TheDictatorDiscourses。
IhavebeenreadingBalzac\'sPeaudeChagrin。Youhaveallreadthestory,Ihope,foritisthefirstofhiswonderfulromanceswhichfixedtheeyesofthereadingworlduponhim,andisamostfascinatingifsomewhatfantastictale。Ayoungmanbecomesthepossessorofacertainmagicskin,thepeculiarityofwhichisthat,whileitgratifieseverywishformedbyitspossessor,itshrinksinallitsdimensionseachtimethatawishisgratified。Theyoungmanmakeseveryefforttoascertainthecauseofitsshrinking;invokestheaidofthephysicist,thechemist,thestudentofnaturalhistory,butallinvain。Hedrawsaredlinearoundit。Thatsamedayheindulgesalongingforacertainobject。Thenextmorningthereisalittleintervalbetweentheredlineandtheskin,closetowhichitwastraced。Soalways,soinevitably。Asheliveson,satisfyingonedesire,onepassion,afteranother,theprocessofshrinkingcontinues。Amortaldiseasesetsin,whichkeepspacewiththeshrinkingskin,andhislifeandhistalismancometoanendtogether。
Onewouldsaythatsuchapieceofintegumentwashardlyadesirablepossession。Andyet,howmanyofushaveatthisverymomentapeaudechagrinofourown,diminishingwitheverycostlywishindulged,andincapable,likethemagicaloneofthestory,ofbeingarrestedinitsprogressNeedIsaythatIrefertothosecouponbonds,issuedinthedaysofeightandtenpercentinterest,andgraduallynarrowingastheydroptheirsemiannualslipsofpaper,whichrepresentwishestoberealized,astherosesletfalltheirleavesinJuly,astheiciclesmeltawayinthethawofJanuary？
Howbeautifulwasthecouponbond,arrayedinitsgoldenraimentofpromisestopayatcertainstatedintervals,foragoodlynumberofcomingyears！Whatannualthehorticulturistcanshowwillbearcomparisonwiththisproductofauriculturalindustry,whichhasfloweredinmidsummerandmidwinterfortwentysuccessiveseasons？
Andnowthelastofitsblossomsistobeplucked,andthebarestem,strippedofitsevermaturingandalwayswelcomeappendages,isreducedtothenarrowestconditionsofreproductiveexistence。Suchisthefateofthefinancialpeaudechagrin。Pitythepoorfractionalcapitalist,whohasjustmanagedtoliveontheeightpercentofhiscouponbonds。TheshearsofAtroposwerenotmorefataltohumanlifethanthelongscissorswhichcutthelastcoupontotheleanproprietor,whosesliceofdrytoastitservedtoflatterwitholeomargarine。Doyouwonderthatmythoughtstookthepoeticalform,inthecontemplationofthesechangesandtheirmelancholyconsequences？Iftheentirepoem,ofseveralhundredlines,was\"declinedwiththanks\"byanunfeelingeditor,thatisnoreasonwhyyoushouldnothearaverseortwoofit。
THEPEAUDECHAGRINOFSTATESTREET。
HowbeauteousisthebondInthemanifoldarrayOfitspromisestopay,WhiletheeightpercentitgivesAndtherateatwhichonelivesCorrespond！
ButatlasttheboughisbareWherethecouponsonebyoneThroughtheirripeningdayshaverun,Andthebond,abeggarnow,Seeksinvestmentanyhow,Anywhere！
TheMistresscommonlycontentsherselfwiththegeneralsupervisionofthecompany,onlynowandthentakinganactivepartintheconversation。Shestartedaquestiontheothereveningwhichsetsomeofusthinking。
\"Whyisit,\"shesaid,\"thatthereissocommonandsointenseadesireforpoeticalreputation？Itseemstomethat,ifIwereaman,Ihadratherhavedonesomethingworthtellingofthanmakeversesaboutwhatotherpeoplehaddone。\"
\"YouagreewithAlexandertheGreat,\"saidtheProfessor。\"YouwouldpreferthefameofAchillestothatofHomer,whotoldthestoryofhiswrathanditsdirefulconsequences。IamafraidthatIshouldhardlyagreewithyou。AchilleswaslittlebetterthanaChoctawbrave。Iwon\'tquoteHorace\'slinewhichcharacterizeshimsoadmirably,forIwilltakeitforgrantedthatyouallknowit。Hewasagentleman,——soisafirst—classIndian,——averynoblegentlemaninpointofcourage,loftybearing,courtesy,butanunsoaped,ill—
clad,turbulent,high—temperedyoungfellow,lookeduptobyhiscrowdverymuchasthechampionoftheheavyweightsislookeduptobyhisgangofblackguards。Alexanderhimselfwasnotmuchbetter,——
afoolish,fieryyoungmadcap。Howoftenishementionedexceptasawarning？Hisbestrecordisthatheservedtopointamoralas\'Macedonian\'smadman。\'Hemadeafigure,itistrue,inDryden\'sgreatOde,butwhatkindofafigure？Hegotdrunk,——inverybadcompany,too,——andthenturnedfire—bug。Hehadoneredeemingpoint,——hedidvaluehisHomer,andsleptwiththeIliadunderhispillow。ApoetlikeHomerseemstomeworthadozensuchfellowsasAchillesandAlexander。\"
\"Homerisallverywellfarthosethatcanreadhim,\"saidNumberSeven,\"butthefellowsthattagversestogethernowadaysaremostlyfools。That\'smyopinion。Iwrotesomeversesoncemyself,butI
hadbeensickandwasveryweak;hadn\'tstrengthenoughtowriteinprose,Isuppose。\"
Thisaggressiveremarkcausedalittlestiratourtea—table。Foryoumustknow,ifIhavenottoldyoualready,therearesuspicionsthatwehavemorethanone\"poet\"atourtable。IhavealreadyconfessedthatIdomyselfindulgeinversenowandthen,andhavegivenmyreadersaspecimenofmyworkinthatline。Butthereissomuchdifferenceofcharacterintheverseswhichareproducedatourtable,withoutanysignature,thatIfeelquitesurethereareatleasttwoorthreeothercontributorsbesidesmyself。Thereisatall,old—fashionedsilverurn,asugar—bowloftheperiodoftheEmpire,inwhichthepoemssenttobereadareplacedbyunseenhands。Whenthepropermomentarrives,Iliftthecoveroftheurnandtakeoutanymanuscriptitmaycontain。Ifconversationisgoingonandthecompanyareinatalkingmood,Ireplacethemanuscriptormanuscripts,claponthecover,andwaituntilthereisamoment\'squietbeforetakingitoffagain。Imightguessthewriterssometimesbythehandwriting,butthereismoretroubletakentodisguisethechirographythanIchoosetotaketoidentifyitasthatofanyparticularmemberofourcompany。
Theturntheconversationtook,especiallytheslashingonslaughtofNumberSevenonthewritersofverse,setmethinkingandtalkingaboutthematter。NumberFiveturnedonthestreamofmydiscoursebyaquestion。
\"Youreceiveagoodmanyvolumesofverse,doyounot？\"shesaid,withalookwhichimpliedthatsheknewIdid。
Icertainlydo,Ianswered。Mytableacheswiththem。Myshelvesgroanwiththem。ThinkofwhatafussPopemadeabouthistrials,whenhecomplainedthat\"AllBedlamorParnassusisletout\"！
Whatwerethenumbersofthe\"Mobofgentlemenwhowrotewithease\"
tothatgreatmultitudeofcontributorstoourmagazines,andauthorsoflittlevolumes——sometimes,alas！bigones——ofverse,whichpouroutofthepress,notweekly,butdaily,andatsucharateofincreasethatitseemsasifbeforelongeveryhourwouldbringabook,oratleastanarticlewhichistogrowintoabookbyandby？
IthankedHeaven,theotherday,thatIwasnotacritic。Theseattenuatedvolumesofpoetryinfancybindingsopentheircoversatonelikesomanylittleunfledgedbirds,andonedoessolongtodropawormin,——awormintheshapeofakindwordforthepoorfledgling！Butwhatadesperatebusinessitistodealwiththisarmyofcandidatesforimmortality！Ihaveoftenhadsomethingtosayaboutthem,andImaybesayingoverthesamethings;butifIdonotrememberwhatIhavesaid,itisnotverylikelythatmyreaderwill;ifhedoes,hewillfind,Iamverysure,thatIsayitalittledifferently。
Whatastonishesmeisthatthisenormousmassofcommonplaceverse,whichburdensthepostmanwhobringsit,whichitisaserioustaskonlytogetoutofitswrappersandopenintwoorthreeplaces,isonthewholeofsogoodanaveragequality。Thedeadlevelofmediocrityisinthesedaysatable—land,agooddealabovetheoldsea—leveloflaboringincapacity。Sixtyyearsagoversesmadealocalreputation,whichverses,ifofferedtodaytoanyofourfirst—
classmagazines,wouldgostraightintothewaste—basket。Towrite\"poetry\"wasanartandmysteryinwhichonlyafewnotedmenandawomanortwowereexperts。
When\"Pottertheventriloquist,\"thepredecessorofthewell—
rememberedSignorBlitz,wentroundgivinghisentertainments,therewassomethingunexplained,uncanny,almostawful,andbeyonddisputemarvellous,inhisperformances。Thosewatchesthatdisappearedandcamebacktotheirowners,thoseendlesssuppliesoftreasuresfromemptyhats,andespeciallythosecrawlingeggsthattravelledalloverthemagician\'sperson,sentmanyachildhomethinkingthatMr。
Pottermusthaveghostlyassistants,andraisedgravedoubtsinthemindsof\"professors,\"thatismembersofthechurch,whethertheyhadnotcompromisedtheircharactersbybeingseenatsuchanunhallowedexhibition。Nowadays,acleverboywhohasmadeastudyofparlormagiccandomanyofthosetricksalmostaswellasthegreatsorcererhimself。Howsimpleitallseemswhenwehaveseenthemechanismofthedeception！
Itisjustsowithwritinginverse。Itwasnotunderstoodthateverybodycanlearntomakepoetry,justastheycanlearnthemoredifficulttricksofjuggling。M。Jourdain\'sdiscoverythathehadbeenspeakingandwritingproseallhislifeisnothingtothatofthemanwhofindsoutinmiddlelife,orevenlater,thathemighthavebeenwritingpoetryallhisdays,ifhehadonlyknownhowperfectlyeasyandsimpleitis。Noteverybody,itistrue,hasasufficientlygoodear,asufficientknowledgeofrhymesandcapacityforhandlingthem,tobewhatiscalledapoet。Idoubtwhethermorethannineoutoften,intheaverage,havethatcombinationofgiftsrequiredforthewritingofreadableverse。
ThislastexpressionofopinioncreatedasensationamongTheTeacups。Theylookedpuzzledforaminute。OnewhisperedtothenextTeacup,\"Morethannineoutoften！Ishouldthinkthatwasaprettyliberalallowance。\"
Yes,Icontinued;perhapsninety—nineinahundredwouldcomenearertothemark。IhavesometimesthoughtImightconsideritworthwhiletosetupaschoolforinstructionintheart。\"Poetrytaughtintwelvelessons。\"Congenitalidiocyisnodisqualification。
Anybodycanwrite\"poetry。\"Itisamostunenviabledistinctiontoleavepublishedathinvolumeofverse,whichnobodywanted,nobodybuys,nobodyreads,nobodycaresforexcepttheauthor,whocriesoveritspathos,poorfellow,andrevelsinitsbeauties,whichhehasalltohimself。Come！whowillbemypupilsinaCourse,——Poetrytaughtintwelvelessons？Thatmadealaugh,inwhichmostofTheTeacups,myselfincluded,joinedheartily。ThroughitallIheardthesweettonesofNumberFive\'scaressingvoice;notbecauseitwasmorepenetratingorlouderthantheothers,foritwaslowandsoft,butitwassodifferentfromtheothers,therewassomuchmorelife,——thelifeofsweetwomanhood,——dissolvedinit。
（Ofcoursehewillfallinlovewithher。\"He？Who？\"Why,thenewcomer,theCounsellor。DidInotseehiseyesturntowardherasthesilverynotesrippledfromherthroat？Didtheynotfollowherinhermovements,assheturnedhertreadthisorthatway？
——Whatnonsenseformetobearrangingmattersbetweentwopeoplestrangerstoeachotherbeforeto—day！）
\"Afellowwritesinversewhenhehasnothingtosay,andfeelstoodullandsillytosayitinprose,\"saidNumberSeven。
Thismadeuslaughagain,good—naturedly。Iwaspleasedwithakindoftruthwhichitseemedtometowrapupinitsratherstartlingaffirmation。IgaveapieceofadvicetheotherdaywhichIsaidI
thoughtdeservedaparagraphtoitself。ItwasfromaletterIwrotenotlongagotoanunknownyoungcorrespondent,whohadalongingforseeinghimselfinversebutwasnothopelesslyinfatuatedwiththeideathathewasborna\"poet。\"\"Whenyouwriteinprose,\"Isaid,\"yousaywhatyoumean。Whenyouwriteinverseyousaywhatyoumust。\"Iwasthinkingmoreespeciallyofrhymedverse。Rhythmaloneisatether,andnotaverylongone。Butrhymesareironfetters;
itisdraggingachainandballtomarchundertheirincumbrance;itisaclog—danceyouarefiguringin,whenyouexecuteyourmetricalpasseul。ConsiderunderwhatadisadvantageyourthinkingpowersarelaboringwhenyouarehandicappedbytheinexorabledemandsofourscantyEnglishrhymingvocabulary！Youwanttosaysomethingabouttheheavenlybodies,andyouhaveabeautifullineendingwiththewordstars。Wereyouwritinginprose,yourimagination,yourfancy,yourrhetoric,yourmusicalearfortheharmoniesoflanguage,wouldallhavefullplay。Butthereisyourrhymefasteningyoubytheleg,andyoumusteitherrejectthelinewhichpleasesyou,oryoumustwhipyourhobblingfancyandallyourlimpingthoughtsintothetraceswhicharehitchedtooneofthreeorfourorhalfadozenserviceablewords。Youcannotmakeanyuseofcars,Iwillsuppose;
youhavenooccasiontotalkaboutscars;\"theredplanetMars\"hasbeenusedalready;Dibdinhassaidenoughaboutthegallanttars;
whatisthereleftforyoubutbars？Soyougiveupyourtrainsofthought,capitulatetonecessity,andmanagetoluginsomekindofallusion,inplaceoroutofplace,whichwillallowyoutomakeuseofbars。Cantherebeimaginedamorecertainprocessforbreakingupallcontinuityofthought,fortakingoutallthevigor,allthevirility,whichbelongstonaturalproseasthevehicleofstrong,graceful,spontaneousthought,thanthismiserablesubjugationofintellecttothe—clinkofwellorillmatchedsyllables？IthinkyouwillsmileifItellyouofanideaIhavehadaboutteachingtheartofwriting\"poems\"tothehalf—wittedchildrenattheIdiotAsylum。
Thetrickofrhymingcannotbemoreusefullyemployedthaninfurnishingapleasantamusementtothepoorfeeble—mindedchildren。
IshouldfeelthatIwaswellemployedingettingupaPrimerforthepupilsoftheAsylum,andotheryoungpersonswhoareincapableofseriousthoughtandconnectedexpression。Iwouldstartinthesimplestway;thus:——
Whendarknessveilstheevening……
Ilovetoclosemyweary……
Thepupilbeginsbysupplyingthemissingwords,whichmostchildrenwhoareabletokeepoutoffireandwatercanaccomplishafteracertainnumberoftrials。Whenthepoetthatistobehasgotsoastoperformthistaskeasily,askeletonverse,inwhichtwoorthreewordsofeachlineareomitted,isgiventhechildtofillup。Byandbythemoredifficultformsofmetreareoutlined,untilatlengthafeeblemindedchildcanmakeoutasonnet,completelyequippedwithitsfourpairsofrhymesinthefirstsectionanditsthreepairsinthesecondpart。
NumberSeveninterruptedmydiscoursesomewhatabruptly,asishiswont;forwegranthimalicense,invirtueofhiseccentricity,whichweshouldhardlyexpecttobeclaimedbyaperfectlysoundTeacup。
\"That\'stheway,——that\'stheway！\"exclaimedhe。\"It\'sjustthesamethingasmyplanforteachingdrawing。\"
SomecuriositywasshownamongTheTeacupstoknowwhatthequeercreaturehadgotintohismind,andNumberFiveaskedhim,inherirresistibletones,ifhewouldn\'tobligeusbytellingusallaboutit。
Helookedatheramomentwithoutspeaking。Isupposehehasoftenbeenmadefunof,——slightedinconversation,takenasabuttforpeoplewhothoughtthemselveswitty,madetofeelaswemaysupposeacrackedpieceofchina—warefeelswhenitisclinkedinthecompanyofsoundbitsofporcelain。Ineversawhimwhenhewascarelesslydealtwithinconversation,——foritwouldsometimeshappen,evenatourtable,——withoutrecallingsomelinesofEmersonwhichalwaysstruckmeasofwonderfulforceandalmostterribletruthfulness:——
\"Alas！thatoneisborninblight,VictimofperpetualslightWhenthoulookestinhisfaceThyheartsaith,\'Brother,gothywaysNoneshallasktheewhatthoudoest,Orcarearushforwhatthouknowest,Orlistenwhenthourepliest,Orrememberwherethouliest,Orhowthysupperissodden;\'
AndanotherisbornTomakethesunforgotten。\"
Poorfellow！NumberSevenhastobearagooddealinthewayofneglectandridicule,Idonotdoubt。Happily,heisprotectedbyanamountofbeliefinhimselfwhichshieldshimfrommanyassailantswhowouldtortureamoresensitivenature。ButthesweetvoiceofNumberFiveandhersincerewayofaddressinghimseemedtotouchhisfeelings。Thatwasthemeaningofhismomentarysilence,inwhichI
sawthathiseyesglistenedandafaintflushroseonhischeeks。Inamoment,however,assoonashewasonhishobby,hewasallright,andexplainedhisnewandingenioussystemasfollows:
\"Amanatacertaindistanceappearsasadarkspot,——nothingmore。
Good。Anybody,man,woman,orchild,canmakeadot,sayaperiod,suchasweuseinwriting。LessonNo。1。Makeadot;thatis,drawyourman,amileoff,ifthatisfarenough。Nowmakehimcomealittlenearer,afewrods,say。Thedotisanoblongfigurenow。
Good。Letyourscholardrawtheoblongfigure。Itisaseasyasitistomakeanoteofadmiration。Yourmancomesnearer,andnowsomehintofabulbousenlargementatoneend,andperhapsoflateralappendagesandabifurcation,beginstoshowitself。Thepupilsetsdownwithhispenciljustwhathesees,——nomore。Sobydegreesthemanwhoservesasmodelapproaches。Abrightpupilwilllearntogettheoutlineofahumanfigureintenlessons,themodelcomingfivehundredfeetnearereachtime。Adullonemayrequirefifty,themodelbeginningamileoff,ormore,andcomingahundredfeetnearerateachmove。\"
Thecompanywereamusedbyallthis,butcouldnothelpseeingthattherewasacertainpracticalpossibilityaboutthescheme。OurtwoAnnexes,aswecallthen,appearedtobeinterestedintheproject,orfancy,orwhim,orwhatevertheolderheadsmightconsiderit。
\"IguessI\'lltryit,\"saidtheAmericanAnnex。\"Quiteso,\"answeredtheEnglishAnnex。Whythefirstgirl\"guessed\"aboutherownintentionsitishardtosay。What\"quiteso\"referredtoitwouldnotbeeasytodetermine。ButthesetwoexpressionswoulddecidethenationalityofourtwoyoungladiesifwemetthemonthetopofthegreatPyramid。
IwasverygladthatNumberSevenhadinterruptedme。Infact,itisagoodthingonceinawhiletobreakinuponthemonotonyofasteadytalkeratadinner—table,tea—table,oranyotherplaceofsocialconverse。Thebesttalkerisliabletobecomethemostformidableofbores。Itisapeculiarityoftheborethatheisthelastpersontofindhimselfout。ManyaterebrantIhaveknownwho,inthatcapacity,toborrowalinefromColeridge,\"Wasgreat,norknewhowgreathewas。\"
Aline,bytheway,which,asIhaveremarked,hasinitagermlikethatfamous\"Hebuildedbetterthanheknew\"ofEmerson。
Therewasaslightlullintheconversation。TheMistress,whokeepsaneyeonthecourseofthings,andfearedthatoneofthosepanicsilenceswasimpending,inwhicheverybodywantstosaysomethinganddoesnotknowjustwhattosay,beggedmetogoonwithmyremarksaboutthe\"manufacture\"of\"poetry。\"
Youusetherightterm,madam,Isaid。Themanufactureofthatarticlehasbecomeanextensiveandthereforeanimportantbranchofindustry。Onemustbeaneditor,whichIamnot,oraliteraryconfidantofawidecircleofcorrespondents,whichIam,tohaveanyideaoftheenormousoutputofversewhichischaracteristicofourtime。Therearemanycuriousfactsconnectedwiththisphenomenon。
Educatedpeople——yes,andmanywhoarenoteducated——havediscoveredthatrhymesarenottheprivatepropertyofafewnotedwriterswho,havingsquattedonthatpartoftheliterarydomainsometwentyorfortyorsixtyyearsago,have,asitwere,fenceditinwiththeirtouchy,barbed—wirereputations,andhavecometoregarditandcauseittoberegardedastheirprivateproperty。Thediscoveryhavingbeenmadethatrhymeisnotapaddockforthisorthatrace—horse,butacommon,whereeverycolt,pony,anddonkeycanrangeatwill;
avastirruptionintothatonce—privilegedinclosurehastakenplace。
Thestudyofthegreatinvasionisinteresting。
Poetryiscommonlythoughttohethelanguageofemotion。Onthecontrary,mostofwhatissocalledprovestheabsenceofallpassionateexcitement。Itisacold—blooded,haggard,anxious,worryinghuntafterrhymeswhichcanbemadeserviceable,afterimageswhichwillbeeffective,afterphraseswhicharesonorous;allthisunderlimitationswhichrestrictthenaturalmovementsoffancyandimagination。Thereisasecondaryexcitementinovercomingthedifficultiesofrhythmandrhyme,nodoubt,butthisisnottheemotionalheatexcitedbythesubjectofthe\"poet\'s\"treatment。
Truepoetry,thebestofit,isbuttheashesofaburnt—outpassion。
Theflamewasintheeyeandinthecheek,thecoalsmaybestillburningintheheart,butwhenwecometothewordsitleavesbehindit,alittlewarmth,acinderortwojustglimmeringunderthedeadgrayashes,——thatisallwecanlookfor。Whenitcomestothemanufacturedarticle,oneissurprisedtofindhowwellthemetricalartisanshavelearnedtoimitatetherealthing。Theycatchallthephrasesofthetruepoet。Theyimitatehismetricalformsasamimiccopiesthegaitofthepersonheisrepresenting。
NowIamnotgoingtoabuse\"thesesamemetreballad—mongers,\"fortheobviousreasonthat,asallTheTeacupsknow,Imyselfbelongtothefraternity。Idon\'tthinkthatthisreasonshouldhindermyhavingmysayabouttheballad—mongeringbusiness。ForthelastthirtyyearsIhavebeeninthehabitofreceivingavolumeofpoemsorapoem,printedormanuscript——Iwillnotsaydaily,thoughI
sometimesreceivemorethanoneinaday,butatveryshortintervals。Ihavebeenconsultedbyhundredsofwritersofverseastothemeritoftheirperformances,andhaveoftenadvisedthewriterstothebestofmyability。OflateIhavefounditimpossibletoattempttoreadcriticallyalltheliteraryproductions,inverseandinprose,whichhaveheapedthemselvesoneveryexposedsurfaceofmylibrary,likesnowdriftsalongtherailroadtracks,——blockingmyliterarypathway,sothatIcanhardlyfindmydailypapers。
Whatisthemeaningofthisrushintorhymingofsuchamultitudeofpeople,ofallages,fromtheinfantphenomenontotheoldestinhabitant？
Manyofmyyoungcorrespondentshavetoldmeinsomanywords,\"Iwanttobefamous。\"Nowitistruethatofalltheshortcutstofame,intimeofpeace,thereisnoneshorterthantheroadpavedwithrhymes。Byronwokeuponemorningandfoundhimselffamous。
StillmorenotablydidRougetdel\'IslefilltheairofFrance,nay,thewholeatmosphereoffreedomalltheworldover,withhisnamewaftedonthewingsoftheMarseillaise,theworkofasinglenight。
Butifbyfametheaspirantmeanshavinghisnamebroughtbeforeandkeptbeforethepublic,thereisamuchcheaperwayofacquiringthatkindofnotoriety。Haveyourportraittakenasa\"WonderfulCureofaDesperateDiseasegivenupbyalltheDoctors。\"Youwillgetafairlikenessofyourselfandapartialbiographicalnotice,andhavethesatisfaction,ifnotofpromotingthewelfareofthecommunity,atleastthatofadvancingthefinancialinterestsofthebenefactorwhoseenterprisehasgivenyouyourcovetednotoriety。Ifamanwantstobefamous,hehadmuchbettertrytheadvertisingdoctorthantheterribleeditor,whosewaste—basketisamawwhichisasinsatiableasthetemporarystomachofJacktheGiant—killer。
\"Youmustnottalkso,\"saidNumberFive。\"Iknowyoudon\'tmeananywrongtothetruepoets,butyoumightbethoughttoholdthemcheap,whereasyouvaluethegiftinothers,——inyourselftoo,Iratherthink。Thereareagreatmanywomen,——andsomemen,——whowriteinversefromanaturalinstinctwhichleadsthemtothatformofexpression。Ifyoucouldpeepintotheportfolioofallthecultivatedwomenamongyouracquaintances,youwouldbesurprised,I
believe,toseehowmanyofthemtrusttheirthoughtsandfeelingstoversewhichtheyneverthinkofpublishing,andmuchofwhichnevermeetsanyeyesbuttheirown。Don\'tbecrueltothesensitivenatureswhofindamusicintheharmoniesofrhythmandrhymewhichsoothestheirownsouls,ifitreachesnofarther。\"
IwasgladthatNumberFivespokeupasshedid。Hergenerousinstinctcametotherescueofthepoorpoetsjustattherightmoment。NotthatImeanttodealroughlywiththem,butthe\"poets\"
Ihavebeenforcedintorelationwithhaveimpressedmewithcertainconvictionswhicharenotflatteringtothefraternity,andifmyjudgmentsarenotaccompaniedbymyownqualifications,distinctions,andexceptions,theymayseemharshtomanyreaders。
Letmedrawapicturewhichmanyayoungmanandwoman,andsomenolongeryoung,willrecognizeasthestoryoftheirownexperiences。
——Heissittingalonewithhisownthoughtsandmemories。Whatisthatbookheisholding？Somethingprecious,evidently,foritisboundin\"treecalf,\"andthereisgildingenoughaboutitforabirthdaypresent。Thereaderseemstobedeeplyabsorbedinitscontents,andattimesgreatlyexcitedbywhathereads;forhisfaceisflushed,hiseyesglitter,and——thererollsalargeteardownhischeek。Listentohim;heisreadingaloudinimpassionedtones:
AndhaveIcoinedmysoulinwordsfornaught？
AndmustI,withthedim,forgottenthrongOfsilentghoststhatleftnoearthlytraceToshowtheyoncehadbreathedthisvitalair,Dieout,ofmortalmemories？
Hisvoiceischokedbyhisemotion。\"Howisitpossible,\"hesaystohimself,\"thatanyonecanreadmy\'GaspingsforImmortality\'withoutbeingimpressedbytheirfreshness,theirpassion,theirbeauty,theiroriginality？\"Tearscometohisrelieffreely,——sofreelythatbehastopushthepreciousvolumeoutoftherangeoftheirblisteringshower。Sixyearsago\"GaspingsforImmortality\"waspublished,advertised,praisedbytheprofessionalswhosebusinessitistoboosttheirpublishers\'authors。Aweekandmoreitwasseenonthecountersofthebooksellersandatthestallsintherailroadstations。Thenitdisappearedfrompublicview。Afewcopiesstillkepttheirplaceontheshelvesoffriends,——presentationcopies,ofcourse,asthereisnoevidencethatanyweredisposedofbysale;