Lifeisapetitverreofaverypeculiarkindofspirit。Atseventyyearsitusedtobesaidthatthelittleglasswasfull。Weshouldbemoreapttoputitateightyinourday,whileGladstoneandTennysonandourownWhittierarebreathing,moving,thinking,writing,speaking,inthegreenpreservebelongingtotheirchildrenandgrandchildren,andBancroftiskeepingwatchofthegamekeeperinthedistance。But,returningresolutelytothepetitverre,Iamwillingtoconcedethatallafterfourscoreisthebaindepieds,——thesloppingover,sotospeak,ofthefullmeasureoflife。I
rememberthatonewhowasverynearanddeartome,andwholivedtoagreatage,sothattheten—barredgateofthecenturydidnotlookveryfaroff,wouldsometimesapologizeinaverysweet,naturalwayforlingeringsolongtobeacareandperhapsaburdentoherchildren,themselvesgettingwellintoyears。Itisnothardtounderstandthefeeling,neverlesscalledforthanitwasinthecaseofthatbelovednonagenarian。Ihaveknownfewpersons,youngorold,moresincerelyandjustlyregrettedthanthegentleladywhosememorycomesupbeforemeasIwrite。
Oh,ifwecouldallgooutofflowerasgracefully,aspleasingly,aswecomeintoblossom！Ialwaysthinkofthemorning—gloryastheloveliestexampleofagracefulyieldingtotheinevitable。Itisbeautifulbeforeitstwistedcorollaopens;itiscomelyasitfoldsitspetalsinward,whenitsbriefhoursofperfectionareover。
Womenfinditeasierthanmentogrowoldinabecomingway。Averyoldladywhohaskeptsomething,itmaybeagreatdeal,ofheryouthfulfeelings,whoisdaintilycaredfor,whoisgratefulfortheattentionsbestoweduponher,andentersintothespiritoftheyounglivesthatsurroundher,isasprecioustothosewholoveherasageminanantiquesetting,thefashionofwhichhaslonggoneby,butwhichleavesthejewelthecolorandbrightnesswhichareitsinalienablequalities。Witholdmenitistoooftendifferent。Theydonotbelongsomuchindoorsaswomendo。Theyhavenoprettylittlemanualoccupations。Theoldladyknitsorstitchessolongashereyesandfingerswilllether。Theoldmansmokeshispipe,butdoesnotknowwhattodowithhisfingers,unlessheplaysuponsomeinstrument,orhasamechanicalturnwhichfindsbusinessforthem。
Buttheoldwriter,IsaidtoTheTeacups,asIsaytoyou,myreaders,laborsunderonespecialdifficulty,whichIamthinkingofandexemplifyingatthismoment。Heisconstantlytendingtoreflectuponanddiscourseabouthisownparticularstageoflife。Hefeelsthathemustapologizeforhisintrusionuponthetimeandthoughtsofagenerationwhichhenaturallysupposesmustbetiredofhim,iftheyeverhadanyconsiderableregardforhim。Now,iftheworldofreadershatesanythingitseesinprint,itisapology。Ifwhatonehastosayisworthsaying,heneednotbegpardonfursayingit。IfitisnotworthsayingIwillnotfinishthesentence。Butitissohardtoresistthetemptation,notwithstandingthattheterriblelinebeginning\"Superfluouslagstheveteran\"isalwaysrepeatingitselfinhisdullear！
Whatkindofaudienceorreadingparishisamanwhosecuredhisconstituencyinmiddlelife,orbeforethatperiod,toexpectwhenhehasreachedtheageofthreescoreandtwenty？Hiscoevalshavedroppedawaybyscoresandtens,andheseesonlyafewunitsscatteredabouthereandthere,likethefewbeadsabovethewaterafterashiphasgonetopieces。Doeshewriteandpublishforthoseofhisowntimeoflife？Heneednotprintalargeedition。Doeshehopetosecureahearingfromthosewhohavecomeintothereadingworldsincehiscoevals？Theyhavefoundfresherfieldsandgreenerpastures。Theirinterestsareintheout—door,activeworld。Someofthemarecircumnavigatingtheplanetwhileheishitchinghisrockingchairabouthishearth—rug。Somearegazinguponthepyramidswhileheisstaringathisandirons。Somearesettlingthetariffandfixingthelawsofsuffrageandtaxationwhileheisdozingovertheweatherbulletin,andgoingtosleepovertheobituariesinhismorningoreveningpaper。
Natureiswiserthanwegivehercreditforbeing;neverwiserthaninherdealingswiththeold。Shehasnoideaofmortifyingthembysuddenandwhollyunexpectedfailureofthechiefservantsofconsciousness。Thesight,forinstance,beginstolosesomethingofitsperfectionlongbeforeitsdeficiencycallstheowner\'sspecialattentiontoit。Veryprobably,thefirsthintwehaveofthechangeisthatafriendmakesthepleasingremarkthatweare\"playingthetrombone,\"ashecallsit;thatis,movingabookweareholdingbackwardandforward,togettherightfocaldistance。Oritmaybewefindfaultwiththelamporthegas—burnerfornotgivingsomuchlightasitusedto。Atlast,somewherebetweenfortyandfifty,webegintodangleajauntypairofeye—glasses,halfplaythingandhalfnecessity。Induetimeapairofsober,business—likespectaclesbestridesthenose。Oldageleapsuponitashissaddle,andridestriumphant,unchallenged,untilthedarknesscomeswhichnoglassescanpenetrate。Natureispitilessincarryingouttheuniversalsentence,butverypitifulinhermodeofdealingwiththecondemnedonhiswaytothefinalscene。Themanwhoistobehangedalwayshasagoodbreakfastprovidedforhim。
Donotthinkthattheoldlookuponthemselvesasthehelpless,hopeless,forlorncreatureswhichtheyseemtoyoungpeople。Dotheseyoungfolkssupposethatallvanitydiesoutofthenaturesofoldmenandoldwomen？Adentistofoldentimetoldmethatagood—
lookingyoungmanoncesaidtohim,\"Keepthatincisorpresentable,ifyoucan,tillIamfifty,andthenIsha\'n\'tcarehowIlook。\"I
venturetosaythatthatgentlemanwasasparticularabouthispersonalappearanceandasproudofhisgoodlooksatfifty,andmanyyearsafterfifty,ashewasinthetwenties,whenhemadethatspeechtothedentist。
Mydearfriendsaroundtheteacups,andatthatwiderboardwhereI
amnowentertaining,ortryingtoentertain,mycompany,isitnotasplaintoyouasitistomethatIhadbetterleavesuchtasksasthatwhichIamjustfinishingtothosewholiveinamoreinterestingperiodoflifethanonewhich,intheorderofnature,isnextdoortodecrepitude？OughtInottoregrethavingundertakentoreportthedoingsandsayingsofthemembersofthecirclewhichyouhaveknownasTheTeacups？
Dear,faithfulreader,whosepatienteyeshavefollowedmyreportsthroughtheselongmonths,youandIareaboutpartingcompany。
Perhapsyouareoneofthosewhohaveknownmeunderanothername,inthosefar—offdaysseparatedfromthesebytheredseaofthegreatnationalconflict。Whenyoufirstheardthetinkleoftheteaspoons,asthetablewasbeingmadereadyforitsguests,youtrembledforme,inthekindnessofyourhearts。Idonotwonderthatyoudid,——I
trembledformyself。ButIrememberedthestoryofSirCloudesleyShovel,whowasseenallofatremorjustashewasgoingintoaction。\"Howisthis？\"saidabrotherofficertohim。\"Surelyyouarenotafraid？\"\"No,\"heanswered,\"butmyfleshtremblesatthethoughtofthedangersintowhichmyintrepidspiritwillcarryme。\"
Iknewtheriskofundertakingtocarrythroughaseriesofconnectedpapers。AndyetIthoughtitwasbettertorunthatrisk,moremanly,moresensible,thantogivewaytothefearswhichmademyfleshtrembleasdidSirCloudesleyShovel\'s。Formyselfthelaborhasbeenadistraction,andonewhichcameatatimewhenitwasneeded。Sometimes,asinoneofthosepoemsrecentlypublished,——thereaderwilleasilyguesswhich,——theyouthfulspirithascomeovermewithsucharushthatitmademefeeljustasIdidwhenIwrotethehistoryofthe\"One—hossShay\"thirtyyearsago。Torepeatoneofmycomparisons,itwasasifanearlyfruithadripenedonagraftuponanold,steady—goingtree,totheastonishmentofallitslater—
maturingproducts。IshouldhardlydaretosaysomuchasthisifI
hadnotheardasimilaropinionexpressedbyothers。
Oncecommittedtomyundertaking,therewasnoturningback。ItistruethatIhadsaidImightstopatanymoment,butafteroneortwonumbersitseemedasiftherewereaninformalpledgetocarrytheserieson,asinformercases,untilIhadcompletedmydozeninstalments。
Writersandspeakershavetheiridiosyncrasies,theirhabits,theirtricks,ifyouhadrathercallthemso,astotheirwaysofwritingandspeaking。Thereisaveryoldandfamiliarstory,accompaniedbyafeeblejest,whichmostofmyreadersmayprobablyenoughhavemetwithinJoeMillerorelsewhere。Itisthatofalawyerwhocouldnevermakeanargumentwithouthavingapieceofthreadtoworkuponwithhisfingerswhilehewaspleading。Someonestoleitfromhimoneday,andhecouldnotgetonatallwithhisspeech,——hehadlostthethreadofhisdiscourse,asthestoryhadit。NowthisiswhatI
myselfoncesaw。Itwasatameetingwherecertaingravemattersweredebatedinanassemblyofprofessionalmen。Aspeaker,whomI
neverheardbeforeorsince,gotupandmadealongandforcibleargument。Idonotthinkhewasalawyer,buthespokeasifhehadbeentrainedtotalktojuries。Heheldalongstringinonehand,whichhedrewthroughtheotherbandincessantly,ashespoke,justasashoemakerperformsthemotionofwaxinghisthread。Heappearedtobedependentonthismotion。ThephysiologicalsignificanceofthefactIsupposetobethattheflowofwhatwecallthenervouscurrentfromthethinkingcentretotheorgansofspeechwasrenderedfreerandeasierbytheestablishmentofasimultaneouscollateralnervouscurrenttothesetofmusclesconcernedintheactionIhavedescribed。
Idonotuseastringtohelpmewriteorspeak,butImusthaveitsequivalent。Imusthavemypaperandpenorpencilbeforemetosetmythoughtsflowinginsuchformthattheycanbewrittencontinuously。Therehavebeenlawyerswhocouldthinkouttheirwholeargumentinconnectedorderwithoutasinglenote。Thereareauthors,——andIthinktherearemany,——whocancomposeandfinishoffapoemorastorywithoutwritingawordofituntil,whenthepropertimecomes,theycopywhattheycarryintheirheads。IhavebeentoldthatSirEdwinArnoldthoughtouthisbeautiful\"LightofAsia\"
inthisway。
Ifindthegreatcharmofwritingconsistsinitssurprises。Whenoneisinthereceptiveattitudeofmind,thethoughtswhicharesprunguponhim,theimageswhichflashthroughhis——consciousness,areadelightandanexcitement。Iamimpatientofeveryhindranceinsettingdownmythoughts,——ofapenthatwillnotwrite,ofinkthatwillnotflow,ofpaperthatwillnotreceivetheink。AndhereletmepaythetributewhichIowetooneofthehumblestbutmostserviceableofmyassistants,especiallyinpoeticalcomposition。
Nothingseemsmoreprosaicthanthestylographicpen。Itdeprivesthehandwritingofitsbeauty,andtosomeextentofitsindividualcharacter。Thebrutalcommunismofthelettersitformscoversthepageitfillswiththemostuniformlyuninterestingcharacters。But,abuseitasmuchasyouchoose,thereisnothinglikeitforthepoet,fortheimaginativewriter。Manyafineflowofthoughthasbeenchecked,perhapsarrested,bytheillbehaviorofagoose—quill。
Manyanideahasescapedwhiletheauthorwasdippinghispenintheinkstand。Butwiththestylographicpen,inthehandsofonewhoknowshowtocareforitandhowtouseit,unbrokenrhythmsandharmoniouscadencesarethenaturalproductsoftheunimpededflowofthefluidwhichisthevehicleoftheauthor\'sthoughtsandfancies。
Somuchformydebtofgratitudetothehumblestylographicpen。Itdoesnotfurnishthepropermediumforthecorrespondenceofintimates,whowishtoseeasmuchoftheirfriends\'personalityastheirhandwritingcanhold,——stilllessfortheimpassionedinterchangeofsentimentsbetweenlovers;butinwritingforthepressitsuseisopentonoobjection。Itsmovementoverthepaperisliketheflightofaswallow,whilethequillpenandthesteelpenandthegoldpenarealltakingshort,laboriousjourneys,andstoppingtodrinkeveryfewminutes。
Achiefpleasurewhichtheauthorofnovelsandstoriesexperiencesisthatofbecomingacquaintedwiththecharactersbedraws。Itisperfectlytruethathischaractersmust,inthenatureofthings,havemoreorlessofhimselfintheircomposition。IfIshouldseekanexemplificationofthisinthepersonofanyofmyTeacups,I
shouldfinditmostreadilyintheonewhomIhavecalledNumberSeven,theonewiththesquintingbrain。IthinkthatnotonlyI,thewriter,butmanyofmyreaders,recognizeinourownmentalconstitutionanoccasionalobliquityofperception,notalwaysdetectedatthetime,butplainenoughwhenlookedbackupon。WhatextravagantfanciesyouandIhaveseriouslyentertainedatonetimeoranother！Whatsuperstitiousnotionshavegotintoourheadsandtakenpossessionofitsemptychambers,——or,inthelanguageofscience,seizedonthegroupsofnerve—cellsinsomeoftheidlecerebralconvolutions！
Thewriter,Isay,becomesacquaintedwithhischaractersasbegoeson。Theyareatfirstmereembryos,outlinesofdistinctpersonalities。Byandby,iftheyhaveanyorganiccohesion,theybegintoassertthemselves。Theycansayanddosuchandsuchthings;suchandsuchotherthingstheycannotandmustnotsayordo。Thestory—writer\'sandplay—writer\'sdangeristhattheywillgettheircharactersmixed,andmakeAsaywhatBoughttohavesaid。
Thestrongerhisimaginativefaculty,thelessliablewillthewriterbetothisfault;butnotevenShakespeare\'spowerofthrowinghimselfintohischaracterspreventsmanyofhisdifferentpersonagesfromtalkingphilosophyinthesamestrainandinastylecommontothemall。
Youwilloftenobservethatauthorsfallinlovewiththeimaginarypersonstheydescribe,andthattheybestowaffectionateepithetsuponthemwhichitmayhappenthereaderdoesnotconsiderinanywaycalledfor。Thisisapleasuretowhichtheyhavearight。Everyauthorofastoryissurroundedbyalittlefamilyofidealchildren,asdeartohim,itmaybe,asareflesh—and—bloodchildrentotheirparents。YoumayforgetallaboutthecircleofTeacupstowhichI
haveintroducedyou,——onthesuppositionthatyouhavefollowedmewithsomedegreeofinterest;butdoyousupposethatNumberFivedoesnotcontinueasapresencewithme,andthatmyprettyDelilahhasleftmeforeverbecausesheisgoingtobemarried？
No,mydearfriend,ourcirclewillbreakapart,anditsdifferentmemberswillsoonbetoyouasiftheyhadneverbeen。ButdoyouthinkthatIcanforgetthem？DoyousupposethatIshallceasetofollowthelove（ortheloves;whichdoyouthinkisthetrueword,thesingularortheplural？）ofNumberFiveandtheyoungTutorwhoissoconstantlyfoundinhercompany？DoyousupposethatIdonotcontinuemyrelationswiththe\"CrackedTeacup,\"——thepooroldfellowwithwhomIhavesomuchincommon,whosecounterpart,perhaps,youmayfindinyourowncomplexpersonality？
Itakefromthetopshelfofthehospitaldepartmentofmylibrary—
thesectiondevotedtoliterarycripples,imbeciles,failures,foolishrhymesters,andsillyeccentrics——oneoftheleastconspicuousandmosthopelesslyfeebleoftheweak—mindedpopulationofthatintellectualalmshouse。Iopenitandlookthroughitspages。Itisastory。Ihavelookedintoitoncebefore,——onitsfirstreceptionasagiftfromtheauthor。ItrytorecallsomeofthenamesIseethere:theymeannothingtome,butIventuretosaytheauthorcherishesthemall,andcriesoverthemashedidwhenhewaswritingtheirhistory。Iputthebookbackamongitsdustycompanions,and,sittingdowninmyreflectiverocking—chair,thinkhowothersmustforget,andhowIshallremember,thecompanythatgatheredaboutthistable。
ShallIevermeetanyoneofthemagain,inthesepagesorinanyother？WillthecrackedTeacupholdtogether,orwillhegotopieces,andfindhimselfinthatretreatwheretheowneroftheterribleclockwhichdrovehimcrazyiswalkingundertheshelterofthehighwalls？HastheyoungDoctor\'scrownyetreceivedthesealwhichisNature\'swarrantofwisdomandproofofprofessionalcompetency？AndNumberFiveandheryoungfriendtheTutor,——havetheykeptonintheirdangerousintimacy？Didtheygetthroughthetuttotremantepassage,readingfromthesameoldlargeeditionofDantewhichtheTutorrecommendedasthebest,andinreadingfromwhichtheirheadswerenecessarilybroughtperilouslyneartoeachother？
ItwouldbeverypleasantifIcould,consistentlywiththepresentstateofaffairs,bringthesetwoyoungpeopletogether。Isaytwoyoungpeople,fortheonewhocountsmostyearsseemstometobereallytheyoungerofthepair。ThatNumberFiveforesawfromthefirstthatanytendererfeelingthanthatoffriendshipwouldintrudeitselfbetweenthemIdonotbelieve。AsfortheTutor,hesoonfoundwherehewasdrifting。Itwashisfirstexperienceinmattersconcerningtheheart,andabsorbedhiswholenatureasathingofcourse。Didhetellherhelovedher？Perhapshedid,fiftytimes;
perhapsheneverhadthecouragetosaysooutright。Butsometimestheylookedeachotherstraightintheeyes,andstrangemessagesseemedtopassfromoneconsciousnesstotheother。WilltheTutoraskNumberFivetobehiswife;andifhedoes,willsheyieldtothedictatesofnature,andlowertheflagofthatfortresssolongthoughtimpregnable？Willbegoonwritingsuchpoemstoheras\"TheRoseandtheFern\"or\"ILikeYouandILoveYou,\"andbecontentwiththepursuitofthatwhichhenevercanattain？Thatisallverywell,onthe\"GrecianUrn\"ofKeats,——beautiful,butnotlovesuchasmortalsdemand。Still,thatmaybeall,foraughtthatwehaveyetseen。
\"Fairyouth,beneaththetrees,thoucanstnotleaveThysong,norevercanthosetreesbebare;
Boldlover,never,never,canstthoukiss,Thoughwinningnearthegoal,——yetdonotgrieve;
Shecannotfade,thoughthouhastnotthybliss,Foreverwiltthoulove,andshebefair！……
\"Morehappylove！morehappy,happylove！
Foreverwarm,andstilltobeenjoyed,Foreverpantingandforeveryoung！\"
Andso,good—bye,youngpeople,whomwepartwithhere。Shadowsyouhavebeenandaretomyreaders;veryrealyouhavebeenandaretome,——asrealasthememoriesofmanyfriendswhomIshallseenomore。
AsIamnotinthehabitofindulginginlatesuppers,thereaderneednotthinkthatIshallspreadanotherboardandinvitehimtolistentotheconversationswhichtakeplacearoundit。If,fromtimetotime,hefindsaslightrefectionawaitinghimonthesideboard,IhopehemaywelcomeitaspleasantlyashehasacceptedwhatIhaveofferedhimfromtheboardnowjustbeingcleared……
ItisagoodrulefortheactorwhomanagesthepopularstreetdramaofPunchnottolettheaudienceorspectatorsseehislegs。Itisveryhardforthewriterofpaperslikethese,whicharenowcomingtotheirconclusion,tokeephispersonalityfromshowingitselftooconspicuouslythroughthethindisguisesofhisvariouscharacters。
Astheshowisnowover,asthecurtainhasfallen,Iappearbeforeitinmyproperperson,toaddressafewwordstothefriendswhohaveassisted,astheFrenchsay,bytheirpresence,andasweusetheword,bythekindwayinwhichtheyhavereceivedmyattemptsattheirentertainment。
ThisseriesofpapersisthefourthofitskindwhichIhaveofferedtomyreaders。Imaybeallowedtolookbackuponthesuccessionofserialarticleswhichwascommencedmorethanthirtyyearsago,in1857。\"TheAutocratoftheBreakfast—Table\"wasthefirstoftheseries。Itwasbegunwithouttheleastideawhatwastobeitscourseanditsoutcome。Itscharactersshapedthemselvesgraduallyasthemanuscriptgrewundermyhand。Ijotteddownonthesheetofblottingpaperbeforemethethoughtsandfancieswhichcameintomyhead。Averyodd—lookingobjectwasthispageofmemoranda。Manyofthehintswereworkedupintoformalshape,manywererejected。
SometimesIrecordedastory,ajest,orapunforconsideration,andmadeuseofitorletitaloneasmysecondthoughtdecided。I
rememberacuriouscoincidence,which,ifIhaveevertoldinprint,——IamnotsurewhetherIhaveornot,——Iwilltelloveragain。I
mentionit,notforthepun,whichIrejectedasnotveryedifyingandperhapsnotnew,thoughIdidnotrecollecthavingseenit。
Mulier,Latinforwoman;whyapplythatnametooneofthegentlebutoccasionallyobstinatesex？Theanswerwasthatawomanis（sometimes）moremulishthanamule。PleaseobservethatIdidnotlikethepoorpunverywell,andthoughtitratherrudeandinelegant。SoIleftitontheblotter,whereitwasstandingwhenoneofthenextnumbersof\"Punch\"cameoutandcontainedthatverysamepun,whichmusthavebeenhituponbysomeEnglishcontributoratjustaboutthesametimeIfelluponitonthissideoftheAtlantic。Thisfactmaybeaddedtothechapterofcoincidenceswhichbelongstothefirstnumberofthisseriesofpapers。
The\"Autocrat\"hadtheattractionofnovelty,whichofcoursewaswantinginthesucceedingpapersofsimilarcharacter。Thecriticismsuponthesuccessivenumbersastheycameoutwerevarious,butgenerallyencouraging。Someweremorethanencouraging;veryhigh—coloredintheirphrasesofcommendation。Whenthepaperswerebroughttogetherinavolumetheirsuccesswasbeyondmyexpectations。Uptothepresenttimethe\"Autocrat\"hasmaintaineditsposition。Animmortalityofawholegenerationismorethanmostwritersareentitledtoexpect。Iventuretothink,fromthelettersIreceivefromthechildrenandgrandchildrenofmyfirstsetofreaders,thatforsomelittletimelonger,atleast,itwillcontinuetoberead,andeventobeafavoritewithsomeofitsreaders。Nonomnismoriarisapleasantthoughttoonewhohaslovedhispoorlittleplanet,andwill,Itrust,retainkindlyrecollectionsofitthroughwhateverwildernessofworldshemaybecalledtowanderinhisfuturepilgrimages。Isay\"poorlittleplanet。\"EversinceI
hadatencentlookatthetransitofVenus,afewyearsago,throughthetelescopeintheMall,theearthhasbeenwhollydifferenttomefromwhatitusedtobe。Iknewfrombookswhataspeckitisintheuniverse,butnothingeverbroughtthefacthomelikethesightofthesisterplanetsailingacrossthesun\'sdisk,aboutlargeenoughforabuckshot,notlargeenoughforafull—sizedbullet。Yes,I
lovethelittleglobulewhereIhavespentmorethanfourscoreyears,andIliketothinkthatsomeofmythoughtsandsomeofmyemotionsmaylivethemselvesoveragainwhenIamsleeping。Icannotthankallthekindreadersofthe\"Autocrat\"whoareconstantlysendingmetheiracknowledgments。Iftheyseethisprintedpage,letthembeassuredthatawriterisalwaysrenderedhappierbybeingtoldthathehasmadeafellow—beingwiserorbetter,orevencontributedtohisharmlessentertainment。Thisacorrespondentmaytakeforgranted,evenifhisletterofgratefulrecognitionreceivesnoreply。Itbecomesmoreandmoredifficultformetokeepupwithmycorrespondents,andImustsoongiveitupasimpossible。
\"TheProfessorattheBreakfastTable\"followedimmediatelyontheheelsofthe\"Autocrat。\"TheProfessorwasthealteregoofthefirstpersonage。Intheearlierserieshehadplayedasecondarypart,andinthissecondseriesnogreateffortwasmadetocreateacharacterwhollyunlikethefirst。TheProfessorwasmoreoutspoken,however,onreligioussubjects,andbroughtdownagooddealofhardlanguageonhimselfandtheauthortowhomheowedhisexistence。I
supposehemayhaveusedsomeirritatingexpressions,unconsciously,butnotunconscientiously,Iamsure。Thereisnothinghardertoforgivethanthestingofanepigram。Someoftheolddoctors,I
fear,neverpardonedmeforsayingthatifaship,loadedwithanassortedcargoofthedrugswhichusedtobeconsideredthenaturalfoodofsickpeople,wenttothebottomofthesea,itwouldbe\"allthebetterformankindandalltheworseforthefishes。\"IfIhadnotputthatsnapperontheendofmywhip—lash,Imighthavegotoffwithouttheilltemperwhichmyantithesisprovoked。Thirtyyearssetthatallright,andthesamethirtyyearshavesochangedthetheologicalatmospherethatsuchabusivewordsas\"heretic\"and\"infidel,\"appliedtopersonswhodifferfromtheoldstandardsoffaith,arechieflyinterestingasatestofbreeding,beingseldomusedbyanypeopleabovethesocialhalf—casteline。IamspeakingofProtestants;howitmaybeamongRomanCatholicsIdonotknow,butIsuspectthatwiththemalsoitisagooddealamatterofbreeding。TherewerenotwantingsomewholikedtheProfessorbetterthantheAutocrat。IconfessthatIprefermychampagneinitsfirstburstofgaseousenthusiasm;butifmyguestlikesitbetterafterithasstoodawhile,Iampleasedtoaccommodatehim。Thefirstofmyseriescamefrommymindalmostwithanexplosion,likethechampagnecork;itstartledmealittletoseewhatIhadwritten,andtohearwhatpeoplesaidaboutit。Afterthatfirstexplosiontheflowwasmoresober,andIlookedupontheproductofmywine—pressmorecoolly。Continuationsalmostalwayssagalittle。Iwillnotsaythatofmyownsecondeffort,butifotherssaidit,Ishouldnotbedisposedtowonderatortodisputethem。
\"ThePoetattheBreakfastTable\"camesomeyearslater。Thisseriesofpaperswasnotsomuchacontinuationasaresurrection。Itwasadoublyhazardousattempt,madewithoutanyextravagantexpectations,andwasreceivedaswellasIhadanyrighttoanticipate。Itdifferedfromtheothertwoseriesincontainingapoemofconsiderablelength,publishedinsuccessiveportions。Thispoemholdsagooddealofself—communing,andgavemetheopportunityofexpressingsomethoughtsandfeelingsnottobefoundelsewhereinmywritings。Ihadoccasiontoreadthewholevolume,notlongsince,inpreparationforanewedition,andwasrathermorepleasedwithitthanIhadexpectedtobe。Anoldauthorisconstantlyrediscovinghimselfinthemoreorlessfossilizedproductionsofhisearlieryears。ItisalongtimesinceIhavereadthe\"Autocrat,\"butI
takeitupnowandthenandreadinitforafewminutes,notalwayswithoutsomedegreeofedification。
Thesethreeseriesofpapers,\"Autocrat,\"\"Professor,\"\"Poet,\"areallstudiesoflifefromsomewhatdifferentpointsofview。Theyarelargelymadeupofsoberreflections,andappearedtometorequiresomelivelyhumaninteresttosavethemfromwearisomedidacticdulness。Whatcouldbemorenaturalthanthatloveshouldfinditswayamongtheyoungpeoplewhohelpedtomakeupthecirclegatheredaroundthetable？Nothingisolderthanthestoryofyounglove。
Nothingisnewerthanthatsameoldstory。Abitofgildinghereandtherehasawonderfuleffectinenliveningalandscapeoranapartment。NapoleonconsoledtheParisiansintheiryearofdefeatbygildingthedomeoftheInvalides。BostonhasglorifiedherStateHouseandherselfattheexpenseofafewsheetsofgoldleaflaidonthedome,whichshineslikeasunintheeyesofhercitizens,andlikeastarinthoseoftheapproachingtraveller。Ithinkthegildingofalove—storyhelpedallthreeoftheseearlierpapers。
ThesameneedIfeltintheseriesofpapersjustclosed。TheslightincidentofDelilah\'sappearanceanddisappearanceservedmypurposetosomeextent。ButwhatshouldIdowithNumberFive？Thereadermustfollowouthercareerforhimself。Formyself,IthinkthatsheandtheTutorhavebothutterlyforgottenthedifferenceoftheiryearsinthefascinationofintimateintercourse。Idonotbelievethatanaturesolarge,sorichinaffection,asNumberFive\'sisgoingtofalldefeatedofitsbestinheritanceoflife,likeavinewhichfindsnosupportforitstendrilstotwinearound,andsocreepsalongthegroundfromwhichnaturemeantthatloveshouldliftit。IfeelasifIoughttofollowthesetwopersonagesofmysermonizingstoryuntiltheycometogetherorseparate,tofade,towither,——perhapstodie,atlast,ofsomethinglikewhatthedoctorscallheart—failure,butwhichmightmoretrulybecalledheart—
starvation。WhenIsaydie,Idonotmeannecessarilythedeaththatgoesintotheobituarycolumn。Itmaycometothat,inoneorboth;
butIthinkthat,iftheyareneverunited,NumberFivewilloutlivetheTutor,whowillfallintomelancholyways,andpineandwaste,whileshelivesalong,feelingallthetimethatshehascheatedherselfofhappiness。Ihopethatisnotgoingtobetheirfortune,ormisfortune。Vieillefillefaitjeunemariee。WhatayouthfulbrideNumberFivewouldbe,ifshecouldonlymakeuphermindtomatrimony！Inthemeantimeshemustbeleftwithherlambsallaroundher。Mayheaventemperthewindstothem,fortheyhavebeenshornveryclose,everyoneofthem,oftheirgoldenfleeceofaspirationsandanticipations。
Imustavailmyselfofthisopportunitytosayafewwordstomydistantfriendswhotakeinterestenoughinmywritings,earlyorrecent,towishtoenterintocommunicationwithmebyletter,ortokeepupacommunicationalreadybegun。Ihavegivennoticeinprintthattheletters,books,andmanuscriptswhichIreceivebymailaresonumerousthatifIundertooktoreadandanswerthemallIshouldhavelittletimeforanythingelse。Ihaveforsomeyearsdependedontheassistanceofasecretary,butourjointeffortshaveprovedunable,oflate,tokeepdowntheaccumulationswhichcomeinwitheverymail。SomanyofthelettersIreceiveareofapleasantcharacterthatitishardtoletthemgounacknowledged。TheextremefriendlinesswhichpervadesmanyofthemgivesthemavaluewhichI
rateveryhighly。Whenlargenumbersofstrangersinsistonclaimingoneasafriend,onthestrengthofwhathehaswritten,ittendstomakehimthinkofhimselfsomewhatindulgently。Itisthemostnaturalthingintheworldtowanttogiveexpressiontothefeelingthelovingmessagesfromfar—offunknownfriendsmustexcite。Manyadayhashaditsbestworkinghoursbrokeninto,spoiledforallliterarywork,bythelaborofansweringcorrespondentswhosegoodopinionitisgratifyingtohavecalledforth,butwhowereunconsciouslylayinganewburdenonshouldersalreadyaching。I
knowtoowellthatwhatIsaywillnotreachtheeyesofmanywhomightpossiblytakeahintfromit。StillImustkeeprepeatingitbeforebreakingoffsuddenlyandleavingwholepilesoflettersunanswered。Ihavebeenveryheavilyhandicappedformanyyears。Itispartlymyownfault。Fromwhatmycorrespondentstellme,ImustinferthatIhaveestablishedadangerousreputationforwillingnesstoanswerallsortsofletters。Theycomewithsuchinsinuatinghumility,——theycannotbeartointrudeuponmytime,theyknowthatIhaveagreatmanycallsuponit,——andincontinentlyproceedtolaytheiradditionalweightontheloadwhichisbreakingmyback。
Thehypocrisyofkind—heartedpeopleisoneofthemostpainfulexhibitionsofhumanweakness。Ithasoccurredtomethatitmightbeprofitabletoreproducesomeofmyunwrittenanswerstocorrespondents。Ifthosewhichwereactuallywrittenandsentweretobeprintedinparallelcolumnswiththosementallyformedbutnotwrittenoutresponsesandcomments,thereaderwouldgetsomeideaoftheinternalconflictsanhonestandnotunamiablepersonhastogothrough,whenhefindshimselfdriventothewallbyacorrespondencewhichisdraininghisvocabularytofindexpressionsthatsoundasagreeably,andsignifyaslittle,asthephrasesusedbyadiplomatistinclosinganofficialcommunication。
No。1。Wantmyautograph,doyou？Anddon\'tknowhowtospellmyname。Anaforaneinmymiddlename。Leaveoutthelinmylastname。Doyouknowhowpeoplehatetohavetheirnamesmisspelled？
WhatdoyousupposearethesentimentsentertainedbytheThompsonswithaptowardsthosewhoaddresstheminwritingasThomson？
No。2。ThinkthelinesyoumentionarebyfarthebestIeverwrote,hey？Well,Ididn\'twritethoselines。Whatismore,IthinktheyareasdetestableastringofrhymesasIcouldwishmyworstenemyhadwritten。AverypleasantframeofmindIaminforwritingaletter,afterreadingyours！
No。3。Iamgladtohearthatmynamesake,whomIneversawandneverexpecttosee,hascutanothertooth;butwhywritefourpagesonthestrengthofthatdomesticoccurrence？
No。4。YouwishtocorrectanerrorinmyBroomstickpoem,doyou？
YougivemetounderstandthatWilmingtonisnotinEssexCounty,butinMiddlesex。Verywell;butaretheyseparatedbyrunningwater？
Becauseiftheyarenot,whatcouldhinderawitchfromcrossingthelinethatseparatesWilmingtonfromAndover,Ishouldliketoknow？
Inevermeanttoimplythatthewitchesmadenoexcursionsbeyondthedistrictwhichwasmoreespeciallytheirseatofoperations。
AsIcometowardstheendofthistaskwhichIhadsetmyself,I
wish,ofcourse,thatIcouldhaveperformeditmoretomyownsatisfactionandthatofmyreaders。Thisisafeelingwhichalmosteveryonemusthaveattheconclusionofanyworkhehasundertaken。
Acommonandverysimplereasonforthisdisappointmentisthatmostofusoverrateourcapacity。Weexpectmoreofourselvesthanwehaveanyrightto,invirtueofourendowments。ThefigurativedescriptionsofthelastGrandAssizemustnomorebetakenliterallythanthegoldencrowns,whichwedonotexpectorwanttowearonourheads,orthegoldenharps,whichwedonotwantorexpecttoholdinourhands。Isitnottootruethatmanyreligioussectariesthinkofthelasttribunalcomplacently,asthesceneinwhichtheyaretohavethesatisfactionofsayingtothebelieversofacreeddifferentfromtheirown,\"Itoldyouso\"？Arenotothersoppressedwiththethoughtofthegreatreturnswhichwillbeexpectedofthemastheproductoftheirgreatgifts,theverylimitedamountofwhichtheydonotsuspect,andwillbeverygladtolearn,evenattheexpenseoftheirself—love,whentheyarecalledtotheiraccount？IfthewaysoftheSupremeBeingareeverreallytobe\"justifiedtomen,\"
touseMilton\'sexpression,everyhumanbeingmayexpectanexhaustiveexplanationofhimself。Nomaniscapableofbeinghisowncounsel,andIcannothelphopingthattheablestofthe,archangelswillberetainedforthedefenceoftheworstofsinners。
Hehimselfisunconsciousoftheagencieswhichmadehimwhatheis。
Self—determininghemaybe,ifyouwill,butwhodeterminestheselfwhichistheproximatesourceofthedetermination？WhywastheA
selflikehisgooduncleinbodilyaspectandmentalandmoralqualities,andtheBselflikethebaduncleinlookandcharacter？
Hasnotamanarighttoaskthisquestioninthehereorinthehereafter,——inthisworldorinanyworldinwhichhemayfindhimself？IftheAll—wisewishestosatisfyhisreasonableandreasoningcreatures,itwillnotbebyadisplayofelementalconvulsions,butbythestillsmallvoice,whichtreatswithhimasadependententitledtoknowthemeaningofhisexistence,andiftherewasanythingwronginhisadjustmenttothemoralandspiritualconditionsoftheworldaroundhimtohavefullallowancemadeforit。Nomelodramaticdisplayofwarringelements,suchasthewhite—
robedSecondAdventistimagines,canmeettheneedofthehumanheart。ThethundersandlightningsofSinaiterrifiedandimpressedthemoretimidsoulsoftheidolatrousandrebelliouscaravanwhichthegreatleaderwasconducting,butafarnoblermanifestationofdivinitywasthatwhen\"theLordspakeuntoMosesfacetoface,asamanspeakethuntohisfriend。\"
IfindtheburdenandrestrictionsofrhymemoreandmoretroublesomeasIgrowolder。Therearetimeswhenitseemsnaturalenoughtoemploythatformofexpression,butitisonlyoccasionally;andtheuseofitasthevehicleofthecommonplaceissoprevalentthatoneisnotmuchtemptedtoselectitasthemediumforhisthoughtsandemotions。Theartofrhyminghasalmostbecomeapartofahigh—
schooleducation,anditspracticeisfarfrombeinganevidenceofintellectualdistinction。MediocrityisasmuchforbiddentothepoetinourdaysasitwasinthoseofHorace,andtheimmensemajorityoftheverseswrittenarestampedwithhopelessmediocrity。
Whenoneoftheancientpoetsfoundhewastryingtogrindoutverseswhichcameunwillingly,hesaidhewaswritingINVITAMINERVA。
VexnottheMusewithidleprayers,——
Shewillnothearthycall;
Shestealsupontheeunawares,Orseekstheenotatall。
SoftasthemoonbeamswhentheysoughtEndymion\'sfragrantbower,ShepartsthewhisperingleavesofthoughtToshowherfull—blownflower。
Fortheeherwooinghourhaspassed,Thesingingbirdshaveflown,AndwintercomeswithicyblastTochillthybudsunblown。
Yet,thoughthewoodsnolongerthrillAsoncetheirarchesrung,SweetechoeshoverroundtheestillOfsongsthysummersung。
Liveinthypast;awaitnomoreTherushofheaven—sentwings;
EarthstillhasmusicleftinstoreWhileMemorysighsandsings。
IhopemyspecialMinervamaynotalwaysbeunwilling,butshemustnotbecalleduponasshehasbeenintimespast。Nowthattheteacupshaveleftthetable,anoccasionaleveningcallisallthatmyreadersmustlookfor。Thankingthemfortheirkindcompanionship,andhopingthatImayyetmeettheminthenowandtheninthefuture,Ibidthemgoodbyefortheimmediatepresent。