Themostknowingpersonswemeetwitharesometimesatfault。Novaonaniapossumusomnesisnotanewnorprofoundaxiom,butitiswelltorememberitasacounterpoisetothatothertrulyAmericansayingofthelateMr。SamuelPatch,\"Somethingscanbedoneaswellasothers。\"Yes,somethings,butnotallthings。Weallknowmenandwomenwhohatetoadmittheirignoranceofanything。LikeTalkativein\"Pilgrim\'sProgress,\"theyarereadytoconverseof\"thingsheavenlyorthingsearthly;thingsmoralorthingsevangelical;
thingssacredorthingsprofane;thingspastorthingstocome;
thingsforeignorthingsathome;thingsmoreessentialorthingscircumstantial。\"
Talkativeisapttobeashallowfellow,andtosayfoolishthingsaboutmattersheonlyhalfunderstands,andyethehashisplaceinsociety。Thespecialistswouldgrowtobeintolerable,weretheynotcounterpoisedtosomedegreebythepeopleofgeneralintelligence。
Themanwhoknowstoomuchaboutoneparticularsubjectisliabletobecomeaterriblesocialinfliction。Someoftheworstbores（touseplainlanguage）weevermeetwitharerecognizedasexpertsofhighgradeintheirrespectivedepartments。Bewareofmakingsomuchasapinholeinthedamthatholdsbacktheirknowledge。Theyridetheirhobbieswithoutbitorbridle。ApoetonPegasus,recitinghisownverses,ishardlymoretobedreadedthanamountedspecialist。
Oneofthebestofficeswhichwomenperformformenisthatoftastingbooksforthem。Theymayormaynotbeprofoundstudents,——
someofthemare;butwedonotexpecttomeetwomenlikeMrs。
Somerville,orCarolineHerschel,orMariaMitchellateverydinner—
tableorafternoontea。Butgiveyourelectladyapileofbookstolookoverforyou,andshewilltellyouwhattheyhaveforherandforyouinlesstimethanyouwouldhavewastedinstupefyingyourselfoverasinglevolume。
Oneoftheencouragingsignsofthetimesisthecondensedandabbreviatedforminwhichknowledgeispresentedtothegeneralreader。Theshortbiographiesofhistoricpersonages,ofwhichwithinthepastfewyearsmanyhavebeenpublished,havebeenagreatrelieftothelargeclassofreaderswhowanttoknowsomething,butnottoomuch,aboutthem。
Whatrefugeisthereforthevictimwhoisoppressedwiththefeelingthatthereareathousandnewbooksheoughttoread,whilelifeisonlylongenoughforhimtoattempttoreadahundred？ManyreadersrememberwhatoldRogers,thepoet,said:
\"WhenIhearanewbooktalkedaboutorhaveitpresseduponme,I
readanoldone。\"
Happythemanwhofindshisrestinthepagesofsomefavoriteclassic！IknownoreadermoretobeenviedthanthatfriendofminewhoformanyyearshasgivenhisdaysandnightstothelovingstudyofHorace。Afteracertainperiodinlife,itisalwayswithaneffortthatweadmitanewauthorintotheinnercircleofourintimates。TheParisianomnibuses,asIrememberthemhalfacenturyago,——theymaystillkeeptothesamehabit,foraughtthatIknow,——
usedtoputupthesign\"Complet\"assoonastheywerefull。Ourpublicconveyancesareneverfulluntilthenaturalatmosphericpressureofsixteenpoundstothesquareinchisdoubled,intheclosepackingofthehumansardinesthatfilltheall—accommodatingvehicles。Anew—comer,howeverwellmanneredandwelldressed,isnotverywelcomeunderthesecircumstances。Inthesameway,ourtablesarefullofbookshalf—readandbookswefeelthatwemustread。Andherecomeintwothickvolumes,withuncutleaves,insmalltype,withmanypages,andmanylinestoapage,——abookthatmustbereadandoughttobereadatonce。Whatarelieftohanditovertothelovelykeeperofyourliteraryconscience,whowilltellyouallthatyouwillmostcaretoknowaboutit,andleaveyoufreetoplungeintoyourbelovedvolume,inwhichyouareeverfindingnewbeauties,andfromwhichyouriserefreshed,asifyouhadjustcomefromthecoolwatersofHippocrene！Thestreamofmodernliteraturerepresentedbythebooksandperiodicalsonthecrowdedcountersisaturbulentandclamoroustorrent,dashingalongamongtherocksofcriticism,overthepebblesoftheworld\'sdailyevents;tryingtomakeitselfseenandheardamidstthehoarsecriesofthepoliticiansandtherumblingwheelsoftraffic。Theclassicisastilllakelet,amountaintarn,fedbyspringsthatneverfail,itssurfaceneverruffledbystorms,——alwaysthesame,alwayssmilingawelcometoitsvisitor。SuchisHoracetomyfriend。Tohiseye\"Lydia,dicperomnes\"isasfamiliaras\"Paternosterquiesincaelis\"tothatofapiousCatholic。\"Integervitae,\"whichhehasputintomanlyEnglish,hisHoraceopenstoasWatt\'shymn—bookopensto\"Fromallthatdwellbelowtheskies。\"Themorehereads,themorehestudieshisauthor,thericherarethetreasureshefinds。AndwhatHoraceistohim,Homer,orVirgil,orDanteistomanyaquietreader,sicktodeathoftheunendingtrainofbookmakers。
Ihavesomecuriousbooksinmylibrary,afewofwhichIshouldliketosaysomethingabouttoTheTeacups,whentheyhavenomoreimmediatelypressingsubjectsbeforethem。Alibraryofafewthousandvolumesoughtalwaystohavesomebooksinitwhichtheowneralmostneveropens,yetwithwhosebacksheissowellacquaintedthathefeelsasifheknewsomethingoftheircontents。
Theyarelikethosepersonswhomwemeetinourdailywalks,withwhosefacesandfigures,whosesummerandwintergarments,whosewalking—sticksandumbrellaseven,wefeelacquainted,andyetwhosenames,whosebusiness,whoseresidences,weknownothingabout。Someofthesebooksaresoformidableintheirdimensions,sorustyandcrabbedintheiraspect,thatittakesaconsiderableamountofcouragetoattackthem。
IwillaskDelilahtobringdownfrommylibraryaverythick,stoutvolume,boundinparchment,andstandingonthelowershelf,nextthefireplace。Theprettyhandmaidknowsmybooksalmostasifsheweremylibrarian,andIdon\'tdoubtshewouldhavefounditifIhadgivenonlythenameontheback。
Delilahreturnedpresently,withtheheavyquartoinherarms。Itwasapleasingsight,——theoldbookintheembraceofthefreshyoungdamsel。Ifelt,onlookingatthem,asIdidwhenIfollowedtheslipofagirlwhoconductedusintheTemple,thatancientbuildingintheheartofLondon。Thelong—enduringmonumentsofthedeaddosomockthefleetingpresenceoftheliving！
Isn\'tthisbookenoughtoscareanyofyou？Isaid,asDelilahdumpeditdownuponthetable。Theteacupsjumpedfromtheirsaucersasitthumpedontheboard。DanielisGeorgiiMorhofiiPolyhistor,Literarius,PhilosophicusetPoeticus。LubecaeMDCCXXXIII。PerhapsIshouldnothaveventuredtoaskyoutolookatthisoldvolume,ifithadnotbeenforthefactthatDr。JohnsonmentionsMorohofastheauthortowhomhewasspeciallyindebted。——more,Ithink,thantoanyother。Itisagrandoldencyclopaedicsummaryofalltheauthorknewaboutprettynearlyeverything,fullofcuriousinterest,butsostrangelymediaeval,soutterlyantiquatedinmostdepartmentsofknowledge,thatitishardtobelievethevolumecamefromthepressatatimewhenpersonswhomIwellrememberwereliving。IsitpossiblethatthebookswhichhavebeenformewhatMorhofwasforDr。Johnsoncanlooklikethattothestudentoftheyear1990？
Morhofwasabelieverinmagicandthetransmutationofmetals。
Therewasalwayssomethingfascinatingtomeintheoldbooksofalchemy。Ihavefeltthatthepoetryofsciencelostitswingswhenthelastpowderofprojectionhadbeencastintothecrucible,andthefireofthelasttransmutationfurnacewentout。PerhapsIamwronginimplyingthatalchemyisanextinctfolly。ItexistedinNewEngland\'searlydays,aswelearnfromtheWinthroppapers,andI
seenoreasonwhygold—makingshouldnothaveitsvotariesaswellasotherpopulardelusions。
AmongtheessaysofMorhofisoneonthe\"ParadoxesoftheSenses。\"
ThattitlebroughttomindtherecollectionofanotherworkIhavebeenmeaningtosaysomethingabout,atsometimewhenyouwereinthelisteningmood。ThebookIrefertois\"ABudgetofParadoxes,\"
byAugustusDeMorgan。DeMorganiswellrememberedasaverydistinguishedmathematician,whoseworkshavekepthisnameinhighhonortothepresenttime。ThebookIamspeakingofwaspublishedbyhiswidow,andislargelymadeupoflettersreceivedbyhimandhiscommentsuponthem。Fewpersonseverreaditthrough。Fewintelligentreadersevertookitupandlaiditdownwithouttakingalongdraughtofitssingularandinterestingcontents。Thelettersaremostlyfromthatclassofpersonswhomwecall\"cranks,\"inourfamiliarlanguage。
AtthispointNumberSeveninterruptedmebycallingout,\"Giveussomeofthosecranks\'letters。Acrankisamanwhodoeshisownthinking。Ihadarelationwhowascalledacrank。IbelieveIhavebeenspokenofasonemyself。Thatiswhatyouhavetoexpectifyouinventanythingthatputsanoldmachineoutoffashion,orsolveaproblemthathaspuzzledalltheworlduptoyourtime。ThereneverwasareligionfoundedbutitsMessiahwascalledacrank。Thereneverwasanideastartedthatwokeupmenoutoftheirstupidindifferencebutitsoriginatorwasspokenofasacrank。Doyouwanttoknowwhythatnameisgiventothemenwhodomostfortheworld\'sprogress？Iwilltellyou。Itisbecausecranksmakeallthewheelsinallthemachineryoftheworldgoround。Whatwouldasteam—enginebewithoutacrank？Isupposethefirstfoolthatlookedonthefirstcrankthatwasevermadeaskedwhatthatcrooked,queer—lookingthingwasgoodfor。Whenthewheelsgotmovinghefoundout。Tellussomethingaboutthatbookwhichhassomuchtosayconcerningcranks。\"
HereuponIrequestedDelilahtocarrybackMorhof,andreplacehiminthewidegaphehadleftinthebookshelf。ShewasthentofindandbringdownthevolumeIhadbeenspeakingof。
Delilahtookthewisdomoftheseventeenthcenturyinherarms,anddepartedonhererrand。ThebookshebroughtdownwasgivenmesomeyearsagobyagentlemanwhohadsagaciouslyforeseenthatitwasjustoneofthoseworkswhichImighthesitateaboutbuying,butshouldbewellpleasedtoown。Heguessedwell;thebookhasbeenagreatsourceofinstructionandentertainmenttome。IwonderthatsomuchtimeandcostshouldhavebeenexpendeduponaworkwhichmighthaveborneatitleliketheEncomiumMoriaeofErasmus;andyetitissuchawonderfulmuseumoftheproductionsofthesquintingbrainsbelongingtotheclassofpersonscommonlyknownascranksthatwecouldhardlyspareoneofitsfivehundredoctavopages。
Thoseofuswhoareinthehabitofreceivinglettersfromallsortsofwould—be—literarypeople——lettersofinquiry,manyofthemwithreferencetomatterswearesupposedtounderstand——canreadilyseehowitwasthatMr。DeMorgan,nevertoobusytobegood—naturedwiththepeoplewhopestered——oramused—himwiththeirqueerfancies,receivedsuchanumberoflettersfrompersonswhothoughttheyhadmadegreatdiscoveries,fromthosewhofeltthattheyandtheirinventionsandcontrivanceshadbeenoverlooked,andwhosoughtinhislargecharityofdispositionandgreatreceptivenessabalmfortheirwoundedfeelingsandarayofhopefortheirdarkenedprospects。
Thebookbeforeusismadeupfrompaperspublishedin\"TheAthenaeum,\"withadditionsbytheauthor。Soonafteropeningitwecometonameswithwhichwearefamiliar,thefirstofthese,thatofCorneliusAgrippa,beingconnectedwiththeoccultandmysticdoctrinesdealtwithbymanyofDeMorgan\'scorrespondents。ButthenamemostlikelytoarrestusisthatofGiordanoBruno,thesamephilosopher,heretic,andmartyrwhosestatuehasrecentlybeenerectedinRome,tothegreathorrorofthePopeandhisprelatesintheOldWorldandintheNew。DeMorgan\'spithyaccountofhimwillinterestthecompany:\"GiordanoBrunowasallparadox。Hewas,ashasbeensaid,avorticistbeforeDescartes,anoptimistbeforeLeibnitz,aCopernicanbeforeGalileo。Itwouldbeeasytocollectahundredstrangeopinionsofhis。Hewasbornabout1550,andwasroastedaliveatRome,February17,1600,forthemaintenanceanddefenceoftheHolyChurch,andtherightsandlibertiesofthesame。\"
NumberSevencouldnotcontainhimselfwhenthereadinghadreachedthispoint。Herosefromhischair,andtinkledhisspoonagainstthesideofhisteacup。Itmayhavebeenafancy,butIthoughtitreturnedasoundwhichMr。RichardBriggswouldhaverecognizedasimplyinganorganicdefect。ButNumberSevendidnotseemtonoticeit,or,ifbedid,tomindit。
\"Whydidn\'tweallhaveachancetohelperectthatstatue？\"hecried。\"Amurderedhereticatthebeginningoftheseventeenthcentury,aheroofknowledgeinthenineteenth,——Idrinktothememoryoftheroastedcrank,GiordanoBruno！\"
NumberSevenliftedhisteacuptohislips,andmostofusfollowedhisexample。
Afterthisoutburstofemotionandeloquencehadsubsided,andtheteaspoonslayquietlyintheirsaucers,IwentonwithmyextractfromthebookIhadinhand。
Ithink,Isaid,thatthepassagewhichfollowswillbenewandinstructivetomostofthecompany。DeMorgan\'sinterpretationofthecabalisticsentence,madeupasyouwillfindit,isaboutasingeniousapieceoffancifulexpositionasyouwillbelikelytomeetwithanywhereinanybook,neworold。Iamthemorewillingtomentionitasitsuggestsapuzzlewhichsomeofthecompanymayliketoworkupon。Observethecharacterandpositionofthetwodistinguishedphilosopherswhodidnotthinktheirtimethrownawayinlaboringatthisseeminglypueriletask。
\"ThereisakindofCabbalaAlphabeticawhichtheinvestigatorsofthenumeralsinwordswoulddowelltotakeup;itistheformationofsentenceswhichcontainallthelettersofthealphabet,andeachonlyonce。Noonehasdoneitwithvandjtreatedasconsonants;
butyouandIcandoit。Dr。WhewellandIamusedourselvessomeyearsagowithattempts。Hecouldnotmakesense,thoughhejoinedwordshegavemePhiz,styx,wrong,buck,flame,quiz。
\"Igavehimthefollowing,whichheagreedwas\'admirablesense,\'——
Icertainlythinkthewordswouldneverhavecometogetherexceptinthisway:Iquartzpyxwhoflingmuckbeds。Ilongthoughtthatnohumanbeingcouldsaythisunderanycircumstances。AtlastI
happenedtobereadingareligiouswriter,——ashethoughthimself,——
whothrewaspersionsonhisopponentsthickandthreefold。Heydaycameintomyhead;thisfellowflingsmuckbeds;hemustbeaquartzpyx。AndthenIrememberedthatapyxisasacredvessel,andquartzisahardstone,ashardastheheartofareligiousfoe—curser。Sothatthelineisthemottooftheferocioussectarianwhoturnshisreligiousvesselsintomud—holders,forthebenefitofthosewhowillnotseewhathesees。\"
Thereareseveralothersentencesgiven,inwhichalltheletters（exceptvandjasconsonants）areemployed,ofwhichthefollowingisthebest:Getnymph;quizsadbrow;fixluck,——whichinmoresoberEnglishwouldbe,Marry;becheerful;watchyourbusiness。Thereismoreedification,marereligion,inthisthaninallthe666
interpretationsputtogether。\"
Thereissomethingverypleasantinthethoughtofthesetwosagesplayingatjackstrawswiththelettersofthealphabet。ThetaskwhichDeMorganandDr。Whewell,\"theomniscient,\"setthemselveswouldnotbeunworthyofourowningeniousscholars,anditmightbeworthwhileforsomeoneofourpopularperiodicalstoofferaprizeforthebestsentenceusingupthewholealphabet,underthesameconditionsasthosesubmittedtobyourtwophilosophers。
ThiswholebookofDeMorgan\'sseemstomefullofinstruction。
Thereistoomuchofit,nodoubt;yetonecanputupwiththeredundancyforthesakeofthemultiplicityofshadesofcredulityandself—deceptionitdisplaysinbroaddaylight。Isuspectmanyofusareconsciousofasecondpersonalityinourcomplexnature,whichhasmanytraitsresemblingthosefoundinthewritersofthelettersaddressedtoMr。DeHorgan。
Ihavenotventuredveryoftennorverydeeplyintothefieldofmetaphysics,butifIweredisposedtomakeanyclaiminthatdirection,itwouldbetherecognitionofthesquintingbrain,theintroductionoftheterm\"cerebricity\"correspondingtoelectricity,theidioticareainthebrainorthinking—marrow,andmystudiesofthesecondmemberinthepartnershipofI—My—Self&Co。IaddtheCo。withespecialreferencetoaveryinterestingarticleinalateScribner,bymyfriendMr。WilliamJames。Inthisarticlethereaderwillfindafullexpositionofthedoctrineofpluralpersonalityillustratedbystrikingcases。Ihavelongagonoticedandreferredtothefactofthestratificationofthecurrentsofthoughtinthreelayers,oneovertheother。Ihaverecognizedthatwheretherearetwoindividualstalkingtogethertherearereallysixpersonalitiesengagedintheconversation。Butthedistinct,separable,independentindividualities,takingupconsciouslifeoneaftertheother,arebroughtoutbyMr。JamesandtheauthoritiestowhichherefersasIhavenotelsewhereseenthemdeveloped。
Whetherweshalleverfindtheexactpositionoftheidioticcentreorareainthebrain（ifsuchaspotexists）isuncertain。Weknowexactlywheretheblindspotoftheeyeissituated,andcandemonstrateitanatomicallyandphysiologically。Butwehaveonlyanalogytoleadustoinferthepossibleorevenprobableexistenceofaninsensiblespotinthethinking—centre。Ifthereisafocalpointwhereconsciousnessisatitshighestdevelopment,itwouldnotbestrangeifnearbythereshouldprovetobeananaestheticdistrictorlimitedspacewherenoreportfromthesenseswasintelligentlyinterpreted。Butallthisismerehypothesis。
NotwithstandingthefactthatIamnominallytheheadpersonageofthecircleofTeacups,IdonotpretendorwishtodenythatwealllooktoNumberFiveasourchiefadviserinalltheliteraryquestionsthatcomebeforeus。Shereadsmoreandbetterthananyofus。Sheisalwaysreadytowelcomethefirstsignofgenius,oroftalentwhichapproachesgenius。Shemakesshortworkwithallthepretenderswhoseonlyexcuseforappealingtothepublicisthatthey\"wanttobefamous。\"SheisoneoftheveryfewpersonstowhomIamwillingtoreadanyoneofmyownproductionswhileitisyetinmanuscript,unpublished。Iknowsheisdisposedtomakemoreofitthanitdeserves;but,ontheotherhand,therearedegreesinherscaleofjudgment,andIcandistinguishveryeasilywhatdelightsherfromwhatpleasesonly,oris,exceptforherkindlyfeelingtothewriter,indifferent,oropentoseverecomment。Whatiscuriousisthatsheseemstohavenoliteraryaspirations,nodesiretobeknownasawriter。YetNumberFivehasmoreesprit,moresparkle,moresenseinhertalk,thanmanyafamousauthoressfromwhomweshouldexpectbrilliantconversation。
TherearemysteriesaboutNumberFive。Iamnotgoingtodescribeherpersonally。Whethershebelongsnaturallyamongthebrightyoungpeople,orinthecompanyofthematurerpersons,whohavehadagooddealofexperienceoftheworld,andhavereachedthewisdomoftheriperdecadeswithoutlosingthegracesoftheearlierones,itwouldbehardtosay。Themenandwomen,youngandold,whothrongaboutherforgettheirownages。\"Thereisnosuchthingastimeinherpresence,\"saidtheProfessor,theotherday,inspeakingofher。
WhethertheProfessorisinlovewithherornotismorethanIcansay,butIamsurethathegoestoherforliterarysympathyandcounsel,justasIdo。ThereadermayrememberwhatNumberFivesaidaboutthepossibilityofhergettingasprainedankle,andheraskingtheyoungDoctorwhetherhefeltequaltotakingchargeofherifshedid。Iwouldnotfortheworldinsinuatethathewishesshewouldslipandtwistherfootalittle,——justalittle,youknow,butsothatitwouldhavetobelaidonapillowinachair,andinspected,andbandaged,anddelicatelymanipulated。Therewasabanana—skinwhichshemightnaturallyhavetroddenon,inherwaytothetea—
table。Nobodycansupposethatitwasthereexceptbythemostinnocentofaccidents。Therearepeoplewhowillsuspecteverybody。
TheideaoftheDoctor\'sputtingthatbanana—skinthere！Peoplelovetotalkinthatsillywayaboutdoctors。
NumberFivehadpromisedtoreadusanarrativewhichshethoughtwouldinterestsomeofthecompany。Whowroteitshedidnottellus,butIinferredfromvariouscircumstancesthatshehadknownthewriter。Shereadthestorymosteffectivelyinherrich,musicalvoice。Inoticedthatwhenitcametothesoundsofthestrikingclock,theringingofthenoteswassolikethatwhichreachesusfromsomefar—offcathedraltowerthatwewantedtobowourheads,asifwehadjustheardasummonstotheAngelus。ThiswastheshortstorythatNumberFivereadtoTheTeacups:——
Ihavesomewherereadthisanecdote。LouistheFourteenthwaslookingout,oneday,from,awindowofhispalaceofSaint—Germain。
Itwasabeautifullandscapewhichspreadoutbeforehim,andthemonarch,exultinginhealth,strength,andthesplendorsofhisexaltedposition,felthisbosomswellwithemotionsofprideandhappiness:Presentlyhenoticedthetowersofachurchinthedistance,abovethetreetops。\"Whatbuildingisthat？\"heasked。
\"MayitpleaseyourMajesty,thatistheChurchofSt。Denis,whereyourroyalancestorshavebeenburiedformanygenerations。\"Theanswerdidnot\"pleasehisRoyalMajesty。\"There,then,wastheplacewherehetoowastolieandmoulderinthedust。Heturned,sickatheart,fromthewindow,andwasuneasyuntilhehadbuilthimanotherpalace,fromwhichhecouldneverbeappalledbythatfatalprospect。
SomethingliketheexperienceofLouistheFourteenthwasthatoftheownerofTHETERRIBLECLOCK。
Igivethestoryastranscribedfromtheoriginalmanuscript:——
Theclockwasbequeathedtomebyanoldfriendwhohadrecentlydied。Hismindhadbeenagooddealdisorderedinthelaterperiodofhislife。Thisclock,Iamtold;seemedtohaveastrangefascinationforhim。Hiseyeswerefastenedonitduringthelasthoursofhislife。Hediedjustatmidnight。Theclockstrucktwelve,thenursetoldme,ashedrewhislastbreath,andthen,withoutanyknowncause,stopped,withbothhandsuponthehour。
Itisacomplexandcostlypieceofmechanism。Theescapementisinfront,sothateverytoothisseenasitfreesitself。Itshowsthephasesofthemoon,themonthoftheyear,thedayofthemonth,andthedayoftheweek,aswellasthehourandminuteoftheday。
IhadnotowneditaweekbeforeIbegantoperceivethesamekindoffascinationasthatwhichitsformerownerhadexperienced。Thisgraduallygrewuponme,andpresentlyledtotrainsofthoughtwhichbecameatfirstunwelcome,thenworrying,andatlastunendurable。I
beganbytakingoffenceatthemoon。Ididnotliketoseethat\"somethinglargeandsmoothandround,\"soliketheskullwhichlittlePeterkinpickeduponthefieldofBlenheim。\"Howmanytimes,\"Ikeptsayingtomyself,\"isthatwickedoldmooncominguptostareatme？\"Icouldnotstandit。Istoppedapartofthemachinery,andthemoonwentintopermanenteclipse。Byandbythesoundsoftheinfernalmachinebegantotroubleandpursueme。Theytalkedtome;moreandmoretheirlanguagebecamethatofarticulatelyspeakingmen。Theytwittedmewiththerapidflightoftime。Theyhurriedme,asifIhadnotamomenttolose。Quick！
Quick！Quick！aseachtoothreleaseditselffromtheescapement。AndasIlookedandlistenedtherecouldnotbeanymistakeaboutit。I
heardQuick！Quick！Quick！asplainly,atleast,asIeverheardawordfromthephonograph。Istoodwatchingthedialoneday,——itwasnearoneo\'clock,——andastrangeattractionheldmefastenedtothespot。Presentlysomethingappearedtotriporstumbleinsideoftheinfernalmechanism。IwaitedforthesoundIknewwastofollow。
HownervousIgot！Itseemedtomethatitwouldneverstrike。Atlasttheminute—handreachedthehighestpointofthedial。Thentherewasalittlestiramongtheworks,asthereisinacongregationasitrisestoreceivethebenediction。Itwasnoformofblessingwhichrungoutthosedeep,almostsepulchraltones。Butthewordtheyutteredcouldnotbemistaken。Icanhearitsprolonged,solemnvibrationsasifIwerestandingbeforetheclockatthismoment。
Gone！Yes,Isaidtomyself,gone,——itsrecordmadeuptobeopenedineternity。
Istoodstill,staringvaguelyatthedialasinatrance。Andasthenexthourcreepsstealthilyup,itstartsallatonce,andcriesaloud,Gone！——Gone！Thesunsinkslower,thehour—handcreepsdownwardwithit,untilIhearthethrice—repeatedmonosyllable,Gone！——Gone！——Gone！Soonthroughthedarkeninghours,untilatthedeadofnightthelongrolliscalled,andwiththelastGone！thelatestofthelongprocessionthatfilledthedayfollowsitsghostlycompanionsintothestillnessanddarknessofthepast。
Isilencedthestrikingpartoftheworks。Still,theescapementkeptrepeating,Quick！Quick！Quick！Stillthelongminute—hand,likethedartinthegraspofDeath,asweseeitinRoubiliac\'smonumenttoMrs。Nightingale,amongthetombsofWestminsterAbbey,stretcheditselfout,readytotransfixeachhourasitpassed,andmakeitmylast。Isatbytheclocktowatchtheleapfromonedayoftheweektothenext。Thenwouldcome,innaturalorder,thelongstridefromonemonthtothefollowingone。
Icouldendureitnolonger。\"Takethatclockaway！\"Isaid。Theytookitaway。Theytookmeaway,too,——theythoughtIneededcountryair。Thesoundsandmotionsstillpursuedmeinimagination。IwasverynervouswhenIcamehere。Thewalksarepleasant,butthewallsseemtomeunnecessarilyhigh。Theboardersarenumerous;alittlemiscellaneous,Ithink。ButwehavetheQueen,andthePresidentoftheUnitedStates,andseveralotherdistinguishedpersons,ifwemaytrustwhattheytellaboutthemselves。
AfterwehadlistenedtoNumberFive\'sstory,Iwasrequestedtoreadacoupleofverseswrittenbymewhentheguestofmyfriends,whosenameishintedbythetitleprefixedtomylines。
LAMAISOND\'OR。
BARHARBOR。
>FromthisfairhomebeholdoneithersideTherestfulmountainsortherestlesssea:
SothewarmshelteringwallsoflifedivideTimeanditstidesfromstilleternity。
Lookonthewaves:theirstormyvoicesteachThatnotonearthmaytoilandstrugglecease。
Lookonthemountains:betterfarthanspeechTheirsilentpromiseofeternalpeace。
VIII。
Ihadintendedtodevotethisparticularreporttoanaccountofmyrepliestocertainquestionswhichhavebeenaddressedtome,——
questionswhichIhavearighttosupposeinterestthepublic,andwhich,therefore,IwasjustifiedinbringingbeforeTheTeacups,andpresentingtothereadersofthesearticles。
Somemaycareforoneofthesequestions,andsomeforanother。A
goodmanyyoungpeoplethinknothingaboutlifeasitpresentsitselfinthefarhorizon,boundedbythesnowyridgesofthreescoreandthedimpeaksbeyondthatremotebarrier。Again,therearenumbersofpersonswhoknownothingatallabouttheJews;while,ontheotherhand,therearethosewhocan,orthinktheycan,detecttheIsraelitishbloodinmanyoftheiracquaintanceswhobelievethemselvesofthepurestJapheticorigin,andarefullofprejudicesabouttheSemiticrace。
Idonotmeantobecheatedoutofmyintentions。Iproposetoanswermyquestionersonthetwopointsjustreferredto,butIfindmyselfsomuchinterestedinthepersonalaffairsofTheTeacupsthatImustdealwiththembeforeattackingthoselessexcitingsubjects。