his failures2 but when you actually address him1 and bring the two statures and records to confrontation1 dismay is the result4 ,by mere continuance of years1 he must impose2 the man who helped to rule ,england1 before ,i was conceived1 strikes me with a new sense of greatness and antiquity1 when ,i must actually beard him with the cold forms of correspondence4 ,i shied at the necessity of calling him plain ,sir6 had he been ,my lord1 ,i had been happier2 no1 ,i am no equalitarian4 ,honour to whom honour is due2 and if to none1 why1 then1 honour to the old6 ,these1 ,o ,slade ,professor1 are my unvarnished sentiments3 ,i was a little surprised to find them so extreme1 and1 therefore1 ,i communicate the fact4 ,belabour thy brains1 as to whom it would be well to question4 ,i have a small space2 ,i wish to make a popular book1 nowhere obscure1 nowhere1 if it can be helped1 unhuman4 ,it seems to me the most hopeful plan to tell the tale1 so far as may be1 by anecdote4 ,he did not die till so recently1 there must be hundreds who remember him1 and thousands who have still ungarnered stories4 ,dear man1 to the breach6 ,up1 soldier of the iron dook1 up1 ,slades1 and at 'em6 7which1 conclusively1 he did not say3 the at 'em-ic theory is to be dismissed74 ,you know piles of fellows who must reek with matter2 help6 help6 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,,bournemouth1 ,feb4 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,colvin1--,you are indeed a backward correspondent1 and much may be said against you4 ,but in this weather1 and ,o dear6 in this political scene of degradation1 much must be forgiven4 ,i fear ,england is dead of ,burgessry1 and only walks about galvanised4 ,i do not love to think of my countrymen these days2 nor to remember myself4 ,why was ,i silent8 ,i feel ,i have no right to blame any one3 but ,i won't write to the ,g4 ,o4 ,m4 ,i do really not see my way to any form of signature1 unless your fellow criminal in the eyes of ,god1 which might disquiet the proprieties4 ,about your book1 ,i have always said go on4 ,this refers to some kind of a scheme1 ,i forget what1 for the republication of stray magazine-work of mine under the title ,pictures1 ,places1 and ,people4 ,the drawing of character is a different thing from publishing the details of a private career4 ,no one objects to the first1 or should object1 if his name be not put upon it2 at the other1 ,i draw the line4 ,in a preface1 if you choose1 you might distinguish3 it is besides1 a thing for which you are eminently well equipped1 and which you would do with taste and incision4 ,i long to see the book4 ,people like themselves 7to explain a little more72 no one likes his life1 which is a misgotten issue1 and a tale of failure4 ,to see these failures either touched upon1 or coasted1 to get the idea of a spying eye and blabbing tongue about the house is to lose all privacy in life4 ,to see that thing1 which we do love1 our character set forth1 is ever gratifying4 ,see how my ,talk and ,talkers went2 everyone liked his own portrait1 and shrieked about other people's2 so it will be with yours3 if you are the least true to the essential1 the sitter will be pleased3 very likely not his friends1 and that from various motives4 ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 ,when will your holiday be8 ,i sent your letter to my wife1 and forget4 ,keep us in mind1 and ,i hope we shall be able to receive you4 ,,bournemouth1 ,feb4 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,symonds1--,yes1 we have both been very neglectful4 ,i had horrid luck3 catching 7from kind friends7 two thundering influenzas in ,august and ,november2 ,i recovered from the last with difficulty3 also had great annoyance from hmorrhagic leaking2 but have come through this blustering winter with some general success2 in the house1 up and down4 ,my wife1 however1 has been painfully upset by my health4 ,last year1 of course1 was cruelly trying to her nerves2 ,nice and ,hyres are bad experiences2 and though she is not ill1 the doctors tell me that prolonged anxiety may do her a real mischief4 ,she is now at ,hyres collecting our goods2 and she has been ill there1 which has upset my liver and driven me to the friendly calomel on which ,i now mainly live3 it is the only thing that stops the bleeding1 which seems directly connected with the circulation of the liver4 ,i feel a little old and fagged1 and chary of speech1 and not very sure of spirit in my work2 but considering what a year ,i have passed1 and how ,i have twice sat on ,charon's pier-head1 ,i am surprising4 ,the doctors all seem agreed in saying that my complaint is quite unknown1 and will allow of no prognosis4 ,my father has presented us with a very pretty home in this place1 into which we hope to move by ,may4 ,my ,child's ,verses come out next week4 ,otto begins to appear in ,april4 ,more ,new ,arabian ,nights as soon as possible4 ,moreover1 ,i am neck deep in ,wellington2 also a story on the stocks3 ,the ,great ,north ,road4 ,o1 ,i am busy6 ,lloyd is at college in ,edinburgh4 ,that is1 ,i think1 all that can be said by the way of news4 ,have you read ,huckleberry ,finn8 ,it contains many excellent things2 above all1 the whole story of a healthy boy's dealings with his conscience1 incredibly well done4 ,my own conscience is badly seared3 a want of piety2 yet ,i pray for it1 tacitly1 every day2 believing it1 after courage1 the only gift worth having2 and its want1 in a man of any claims to honour1 quite unpardonable4 ,the tone of your letter seemed to me very sound4 ,in these dark days of public dishonour1 ,i do not know that one can do better than carry our private trials piously4 ,what a picture is this of a nation6 ,no man that ,i can see1 on any side or party1 seems to have the least sense of our ineffable shame3 the desertion of the garrisons4 ,i tell my little parable that ,germany took ,england1 and then there was an ,indian ,mutiny1 and ,bismarck said3 ,quite right3 let ,delhi and ,calcutta and ,bombay fall2 and let the women and children be treated ,sepoy fashion1 and people say3 ,o1 but that is very different6 ,and then ,i wish ,i were dead4 ,millais 7,i hear7 was painting ,gladstone when the news came of ,gordon's death2 ,millais was much affected1 and ,gladstone said3 ,why8 ,it is the man's own temerity6 ,but why should ,i blame ,gladstone1 when ,i too am a ,bourgeois8 when ,i have held my peace8 ,why did ,i hold my peace8 ,because ,i am a sceptic3 i4e4 a ,bourgeois4 ,we believe in nothing1 ,symonds2 you don't1 and ,i don't2 and there are two reasons1 out of a handful of millions1 why ,england stands before the world dripping with blood and daubed with dishonour4 ,i will first try to take the beam out of my own eye2 trusting that even private effort somehow betters and braces the general atmosphere4 ,see1 for example1 if ,england has shown 7,i put it hypothetically7 one spark of manly sensibility1 they have been shamed into it by the spectacle of ,gordon4 ,police-,officer ,cole is the only man that ,i see to admire4 ,i dedicate my ,new ,arabs to him and ,cox1 in default of other great public characters4--,yours ever most affectionately1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,,bournemouth1 ,march #afth1 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,hamerton1--,various things have been reminding me of my misconduct3 ,first1 ,swan's application for your address2 second1 a sight of the sheets of your ,landscape book2 and last1 your note to ,swan1 which he was so kind as to forward4 ,i trust you will never suppose me to be guilty of anything more serious than an idleness1 partially excusable4 ,my ill-health makes my rate of life heavier than ,i can well meet1 and yet stops me from earning more4 ,my conscience1 sometimes perhaps too easily stifled1 but still 7for my time of life and the public manners of the age7 fairly well alive1 forces me to perpetual and almost endless transcriptions4 ,on the back of all this1 any correspondence hangs like a thunder-cloud2 and just when ,i think ,i am getting through my troubles1 crack1 down goes my health1 ,i have a long costly sickness1 and begin the world again4 ,it is fortunate for me ,i have a father1 or ,i should long ago have died2 but the opportunity of the aid makes the necessity none the more welcome4 ,my father has presented me with a beautiful house here--or so ,i believe1 for ,i have not yet seen it1 being a cage bird but for nocturnal sorties in the garden4 ,i hope we shall soon move into it1 and ,i tell myself that some day perhaps we may have the pleasure of seeing you as our guest4 ,i trust at least that you will take me as ,i am1 a thoroughly bad correspondent1 and a man1 a hater1 indeed1 of rudeness in others1 but too often rude in all unconsciousness himself2 and that you will never cease to believe the sincere sympathy and admiration that ,i feel for you and for your work4 ,about the ,landscape ,mr4 ,hamerton's book so called1 which ,i had a glimpse of while a friend of mine was preparing a review1 ,i was greatly interested1 and could write and wrangle for a year on every page2 one passage particularly delighted me1 the part about ,ulysses--jolly4 ,then1 you know1 that is just what ,i fear ,i have come to think landscape ought to be in literature2 so there we should be at odds4 ,or perhaps not so much as ,i suppose1 as ,montaigne says it is a pot with two handles1 and ,i own ,i am wedded to the technical handle1 which 7,i likewise own and freely7 you do well to keep for a mistress4 ,i should much like to talk with you about some other points2 it is only in talk that one gets to understand4 ,your delightful ,wordsworth trap ,i have tried on two hardened ,wordsworthians1 not that ,i am one myself4 ,by covering up the context1 and asking them to guess what the passage was1 both 7and both are very clever people1 one a writer1 one a painter7 pronounced it a guide-book4 ,do you think it an unusually good guide-book8 ,i asked1 and both said1 ,no1 not at all6 ,their grimace was a picture when ,i showed the original4 ,i trust your health and that of ,mrs4 ,hamerton keep better2 your last account was a poor one4 ,i was unable to make out the visit ,i had hoped1 as 7,i do not know if you heard of it7 ,i had a very violent and dangerous hmorrhage last spring4 ,i am almost glad to have seen death so close with all my wits about me1 and not in the customary lassitude and disenchantment of disease4 ,even thus clearly beheld ,i find him not so terrible as we suppose4 ,but1 indeed1 with the passing of years1 the decay of strength1 the loss of all my old active and pleasant habits1 there grows more and more upon me that belief in the kindness of this scheme of things1 and the goodness of our veiled ,god1 which is an excellent and pacifying compensation4 ,i trust1 if your health continues to trouble you1 you may find some of the same belief4 ,but perhaps my fine discovery is a piece of art1 and belongs to a character cowardly1 intolerant of certain feelings1 and apt to self-deception4 ,i don't think so1 however2 and when ,i feel what a weak and fallible vessel ,i was thrust into this hurly-burly1 and with what marvellous kindness the wind has been tempered to my frailties1 ,i think ,i should be a strange kind of ass to feel anything but gratitude4 ,i do not know why ,i should inflict this talk upon you2 but when ,i summon the rebellious pen1 he must go his own way2 ,i am no ,michael ,scott1 to rule the fiend of correspondence4 ,most days he will none of me2 and when he comes1 it is to rape me where he will1--,yours very sincerely1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,with ,mr4 ,will ,h4 ,low as intermediary1 ,stevenson had now been entering into relations with ,messrs4 ,scribner's ,sons for the publication of his works in ,america4 ,the following letter refers to this matter and to ,mr4 ,low's proposed dedication to ,r4 ,l4 ,s4 of one of the poems of ,keats which he had been illustrating4 ,,bonallie ,,tower1 ,,bournemouth1 ,march #acth1 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,low1--,your success has been immense4 ,i wish your letter had come two days ago3 ,otto1 alas6 has been disposed of a good while ago2 but it was only day before yesterday that ,i settled the new volume of ,arabs4 ,however1 for the future1 you and the sons of the deified ,scribner are the men for me4 ,really they have behaved most handsomely4 ,i cannot lay my hand on the papers1 or ,i would tell you exactly how it compares with my ,english bargain3 but it compares well4 ,ah6 if we had that copyright1 ,i do believe it would go far to make me solvent1 ill health and all4 ,i wrote you a letter to the ,rembrandt1 in which ,i stated my views about the dedication in a very brief form4 ,it will give me sincere pleasure2 and will make the second dedication ,i have received3 the other being from ,john ,addington ,symonds4 ,it is a compliment ,i value much2 ,i don't know any that ,i should prefer4 ,i am glad to hear you have windows to do2 that is a fine business1 ,i think2 but alas6 the glass is so bad nowadays2 realism invading even that1 as well as the huge inferiority of our technical resource corrupting every tint4 ,still1 anything that keeps a man to decoration is in this age1 good for the artist's spirit4 ,by the way1 have you seen ,james and me on the novel8 ,james1 ,i think in the ,august or ,september--,r4 ,l4 ,s4 in the ,december ,longman4 ,i own ,i think the cole bte1 of which ,i am the champion1 has the whiphand of the argument2 but as ,james is to make a rejoinder1 ,i must not boast4 ,anyway the controversy is amusing to see4 ,i was terribly tied down to space1 which has made the end congested and dull4 ,i shall see if ,i can afford to send you the ,april ,contemporary--but ,i daresay you see it anyway--as it will contain a paper of mine on style1 a sort of continuation of old arguments on art in which you have wagged a most effective tongue4 ,it is a sort of start upon my ,treatise on the ,art of ,literature3 a small1 arid book that shall some day appear4 ,with every good wish from me and mine 7should ,i not say she and hers87 to you and yours1 believe me yours ever1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,do you see much of ,marius ,townsend8 ,are you next door to the ,doctor's ,daughter8 or does ,north refer to another ,washington ,square than ,henry ,james's8 ,the following to ,mr4 ,gosse refers to the publication of that gentleman's life of ,gray1 in ,mr4 ,morley's series of ,english ,men of ,letters1 and of the writer's own1 now classic1 volume1 ,a ,child's ,garden of ,verses4 ,,bonallie ,,tower1 ,,bournemouth1 ,march #ab1 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,gosse1--,i was indeed much exercised how ,i could be worked into ,gray2 and lo6 when ,i saw it1 the passage seemed to have been written with a single eye to elucidate the 444 worst8444 well1 not a very good poem of ,gray's4 ,your little life is excellent1 clean1 neat1 efficient4 ,i have read many of your notes1 too1 with pleasure4 ,your connection with ,gray was a happy circumstance2 it was a suitable conjunction4 ,i did not answer your letter from the ,states1 for what was ,i to say8 ,i liked getting it and reading it2 ,i was rather flattered that you wrote it to me2 and then ,i'll tell you what ,i did--,i put it in the fire4 ,why8 ,well1 just because it was very natural and expansive2 and thinks ,i to myself1 if ,i die one of these fine nights1 this is just the letter that ,gosse would not wish to go into the hands of third parties4 ,was ,i well inspired8 ,and ,i did not answer it because you were in your high places1 sailing with supreme dominion1 and seeing life in a particular glory2 and ,i was peddling in a corner1 confined to the house1 overwhelmed with necessary work1 which ,i was not always doing well1 and1 in the very mild form in which the disease approaches me1 touched with a sort of bustling cynicism4 ,why throw cold water8 ,how ape your agreeable frame of mind8 ,in short1 ,i held my tongue4 ,i have now published on #aja small pages ,the ,complete ,proof of ,mr4 ,r4 ,l4 ,stevenson's ,incapacity to ,write ,verse1 in a series of graduated examples with table of contents4 ,i think ,i shall issue a companion volume of exercises3 ,analyse this poem4 ,collect and comminate the ugly words4 ,distinguish and condemn the chevilles4 ,state ,mr4 ,stevenson's faults of taste in regard to the measure4 ,what reasons can you gather from this example for your belief that ,mr4 ,s4 is unable to write any other measure8 ,they look ghastly in the cold light of print2 but there is something nice in the little ragged regimen2 for all2 the blackguards seem to me to smile2 to have a kind of childish treble note that sounds in my ears freshly2 not song1 if you will1 but a child's voice4 ,i was glad you enjoyed your visit to the ,states4 ,most ,englishmen go there with a confirmed design of patronage1 as they go to ,france for that matter2 and patronage will not pay4 ,besides1 in this year of--grace1 said ,i8--of disgrace1 who should creep so low as an ,englishman8 ,it is not to be thought of that the flood--ah1 ,wordsworth1 you would change your note were you alive to-day6 ,i am now a beastly householder1 but have not yet entered on my domain4 ,when ,i do1 the social revolution will probably cast me back upon my dung heap4 ,there is a person called ,hyndman whose eye is on me2 his step is be,hynd me as ,i go4 ,i shall call my house ,skerryvore when ,i get it3 ,,skerryvore3 c'est bon pour la poshie4 ,i will conclude with my favourite sentiment3 ,the world is too much with me4 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson1 ,the ,hermit of ,skerryvore4 ,author of ,john ,vane ,tempest3 a ,romance1 ,herbert and ,henrietta3 or the ,nemesis of ,sentiment1 ,the ,life and ,adventures of ,colonel ,bludyer ,fortescue1 ,happy ,homes and ,hairy ,faces1 ,a ,pound of ,feathers and a ,pound of ,lead1 part author of ,minn's ,complete ,capricious ,correspondent3 a ,manual of ,natty1 ,natural1 and ,knowing ,letters1 and editor of the ,poetical ,remains of ,samuel ,burt ,crabbe1 known as the melodious ,bottle-,holder4 ,uniform with the above3 ,the ,life and ,remains of the ,reverend ,jacob ,degray ,squah1 author of ,heave-yo for the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,a ,box of ,candles2 or the ,patent ,spiritual ,safety ,match1 and ,a ,day with the ,heavenly ,harriers4 ,the two following letters refer to the sudden death of ,professor ,fleeming ,jenkin1 with whom1 and with his wife1 ,stevenson from his early student days maintained unbroken kindness and friendship4 ,,skerryvore1 ,,bournemouth ,midsummer1 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,jenkin1--,you know how much and for how long ,i have loved1 respected1 and admired him2 ,i am only able to feel a little with you4 ,but ,i know how he would have wished us to feel4 ,i never knew a better man1 nor one to me more lovable2 we shall all feel the loss more greatly as time goes on4 ,it scarce seems life to me2 what must it be to you8 ,yet one of the last things that he said to me was1 that from all these sad bereavements of yours he had learned only more than ever to feel the goodness and what we1 in our feebleness1 call the support of ,god2 he had been ripening so much--to other eyes than ours1 we must suppose he was ripe1 and try to feel it4 ,i feel it is better not to say much more4 ,it will be to me a great pride to write a notice of him3 the last ,i can now do4 ,what more in any way ,i can do for you1 please to think and let me know4 ,for his sake and for your own1 ,i would not be a useless friend3 ,i know1 you know me a most warm one2 please command me or my wife1 in any way4 ,do not trouble to write to me2 ,austin1 ,i have no doubt1 will do so1 if you are1 as ,i fear you will be1 unfit4 ,my heart is sore for you4 ,at least you know what you have been to him2 how he cherished and admired you1 how he was never so pleased as when he spoke of you2 with what a boy's love1 up to the last1 he loved you4 ,this surely is a consolation4 ,yours is the cruel part3 to survive2 you must try and not grudge to him his better fortune1 to go first4 ,it is the sad part of such relations that one must remain and suffer2 ,i cannot see my poor ,jenkin without you4 ,nor you indeed without him2 but you may try to rejoice that he is spared that extremity4 ,perhaps ,i 7as ,i was so much his confidant7 know even better that you can do1 what your loss would have been to him2 he never spoke of you but what his face changed2 it was--you were--his religion4 ,i write by this post to ,austin and to the ,academy4--,yours most sincerely1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,,skerryvore1 ,,bournemouth4 ,,my ,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,jenkin1--,i should have written sooner1 but we are in a bustle and ,i have been very tired1 though still well4 ,your very kind note was most welcome to me4 ,i shall be very much pleased to have you call me ,louis1 as he has now done for so many years4 ,sixteen1 you say8 is it so long8 ,it seems too short now2 but of that we cannot judge and must not complain4 ,i wish that either ,i or my wife could do anything for you2 when we can1 you will1 ,i am sure1 command us4 ,i trust that my notice gave you as little pain as was possible4 ,i found ,i had so much to say1 that ,i preferred to keep it for another place and make but a note in the ,academy4 ,to try to draw my friend at greater length1 and say what he was to me and his intimates1 what a good influence in life and what an example1 is a desire that grows upon me4 ,it was strange1 as ,i wrote the note1 how his old tests and criticisms haunted me2 and it reminded me afresh with every few words how much ,i owe to him4 ,i had a note from ,henley1 very brief and very sad4 ,we none of us yet feel the loss2 but we know what he would have said and wished4 ,do you know that ,dew-,smith has two photographs of him1 neither very bad2 and one giving a lively1 though not flattering air of him in conversation8 ,if you have not got them1 would you like me to write to ,dew and ask him to give you proofs8 ,i was so pleased that he and my wife had at last made friends2 that is a great pleasure4 ,we found and have preserved one fragment 7the head7 of the drawing he made and tore up when he was last here4 ,he had promised to come and stay with us this summer4 ,may we not hope1 at least1 some time soon to have one from you8--,believe me1 my dear ,mrs4 ,jenkin1 with the most real sympathy1 your sincere friend1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,dear me1 what happiness ,i owe to both of you6 ,,skerryvore1 ,,bournemouth1 ,october #bbnd1 #ahhe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,low1--,i trust you are not annoyed with me beyond forgiveness3 for indeed my silence has been devilish prolonged4 ,i can only tell you that ,i have been nearly six months 7more than six7 in a strange condition of collapse when it was impossible to do any work and difficult 7more difficult than you would suppose7 to write the merest note4 ,i am now better1 but not yet my own man in the way of brains1 and in health only so-so4 ,i turn more towards the liver and dyspepsia business1 which is damned unpleasant and paralysing2 ,i suppose ,i shall learn 7,i begin to think ,i am learning7 to fight this vast1 vague feather-bed of an obsession that now overlies and smothers me2 but in the beginnings of these conflicts1 the inexperienced wrestler is always worsted2 and ,i own ,i have been quite extinct4 ,i wish you to know1 though it can be no excuse1 that you are not the only one of my friends by many whom ,i have thus neglected2 and even now1 having come so very late into the possession of myself1 with a substantial capital of debts1 and my work still moving with a desperate slowness--as a child might fill a sandbag with its little handfuls--and my future deeply pledged1 there is almost a touch of virtue in my borrowing these hours to write to you4 ,why ,i said 'hours' ,i know not2 it would look blue for both of us if ,i made good the word4 ,i was writing your address the other day1 ordering a copy of my next1 ,prince ,otto1 to go your way4 ,i hope you have not seen it in parts2 it was not meant to be so read2 and only my poverty 7dishonourably7 consented to the serial evolution4 ,i will send you with this a copy of the ,english edition of the ,child's ,garden4 ,i have heard there is some vile rule of the post-office in the ,states against inscriptions2 so ,i send herewith a piece of doggerel which ,mr4 ,bunner may1 if he thinks fit1 copy off the fly leaf4 ,sargent was down again and painted a portrait of me walking about in my own dining-room1 in my own velveteen jacket and twisting as ,i go my own moustache2 at one corner a glimpse of my wife1 in an ,indian dress and seated in a chair that was once my grandfather's1 but since some months goes by the name of ,henry ,james's1 for it was there the novelist loved to sit--adds a touch of poesy and comicality4 ,it is1 ,i think1 excellent2 but is too eccentric to be exhibited4 ,i am at one extreme corner2 my wife1 in this wild dress and looking like a ghost1 is at the extreme other end2 between us an open door exhibits my palatial entrance hall and a part of my respected staircase4 ,all this is touched in lovely1 with that witty touch of ,sargent's2 but of course it looks dam queer as a whole4 ,pray let me hear from you and give me good news of yourself and your wife1 to whom please remember me4--,yours most sincerely1 my dear ,low1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 7,to be continued47 ,illustration3 ,well1 he can't lead me4--,page #ce4 ,,the ,,chronicles ,,of ,,aunt ,,minervy ,,ann ,by ,joel ,chandler ,harris ,,illustrated ,,by ,a4 ,b4 ,,frost ,,an ,,evening ,,with ,,the ,,ku-,,klux ,while in ,halcyondale attending the county fair ,i had a good many talks with ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 who was the cook1 housekeeper1 and general superintendent of ,major ,tumlin ,perdue's household4 ,some of these conversations have been reported on account of the whiff and flavor of old times which caused them to live in my mind1 while others perhaps as important have been forgotten4 ,in the published reports of these conversations the name of ,hamp1 ,aunt ,minervy's husband1 often occurs4 ,when a slave1 ,hamp had belonged to an estate which was in the hands of the ,court of ,ordinary 7or1 as it was then called1 the ,inferior ,court71 to be administered in the interest of minor heirs4 ,this was not a fortunate thing for the negroes1 of which there were above one hundred and fifty4 ,men1 women1 and children were hired out1 some far and some near4 ,they came back home at ,christmas-time1 enjoyed a week's frolic1 and were then hired out again1 perhaps to new employers4 ,but whether to new or old1 it is certain that hired hands in those days did not receive the consideration that men gave to their own negroes4 ,this experience told heavily on ,hamp's mind4 ,it made him reserved1 suspicious1 and antagonistic4 ,he had few pleasant memories to fall back on1 and these were of the days of his early youth1 when he used to trot around holding to his old master's coat-tails--the kind old master who had finally been sent to the insane asylum4 ,hamp never got over the idea 7he had heard some of the older negroes talking about it7 that his old master had been judged to be crazy simply because he was unusually kind to his negroes1 especially the little ones4 ,hamp's after-experience seemed to prove this1 for he received small share of kindness1 as well as scrimped rations1 from those who hired him4 ,it was a very good thing for ,hamp that he married ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 otherwise he would have become a wanderer and a vagabond when freedom came4 ,even as it was1 he didn't miss it a hair's breadth4 ,he broke loose1 as he described it1 and went off1 but finally came back and tried to persuade ,aunt ,minervy ,ann to leave ,major ,perdue4 ,how he failed in this has already been reported4 ,he settled down1 but he acquired no very friendly feelings toward the white race4 ,he joined the secret political societies strangely called ,union ,leagues1 and aided in disseminating the belief that the whites were only awaiting a favorable opportunity to re-enslave his race4 ,he was only repeating what the carpet-baggers had told him4 ,perhaps he believed the statement1 perhaps not4 ,at any rate1 he repeated it fervently and frequently1 and soon came to be the recognized leader of the negroes in the county of which ,halcyondale was the capital4 ,that is to say1 the leader of all except one4 ,at church one ,sunday night some of the brethren congratulated ,aunt ,minervy ,ann on the fact that ,hamp was now the leader of the colored people in that region4 ,what colored people8 snapped ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,we-all1 responded a deacon1 emphatically4 ,well1 he can't lead me1 ,i'll tell you dat right now6 exclaimed ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,illustration3 ,he wore a blue army overcoat and a stove-pipe hat4--,page #cf4 ,anyhow1 when the time came to elect members of the ,legislature 7the constitutional convention had already been held71 ,hamp was chosen to be the candidate of the negro ,republicans4 ,a white man wanted to run1 but the negroes said they preferred their own color1 and they had their way4 ,they had their way at the polls1 too1 for1 as nearly all the whites who would have voted had served in the ,confederate army1 they were at that time disfranchised4 ,so ,hamp was elected overwhelmingly1 worl' widout een'1 as he put it1 and the effect it had on him was a perfect illustration of one aspect of human nature4 ,before and during the election 7which lasted three days7 ,hamp had been going around puffed up with importance4 ,he wore a blue army overcoat and a stove-pipe hat1 and went about smoking a big cigar4 ,when the election was over1 and he was declared the choice of the county1 he collapsed4 ,his dignity all disappeared4 ,his air of self-importance and confidence deserted him4 ,his responsibilities seemed to weigh him down4 ,he had once rolled in the little printing-office where the machinery consisted of a ,no4 #b ,washington hand-press1 a wooden imposing-stone1 three stands for the cases1 a rickety table for wetting down the paper1 a tub in which to wash the forms1 and a sheet-iron imposing-stone4 ,this chanced to be my head-quarters1 and the day after the election ,i was somewhat surprised to see ,hamp saunter in4 ,so was ,major ,tumlin ,perdue1 who was reading the exchanges4 ,he's come to demand a retraction1 remarked the ,major1 and you'll have to set him right4 ,he's no longer plain ,hamp2 he's the ,hon4 ,hamp--what's your other name8 turning to the negro4 ,hamp ,tumlin my fergiven name1 suh4 ,i thought ',nervy tol' you dat4 ,why1 who named you after me8 inquired the ,major1 somewhat angrily4 ,me an' ',nervy fix it up1 suh4 ,she say it's about de purtiest name in town4 ,the ,major melted a little1 but his bristles rose again1 as it were4 ,look here1 ,hamp6 he exclaimed in a tone that nobody ever forgot or misinterpreted2 don't you go and stick ,perdue onto it4 ,i won't stand that6 ,no1 suh6 responded ,hamp4 ,i started ter do it1 but ',nervy ,ann say she ain't gwine ter have de ,perdue name bandied about up dar whar de ,legislatur's at4 ,again the ,major thawed1 and though he looked long at ,hamp it was with friendly eyes4 ,he seemed to be studying the negro--sizing him up1 as the saying is4 ,for a newly elected member of the ,legislature1 ,hamp seemed to take a great deal of interest in the old duties he once performed about the office4 ,he went first to the box in which the roller was kept1 and felt of its surface carefully4 ,you'll hatter have a bran new roller 'fo' de mont's out1 he said1 an' ,i won't be here to he'p you make it4 ,then he went to the roller-frame1 turned the handle1 and looked at the wooden cylinders4 ,dey don't look atter it like ,i use ter1 suh2 an' dish yer frame monst'us shackly4 ,from there he passed to the forms where the advertisements remained standing4 ,he passed his thumb over the type and looked at it critically4 ,dey er mighty skeer'd dey'll git all de ink off1 was his comment4 ,do what he would1 ,hamp couldn't hide his embarrassment4 ,meanwhile1 ,major ,perdue scratched off a few lines in pencil4 ,i wish you'd get this in ,tuesday's paper1 he said4 ,then he read3 ,the ,hon4 ,hampton ,tumlin1 recently elected a member of the ,legislature1 paid us a pop-call last ,saturday4 ,we are always pleased to meet our distinguished fellow-townsman and representative4 ,we trust ,hon4 ,hampton ,tumlin will call again when the ,ku-,klux are in4 ,why1 certainly1 said ,i1 humoring the joke4 ,sholy you-all ain't gwine put dat in de paper1 is you8 inquired ,hamp1 in amazement4 ,of course1 replied the ,major2 why not8 ,kaze1 ef you does1 ,i'm a ruint nigger4 ,ef ',nervy ,ann hear talk 'bout my name an' entitlements bein' in de paper1 she'll quit me sho4 ,uh-uh6 ,i'm gwine 'way fum here6 ,with that ,hamp bowed and disappeared4 ,the ,major chuckled over his little joke1 but soon returned to his newspaper4 ,for a quarter of an hour there was absolute quiet in the room1 and1 as it seemed1 in the entire building1 which was a brick structure of two stories1 the stairway being in the centre4 ,the hallway was1 perhaps1 seventy-five feet long1 and on each side1 at regular intervals1 there were four rooms1 making eight in all1 and1 with one exception1 variously occupied as lawyers' offices or sleeping apartments1 the exception being the printing-office in which ,major ,perdue and ,i were sitting4 ,this was at the extreme rear of the hallway4 ,illustration3 ,sholy you-all ain't gwine put dat in de paper1 is you8--,page #cf4 ,i had frequently been struck by the acoustic properties of this hallway4 ,a conversation carried on in ordinary tones in the printing-office could hardly be heard in the adjoining room4 ,transferred to the front rooms1 however1 or even to the sidewalk facing the entrance to the stairway1 the lightest tone was magnified in volume4 ,a ,german professor of music who for a time occupied the apartment opposite the printing-office was so harassed by the thunderous sounds of laughter and conversation rolling back upon him that he tried to remedy the matter by nailing two thicknesses of bagging along the floor from the stairway to the rear window4 ,this was1 indeed1 something of a help1 but when the ,german left1 being of an economical turn of mind1 he took his bagging away with him1 and once more the hall-way was torn and rent1 as you may say1 with the lightest whisper4 ,thus it happened that1 while the ,major and ,i were sitting enjoying an extraordinary season of calm1 suddenly there came a thundering sound from the stairway4 ,a troop of horse could hardly have made a greater uproar1 and yet ,i knew that less than half a dozen people were ascending the steps4 ,some one stumbled and caught himself1 and the multiplied and magnified reverberations were as loud as if the roof had caved in1 carrying the better part of the structure with it4 ,some one laughed at the misstep1 and the sound came to our ears with the deafening effect of an explosion4 ,the party filed with a dull roar into one of the front rooms1 the office of a harum-scarum young lawyer who had more empty bottles behind his door than he had ever had briefs on his desk4 ,well1 the great ,gemini6 exclaimed ,major ,perdue1 how do you manage to stand that sort of thing8 ,i shrugged my shoulders and laughed1 and was about to begin anew a very old tirade against caves and halls of thunder1 when the ,major raised a warning hand4 ,some one was saying---- ,he hangs out right on ol' ,major ,perdue's lot4 ,he's got a wife there4 ,by jing6 exclaimed another voice2 is that so8 ,well1 ,i don't wanter git mixed up wi' the ,major4 ,he may be wobbly on his legs1 but ,i don't wanter be the one to run up ag'in 'im4 ,the ,major pursed up his lips and looked at the ceiling1 his attitude being one of rapt attention4 ,shucks6 cried another2 by the time the ol' cock gits his bellyful of dram1 thunder wouldn't roust 'im4 ,a shrewd1 foxy1 almost sinister expression came over the ,major's rosy face as he glanced at me4 ,his left hand went to his goatee1 an invariable signal of deep feeling1 such as anger1 grief1 or serious trouble4 ,another voice broke in here1 a voice that we both knew to be that of ,larry ,pulliam1 a big ,kentuckian who had refugeed to ,halcyondale during the war4 ,blast it all6 exclaimed ,larry ,pulliam1 ,i hope the ,major will come out4 ,me an' him hain't never butted heads yit1 an' it's gittin' high time4 ,ef he comes out1 you fellers jest go ahead with your rat-killin'4 ,i'll 'ten' to him4 ,why1 you'd make two of him1 ,pulliam1 said the young lawyer4 ,oh1 ,i'll not hurt 'im2 that is1 not much--jest enough to let 'im know ,i'm livin' in the same village1 replied ,mr4 ,pulliam4 ,the voice of the town bull could not have had a more terrifying sound4 ,glancing at the ,major1 ,i saw that he had entirely recovered his equanimity4 ,more than that1 a smile of sweet satisfaction and contentment settled on his rosy face1 and stayed there4 ,i wouldn't take a hundred dollars for that last remark1 whispered the ,major4 ,that chap's been a-raisin' his hackle at me ever since he's been here1 and every time ,i try to get him to make a flutter he's off and gone4 ,of course it wouldn't do for me to push a row on him just dry so4 ,but now---- ,the ,major laughed softly1 rubbed his hands together1 and seemed to be as happy as a child with a new toy4 ,my son1 said he after awhile1 ain't there some way of finding out who the other fellows are8 ,ain't you got some word you want ,seab ,griffin--this was the young lawyer--to spell for you8 ,spelling was the ,major's weakness4 ,he was a well-educated man1 and could write vigorous ,english1 but only a few days before he had asked me how many1 f's there are in graphic4 ,let's see1 he went on1 rubbing the top of his head4 ,do you spell ,byzantium with two y's1 or with two i's1 or with one y and one i8 ,it'll make ,seab feel right good to be asked that before company1 and he certainly needs to feel good if he's going with that crowd4 ,so1 with a manuscript copy in my hand1 ,i went hurriedly down the hall and put the important question4 ,mr4 ,griffin was all politeness1 but not quite sure of the facts in the case4 ,but he searched in his books of reference1 including the ,geographical ,gazette1 until finally he was able to give me the information ,i was supposed to stand in need of4 ,while he was searching1 ,mr4 ,pulliam turned to me and inquired what day the paper came out4 ,when told that the date was ,tuesday1 he smiled and nodded his head mysteriously4 ,that's good1 he declared2 you'll be in time to ketch the news4 ,what news8 ,i inquired4 ,well1 ef you don't hear about it before to-morrer night1 jest inquire of ,major ,perdue4 ,he'll tell you all about it4 ,mr4 ,pulliam's tone was so supercilious that ,i was afraid the ,major would lose his temper and come raging down the hallway4 ,but he did nothing of the kind4 ,when ,i returned he was fairly beaming4 ,the ,major took down the names in his note-book--,i have forgotten all except those of ,buck ,sanford and ,larry ,pulliam--and seemed to be perfectly happy4 ,they were all from the country except ,larry ,pulliam and the young lawyer4 ,after my visit to the room1 the men spoke in lower tones1 but every word came back to us as distinctly as before4 ,the feed of the bosses won't cost us a cent1 remarked young ,sanford4 ,tom ,gresham said he'd 'ten' to that4 ,they're in the stable right now4 ,and we're to have supper in ,tom's back room1 have a little game of ante1 and along about twelve or one we'll sa'nter down and yank that derned nigger from betwixt his blankets1 ef he's got any1 and leave him to cool off at the cross-roads4 ,won't you go 'long1 ,seab1 and see it well done8 ,illustration3 ,inquired what day the paper came out4--,page #ch4 ,i'll go and see if the supper's well done1 and ,i'll take a shy at your ante1 replied ,mr4 ,griffin4 ,but when it comes to the balance of the programme--well1 ,i'm a lawyer1 you know1 and you couldn't expect me to witness the affair4 ,i might have to take your cases and prove an alibi1 you know1 and ,i couldn't conscientiously do that if ,i was on hand at the time4 ,the ,ku-,klux don't have to have alibis1 suggested ,larry ,pulliam4 ,perhaps not1 still-- ,apparently ,mr4 ,griffin disposed of the matter with a gesture4 ,when all the details of their plan had been carefully arranged1 the amateur ,ku-,klux went filing out1 the noise they made dying away like the echoes of a storm4 ,major ,perdue leaned his head against the back of his chair1 closed his eyes1 and sat there so quietly that ,i thought he was asleep4 ,but this was a mistake4 ,suddenly he began to laugh1 and he laughed until the tears ran down his face4 ,it was laughter that was contagious1 and presently ,i found myself joining in without knowing why4 ,this started the ,major afresh1 and we both laughed until exhaustion came to our aid4 ,o ,lord6 cried the ,major1 panting1 ,i haven't had as much fun since the war1 and a long time before4 ,that blamed ,pulliam is going to walk into a trap of his own setting4 ,now you jest watch how he goes out ag'in4 ,but ,i'll not be there1 ,i suggested4 ,oh1 yes6 exclaimed the ,major1 you can't afford to miss it4 ,it'll be the finest piece of news your paper ever had4 ,you'll go to supper with me-- ,he paused4 ,no1 ,i'll go home1 send ,valentine to her ,aunt ,emmy's1 get ,blasengame to come around1 and we'll have supper about nine4 ,that'll fix it4 ,some of them chaps might have an eye on my house1 and ,i don't want 'em to see anybody but me go in there4 ,now1 if you don't come at nine1 ,i'll send ,blasengame after you4 ,i shall be glad to come1 ,major4 ,i was simply fishing for an invitation4 ,that fish is always on your hook1 and you know it1 the ,major insisted4 ,as it was arranged1 so it fell out4 ,at nine1 ,i lifted and dropped the knocker on the ,major's front door4 ,it opened so promptly that ,i was somewhat taken by surprise1 but in a moment the hand of my host was on my arm1 and he pulled me inside unceremoniously4 ,illustration3 ,i was on the lookout1 the ,major explained4 ,i was on the lookout1 the ,major explained4 ,minervy ,ann has fixed to have waffles1 and she's crazy about havin' 'em just right4 ,if she waits too long to make 'em1 the batter'll spoil2 and if she puts 'em on before everybody's ready1 they won't be good4 ,that's what she says4 ,here he is1 you old ,hessian6 the ,major cried1 as ,minervy ,ann peeped in from the dining-room4 ,now slap that supper together and let's get at it4 ,i'm mighty glad you come1 suh1 said ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 with a courtesy and a smile1 and then she disappeared4 ,in an incredibly short time1 supper was announced1 and though ,aunt ,minervy has since informed me confidentially that the ,perdues were having a hard time of it at that period1 ,i'll do her the credit to say that the supper she furnished forth was as good as any to be had in that town--waffles1 beat biscuit1 fried chicken1 buttermilk1 and coffee that could not be surpassed4 ,how about the biscuit1 ,minervy ,ann8 inquired ,colonel ,blasengame1 who was the ,major's brother-in-law1 and therefore one of the family4 ,i turned de dough on de block twelve times1 an' hit it a hunderd an forty-sev'm licks1 replied ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,i'm afeard you hit it one lick too many1 said ,colonel ,blasengame1 winking at me4 ,well1 suh1 ,i been hittin' dat away a mighty long time1 ,aunt ,minervy ,ann explained1 and ,i ain't never hear no complaints4 ,oh1 ,i'm not complainin'1 ,minervy ,ann4 ,colonel ,blasengame waved his hand4 ,i'm mighty glad you did hit the dough a lick too many4 ,if you hadn't1 the biscuit would 'a' melted in my mouth1 and ,i believe ,i'd rather chew on 'em to get the taste4 ,he des runnin' on1 suh1 said ,aunt ,minervy ,ann to me4 ,marse ,bolivar know mighty well dat he got ter go 'way fum de ,nunited ,state fer ter git any better biscuits dan what ,i kin bake4 ,then there was a long pause1 which was broken by an attempt on the part of ,major ,perdue to give ,aunt ,minervy ,ann an inkling of the events likely to happen during the night4 ,she seemed to be both hard of hearing and dull of understanding when the subject was broached2 or she may have suspected the ,major was joking or trying to run a rig on her4 ,her questions and comments1 however1 were very characteristic4 ,i dunner what dey want wid ,hamp1 she said4 ,ef dey know'd how no-count he is1 dey'd let 'im 'lone4 ,what dey want wid 'im8 ,well1 two or three of the country boys and maybe some of the town chaps are going to call on him between midnight and day4 ,they want to take him out to the cross-roads4 ,hadn't you better fix 'em up a little snack8 ,hamp won't want anything1 but the boys will feel a little hungry after the job is over4 ,nobody ain't never tell me dat de ,legislatur' wuz like de ,free ,masons1 whar dey have ter ride a billy goat an' go down in a dry well wid de chains a-clankin'4 ,i done tol' ,hamp dat he better not fool wid white folks' do-in's4 ,only the colored members have to be initiated1 explained the ,major1 solemnly4 ,what does dey do wid um8 inquired ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,well1 replied the ,major1 they take 'em out to the nearest cross-roads1 put ropes around their necks1 run the ropes over limbs1 and pull away as if they were drawing water from a well4 ,what dey do dat fer8 asked ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 apparently still oblivious to the meaning of it all4 ,they want to see which'll break first1 the ropes or the necks1 the ,major explained4 ,ef dey takes ,hamp out1 remarked ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 tentatively--feeling her way1 as it were--what time will he come back8 ,you've heard about the ,resurrection ,morn1 haven't you1 ,minervy ,ann8 ,there was a pious twang in the ,major's voice as he pronounced the words4 ,i hear de preacher say sump'n 'bout it1 replied ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,well1 said the ,major1 along about that time ,hamp will return4 ,i hope his record is good enough to give him wings4 ,shuh6 ,marse ,tumlin6 you-all des fool'n' me4 ,i don't keer--,hamp ain't gwine wid um4 ,i tell you dat right now4 ,oh1 he may not want to go1 persisted the ,major1 but he'll go all the same if they get their hands on him4 ,my life er me6 exclaimed ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 bristling up1 does you-all 'speck ,i'm gwine ter let um take ,hamp out dat away8 ,de fus' man come ter my door1 less'n it's one er you-all1 ,i'm gwine ter fling a pan er hot embers in his face ef de ,lord'll gi' me de strenk4 ,an' ef dat don't do no good1 ,i'll scald um wid b'ilin' water4 ,you hear dat1 don't you8 ,minervy ,ann1 said the ,major1 sweetly1 have you ever heard of the ,ku-,klux8 ,yasser1 ,i is6 she exclaimed with startling emphasis4 ,she stopped still and gazed hard at the ,major4 ,in response1 he merely shrugged his shoulders and raised his right hand with a swift gesture that told the whole story4 ,name er ,god6 ,marse ,tumlin1 is you an' ,marse ,bolivar and dish yer young genterman gwine ter set down here flat-footed and let dem ,ku-kluckers scarify ,hamp8 ,illustration3 ,dat's some er ',nervy ,ann's doin's1 suh4 ,page #dc4 ,why should we do anything8 ,you've got everything arranged4 ,you're going to singe 'em with hot embers1 and you're going to take their hides off with scalding water4 ,what more do you want8 ,the ,major spoke with an air of benign resignation4 ,aunt ,minervy ,ann shook her head vigorously4 ,ef deyer de ,kukluckers1 fire won't do um no harm4 ,dey totes der haids in der han's4 ,their heads in their hands8 cried ,colonel ,blasengame1 excitedly4 ,dat what dey say1 suh1 replied ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,colonel ,blasengame looked at his watch4 ,tumlin1 ,i'll have to ask you to excuse me to-night1 he said4 ,i--well1 the fact is1 ,i have a mighty important engagement up town4 ,i'm obliged to fill it4 ,he turned to ,aunt ,minervy ,ann3 ,did ,i understand you to say the ,ku-,klux carry their heads in their hands8 ,dat what folks tell me4 ,i hear my own color sesso1 replied ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,i'd be glad to stay with you1 ,tumlin1 the ,colonel declared2 but--well1 under the circumstances1 ,i think ,i'd better fill that engagement4 ,justice to my family demands it4 ,well1 responded ,major ,perdue1 if you are going1 ,i reckon we'd just as well go1 too4 ,huh6 exclaimed ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 ef gwine's de word1 dey can't nobody beat me gittin' way fum here4 ,dey may beat me comin' back1 ,i ain't 'sputin' dat2 but dey can't beat me gwine 'way4 ,i'm ol'1 but ,i got mighty nigh ez much go in me ez a quarter-hoss4 ,illustration3 ,in the third he placed only powder4--,page #dd4 ,colonel ,blasengame leaned back in his chair and studied the ceiling4 ,it seems to me1 ,tumlin1 we might compromise on this4 ,suppose we get ,hamp to come in here4 ,minervy ,ann can stay out there in the kitchen and throw a rock against the back door when the ,ku-,klux come4 ,aunt ,minervy ,ann fairly gasped4 ,who8 ,me8 ,i'll die fust4 ,i'll t'ar down dat do'2 ,i'll holler twel ev'ybody in de neighborhood come a-runnin'4 ,ef you don't b'lieve me1 you des try me4 ,i'll paw up dat back-yard4 ,major ,perdue went to the back door and called ,hamp1 but there was no answer4 ,he called him a second time1 with the same result4 ,well1 said the ,major1 they've stolen a march on us4 ,they've come and carried him off while we were talking4 ,no1 suh1 dey ain't1 needer4 ,i know right whar he is1 an' ,i'm gwine atter 'im4 ,he's right 'cross de street dar1 colloguin' wid dat ol' ,ceely ,ensign4 ,dat's right whar he is4 ,illustration3 ,we administered to his hurts the best we could4--,page #de4 ,old6 ,why1 ,celia is young1 remarked the ,major4 ,they say she's the best cook in town4 ,aunt ,minervy ,ann whipped out of the room1 and was gone some little time4 ,when she returned1 she had ,hamp with her1 and ,i noticed that both were laboring under excitement which they strove in vain to suppress4 ,here ,i is1 suh1 said ,hamp4 ',nervy ,ann say you call me4 ,how is ,celia to-night8 ,colonel ,blasengame inquired1 suavely4 ,this inquiry1 so suddenly and unexpectedly put1 seemed to disconcert ,hamp4 ,he shuffled his feet and put his hand to his face4 ,i noticed a blue welt over his eye1 which was not there when he visited me in the afternoon4 ,well1 suh1 ,i speck she's tolerbul4 ,is she8 ,is she8 ,ah-h-h6 cried ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,she must be pretty well1 said the ,major4 ,i see she's hit you a clip over the left eye4 ,dat's some er ',nervy ,ann's doin's1 suh1 replied ,hamp1 somewhat disconsolately4 ,den what you git in de way fer8 snapped ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,marse ,tumlin1 dat ar 'oman ain't done nothin' in de roun' worl'4 ,she say she want me to buy some hime books fer de church when ,i went to ,atlanty1 an' ,i went over dar atter de money4 ,i himed 'er an' ,i churched 'er6 exclaimed ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,here de money right here1 said ,hamp1 pulling a small roll of shinplasters out of his pocket2 an' whiles we settin' dar countin' de money1 ',nervy ,ann come in dar an' frail dat 'oman out4 ,ain't you hear dat nigger holler1 ,marse ,tumlin8 inquired ,minervy ,ann4 ,she was in high good-humor now4 ,look like ter me dey could a-heerd 'er blate in de nex' county ef dey'd been a-lis'nin'4 ',twuz same ez a picnic1 suh1 an' ,i'm gwine 'cross dar 'fo' long an' pay my party call4 ,then she began to laugh1 and pretty soon went through the whole episode for our edification1 dwelling with unction on that part where the unfortunate victim of her jealousy had called her ,miss ',nervy4 ,the more she laughed the more serious ,hamp became4 ,illustration3 ,i'd a heap rather you'd pull your shot-gun on me than your pen4--,page #df4 ,at the proper time he was told of the visitation that was to be made by the ,ku-,klux1 and this information seemed to perplex and worry him no little4 ,but his face lit up with genuine thankfulness when the programme for the occasion was announced to him4 ,he and ,minervy ,ann were to remain in the house and not show their heads until the ,major or the ,colonel or their guest came to the back door and drummed on it lightly with the fingers4 ,then the arms--three shot-guns--were brought out1 and ,i noticed with some degree of surprise1 that as the ,major and the ,colonel began to handle these1 their spirits rose perceptibly4 ,the ,major hummed a tune and the ,colonel whistled softly as they oiled the locks and tried the triggers4 ,the ,major1 in coming home1 had purchased four pounds of mustard-seed shot1 and with this he proceeded to load two of the guns4 ,in the third he placed only powder4 ,this harmless weapon was intended for me1 while the others were to be handled by ,major ,perdue and ,colonel ,blasengame4 ,i learned afterward that the arrangement was made solely for my benefit4 ,the ,major and the ,colonel were afraid that a young hand might become excited and fire too high at close range1 in which event mustard-seed shot would be as dangerous as the larger variety4 ,at twelve o'clock ,i noticed that both ,hamp and ,aunt ,minervy ,ann were growing restless4 ,you hear dat clock1 don't you1 ,marse ,tumlin8 said ,minervy as the chimes died away4 ,ef you don't min'1 de ,ku-kluckers'll be a-stickin' der haids in de back do'4 ,but the ,major and the ,colonel were playing a rubber of seven-up 7or high-low-,jack7 and paid no attention4 ,it was a quarter after twelve when the game was concluded and the players pushed their chairs back from the table4 ,ef you don't fin' um in de yard waitin' fer you1 ,i'll be fooled might'ly1 remarked ,aunt ,minervy ,ann4 ,go and see if they're out there1 said the ,major4 ,me1 ,marse ,tumlin8 ,me8 ,i wouldn't go out dat do' not for ham4 ,the ,major took out his watch4 ,they'll eat and drink until twelve or a little after1 and then they'll get ready to start4 ,then they'll have another drink all 'round1 and finally they'll take another4 ,it'll be a quarter to one or after when they get in the grove in the far end of the lot4 ,but we'll go out now and see how the land lays4 ,by the time they get here1 our eyes will be used to the darkness4 ,the light was carried to a front room1 and we groped our way out at the back door the best we could4 ,the night was dark1 but the stars were shining4 ,i noticed that the belt and sword of ,orion had drifted above the tree-tops in the east1 following the ,pleiades4 ,in a little while the darkness seemed to grow less dense1 and ,i could make out the outlines of trees twenty feet away4 ,behind one of these trees1 near the outhouse in which ,hamp and ,aunt ,minervy lived1 ,i was to take my stand1 while the ,major and the ,colonel were to go farther into the wood-lot so as to greet the would-be ,ku-,klux as they made their retreat1 of which ,major ,perdue had not the slightest doubt4 ,you stand here1 said the ,major in a whisper4 ,we'll go to the far-end of the lot where they're likely to come in4 ,they'll pass us all right enough1 but as soon as you see one of 'em1 up with the gun an' lam aloose1 an' before they can get away give 'em the other barrel4 ,then you'll hear from us4 ,major ,perdue and ,colonel ,blasengame disappeared in the darkness1 leaving me1 as it were1 on the inner picket line4 ,i found the situation somewhat ticklish1 as the saying is4 ,there was not the slightest danger1 and ,i knew it1 but if you ever have occasion to stand out in the dark1 waiting for something to happen1 you'll find there's a certain degree of suspense attached to it4 ,and the loneliness and silence of the night will take on shape almost tangible4 ,the stirring of the half-dead leaves1 the chirping of a belated cricket1 simply emphasized the loneliness and made the silence more profound4 ,at intervals1 all nature seemed to heave a deep sigh1 and address itself to slumber again4 ,in the house ,i heard the muffled sound of the clock chime one1 but whether it was striking the half-hour or the hour ,i could not tell4 ,then ,i heard the stealthy tread of feet4 ,some one stumbled over a stick of timber1 and the noise was followed by a smothered exclamation and a confused murmur of voices4 ,as the story-writers say1 ,i knew that the hour had come4 ,i could hear whisperings1 and then ,i saw a tall shadow steal from behind ,aunt ,minervy's house1 and heard it rap gently on the door4 ,i raised the gun1 pulled the hammer back1 and let drive4 ,a stream of fire shot from the gun1 accompanied by a report that tore the silence to atoms4 ,i heard a sharp exclamation of surprise1 then the noise of running feet1 and off went the other barrel4 ,in a moment the ,major and the ,colonel opened on the fugitives4 ,i heard a loud cry of pain from one1 and1 in the midst of it all1 the mustard-seed shot rattled on the plank fence like hominy-snow on a tin roof4 ,the next instant ,i heard some one running back in my direction1 as if for dear life4 ,he knew the place apparently1 for he tried to go through the orchard1 but just before he reached the orchard fence1 he uttered a half-strangled cry of terror1 and then ,i heard him fall as heavily as if he had dropped from the top of the house4 ,it was impossible to imagine what had happened1 and it was not until we had investigated the matter that the cause of the trouble was discovered4 ,a wire clothes-line1 stretched across the yard1 had caught the would-be ,ku-,klux under the chin1 his legs flew from under him1 and he had a fall1 from the effects of which he did not recover for a long time4 ,he was a young man about town1 very well connected1 who had gone into the affair in a spirit of mischief4 ,we carried him into the house1 and administered to his hurts the best we could2 ,aunt ,minervy ,ann1 be it said to her credit1 being more active in this direction than any of us4 ,on the ,tuesday following1 the county paper contained the news in a form that remains to this day unique4 ,it is hardly necessary to say that it was from the pen of ,major ,tumlin ,perdue4 ,last ,saturday afternoon our local editor was informed by a prominent citizen that if we would apply to ,major ,purdue we would be put in possession of a very interesting piece of news4 ,acting upon this hint1 ye local yesterday went to ,major ,perdue1 who1 being in high good-humor1 wrote out the following with his own hand3 ',late ,saturday night1 while engaged with a party of friends in searching for a stray dog on my premises1 ,i was surprised to see four or five men climb over my back fence and proceed toward my residence4 ,as my most intimate friends do not visit me by climbing over my back fence1 ,i immediately deployed my party in such a manner as to make the best of a threatening situation4 ,the skirmish opened at my kitchen-door1 with two rounds from a howitzer4 ,this demoralized the enemy1 who promptly retreated the way they came4 ,one of them1 the leader of the attacking party1 carried away with him two loads of mustard-seed shot1 delivered in the general neighborhood and region of the coat-tails1 which1 being on a level with the horizon1 afforded as fair a target as could be had in the dark4 ,i understand on good authority that ,mr4 ,larry ,pulliam1 one of our leading and deservedly popular citizens1 has had as much as a quart of mustard-seed shot picked from his carcass4 ,though hit in a vulnerable spot1 the wound is not mortal4--,t4 ,,perdue4' ,i did my best to have ,mr4 ,pulliam's name suppressed1 but the ,major would not have it so4 ,no1 sir1 he insisted2 the man has insulted me behind my back1 and he's got to cut wood or put down the axe4 ,naturally this free and easy card created quite a sensation in ,halcyondale and the country round about4 ,people knew what it would mean if ,major ,perdue's name had been used in such an off-hand manner by ,mr4 ,pulliam1 and they naturally supposed that a fracas would be the outcome4 ,public expectation was on tiptoe1 and yet the whole town seemed to take the ,major's card humorously4 ,some of the older citizens laughed until they could hardly sit up1 and even ,mr4 ,pulliam's friends caught the infection4 ,indeed1 it is said that ,mr4 ,pulliam1 himself1 after the first shock of surprise was over1 paid the ,major's audacious humor the tribute of a hearty laugh4 ,when ,mr4 ,pulliam appeared in public1 among the first men he saw was ,major ,perdue4 ,this was natural1 for the ,major made it a point to be on hand4 ,he was not a ruffler1 but he thought it was his duty to give ,mr4 ,pulliam a fair opportunity to wreak vengeance on him4 ,if the boys about town imagined that a row was to be the result of this first meeting1 they were mistaken4 ,mr4 ,pulliam looked at the ,major and then began to laugh4 ,major ,perdue1 he said1 ,i'd a heap rather you'd pull your shot-gun on me than your pen4 ,and that ended the matter4 ,illustration ,,the ,,ship ,,of ,,stars ,by ,a4 ,t4 ,quiller-,couch 7,q47 ,,xiv ,,voices ,,from ,,the ,,sea ,before winter and the long nights came round again1 ,taffy had become quite a clever carpenter4 ,from the first his quickness fairly astonished the ,bryanite1 who at the best was but a journeyman and soon owned himself beaten4 ,i doubt1 said he1 if you'll ever make so good a man as your father2 but you can't help making a better workman4 ,he added1 with his eyes on the boy's face1 ,there's one thing in which you might copy 'em4 ,he hasn't much of a gift1 but he lays it 'pon the altar4 ,by this time ,taffy had resumed his lessons4 ,every day he carried a book or two in the satchel with his dinner1 and read or translated aloud while his father worked4 ,two hours were allowed for this in the morning1 and again two in the afternoon4 ,sometimes a day would be set apart during which they talked nothing but ,latin4 ,difficulties in the text of their authors they postponed until the evening1 and worked them out at home1 after supper1 with the help of grammar and dictionary4 ,the boy was not unhappy1 on the whole2 though for weeks together he longed for sight of ,george ,vyell1 who seemed to have vanished into space1 or into that limbo where his childhood lay like a toy in a lumber-room4 ,taffy seldom turned the key of that room4 ,the stories he imagined now were not about fairies or heroes1 but about himself4 ,he wanted to be a great man and astonish the world4 ,just how the world was to be astonished he did not clearly see1 even in his dreams2 but the triumph1 in whatever shape it came1 was to involve a new gown for his mother1 and for his father a whole library of books4 ,mr4 ,raymond never went back to his books now1 except to help ,taffy4 ,the ,commentary on the ,epistle to the ,hebrews was laid aside4 ,some day6 he told ,humility4 ,the ,sunday congregation had dwindled to a very few1 mostly farm people2 ,squire ,moyle having threatened to expel any tenant of his who dared to set foot within the church4 ,in the autumn two things happened which set ,taffy wondering4 ,during the first three years at ,nannizabuloe old ,mrs4 ,venning had regularly been carried downstairs to dine with the family4 ,the sea-air 7she said7 had put new life into her4 ,but now she seldom moved from her room1 and ,taffy seldom saw her except at night1 when--after the old childish custom--he knocked at her door to wish her pleasant dreams and pull up the weights of the tall clock which stood by her bed's head4 ,one night he asked1 carelessly1 ,what do you want with the clock8 ,lying here you don't need to know the time2 and its ticking must keep you awake4 ,so it does1 child2 but1 bless you1 ,i like it4 ,like being kept awake8 ,dear1 yes6 ,i have enough of rest and quiet up here4 ,you mind the litany ,i used to say over to you8--,parson ,kempthorne taught it to us girls when ,i was in service with him2 'twas made up1 he said1 by another old ,devonshire parson1 years and years ago-- ,when ,i lie within my bed ,sick in heart and sick in head1 ,and with doubts discomforted1 ,sweet ,spirit1 comfort me6 ,when the house do sigh and weep-- ,that's it4 ,you wouldn't think how quiet it is up here all day4 ,but at night1 when you're in bed and sleeping1 all the house begins to talk2 little creakings of the furniture1 you know1 and the wind in the chimney1 and sometimes the rain in the gutters running--it's all talk to me4 ,mostly it's quite sociable too2 but sometimes1 in rainy weather1 the tune changes1 and then it's like some poor soul in bed and sobbing to itself4 ,that's when the verse comes in3 ,when the house do sigh and weep ,and the world is drowned in sleep1 ,yet my eyes the watch do keep1 ,sweet ,spirit1 comfort me6 ,and then the clock's ticking is a wonderful comfort4 ,tick-tack1 tick-tack6 and ,i think of you stretched asleep and happy and growing up to be a man1 and the minutes running and trickling away to my deliverance---- ,granny6 ,my dear1 ,i'm as well off as most2 but that isn't saying ,i sha'n't be glad to go and take the pain in my joints to a better land4 ,before we came here1 in militia-time1 ,i used to lie and listen for the buglers1 but now ,i've only the clock4 ,no more bugles for me1 ,i suppose1 till ,i hear them blown on t'other side of ,jordan4 ,taffy remembered how he too had lain and listened to the bugles2 and with that he suddenly saw his childhood1 as it were a small round globe set within a far larger one and wrapped around with other folks' thoughts4 ,he kissed his grandmother and went away wondering2 and as he lay down that night it still seemed wonderful to him that she should have heard those bugles1 and more wonderful that night after night for years she should have been thinking of him while he slept1 and he never have guessed it4 ,one morning1 some three weeks later1 he and his father were putting on their oilskins before starting to work--for it had been blowing hard through the night and the gale was breaking up in floods of rain--when they heard a voice hallooing in the distance4 ,humility heard it too and turned swiftly to ,taffy4 ,run upstairs1 dear4 ,i expect it's someone sent from ,tresedder ,farm2 and if so1 he'll want to see your father alone4 ,mr4 ,raymond frowned4 ,no1 he said2 the time is past for that4 ,a fist hammered on the door4 ,mr4 ,raymond threw it open4 ,brigantine--on the sands--half a mile this side of the lighthouse6 ,taffy saw across his father's shoulder a gleam of yellow oilskins and a flapping sou-wester' hat4 ,the panting voice belonged to ,sam ,udy--son of old ,bill ,udy--a laborer at ,tresedder4 ,i'll go at once1 said ,mr4 ,raymond4 ,run you for the coast-guard4 ,the oilskins went by the window2 the side gate clashed to4 ,is it a wreck8 cried ,taffy4 ,may ,i go with you8 ,yes1 there may be a message to run with4 ,from the edge of the towans1 where the ground dipped steeply to the long beach1 they saw the wreck1 about a mile up the coast and1 as well as they could judge1 a hundred or a hundred-and-fifty yards out4 ,she lay almost on her beam-ends1 with the waves sweeping high across her starboard quarter1 and never less than six ranks of ugly breakers between her and dry land4 ,a score of watchers--in the distance they looked like emmets--were gathered by the edge of the surf4 ,but the coast-guard had not arrived yet4 ,the tide is ebbing1 and the rocket will reach4 ,can you see anyone aboard8 ,taffy spied through his hands1 but could see no one4 ,his father set off running and he followed1 half-blinded by the rain1 at every fourth step foundering knee-deep in loose sand or tripping in a rabbit hole4 ,they had covered three-fourths of the distance when ,mr4 ,raymond pulled up and waved his hat as the coast-guard carriage swept into view over a ridge to the right and came plunging across the main valley of the towans4 ,it passed them close--the horses fetlock-deep in sand1 with heads down and heaving1 smoking shoulders2 the coast-guardsmen with keen strong faces like heroes'--and the boy longed to copy his father and send a cheer after them as they went galloping by4 ,but something rose in his throat4 ,he ran after the carriage1 and reached the shore just as the first rocket shot singing out toward the wreck4 ,by this time at least a hundred miners had gathered1 and between their legs he caught a glimpse of two figures stretched at length on the wet sand4 ,he had never looked on a dead body before4 ,the faces of these were hidden by the crowd2 and he hung about the fringe of it1 dreading and yet courting a sight of them4 ,the first rocket was swept down the wind to leeward of the wreck4 ,the chief officer judged his second beautifully and the line fell clean across the vessel and all but amidships4 ,a figure started up from the lee of the deckhouse and springing into the main shrouds grasped it and made it fast4 ,the beach being too low for them to work the cradle clear above the breakers1 the coast-guardsmen carried the shore end of the line up the shelving cliff and fixed it4 ,within ten minutes the cradle was run out1 and within twenty1 the first man came swinging shoreward4 ,four men were brought ashore alive1 the captain last4 ,the other two of the crew of six lay on the sands1 with ,mr4 ,raymond kneeling beside them4 ,he had covered their faces1 and1 still on his knees1 gave the order to lift them into the carriage4 ,taffy noticed that he was obeyed without demur or question4 ,and there flashed on his memory a gray morning1 not unlike this one1 when he had missed his father at breakfast3 ,he had been called away suddenly1 ,humility had explained1 and there would be no lessons that day1 and had kept the boy indoors all the morning and busy with a netting-stitch he had been bothering her to teach him4 ,father1 he asked as they followed the cart1 does this often happen8 ,your mother hasn't thought it well for you to see these sights4 ,then it has happened often8 ,i have buried seventeen1 said ,mr4 ,raymond4 ,that afternoon he showed ,taffy their graves4 ,i know the names of all but two4 ,the bodies have marks about them--tattooed1 you know--and that helps4 ,and ,i write to their relatives or friends1 and restore whatever small property may be found on them4 ,i have often wished to put up some grave-stone1 or a wooden cross1 with their names4 ,i keep a book and enter all particulars1 and where each is laid4 ,he went to his chest in the vestry and took out the volume--a cheap account book1 ruled for figures4 ,taffy turned over the pages4 ,nov4 #crd4 #ahg-4 ,brig ,james and ,maria3 ,j4 ,d41 fair-haired1 height #e ft4 #h in41 marked on chest with initials and cross swords1 tattooed1 also anchor and coil of rope on right fore-arm3 large brown mole on right shoulder-blade4 ,striped flannel drawers3 otherwise naked3 no property of any kind4 ,ditto4 ,grown man1 age #dj or thereabouts3 dark2 iron gray beard2 lovers' knot tattooed on right fore-arm1 with initials ,r4 ,l41 ,e4 ,w41 in the loops3 clad in flannel shirt1 guernsey1 trousers 7blue sea-cloth71 socks 7heather-mixture71 all unmarked4 ,silver chain in pocket1 with free-mason's token3 a half-crown1 a florin1 and four-pence----and so on4 ,on the opposite page were entered the full names and details afterwards discovered1 with notes of the ,vicar's correspondence1 and position of the grave4 ,they ought to have grave-stones1 said ,mr4 ,raymond4 ,but as it is ,i can only get about thirty shillings for the funeral from the county rate4 ,the balance has come out of my pocket--from two to three pounds for each4 ,from the beginning the squire refused to help to bury sailors4 ,he took the ground that it wasn't a local claim4 ,hullo6 said ,taffy3 for as he turned the leaves his eye fell on this entry3-- ,jan4 #cjth1 #ahg-4 ,s4 ,s4 ,rifleman 7all hands74 ,cargo1 ,china-clay3 ,w4 ,p41 ,age1 about eighteen1 fair skin1 reddish hair1 short and curled1 height #e ft4 #aj in4 ,initials tattooed on chest under a three-masted ship and semi-circle of seven stars2 clad in flannel singlet and trousers 7cloth73 singlet marked with same initial in red cotton3 pockets empty---- ,but he was in the navy6 cried ,taffy1 with his finger on the entry4 ,which one8 ,yes1 he was in the ,navy4 ,you'll see it on the opposite page4 ,he deserted1 poor boy1 in ,cork ,harbor1 and shipped on board a tramp steamer as donkey-man4 ,she loaded at ,fowey and was wrecked on the voyage back4 ,william ,pellow he was called2 his mother lives but ten miles up the coast2 she never heard of it until six weeks after4 ,but we--,i1 ,i mean--knew him4 ,he was one of the sailor boys on ,toby's van4 ,you remember their helping us with the luggage at ,indian ,queen's8 ,he showed me his tattoo marks that day4 ,and again he saw his childhood as it were set about with an enchanted hedge1 across which many voices would have called to him1 and some from near1 but all had hung muted and arrested4 ,the inquest on the two drowned sailors was held next day at the ,fifteen ,balls1 down in ,innis village4 ,later in the afternoon1 the four survivors walked up to the church1 headed by the ,captain4 ,we've been hearing1 said the ,captain1 of your difficulties1 sir3 likewise your kindness to other poor sea-faring chaps4 ,we have liked to make ye a small offering for your church1 but sixteen shillings is all we can raise between us4 ,so we come to say that if you can put us on to a job1 why we're staying over the funeral1 and a day's work or more after that won't hurt us one way or another4 ,mr4 ,raymond led them to the chancel and pointed out a new beam1 on which he and ,jacky ,pascoe had been working a week past1 and over which they had been cudgelling their brains how to get it lifted and fixed in place4 ,i can send to one of the miners and borrow a couple of ladders4 ,ladders8 ,lord love ye1 sir1 and begging your pardon1 we don't want ladders4 ,with a sling1 ,bill1 hey8--and a couple of tackles4 ,you leave it to we1 sir4 ,he went off to turn over the gear salved from his vessel1 and early next forenoon had the apparatus rigged up and ready4 ,he was obliged to leave it at this point1 having been summoned across to ,falmouth1 to report to his agents4 ,his last words before starting were addressed to his crew4 ,i reckon you can fix it now1 boys4 ,there's only one thing more1 and don't you forget it3 any man that wants to spit must go outside4 ,that afternoon ,taffy learnt for the first time what could be done with a few ropes and pulleys4 ,the seamen seemed to spin ropes out of themselves like spiders4 ,by three o'clock the beam was hoisted and fixed2 and they broke off work to attend their shipmates' funeral4 ,after the funeral they fell to1 again1 though more silently1 and before nightfall the beam shone with a new coat of varnish4 ,they left early next morning1 after a good deal of handshaking1 and ,taffy looked after them wistfully as they turned to wave their caps and trudged away over the rise toward the cross-roads4 ,away to the left in the wintry sunshine1 a speck of scarlet caught his eye against the blue-gray of the town4 ,he watched it as it came slowly toward him1 and his heart leapt--yet not quite as he had expected it to leap4 ,for it was ,george ,vyell4 ,george had lately been promoted to pink and made a gallant figure on his strapping gray hunter4 ,for the first time ,taffy felt ashamed of his working suit and would have slipped back to the church4 ,but ,george had seen him1 and pulled up4 ,hullo6 said he4 ,hullo6 said ,taffy2 and1 absurdly enough1 could find no more to say4 ,how are you getting on8 ,oh1 ,i'm all right4 ,there was another pause4 ,how's ,honoria8 ,oh1 she's all right4 ,i'm riding over there now2 they meet at ,tredinnis to-day4 ,he tapped his boot with his hunting crop4 ,don't you have any lessons now8 asked ,taffy1 after awhile4 ,dear me1 yes2 ,i've got a tutor4 ,he's no good at it4 ,but what made you ask8 ,really ,taffy could not tell4 ,he had asked merely for the sake of saying something4 ,george pulled out a gold watch4 ,i must be getting on4 ,well1 good-by6 ,good-by6 ,and that was all4 ,,xv ,,taffy',s ,,apprenticeship ,they could manage the carpentering now4 ,and ,jacky ,pascoe1 who in addition to his other trades was something of a glazier1 had taken the damaged east window in hand4 ,for six months it had remained boarded up1 darkening the chancel4 ,mr4 ,raymond removed the boards and fixed them up again on the outside1 and the ,bryanite worked behind them night after night4 ,he could only be spied upon through two lancet windows at the west end of the church1 and these they curtained4 ,but what continually bothered them was their ignorance of iron-work4 ,staples1 rivets1 hinges were for ever wanted4 ,at length1 one evening toward the end of ,march1 the ,bryanite laid down his tools4 ,tell 'ee what 'tis1 ,parson4 ,you must send the boy to someone that'll teach 'er smithy-work4 ,there's no sense in this cold hammering4 ,wheelwright ,hocken holds his shop and cottage from the ,squire4 ,why not put the boy to ,mendarva the ,smith1 over to ,benny ,beneath8 ,he's a first-rate workman4 ,that is more than six miles away4 ,no matter for that4 ,there's ,joll's ,farm close by2 ,farmer ,joll would board and lodge 'en for nine shilling a week1 and glad of the chance2 and he could come home for ,sundays4 ,mr4 ,raymond1 as soon as he reached home1 sat down and wrote a letter to ,mendarva the ,smith and another to ,farmer ,joll4 ,within a week the bargains were struck1 and it was settled that ,taffy should go at once4 ,i may be calling before long1 to look you up1 said the ,bryanite1 but mind you do no more than nod when you see me4 ,joll's ,farm lay somewhere near ,carwithiel1 across the moor where ,taffy had gone fishing with ,george and ,honoria4 ,on the ,monday morning when he stepped through the white front gate1 with his bag on his shoulder1 and paused for a good look at the building1 it seemed to him a very comfortable farmstead1 and vastly superior to the tumble-down farms around ,nannizabuloe4 ,the flagged path1 which led up to the front door between great bunches of purple honesty1 was swept as clean as a dairy4 ,a dark-haired maid opened the door and led him to the great kitchen at the back4 ,hams wrapped in paper hung from the rafters1 and strings of onions4 ,the pans over the fireplace were bright as mirrors1 and through the open window he heard the voices of children at play as well as the clacking of poultry in the town-place4 ,i'll go and tell the mistress1 said the maid2 but she paused at the door4 ,i suppose you don't remember me1 now8 ,no1 said ,taffy1 truthfully4 ,my name's ,lizzie ,pezzack4 ,you was with the young lady1 that day1 when she bought my doll4 ,i mind you quite well4 ,but ,i put my hair up last ,easter1 and that makes a difference4 ,why1 you were only a child4 ,i was seventeen last week4 ,and--,i say1 do you know the ,bryanite1 over to ,innis8--,preacher ,jacky ,pascoe8 ,he nodded1 remembering the caution given him4 ,i got salvation off him4 ,master and mis'ess1 they've got salvation too2 but they take it very quiet4 ,they're very fond of one another2 if you please one you'll please both4 ,they let me walk over to prayer-meetin' once a week4 ,but ,i don't go by ,mendarva's shop--that's where you work--though 'tis the shortest way2 because there's a woman buried in the road there1 with a stake through her1 and ,i'm a terrible coward for ghosts4 ,she paused as if expecting him to say something2 but ,taffy was staring at a neck of corn1 elaborately plaited1 which hung above the mantle-shelf4 ,and just then ,mrs4 ,joll entered the kitchen4 ,taffy--without any reason--had expected to see a middle-aged house-wife4 ,but ,mrs4 ,joll was hardly over thirty2 a shapely woman1 with a plain1 pleasant face and auburn hair1 the wealth of which she concealed by wearing it drawn straight back from the forehead and plaited in the severest coil behind4 ,she shook hands4 ,you'll like a drink of milk before ,i show you your room8 ,taffy was grateful for the milk4 ,while he drank it1 the voices of the children outside rose suddenly to shouts of laughter4 ,that will be their father come home1 said ,mrs4 ,joll and going to the side-door called to him4 ,john1 put the children down2 ,mr4 ,raymond's son is here4 ,mr4 ,joll1 who had been galloping round the farmyard with a small girl of three on his back1 and a boy of six tugging at his coat-tails1 pulled up1 and wiped his good-natured face4 ,glad to see you1 said he1 coming forward and shaking hands1 while the two children stared at ,taffy4 ,after a minute1 the boy said1 ,my name's ,bob4 ,come and play horses1 too4 ,farmer ,joll looked at ,taffy shyly4 ,shall we8 ,mr4 ,raymond will be tired enough already1 his wife suggested4 ,not a bit1 declared ,taffy2 and hoisting ,bob on his back1 he set off furiously prancing after the farmer4 ,by dinner-time he and the family were fast friends1 and after dinner the farmer took him off to be introduced to ,mendarva the ,smith4 ,mendarva's forge stood on a triangle of turf beside the high-road1 where a cart-track branched off to descend to ,joll's ,farm in the valley4 ,and ,mendarva was a dark giant of a man with a beard like those you see on the statues of ,nineveh4 ,on ,sundays he parted his beard carefully and tied the ends with little bows of scarlet ribbon2 but on week days it curled at will over his mighty chest4 ,he had one assistant whom he called the ,dane2 a red-haired youth as tall as himself and straighter from the waist down4 ,mendarva's knees had come together with years of poising and swinging his great hammer4 ,he's little1 but he'll grow1 said he1 after eying ,taffy up and down4 ,dane1 come fore and tell me if we'll make a workman of 'en4 ,the ,dane stepped forward and passed his hands over the boy's shoulders and down his ribs4 ,he's slight1 but he'll fill out4 ,good pair o' shoulders4 ,give's hold o' your hand1 my son4 ,taffy obeyed2 not very well liking to be handled thus4 ,hand like a lady's4 ,tidy wrist1 though4 ,he'll do1 master4 ,so ,taffy was passed1 given a leathern apron1 and set to his first task of keeping the forge-fire raked and the bellows going1 while the hammers took up the music he was to listen to for a year to come4 ,this music kept the day merry2 and beyond the window along the bright high-road there was usually something worth seeing--farm-carts1 jowters' carts1 the doctor and his gig1 pedlars and ,johnny-fortnights1 the miller's wagons from the valley-bottom below ,joll's ,farm1 and on ,tuesdays and ,fridays1 the market van going and returning4 ,mendarva knew or speculated upon everybody1 and1 with half the passers-by1 broke off work and passed the time of day1 leaning on his hammer4 ,but down at the farm all was strangely quiet1 in spite of the children's voices2 and at night the quietness positively kept ,taffy awake1 listening to the pur-r of the pigeons in their cote against the house-wall1 thinking of his grandmother awake at home and listening to the tick-tack of her tall clock4 ,often when he woke to the early summer daybreak and saw through his attic-window the gray shadows of the sheep1 still and long1 on the slope above the farmstead1 his ear was wanting something1 asking for something2 for the murmur of the sea never reached this inland valley4 ,and he would lie and long for the chirruping of the two children in the next room and the drawing of bolts and clatter of milk-pails below stairs4 ,he had a plenty to eat1 and that plenty simple and good2 and clean linen to sleep between4 ,the kitchen was his1 except on ,saturday nights1 when ,mrs4 ,joll and ,lizzie tubbed the children there2 and then he would carry his books off to the best parlor1 or stroll around the farm with ,mr4 ,joll and discuss the stock4 ,there were no loose rails in ,mr4 ,joll's gates1 no farm implements lying out in the weather to rust4 ,mr4 ,joll worked early and late1 and his shoulders had a tell-tale stoop--for he was a man in the prime of life1 perhaps some five years older than his wife4 ,one ,saturday evening he unburdened his heart to ,taffy4 ,it happened at the end of the hay-harvest1 and the two were leaning over a gate discussing the yet unthatched rick4 ,what ,i say is1 declared the farmer1 quite inconsequently1 a man must be able to lay his troubles 'pon the ,lord4 ,i don't mean his work1 but his troubles2 and go home and shut the door and be happy with his wife and children4 ,now ,i tell you that for months--iss1 years--after ,bob was born1 ,i kept plaguing mysel' in the fields1 thinking that some harm might have happened to the child4 ,why1 ,i used to make an excuse and creep home1 and then if ,i see'd a blind pulled down1 you wouldn't think how my heart'd go thump2 and ,i'd stand wi' my hand on the door-hapse an' say1 ',if so be the ,lord have took'n1 ,i must go and comfort ,susan--not my will but ,thine1 ,lord--but1 ,lord1 don't 'ee be cruel this time6' ,and then find the cheeld right as ninepence and the blind only pulled down to keep the sun off the carpet6 ,after awhile my wife guessed what was wrong--,i used to make up such poor twiddling pretences4 ,she said1 ',look here1 the ,lord and me'll see after ,bob2 and if you can't keep to your own work without poking your nose into ours1 then ,i married for worse and not for better4' ,then it came upon me that by leaving the ,lord to look after my job ,i'd been treating ,him like a farm-laborer4 ,it's the things you can't help ,he looks after--not the work4 ,a few evenings later there came a knock at the door1 and ,lizzie1 who went to open it1 returned with the ,bryanite skipping behind her4 ,blessings be upon this here house6 he cried1 cutting a sort of double-shuffle on the threshold4 ,he shook hands with the farmer and his wife1 and nodded toward ,taffy4 ,so you've got ,parson ,raymond's boy here6 ,yes1 said ,mrs4 ,joll2 and turned to ,taffy4 ,he've come to pray a bit2 perhaps you would rather be in the parlor8 ,taffy asked to be allowed to stay2 and presently ,mr4 ,pascoe had them all down on their knees4 ,he began by invoking ,god's protection on the household2 but his prayer soon ceased to be a prayer4 ,it broke into ejaculations of praise--,friends1 ,i be too happy to ask for anything--,glory1 glory6 ,the blood6 ,the precious blood6 ,o deliverance6 ,o streams of redemption running6 ,the farmer and his wife began to chime in--,hallelujah6 ,glory6 and ,lizzie ,pezzack to sob4 ,taffy1 kneeling before a kitchen chair1 peeped between his palms and saw her shoulders heaving4 ,the ,bryanite sprang to his feet1 over-turning the settle with a crash4 ,tid'n no use4 ,i must skip4 ,who'll dance wi' me8 ,he held out his hands to ,mrs4 ,joll4 ,she took them1 and skipped once shamefacedly4 ,lizzie1 with flaming cheeks1 pushed her aside4 ,leave me try1 mis'ess2 ,i shall die if ,i don't4 ,she caught the preacher's hands1 and the two leapt about the kitchen4 ,i can dance higher than mis'ess6 ,i can dance higher than mis'ess6 ,farmer ,joll looked on with a dazed face4 ,hallelujah6 ,amen6 he said at intervals1 quite mechanically4 ,the pair stood under the bacon rank and began to whirl like dervishes--hands clasped1 toes together1 bodies leaning back and almost rigid4 ,they whirled until ,taffy's brain whirled with them4 ,with a louder sob1 ,lizzie let go her hold1 and tottered back into a chair1 laughing hysterically4 ,the ,bryanite leaned against the table1 panting4 ,there was a long pause4 ,mrs4 ,joll took a napkin from the dresser and fell to fanning the girl's face1 then to slapping it briskly4 ,get up and lay the table1 she commanded2 the preacher'll stay to supper4 ,thank 'ee1 ma'am1 ,i don't care if ,i do1 said he2 and ten minutes latter they were all seated at supper and discussing the fall in wheat in the most matter-of-fact voices4 ,only their faces twitched1 now and again4 ,i hear you had the preacher down to ,joll's last night1 said ,mendarva the ,smith4 ,what'st think of 'en8 ,i can't make him out1 was ,taffy's colorless but truthful answer4 ,he's a bellows of a man4 ,i do hear he's heating up th' old ,squire ,moyle's soul1 to knack an angel out of 'en4 ,he'll find that a job and a half4 ,you mark my words1 there'll be ,hamlet's ghost over in your parish one o' these days4 ,during work-hours ,mendarva bestowed most of his talk on ,taffy4 ,the ,dane seldom opened his lips1 except to join in the ,anvil ,chorus-- ,here goes one-- ,sing1 sing1 ,johnny6 ,here goes two-- ,sing1 ,johnny1 sing6 ,whack'n till he's red ,whack'n till he's dead ,and whop6 goes the widow with a brand new ring6 and when the boy took a hammer and joined in1 he fell silent4 ,taffy soon observed that a singular friendship knit these two men1 who were both unmarried4 ,mendarva had been a famous wrestler in his day1 and his great ambition now was to train the other to win the ,county belt4 ,often1 after work1 the pair would try a hitch together on the triangle of turf1 with ,taffy for stickler2 ,mendarva illustrating and explaining1 the ,dane nodding seriously whenever he understood1 but never answering a word4 ,afterwards the boy recalled these bouts very vividly--the clear evening sky1 the shoulders of the two big men shining against the level sun as they gripped and swayed1 their long shadows on the grass under which 7as he remembered7 the poor self-murdered woman lay buried4 ,he thought of her at night1 sometimes1 as he worked alone at the forge3 for ,mendarva allowed him the keys and use of the smithy overtime1 in consideration of a small payment for coal1 and then he blew his fire and hammered with a couple of candles on the bench and a ,homer between them2 and beat the long hexameters into his memory4 ,the incongruity of it never struck him4 ,he was going to be a great man1 and somehow this was going to be the way4 ,these scraps of iron--these tools of his forging--were to grow into the arms and shield of ,achilles4 ,in its own time would come the magic moment1 the shield find its true circumference and swing to the balance of his arm1 proof and complete4 ' ' 4 ,,xvi ,,lizzie ,,and ,,honoria ,his apprenticeship lasted a year and six months1 and all this while he lived with the ,jolls1 walking home every ,sunday morning and returning every ,sunday night1 rain or shine4 ,he carried his deftness of hand into his new trade1 and it was ,mendarva who begged and obtained an extension of the time agreed on4 ,rather than lose the boy ,i'll tache 'en for love4 ,so ,taffy stayed on for another six months4 ,he was now in his seventeenth year--a boy no longer4 ,one evening1 as he blew up his smithy fire1 the glow of it fell on the form of a woman standing just outside the window and watching him4 ,he had no silly fears of ghosts2 but the thought of the buried woman flashed across his mind and he dropped his pincers with a clatter4 ',tis only me1 said the woman4 ,you needn't to be afeared4 ,and he saw it was the girl ,lizzie4 ,she stepped inside the forge and seated herself on the ,dane's anvil4 ,i was walking back from prayer-meeting1 she said4 ',tis nigher this way1 but ,i don't ever dare to come4 ,might1 ,i dessay1 if ,i'd somebody to see me home4 ,ghosts8 asked ,taffy1 picking up the pincers and thrusting the bar back into the hot cinders4 ,i dunno2 ,i gets frightened o' the very shadows on the road sometimes4 ,i suppose1 now1 you never walks out that way8 ,which way8 ,why1 toward where your home is4 ,that's the way ,i comes4 ,no1 ,i don't4 ,taffy blew at the cinders until they glowed again4 ,it's only on ,sundays ,i go over there4 ,that's a pity1 said ,lizzie1 candidly4 ,i'm kept in1 ,sunday evenings1 to look after the children while farmer and mis'ess goes to ,chapel4 ,that's the agreement ,i came 'pon4 ,taffy nodded4 ,it would be nice now1 wouldn't it-- ,she broke off1 clasping her knees and staring at the blaze4 ,what would be nice8 ,lizzie laughed confusedly4 ,aw1 you make me say 't4 ,i can't abear any of the young men up to the ,chapel4 ,if me and you---- ,taffy ceased blowing4 ,the fire died down and in the darkness he could hear her breathing hard4 ,they're so rough1 she went on1 ,and t'other night ,i met young ,squire ,vyell riding along the road1 and he stopped me and wanted to kiss me4 ,george ,vyell8 ,surely he didn't8 ,taffy blew up the fire again4 ,iss he did4 ,i don't see why not1 neither4 ,why he shouldn't kiss you8 ,why he shouldn't want to4 ,taffy frowned1 carried the white hot bar to his anvil and began to hammer4 ,he despised girls1 as a rule1 and their ways4 ,decidedly ,lizzie annoyed him3 and yet as he worked he could not help glancing at her now and then1 as she sat and watched him4 ,by and by he saw that her eyes were full of tears4 ,what's the matter8 he asked1 abruptly4 ,i--,i can't walk home alone4 ,i'm afeared4 ,he tossed his hammer aside1 raked out the fire1 and reached his coat off its peg4 ,as he swung round in the darkness to put it on1 he blundered against ,lizzie or ,lizzie blundered against him4 ,she clutched at him nervously4 ,clumsy6 can't you see the doorway8 ,she passed out1 and he followed and locked the door4 ,as they crossed the turf to the highroad1 she slipped her arm into his4 ,i feel safe1 that way4 ,let it stay1 co6 ,after a few paces1 she added1 ,you're different from the others--that's why ,i like you4 ,how8 ,i dunno2 but you be diff'rent4 ,you don't think about girls1 for one thing4 ,taffy did not answer4 ,he felt angry1 ashamed1 uncomfortable4 ,he did not turn once to look at her face1 dimly visible by the light of the young moon--the ,hunter's moon--now sinking over the slope of the hill4 ,thick dust--too thick for the heavy dew to lay--covered the cart-track down to the farm1 muffling their footsteps4 ,lizzie paused by the gate4 ,best go in separate1 she said2 paused again and whispered1 ,you may1 if you like4 ,may do what8 ,what--what young ,squire ,vyell wanted4 ,they were face to face now4 ,she held up her lips1 and as she did so1 they parted in an amorous murmurous little laugh4 ,the moonlight was on her face4 ,taffy bent swiftly and kissed her4 ,oh1 you hurt6 ,with another little laugh1 she slipped up the garden-path and into the house4 ,ten minutes later ,taffy followed1 hating himself4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for the next fortnight he avoided her2 and then1 late one evening1 she came again4 ,he was prepared for this1 and had locked the door of the smithy and let down the shutter while he worked4 ,she tapped upon the outside of the shutter with her knuckles4 ,let me in6 ,can't you leave me alone8 he answered1 pettishly4 ,i want to work1 and you interrupt4 ,i don't want no love-making--,i don't indeed4 ,i'll sit quiet as a mouse4 ,but ,i'm afeared1 out here4 ,nonsense6 ,i'm afeared o' the ghost4 ,there's something comin'--let me in1 co6 ,taffy unlocked the door and held it half open while he listened4 ,yes1 there's somebody coming1 on horseback4 ,now1 look here--it's no ghost1 and ,i can't have you about here1 with people passing4 ,i--,i don't want you here at all2 so make haste and slip away home--that's a good girl4 ,lizzie glided like a shadow into the dark lane as the trample of hoofs drew close1 and the rider pulled up beside the door4 ,you're working late1 ,i see4 ,is it too late to make a shoe for ,aide-de-camp here8 ,it was ,honoria4 ,she dismounted and stood in the doorway1 holding her horse's bridle4 ,no1 said ,taffy2 that is1 if you don't mind the waiting4 ,with his leathern apron he wiped the ,dane's anvil for a seat1 while she hitched up ,aide-de-camp and stepped into the glow of the forge-fire4 ,the hounds took us six miles beyond ,carwithiel3 and there1 just as they lost1 ,aide-de-camp cast his off-hind shoe4 ,i didn't find it out at first1 and now ,i've had to walk him all the way back4 ,are you alone here8 ,yes4 ,who was that ,i saw leaving as ,i came up8 ,you saw someone8 ,yes4 ,she nodded1 looking him straight in the face4 ,it looked like a woman4 ,who was she8 ,that was ,lizzie ,pezzack1 the girl who sold you her doll1 once4 ,she's a servant down at the farm where ,i lodge4 ,honoria said no more for the moment1 but seated herself on the ,dane's anvil1 while ,taffy chose a bar of iron and stepped out to examine ,aide-de-camp's hoof4 ,he returned and in silence began to blow up the fire4 ,i dare say you were astonished to see me1 she remarked at length4 ,yes4 ,i'm still forbidden to speak to you4 ,the last time ,i did it1 grandfather beat me4 ,the old brute6 ,taffy nipped the hot iron savagely in his pincers4 ,i wonder if he'll do it again4 ,somehow ,i don't think he will4 ,taffy looked at her4 ,she had drawn herself up1 and was smiling4 ,in her close riding-habit she seemed very slight1 yet tall1 and a woman grown4 ,he took the bar to the anvil and began to beat it flat4 ,his teeth were shut1 and with every blow he said to himself ,brute6 ,that's beautiful1 ,honoria went on4 ,i stopped ,mendarva1 the other day1 and he told me wonders about you4 ,he says he tried you with a hard-boiled egg and you swung the hammer and chipped the shell all round without bruising the white a bit4 ,is that true8 ,taffy nodded4 ,and your learning--the ,latin and ,greek1 ,i mean2 do you still go on with it8 ,he nodded again1 toward a volume of ,euripides that lay open on the work-bench4 ,and the stories you used to tell ,george and me2 do you go on telling them to yourself8 ,he was obliged to confess that he never did4 ,she sat for awhile watching the sparks as they flew4 ,then she said1 ,i should like to hear you tell one again4 ,that one about ,aslog and ,orm1 who ran away by night across the ice-fields and took a boat and came to an island with a house on it1 and found a table spread and the fire lit1 but no inhabitants anywhere--,you remember8 ,it began ',once upon a time1 not far from the city of ,drontheim1 there lived a rich man----' ,taffy considered a moment and began ,once upon a time1 not far from the city of ,drontheim---- ,he paused1 eyed the horse-shoe cooling between the pincers1 and shook his head4 ,it was no use4 ,apollo had been too long in service with ,admetus1 and the tale would not come4 ,at any rate1 ,honoria persisted1 you can tell me something out of your books3 something you have just been reading4 ,so he began to tell her the story of ,ion1 and managed well enough in describing the boy and how he ministered before the shrine at ,delphi1 sweeping the temple and scaring the birds away from the precincts2 but when he came to the plot of the play and1 looking up1 caught ,honoria's eyes1 it suddenly occurred to him that all the rest of the story was a sensual one and he could not tell it to her4 ,he blushed1 faltered1 and finally broke down4 ,but it was beautiful1 said she1 so far as it went2 and it's just what ,i wanted4 ,i shall remember that boy ,ion now1 whenever ,i think of you helping your father in the church at home4 ,if the rest of the story is not nice1 ,i don't want to hear it4 ,how had she guessed8 ,it was delicious1 at any rate1 to know that she thought of him1 and ,taffy felt how delicious it was1 while he fitted and hammered the shoe on ,aide-de-camp's hoof1 she standing by with a candle in either hand1 the flame scarcely quivering in the windless night4 ,when all was done1 she raised a foot for him to give her a mount4 ,good-night6 she called1 shaking the reins4 ,taffy stood by the door of the forge1 listening to the echoes of ,aide-de-camp's canter1 and the palm of his hand tingled where her foot had rested4 ,,xvii ,,the ,,squire',s ,,weird ,he took leave of ,mendarva and the ,jolls just before ,christmas4 ,the smith was unaffectedly sorry to lose him4 ,but1 said he1 the ,dane will be entered for the ,championship next summer1 so ,i s'pose ,i must look forward to that4 ,everyone in the ,joll household gave him a small present on his leaving4 ,lizzie's was a ,new ,testament1 with her name on the fly-leaf1 and under it ,converted1 ,april #ai1 #ahg-4 ,taffy did not want the gift1 but took it rather than hurt her feelings4 ,farmer ,joll said1 ,well1 wish 'ee well6 ,been pretty comfiable1 ,i hope4 ,now you'm goin'1 ,i don't mind telling 'ee ,i didn't like your coming a bit4 ,but now 'tis wunnerful to me you've been wi' us less'n two year'2 we've made such progress4 ,at home ,taffy bought a small forge and set it up in the church1 at the west end of the north aisle4 ,mr4 ,raymond1 under his direction1 had been purchasing the necessary tools for some months past2 and now the main expense was the cost of coal1 which pinched them a little4 ,but they managed to keep the fire alight1 and the work went forward briskly4 ,save that he still forbade the parish to lend them the least help1 the old ,squire had ceased to interfere4 ,mr4 ,raymond's hair was grayer2 and ,taffy might have observed--but did not--how readily1 toward the close of a day's laborious carpentry1 he would drop work and turn to ,dindorf 's ,poet ,scenici ,grci1 through which they were reading their way4 ,on ,sundays1 the congregation rarely numbered a dozen4 ,it seemed that as the end of the ,vicar's task drew nearer1 so the prospect of filling the church receded and became more shadowy4 ,and if his was a queer plight1 ,jacky ,pascoe's was a queerer4 ,the ,bryanite continued to come by night and help1 but at rarer intervals4 ,he was discomforted in mind1 as anyone could see2 and at length he took ,mr4 ,raymond aside and made confession4 ,i must go away2 that's what 'tis4 ,my burden is too great for me to bear4 ,why1 said ,mr4 ,raymond1 who had grown surprisingly tolerant during the past twelve months1 what cause have you1 of all men1 to feel dejected8 ,you can set the folk here on fire like flax4 ,he sighed4 ,that's azackly the reason--,i can set 'em afire with a breath2 but ,i can't hold 'em under4 ,i make 'em too strong for me--and ,i'm afeard4 ,parson1 dear1 it's the gospel truth2 for two years ,i've a been strivin' agen myself1 wrastlin' upon my knees1 and all to hold this parish in4 ,he mopped his face4 ',tis like fightin' with beasts at ,ephesus1 he said4 ,do you want to hold them in8 ,i do and ,i don't4 ,i've got to try1 anyway4 ,sometimes ,i tell mysel' 'tis putting a hand to the plough and turning back2 and then ,i reckon ,i'll go on4 ,but when the time comes1 ,i can't4 ,i'm afeard1 ,i tell 'ee4 ,he paused4 ,i've laid it before the ,lord1 but ,he don't seem to help4 ,there's two voices inside o' me4 ',tis a terrible responsibility4 ,but the people1 what are you afraid of their doing8 ,i don't know4 ,you don't know what a runaway hoss will do1 but you're afeard all the same4 ,he sank his voice4 ,there's wantonness1 for one thing--six love-children born in the parish this year1 and more coming4 ,they do say that ,vashti ,clemow destroyed her child4 ,and ,old ,man ,johns--him they found dead on the rocks under the ,island--he didn't go there by accident4 ',twas a calm day1 too4 ,as often as not ,taffy worked late--sometimes until midnight--and blew his forge-fire alone in the church1 the tap of his hammer making hollow music in the desolate aisles4 ,he was working thus one windy night in ,february1 when the door rattled open and in walked a totally unexpected visitor--,sir ,harry ,vyell4 ,good-evening6 ,i was riding by and saw your light in the windows dancing up and down4 ,i thought ,i would hitch up the mare and drop in for a chat4 ,but go on with your work4 ,taffy wondered what had brought him so far from his home at that time of night1 but asked no questions4 ,and ,sir ,harry placed a hassock on one of the belfry steps and1 taking his seat1 watched for awhile in silence4 ,he wore his long riding boots and an overcoat with the collar turned up about a neck-cloth less nattily folded than usual4 ,i wish1 he said at length1 that my boy ,george was clever like you4 ,you were great friends once--you remember ,plymouth1 hey8 ,but ,i dare say you've not seen much of each other lately4 ,taffy shook his head4 ,george is a bit wild4 ,oxford might have done something for him2 made a man of him1 ,i mean4 ,but he wouldn't go4 ,i believe in wild oats to a certain extent4 ,i have told him from the first he must look after himself and decide for himself4 ,that's my theory4 ,it makes a youngster self-reliant4 ,he goes and comes as he likes4 ,if he comes home late from hunting1 ,i ask no questions2 ,i don't wait dinner4 ,don't you agree with me8 ,i don't know1 ,taffy answered1 wondering why he should be consulted4 ,self-reliance is what a man wants4 ,couldn't he have learnt that at school8 ,sir ,harry fidgeted with the riding-crop in his hands4 ,well1 you see1 he's an only son----4 ,i dare say it was selfish of me4 ,you don't mind my talking about ,george8 ,taffy laughed4 ,i like it4 ,sir ,harry laughed too1 in an embarrassed way4 ,but you don't suppose ,i rode over from ,carwithiel for that8 ,you're not so far wrong1 though4 ,the fact is--one gets foolish as one grows old--,george went out hunting this morning1 and didn't turn up for dinner4 ,i kept to my rule1 and dined alone4 ,nine o'clock came2 half-past2 no ,george4 ,at ten ,hoskings locked up as usual1 and off ,i went to bed4 ,but ,i couldn't sleep4 ,after awhile1 it struck me that he might be sleeping here over at ,tredinnis2 that is1 if no accident had happened4 ,no sleep for me until ,i made sure2 so ,i jumped out1 dressed1 slipped down to the stables1 saddled the mare and rode over4 ,i left the mare by ,tredinnis great gates and crept down to ,moyle's stables like a house-breaker2 looked in through the window1 and1 sure enough1 there was ,george's gray in the loose box to the right4 ,so ,george is sleeping there1 and ,i'm easy in my mind4 ,no doubt you think me an old fool8 ,but ,taffy was not thinking anything of the sort4 ,i couldn't wish better than that4 ,you understand8 said ,sir ,harry1 slyly4 ,not quite4 ,he lost his mother early4 ,he wants a woman to look after him1 and for him to think about4 ,if he and ,honoria would only make up a match4444 ,and ,carwithiel would be quite a different house4 ,taffy hesitated1 with a hand on the forge-bellows4 ,i dare say it's news to you1 what ,i'm telling4 ,but it has been in my mind this long while4 ,why don't you blow up the fire8 ,i bet ,miss ,honoria has thought of it too2 girls are deep4 ,she has a head on her shoulders4 ,i'll warrant she'd send half a dozen of my servants packing within a week4 ,as it is1 they rob me to a stair4 ,i know it1 and ,i haven't the pluck to interfere4 ,what does the old ,squire say8 ,taffy managed to ask4 ,it has never come to saying anything4 ,but ,i believe he thinks of it1 too1 when he happens to think of anything but his soul4 ,he'll be pleased2 everyone will be pleased4 ,the properties touch1 you see4 ,i see4 ,to tell you the truth1 he's failing fast4 ,this religion of his is a symptom2 all of his family have taken to it in the end4 ,if he hadn't the constitution of a horse1 he'd have been converted ten years before this4 ,what puzzles me is1 he's so quiet4 ,you mark my words--,sir ,harry rose1 buttoned his coat and shook his riding-crop prophetically--he's brewing up for something4 ,there'll be the devil of a flare-up before he has done4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it came with the midsummer bonfires4 ,at nine o'clock on ,st4 ,john's ,eve1 ,mr4 ,raymond read prayers in the church4 ,it was his rule to celebrate thus the vigils of all saints in the ,english calendar and some few ,cornish saints besides2 and he regularly announced these services on the preceding ,sundays2 but no parishioner dreamed of attending them4 ,to-night1 as usual1 he and ,taffy had prayed alone2 and the lad was standing after service at the church door1 with his surplice on his arm 7for he always wore a surplice and read the lessons on these vigils71 when the flame of the first bonfire shot up from the headland over ,innis village4 ,almost on the moment a flame answered it from the point where the lighthouse stood2 and within ten minutes the horizon of the towans was cressetted with these beacon-fires2 surely 7thought ,taffy7 with many more than usual4 ,and he remembered that ,jacky ,pascoe had thrown out a hint of a great revival to be held on ,baal-fire ,night 7as he had called it74 ,the night was sultry and all but windless4 ,for once the tormented sands had rest4 ,the flame of the bonfires shone yellow--orange-yellow--and steady4 ,he could see the dark figures of men and women passing between him and the nearest1 on the high wastrel in front of ,tredinnis great gates4 ,their voices reached him in a confused murmur1 broken now and then by a child's scream of delight4 ,and yet a hush seemed to hang over sea and land3 an expectant hush4 ,for weeks the sky had not rained4 ,day after day1 a dull indigo blue possessed it1 deepening with night into duller purple1 as if the whole heavens were gathering into one big thunder-cloud1 which menaced but never broke4 ,and in the hush of those nights a listener could almost fancy he heard1 between whiles1 the rabbits stirring uneasily in their burrows4 ,by and by1 the bonfire on the wastrel appeared to be giving out specks of light1 which blazed independently2 yet without decreasing its own volume of flame4 ,the sparks came dancing1 nearer and larger2 the voices grew more distinct4 ,the spectators had kindled torches and were advancing in procession to visit other bonfires4 ,the torches1 too1 were supposed to bless the fields they passed across4 ,the procession rose and sank as it came over the uneven ridges like a fiery snake2 topped the nearest ridge and came pouring down past the churchyard wall4 ,at its head danced ,lizzie ,pezzack1 shrieking like a creature possessed1 her hair loose and streaming1 while she whirled her torch4 ,taffy knew these torches2 bundles of canvas steeped in tar and fastened in the middle to a stout stick or piece of chain4 ,lizzie's was fastened to a chain1 and as he watched her uplifted arm swinging the blazing mass he found time to wonder how she escaped setting her hair on fire4 ,other torch-bearers tossed their arms and shouted as they passed4 ,the smoke was suffocating1 and across the patch of quiet graveyard the heat smote on ,taffy's face4 ,but in the crowd he saw two figures clearly--,jacky ,pascoe and ,squire ,moyle2 and the ,bryanite's face was agitated and white in the glare4 ,he had given an arm to the ,squire1 who was clearly the centre of the procession1 and tottered forward with jaws working and cavernous eyes4 ,he's saved6 a voice shouted4 ,others took up the cry4 ,saved6 ,the ,squire's saved6 ,saved to-night--saved to glory6 ,the ,squire paused1 still leaning on the ,bryanite's arm4 ,while the procession swayed around him1 he gazed across the gate1 as a man who had lost his bearings4 ,no glint of torchlight reached his eyes2 but the sight of ,mr4 ,raymond's surpliced figure1 standing behind ,taffy's shoulders in the full glare1 seemed to rouse him4 ,he lifted a fist and shook it slowly4 ,com'st along1 sir6 urged the ,bryanite4 ,but the ,squire stood irresolute1 muttering to himself4 ,com'st along1 sir6 ,lev' me be1 ,i tell 'ee6 ,he laid both hands on the gate and spoke across it to ,mr4 ,raymond1 his head nodding while his voice rose4 ,d'ee hear what they say8 ,i'm saved4 ,i'm the ,squire of this parish1 and ,i'm going to ,heaven4 ,i make no account of you and your church4 ,old ,satan's the fellow ,i'm after1 and ,i'm going to have him out o' this parish to-night or my name's not ,squire ,moyle4 ,that's of it1 ,squire6 ,hunt' en6 ,out with 'en6 ,he turned on the shouting throng4 ,hunt 'en8 ,iss fay ,i will6 ,come along1 boys--back to ,tredinnis6 ,no1 no--this to the ,bryanite--we'll go back4 ,i'll show 'ee sport1 to-night--we'll hunt th'ould ,divvle by scent and view4 ,i'm ,squire ,moyle1 ain't ,i8 ,and ,i've a pack o' hounds1 ha'n't ,i8 ,back1 boys--back1 ,i tell 'ee6 ,lizzie ,pezzack swung her torch4 ,back--back to ,tredennis6 ,the crowd took up the cry1 ,back to ,tredinnis6 ,the old man shook off the ,bryanite's hand1 and as the procession wheeled and re-formed itself confusedly1 rushed to the head of it1 waving his hat-- ,back6--,back to ,tredinnis6 ,god help them1 said ,mr4 ,raymond2 and taking ,taffy by the arm1 drew him back into the church4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the shouting died away up the road4 ,for three-quarters of an hour father and son worked in silence4 ,the reddened sky shed its glow gently through the clear glass windows1 suffusing the shadows beneath the arched roof4 ,and1 in the silence1 the lad wondered what was happening up at ,tredinnis4 99 99 99 99 99 ,jim the ,whip took oath afterward that it was no fault of his4 ,he had suspected three of the hounds for a day or two--,chorister1 ,white1 ,boy1 and ,bellman--and had separated them from the pack4 ,that very evening he had done the same with ,rifler1 who was chewing at the straw in a queer fashion and seemed quarrelsome4 ,he had said nothing to the ,squire1 whose temper had been ugly for a week past4 ,he had hoped it was a false alarm--had thought it better to wait1 and so on4 ,the ,squire went down to the ,kennels with a lantern1 ,jim shivering behind him4 ,they had their horses saddled outside and ready2 and the crowd was waiting along the drive and up by the great gates4 ,the ,squire saw at a glance that two couples were missing1 and in two seconds had their names on his tongue4 ,he was like a madman4 ,he shouted to ,jim to open the doors4 ,better not1 maister6 pleaded ,jim4 ,the old man cursed1 smote him across the neck with the butt-end of his whip1 and unlocked the doors himself4 ,jim1 though half-stunned1 staggered forward to prevent him1 and took another blow which felled him4 ,he dropped across the threshold of ,chorister's kennel1 the doors of all opened outwards1 and the weight of his body kept this one shut4 ,but he saw the other three hounds run out--saw the ,squire turn with a ghastly face1 drop the lantern and run for it as ,white ,boy snapped at his boot4 ,jim heard the crash of the lantern and the snap of teeth1 and with that he fainted off in the darkness4 ,he had cut his forehead against the bars of the big kennel1 and when he came to himself1 one of the hounds was licking his face through the grating4 99 99 99 99 99 ,men told for years' after how the old ,squire came up the drive that night1 hoof to belly2 his chin almost on mare ,nonesuch's neck2 his face like a man's who hears hell cracking behind him2 and of the three dusky hounds which followed 7the tale said7 with clapping jaws and eyes like coach-lamps4 99 99 99 99 99 ,down in the quiet church ,taffy heard the outcry1 and1 laying down his plane1 looked up and saw that his father had heard it too4 ,his mild eyes1 shining through his spectacles1 asked1 as plainly as words3 ,what was that8 ,listen6 ,for a minute--two minutes--they heard nothing more4 ,then out of the silence broke a rapid1 muffled beat of hoofs2 and ,mr4 ,raymond clutched ,taffy's arm as a yell--a cry not human1 or if human1 insane--cut the night like a knife and fetched them to their feet4 ,taffy gained the porch first1 and just at that moment a black shadow heaved itself on the churchyard wall and came hurling over with a thud--a clatter of dropping stones--then a groan4 ,before they could grasp what was happening1 the old ,squire had extricated himself from the fallen mare1 and came staggering across the graves4 ,hide me6---- ,he came with both arms outstretched1 his face turned sideways4 ,behind him1 from the far side of the wall1 came sounds--horrible shuffling sounds1 and in the dusk they saw the head of one of the hounds above the coping and his fore-paws clinging as he strained to heave himself over4 ,save me6 ,save---- ,they caught him by both arms1 dragged him within and slammed the door4 ,save6----sa--6 ,the word ended with a thud as he pitched headlong on the slate pavement4 ,through the barred door1 the scream of the mare ,nonesuch answered it4 7,to be continued47 ,,the ,,foreign ,,mail ,,service ,,at ,,new ,,york ,by ,e4 ,g4 ,chat ,illustration3 ,mail ,arriving in ,foreign ,department4 ,on the left the ,chief ,clerk is checking off the returns from the clerks1 on the right1 who have emptied sacks of mail4 ,new loads are coming in in the rear4 ,steamer's mail666 ,this loud call1 echoing throughout the foreign room in the ,post-office ,building1 is the equivalent of the ,clear ship for action on the man-of-war4 ,instantly distributors leave their separating cases1 stampers abandon their blocks1 the electric stamp-cancelling machine temporarily ceases its humming1 buzzing rattle1 every available clerk or porter gets ready for the fray1 and the whole force charges with alacrity on the fast accumulating pile1 as sack after sack is dumped on a low1 large table1 at times entirely hid from sight by bags with labels indicating their origin1 thousands of miles away1 whether from the confines of ,siberia1 or the shores of the ,indian ,ocean4 ,the sight1 even to men familiar with the work1 is inspiring1 especially when at times two1 and on certain occasions three1 steamers land their cargo of sacks at the same hour4 ,not infrequently this happens when some one thousand and odd sacks have to be made ready for an outgoing steamer1 and then the foreign force is fairly on its mettle1 and may well be compared again to the crew of a battle-ship when it has to fight fire inside and fire from the enemy outside4 ,here again1 as on the battle-ship1 organization and years' training tell4 ,the wagon-loads of sacks melt before the vigorous and steady onslaught as did the ,spanish fleet before ,dewey's guns1 and in a short while the room is cleared and the field-day over4 ,illustration3 ,sea ,post-office ,room4 ,one clerk empties the sacks1 and throws the letter packages to another clerk at the case while he distributes the papers into the sack rack4 ,it would be difficult1 in this great cosmopolitan city of ,new ,york1 to find a person who does not make use of this foreign service1 yet strange to relate is the fact that1 outside of the clerks immediately handling these mails1 hardly anyone can be found who knows1 or even has the slightest idea of the ,international ,postal ,union system4 ,perhaps this is accounted for by the comparatively very recent establishment of said system1 and its growth so immediate and rapid that the public has not so far caught up with it4 ,the system was aptly described by ,postmaster-,general ,gary at the opening of the ,washington ,postal ,congress1 in #ahig1 as one of the grandest projects of the century4 ,no other agency is responsible to such an extent for the tremendous expansion of great ideals and the exchange of views between nations characteristic of the last quarter of this century4 ,previous to #ahge1 when the ,treaty of ,bern1 assented to and ratified by twenty-two nations1 took effect1 the exchange of mails between separate nationalities was done under such difficulties1 and subject to delays and mishaps of so many kinds1 that a normal growth and improvement in keeping with the progress of civilization was out of the question4 ,in #ahdj the foreign mail from ,england for the ,united ,states1 carried on the ,great ,western1 consisted of two sacks of mail4 ,as late as #ahgc a steamer from ,europe with #bj1jjj letters on board was considered a record breaker4 ,to-day the ,cunard steamers and other transatlantic ships carrying what is called a full ,european mail1 usually bring some two hundred thousand letters1 and an average of three hundred sacks of newspapers and printed matter for ,new ,york ,city1 not to mention the five hundred and odd sacks for ,canada1 ,mexico1 and transpacific countries1 and a few ,united ,states exchange offices1 which are now taken direct to the trains and not handled at the ,new ,york office4 ,the working unit of the ,international ,postal ,union system is the ,exchange ,office4 ,each postal administration selects these despatching and receiving centres according to quantity of mail handled at any particular point4 ,in ,european countries many of these offices are on trains from one important point to another1 and are called ,travelling ,exchange offices4 ,they receive and despatch mails in the same manner as offices located in large cities4 ,there are also exchange offices located on steamship lines1 and they are called ,sea ,post-offices4 ,no matter where located1 these offices all conduct business on the same lines1 and handle mail in the same manner throughout the world4 ,the rules and regulations of this service are adopted by ,postal ,congresses1 meeting about every six years and under the general supervision of the ,international ,bureau of the ,postal ,union located at ,bern1 ,switzerland1 and supported by funds from all governments represented in the ,union according to the respective importance of their mail service4 ,illustration3 ,transferring ,mails from an ,ocean ,greyhound to the ,post-office ,boat1 ,postmaster ,general1 through the ,chutes4 ,only through these exchange offices can correspondence go from one country to another1 as no other offices are provided with the clerical force and system necessary to the handling of international mails4 ,it is at times difficult to explain to business people that a ,north ,german ,lloyd steamer calling at ,gibraltar and ,naples will carry mail for ,naples only1 and that a letter addressed to ,gibraltar by that particular steamer cannot be delivered at that port1 but will be carried all the way to ,naples1 whence it will be re-despatched to ,gibraltar through a more or less circuitous route4 ,this is because ,gibraltar is not an exchange office with ,new ,york1 and closed mails are not sent thereto from ,new ,york4 ,a closed mail1 as the name indicates1 is a mail duly tied up1 sealed1 and labelled with the name of the exchange office to which it is sent1 and not to be opened until it gets there1 passing sometimes through four or five countries before reaching its destination4 ,no other kind of mails is carried by steamers1 yet the answer will often be made to inquiries1 that a certain letter would have been sent in open mail to ,london or elsewhere4 ,this does not mean that the mail in which the letter in question would be sent is despatched opened1 but that it is sent in the closed mail for ,london1 there to be opened and disposed of by the ,london clerks1 just as if it had been mailed in ,london4 ,this course is followed with all correspondence for offices abroad1 or even entire countries1 which is not in sufficient quantity to justify the establishment of an exchange2 and the mails for these offices or countries is sent to the foreign exchange office with the best facilities for disposing of it4 ,thus mail for ,liberia will be sent sometimes to ,hamburg1 ,germany1 and at other times to ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,illustration3 ,on ,board the ,postmaster ,general1 at the ,end of the ,chute--,receiving1 ,piling1 and ,checking ,off ,sacks4 ,illustration3 ,some ,sample ,labels from ,abroad4 ,belgian label--string made fast through wooden block with wax seal and a second block of compressed lead4 ,paraguay label--plain linen4 ,austrian label--wooden block1 string sealed with wax4 ,german white leather label4 ,argentine label--strong1 ordinary leather4 ,norwegian label--cardboard--string sealed on back with wax4 ,a closed mail consists of ordinary letters1 printed matter1 and other articles1 and of registered articles4 ,sometimes all these elements will be enclosed in the same sack1 or they may be despatched in separate sacks1 when in sufficient quantity4 ,the registered mail is tied up and sealed in distinctive red-striped sacks1 and then these sacks are enclosed in ordinary mail-sacks1 tied up and labelled in exactly the same manner as the sacks containing ordinary letters1 so that it is impossible to tell from the outside which sack contains registered matter4 ,a mail may consist of one sack only1 containing all classes of correspondence1 or it may be composed of a large number of sacks4 ,in either case it is accompanied by a letter bill1 enclosed in one of the sacks4 ,this letter bill is one of a series beginning on ,january #ast of each year1 being numbered with consecutive numbers to each foreign exchange office4 ,thus when ,naples receives a mail from ,new ,york containing the letter bill numbered #fe1 and the previous mail received at that office had ,letter ,bill ,no4 #fc1 ,naples knows that mail with ,letter ,bill ,no4 #fd is missing1 and immediately notifies ,new ,york of the fact in a form called ,bulletin of ,verification4 ,this form is in use for official correspondence between all offices in the ,postal ,union regarding irregularities of all sorts discovered in the mails of one office for another4 ,a record of the number of each mail and the particulars of its despatch being kept by each office1 the inquiry from ,naples in the above instance would immediately be investigated1 and that office notified that the missing mail had been sent on such a date1 by such a steamer1 etc42 or1 if more was known concerning its fate1 as in the case of the mails sent per ,la ,bourgogne last ,july1 mention would be made of the fact4 ,the ,russian travelling exchange office of ,kibarty to ,st4 ,petersburg frequently receives the mails sent from this office every ,wednesday in inverted order1 that is1 the mail sent by a fast ,white ,star liner at noon on ,wednesday1 may be received a few hours ahead of the mail sent by a slower ,american line steamer which sailed at #aj ,a4,m4 on the same day4 ,the occurrence is so often repeated that one would think it would go unnoticed1 and the ,russian office would wait a few hours anyway before notifying ,new ,york that a mail is missing1 but such is not the case1 and the bulletin ,your mail ,no4 ---- is missing1 is immediately sent to ,new ,york1 followed next day by another bulletin1 ,your mail ,no4 ---- has arrived4 ,at the ,new ,york office the first bulletin is always held until receipt of the second1 which is sure to follow and renders investigation unnecessary2 they are called ,katie didn't1 and ,katie did4 ,many bulletins are received subsequent to the holidays with best wishes for ,christmas or ,new ,year from one office to another4 ,they are mostly all in ,english1 ,french1 or ,spanish1 and are1 at times1 more or less humorous1 if not pathetic1 as was one received from ,martinique about the time ,cervera's ill-fated fleet was hovering near that island4 ,a mail from ,new ,york had just been received at ,st4 ,pierre1 and in one of the sacks the horrified ,french ,director of ,posts had found a cat in the last stages of decomposition4 ,he had sent for the ,american ,consul to view the remains1 and his bulletin to the ,new ,york office regarding this irregularity was a model of official ,french4 ,it stated how the smell of that dead cat had penetrated every corner of his office1 and one could read between the lines that he suspected the whole affair to be a joke played upon him by the ,yankee postal clerks4 ,the event was duly investigated in the ,new ,york office1 but beyond the fact that one member of the numerous pussy tribe in the mail building was missing1 little else could be positively ascertained4 ,that the cat could have been sent in that bag as a joke was not to be thought of for an instant1 but it was presumed that in its wandering among the piles of mail-sacks in the basement1 pussy had found the sack for ,martinique awaiting to be sealed1 and had concluded to take a nap therein4 ,the sack was probably tied up and sealed soon afterward1 and the unwilling stow-away had been sent to the steamer4 ,later on it was reported by the purser of the steamer that he suspected there was something alive in one of the mail-bags1 but such is the respect for postal seals that he never thought to open the sack in the presence of witnesses and release the animal4 ,thrown in the mail-room with other sacks on top of it1 there could be no doubt that poor pussy had been smothered before passing the ,hook1 and his condition when landed at ,martinique must have been such as to fully justify and explain the ill-disguised indignation of the ,french officials4 ,illustration3 ,in the ,newspaper ,division4 ,throwing papers into boxes for all parts of the world4 ,the letter bill describes minutely the mail it accompanies1 states how many sacks of letters1 how many sacks of papers1 and how many articles registered1 describing each registered article separately1 except in cases of heavy registered mails1 when a separate descriptive list is sent in addition to the letter bill4 ,thus it is easy for the office of destination to verify the mail it receives and ascertain whether any is missing4 ,small closed mails are at times enclosed inside of closed mails for other offices2 for instance1 the mails made up at ,paris for ,guatemala are in a sack duly sealed and labelled as aforesaid1 but this sack is put inside of one of the bags for the ,new ,york office1 and in such cases the fact is noted on the letter bill sent with the ,new ,york mail4 ,illustration3 ,samples of ,ordinary ,letters4 ,for ,government of ,simbursk1 ,russia4 ,for ,finland4 ,for ,hungary4 ,the business of the foreign clerks when a foreign mail is received in the manner described in our first lines is to open promptly every sack received1 inspect and dispose of contents1 and report to the chief clerk the result from each sack thus opened4 ,each clerk takes hold of one of the sacks piled on the table1 and throws it on another table used for opening the mails4 ,he cuts open the fastenings1 keeping the label separate1 and also the letter-bill1 if he happens to find it in the sack2 if several classes of mail matter are found therein1 he pushes the ordinary letters over to one side1 sweeps the newspapers into large four-wheeled baskets near by1 takes to another place the smaller enclosed mails addressed to other offices1 and lays the registered sack on the chief clerk's desk1 where a man from the registry division will receive it and give a receipt for it4 ,the clerk then calls out to the chief clerk the result of his examination1 ,lisbon-,reg4-,bill and #a ,honolulu--which means that in the sack just opened he found the mail from ,lisbon for ,new ,york with the letter-bill1 registered articles and a smaller closed mail for ,honolulu4 ,like the rattle of musketry these calls are fired at the chief clerk1 who marks everything on a tally-sheet1 which will later on be compared with the advices received from the foreign offices on each letter-bill2 and if any discrepancy is found it will be investigated1 resulting in a bulletin of verification to office of origin1 or in something worse for the foreign clerk who made an erroneous announcement of the contents1 if the fault is laid to him4 ,in a few minutes1 sometimes an hour or more1 an entire mail is opened and the room cleared1 the registry man getting away to his department with all the registered mails1 and the newspaper force wheeling away the baskets full of newspapers and packages4 ,the letters are then divided into four parts--those for ,new ,york ,city proper1 those for the rest of the ,united ,states and ,canada1 those for foreign countries which have been sent in open mail to ,new ,york1 and those which are unpaid or partially prepaid4 ,many foreign offices make a separation of the mails for ,new ,york ,city from those for other places1 but this is a matter of accommodation and reciprocal arrangements between exchange offices2 and the work of separation is1 strictly speaking1 that of the foreign clerks in any office4 ,the newspapers are treated in the same manner as the letters4 ,all city mail is then sent to the city department for final distribution and delivery1 and that for other parts of the ,united ,states and ,canada is sent to the domestic mail division for despatch4 ,all letters and mail addressed to other countries are retained in the foreign division1 and included in the next mail for these countries4 ,the unpaid and short-paid mail is rated up before delivery to other divisions4 ,this mail is put up under distinctive labels4 ,the despatching offices have marked on each article the amount of deficiency in prepayment4 ,no matter where originating1 this amount is marked in ,french money 7centimes74 ,the letter ,t 7initial of ,french word tax7 is also stamped on covers4 ,the foreign clerks at the receiving office calculate1 in the money of their country1 the amount of deficiency and double it up1 stamping this charge on the covers for collection by office of delivery4 ,illustration3 ,despatching a ,mail--,sacks ,loaded on ,trucks4 ,despatching clerk1 on the left1 tallying off mails1 sack by sack4 ,foreign mails are delivered to trucks sent by the ,steamship ,companies and are receipted for at the door of ,new ,york ,post ,office4 ,this work1 and also that of separating ,new ,york mail and mail for the principal ,states and cities1 is done by the sea post-offices in steamers of the ,north ,german ,lloyd1 ,hamburg-,american1 and ,american ,lines2 and when mails are received by either of these steamers they are ready for delivery in a much shorter time than when received by other vessels4 ,in addition to the sea post-office service1 the transfer service has also in the last two or three years materially reduced the work at the foreign department in the ,new ,york office4 ,no sooner has the ticker reported the ,campania or other big liner off ,fire ,island than a veteran of the transportation department1 accompanied by a few clerks and porters1 hastens to the foot of ,cortlandt ,street and boards the ,postmaster-,general1 the flag-ship of the post-office fleet4 ,the boat was built for this service1 and is equipped with spacious mail-rooms1 chutes for transboarding sacks1 and other expediting appliances4 ,steam is up1 and she is off down the bay to meet the big steamer4 ,she makes fast to her sides1 and the mails are received aboard through the chutes1 while the clerks check and verify the number received on a sort of invoice called way bill1 prepared by the ,london1 ,havre1 or sea post-office4 ,frequently the passengers are still awaiting the quarantine doctor while the mails are speeding on their way to the ,battery1 where the ,new ,york ,city sacks are landed2 then to the ,pennsylvania ,railroad1 then to the foot of ,forty-second ,street1 where wagons await the mails for the ,grand ,central ,depot4 ,thus a great saving in time is often made1 while formerly the whole mail went first to the docks of the several transatlantic lines1 then by wagons to the ,general ,post-,office1 then again by wagons to the different depots4 ,when the mails are handled by sea post-offices during the sea-trip1 they generally arrive ready for the trains1 and little but what is for ,new ,york ,city proper comes to the general office2 but the large and heavy mails on the ,cunard and ,white ,star ,lines1 also on the ,french ,line1 are not thus assorted1 and fully two-thirds has to come to the foreign division to be handled as previously described4 ,we have explained to a great extent so far what seems to pertain to the incoming mails only2 but we said at the start that the foreign mail is worked throughout the world in every exchange office very much after the same pattern1 and it will now be easier to explain the handling of mail going from the ,united ,states to other countries4 ,there are in the ,united ,states several exchange offices besides ,new ,york1 but1 with the exception of ,new ,orleans and ,san ,francisco1 the mails they make up consist only of matter originating at each of these offices4 ,mail for some of the ,central ,american republics is sent to ,new ,orleans1 and mail for transpacific countries goes mostly to ,san ,francisco4 ,all other mail1 no matter where dropped in the letter-box1 comes to the ,new ,york office through the instrumentality of the ,railway ,mail ,service4 ,letters for abroad are tied up in bundles1 and labelled ,new ,york ,foreign4 ,some of the railway mail offices make a preliminary separation by countries1 and many bundles reach ,new ,york labelled ,russia1 ,switzerland1 etc42 but as there are many exchange offices in these foreign countries1 these bundles have again to be opened at ,new ,york1 and assorted1 although this first separation facilitates the process4 ,the bundles are cut open1 and the letters are all passed through the electric machine or stamped by hand1 the back-stamp thus impressed showing their date of arrival in ,new ,york4 ,this is not done with letters originating in ,new ,york ,city1 the date and time of mailing being in that case shown in the stamp-mark cancelling the postage-stamps1 and being held sufficient for records4 ,the mail having been back-stamped1 goes on a low shelf in front of each distributor1 and is then assorted according to destination4 ,the separating case consists of nine rows of boxes1 ten boxes in each row4 ,many of the boxes bear the names of exchange offices in ,europe or those reached by steamers for ,europe4 ,there are also boxes for other parts of the world1 in which letters are deposited to be later on taken to another special separating case for these countries4 ,in each separating case there is a box where unpaid or short-paid letters are deposited4 ,a special clerk takes them out1 weighs them1 marks thereon the deficient postage1 and stamps them ,t1 when they are assorted on a separate case and tied up in bundles under labels indicating that the contents of the bundles consist of short-paid mail4 ,they go in the same sacks as ordinary letters4 ,when a box bearing the name of an exchange office is full 7about one hundred and fifty letters71 the contents are taken out1 divided into two parts1 the largest letters being laid across both parts1 and the whole is tied up in a sheet of strong manila paper4 ,string is not spared in this process1 and so securely and strongly are these packages tied that they have been known to remain in the water for days and weeks at times1 and when found1 with the exception of the top letters and the edges1 they were yet in a condition to permit delivery to persons for whom they were intended4 ,many people1 no doubt1 some weeks after the ,elbe disaster1 remember having received letters with a paster attached1 stating that the letter had been found in the ,north ,sea1 in a bag originating in ,norway and sunk with the ,elbe4 ,this was the only sack of mail ever recovered from that steamer4 ,the same was true of the mail recovered from the ,oregon1 sacks being found far down the ,jersey coast days after the wreck of that steamer1 and forwarded to ,new ,york1 where1 after being dried1 most of the letters were found to be deliverable4 ,the package thus wrapped and tied is labelled with the printed name of the exchange office for which its contents are intended1 and thrown into a large basket4 ,when the basket is full1 it is wheeled over to the pouching rack1 an iron frame divided into sections1 each section bearing the name of an exchange office1 and provided with four hooks which hold open a mail sack4 ,the pouching clerk takes the packages of letters1 reads the labels thereon1 and throws them into the proper sack4 ,when full 7about seventy-five pounds71 the sack is taken down and ready for tying and sealing up4 ,the last sack taken down receives the letter-bill for the exchange office of destination4 ,the sack is tied1 and a label bearing the name of the office for which it is destined is inserted in the string4 ,after several turns have been taken1 both ends of the string are passed through the holes at the bottom of a small tin cup which is subsequently filled with hot wax1 so that the string cannot be removed without its being cut open 7see illustration on page #ga74 ,in this country labels made of good ,holland linen are used fresh for each sack4 ,in other countries other material is employed1 some using leather1 some wood1 some strong cardboard4 ,the return of labels of any value is generally requested1 and they are used over and over until worn out4 ,great ,britain does not use labels of any kind1 but has the address of each sack stencilled on the sack itself1 thus3 ,london for ,new ,york4 ,this1 of course1 renders the sack useless for any other service4 ,in the ,united ,states the labels are white for letter sacks1 buff for papers1 and cardinal red for registered mails4 ,the newspapers are assorted in the basement of the ,post-office1 very much in the same fashion as letters1 but they are not tied up in bundles4 ,the separating cases into which they are thrown are so made that a sack hanging at the lower end of the box receives the mail thrown therein1 and when full1 it is ready for tying1 labelling1 and sealing up4 ,in this department are received the queerest odds and ends going through the mails to foreign countries1 newspapers especially being selected to hide in their folds sundry articles of every description sent to friends in the auld country4 ,jewelry1 from the penny kind to really valuable articles1 handkerchiefs galore1 baby's dressing outfits1 rattlesnake skins1 plugs of tobacco1 cucumbers--these and many other curios of every description are found and stopped4 ,if the address of the sender appears on the package1 it is returned to him direct4 ,otherwise it goes to the ,dead ,letter ,office1 where it is kept a certain length of time awaiting to be claimed4 ,the unclaimed part is finally sold at auction4 ,in the letter department there are also curiosities1 but of another kind4 ,the greatest part of the letters addressed to ,santa ,claus in ,greenland1 or other ,northern lands1 are treated by the foreign clerks4 ,there are also many mysteries to be unravelled in the queer hieroglyphics which are supposed to be the addresses of letters1 especially those going to ,russia1 ,turkey1 ,hungary1 and even ,italy4 ,clerks of the foreign department are not linguists2 but the same characters recurring so constantly soon appear familiar1 and they experience no trouble in boxing the letters to the proper office4 ,when a mail has closed1 no more letters or papers are put in the assorting boxes1 but everything that was there is taken out1 tied1 labelled1 and sacked4 ,the letter-bills are then prepared1 and after all the sacks are sealed the way-bills are made up in duplicate copies4 ,a full ,european mail via ,queenstown or via ,southampton averages nine to twelve hundred sacks1 fully two-thirds of which have been made up in the ,new ,york office4 ,the way-bill describes this large mail only as so many letter-sacks and so many paper-sacks from the ,new ,york office1 or the ,chicago1 or other office of origin1 for ,paris1 or for ,dublin1 etc41 and when the steamers land the mail at its port of arrival1 the way-bills are used to check and verify the number of sacks landed4 ,one copy of the way-bill is returned to ,new ,york with a receipt from the official at the port of destination1 and the responsibility of this office for the mails ceases4 ,their further transportation will be the business of the administration which has received them4 ,the ,parcels ,post system is also taken care of by the clerks of the foreign department1 but as it is a system based on special conventions or agreements between any two countries1 it is not within the sphere of an article relating to the international mail service as regulated by the ,postal ,union ,conventions4 ,the exchange of large parcels1 however1 as well as of ordinary correspondence1 is one of the improvements which remain for future postal congresses to introduce in the system4 ,at present1 the ,united ,states parcels' post exchange is confined to the ,west ,indies1 ,central ,america1 ,mexico1 ,hawaii1 and ,newfoundland4 ,ordinary merchandise not exceeding eleven pounds can be forwarded under that system for twelve cents a pound4 ,illustration3 ,united ,states ,system of ,tying1 ,sealing1 and ,labelling ,sacks4 ,the general supervision over all ,american exchange offices is centred in the ,office of ,foreign ,mails1 in ,washington1 but the fact that over ninety per cent4 of foreign mail matter is handled1 or passes through the ,new ,york office would make exceedingly advantageous1 especially for business interests all over the country1 the transfer to ,new ,york of the supreme direction of that service4 ,many times questions have to be decided and steps taken at short notice1 delay being the great bugaboo of postal officials1 and in such cases constant and daily touch with a system ever increasing and improving would be of incalculable benefit4 ,the ,new ,york force1 however1 is so well trained1 its superintendents and clerks are so completely acquainted with every detail of the system1 that so far the business world has not suffered from the present arrangement4 ,it certainly has not gained4 ,a flattering testimonial of this efficiency of the ,new ,york foreign force is found in a report to his government of the ,new ,zealand ,postal ,agent residing at ,san ,francisco and in charge of the important ,british-,australian ,mail ,service4 ,i find1 says he1 that the ,new ,york officials are extremely anxious to make the best connections and are indefatigable in their efforts to expedite the transfer of mails4 ,messrs4 ,maze and ,boyle1#a ,superintendent and ,assistant ,superintendent of mails in ,new ,york ,city1 are particularly energetic and watchful1 and no stone is left unturned at that office to further our interests in that direction1 and the mails are often transferred to tugs and sent after the ,atlantic liners when late4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,lately appointed ,post-office ,inspector4 ,,nemesis ,vicisti1 ,galilo ,i ,above the fallen sculpture ,of the pantheon of the ,past1 ,one haggard face looks heavenward ,a challenge to the last4 ,behold that levelling ,,nemesis1 ,who rears her balance still1 ,scorning a ,good that flowers ,from roots of good and ill3 ,a ,tonic from the mixture ,of mortal gall and balm6 ,a foam of their equation-- ,fume of waste and compensation1 ,which the ,cup of trituration ,wreathes with victory and calm6 ,but oh1 thou ruthless goddess1 ,with never-favoring eyes1 ,is ,heaven so poor that justice ,metes the bounty of the skies8 ,so poor that every blessing ,fills the debit of a cost6 ,that all process is returning1 ,and all gain is of the lost6 ,how shalt thou poise the courage ,that covets all things hard8 ,how pay the love unmeasured ,that could not brook reward8 ,how prompt self-loyal honor-- ,supreme above desire1 ,that bids the strong die for the weak1 ,the martyr sing in fire8 ,why do ,i droop in bower1 ,and sigh in sacred hall8 ,why stifle under shelter1 ,yet where through forest tall ,the rime of hoary winter ,in stinging spray resolves1 ,i sing to the northwind's fury1 ,and shout with the starving wolves8 ,up through a hundred tumults ,i won to fields of peace3 ,a veteran scarred and grizzled1 ,on furlough1 or release4 ,i roam the heights of freedom1 ,and through the mists of death ,i hail the thrones supernal ,with bold and jovial breath4 ,what of thy priests confuting ,of fate1 and form and law-- ,of being and essence1 and counterpoise ,of poles that drive and draw8 ,ever a compensation-- ,some pandering purchase still6 ,but the vehm of achieving reason ,is the all-patrician ,,will6 ,,ii ,lo6 where the world is quiet ,that heeds not me1 nor thee1 ,i watch while the healing planets ,refreshen the brackish sea2 ,my vision of hope and progress ,has passed with thin day-light1 ,and the ,,same1 in its ancient splendor1 ,is new in the blooming night3 ,then swathe thy locks with shadows1 ,and poppied wreaths entwine1 ,and steep in thy pagan nectar ,the nightshade's 'trancing vine3 ,yet a voice shall pierce thy stupor1 ,and thou shalt not forget3 ,my locks1 which the dews have laden1 ,with drops of the night are wet4444 ,take thought for no to-morrow6444 ,let the dead bury their dead6444 ,what boots it that ,,immanuel hath ,not where to lay ,his head6 ,,iii ,sorrow no more nor glory ,shall toss my even beam4 ,rest1 rest thy weary balance6 ,i am dreaming of the dream ,wherein neither pain nor pleasure-- ,wherein neither toil nor treasure-- ,wherein neither guess nor measure ,may be1 nor yet may seem1-- ,a dream of life ,ideal1 ,that knows its own control1-- ,whose ends are at the centre1 ,and whose balance is the whole4 ,,daniel ,,webster ,,with ,,unpublished ,,manuscripts ,,and ,,some ,,examples ,,of ,,his ,,preparation ,,for ,,public ,,speaking ,by ,george ,f4 ,hoar ,in one respect ,daniel ,webster is the most striking figure in our history1 and one of the few most striking figures in all history4 ,that is1 in the impression he made on everybody--that1 great as were his achievements1 he was himself greater than his greatest achievement4 ,franklin1 ,webster1 and ,emerson are the three great ,new ,englanders4 ,each of them was a great public teacher4 ,if ,webster did not lack1 at least he did not manifest1 ,franklin's wonderful common-sense1 as applied to common things and common life4 ,he had not ,emerson's profound spiritual discernment or wonderful poetic instinct4 ,but his intellect seems like a vast quarry4 ,when you have excavated the great rocks at the surface1 you know there is an inexhaustible supply left4 ,when he died1 the people felt as if the corner-stone of the ,capitol had been removed2 as if the elephant had died that bore the universe on its back4 ,emerson's portraiture of ,webster at ,bunker ,hill is made up of a few strokes4 ,but it reveals the whole secret4 ,great as were the things that ,webster said1 profound as was his reasoning1 lofty as are the flights of his imagination1 stirring as are his appeals to the profoundest passions of his countrymen1 there is a constant feeling that ,jove is behind these thunderbolts4 ,that is the contrast between him and so many other orators4 ,even in ,choate and ,phillips you are admiring the phrase and the elocution1 and not the men4 ,in ,webster you are thinking of the man1 and not the phrases4 ,the best things that he said do not seem to his listener to be superior1 and rarely seem to his listener to be equal1 to the man who said them4 ,there is plenty of reserve power behind-- 444 ,half his strength he put not forth1 but checked ,his thunder in mid-volley4 ,emerson also said of him1 ,his strength was like the falling of a planet2 his discretion1 the return of its due and perfect curve4 ,nothing certainly can be more profitable for youth who desire to cultivate the capacity for public speaking for the purpose of addressing juries1 legislative bodies1 or popular assemblies1 than the study of the style1 the delivery1 and the method of preparation of him whom nearly all his countrymen think the foremost ,american orator1 and whom many of them think the foremost orator who ever spoke the ,english tongue4 ,many admirable critics have dealt with these topics4#b ,mr4 ,winthrop has told1#c in his own delightful way1 the story of one of ,webster's compositions1 famous at the time1 now almost forgotten4 ,mr4 ,winthrop says also truly of ,daniel ,webster3 ,daniel ,webster1 unlike ,everett or ,choate1 was all deliberation1 both in matter and manner4 ,i do not believe that it ever occurred to him what gestures he should make1 or that he ever remembered what gestures he had made4 ,his words seemed to flow spontaneously and often slowly1 whether from his lips or his pen1 as from a profound and exhaustless reservoir of thought4 ,of him it might be1 and perhaps often has been1 said3 444 ,deep on his front engraven ,deliberation sat1 and public care4 ,he says of ,webster's eloquence that it was the eloquence of clear1 cogent argument1 and of occasional deep emotion1 expressed in clear1 forcible ,saxon words--sometimes adorned by most felicitous quotations and sometimes by magnificent and matchless metaphors4 ,james ,parton says3 ,he discovered1 he says1 that the value as well as the force of a sentence depends chiefly upon its meaning1 not its language1 and that great writing is that in which much is said in a few words1 and those words the simplest that will answer the purpose4 ,having made this notable discovery1 he became a great eraser of adjectives1 and toiled after simplicity and directness4 ,edward ,everett1 who knew ,mr4 ,webster very intimately1 says3 ,perhaps the noblest bursts--the loftiest flights1 the last and warmest tints of his discourses of this kind--were the unpremeditated inspiration of the moment of delivery4 ,i suppose1 from all ,i can gather1 that ,mr4 ,webster1 with very few exceptions indeed1 committed to writing nothing but the heads of his speeches4 ,but they were1 nearly all of them1 upon subjects constantly in his thoughts4 ,he had undoubtedly matured sentences and phrases which came to his mind in leisure moments1 and which came to his memory under the stimulant of great occasions and great audiences1 in addressing juries or public assemblies or the ,senate1 with which he ornamented his discourses1 or strengthened his argument4 ,most of the speeches we have only as they came to us in the imperfect reporting of the time4 ,some of them1 like the oration at ,plymouth1 he probably revised carefully before they were published4 ,we have his own testimony that this was true of the well-known morning drum-beat passage in the speech on the ,president's ,protest4 ,still1 the testimony is abundant that some of his best passages must have come from an inspiration while he was upon his feet4 ,mr4 ,winthrop gives an account of one2 ,mellen ,chamberlain1 a most accomplished critic and observer1 another4 ,and there are plenty of others floating about4 ,judge ,chamberlain says one thing of him1 which ,i dare say may have been said before and since4 ,it explains ,webster's influence over his auditors and over posterity4 ,he says3 ,he was perfectly sane1 and it may be the most perfectly sane orator who ever spoke ,english4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i have in my possession a good many of ,mr4 ,webster's manuscripts1 including his preparations for speeches1 letters from him to intimate friends and from his intimate friends to him1 a good many bound volumes of political pamphlets1 some of them with the autographs of famous authors1 and some of his books4 ,from these ,i select a few which relate to important and interesting events in his life1 or throw some additional light upon his habit and method of preparation for public speaking1 adding some explanation and comment4 ,one of the greatest debates in our parliamentary history1 only surpassed in importance in ,mr4 ,webster's public life by the debate with ,hayne on ,foot's ,resolution and the debate on the ,compromise measures in ,march1 #ahej1 is the debate on the ,sub-,treasury in the early part of the year #ahch4 ,silas ,wright introduced the ,sub-,treasury ,bill ,january #af1 #ahch4 ,january #cj1 #ahch1 the bill came on for a second reading1 and ,mr4 ,wright made an elaborate speech in its support4 ,the next day ,mr4 ,webster spoke4 ,his speech1 which is wholly a reply to ,wright1 makes no allusion whatever to ,mr4 ,calhoun4 ,it is reported in the fourth volume of his works1 page #dcb4 ,i have before me ,mr4 ,webster's notes of preparation for that speech4 ,they constitute a mere brief1 all included on six pages of letter-paper1 and mostly consisting of mere catch-words4 ,the first sentence or two1 however1 indicate the difference between ,webster and the supporters of the ,sub-,treasury3 ,let the government attend to its own business2 and let the people attend to theirs4 ,let the government take care of the currency for its own revenue2 for all other purposes1 let it leave it to the ,states and to the people4 ,ominous and disheartening sentences4 ,yet the whole spirit of the ,administration and of this bill4 ,there is no hint in these notes1 except the above1 of any of the eloquent and weighty sentences with which the speech abounds4 ,february #ae1 #ahch1 ,mr4 ,calhoun spoke on the ,independent ,treasury ,bill4 7,see1 for this speech1 his ,works1 vol4 #c1 page #bjb47 ,he makes an allusion to one of ,mr4 ,webster's arguments1 viz41 his claim that the government should furnish paper currency4 ,but the speech contains nothing personal or calculated to excite challenge and reply4 ,march #aj1 #ahch1 ,calhoun makes a second speech on the same bill 7reported1 ,works1 vol4 #c1 page #bdd74 ,that speech1 also1 contains hardly any allusion to ,mr4 ,webster4 ,it is devoted almost wholly to a reply to ,clay1 between whom and ,calhoun a very angry personal altercation had arisen4 ,march #ab1 #ahch1 ,mr4 ,webster delivered his second speech on the ,sub-,treasury1 which is reported in his ,works1 vol4 #d1 page #dbd4 ,it occupies seventy-six pages there4 ,of this1 the last thirty-three are a reply to ,mr4 ,calhoun4 ,calhoun said in his answer1 which was made on the #bb;d of the same month1 that ,webster delivered this part of his speech with great vehemence1 and evidently considered it the most important portion of his remarks4 ,so much of the speech as is a reply to ,mr4 ,calhoun1 however1 deals chiefly with a speech made by him at the extra session in ,september1 #ahcg1 and with a letter known as the ,edgefield ,letter1 written by ,mr4 ,calhoun to his constituents in the vacation4 ,i have ,mr4 ,webster's entire preparation for this speech4 ,it is in ,webster's handwriting1 and consists of eight heads1 all on one page of a sheet of small note-paper1 labelled on the back1 in ,webster's handwriting1 ,heads of my speech on the ,sub-,treasury1 and is as follows3 ,no4 #a4 ,general state of the country and credit system4 ,no4 #b4 ,our pecuniary condition and question of excess4 ,no4 #c4 ,is the measure suited to the condition of the country8 ,no4 #d4 ,is it a just exercise of our powers8 ,no4 #e4 ,mr4 ,c4's speech1 ,september #ai4 ,no4 #f4 ,mr4 ,c4's letter1 ,november #c4 ,no4 #g4 ,mr4 ,c4's speech1 ,february #ae4 ,no4 #h4 ,identity of commerce4 ,besides this1 ,mr4 ,webster wrote out the concluding part of the speech in twenty-one pages of a rather small letter-paper1 of which ,i have the last eight1 which correspond to about three of the seventy-six pages which the whole speech occupies in the printed report4 ,this part seems to have been corrected again and again4 ,a fac-simile of a part of one of these pages is here given1 showing how careful was ,mr4 ,webster's revision and correction4 ,the whole page runs3 ,sir1 the spirit of ,union is particularly liable to temptation1 seduction1 in moments of peace prosperity4 ,in war1 this spirit is strengthened1 by a sense of common danger1 by a thousand recollections of ancient efforts1 ancient glory1 in a common cause4 ,in the calms of a long peace1 the absence of all apparent causes of great alarm1 things near gain an ascendancy over things remote4 ,local interests feelings overshadow national sentiments4 ,our attention1 our regard1 our attachment1 are ever more solicited to what touches us closest1 feel less and less the attraction of a distant orb4 ,such tendencies1 we are bound by true patriotism1 by our love of union1 to resist4 ,mr4 ,calhoun replied to this speech of ,webster1 ,march #bb1 #ahch1 in a speech reported in his ,works1 vol4 #c1 pages #bgi-ccj4 ,calhoun had both ,webster and ,clay on his hands in this debate4 ,he certainly bore himself with great courage and ability4 ,the ,south had no reason to be ashamed of her champion1 so far as this was a struggle of pure intellect4 ,when ,calhoun got through1 ,webster instantly rose and answered him in the speech beginning with the famous passage about carrying the war into ,africa1 reported in ,webster's ,works1 vol4 #d1 page #ejj1 but not found in the ,globe4 ,the ,globe at that time was a weekly paper1 containing very imperfect reports of the daily debates in the ,senate4 ,an appendix was published at the end of the session1 which had some of the more important speeches written out from the reporters' notes or from other sources1 probably under the supervision of their authors4 ,this speech ended the discussion between ,calhoun and ,webster on this particular measure1 although the debates on financial and other questions for several preceding and succeeding years make1 in substance1 but one long debate between these two famous champions1 in which the whole issue between ,north and ,south1 slavery and freedom1 ,state rights and national powers1 was under discussion4 ,illustration3 ,fac-simile of a part of one of the concluding pages of ,webster's draft of his speech in reply to ,calhoun1 ,march #ab1 #ahch4 ,one passage in this speech explains the following note here given in fac-simile1 from ,john ,tyler to ,mr4 ,webster1 his ,secretary of ,state1 written when ,jackson broke the silence of the ,hermitage3 ,illustration3 ,the old ,lion still roars4 ,see ,genl4 ,jackson's letter among those which are sent4 ,j4 ,t4 ,on the broad surface of the country1 ,sir1 there is a spot called 'the ,hermitage4' ,in that residence is an occupant very well known1 and not a little remarkable both in person and character4 ,suppose1 ,sir1 the occupant of the ,hermitage were now to open that door1 enter the ,senate1 walk forward1 and look over the chamber to the seats on the other side4 ,be not frightened1 gentlemen2 it is but fancy's sketch4 ,suppose he should thus come in among us1 ,sir1 and see into whose hands has fallen the chief support of that administration1 which was1 in so great a degree1 appointed by himself1 and which he fondly relied on to maintain the principles of his own4 ,if gentlemen were now to see his steady military step1 his erect posture1 his compressed lips1 his firmly knitted brow1 and his eye full of fire1 ,i cannot help thinking1 ,sir1 they would all feel somewhat queer4 ,there would be1 ,i imagine1 not a little awkward moving and shifting in their seats4 ,they would expect soon to hear the roar of the lion1 even if they did not feel his paw4 ,this speech ,mr4 ,everett declared to be the ablest and most effective of ,mr4 ,webster's speeches on the currency4 ,lord ,overstone1 than whom there was never a higher authority upon finance in ,england1 produced a copy of it before a committee of the ,house of ,commons1 by whom he was examined1 and said it was one of the ablest and most satisfactory discussions of these subjects he had ever seen4 ,he afterward spoke of ,mr4 ,webster as a master who had instructed him upon these matters4 ,there are notes of a speech on the currency which occupy two pages and three and one-half lines of common letter-paper4 ,the two sentences at the close sum up not only ,webster's final conclusion after a life of reflection upon the subject1 but1 ,i believe1 the final conclusion of the country as to the great doctrine of protection4 ,the sacrifice made by reducing prices must necessarily fall on labor4 ,if price of cotton reduced1 at home1 may be not abroad4 ,so other articles4 ,but labor is fixed down to the place4 ,if you reduce its price1 it has no escape4 ,the whole result1 then1 of reducing cost of production comes merely to this--that the capitalist shall manufacture at a less price1 and deduct the loss in price from the labor of his workmen4 ,this is the whole of it4 ,i am for protecting labor4 ,i am for enabling it to clothe itself well1 feed itself well1 and educate itself4 ,i am desirous of giving to labor here1 in its competition with capital1 advantages which it does not possess elsewhere4 ,every man1 who contemplates reduction1 must survey the condition of other countries1 with which we have great intercourse4 ,mr4 ,webster went to ,washington to attend the session of ,december1 #ahcb1 under the burden of a great responsibility4 ,he had borne his share in the great debate in which he established the authority of the ,union against the doctrine of nullification in a manner which had won for him the undying regard of the vast majority of his countrymen4 ,president ,jackson had done his part in asserting his determination to uphold the ,constitution at all hazards and against all enemies4 ,in all that1 the ,president and ,mr4 ,webster were in thorough accord4 ,but he had no sympathy with ,president ,jackson's desire to overthrow the banking system1 to provide simply instrumentalities for the government to transact its business1 leaving the business of the country to look out for itself4 ,on the other hand1 a considerable portion of his own party1 led by ,mr4 ,clay1 desired to compromise with nullification1 and so to modify the tariff as to leave ,south ,carolina a substantial victory1 and save her pride from being compelled to submission to the superior strength of the government4 ,with this element ,mr4 ,webster had no sympathy4 ,again1 ,jackson claimed to be the direct representative of the people1 desired to extend the power of the executive and to circumscribe the legislative power1 especially that of the ,senate4 ,in resisting that encroachment ,webster and ,calhoun were in complete accord4 ,so ,mr4 ,webster could have no permanent alliance or co-operation either with ,jackson1 ,calhoun1 or ,clay4 ,illustration3 ,fac-simile of the ,first ,paragraph of ,webster's ,principles4 ,mr4 ,webster prepared for himself the following statement of the principles which were to govern his own course in this great emergency4 ,some of its language is found in his speech in the ,senate of ,february #h1 #ahcc4 ,but with that exception1 it has never1 ,i believe1 been made public until now4 ,it is the chart which governed his course in that part of his public life of far greatest public importance1 and the part of his public conduct on which his own fame must rest3 ,,principles4 #a4 ,to sustain the administration1 in executing the laws2 to support all measures1 necessary to supply defects in the existing system2 to counteract the proceedings of ,south ,carolina2 to limit all their measures1 all this support1 to the fair purpose of executing the laws1 with moderation temperance1 but with inflexible firmness2--to share this responsibility with the ,administration1 frankly fairly1 without expressing any want of confidence1 without mingling other topics1 with the consideration of these measures4 #b4 ,not to give up1 or compromise1 the principle of protection2 nor to give any pledges1 personal or public1 for its abandonment at any time hereafter4 #c4 ,to bring down the revenue to the just wants of the ,govt43 but this not to extend so far as to prevent ,congress from making1 for a limited time1 a distribution of the proceeds of the sales of the public lands among the ,states1 if ,congress shall see fit to make such distribution3 nor so far as to prevent appropriations to such objects of ,internal improvement1 as ,congress may think deserving of national aid4 #d4 ,to revise the ,act of last session1 with close scrutiny1 entire candor2 to reduce duties1 in all cases1 where such reduction can1 with any fairness1 be asked1 with any safety1 granted2 having just regard1 to the necessities of the ,country in time of war1 to the faith plighted by existing previous laws to the reasonable protection of capital1 especially to the security of the interests of labor wages4 #e4 ,if ,congress shall not1 before the end of the next session of ,congress1 pass a law for the distribution of the proceeds of the public lands1 among the ,states1 those proceeds to be regarded as so much general revenue1 applicable to the ordinary purposes of ,government2 the duties on imports to be so much farther reduced as may1 by this means1 become necessary4 #f4 ,provision to be made to direct the framing of proper issues in law1 feigned or real1 with a view to submit to the judgment of the ,supreme ,court of the ,u4 ,s4 the question1 whether ,congress possesses the ,constitution to lay collect duties on articles imported1 for the avowed and only purpose of protecting encouraging domestic products manufactures4 #g4 ,if the land bill shall pass1 then some measure to be adopted to limit1 practically1 grants by ,congress to objects of ,internal ,improvement1 to such as in their nature transcend the powers duties of separate ,states4 #h4 ,a ,comee4 of the ,senate to sit in the recess to take into consideration the law of the last session 7according to ,art4 #d71--to make a detailed ,report1 the first day of next session2 accompanied by such a bill1 as they may recommend1 for the purpose of adjusting the ,revenue to the necessities of ,government4 ,,note4--,my idea would be1 that this ,comee4 should meet in ,boston1 ,oct4 #a1 prosecute its inquiries1 in ,boston1 ,providence1 ,n4 ,y41 ,philadelphia ,pittsburg1 if thought necessary4 ,the ,comee4 to consist of one ,n4 ,e4 member one from ,middle ,states1 one from ,n4 ,w4 ,states1 one from ,s4 ,w4 ,states1 one from ,southern ,states4 ,it is very unpleasant to think that the great sentences of the ,reply to ,hayne1 which the country knows by heart1 were never delivered by ,mr4 ,webster in the ,senate chamber as we have them4 ,yet so it is4 ,the speech was taken down in short-hand by ,joseph ,gales1 one of the editors of the ,national ,intelligencer1 and one of the best stenographic reporters of that day4 ,he was requested by ,mr4 ,webster beforehand to report his speech1 which he did4 ,he wrote out his short-hand report at length4 ,that report was submitted to ,mr4 ,webster1 and he1 with it in his possession1 wrote out in his own hand a revised version of the speech4 ,mr4 ,everett says1 in the ,life prefixed to his edition of ,mr4 ,webster's ,works1 that ,mr4 ,webster had ,gales's report but a part of a day4 ,but it is absolutely impossible that ,mr4 ,everett is correct1 although the statement was published in ,mr4 ,webster's lifetime4 ,the short-hand notes1 and the speech as written out from them by ,gales1 and the speech in ,mr4 ,webster's handwriting1 are now all in the possession of the ,boston ,city ,library4 ,they were purchased of ,mrs4 ,gales1 widow of ,joseph ,gales1 for the sum of #ege by ,robert ,c4 ,winthrop1 acting in behalf of himself and twenty-two other subscribers who gave #be each for the purpose4 ,mr4 ,webster wrote out the whole of it1 although about a third of his manuscript is missing1 not1 however1 the most important or the best known portion4 ,the draught itself shows traces of revision and reconsideration by ,mr4 ,webster in the matter of the structure of some important sentences4 ,he changes ,gales's report a great deal1 and then in revision makes corrections again and again of his own draught4 ,we give the famous passage about ,massachusetts1 and the noble peroration1 as they are reported by the accurate short-hand writer1 doubtless literally as they were spoken1 and the passages as finally composed by ,mr4 ,webster and now familiar to the world4 ,the sentences actually spoken well account for the great impression made upon the auditors4 ,they are such as ,webster would have been likely to utter on a great occasion and great theme4 ,but we do not like to think that any word or syllable among those that have stirred our hearts from our earliest boyhood did not1 in fact1 come from the inspired lips of the great patriot and orator4 ,the emotion is like that felt when a lover of ,milton sees the manuscript of ,comus or ,lycidas in the library at ,cambridge1 and learns that any other than the fit word and perfect phrase could ever have occurred to the poet to express his thought4 ,the exquisite beauty of the verse still abides4 ,but the sense that it was an inspiration is gone4 ,it is said that when ,milo in his exile read ,cicero's speech in his defence1 he exclaimed1 ,o ,cicero1 hadst thou spoken thus1 ,milo would not be now eating figs at ,marseilles4 ,we cannot say that of the ,reply to ,hayne4 ,its grandeur is there as it came unpremeditated and fresh from heart and brain4 ,but it is a little unpleasant to think that the phrases that all ,americans know by heart differ so much from those which commanded the applause of the listening ,senate on that great day which settled in the tribunal of reason the fate of the ,republic4 ,the ,passage about ,massachusetts as ,actually ,spoken ,sir1 ,i shall be led on this occasion into no eulogium on ,massachusetts4 ,i shall paint no portraiture of her merits1 original1 ancient or modern4 ,yet1 sir1 ,i cannot but remember that ,boston was the cradle of liberty1 that in ,massachusetts 7the parent of this accursed policy so eternally narrow to the ,west71 etc41 etc41 etc4 ,i cannot forget that ,lexington1 ,concord and ,bunker ,hill are in ,massachusetts1 and that in men and means and money she did contribute more than any other ,state to carry on the ,revolutionary war4 ,there was not a ,state in the ,union whose soil was not wetted with ,massachusetts blood in the ,revolutionary war1 and it is to be remembered that of the army to which ,cornwallis surrendered at ,yorktown a majority consisted of ,new ,england troops4 ,it is painful to me to recur to these recollections even for the purpose of self-defence1 and even to that end1 sir1 ,i will not extol the intelligence1 the character and the virtue of the people of ,new ,england4 ,i leave the theme to itself1 here and everywhere1 now and forever4 ,as ,written ,out by ,mr4 ,webster and ,printed ,mr4 ,president1 ,i shall enter on no encomium upon ,massachusetts4 ,she needs none4 ,there she is4 ,behold her1 and judge for yourselves4 ,there is her history2 the world knows it by heart4 ,the past1 at least1 is secure4 ,there is ,boston1 and ,concord1 and ,lexington1 and ,bunker ,hill2 and there they will remain forever4 ,the bones of her sons1 falling in the great struggle for ,independence1 now lie mingled with the soil of every ,state from ,new ,england to ,georgia2 and there they will lie forever4 ,and ,sir1 where ,american ,liberty raised its first voice1 and where its youth was nurtured and sustained1 there it still lives1 in the strength of its manhood and full of its original spirit4 ,if discord and disunion shall wound it1 if party strife and blind ambition shall hawk at and tear it1 if folly and madness1 if uneasiness under salutary and necessary restraint1 shall succeed in separating it from that ,union1 by which alone its existence is made sure1 it will stand1 in the end1 by the side of that cradle in which its infancy was rocked2 it will stretch forth its arm with whatever of vigor it may still retain over the friends who gather round it2 and it will fall at last1 if fall it must1 amidst the proudest monuments of its own glory1 and on the very spot of its origin4 ,peroration as ,actually ,spoken ,when my eyes shall be turned for the last time on the meridian sun1 ,i hope ,i may see him shining bright upon my united1 free and happy country4 ,i hope ,i shall not live to see his beams falling upon the dispersed fragments of the structure of this once glorious ,union4 ,i hope ,i may not see the flag of my country with its stars separated or obliterated2 torn by commotions1 smoking with the blood of civil war4 ,i hope ,i may not see the standard raised of separate ,state rights1 star against star1 and stripe against stripe2 but that the flag of the ,union may keep its stars and its stripes corded and bound together in indissoluble ties4 ,i hope ,i shall not see written as its motto1 ',first liberty1 and then union4' ,i hope ,i shall see no such delusive and deluded motto on the flag of that country4 ,i hope to see1 spread all over it1 blazoned in letters of light and proudly floating over land and sea1 that other sentiment1 dear to my heart1 ',union and ,liberty1 now and forever1 one and inseparable4' ,peroration as ,written ,out by ,mr4 ,webster and ,printed ,when my eyes shall be turned to behold for the last time the sun in heaven1 may ,i not see him shining on the broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious ,union2 on ,states dissevered1 discordant1 belligerent2 on a land rent with civil feuds1 or drenched1 it may be1 in fraternal blood6 ,let their last feeble and lingering glance rather behold the gorgeous ensign of the republic1 now known and honored throughout the earth1 still full high advanced1 its arms and trophies streaming in their original lustre1 not a stripe erased or polluted1 nor a single star obscured1 bearing for its motto1 no such miserable interrogatory as ',what is all this worth8' nor those other words of delusion and folly1 ',liberty first and ,union afterwards'2 but everywhere1 spread all over in characters of living light1 blazing on all its ample folds1 as they float over the sea and over the land1 and in every wind under the whole heavens1 that other sentiment1 dear to every true ,american heart1 ,liberty and ,union1 now and forever1 one and inseparable6 ,the family of one of ,mr4 ,webster's colleagues have a story which has been repeated to me several times1 but1 so far as ,i know1 has never been published1 that the delegation were somewhat anxious lest ,mr4 ,webster did not fully appreciate the strength of ,hayne's attack1 and the grave responsibility he had to bear in the reply4 ,one of them at the request of his associates called on ,mr4 ,webster that morning at his boarding-house1 to communicate to him their great anxiety4 ,he found him alone in the parlor of his dwelling1 walking up and down1 and humming to himself the refrain of the old ,english hunting-song3 ,tantivy1 tantivy1 ,this day a stag must die4 ,he concluded there was no occasion for any further alarm4 ,when ,mr4 ,webster went to the ,senate next morning1 as he made his way through the crowded chamber to his seat1 ,john ,m4 ,clayton1 of ,delaware1 said to him3 ,mr4 ,webster1 ,i hope you are primed and loaded this morning4 ,five fingers1 sir1 was the reply1 with a gesture as if pointing to a gun-barrel4 ,mr4 ,winthrop says3 ,of his emotions he said himself not long afterward1 ',i felt as if every thing ,i had ever seen or read or heard was floating before me in one grand panorama1 and ,i had little else to do than to reach up and cull a thunderbolt and hurl it at him4' ,what he said to ,hiram ,ketcham1 of the ,reply to ,hayne1 is true of nearly all his great speeches3 ,in one sense ,i had no preparation whatever1 but in another sense ,i was fully prepared4 ,i did not know what words ,i should use when ,i rose to my feet1 nor the order of argument in which ,i should proceed4 ,these came to me under the excitement of debate4 ,but ,i understood the subject as well as ,i was capable of understanding it4 ,i had studied it2 ,i had often urged similar arguments before other tribunals1 and in this sense of the term ,i was thoroughly prepared4 ,it is clear that there was absolutely no time for the preparation of the language of ,webster's ,reply to ,hayne4 ,he had made an extemporaneous reply to ,hayne--to an elaborate speech of ,hayne's--the morning after it was delivered4 ,hayne replied to him1 and ,webster1 after a single night's interval1 made in two successive days the most famous speech in ,american history4 ,we may sum up what we know of ,mr4 ,webster's habit of preparation and composition as follows3 ,first4 ,he spoke always upon great subjects4 ,second4 ,they were subjects upon which he had long meditated with the expectation that he would be called upon to discuss them in public4 ,third4 ,he had matured in his mind the arguments on great public questions1 and also eloquent thoughts and sentences which had occurred to him during such meditations1 ready for use when such occasion came4 ,fourth4 ,with these exceptions his speeches were usually unpremeditated1 both as to language and order of arrangement1 except so far as he jotted down some points or heads just before he spoke4 ,fifth4 ,in some few instances he wrote out his speeches beforehand1 making occasional corrections and interlineations1 which in general did not seriously change or improve his first expression4 ,sixth4 ,many of the speeches we have1 especially those made in the ,senate or made to political assemblies1 are as taken down by the reporters1 and not revised by him4 ,seventh4 ,some few1 as for example1 the ,plymouth ,oration and the ,reply to ,hayne1 were carefully revised and largely written out by him afterward4 ,eighth4 ,he was quite susceptible to the stimulant of the audience or the occasion1 which not infrequently excited him to the very loftiest and most effective eloquence4 ,ninth4 ,in general1 ,webster's style was not a ,saxon style4 ,it was of a somewhat ponderous latinity4 ,but on a few occasions1 when his mind rose to a white heat1 all the resources of our language1 whatever their origin1 were at his command in amplest measure4 ,tenth4 ,in general he mastered his subjects2 his subject did not master him4 ,solidity1 sincerity1 gravity1 self-restraint1 characterized his every thought and every utterance4 ,but sometimes the volcano poured out its molten lava4 ,mr4 ,webster made an impression upon the people of ,massachusetts1 in his time1 as of a demi-god4 ,his magnificent presence1 his stateliness of manner1 his dignity1 from which he never bent1 even in his most convivial and playful moments1 his grandeur of speech and bearing1 the habit of dealing exclusively with the greatest subjects1 enabled him to maintain his state4 ,his great1 sane intelligence pervades every thing he said and did4 ,but he has left behind few evidences of constructive statesmanship4 ,there is hardly a great measure of legislation with which his name is connected1 and he seems to us now to have erred in judgment in a great many cases1 especially in undervaluing the great territory on the ,pacific4 ,he consented readily to the abandonment of our claim to the territory between the forty-ninth parallel and that of fifty-four forty1 which would have insured our supremacy on the ,pacific1 and have saved us from the menace and rivalry there of the power of ,england4 ,he voted against the treaty by which we acquired ,california4 ,that1 however1 is a proof of a larger foresight than that of any of his contemporaries4 ,alone he foresaw the terrible ,civil ,war1 to which everybody else of his time was blind4 ,what even he did not foresee was the triumphant success of the ,union arms4 ,it is hardly to be doubted that if the ,civil ,war had come in #ahej or #ahea instead of #ahfa its result would have been different4 ,but ,mr4 ,webster's great service to the country1 a service second to that of ,washington alone1 is that he inspired in the people to whom union and self-government seemed but a doubtful experiment1 the sentiment of nationality1 of love of the flag1 and a passionate attachment to the whole country4 ,when his political life began1 we were a feeble folk1 the bonds of the ,union resting lightly upon the ,states1 the contingency of disunion contemplated without much abhorrence by many leading men1 both ,north and ,south4 ,mr4 ,webster awoke in the bosom of his countrymen the conception of national unity and national greatness4 ,it has been said more than once that the guns of our artillery in the great battles of the ,civil ,war were shotted with the ,reply to ,hayne4 ,a few years ago the ,state of ,new ,hampshire presented to the ,united ,states for the ,memorial ,hall a statue of ,webster--a ceremonial in which ,i had some part4 ,after it was over1 ,i got a letter from a brave ,union soldier1 who told me he had been stationed as a sentinel in a place in the woods where several sentries had been killed within a short time by a shot from the thicket4 ,as he paced up and down on his midnight watch1 thinking that at any moment his death-shot might ring out from the darkness and gloom about him1 he kept up his heart by repeating to himself1 over and over again1 the great closing sentences of the ,reply to ,hayne1 ending with the well-known words1 ,liberty and ,union1 now and forever1 one and inseparable4 99 99 99 99 99 ,history has not yet settled the question of the motive that inspired the #gth of ,march speech4#d ,doubtless there were good and patriotic men1 men who had loved him till that hour1 who went to their graves believing that ,webster fell--fell like ,lucifer1 ,son of the ,morning4 ,there are doubtless men living who think so to-day4 ,to the thought of these men ,whittier gave voice in his terrible ,ichabod1 which is said to have wounded the great heart of its subject more than any other stroke that ever smote his mighty forehead4 ,but the general judgment of his countrymen1 first mellowing and softening into the belief which ,whittier himself expressed in his later and tender poem1 ,the ,lost ,opportunity1 seems gradually coming to the conclusion that ,webster differed from the friends of freedom of his time1 not in a weaker moral sense1 but only in a larger and profounder prophetic vision4 ,when he resisted the acquisition of ,california1 he saw what no other man saw1 the certainty of the ,civil ,war4 ,it was not given even to him to foresee its wonderful and victorious result4 ,when he compromised he saw in like manner the danger he tried to avert4 ,he did not see the safety only to be attained through the path of danger and strife4 ,i was one of those who in the conceit and presumption of youth1 a lover of the liberty to which he then seemed to me to be recreant1 judged him severely4 ,but ,i have learned better in my old age4 ,i think of him now only as the best type of the farmer's boy of the early time2 as the great example of the ,new ,england character of the day of his earlier manhood2 as the great defender and lover of ,massachusetts1 as the orator who first taught his country her own greatness1 and who bound fast with indissoluble strength the bands of union2 as the first of ,american lawyers1 the first of ,american orators1 the first of ,american statesmen1 and as the delightful citizen and neighbor and friend1 of whom the people of his town said when he was laid in the grave3 ,how lonesome the world seems2 and of whom his nearest friend said1 when he died3 ,from these conversations of friendship no man--no man1 old or young--went away to remember one word of profanity1 one allusion of indelicacy1 one impure thought1 one unbelieving suggestion1 one doubt cast on the reality of virtue1 of patriotism1 of enthusiasm1 of the progress of man--one doubt cast on righteousness1 or temperance1 or judgment to come4 ,a second paper to follow4 ,,footnotes3 #b ,among them are3 ,edward ,everett4 ,see ,life of ,webster prefixed to his works4 ,article in ,north ,american ,review1 ,october1 #ahcj1 ,vol4 #ca1 p4 #dfc4 ,article in ,north ,american ,review1 ,july1 #ahce1 ,vol4 #da1 p4 #bca4 ,article in ,littell's ,living ,age1 #ahei1 ,vol4 #fc4 ,eulogy1 ,daniel ,webster ,speeches1 ,vol4 #d1 p4 #ahf4 ,robert ,c4 ,winthrop1 ,,scribner',s ,,magazine1 ,january1 #ahid1 ,vol4 xv41 p4 #aah4 ,speeches1 ,vol #d1 p4 #cgg4 ,rufus ,choate1 ,speeches1 pp4 #dgi1 #dic4 ,edwin ,p4 ,whipple4 ,webster's ,great ,speeches1 ,introduction1 ,north ,american ,review1 ,july1 #ahdd4 ,mellen ,chamberlain1 in ,century ,magazine1 ,september1 #ahic1 p4 #gji4 ,henry ,cabot ,lodge1 in ,atlantic ,monthly1 ,vol4 #di1 ,february1 #ahhb4 ,julius ,h4 ,ward1 in ,international ,review1 ,february1 #ahhb1 p1 #abd4 ,general ,s4 ,p4 ,lyman1 ,daniel ,webster1 #b ,vols41 ,d4 ,appleton ,co41 #ahec4 ,james ,parton1 in ,north ,american ,review1 ,january1 #ahfg1 ,vol4 #ajd1 p4 #fe4 ,j4 ,h4 ,b4 ,latrobe1 in ,harper's ,magazine1 ,february1 #ahhb1 ,vol4 #fd1 p4 #dbh4 ,charles ,w4 ,march1 ,reminiscences of ,congress4 #c ,,scribner',s ,,magazine1 #ahid1 ,vol4 xv41 p4 #aah4 #d ,when ,i came into the ,house of ,representatives in #ahfi1 one of the reporters told me that he had the manuscript of ,mr4 ,webster's #gth of ,march speech1 which ,mr4 ,webster gave him4 ,it contained a few sentences carefully composed1 but which were spoken almost exactly as they were written4 ,but the larger part of the speech1 according to this reporter1 seemed to be extempore4 ,perhaps1 however1 ,i ought to say that ,i told this story to ,mr4 ,winthrop1 who told me he thought it could not be accurate1 because he called at ,mr4 ,webster's house the evening before the #gth of ,march1 and as he went in heard ,mr4 ,webster reading aloud to his son1 ,fletcher1 parts of the speech which he delivered the next day1 and when he was shown into the room he found ,mr4 ,webster with a considerable pile of manuscript before him1 which he had no doubt was the speech for the next day4 ,,the ,,celebrants ,by ,carolyn ,wells ,with a shout of joy the rocket stars ,shot up through the evening air1 ,triumphantly they reached the sky ,and the stars of ,god were there4 ,make way6 the rocket stars cried out4 ,make way1 and give us place2 ,we have a mission to perform1 ,we've travelled leagues of space4 ,we're sent up here to celebrate ,a glorious country's birth-- ,make way6 ,but a moment we can stay1 ,ere we die and fall to earth4 ,then spake the old and kindly stars1 ,ye be bright1 oh rocket-spawn1 ,but we are here since the morning stars ,sang at ,creation's dawn4 ,by the ,master ,hand we were hurled on high ,to celebrate the day4 ,we1 too1 but shine for the moment ,time1 ,and then we fade for aye4 ,but have your way1 oh tiny sparks1 ,and while ye may1 shine on4 ,ere the kindly voices ceased to speak1 ,the rocket stars were gone4 ,illustration3 ,entrance to ,havana ,harbor1 showing ,mud-dunes in the ,foreground4 ,,havana ,,since ,,the ,,occupation ,by ,james ,f4 ,j4 ,archibald ,illustration3 ,milk ,vender4 ,it is six months since the ,american administration in ,havana began1 and in that time many important changes have been made and many more are well under way2 and the new ideas that are eventually destined to supplant the customs of the last century are fast taking a firm hold on the country4 ,even for those who have tried to follow this progress in detail in the newspapers it is not easy to realize the full extent of what has been accomplished1 or of the steady hard work that is going on4 ,very few bear in mind the fact that a comparatively large section of our regular army is engaged in it here and elsewhere in ,cuba4 ,without the blare of trumpets and without the inspiring strains of music the same heroes that came home fever-stricken1 wan1 and worn from that terrible struggle before ,santiago are again facing a more subtle danger and fighting none the less hard and all in the same cause1 but now there are no flaring headlines in our daily press1 no bulletins to tell of the fight1 because it is only against an unseen foe and there is no noise--but the hard work is there4 ,regiment after regiment of the volunteers goes home1 but these men who serve for pay are sent down to the island again before they have rid themselves of the fever contracted while standing knee-deep in water in the trenches around ,santiago4 ,now1 it is hard work all day long under a burning tropical sun and many nights of weary patrol in the pest-hole of all creation--plain hard work to start a republic on the list of nations1 to teach a people how to govern themselves who have before known nothing but the lash4 ,all honor is due to these men who are doing this work2 and our people are too prone to forget it1 simply because the actual results are not immediately and always in evidence4 ,i saw the ,eighth ,united ,states ,infantry1 just plain regulars from nowhere1 before ,el ,caney1 and again ,i saw them in ,havana patrolling the streets night and day1 with two nights a week in bed4 ,the regiment had by no means recovered from the ,santiago campaign1 and every day some one would be taken with that bone-racking fever that burns the life slowly out unless checked by a transfer to a ,northern clime4 ,but with it all there was no complaining1 and they were soldiers in these times as well as in the field4 ,every private seemed to have the success of the commanding general at heart1 and every officer watched with pride the daily improvement in the capital city4 ,illustration3 ,the ,lieutenant-,governor's ,palace4 ,two of the largest sewers of the city empty into the harbor at this point4 ,the staff shares the danger with the line1 and their work is the same steady1 uninteresting grind4 ,the engineers face death just as surely constructing sewers as they do digging trenches during an advance1 the aides whether carrying despatches to a brigade on the firing line or reporting on some infested quarter in the city1 and the surgeons whether attending the wounded at the front or ,yellow ,jack in some charity hospital4 ,there is no glory for them if they succeed in this fight against death and disease1 and they will get no thanks1 for it is simply their duty4 ,illustration3 ,poultry ,vender4 ,the work has been going steadily on and is now well in hand1 but it will be a long time before we shall be able to turn the island over to the ,cuban people1 and we cannot withdraw our forces until every detail of the new government has been thoroughly tested4 ,a generation of education seems to be the only solution of the ,cuban problem that confronts the ,american people1 that they may keep the promise made to the civilized world to establish a stable form of government for an excitable little nation that does not know its own mind1 and that is so divided that internal strife is always inevitable4 ,not merely an education of letters is needed1 but an education in cleanliness1 in religion1 and in respect for superior knowledge of affairs2 and it is that education that the ,american army officer has been giving since the first day of ,january1 in the face of obstacles thrown in the way by the very people who will eventually reap the benefits of his labors4 ,that the ,american people should for any other object than personal gain want to cleanse their city1 organize their government1 and teach them how to rule themselves1 does not seem possible to them1 and it is on account of this distrust that the work of establishing order is made difficult and at many times disagreeable4 ,illustration3 ,a ,street ,corner4 ,during the sovereignty of ,spain no ,cuban was ever consulted on any part of the administration of the affairs of the island1 and for this reason they are largely ignorant of all the requirements of organization1 unmindful of the necessity of proper municipal sanitary arrangements1 and incompetent to cope with the suffering of their own people4 ,when our forces first occupied ,havana the city was in a state of chaos1 without the restraint of law1 and the officers and men of the evacuating army had virtually an officially recognized license to do their will1 no matter what it might dictate4 ,some ,spanish officials had destroyed nearly all of the records of the island in the archives of the public buildings2 and the result of this work1 apparently done merely from spite1 will be felt for many years to come1 especially in the matter of the records of real-estate transfers1 as at the present time it is almost impossible to obtain a clear title to any piece of property4 ,in some cases the records were totally destroyed or carried away1 and in others they were hopelessly disarranged so as to render them quite useless2 the work showing that it was done by someone who understood the records and knew just what papers would be missed the most4 ,an instance of this mischief may be given in the ,department of ,engineers1 where they either destroyed or carried away every map or plan showing the location or construction of the sewers of the city2 and by the loss of those plans the ,american engineers are compelled to hunt out the different mains1 and it more than doubles their labor4 ,in the matter of the real-estate records it will take years to get them in a condition that will be satisfactory to the demands of legal evidence in the transfer of property4 ,general ,ludlow is doing excellent work in the matter of bringing ,havana out of the unhealthful condition it was in when he took command1 and it is a work that will take many months of hard labor and in which1 in all probability1 many lives will be sacrificed4 ,he is greatly hampered in his work by not being able to make his department reports direct to ,washington1 as the course through division military channels is exceedingly slow4 ,illustration3 ,a ,typical ,street4 ,the condition of ,havana in ,december1 when the first of our ,army of ,occupation arrived1 was filthy beyond all possibility of description4 ,there being no sanitary arrangements for the poor or in the abodes of the poorer classes1 the streets and the court-yards of some of these houses were in a disgusting condition4 ,the most surprising feature was the total lack of all modesty2 and these people really considered it in the light of a great oppression1 and as a direct infringement upon their liberty and upon their rights1 that the ,americans should compel them to obey sanitary laws4 ,the people of all classes were in the habit of throwing refuse of all sorts into the street1 and there was no attempt made to carry it away1 the rains being depended upon to clean the streets4 ,there were carcasses of animals that had reached such a state of decay that it was possible to detect the terrible odor for many blocks1 and yet the presence of this nuisance did not seem to annoy1 in the slightest degree1 those at whose door it lay1 while to an ,american it was almost impossible to pass in the vicinity4 ,illustration3 ,columbus ,market1 showing ,street ,cleaners in the ,distance4 ,the lack of a proper sewerage system is the cause of nearly all the disease and pestilence that have made ,havana one of the most dreaded ports of the world4 ,there are more and better sewers than is generally supposed1 but the cause of their breeding sickness is the fact that they are1 in many cases1 open to the street by man-holes1 and they all empty into the harbor immediately in front of the city4 ,two of the main sewers flow into the channel of the harbor directly under the ,lieutenant-,governor's ,palace1 in which ,general ,ludlow lives and in which he has his head-quarters2 one empties under the ,maestranza de ,artilleria1 in which some of the troops were quartered2 and from these mains flow all the filth of ,havana1 that pest-hole of disease1 while at all times there arises a sickening odor1 and it will be the greatest of wonders if there is not much sickness among our troops1 who are accustomed to cleanliness at home4 ,the one thing that always is the most noticeable to ,americans on their arrival in any of the towns or cities of ,cuba is the offensive odor that is ever present4 ,the public buildings were in such a condition that not one of them could be used until they had been thoroughly cleaned4 ,general ,brooke made his head-quarters in the ,vedado1 a charming suburb1 on account of the condition of the ,captain-,general's ,palace1 which1 although it was occupied at the time of the evacuation by the ,captain-,general1 was in such a condition that there were over thirty wagon-loads of filth hauled out of it4 ,all of the prisons1 except the ,presidio of ,havana1 were in a disgusting state of filth1 but the same hard work has turned them into healthy buildings4 ,illustration3 ,the ,new ,havana ,police1 ,organized ,under the ,supervision of ,ex-,chief ,mc,cullagh1 of ,new ,york1 ,parading in the ,prado4 ,chief ,mc,cullagh and ,chief-of-,police ,menocal on the sidewalk to the right of the picture4 ,under the direction of ,lt-,colonel ,w4 ,m4 ,black1 an officer of the regular ,engineer ,corps1 the city has already become clean1 and the death-rate is decreasing every month2 and if the dreaded plague is averted this summer it will be owing to his labors1 although he would in no wise be at fault were it to appear4 ,colonel ,black has had most of the undesirable work1 for in his department is included all of the street cleaning1 sewers1 harbor dredging1 and cleaning all of the public buildings4 ,havana must remain in the same unhealthful condition as long as the main sewers empty into the harbor1 as this is almost tideless and is little better than a stagnant pond2 and although the water at the surface does not appear to be very foul1 its condition is seen when a steamer moves along in the harbor and her screw stirs up the bottom1 which creates the usual vile odor4 ,it is the plan of the new administration to turn all of the sewers into the sea several miles from the city1 the natural grade making the work comparatively easy1 and in this way the greatest fault will be remedied--that of pouring the refuse into the harbor4 ,when the dredging of the harbor commences in earnest and the narrow streets are dug up to lay the sewers1 then will probably come a terrible sickness2 and as a great portion of the labor must come from the ,united ,states we are surely destined to pay still more dearly for the freedom we are establishing for the ,cuban people4 ,illustration3 ,general ,ludlow1 ,military ,governor of ,havana4 ,surface street cleaning has done more to make ,havana cleanly than anything else1 and it was but a short time after the occupation that the city began to show the effects of this work4 ,it was amusing to note the astonishment of many of the inhabitants when the first few squads of sweepers commenced work2 and the idea of cleaning an unpaved street seemed to amuse them more than to impress them1 as the majority did not know what it meant to sweep even their houses4 ,large gangs of native labor were given work in this department at good wages1 not only for the sake of the work that was to be done1 but also to allow them to earn their support2 and among these street workmen were many gentlemen of standing in society who embraced the first opportunity to earn bread for starving families4 ,the residents of ,havana did not fare badly during the war1 but the planter from the interior1 whose estate had been burned and devastated1 whose stock had been killed1 by both the ,cuban and the ,spanish forces1 and who had been compelled to move into the city by an edict from the ,spanish1 although there had been no arrangement made for his maintenance1 suffered terribly4 ,illustration3 ,captain ,general's ,palace and the ,mayor's ,office4 ,camp of the ,second ,united ,states ,artillery in the foreground4 ,the employment of these large numbers of men will also solve the problem of ridding the island of the depreciated ,spanish currency1 for all of this labor is paid in ,american money1 and already the merchants are showing their preference for it4 ,one of the most interesting features of the change in affairs in ,cuba is the ,church1 and the change that must be made in the administration of the affairs of that body4 ,the ,church being a part and department of the state and entirely dependent upon the government for its support1 suddenly finds itself compelled to find other means of revenue4 ,the ,church of ,cuba is not one that ,catholicism could be proud of1 except in the orders of women1 for nearly all of the men's orders live in old monasteries a picturesque but inactive life of comparative comfort4 ,here are the same monks that one sees in ,spain1 the brown garb of the ,franciscan with the sandalled feet1 or the white and black of the ,dominicans4 ,captain ,e4 ,st4 ,j4 ,greble1 of ,general ,ludlow's staff1 has had charge of the poor of the ,havana province and has worked night and day1 with his heart in the work1 to relieve the suffering2 and he called at all of the churches to see what they needed1 but none of them seemed in need1 and yet their people were dying of want4 ,not so1 however1 with the women of the ,church1 for they had worked faithfully to accomplish what had been left undone4 ,the ,sisters of ,mercy1 the ,sisters of ,charity1 the ,order of the ,sacred ,heart1 and several others had their convents filled with women and children of all ages and in all conditions of want1 caring for them and many times denying themselves to feed their charges4 ,one sister told us that they had not expected any help from us1 as we were considered a ,protestant nation and they dreaded our coming2 and great tears rolled down her cheeks as we unloaded food and medicines for her charges4 ,these noble women assist our officers in their work and are a marked contrast to the monks4 ,there seems to be a total lack of any religious feeling2 and on ,sundays very few ever enter the churches1 but the day is spent in pleasure and revel4 ,each ,sunday of the ,carnival which takes place during ,lent1 crowds of maskers throw flour and confetti all day and spend the night in dancing4 ,many pounds of flour were thus thrown away every ,sunday1 while thousands were suffering from hunger1 yet great indignation was raised when the waste was prohibited1 much of the flour used being what had been issued to ,cuban ,relief ,committees for the poor4 ,illustration3 ,the ,cathedral of ,havana4 ,in the foreground can be seen one of the sewer openings1 and to the right of the picture a second one appears4 ,organizing the police and the courts for the city was one of the most difficult tasks that were accomplished during the reconstruction2 and although it is well started it will take many months to perfect these departments4 ,major ,john ,gary ,evans1 ,u4,s4,v41 a former ,governor of ,south ,carolina1 has had this portion of the work under his care and has organized a creditable force from the material at hand4 ,major ,evans has been recently mustered out of the service1 and ,captain ,w4 ,l4 ,pitcher1 of the ,eighth ,infantry1 has been put in charge of the work1 and being a thorough soldier and a man of great diplomatic tact1 he is just the man for the position at this critical period4 ,always having been governed1 the ,cubans here again showed their lack of power to govern4 ,the officers seemed to think their duties consisted of wearing a smart uniform and sitting over some liquid refreshment in a caf2 and only as they realize the importance of their office under ,american teaching will they cease to be dismal failures4 ,illustration3 ,street in the ,poor ,quarter1 showing ,sunday ,decoration of ,flags4 ,illustration3 ,beggars at a ,church ,entrance4 ,cuban politics also enter into the difficulty4 ,when the ,assembly deposed ,gomez from the head of the army1 and the parade and mass meeting in his honor were called1 ,general ,ludlow gave orders that they should be allowed to have their celebration as long as they were orderly2 but in direct violation of this order1 ,chief ,menocal instructed the police1 who had only been patrolling a few days1 to stop the parades1 and in this way the rioting was caused4 ,there is a total disregard for keeping the rolls1 although they are told about it every day4 ,one of the police officers was found dead in the grounds of the ,summer ,palace1 where ,gomez and his followers were living1 having been shot through the head and having been dead several days2 yet at police head-quarters they had not noticed that he was absent from duty1 from the fact that no roll was kept4 ,it is this sort of thing that it is well for the persons to know who will very soon commence to demand that we withdraw our forces and allow the ,cubans to govern themselves4 ,two of the most characteristic and at the same time unpleasant features1 may be noted among those that have disappeared during the new administration of affairs4 ,one is the ever-present professional street-beggar who infested the streets1 invaded the cafs1 and stood guard at every church-door2 the other is the horrible bone-pit in the ,cristobal ,colon ,cemetery4 ,there are few prettier places allotted to the resting of the dead than this cemetery1 on the outskirts of the city4 ,illustration3 ,harbor ,boats4 ,illustration3 ,a ,court-yard in the ,tenement ,district4 ,the entrance to the enclosure is superb1 the chapel is impressive1 and the monuments are costly works of art1 but away off in a far corner of the unused part of the cemetery was an enclosure about seventy-five feet square and fifty feet deep1 with ghastly skulls and bones in all conditions of preservation1 and piles of burial cases of all degrees from a costly casket down to a cracker-box or an oil-can4 ,this is the inhuman manner of disposing of the bodies buried in a plot upon which the rental is not renewed every three years4 ,there is ample room that is unused1 so it is not the lack of space that causes the disturbing of the rest of the dead2 it must be merely for gain for the cemetery corporation4 ,in many cases the bodies of the poor are never buried at all1 but at one side of the cemetery is a building1 called the ,dead-house1 in which arrangements are made for burning the bodies with lime until there is nothing left but the bones1 which are then thrown into this pit4 ,thousands upon thousands were here in a pile that was fully forty feet deep and as large as the area of the pit4 ,the residents of ,havana did not seem to know of the presence of this place1 and if any did they seemed to take it as a matter of course1 and no notice was taken of the horrible custom2 but when the ,americans took charge it was the most talked-of place in ,havana1 and became one of the sights of the city1 creating such an amount of adverse criticism that the cemetery authorities caused dirt to be thrown in the pit to cover the bones4 ,illustration3 ,a ,franciscan ,monk4 ,not only in ,havana have reforms been going on1 but all over the island the same work is being done by the ,american officers and men4 ,under ,general ,fitzhugh ,lee the province of ,havana has seen the same radical changes1 and all of the little towns have been washed and fed and begin to live anew4 ,illustration3 ,court-yard of the ,carcel1 the ,city ,prison4 ,the entire island is a great park that needs no artificial training to enhance its beauty1 and it is destined to become the winter resort of all the ,eastern ,states4 ,but great administrative improvements in the ports1 besides the police and material ones noted1 will be necessary before this can happen4 ,for instance1 it would do much for the island if the port of ,havana could be freed from the high pilot fees1 anchorage fees1 docking fees1 and fees of all sorts that make it impossible for small craft to enter4 ,even the large steamers do not dock1 but cargo has to be lightered out and passengers are compelled to use the small boats that swarm the harbor4 ,the people have not even begun to realize that the soldiers are there to help them in the establishment of their republic2 to them a soldier means oppression1 and the presence of armed troops gives them the idea that we are trying to keep the territory that we have paid so dearly to conquer4 ,not only must the ,cubans realize what our troops1 both officers and men1 are doing1 but our own people should realize it in the same sense4 ,it is easy to criticise1 but a nation cannot be built in a day2 and whether they are establishing stable government in ,cuba and ,porto ,rico by diplomacy1 or by the sword in the ,philippines1 ,americans should feel1 concerning these new duties1 that those on the spot often know best the needs of the situation2 that the regular army are ,american soldiers1 and that of what they are doing the nation will be proud in years to come4 ,,the ,,white ,,blackbird ,by ,bliss ,perry ,mid-afternoon in ,august2 a scarcely perceptible haze over the line of hills that marched northward into the ,st4 ,lawrence valley2 and here1 under the fir balsams back of the great dingy ,morraway ,hotel1 coolness and quiet4 ,through the lower boughs of the balsams gleamed the lake1 blue-black1 unsounded1 reticent4 ,behind their slender cone-darkened tops glistened the bare shoulders of ,morraway ,mountain in full sunlight2 and overhead hung one of those caressing1 taunting1 weather-breeding skies that mark the turning point of the brief northern summer4 ,curled up at one end of a broken rustic seat under the shadow of the balsams was a strenuous little woman of thirty-five1 conscientiously endeavoring to relax4 ,the habitual distress of her forehead was mitigated by a negligent1 young-girlish manner of doing up her hair2 she was carelessly dressed1 too1 and as she read aloud to her companion from ,the ,journal of ,american ,folklore she kept swinging one foot over the edge of the seat until the boot-lacings were dangling4 ,the printed label upon the cover of the ,journal bore the name of ,miss ,jane ,rodman1 ,ph4,d4 ,miss ,rodman's niece was stretched on the brown1 fragrant1 needle-covered slope1 pretending to listen4 ,her face was turned dreamily toward the lake4 ,her head rested upon her left hand1 which was long1 sunburned1 and bare of rings4 ,in the palm of her right hand she balanced from time to time a little silver penknife1 and then with a flash of her wrist buried the point in the balsam-needles1 in a solitary and aimless game of mumble-the-peg4 ,she was not particularly attracted by what her learned aunt was reading to her about the marriage rites of the ,bannock ,indians4 ,in fact she buried the knife with a trifle more spirit than usual when the article came to an end4 ,miss ,rodman pencilled some ethnological notes upon the margin of the ,journal4 ,there's another valuable article here1 ,olivia1 she said1 tentatively4 ,it's upon ,blackfeet superstitions4 ,don't you think ,i'd better read that too8 ,the younger woman nodded assent1 without looking up4 ,she was gloriously innocent of any scientific interest1 and yet grateful for her aunt's endeavor to entertain her4 ,miss ,rodman began eagerly1 and ,olivia ,lane silently shifted her position and tried to play mumble-the-peg with her left hand4 ,ten minutes passed4 ,then there's a footnote1 ,miss ,rodman was saying1 mechanically4 ,compare the ,basque legend about the white blackbird whose singing restores sight to the blind4 ,the girl looked up suddenly4 ,what was that8 she asked4 ,the white blackbird whose singing restores the sight to the blind1 repeated ,miss ,rodman1 in a softer voice4 ,olivia moved restlessly and then sat up1 with fingers clasped about her knees4 ,there was a red tinge upon her round sun-browned cheek1 where it had nestled in the palm of her hand4 ,a--white--blackbird8 she inquired1 with the incredulous inflection of a child4 ,the elder woman nodded--that kindly pitying nod with which a science-trained generation recognizes and1 even in recognizing1 classifies1 the old poetic superstitions of the race4 ,but her pity was really for the tall1 supple1 low-voiced girl at her feet3 this brave1 beautiful creature who was slowly growing blind4 ,olivia glanced at her1 with great brown eyes that betrayed no sign of the fatal web that nature was steadily weaving in their depths4 ,there was a slight smile upon her lips4 ,each of the women knew what was in the other's mind4 ,miss ,rodman laid down the ,journal4 ,i shouldn't have read it1 dear1 she said1 at last4 ,i didn't know what was coming4 ,but it is such a pretty fancy6 exclaimed ,olivia4 ,i shall be looking for white blackbirds under every bush1 ,auntie4 ,she drew a long breath--too long1 alas6 for a girl of twenty--and then with a sort of unconscious feminine instinct patted her heavy hair more closely into place and began to brush the balsam-needles from the folds of her walking-skirt4 ,miss ,rodman made no answer4 ,there seemed to be nothing to say4 ,in this matter of ,olivia's eyes nature was playing one of her countless petty tragedies2 science1 the counter-player1 stood helpless on the stage1 and ,olivia herself was outwardly one of the coolest of the few spectators4 ,she had done all that could be done4 ,dr4 ,sands1 the rising specialist1 an intimate friend of the ,lanes and the ,rodmans1 had sent her to ,london to consult ,watson1 and ,watson's verdict was not reassuring4 ,then he had sent her to ,forget1 at ,paris1 and ,forget had shaken his head4 ,finally ,dr4 ,sands had advised her to come here to the ,morraway region for the air and the perfect quiet4 ,once a month he dropped everything in ,new ,york and came up himself to make an examination and give his brief report4 ,at the end of ,june he had told ,miss ,rodman that ,olivia had perhaps one chance in five of keeping her eyesight4 ,a month later he pronounced it one chance in fifty4 ,dr4 ,sands stayed three days at the ,morraway ,hotel that time1 before giving his opinion1 and a more difficult professional duty he had never had to perform4 ,if she were only some girl who walked into his office and out again1 like the hundreds of others1 it would have been different1 but to tell ,olivia ,lane seemed as brutal as it would have been to strike her4 ,and on this ,august evening he had promised to come again4 ,by and by ,miss ,rodman slipped down from the rustic bench and seated herself by her niece4 ,the girl stroked her aunt's shoulder lightly4 ,everything that could be said had been said already1 when the horror of that great darkness had not drawn quite so near4 ,and yet there was one question which ,olivia longed to ask1 though she feared the answer2 trembling either way1 as a child that asks whether she may run to snatch a glistening shell upon the beach even while another wave is racing to engulf it4 ,olivia's blindness was that black1 all-engulfing wave4 ,and the treasure which she might catch to her bosom1 childlike1 ere the dark wave fell8 ,auntie1 demanded ,miss ,lane1 abruptly1 have you told ,mr4 ,allan about my eyes8 ,miss ,rodman hesitated a moment4 ,yes1 dear1 she replied2 and she added1 with an aunt's prerogative1 ,why8 ,i wished him to know1 answered ,olivia1 simply4 ,and ,i preferred not to speak of it myself4 ,i am glad you told him4 ,miss ,rodman flushed a little4 ,she was about to speak1 apparently1 but her niece interrupted her4 ,he's coming to take us over to the ,pines before supper1 if he finishes his map4 ,it seems to me that a government geologist has a very easy time1 ,auntie4 ,or isn't ,mr4 ,allan a serious-minded geologist8 ,her tone was deliciously quizzical2 she was conscious of a secret happiness that made her words come fast and sure4 ,i should think the field work would always be interesting1 replied ,miss ,rodman1 with more literalness than was demanded by the occasion4 ,the preparation of the maps seems to me purely mechanical drudgery4 ,if the ,survey had a respectable appropriation1 ,dr4 ,allan would be left free for other things4 ,some of his work has been very brilliant4 ,the girl laughed4 ,it always amused her to hear ,miss ,rodman1 ,ph4,d41 give ,elbridge ,allan his ,munich title4 ,it was like that old story of the ,roman augurs bowing solemnly to each other with a twinkle in the eye4 ,hoho6 hahei6 hoho6 sang a big1 boyish voice from the direction of the ,morraway ,hotel4 ,hoho6 hahei6 ,hahei6 hoho6 ,olivia turned and waved her hand toward the voice4 ,he doesn't get the intervals of that ,sword-song exactly according to ,wagner1 she commented4 ,but what a ,siegfried he would make for size6 ,he came striding down the woodland path1 shouting out the ,sword-song and waving his pipe2 a superb1 tan-faced fellow of twenty-five1 clean-built1 clean-shaven1 clear-eyed4 ,his heavy hob-nailed field shoes were noiseless upon the moss4 ,the loose1 gray golf suit--with coat unbuttoned--showed every line of his athlete's figure1 as he kept time to the rhythm of that splendid chant4 ,when he neared the ladies1 he lifted his cap1 and all the sunlight that strayed through the balsam branches seemed to fall upon his face4 ,miss ,rodman gazed at him admiringly4 ,isn't he magnificent6 she murmured4 ,olivia did not hear her4 ,he knows6 she kept saying to herself4 ,and yet he is coming6 ,hail6 cried ,allan1 waving cap and pipe together4 ,o ye idle women6 ,but we've been reading1 explained ,miss ,rodman4 ,he picked up the ,journal of ,folklore and flung it down again4 ,worse yet6 he insisted4 ,you ought to be tramping4 ,come1 let's go over to the ,pines4 ,is the map finished8 asked ,olivia4 ,done1 and despatched to an ungrateful government4 ,i'm going to strike work for two days1 to celebrate2 then we begin triangulations on the north side of the lake4 ,well1 aren't you coming8 ,he put out his hand and swung ,miss ,rodman to her feet4 ,olivia had risen without assistance and was looking around for her hat4 ,allan handed it to her4 ,i have some letters to write1 said ,miss ,rodman4 ,i believe ,i won't go4 ,the geologist's face expressed polite regret4 ,olivia was busied with her hat-pins4 ,but ,miss ,lane may go1 continued her aunt4 ,you might take ,dr4 ,allan over in the canoe1 ,olivia4 ,that would save time4 ,the girl nodded1 outwardly demure1 inwardly dancing toward that bright1 wave-thrown shell4 ,very well1 she said1 if ,mr4 ,allan will trust himself again to the ,water-,witch4 ,either of us could swim ashore with the ,water-,witch in our teeth1 laughed the geologist4 ,come ahead6 ,they started down the steep1 shadowy path to the lake1 the two tall1 lithe figures swaying away from each other1 toward each other1 as they wound in and out among the trees4 ,miss ,rodman felt a trifle uncomfortable4 ,she had not been altogether honest when ,olivia asked her if ,mr4 ,allan knew about her eyes4 ,in fact she realized that she had been rather dishonest4 ,she had indeed told the geologist--what he might have guessed for himself--that ,miss ,lane's eyes gave her serious trouble1 and that she had been forbidden to use them4 ,but she had not told him that ,olivia was going blind4 ,it was obvious that he liked the girl1 and ,miss ,rodman shrank from letting the tragic shadow of ,olivia's future darken these summer months unnecessarily4 ,she recognized instinctively that the geologist's attitude toward her ward might be altered if he were conscious of the coming catastrophe4 ,she wanted--yes1 she owned to herself that she wanted--to have ,elbridge ,allan so deeply in love with ,olivia that even if the worst came true he would but love her the better for her blindness4 ,but to tell him prematurely might have spoiled everything4 ,so reasoned ,miss ,rodman1 ,ph4,d4 ,yet1 as she stood watching the disappearing pair1 she was conscious of a certain irritation4 ,if only he had not come singing through the woods at just the moment when she was about to explain to ,olivia that she had not told him the worst6 ,for she felt sure1 now1 that she would have explained1 if they had not been interrupted4 ,well1 she would confess to ,olivia after supper6 ,and ,miss ,rodman gathered up the ,journal of ,folklore and the other reviews1 and sauntered back to the hotel4 ,ethics1 after all1 had been only her minor subject when she took her doctor's degree2 she felt strongest in ethnology4 ,meanwhile old ,felix1 at the boat-house1 sponged out the tiny birch canoe1 and scowled as ,allan stepped carelessly into the bow with his big hob-nailed shoes4 ,miss ,lane tucked up the cuffs of her shirt-waist to keep them from the drip of the paddle1 and ,allan pocketed her sleeve-buttons4 ,then old ,felix pushed them off4 ,he had rented boats there for thirty years1 ever since those first grand seasons of the ,morraway ,hotel1 when the ,concord coaches ran1 and before the railroad had gone up the other valley1 and left the ,morraway region to a mild decay4 ,thirty years2 but he had never seen a girl whom he fancied as much as ,olivia ,lane4 ,he had pushed so many couples off from the old wharf in his time1 and never a finer pair than this1 yet he liked ,olivia better alone4 ,he did not know why he disliked the geologist1 except that ,allan had broken an oar in ,june and had forgotten to pay for it4 ,the pair in the ,water-,witch grew rather silent1 as the canoe crept over the deep1 mountain-shadowed water4 ,allan smoked his pipe vigorously1 his eyes upon ,miss ,lane2 she seemed wholly occupied with her paddling4 ,as they neared the shore he warned her once or twice when the canoe grazed the sharp edges of protruding basalt2 but each time she avoided them with what appeared to him extraordinary skill4 ,in reality she could not see them1 and thought he understood4 ,she gave him her hand as she stepped ashore1 and was conscious that he retained it a moment longer than mere courtesy demanded4 ,he kept close to her side as they breasted the steep mountain-path4 ,whenever they stopped to rest1 each could hear the other's breathing4 ,now and then1 at a rock-strewn rise1 he placed his fingers beneath her elbow1 to steady her4 ,he had never done it before4 ,he knows6 she kept saying to herself1 deep down below all words4 ,he knows6 ,and he wants me to feel that it makes no difference6 ,it thrilled her like great music4 ,let the dark wave break1 if it must2 it could not rob her of the shining treasure4 ,she could yet be loved1 like other women4 ,the darkness without would not be so dreadful1 if all those lamps that ,heaven meant to be lighted in a woman's soul were glowing6 ,they reached the crest of the knoll1 where a dozen ragged white pines towered4 ,beneath them curved the lake1 growing darker already as the western sky began to blaze4 ,olivia seated herself against one of the pines1 and1 removing her hat1 leaned back contentedly4 ,it was so good to breathe deep and free1 to feel the breeze at her temples1 to have the man who loved her reclining at her feet4 ,all this could yet be hers1 whatever happened6 ,and all at once1 upon one of the lower branches of the pine1 she was aware of a white blackbird4 ,the utter surprise sent the color from her face2 then it came flooding back again4 ,in a tumult of unreasoning joy1 of girlish superstition1 she bent forward and caught ,allan by the shoulder1 pointing stealthily at the startled bird4 ,the white blackbird6 she whispered1 rapturously4 ,he glanced upward indifferently1 wondering at ,miss ,lane's ecstatic face4 ,he did not know that she cared particularly for birds4 ,it's an albino1 he remarked4 ,i've seen him three or four times this summer4 ,they have one in the museum at ,st4 ,johnsbury4 ,hush6 exclaimed1 ,olivia1 with a low1 intense utterance that almost awed him4 ,it may sing6 ,but the bird fluttered its cream-white wings1 and disappeared into the upper branches of the pine4 ,it's too late1 said the geologist4 ,blackbirds don't sing after midsummer4 ,oh1 you don't understand6 she cried1 half-starting from her seat and peering upward into the dusky1 breeze-swept canopy4 ,the white blackbird is the ,restorer of ,sight6 ,he looked puzzled4 ,there's a legend6 she exclaimed4 ,auntie and ,i learned it this very afternoon4 ,the singing of a white blackbird restores sight to the blind6 ,well1 he said1 carelessly1 rapping the ashes out of his pipe1 what of that8 ,and he looked up in her face again1 thinking that her luminous brown eyes had never been so lovely4 ,he saw them change and grow piteous1 even as he spoke4 ,didn't ,auntie tell you8 she demanded4 ,he shook his head4 ,she grew white1 and a moan escaped her lips4 ,the truth dawned1 clear and pitiless4 ,aunt ,jane had failed to tell him plainly1 and ,elbridge ,allan--her lover1 as she had believed--was yet in ignorance of her fate4 ,but the girl had had a long training in courage1 and she spoke instantly4 ,mr4 ,allan1 ,i am in all probability going to be absolutely blind4 ,they said that in ,paris and ,london last summer1 and they gave me a year4 ,dr4 ,sands told me a month ago that ,i had but one chance in fifty4 ,her voice was quiet and even1 but she did not trust herself to look at ,elbridge ,allan4 ,she gazed out over the gloomy lake toward the sun-tipped peak of ,morraway ,mountain1 and waited4 ,she would know1 now4 ,so many times had she waited1 like this1 for a verdict from the doctors1 but her heart had never seemed to stop quite still before4 ,she heard him make a surprised movement1 but he did not speak4 ,i knew ,billy ,sands in college1 he said awkwardly at last4 ,he was too lazy then to walk across the yard when the bell rang4 ,he is an old friend of ours1 she replied1 in swift loyalty4 ,no one could have been more kind---- ,she stopped1 realizing that he was embarrassed4 ,miss ,lane1 he broke out1 it's terrible6 ,i had no idea it was as serious as that4 ,i'm sorrier than ,i can say4 ,is ,billy ,sands really the best man to go to8 ,there used to be a wonderful oculist in ,munich4 ,by ,jupiter1 it's too bad6 ,do you know1 ,i think you're immensely brave4 ,i--,i wish ,i might be of some service4 ,slowly she turned her eyes from the mountain-top1 and looked straight into his face4 ,it was a handsome face1 full of boyish trouble1 of genuine sympathy1 of tenderness1 even4 ,and that was all there was there4 ,his eyes fell4 ,the stillness was so great that she could hear overhead the sleepy flutter and chirp of the white blackbird1 the ,restorer of ,sight4 ,and she was blind no longer3 she comprehended1 in that one instant1 that he did not love her4 ,i am so sorry---- he began again4 ,i am sure of that1 ,mr4 ,allan1 she interrupted4 ,but it is really better not to talk about it4 ,it cannot be helped4 ,and ,auntie and ,i seldom speak of it4 ,she wished to be loyal to her aunt1 through all4 ,allan nodded his head4 ,he was thinking that it was a little unfair in ,miss ,rodman to let a young fellow go on--well1 yes1 liking a girl--without telling him that she was liable to be blind4 ,olivia found herself trembling4 ,oh1 if he would only go away6 ,she could bear it1 if she were alone6 ,if he only would not lie there and look regretful and pathetic6 ,from far up the valley to the southward floated the faint whistle of the evening express4 ,mr4 ,allan1 said ,olivia1 suddenly1 you can do me a great service4 ,dr4 ,sands is coming on that train1 and ,i promised ,auntie to have a carriage sent for him4 ,i forgot it4 ,would you mind attending to it8 ,you might take the footpath down to ,swayne's1 and telephone1 and ,i'll bring over the canoe4 ,allan rose1 with a look of relief which he could not quite disguise4 ,you're sure you don't mind going back alone8 he asked4 ,not at all4 ,with a long troubled look at the girl's downcast face he turned away and hurried down the slope toward ,swayne's4 ,his own dream-castle was in ruins1 too2 for a month past he had begun to picture ,olivia's tall charming figure in the castle entrance4 ,she had all that he could possibly have desired in a woman3 beauty1 grace1 humor1 wealth--and she had seemed to like him--and now she was going blind6 ,it was too bad--too bad4 ,he felt very hard hit4 ,he stopped to light his pipe1 and then strode on1 discontentedly4 ,olivia threw herself face downward upon the soft1 sun-warmed pine-needles1 and lay there sobbing4 ,it was hard to give him up2 harder still to feel that he had never loved her at all4 ,she had simply been mistaken4 ,childlike1 she had fancied it was the sea-shell that was singing1 when in reality the music was only the echo from her own pulse-beats4 ,wave after wave of maidenly shame throbbed to her cheeks and throat4 ,she had wanted to be loved1 before that pall was flung over her life1 and while she could still be to her lover as other women were to theirs4 ,but she had had no right--no right6 ,moment by moment her girlhood seemed to slip away from her1 like some bright vision that flees at day-break4 ,she felt already the terrible helplessness of her doom1 the loneliness of a blind woman who is growing old4 ,high overhead the solitary1 mateless white blackbird smoothed his creamy wings and settled himself to rest among the soughing branches4 ,morraway ,mountain grew gray and distant4 ,the mist began to rise from the swarthy lake4 ,between the trunks of the ancient pines the sunset glowed more and more faintly4 ,the wind began to whisper solemnly in the woods4 ,and still the girl lay prostrate between the roots of the great pine1 praying to be forgiven for her selfishness4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was quite dusk when she arose4 ,with some difficulty she found the path and hurried downward1 stumbling often and once falling4 ,but her courage rose with the very play of her muscles4 ,she had to grope with her hands to find the canoe1 so thickly hung the mist already above the lake4 ,there were lights moving at old ,felix's boat-house1 but ,olivia could not see them4 ,she seated herself in the ,water-,witch1 took her bearing from the vague masses of mountain shadow1 and began to paddle with long1 firm strokes4 ,as the canoe shot into deep water1 she was conscious that something scraped its frail side4 ,in another moment the water was pouring over her ankles and knees4 ,she stopped paddling to feel for the leak1 and instantly the canoe began to settle4 ,with a powerful effort the girl freed herself from it as it sank1 although she went under once and lost her hold upon the paddle4 ,but she was a practised swimmer1 and though the water chilled her through and through she struck out in what she fancied was the right direction4 ,after a dozen strokes the shore seemed farther away1 and she swam back in growing fear to the spot where she thought the canoe had sunk1 in the hope of picking up the paddle4 ,round and round she swam1 with a slow side-stroke1 trying to find it1 but it had drifted away4 ,she was getting bewildered in the mist1 and the huge shadows that loomed above the lake seemed all alike4 ,she called once or twice1 and then remembered that ,felix had probably gone home1 and that no one could possibly hear her at the hotel4 ,she turned on her back and floated awhile1 to collect herself1 and then1 keeping her eyes on a certain shadowy outline in the fog1 she struck out again with desperate coolness4 ,even if she were quite wrong1 the lake was only half a mile wide here1 and she had made a half mile so often4 ,if only her clothing did not pull her down so terribly6 ,she had to turn over and float1 in order to rest1 and in so doing she lost her wavering landmark4 ,a cry of terror escaped her1 and with that the water slapped over her face for the first time4 ,she shook it out of her nostrils and began to swim in a circle1 peering vainly through the curtain of fog4 ,the shadows had all melted again into one vast shadow4 ,her strength was going now2 every stroke was an agony4 ,she called--not knowing that she did so--all the life-passion of youth vibrating in the clear voice2 then she turned on her back to float once more1 making a gallant1 lonely1 losing fight of it to the very last4444 ,she felt quite warm now1 and all of a sudden she ceased to have any fear4 ,this was the way ,god was taking to keep her from growing blind2 she had been as brave as she could1 but now that nightmare of life-long helplessness was over4 ,it was not to be ,blindness1 after all4 ,death1 beautiful1 silent-footed1 soft-voiced ,death had outstripped ,blindness1 and was enfolding her--murmuring to her--murmuring---- ,and as she closed her eyes contentedly1 old ,felix1 swearing tremulously1 leaned out of his boat and drew her in4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but it was the two men in the other boat who carried ,miss ,lane up to the ,morraway ,hotel4 ,one of them was ,elbridge ,allan1 pale and disconcerted2 the other a dark1 quick-eyed1 square-lipped man1 who dismissed the geologist rather abruptly1 after ,olivia had been taken to ,miss ,rodman's room4 ,but she's my friend1 ,dr4 ,sands1 he pleaded4 ,and mine4 ,and my patient besides1 ,mr4 ,allan1 pronounced ,dr4 ,sands4 ,then1 ,doctor1 said ,allan1 nervously1 you must let me ask you a question4 ,miss ,lane told me three hours ago that she was going blind4 ,i was--,i don't mind saying--very much upset by it4 ,is it true8 ,miss ,lane's eyes are in a very serious condition1 replied ,dr4 ,sands1 in his slightly bored1 professional voice1 while he measured the other man from head to foot4 ,there is no chance8 ,i would not say that1 was the brusque answer4 ,there is always a chance4 ,you will of course pardon me for not discussing my patient8 ,there was a quiet finality about this query which did not invite conversation1 and ,allan turned irresolutely away4 ,it was in the middle of the next forenoon before ,dr4 ,sands allowed ,olivia to talk4 ,she lay on the couch in her aunt's room1 a fire of maple logs roaring on the hearth1 a cold fine rain whistling against the shaking windows4 ,the turn of the year had come4 ,miss ,rodman had gone off to get some sleep4 ,the famous young oculist was poking determinedly at the fire and calling himself hard names4 ,he might have known that that handsome geologist would make himself obnoxious to ,olivia ,lane6 ,doctor1 spoke ,olivia4 ,yes1 ,miss ,lane4 ,he was at her side in a moment4 ,do you know1 she said1 ,i saw a white blackbird yesterday1 just as clearly6 ,it restores sight by its singing1 only it was too late in the year for it to sing4 ,there was a gentle irony in her voice1 like the echo of her old bravery4 ,was it you who took me out of the water8 she asked1 after a pause4 ,he shook his head4 ,i wasn't lucky enough4 ,it was ,felix4 ,last night1 said ,miss ,lane1 slowly1 ,i didn't want to be taken out4 ,the water seemed just the place for me4 ,but this morning ,i feel very much stronger--,oh1 very strong indeed6 ,she lifted one hand1 to show how powerful she was1 but it fell back upon the rug that covered her4 ,the doctor nodded4 ,he was wondering about ,elbridge ,allan4 ,i can bear anything1 she went on4 ,you see ,i have had to think it all through4 ,you are going to tell me that there is no chance1 are you not8 ,there was but one in fifty1 you said4 ,it was not hope1 but only a great patience1 that shone softly in her eyes4 ,if you have held your own for the last month1 we'll call it one in forty-nine1 he replied4 ,but you see ,i don't know yet whether you have held your own4 ,i don't know anything to-day1 ,olivia1 except that ,i love you4 ,i have loved you ever since ,i sent you to ,london4 ,she moved her head wearily1 as if she could not comprehend4 ,of course it's very stupid in me to say so this morning1 he exclaimed1 ruefully4 ,but ,i have waited too long already4 ,he was still thinking of ,elbridge ,allan4 ,but ,i am going blind6 she cried1 flinging out her hands4 ,very likely1 dear1 he replied4 ,yet that has nothing to do with this4 ,she gave him a long1 long look1 the tears starting4 ,it is you that ,i am in love with1 he said1 slowly4 ,but of course we will keep on making a good fight for the eyes4 ,i--can't--think1 cried ,olivia4 ,and indeed she seemed to be back in the unsounded water again1 shrouded by shadowy forms1 surrendering herself helplessly to a power mightier than her own4 ,only it was not ,death that was murmuring now2 it was ,life1 gallant1 high-hearted1 all-conquering ,life1 whose most secret name is ,love4 ,and as in that other supreme moment it was awe that the girl felt rather than fear4 ,not--now--1 she whispered4 ,not--yet4 ,i--can't--think4 ,well1 don't6 he exclaimed1 eagerly1 ,i don't wish you to think4 ,if you stop to think1 you'll refuse me4 ,olivia smiled faintly4 ,i want you to go to sleep again1 he declared4 ,in an instant he had drawn down the shades and placed the screen before the fire4 ,and when you wake up1 he continued1 ,i shall be right here1 ,olivia2--and always--right--here4--,i think that's about what ,i want to say1 he added1 with a curious husky little laugh4 ,the room was too dark for him to see the delicate color surge into ,olivia's pale face4 ,but her eyelids closed slowly1 obediently1 and he went softly out4 ,,the ,,enduring ,by ,james ,whitcomb ,riley ,a misty memory--faint1 far away ,and vague and dim as childhood's long-lost day-- ,forever haunts and holds me with a spell ,of awe and wonder indefinable3-- ,a shoeshop-wall4--,an ancient temple1 drawn ,of crumbling granite1 sagging portico ,and gray1 forbidding gateway1 grim as woe2 ,and o'er the portal1 cut in antique line1 ,the words--cut likewise in this brain of mine-- ,would'st have a friend8--,would'st know what friend is best8 ,have ,,god thy friend3 ,he passeth all the rest4 ,again the old shoemaker pounds and pounds ,resentfully1 as the loud laugh resounds ,and the coarse jest is bandied round the throng ,that smokes about the smoldering stove2 and long1 ,tempestuous disputes arise1 and then-- ,even as all like discords die again2 ,the while a barefoot boy more gravely heeds ,the quaint old picture1 and tiptoeing reads ,there in the rainy gloom the legend o'er ,the lowering portal of the old church door-- ,would'st have a friend8--,would'st know what friend is best8 ,have ,,god thy friend3 ,he passeth all the rest4 ,so older--older--older1 year by year1 ,the boy has grown1 that now1 an old man here1 ,he seems a part of ,allegory1 where ,he stands before ,life as the old print there-- ,still awed1 and marvelling what light must be ,hid by the door that bars ,futurity2-- ,though ever clearer than with eyes of youth1 ,he reads with his old eyes--and tears forsooth-- ,would'st have a friend8--,would'st know what friend is best8 ,have ,,god thy friend3 ,he passeth all the rest4 ,,search-,,light ,,letters ,,letter ,,to ,a ,,young ,,man ,,wishing ,,to ,,be ,,an ,,american ,by ,robert ,grant ,i4 ,i wrote this once as a definition of ,americanism3 ,it seems to me to be1 first of all1 a consciousness of unfettered individuality coupled with a determination to make the most of self4 ,in short1 a compound of independence and energy4 ,to you1 in the earnest temper of mind which your letter of inquiry suggests1 this definition may seem a generality of not much practical value2 declarative of essential truth1 yet only vaguely helpful to the individual4 ,yet ,i offer it as a starting-point of doctrine1 for to my thinking the people of the ,united ,states who have impressed themselves most notably on the world have possessed these two traits1 independence and energy1 in marked degree4 ,and to you1 whatever your condition in life1 if you consider1 it must be apparent that manly self-respect and enterprising force are essential to character and good citizenship1 and that the prominence accorded to these qualities by those who have analyzed the component parts of our nationality is a distinction which should be perpetuated and reinforced by succeeding generations4 ,nevertheless1 the counsel seems to approximate a glittering generality for the reason that the opportunities for acting upon it no longer sprout on every bush as in the forties1 fifties1 sixties1 and seventies of the present century when we were a budding nation and much of our territory was still virgin soil4 ,i write seems to approximate advisedly1 for the opportunities are just as plenty1 merely less obvious4 ,yet here again ,i must make this qualification--one which recalls doubtless the favorite aphorism employed to meet the plea that the legal profession is over-crowded--that there is always an abundance of room on the top benches4 ,indisputably the day has passed when the ambitious and enterprising ,american youth could have fruit from the tree of material fortune almost by stretching out his hand4 ,now he has to climb far1 and the process is likely to be slow and discouraging4 ,the conditions peculiar to a sparse population in a new country rich in resources have almost ceased to exist1 and1 though a young nation still1 we are face to face with the problems which concern a seething civilization where almost every calling seems full4 ,now and again some lucky seeker for fortune still finds it in a brief twelve-month1 but for the mass of ,american young men the opportunities for speedy1 dazzling prosperity have ceased to exist4 ,those who win the prizes of life among us nowadays owe their success1 in all but sporadic cases1 to unusual talents1 tireless zeal and unremitting labor1 almost as in ,england1 and ,france1 and ,germany4 ,so also1 with the passing of the period when enterprise and ambition were whetted by the promise of sudden and vast rewards1 have disappeared many of the traits1 both external and psychological1 which were characteristic of our early nationality4 ,the buffalo is nearly extinct1 and with him is vanishing much of the bluff1 graceless assertiveness of demeanor which was once deemed essential by most citizens to the display of native independence4 ,our point of view has changed1 broadened1 evolved in so many ways that it were futile to do more than indicate by a general description what is so obvious4 ,partly by the engrafting and adoption of foreign ideas and customs1 partly by the growth among us of new conditions beyond the simple ken of our forefathers1 our national life has become both complex and cosmopolitan4 ,if we1 who were once prone to believe our knowledge1 our manners1 and our customs to be all-sufficient1 have been borrowing from others1 so we in our turn have been imitated by the older nations of ,europe1 and the result is an approximation in sympathies and a blurring of distinctions4 ,political differences and race superficialities of expression seem a larger barrier than they really are1 for in its broader faiths and vision the civilized world is becoming homogeneous4 ,the ocean cable and the facilities for travel have palsied insular prejudice and lifted the embargo on the free interchange of ideas4 ,the educated ,american sees no resemblance to himself in the caricatures of twenty-five years ago1 and rejoices in the consciousness that the best men the world over are essentially alike4 ,this1 perhaps1 is only another way of reasserting that human nature is always human nature1 but this old apothegm has a clearer significance to-day than ever before4 ,yet the opportunities for the display of enterprise and independence remain none the less distinct because we are becoming a cosmopolitan community and the old spectacular flavor has been kneaded out of the national life4 ,much of our free soil has been appropriated by an army of emigrants from ,europe1 and in connection with this fact the saying is rife that every foreigner seems infused with a new dignity from the moment that he becomes an ,american4 ,this may be bathos in individual cases1 yet it is the offspring of truth4 ,still it remains equally true that we have an enormous foreign population whose ideas and standards are those which they brought with them4 ,proud as these men and women may be of their new nationality1 and eager as they may be to aid in the promotion of good citizenship1 their very existence here in large numbers has altered the conditions of the problem of ,americanism4 ,the problem involved is no longer that of the winning of a new land by a free1 spirited people under a republican form of government1 but the larger equation of the evolution of the human race4 ,americanism to-day stands in a sense more accurate than before as the experiment of government of the people1 for the people1 and by the people1 and for the most complete amalgamation of the blood of ,christendom which the human race has ever known4 ,we have lately been celebrating our centennial anniversaries4 ,already the great figures of our early history seem remote4 ,the struggle with which we are concerned is more intense and broader than theirs3 ,it is the progress of human society4 ,you1 whom ,i am addressing1 find yourself a unit in a vast1 heterogeneous population and a complex civilization4 ,you live in the midst of the most modern aspirations and appliances1 and cheek by jowl with the joy and sorrow1 the comfort and distress1 the virtue and vice of a great democracy4 ,your birthright of independence and energy finds itself facing essentially the same perplexities as those which confront the inhabitants of other civilizations where the tide of existence runs strong and exuberant4 ,if our nationality is to be of value to the world1 ,americanism must stand henceforth for a rectification of old theories concerning1 and an application of fresh vitality to the entire problem of human living4 ,love of country should be a part of the creed both of him who counsels and him who listens1 yet ,i deem it my duty1 considering the nature of our topic1 to suggest that there are not a few in the world1 foreigners chiefly1 who would be disposed to answer your inquiry how best to be an ,american1 by citing ,punch's advice to persons about to marry1 don't6 ,it does credit to your love of country that you have assumed a true ,american to be a consummation devoutly to be emulated4 ,humility on this subject has certainly never been a national trait1 and ,i cannot subscribe to any such doubt myself4 ,but yet again let me indicate that across the water the point is at least mooted whether the seeker for perfect truth would not be nearer success if incarnated under almost any other civilized name4 ,let me hasten to add that ,i believe this to be due to national prejudice1 envy1 and lack of intelligent discrimination1 especially the latter1 in that the foreigner is mistaken as to the identity of the true ,american4 ,it behooves you therefore to ascertain carefully who the true ,american is1 for even my defence seems to hint at the suggestion that all ,americans are not equally admirable4 ,forty years ago an intimation that all ,americans were not the moral and intellectual1 to say nothing of the physical1 superiors of any ,englishman1 ,frenchman1 ,german or ,italian alive would have subjected a writer to beetling criticism2 but1 as ,i have already intimated1 we have learned a thing or two since then4 ,and it is not a little thing to have discovered that1 though their hearts were right and their intentions good1 our forefathers were not so abnormally virtuous and wise as to entitle them or us to an exclusive and proscriptive patent of superiority4 ,we glory in them1 but while we revere them as the fosterers and perpetuators of that fine1 energetic1 high-minded1 probing spirit which we call the touch-stone of ,americanism1 we are prepared1 with some reluctance1 yet frankly1 when cornered1 to admit that they did not possess a monopoly of righteousness or knowledge4 ,i shall assume1 then1 that you1 in common with other citizens1 have reached this rationally patriotic point of view and are willing to agree that we are not1 as a nation1 above criticism4 ,if you are still inclined to regard us1 the plain people of these ,united ,states1 as a mighty phalanx of ,sir ,galahads in search of the ,holy ,grail1 the citation of a few facts may act aperiently on your mind and wash away the cobwebs of hallucination4 ,for instance1 to begin from the political standpoint1 our acquirement of ,texas and other territory once belonging to ,mexico suggests the predatory methods of the ,middle ,ages rather than an aspiring and sensitive national public temper4 ,the government of our large cities has from time to time been so notoriously corrupt as to indicate at least an easy-going1 shiftless1 civic spirit in the average free-born municipal voter4 ,it is a matter of common knowledge that in the legislative bodies of all our ,states there is a certain number of members whose action in support of or against measures is controlled by money bribes4 ,from the point of view of morals1 statistics show that poverty and crime1 drunkenness and licentiousness in our large cities are little less rife than in the great capitals of ,europe2 and you have merely to read the newspapers to satisfy yourself that individuals from the population of the small towns and of the country districts from the eastern limit of ,maine to the southwestern coast of ,california are capable of monstrous murders1 rank thefts1 and a sensational variety of ordinary human vices4 ,it were easy to illustrate further1 but this should convince you that the patriotic enthusiast who would prove the people of the ,united ,states to be a cohort of angels of light has verily a task compared with which the labors of ,sisyphus and other victims of impossibility fade into ease4 ,even our public schools1 that favorite emblem of our omniscience1 have been declared by authority to merit interest1 but by no means grovelling admiration1 on the part of the effete peoples of ,europe4 ,we will proceed then on the understanding that1 whatever its past1 the present civilization of the ,united ,states reveals the every-day human being in his or her infinite variety1 and that the true ,american must grasp this fact in order to fulfil his destiny4 ,if our nation is to be a lamp to the civilized world1 it will be because we prove with time that poor human nature1 by virtue of the leaven called ,americanism1 has reached a higher plane of intelligent virtue and happiness than the world has hitherto attained4 ,who then is the true ,american8 ,and what are the signs which give us hope that the people of the ,united ,states are capable of accomplishing this result8 ,what1 too1 are the signs which induce our censors and critics to shake their heads and refuse to acknowledge the probability of it8 ,,ii ,i will begin with the inverse process and indicate a list of those who are not true ,americans1 and yet who are so familiar types in our national community that the burden of proof is on the patriot to show that they are not essentially representative4 ,no4 #a4 ,the ,plutocratic ,gentleman of ,leisure who ,amuses ,himself4--,here we have a deliberate imitation of a well-known figure of the older civilizations4 ,the grandfather by superior ability1 industry1 and enterprise has accumulated a vast fortune4 ,his grand-children1 nurtured with care1 spend their golden youth in mere extravagant amusement and often in dissipation4 ,there are many individuals in our so-called leisure class who devote their lives to intelligent and useful occupation1 but there is every reason for asserting that the point of view of the child of fortune in this country is significantly that of the idler--and a more deplorable idler than he of the aristocracies of ,europe whom he models himself on1 for the reason that the foreigner is less indifferent than he to intellectual interests4 ,is there any body of people in the world more contemptible1 and anybody among us more useless as an inspiring product of ,americanism1 than the pleasure-seeking1 unpatriotic element of the very rich who1 under the caption of our best society1 arrogate social distinction by reason of their vulgar ostentation of wealth1 their extravagant methods of entertainment and their aimless pleasure-loving lives8 ,to vie with each other in lavish outlay1 to visit ,europe with frequency1 to possess steam-yachts1 to bribe custom-house officers1 to sneer at our institutions and1 save by an occasional check1 to ignore all the duties of citizenship1 is an off-handed epitome of their existence4 ,and in it all they are merely copy-cats--servile followers of the aristocratic creed1 but without the genuine prestige of the old-time nobilities4 ,and in the same breath let me not forget the women4 7,note4--,i was afraid you were going to1 said my wife1 ,josephine4 ,women count for so much here1 and yet their heads seem to become hopelessly turned as soon as they are multi-millionnaires47 ,women indeed count for much here1 and yet it is they even more than the men who are responsible for and encourage the mere pleasure-loving life among the leisure class4 ,a ceaseless round of every variety of money-consuming1 vapid amusement occupies their days and nights from ,january to ,january1 and for what purpose8 ,to marry their daughters to foreign noblemen8 ,to breed scandal by pursuing intimacies with other men than their husbands8 ,to demonstrate that the ,american woman1 when she has all the opportunities which health1 wealth1 and leisure can bestow1 is content to become a mere quick-witted1 shallow voluptuary8 ,you will be told that these people are very inconsiderable in number1 that they really exercise a small influence1 and that one is not to judge the men and women of the ,united ,states by them4 ,it is true that they are not very numerous1 though their number seems to be increasing1 and ,i am fain to believe that they are not merely out of sympathy with1 but alien in character to1 the ,american people as a whole2 and yet ,i cannot see why an unfriendly critic should not claim that they are representative1 for they are the lineal descendants of the men from every part of the land who have been the most successful in the accumulation of wealth4 ,their grandfathers were the pioneers whose brains and sinews were stronger than their fellows in the struggle of nation-building2 their fathers were the keenest and not presumptively the most dishonest men of affairs in the country4 ,not only this2 but though the plain people of the nation affect to reprobate this class as un-,american and evil1 yet the newspapers1 who aim to be the exponents of the opinions of the general mass and to cater to their preferences1 are constantly setting forth the doings of the so-called multi-millionnaires and their associates with a journalistic gusto and redundancy which reveals an absorbing interest and satisfaction in their concerns on the part of the everyday public4 ,undeniably there are no laws which prohibit the wealthy from squandering their riches in futile extravagance and wasting their time in empty frivolities1 nor is our leisure class peculiar in this when compared with the corresponding class in other countries1 unless it be in a more manifest bent toward civic imbecility4 ,but1 from the point of view of human progress1 is it not rather discouraging that the most financially prosperous should aspire merely to mimic and outdo the follies of courts1 the heartless levity and extravagance of which have been among the instigators of popular revolution8 ,surely1 if this is the best ,americanism1 if this is what democracy proffers as the flower of its crown of success1 it were more satisfactory to the sensitive citizen to owe allegiance to some country where the pretensions to omniscient soul superiority were more commensurate with the results produced4 ,no4 #b4 ,the ,easy-going ,hypocrite4--,here is another slip from the tree of human nature1 which flourishes on this soil with a sturdy growth4 ,a large section of the ,american people has been talking for buncombe1 not merely since years ago the member of ,congress from ,north ,carolina navely admitted that his remarks were uttered solely for the edification of the town of that name1 and so supplied a descriptive phrase for the habit1 but from the outset of our national responsibilities4 ,to talk for effect with the thinly concealed purpose of deceiving a part of the ,american people all of the time has been and continues to be a favorite practice with many of the politicians of the country4 ,yet this public trick of proclaiming sentiments and opinions with the tongue in the cheek is the conspicuous surface-symptom of a larger vice which is fitly described as hypocrisy4 ,there is a way of looking at this accusation which deprives it of part of its sting1 yet leaves us in a predicament not very complimentary to our boasted sense of humor4 ,it is that the free-born ,american citizen means so well that he is habitually dazzled by his own predilections toward righteousness into utterances which he as a frail mortal cannot hope to live up to1 and consequently that he is prone to express himself in terms which none but the unsophisticated are expected to believe4 ,in other words1 that he is an unconscious hypocrite4 ,however harmless this idiosyncrasy may have been as a preliminary trick of expression1 there is no room for doubt that the plea of unconsciousness must cease to satisfy the most indulgent moral philosopher after a very short time4 ,yet we have persevered in the practice astonishingly1 until it may be said that hyperbole is the favorite form of public utterance on almost any subject among a large class of individuals1 in the expectation that only a certain percentage will not understand that the speaker or writer is not strictly in earnest4 ,in this manner the virtuous and the patriotic are enabled to give free vent to their emotions and to set their fellow-citizens and themselves highest among the people of the earth without other expenditure than words1 resolutions1 or empty laws4 ,the process gently titillates the self-esteem of the performer so that he almost persuades himself for the time being that he believes what he is saying3 ,he appreciates that his hearers like better to have their hopes rehearsed as realities at the expense of veracity than to be reminded of imperfections at the expense of pride3 ,and he rejoices in those whom he has fooled into believing that their hopes have been realized1 and that all the virtue which he tremendously stands for is part and parcel of the national equipment4 ,under the insidious influence of this mode of enlightenment the everyday keen ,american citizen goes about with his head in the air1 knowing in his secret heart that one-half of what he hears from the lips of those who represent him in public is buncombe1 but content with the shadow for the substance1 and wearing a chip on his shoulder as a warning to those who would assert that we are not really as virtuous and as noble as our spokesmen have declared4 ,for instance1 to return to the concrete1 consider the plight of a police commissioner in most of our large cities4 ,those interested in the suppression of vice appear before the legislature and urge the maintenance of a vigorous policy4 ,acts are passed by the law-makers manifesting the intention of the community to wage vigorous war against the social evil and the sale of liquor1 and prescribing unequivocal regulations4 ,the appointing power is urged to select a strong man to enforce these laws4 ,supposing he does1 what follows8 ,murmurs and contemptuous abuse4 ,murmurs from what is known as the hard-headed1 common-sense portion of the community1 who complain that the strong man entrusted with authority does not show tact2 that what was expected of him was judicious surface enforcement of the law sufficient to beguile reformers and cranks1 and give a semblance of improvement1 not strict1 literal compliance4 ,they will tell you that the social evil can no more be suppressed than water can be prevented from running down hill1 and that the explicit language of the statutes was framed for the benefit of clergymen1 and that no one else with common sense supposed it would be enforced to the letter by any intelligent official4 ,the very legislators who voted to pass the laws will shrug their shoulders rancorously and confide to you the same thing2 yet in another breath assert to their constituents that they have fought the fight in defence of white-robed chastity and the sacred sanctity of the home4 ,now1 is this ,americanism1 the very best ,americanism8 ,surely not4 ,it has an ,anglo-,saxon flavor about it which it is easy to recognize as foreign and imported4 ,englishmen have been asserting for centuries that they were fighting the fight in defence of white-robed chastity and the sanctity of the home1 to the amusement of the rest of the world1 for in spite of the fact that the laws demand a vigorous policy and the ,british matron and the ,sunday-school ,unions declare that the home is safe1 those familiar with facts know that ,london is one of the most disgustingly impure cities in the world1 and that the youth let loose upon its streets is in very much the same predicament as ,daniel in the den of lions1 without the same certainty of rescue4 ,and why8 ,because the hard-headed1 common-sense ,british public sanctions hypocrisy4 ,they tell you that they are doing their utmost to crush the evil4 ,this is for the marines1 the ,british matron1 and the ,sunday-school ,unions4 ,but let a strong man attempt to banish from the streets the shoals of women of loose character1 and what an unmistakable murmur would arise4 ,how long would he remain in office8 ,it may be that the social evil can no more be suppressed than water can be prevented from running down hill4 ,that is neither here nor there for the purposes of this illustration4 ,but to demand the passage of laws1 and then to abuse and undermine the influence of those who try to enforce them is a vice more subversive to national character than the fault of ,mary ,magdalene and her unpenitent successors1 both male and female4 ,take1 again1 our custom-house regulations concerning persons returning home from abroad4 ,the law demands a certain tariff1 yet it is notorious that a large number of so-called respectable people are able to procure free entry for their effects by bribes to the subordinates4 ,and why8 ,because those who passed the law devised it to cajole a certain portion of the community2 but those charged with the enforcement of it1 in deference to its unpopularity1 are expected to make matters at the port smooth for travellers with easy-going consciences4 ,hence the continued existence at the ,new ,york ,custom-house of the shameless bribe-taker in all his disgusting variety4 ,authority from time to time puts on a semblance of integrity and discipline1 but the home-comer continues to gloat over the old story of double deceit1 his own and another's4 ,is this the best ,americanism8 ,yet these are ,american citizens who offer the bribe1 who pocket it1 and who allow the abuse to exist by solemnly or good-naturedly ignoring it4 ,consider the diversity of our divorce laws4 ,it is indeed true that opinions differ as to what are and what are not suitable grounds for divorce1 so that uniformity of legislation in the different ,states is difficult of attainment2 yet there is reason to believe that progress toward this would be swifter were it not for the convenience of the present system which allows men and women who profess orthodoxy a loop-hole of escape to a less rigorous jurisdiction when the occasion arises4 ,similarly1 in the case of corporation laws1 it is noticeable that not far removed from those communities where paid-up capital stock and other assurances of good faith are required from incorporators1 some ,state is to be found where none of these restrictions exist4 ,thus an appearance of virtue is preserved1 self-consciousness of virtue flattered1 a certain number deluded1 and yet all the conveniences and privileges of a hard-headed1 easy-going civilization are kept within reaching distance4 ,no4 #c4 ,the ,worshipper of ,false ,gods4--,it is a commonplace of foreign criticism that the free-born ,american is insatiate for money1 and that everything else pales into insignificance before the diameter of the mighty dollar4 ,that is the favorite taunt of those who do not admire our institutions and behavior1 and the favorite note of warning of those who would fain think well of us4 ,no one can deny that the influence and power of money in this country during the last thirty years have been enormous4 ,one reason for this is obvious4 ,the magnificent resources of a huge territory have been developed during that period4 ,men have grown rich in a night1 and huge fortunes have been accumulated with a rapidity adapted not merely to dazzle and stir to envy other nations1 but to turn the heads of our own people4 ,we have become one of the wealthiest civilizations1 and our multi-millionnaires are among the money magnates of the world4 ,yet popular sentiment in public utterance affects to despise money1 and inclines to abuse those who possess it4 ,i write affects1 for here again the point of hypocrisy recurs to mind1 and even you very likely would be prompt to remind me that1 according to our vernacular1 to make one's pile and make it quickly is a wide-spread touch-stone of ambition4 ,true enough it is that there has been1 and is1 room for reproach in the aggressiveness of this tendency1 and yet the seeming hypocrisy is once more unconscious in that the popular point of view intends to be sincere1 but the situation has been too dazzling for sober brains and high resolves4 ,for let it be said that keenness of vision and a capacity for escaping from the trammels of conventional and inveterate delusions are essentially ,american traits1 and as a consequence no one more clearly than the ,american citizen appreciates the importance of material resources as a factor of happy living1 and none so definitely as he refuses to be discouraged by the priestly creed that only a few can be comfortable and happy in this life and that the poor and miserable will be recompensed hereafter for their earthly travails4 ,his doctrine is that he desires1 if possible1 to be one of that comfortable and happy few1 and in the exuberance of his consciousness that human life is absorbing1 he fortifies the capacity to make the most of it by the quaint1 convincing statement that we shall be a long time dead4 ,his quick-witted1 intelligent repugnance to the old theory that the mass should be cajoled into dispensing with earthly comforts has helped to give a humorous1 material twist to his words2 and yet1 ,i venture to assert1 has left his finer instincts unperverted1 except in the case of the individual4 ,this combination of an extraordinary opportunity and a shrewd intelligence has1 however1 it must be admitted1 produced a considerable and sorry crop of these individuals guided by the principle that wealth is the highest good1 and should be sought at the expense of every scruple4 ,their many successes in the accomplishment of this single purpose have served to create the impression that the whole nation is thus diseased1 and have done the greater harm of dwarfing many an aspiring nature1 spell-bound by the cloud-capped towers and gorgeous palaces which sheer money-making has established4 ,as a result the best ,americanism is menaced both by the example of accumulation without conscience1 and the dangerous public atmosphere which this generates1 in that the common eye is caught by the brilliance of the spectacle1 and the common mind lured to meditate imitation at every sacrifice4 ,so they say of us that the ,american hero is the man of material successes1 the smart man who gets there by hook or crook1 and that we are content to ask no embarrassing questions as to ways and means1 provided the pecuniary evidences of attainment are indisputable4 ,the patriotic ,american resents this as a libel1 and maintains that this type of hero-worship is but a surface indication of the public soul1 just as the horrors of the divorce court are but a surface indication of the general conditions of married life4 ,yet the patriot must admit that there is danger to the noble aspirations which we claim to cherish as ,americans from the bright1 keen1 easy-going1 metallic1 practical1 hard-headed1 humorous citizen1 male and female1 whose aim is simply to push ahead1 at any cost1 and who in the process does not hesitate to part with his spiritual properties as being cumbersome1 unremunerative and somewhat ridiculous4 ,the materialist is no new figure in human civilization4 ,eat1 drink1 and be merry1 for to-morrow we die1 is but the ancient synonyme for we shall be a long time dead4 ,a deep1 abiding faith in the serious purposes of humanity has ever been obvious to us ,americans as a national possession1 however foreigners may deny it to us1 but the ,american nature is at the same time1 as ,i have suggested1 essentially practical1 level-headed1 and inquiring1 and is ever ready with a shrewd jest to dispute the sway of traditions founded on cant or out-worn ideas4 ,it behooves you then1 if you would be a true ,american1 to beware overstepping the limit which separates aspiring1 intelligent1 winsome common-sense from the philosophy of mere materialism4 ,there lies one of the great perils of democracy2 and unless the development of democracy be toward higher spiritual experiences1 ,americanism must prove a failure4 ,keen enjoyment of living is a noble thing1 so too is the ambition to overcome material circumstances1 and to command the fruits of the earth4 ,a realization of the possibility of this1 and an emancipation from dogmas which foreordained him to despair1 has evolved the alert1 independent1 progressive ,american citizen1 and side by side with him the individual whom the less enlightened portion of the community have enshrined in their hearts under the caption of a smart man4 ,this popular hero1 with his taking guise of easy-going good nature1 assuring his admirers by way of flippant disposition of the claims of conscience and aspiration that it will be all the same a hundred years hence is the kind of ,american whom every patriot should seek to discredit and avoid imitating4 ,,iii ,the foregoing suggestions will suffice1 ,i think1 to demonstrate to you that we are not uniformly a nation of ,sir ,galahads1 and that certain types of ,americanism1 if encouraged and perpetuated1 are likely to impair the value and force of our civilization4 ,but having dispelled the hallucination that we are uniformly irreproachable1 ,i would remind you that1 in order to be a good ,american1 it is even more necessary for you to appreciate the fine traits of your countrymen than to be keenly alive to their shortcomings4 ,there are two ways of looking at any community1 as there are two ways of looking at life4 ,the same landscape may appear to the same gaze brilliant1 inspiring1 and interesting1 or flat1 homely1 and unsuggestive1 according as the eye of the onlooker be healthy or jaundiced4 ,it is easy to fix one's attention on the vulgar and heartless ostentation of the rich1 on the cheapness and venality of some of our legislators1 on the evidences of hypocrisy and false hero-worship1 materialism1 and superficiality of a portion of our population1 and in doing so to forget and overlook the efficacy and finer manifestations of the people whose lives are the force and bulwark of the state4 ,it is easy to go through the streets of a large city and note only the noise and smoke and stir1 coarse circumstance and coarser crime1 neglecting to remember that beneath this kernel of hard1 real life the human heart is beating high and warm with the hopes and desires of the spirit4 ,it is not necessary for a human being1 it is essentially not necessary for an ,american1 to look at life from the point of view of what the eye beholds in the hours of soul-torpor4 ,true is it that ,americanism stands to-day as almost synonymous with the struggle of democracy1 and that the equal development of the life of the whole people for the common good is what most deeply concerns us2 but this does not mean that it is right or ,american to adhere to what is ordinary and low1 because it is still inevitable that the ideals and standards of the mass should not be those of the finest spirits4 ,it was an ,american who bade you hitch your wagon to a star1 and you have only to reflect in order to recall the spiritual vigor1 the righteous force of will1 the strength of aspiring mind1 the patriotic courage1 the tireless soul-struggle of the early generations of choicely educated1 simply nurtured ,americans4 ,their thought and conscience1 true and star-seeking even in its limitations1 laid the foundations of law and order1 of civic liberty and private welfare1 of national honor and domestic repute4 ,their enterprise and perseverance1 their grit and suppleness of intelligence wrested our broad ,western acreage from the savage and-- 99 99 99 99 99 7,note4--,i was here interrupted in the fervor of this genuine peroration by my wife ,josephine's exclamation1 ,oh1 how atrociously they abused and persecuted those poor ,indians1 shunting them off from reservation to reservation1 cheating them out of their lands and furs6 ,it is not agreeable to be held up in this highwayman fashion when one is warming to a subject1 but there is a melancholy truth in ,josephine's statement which cannot be utterly contradicted4 ,still this is what ,i said to her3 ,my dear1 ,i had hoped you understood that ,i had referred sufficiently to our national delinquencies1 and that ,i was trying to depict to my correspondent the other side of the case4 ,however just and appropriate your criticism might be under other circumstances1 ,i can only regard it now as misplaced and unfortunate4 ,i spoke with appropriate dignity4 ,hoity1 toity1 toity me6 she responded4 ,i won't say another word47 99 99 99 99 99 --wrested our broad ,western acreage from the savage1 and in less than half a century transformed it into a thriving1 bustling1 forceful civilization4 ,their ingenuity1 their restless spirit of inquiry1 their practical skill1 their impatience of delay and love of swift decisive action have built countless monuments in huge new cities in the twinkling of an eye1 in the marvellous useful inventions which have revolutionized the methods of the world1 the cotton-gin1 the steamboat1 the telegraph1 the telephone1 the palace-car--in the eager response made to the call of patriotism when danger threatened the existence of their country1 and in the strong1 original1 clear-thinking1 shrewdly acting1 quaint personalities which have sprung from time to time from the very soil1 as it were1 in full mental panoply like the warriors of the ,cadmean seed4 ,their stern sense of responsibility1 their earnest desire for self-improvement1 their ambitious zeal to acquire and to diffuse knowledge have founded1 fostered1 and supported the system of public schools and well-organized colleges which exist to-day in almost every portion of the country4 ,the possessors of these qualities were ,americans--the best ,americans4 ,their plan of life was neither cheap nor shallow1 but steadfast1 aspiring1 strong1 and patient4 ,from small beginnings1 by industry and fortitude1 they fought their way to success1 and produced the powerful and vital nation whose career the world is watching with an interest born of the knowledge that it is humanity's latest and most important experiment4 ,the development of the democratic principle is at the root of ,americanism1 but whoever1 out of deference to what may be called practical considerations1 abates one jot the fervor of his or her desire to escape from the commonplace1 or who1 in other words1 forsakes his ideals and is content with a lower aim and a lower outlook1 in order to suit the average temper1 is false to his birthright and to the best ,americanism4 ,it has been one of the grievances of those whose material surroundings have been more favorable and who have possessed more ostensible social refinement than the mass of the population1 that they were regarded askance and excluded from public service and influence4 ,there used to be some foundation for this charge1 but the counter plea of the complainants of lack of sympathy and distrust of country was still more true1 and an explanation and1 in a large measure1 a justification of the prejudice4 ,true strength and refinement of character has always in the end commanded the respect and admiration of our people1 but they have been roughly suspicious of any class isolation or assumption of superiority4 ,it has been difficult accordingly for that type of ,americans who arrogated tacitly1 but nevertheless plainly1 the prerogatives of social importance1 to take an active part in the responsibilities of citizenship4 ,they have been mistrusted1 and sneered at1 and not always unjustly1 for they have been prone to belittle our national institutions and to make sport of the social idiosyncrasies of their unconventional countrymen for the entertainment of foreigners4 ,and yet the people have never failed to recognize and to reverence the fine emanations of the spirit as evidenced by our poets1 historians1 thinkers1 or statesmen4 ,our forceful humanitarian and ethical movements1 our most earnest reforms found their most zealous and untiring supporters among the rank and file of the people4 ,abraham ,lincoln was understood last of all by the social aristocracy of the nation4 ,emerson's inspiration found an answering chord in every country town in ,new ,england4 ,true it is that on the surface the popular judgment may often seem superficial and cheap in tone1 but the wise ,american is chary of accepting surface ebullitions as the real index of the public judgment4 ,he understands that mixed in with the unthinking and the degenerate is a rank and file majority of sober1 self-respecting men and women1 whose instincts are both earnest and original1 and who are to be depended on in every serious emergency to think and act on the side of civilizing progress4 ,it is the inability to appreciate this which breeds our civic censors1 who are led by their lack of perspective to underestimate the character of the people and to foretell the ultimate failure of our experiment4 ,the increase of wealth and a wider familiarity with luxury and comfort through the country has made a considerable and more important class of those whose material and social surroundings are exceptional4 ,the participation of the citizens of this class in the affairs of government is no longer discouraged--on the contrary1 it is welcomed by the community4 ,indeed1 many men have secured nomination and election to office solely because of their large means1 which enabled them to control men and caucuses in their own favor4 7,note4--,an appearance of spontaneity is preserved in these cases by the publication of a letter from leading citizens requesting the candidate to stand for office4 ,he thereupon yields to the overwhelming invitation of the voters of the district1 and his henchmen do the rest47 ,but though the possession of wealth and social sophistication are no longer regarded as un-,american1 the public sentiment against open or tacit assumption of social superiority1 or a lack of sympathy with democratic principles1 is as strong as ever4 ,it is incumbent1 therefore1 on you1 if you would be an ,american in the best sense1 to fix your ideal of life high1 and at the same time to fix it in sympathy with the underlying ,american principle of a broad and progressive common humanity1 free from caste or discriminating social conventions4 ,it is not necessary for you to accept the standards and adopt the behavior of the superficial and imperfectly educated1 but it is indispensable that you accept and act on the faith that your fellow-man is your brother1 and that the attainment of a freer and more equal enjoyment of the privileges of life is essential to true human progress4 ,we have1 as ,i have intimated1 passed through the pioneer stage of national development2 we have tilled our fields1 opened our mines1 built our railroads1 established our large cities--in short1 have laid the foundations of a new and masterful civilization2 it now remains for us to show whether we are capable of treating with originality the old problems which confront complex societies1 and of solving them for the welfare of the public and the consequent elevation of individual character4 ,the originality and clearness of the ,american point of view has always been a salient national characteristic4 ,hitherto its favorite scope has been commercial and utilitarian4 ,yankee notions have been suggestive of sewing-machines1 reapers1 and labor-saving contrivances1 or the mechanism of rushing trade4 ,now that we have caught up with the rest of the world in material progress and taught it many tricks1 it remains for the true ,american to demonstrate equal sagacity and clear-headedness in dealing with subtler conditions4 ,to be sure the scope of our originality has not been entirely directed to things material1 for we have ever asserted with some vehemence our devotion to the things of the spirit1 squinting longingly at them even when obliged to deplore only a passing acquaintance with them because of lack of time4 ,the splendid superficiality of the army of youth of both sexes in the department of intellectual and artistic exertion1 which has been one of the notable features of the last thirty years1 has shown clearly enough the true temper and fibre of our people4 ,to regard this superficiality as more than a transient symptom1 and thereby to lose sight of the genuine intensity of nature which has animated it1 would indicate the shallow observer4 ,our youth has been audacious1 self-confident1 and lacking in thoroughness because of its zeal to assert and distinguish itself1 and thus has justly1 in one sense1 incurred the accusation of being superficial1 but it has incurred this partially because of its disposition to maintain the privileges of individual judgments4 ,our young men and women have been blamed for their lack of reverence and their readiness to form conclusions without adequate knowledge or study in the teeth of venerable opinion and convention4 ,indisputably they have erred in this respect1 but indisputably also the fault is now recognized1 and is being cured in the curriculum of education4 ,yet1 evil as the fault is1 the traits which seem to have nourished it--unwillingness to accept tradition and a searching1 honest clearness of vision--are virtues of the first water1 and typical of the best national character4 ,there are many persons of education and refinement in our society who accept as satisfactory and indisputable the old forms and symbols which illustrate the experience1 and have become the final word of the older civilizations in ethics1 politics1 and art4 ,they would be willing that we should become a mere complement to the most highly civilized nations of ,europe1 and they welcome every evidence that we are becoming so4 ,as ,i have already suggested to you1 the nations of the world are all nearer akin in thought and impulse than formerly1 but if our civilization is to stand for anything1 it must be by our divergence from the conclusions of the past when they fail to pass the test of honest scrutiny1 not by tame imitation4 ,profoundly necessary as it is that we should accept with reverence the truths of experience1 and much as our students and citizens may learn from the wisdom and performance of older peoples1 it behooves the ,american to prize and cherish his birthright of independent judgment and freedom from servile adherence to convention4 ,almost everything that has been truly vital in our production has borne the stamp of this birthright4 ,the ,american citizen of the finest type is essentially a man or woman of simple character1 and the effect of our institutions and mode of thought1 when rightly appreciated1 is to produce simplicity4 ,the ,american is free from the glamour or prejudice which results from the conscious or unconscious influence of the lay figures of the old political1 social1 or religious world1 from the glamour of royalty and vested caste1 of an established or dominant church1 of aristocratic1 monkish1 or military privilege4 ,he is neither impelled nor allured to subject the liberty of conscience or opinion to the conventions appurtenant to these former forces of society4 ,for him the law of the state1 in the making of which he has a voice1 and the authority of his own judgment are the only arbiters of his conduct4 ,he accords neither to fineness of race nor force of intellect the right of aristocratic exclusiveness which they have too often hitherto claimed4 ,to the cloistered nun he devotes no special reverence2 he sees in the haughty and condescending fine gentleman an object for the exercise of his humor1 not of servility2 he is indifferent to the claim of all who by reason of self-congratulation or ancient custom arrogate to themselves special privileges on earth1 or special privileges in heaven4 ,this temper of mind1 when unalloyed by shallow conceit1 begets a quiet self-respect and simple honesty of judgment1 eminently serviceable in the struggle to live wisely4 ,to the best citizens of every nation the most interesting and vital of all questions is what we are here for1 what men and women are seeking to accomplish1 what is to be the future of human development4 ,for ,americans of the best type1 those who have learned to be reverent without losing their independence and without sacrifice of originality1 the problem of living is simplified through the elimination of the influence of these symbols and conventions4 ,their outlook is not confused or deluded by the specious dogmas of caste4 ,they perceive that the attainment of the welfare and happiness of the inhabitants of earth is the purpose of human struggle1 and that the free choice and will of the majority as to what is best for humanity as a whole is to be the determining force of the future4 ,to those who argue that the majority must always be wrong1 and that as a corollary the will of the cheap man will prevail1 this drift of society is depressing4 ,the good ,american in the first place1 recognizing the inevitability of this drift1 declines to be depressed2 and in the second1 without subscribing to the doctrine that the majority must be wrong1 exercises the privilege of his own independent judgment1 subject only to the statute law and his conscience4 ,there is a noble strength of position in this2 there is a danger1 too1 in that it suggests a lack of definiteness of standard4 ,yet this want of precision is preferable to the tyranny of hard and fast prescription4 ,it is clear1 for instance1 that if the men and women of civilization are determined to modify their divorce laws so as to allow the annulment of marriage when either party is weary of the compact1 no canon or anathema of the church will restrain them4 ,nor1 on the other hand1 will the mere whim or volition of an easy-going majority force them to do so4 ,the judgment of men and women untrammelled by precedent and tradition and seeking simply to ascertain what is best and wisest for all will settle the question4 ,though the majority will be the force that puts any law into effect1 the impulse must inevitably come from the higher wisdom of the few1 and that higher wisdom in ,america works in the interest of a broad humanity1 free from the delusions of outworn culture4 ,the wisdom of the few may not seem to guide1 but in the end the mass listens to true counsel4 ,honesty toward self and toward one's fellow-man1 without fear or favor1 is the leavening force of the finest ,americanism1 and1 if persevered in1 will lead the many1 sooner or later1 with a compelling power far beyond that of thrones and hierarchies4 ,the wise application of this doctrine of the search for the common good in the highest terms of earthly condition to the whole range of economic1 social1 and political questions is what demands to-day the interest and attention of earnest ,americans4 ,the problems relating to capital and labor1 to the restraint of the money power1 to the government of our cities1 to the education of all classes1 to the status of divorce1 to the treatment of paupers and criminals1 to the wise control of the sale of liquor1 to equitable taxation1 and to a variety of kindred matters are ripe for the scrutiny of independent1 sagacious thought and action4 ,to the consideration of these subjects the best national intelligence is beginning to turn with a fresh vigor and efficiency1 but none too soon4 ,though democracy and ,americanism have become largely identical1 the spread of the creed of a broader humanity in the countries of civilization where autocratic forms of government still obtain1 has been so signal and productive of results that the ,american may well ask himself or herself if our people have not been slovenly and vain-glorious along the paths where it seemed to be their prerogative to lead4 ,certainly in the matter of many of the civic and humanitarian problems which ,i have cited1 we may fitly borrow from the recent and modern methods of those to whom we are apt to refer1 in terms of condescending pity1 as the effete dynasties of ,europe4 ,they have in some instances been more prompt than we to recognize the trend of ours and the world's new faith4 ,,iv ,in this same connection ,i suggest to you that in the domain of literary art an ,englishman--a colonist1 it is true1 and so a little nearer allied to us in democratic sentiment--has more clearly and forcibly than anyone else expressed the spirit of the best ,americanism--of the best world-temper of to-day4 ,i refer to ,rudyard ,kipling4 ,human society has been fascinated by the virility and uncompromising force of his writings1 but it has found an equal fascination in the deep1 simple1 sham-detesting sympathy with common humanity which permeates them4 ,he has been the first to adopt and exalt the idea of the brotherhood of man without either condescension or depressing materialistic realism4 ,he has interpreted the poetry of the trivial round and common task without suggesting impending soup1 blankets1 and coals on earth and reward in heaven on the one hand1 or without emphasizing the dirtiness of the workman's blouse on the other4 ,his imagery1 his symbols and his point of view are essentially alien to those of social convention and caste4 ,yet his heroes of the engine-room1 the telegraph-station1 the ,newfoundland ,banks1 and the dreary ends of the earth1 democratic though they are to the core1 appeal to the imagination by their stimulating human qualities no less than the bearers of titles and the aristocratic monopolists of culture and aspiration who have been the leading figures in the poetry and fiction of the past4 ,strength1 courage1 truth1 simplicity and loving-kindness are still their salient qualities--the qualities of noble manhood--he expounds them to us by the force of his sympathy1 which clothes them with no impossible virtues1 yet shows them1 in the white light of performance1 men no less entitled to our admiration than the ,knights of ,king ,arthur or any of the other superhuman figures of traditional sthetic culture4 ,he recognizes the artistic value of the workaday life in law courts and hospitals and libraries and mines and factories and camps and lighthouses and ocean steamers and railroad trains1 as a stimulus to and rectifier of poetic imagination1 negativing the theory that men and women are to seek inspiration solely from what is dainty1 exclusive1 elegantly romantic1 or rhapsodically star-gazing in human conditions and thought4 ,this is of the essence of the ,american idea1 which has been1 however1 slow to subdue imagination1 which is the very electric current of art1 to its use by reason chiefly of the seeming discord between it and common life1 and partly from the reluctance of the world to renounce its diet of highly colored court1 heaven and fairy-land imagery2 partly1 too1 because so many of the best poets and writers of ,america have adopted traditional symbols4 ,the school of great ,new ,england writers which has just passed away were1 however1 the exponents of the simple life1 of high religious and intellectual thought amid common circumstance4 ,they stood for noble ideals as the privilege of all4 ,yet their mental attitude1 though scornful of pomp and materialism1 was almost aristocratic2 at least it was exclusive in that it was not wholly human1 savoring rather of the ascetic star-gazer than the full-blooded appreciator of the boon of life4 ,their passion was pure as snow1 but it was thin4 ,yet the central tenet of their philosophy1 independent naturalness of soul1 is the necessary complement to the broad human sympathy which is of the essence of modern art4 ,the difficulty which imagination finds in expressing itself in the new terms is natural enough1 for the poet and painter and musician are seemingly deprived of color1 the color which we associate with mystic elegance and aristocratic prestige4 ,yet only seemingly4 ,externals may have lost the dignity and lustre of prerogative2 but the essentials for color remain--the human soul in all its fervor--the striving world in all its joy and suffering4 ,there is no fear that the tide of existence will be less intense or that the mind of man will degenerate in sthetic appreciation1 but it must be on new lines which only a master imbued with the value and the pathos of the highest life in the common life as a source for heroism can fitly indicate4 ,there lies the future field for the poet1 the novelist1 and the painter--the idealization of the real world as it is in its highest terms of love and passion1 struggle1 joy1 and sorrow1 free from the condescension of superior castes and the mystification of the star-reaching introspective culture which seeks only personal exaltation1 and excludes sympathy with the every-day beings and things of earth from its so-called spiritual outlook4 ,,anne ,by ,fanny ,v4 de ,g4 ,stevenson ,anne was walking down the slope of a hill at the time of the first stirring of dawn on a spring morning4 ,she was an old woman1 now1 her youth lying years behind her2 but she had not been one to fall easily into the sere and yellow leaf4 ,though frail in health1 she had kept her manifold interests sharp and lively2 pictures gave her pleasure keen as of yore1 and there was no critic of literature more quick than she to detect a lapse in taste or art1 nor with a readier appreciation of style1 originality1 or even intention4 ,she was1 at last1 however1 forced to believe that she was growing old4 ,she was old1 and the days were flying past her with an incredible rapidity4 ,she rebelled with passionate fierceness against the inevitable1 approaching end4 ,as bitterly as for herself 7she was sixty and past71 she resented the fact that ,john1 her husband1 stood even nearer the final catastrophe than she2 ,john1 whom1 though ten years her senior1 she had petted and spoiled like a child4 ,hers had always been the dominant mind4 ,john1 older and aging more rapidly than she1 had now become absolutely dependent on her1 almost for his thoughts4 ,their marriage was blessed with no children1 wherefore all the motherly instincts of the wife had been lavished on the husband4 ,my very love has made him helpless1 thought ,anne2 pray ,god he be called before me4 ,she walked more quickly1 in time with her thoughts1 which now wandered along devious pathways through the past4 ,the scenes she recalled were nothing in themselves1 no more than most elderly people keep stored in their memories2 but to her1 who had played the principal parts1 they were of the liveliest interest4 ,the day she and ,john took possession of the house that had been their own ever since was as vivid as yesterday4 ,nay1 more vivid1 for she was not at all sure concerning yesterday2 she had had a headache1 and was stupid1 and had slept a good deal2 and ,john dozed in his chair2 there was nothing to remember in yesterday4 ,but that first day in the new house1 both so proud1 so fond1 so full of plans2 and it was all over4 ,the plans matured or failed1 and they were only two old people1 conscious of ever-failing strength1 careful of draughts1 easily tired--well1 no1 not so very easily tired after all1 at least not ,anne1 or at least not to-day4 ,it must be the early morning1 or the spring weather4 ,she had heard of old people who recovered their faculties in a sort of ,indian summer1 possibly her ,indian summer was about to burst into a mature blossoming4 ,she felt so light on her feet1 so uplifted as with a wholesome1 altogether delightful intoxication4 ,the sensation carried her far back to her childhood1 to a first day in the garden after a winter's illness4 ,how she skipped1 and ran1 and laughed4 ,she was conscious to-day of the same pure joy in living4 ,it was like being a child again4 ,and those sad1 querulous days1 yesterday1 and the days and years before--that was the child's illness2 such a long illness1 ever-increasing1 with but one terrible cure4 ,but not even that fancy could depress ,anne to-day1 glorious to-day1 this day of ten thousand6 ,she laughed aloud1 pretending1 as children pretend1 that she had1 unknowing1 drunk of the golden elixir2 her eyes should be unclouded1 her cheeks flower-fresh1 her scant1 white locks changed to rings of softest brown2 a tall1 slim slip of a girl1 as ,john first met her4 ,at the foot of the meadow where she kept tryst with ,john there used to be a still pool where she preened her feathers while waiting for her gallant4 ,she looked about for a pool1 smiling at this vanity in an old woman2 but suppose--suppose--8 ,of course she was always properly dressed and coifed as became one of her station and fortune1 with a certain well-bred deference to the prevailing modes1 and she owned to a nice taste in lace and jewels4 ,jane1 her maid1 had been very much remiss when she laid out the gown her mistress wore this morning4 ,it must be a new one1 by the way1 or an old one remodelled2 it was not in her usual style1 but of a singular cut1 stiff1 plain1 and ungraceful in its prim folds4 ,however1 it was white1 and white was still ,anne's color4 ,and what matters a gown when one is in so high a humor8 ,the valley below was everywhere covered with a white rime which ran in sparkles as the sun touched it4 ,it should be sharply cold1 ,anne thought1 but she felt no chill4 ,frost generally passed over the high ground1 while it nipped the lower4 ,she hoped it had spared the tender plants in her garden1 and the budding peaches4 ,already the crocuses were in bloom1 and the lilacs showed a few timid1 scented leaves4 ,anne was very fond of her garden1 and it was one of her grievances against time that she could no longer tend it in person4 ,she had forgotten why she searched for the pool2 she was a little confused1 doubtless the effect of yesterday's headache--nothing unpleasant1 rather a delightful1 dizzy jumbling of thoughts1 ideas1 remembrances4 ,at any rate1 here was the pool1 clear and unruffled2 new grass was springing on its banks1 and here and there woolly brown bosses showed where ferns were sprouting4 ,she would fetch ,john here one day--if he were able to walk so far4 ,john used to like a pool when his sight was stronger2 not in ,anne's way2 her liking was innocent and sentimental4 ,john would bring his microscope and discover the most wonderful things in water that appeared absolutely pure4 ,decidedly she must manage to fetch ,john4 ,anne leaned over and looked into the pool4 ,she leaned farther1 lower1 turned her head this way and that1 and then drew back in utter bewilderment4 ,there was no reflection of her face in the water6 ,she was overwhelmed with disappointment4 ,this enchanting rejuvenation1 then1 was only a dream4 ,she could almost have wept2 not quite1 for the dream still held her as in an embrace of joyousness4 ,she wondered what her body looked like1 lying on its bed while its soul was roaming the fields4 ,she pitied it1 the worn1 frail1 old body1 as though it were a thing separate from herself4 ,it had suffered in its fairly long life1 and had endured many contrarieties1 but there had been more than compensating happinesses1 and no great sorrows4 ,she hoped it slept well4 ,john's dear1 white head would be lying on the pillow beside it4 ,oh1 she thought1 ,i wish ,i could give my dream to ,john4 ,well1 it shall be the best dream in the world if ,john is only to have it at second hand4 ,in the certainty that she was dreaming1 ,anne now gave her imagination a free rein4 ,false shame is out of place in a dream4 ,she gambolled like a prisoned kid set free1 and sang--softly1 lest the dream should be shattered4 ,as the day advanced wild things came out of the wood2 squirrels1 and other animals so shy by nature that she had only seen them1 heretofore1 at a distance1 stopped beside her and conversed together in their own language4 ,she saw what no naturalist has ever beheld1 ,god's creatures at home and unafraid4 ,she laid her hand on the head of a doe as it drank at a pool1 and ran with it feather-footed4 ,she spurned the earth and took long1 smooth flights over the undergrowth like a bird sailing on the wing4 ,suddenly she became aware of a voice1 clear and penetrating1 that spoke the name--,anne4 ,a face was before her1 vaguely familiar1 a face of her childhood4 ,marian6 she cried2 my mother's cousin1 ,marian4 ,you remember me1 dear ,anne4 ,you--you went to ,india1 murmured ,anne in a maze2 ,i thought--mother talked of you to us children--your portrait in the school-room---- ,yes1 ,i went to the ,indies2 ,i died there when you were a little child4 ,you were always much in my mind1 for ,i loved your mother1 and you were her favorite4 ,so she did not allow my name to be forgotten8 ,she talked of me to her children1 and she kept my portrait4 ,did you say--died6 repeated ,anne1 who had given an involuntary start at the word4 ,i wonder if ,i am really meeting your spirit in a dream8 ,it might be4 ,why should it not8 ,you certainly are meeting my spirit1 which is myself1 but not in a dream1 dear4 ,anne felt a thrill of terror4 ,what if this were not a dream8 ,i am not dead8 ,she looked at ,marian with frightened1 questioning eyes4 ,you must be dead1 was the answer1 else how should you be here8 ,your mother used to write me that you had unusual powers2 ,i never had4 ,you might1 as a mortal1 possibly see me1 but ,i could not be conscious of you unless you were as real as myself4 ,anne stared hard at her companion4 ,i have1 it is true1 said she1 imagined ,i saw spirits1 but they were not like you2 they were phantoms1 ghosts1 immaterial4 ,she hesitated1 and then took ,marian's hand in hers4 ,this hand is as solid as my own4 ,if ,i believed you were dead--if ,i thought ,i was--dead--myself1 oh1 it would be appalling6 ,my dear ,anne1 said ,marian1 we are both spirits2 we were always spirits1 only in the body we were chained spirits4 ,material or immaterial only means a point of view1 not a difference4 ,i am no spirit1 said ,anne4 ,i am of the earth1 and the flesh2 all my thoughts are with1 and on the earth1 and of the earth4 ,as to you1 ,marian1 ,i don't know4 ,there is an uncertainty in my mind--no1 ,i mean an enlightenment2 ,i don't know what to call it--an apprehension4 ,marian1 do you mind8 ,i thought heaven was a very different place4 ,i should expect something more serious1 more solemn4 ,the idea of an everlasting sabbath used to depress me4 ,i have no desire for such a state---- ,heaven6 ,heaven6 ,did you think you were in heaven8 ,oh1 no1 this is not heaven4 ,i trust there may be a heaven1 and a future life1 but this is not heaven4 ,i only know about this world in which ,i exist1 and that it is immeasurably better than that other world we have both happily left4 ,it is all so different from one's dreams1 said ,anne4 ,dreams1 she repeated2 dreams4 ,marian1 did you long for those you left behind8 ,were you lonely without them8 ,or were you with them1 following all their affairs with sympathy and understanding8 ,no1 replied ,marian1 ,i knew no more of my loved ones in the past life than they knew of me4 ,that is the worst of it1 both now and before2 the separation1 the waiting4 ,i wish ,i had had more faith in the old days4 ,i wish my faith were greater now4 ,my dearest ones left me when ,i was no more than thirty1 and ,i was eighty when ,i died4 ,it was a long waiting4 ,you were a little child1 then1 and you must have been well in years when---- ,don't1 don't6 cried ,anne2 don't repeat that dreadful word6 ,i am not1 ,i cannot be6 ,and yet ,i know1 and hate the knowledge1 that it must come to me very soon1 for ,i am1 as you say1 an old woman4 ,let me enjoy this beautiful dream wherein ,i am still young4 ,but is this youth8 ,when ,i look at you1 ,marian1 you are not old1 but you are not young4 ,my intellect will not conceive it what it is4 ,if you would only believe me1 said ,marian1 that we are both relieved of the burden of the flesh with all its infirmities and limitations4 ,it is that1 only that4 ,there can be no pain where there is no flesh to suffer4 ,and no sorrow8 asked ,anne4 ,sorrow1 replied ,marian1 that is of the mind1 and the mind is part of ourselves4 ,separation is the worst1 replied ,anne4 ,separation4 ,suppose1 she thought1 that ,i am really in another existence1 where then is my dear1 old ,john1 my husband8 ,marian1 she cried out1 ,i must go home2 at once6 ,but my dear1 said ,marian1 you cannot2 as a mortal you could not come here2 how then can you now go there8 ,oh1 ,anne1 there are many loved ones waiting for you here4 ,many who loved you4 ,we knew you would arrive suddenly2 we were warned of that2 ,i came first--it was thought best--to prepare you for the great meeting4 ,i tell you1 said ,anne1 sharply1 ,i am going home4 ,john will miss me4 ,i have been too long away already4 ,your mother1 ,anne1 she is coming1 pleaded ,marian4 ,not mother1 nor father1 nor friends beloved can come between ,john and me4 ,i must see ,john first4 ,something may have happened4 ,she looked about her4 ,i don't quite know where ,i am4 ,there should be people about4 ,i see no one to put me on the road4 ,anne1 said ,marian1 neither you nor ,i can find that road4 ,oh1 come with me1 cried ,anne1 help me to find ,john2 ,i must find ,john4 ,the two women moved together hand in hand down the hill into the valley4 ,i can make out nothing in this bewildering fog1 said ,anne1 peering out from under her hand4 ,whenever ,i seem just about to recognize a familiar place or object1 it is to be blotted out by the fog4 ,there was no fog before4 ,oh1 ,marian1 it should be hereabouts2 our house should be here6 ,marian withdrew her hand from ,anne's4 ,you disturb me1 she said2 what you are doing is unlawful4 ,come away2 something mortal might appear4 ,if you will not1 ,anne1 you drive me from you2 ,i dare not stay4 ,anne stood alone1 trying to pierce with her gaze the fog which grew perceptibly thinner4 ,the elm1 and then the shrubbery of her garden began to show darkly1 like shadows4 ,she drew closer1 for now the house itself loomed up1 large and imposing1 but in some intangible way different4 ,the walls1 the doors1 the windows1 all were there1 all in their appointed places4 ,what1 then1 was the indefinable change8 ,it used to be considered such a pleasant house1 so cheerful1 so gay with its hanging creepers1 and the bright curtains at the windows4 ,two years running a bird had nested in the cornice over the porch4 ,but to-day it presented an aspect of gloom that was forbidding in the extreme4 ,it gave the impression of a house to be avoided1 a place where wrong things had happened1 or might happen4 ,anne1 now that she was so near that a word spoken aloud would reach her husband's ear1 and she had only to lift the knocker and enter her own door1 shrank back with an odd reluctance4 ,she would walk round to the study first1 and look through the window4 ,perhaps ,john would be there1 reading1 or writing a letter1 and1 without doubt1 wondering what had become of his wife4 ,the blinds were closed4 ,how like ,john not to think of opening them4 ,with all the blinds down like that1 people would think there was a death---- ,john was sitting by the table1 leaning forward1 apparently asleep4 ,he was so still1 so quiet4 ,oh1 if anything had happened to ,john6 ,no2 he raised his head as though he heard someone call1 looking straight in his wife's eyes4 ,why did he not speak8 ,what ailed him to look like that8 ,anne remembered that she was behind the closed blinds4 ,his eyes had a strained look as though he almost saw her4 ,john6 ,john6 she cried4 ,the old man shivered and looked vaguely round him4 ,anne noticed that he had no fire4 ,the hoar-frost of the morning1 that looked so beautiful1 he would feel that2 he was very sensitive to changes of temperature and weather4 ,his clothes1 too1 looked thinner than he was in the habit of wearing--and with a great black patch on one sleeve6 ,anne must see to this at once4 ,john was less fit than ever to take care of himself4 ,he looked so feeble1 so old1 so much older than she had thought4 ,ah1 what would ,john do without her8 ,her heart yearned over him with the tender compassion of the strong for the weak1 the deep affection that belongs to the habit of a lifetime--stronger than the love of youth4 ,john1 ,john1 my husband6 ,again he turned his face toward the window1 a leaden gray face4 ,slow tears ran down his furrowed cheeks and fell on his breast4 ,oh1 what is it8 ,oh1 my poor old husband6 ,anne flew to the closed door and snatched at the knocker4 ,her hands closed on vacancy4 ,her own house1 her home1 ,john's home1 and she could not get in6 ,back she ran to the window4 ,he was still there1 his head lying on his clenched hands4 ,as though from a long distance1 thin and faint1 his voice came to ,anne1 broken with weeping4 ,he was calling on her name--,anne1 ,anne6 ,oh1 my dear old husband1 do you miss me so sorely8 ,john1 ,john1 open the window and let me in6 ,he moved1 as though in answer1 but sank back again with a weary shake of his head4 ,anne lifted her arms and struck at the wall4 ,that it should prove such stuff as dreams are made on gave her no surprise4 ,she was beside ,john2 nothing else was of importance4 ,a shadowy serving-maid opened a door1 looked wildly round1 shuddered1 and fled4 ,john seemed conscious of her presence2 oh1 why not1 then1 of ,anne's8 ,she knelt beside him1 she laid her hands on his1 she murmured all the foolish endearing phrases that were their own2 but he saw nothing1 he heard nothing4 ,oh1 my dear old husband1 she said2 husband of my youth and of my old age2 we are one2 we cannot be parted4 ,i will not leave you4 ,i shall wait beside you4 ,john turned with seeing eyes4 ,anne6 he cried1 with a loud voice1 as his head fell on her breast4 ,together they passed out of the house1 paying no heed to what was left behind1 nor to the terrified call of the serving-maid1 ,help1 help1 master is dead6 ,,hush6 ,by ,julia ,c4 ,r4 ,dorr ,o hush thee1 ,earth6 ,fold thou thy weary palms6 ,the sunset glory fadeth in the west2 ,the purple splendor leaves the mountain's crest2 ,gray twilight comes as one who beareth alms1 ,darkness and silence and delicious calms4 ,take thou the gift1 ,o ,earth6 on ,night's soft breast ,lay thy tired head and sink to dreamless rest1 ,lulled by the music of her evening psalms4 ,cool darkness1 silence1 and the holy stars1 ,long shadows when the pale moon soars on high1 ,one far1 lone nightbird singing from the hill1 ,and utter rest from ,day's discordant jars2 ,o soul of mine6 when the long night draws nigh ,will such deep peace thine inmost being fill8 ,,the ,,point ,,of ,,view ,it is more than a full generation1 it is going on for half a century1 since ,thackeray1 lecturing on ,charity and ,honor1 in ,new ,york1 paid the street-manners of the city the pretty compliment that all readers ought to remember3 ,sidenote3 ,american ,urbanities ,i will tell you when ,i have been put in mind of the courteous gallantry of the noble knight1 ,sir ,roger de ,coverley1 of ,coverley ,manor1 of the noble ,hidalgo ,don ,quixote of la ,mancha3 here1 in your own omnibus-carriages and railway-cars1 when ,i have seen a woman step in1 handsome or not1 well-dressed or not1 and a workman in hob-nailed shoes1 or a dandy in the height of the fashion1 rise up and give her his place4 ,omnibus-carriages have given way altogether to the horse-car2 and the horse-car has ceded to the elevated train1 to the cable-car1 to the under-ground trolley4 ,these vehicles subsist1 but in what one of them could the admiring tourist see repeated as a rule what was1 without question1 the rule in #aheb8 ,the age of chivalry is gone from the public conveyances of ,new ,york4 ,apparently it has gone farther from ,new ,york than from any other ,american city4 ,at least that is the conclusion to which a ,new ,yorker is reluctantly driven who has occasion to visit other ,american cities4 ,the boorishness of ,new ,york is now what impresses the ,british tourist4 ,stevenson made his first appearance in ,new ,york a matter of seventeen years after ,thackeray's last appearance1 and he in turn recorded his observation4 ,it was that he was received in casual places where he was personally unknown with a surprising mixture of rudeness and kindness4 ,but what struck him first1 struck him in the face1 so to say1 was the rudeness4 ,the healing kindness came after1 and the final conclusion was that ,new ,yorkers 7he was careful not to say ,americans7 were well-meaning and kind-hearted people who had no manners4 ,the good intentions and the kind hearts may be questioned by any spectator of the scramble at a station of any one of the elevated roads during the crowded hours1 where male creatures may be seen using the superior strength of their sex to arrive at seats in advance of women4 ,even where this is not put too grossly in evidence1 it is plain to the spectator of the scramble that the age of chivalry is gone4 ,the travelling ,new ,yorker becomes aware that this is largely local4 ,a ,southern newspaper man1 writing from ,new ,york to his paper1 not long ago1 noted its manners with even a touch of horror4 ,when ,i saw a man sitting in a car in which a woman was standing1 he says1 ,i knew that ,i was far from home4 ,a very recent ,british observer1 the clever author of ,the ,land of ,the ,dollar1 proceeding from ,new ,york to ,philadelphia1 recorded his refreshment at happening upon an ,american town where the inhabitants were not too busy1 when the stranger thanked them for a piece of information1 to answer ,you're very welcome4 ,when the ,new ,yorker goes abroad at home1 he finds unwelcome confirmation of the suggestion that his own city is the most unmannerly of all4 ,the ,new ,englander has undoubtedly a way1 as ,anthony ,trollope noted1 of giving you a piece of information as if he were making you a present of a dollar4 ,but for all that1 the sensitive stranger finds himself much less rasped at the end of a day in ,boston1 than at the end of a day in ,new ,york4 ,as you go ,southward1 the level of manners rises in proportion almost to the respective stages of social culture reached in the colonial times1 when ,josiah ,quincy found in ,charleston a degree of civility and elegance such as the good ,bostonian recorded that he had never seen1 nor expected to see1 on this side of the ,atlantic4 ,one is driven1 in view of the ,southern courtesy1 to wonder whether there may not be something in ,goethe's defence of the duello1 to the effect that it is more desirable that there should be some security in the community against a rude act than that all men should be secure of dying in their beds4 ,but this explanation does not account for the fact that in whatever direction the ,new ,yorker goes from home he finds better manners of the road1 manners of the street-car1 manners of the elevator1 than those he left4 ,western cities1 unless they be ,southwestern also1 have not the soothing softness and deference of ,southern manners1 but there is in these a recognition on the part of the human brother whom you casually encounter1 of your human brotherhood which you are by no means so sure of eliciting from the casual and promiscuous ,new ,yorker4 ,the ,chicagoan will tell you in detail what you want to know1 even though1 as ,mr4 ,julian ,ralph has remarked1 he makes you trot alongside of him on the sidewalk while he is telling it4 ,and in an elevator in which there is a woman1 the ,chicagoan hats are as promptly and automatically doffed as the ,bostonese1 while in this regard it is ,new ,york and not ,philadelphia that is the ,quaker city4 ,ethnic explanations of the bad manners of ,new ,york will occur to many readers1 which it may be interesting not to state4 ,these mostly fall to the ground before the appalling fact that ,chicago is better-mannered4 ,the elevated roads are great demoralizers4 ,it is barely that primitive human decency escapes from the ,sauve qui peut and ,devil take the hindmost of that mode of transit1 to say nothing of the fine flower of courtesy4 ,let us hope it is all the doing of the elevated roads4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,public ,manners of ,women ,it is painful to have to say that inquiry among males for an explanation of the degeneration just mentioned reveals yet another lamentable decline in chivalry4 ,for it is a fact that the current masculine hypothesis attributes it to the women themselves4 ,this is a reversion to a state of things which prevailed long before the age of chivalry had come4 ,the scandalous behavior of ,adam1 in devolving upon the partner and fragment of his bosom the responsibility for his indulgence in the malum prohibitum of ,eden1 has been frequently cited in assemblages of ,woman in proof of the innate and essential unchivalrousness of ,man4 ,it is there regarded as1 to say the least of it1 real mean4 ,the citation may not appear germane to an appeal for merely equal rights1 which is the professed object of the woman-women1 but it is surely pertinent to the male contention that woman would get more by throwing herself upon the mercy of man than by appealing to his justice4 ,if we take a more modern view of the origin of the relations of the sexes1 it is evident that only that minimum of courtly consideration for the weaker vessel which was needful for the preservation of the species was to be expected from a gentleman whose habits had only just ceased to be arboreal1 and that the age of chivalry must have been a very long time in coming4 ,it is1 all the same1 a fact that1 when a son of ,adam of the younger generation is asked how1 in a public conveyance1 he can retain both his seat and his equanimity while a daughter of ,eve is standing1 he is apt to recur to the third chapter of ,genesis1 and to put the blame on the woman thou gavest to be with me4 ,you don't even get thanked for it1 he will say4 ,his father1 and much more his grandfather1 would have been ashamed to offer that excuse4 ,it would have been ruled out as invalid1 even if accurate2 and the heir of all the ages who makes it does not put it to the proof often enough to know whether it is accurate or not4 ,but it must be owned that there is too much truth in it4 ,woman's inhumanity to man is a good deal in evidence4 ,the late ,senator ,morton1 of ,indiana1 was1 it will be remembered1 an invalid and a cripple4 ,he came into a company at the capital one day in a state of great indignation because1 in a street-car crowded with young women1 not one had offered him a seat1 and he had been compelled to make the journey painfully and precariously supported upon his crutches4 ,the like of this may very often be seen4 ,humanity1 consideration for weakness and helplessness1 is the root of which chivalry is the fine flower4 ,the ,senator's experience was not unique1 was not even exceptional4 ,it is a startling proposition that man's inhumanity to man is less than woman's1 but the time seems to give it some proof4 ,at any rate1 a man evidently disabled would not be allowed to stand in a public conveyance in which able-bodied men were seated1 even in the most unchivalrous part of our country1 which ,i have given some reasons for believing to be the city of ,new ,york4 ,and1 if that be true1 it seems that the assumption of the right of an able-bodied woman to remain seated while a disabled man is standing is an assumption that the claims of chivalry are superior to those of humanity4 ,on the other hand1 it may fairly be said that the selfishness of women with regard to the wayfaring man is more thoughtless and perfunctory than the selfishness of men with regard to the wayfaring woman4 ,in this country1 at least1 this latter is in all cases felt to be a violation of propriety and decency4 ,the native ,american feels himself to be both on his defence and without defence1 when he is arraigned for it4 ,this was illustrated one day in a car of the ,new ,york elevated road1 in which a middle-aged woman was standing in front of a young man who was sitting4 ,fixing him with her glittering eye1 she said1 calmly but firmly1 ,get up1 young man1 ,i want that seat4 ,the conscience-stricken youth rose meekly and automatically at the summons1 and left his seat the spoil of the ,amazonian bow and spear4 ,however it may be with woman's inhumanity to man1 there can be no question about her inhumanity to woman4 ,it does make countless thousands mourn4 ,and this not alone in the familiar sense in which ,every fault a tear may claim1 ,except an erring sister's shame4 ,whatever male has assisted at a function at which males are not supposed to assist1 and at which the admixture of males is so small as to be negligible1 has seen sights as astonishing in their way as the sights witnessed by the rash males who1 at the peril of their lives1 smuggled themselves into those antique mysteries from which they were expressly excluded4 ,nowhere in the gatherings of men does shameless selfishness find so crude an expression as1 say1 at a crowded matine4 ,it could not be exhibited at a prize-fight1 for the exhibitor would subject himself to prompt personal assault4 ,but the female bully is without fear as without shame4 ,she elbows her way through and past her timid sisters1 takes tranquil possession of the standing-places they have reserved by occupation1 and scatters them to flight as the fierce hawk the pavid doves4 ,of course the bullies are a small minority1 but one hawk suffices to flutter the most populous dove-cote1 and to characterize the assemblage which it dominates4 ,the young man who excuses his own bad manners by blaming the woman only emphasizes his want of chivalry2 but the validity of his plea is more deniable than its accuracy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,english ,voice on the ,american ,stage ,in the play of ,pudd'nhead ,wilson1 made out of ,mark ,twain's book by ,frank ,mayo1 the evil genius combines in his veins the bad blood and craven instincts of two races4 ,the rle was given1 when first presented1 a remarkable impersonation in which there was a subtle mingling of a white man's presumption and a negro's animalism4 ,but the creator of the part was the brother of a leading ,english poet6 ,an ,american actor essayed the rle in the second season with decidedly less success4 ,in ,the ,heart of ,maryland1 a strenuous developing of ,civil ,war emotions and events1 the fate of the hero1 a soldier whose devotion to the ,north alienates him from father and sweetheart1 was given in both its first two seasons to actors of good schooling indeed1 but distinctly ,english4 ,the leading juvenile1 supposedly a ,confederate officer with all a ,southron's manner of speech1 was also most pronouncedly a ,briton in tongue1 build1 and carriage4 ,in that exciting coil about a lovable spy--,secret ,service--not exactly the villain1 but the chief meddler with the hero's plans1 was on the programme a ,virginia gentleman1 but on the stage entirely ,british4 ,multiplying examples is unnecessary2 there is enough food for reflection in these three recent plays4 ,they are all marked with particular ,americanism1 and a prominent share of that ,americanism is entrusted to actors foreign-born and foreign-bred4 ,we are so used here to accepting certain mannerisms of speech as indigenous to1 and proper to1 the theatre1 and so many of our actors follow ,british pronunciation and inflection1 that we hardly see the extent to which the natively ,english voice prevails on our stage4 ,once the thing gets on one's nerves1 however1 it is most noticeable4 ,indeed1 the presence of ,english actors on the ,american stage is so pervasive of everything1 from farce-comedy to society-tragedy1 that they fairly invest our national drama4 ,now of all insularities the most abominable1 the one most to be shunned by this country is artistic insularity4 ,it is an excellent cosmopolitanism that gives our patronage so generously to the greatest foreign stars1 although it is bald snobbery that often leads us to favor mediocre importations over native genius4 ,but it is surely carrying our worldliness too far when we accept and approve the hopeless incapacity of foreigners to enact rles demanding ,american local color4 ,this may substantiate our proverbial patience1 but it deals hard with our boasted sense of the incongruous4 ,so much have unlike environments in a hundred years differentiated the two races that an ,english impersonation of an ,american character can never be acceptable to real criticism4 ,the reason for the sway of ,english actors over our stage is not far to seek4 ,it is not that the best of them can act better than our best1 for we have in our little day produced a very few of the greatest actors1 tragic and comic4 ,and we still have an excellent array of the plebs of the stage4 ,it is the middle class--which is ever the grand average and backbone of any organization--that is not satisfactory and must draw on foreign aid4 ,the average middle-class actor in ,england supplies the demand1 for he is far above our similar caste in training and finish1 and for good reason4 ,in ,england the stage is taken more seriously than here1 at least by the players4 ,there an actor enters upon his career with the same desire for the thoroughness that comes from humble beginnings and complete experience as anyone entering upon any other profession4 ,he may cherish vague hopes of greatness--as every ,american lawyer hopes to be ,president--but he is content if his lot is cast in respectable places1 where the labor is agreeable and the compensation decent4 ,the result is an army of thoroughly drilled actors that can do almost anything well1 though they may do nothing brilliantly4 ,in the ,united ,states1 however1 where opinion still maligns the business of the actor1 he is likely to look on his career as a mere trade or as a too1 too high art4 ,our actor is either one whose ambitions lead him to hitch his wagon to a star and scorn all sublunary things1 or one stolidly content to please--not the aristocratic groundlings1 but the skylings4 ,of these two sorts of actor1 the former thinks a legitimate minor part too far beneath him to justify serious preparation1 the latter thinks it too far above him4 ,there is1 consequently1 an inadequate list of native actors sufficiently prepared in technic to do well anything that comes to hand4 ,the tendency1 too1 of an ,american actor1 having hit upon a success in one kind of character1 to make an exclusive specialty of it and devote a lifetime to one range of parts1 is both due to the besetting commercialism of our stage and responsible for much of its lack of versatility4 ,the manager1 finding no well-equipped1 highly adaptable rank-and-file at home1 turns naturally to the one source of unfailing supply--,england4 ,in the few stock companies that survive the old rgime1 the ,english voice is particularly prevalent4 ,for the ,english origin of these actors essaying ,american rles is discoverable by the voice almost more than by the bearing4 ,though we of the ,united ,states and they of the ,united ,kingdom approximate considerably in language1 we are radically different in speech4 ,the ,british actor rather modifies than accentuates the arpeggios of ,piccadilly1 but it is only a long life in ,america and a plasticity uncommon in his race that can disguise him4 ,his curious scale-singing is an unfailing wonder to the ,american4 ,in the ,american play it can never be anything but a hopeless incongruity4 ,,the ,,field ,,of ,,art ,illustration3 ,venetian ,balcony4 ,close of ,fifteenth ,century3 ,modern ,arcade4 ,,one ,,way ,,of ,,designing ,a ,,modern ,,house ,this is set forth in a monograph1 the title of which may be translated and abbreviated thus3 ,drawings of the house of the brothers ,bagatti ,valsecchi in ,milan at ,no4 #g ,via di ,santo ,spirito4 ,one very general1 very abstract1 very little detailed ground-plan explains what the house is1 considered as a building occupying a piece of ground1 and doing certain definite work4 ,evidently it was thought that more should not be allowed the public1 concerning a house of habitation4 ,from this it appears that the house is a single very large dwelling of which the dimensions on the ground may be taken at one hundred feet of frontage by sixty feet or rather less of depth4 ,this1 however1 is the measurement of the whole plot of ground2 for the house covers it all1 and light for the rearmost rooms and corridors is obtained by three separate courts surrounded by arcades4 ,the front on the street is deeply recessed so as to give a faade of some fifty-five feet at the bottom of the court2 with two projecting wings of different widths2 the projection1 or depth of the court1 being of about eighteen feet4 ,and now comes the essential thing--that which forms the peculiarity of the building1 and the immense and radical diversity between the scheme proposed by its designer and that adopted by any ,parisian master-workman who may have a hotel priv to build4 ,the ,milan house is in every respect1 in its general design and in the minutest detail1 that which might have been built about #adge in the same town and on the same street4 ,the front is of brick and terra-cotta1 except that the door-piece in the middle of the recessed faade1 the podium1 so to speak1 or sub-wall of the basement story1 standing some four feet high1 is of stone2 and that a part of one of the wings where it is opened up in the large doorway below communicating with a kind of shop or business-room1 and1 above1 into arcades with a projecting balcony1 is also of cut stone4 ,this stone would have been taken to be marble but that the legends expressly speak of pietra1 and it is probable that ,istrian or some other hard white or light gray stone is used4 ,of stone also are the pillars which carry the vaulting of the cloisters1 or galleries1 which surround the courts within1 and many pilasters1 jamb-pieces1 dadoes1 parapets1 and balustrades of the interior2 as well as the columns of the logetta which crowns one of the wings projecting on the street1 and a similar and larger one on the court within4 ,the walls of the courts1 except for the stone work above described and for certain cornice bands which are evidently of terra-cotta1 are entirely finished in sgraffito2 or scratched decoration on hard plaster1 fit to bear the moderate climate of ,milan1 together with certain modelling in very low relief1 which is intermingled with the scratched or incised work1 and closely harmonizes with it4 ,one interesting detail of the undertaking must be mentioned here3 pieces of ancient work have been built into the structure rather freely1 and these are so perfectly in the style that they do not attract attention to themselves4 ,they need1 in fact1 the legends which announce their presence4 ,this is one way of saying that the collected fragments of antiquity have been carefully chosen with the view to being of one style1 of one epoch1 of one character1 and that the building has been built in the style so fixed4 ,at the principal doorway there are four ancient medallions of the character which sculptors of the fifteenth century enjoyed2 that is to say1 they are enlargements of ,roman coins4 ,the secondary or wing doorway1 spoken of above as communicating with what seems to be a kind of shop1 is entirely antique1 with pilasters filled with carving in the sunken panels4 ,in the spandrels of the arch above are two more antique medallions1 and an antique pilaster in marble from ,mantua is set in the small rentrant angle formed between this piece of the front and the adjoining house1 which projects slightly beyond the ,casa ,bagatti4 ,ancient iron work is used for the two windows which flank the central doorway1 and by way of emphasis the other windows on that story are without grilles4 ,iron work in the head of the side doorway already described as antique is announced as made up of ancient parts2 and it may be admitted here that all this wrought iron is of somewhat earlier date than the structure generally2 a breach of that harmony which has been insisted on above1 but one which might easily be considered as quite characteristic of good1 fine1 imaginative fifteenth century work1 when the ,renaissance builders would have rejected carvings in the ,gothic spirit1 but would have admitted iron work of that character without trouble4 ,above this ancient doorway an ancient ,venetian balcony1 also of stone1 is worked into the double arcade1 of which mention has been made4 ,two large and elaborate wooden ceilings are used in the open cloisters which surround the courts1 and it is worthy of commendation that they seem to have been put in place without restoration1 with nothing more than necessary repairs or necessary strengthening1 and that no attempt has been made to give them a freshly finished modern look4 ,an ancient doorway of carved wood opens upon one of these porticoes2 an ancient vera di pozzo1 or cistern head1 from ,venice stands in the middle of that court2 an ancient marble fountain and basin2 an ancient triple tabernacle with sculptured figures of saints2 another tabernacle with an ,adoration1 and a multiplicity of minor pieces of carving1 are worked into the building1 including an admirable lion1 of heraldic character and supporting a shield of arms1 set upon a newel at the foot of the great staircase2 and1 finally1 a very great amount of ancient ironwork in the way of hinges1 door-handles1 knockers1 awning-rings1 and the like1 is used in the work4 ,illustration3 ,graffito3 the ,certosa near ,pavia4 ,unfinished2 from an ,old ,picture4 ,the use of this ancient material suggests the true solution of the difficulty which every one must feel2 how such a thing as this can be fine when we generally find such imitative work rather mean1 rather lazy1 rather expressive of the disposition to shirk one's duty than a thing to be commended4 ,it might be objected in the first place that here evidently there has been no reluctance to undertake hard work1 for the fitting of old and new details into the same general design1 while the character of the old decoration has not been marred in the least1 is difficult work enough for any workman4 ,this1 however1 it is not necessary to urge4 ,the essential thing in the whole situation is this3 ,the reproduction of the fifteenth century house is practicable where the real fifteenth century house might have stood4 ,in ,milan1 on a quiet by-street of the old city1 we can imagine this house having remained intact and unaltered from some time in the second half of the fifteenth century until now4 ,had any family been rich enough and possessed of the spirit of continuity1 that building would have been so preserved4 ,the climate allows of it2 the habits of the people would make it easy2 one family1 or1 as perhaps in this case1 the families of two brothers1 may inhabit such a mansion1 and might have inhabited it at any time from #aege onward for three hundred years4 ,moreover1 there is no time when such a house might not have been built4 ,at least1 if we admit that the artists of earlier days were incapable of deliberate and faithful copying of details--that is all that would separate a house built on these lines in the eighteenth century from this one of to-day4 ,the traditions have remained1 the masons have worked on these lines1 the stone-cutters have wielded the chisel just as their forefathers did before them2 nothing but a deliberate resolve to call into prominence the traditional knowledge and the traditional habits which have lingered among the workmen has been necessary in order to call into existence this memory of the past4 ,illustration3 ,largest ,inner ,court with ,graffiti2 ,vestibule with ,ancient ,wooden ,ceiling4 ,you could not build in that way in another country4 ,this house on the streets of ,paris would have been an absurdity4 ,in ,milan it represents the wholesome feeling of national and local sentiment1 family pride perhaps1 a sense of what is fitting1 a sense of continuity1 all that is noble and dignified in the sentimental or theoretical side of fine art--it is this and nothing worse or lower than this which has directed this interesting piece of work4 ,in ,france1 as we have said1 and still more strongly in the ,united ,states1 such a piece of work would have been a mere tour de force1 a mere piece of deliberate copying1 and1 still more1 a deliberate avoidance of the critical problem--how to plan and build an ,american city house4 ,in north ,italy it is the legitimate and wholly sensible scheme of building an old-fashioned ,milanese house to serve new ,milanese purposes--and anyone may respect and sympathize with such an undertaking as that4 ,illustration3 ,smaller ,inner ,court3 ,graffiti and ,stucco ,ornaments in ,low ,relief4 ,the full title of the work above-mentioned is as follows3 ,,qui ,,si ,,contengono ,,le ,,tavole ,,rappresentanti ,,li ,,disegni ,,de ,,la ,,casa ,,de ,,li ,,fratelli ,,bagati ,,valsechi ,,che ,,ritrovasi ,,in ,,milano ,,al 4 #g ,,de ,,la ,,via ,,de ,,san ,,spirito ,,fedel ,,riprodotti ,,dal ,,vero ,,con ,,la ,,nuova ,,inventione ,,de ,,la ,,eliotipia4 ,fausti et ,iosephi ,frarum de ,bagatis ,opus ,an4 ,dei4 ,,mdcccxcv4 ,the reader will note in the ,italian title the difference in spelling1 as of the proper names1 caused by the antique form in which it is cast4