Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-30

Dc Ssyiynt, par NJ. suAnD. Paris, 1851
Every body in these latter days Of literary ON
nscience must needs know something ABOUT Ma
dame DE SEyIaNE's Letters, but hardly any body
can be found who has read them. In this, how
ever, the epistoary collection Of the French woman
has but shared the fate Of many among the classics
of our own tongue, for who Of us reads Chilling
worth, surnamed g the admirable" or Hooker,
tthe iudicious ~ And yet who dares confess to
Ignorance respecting the ahigh argument Of the
one or the & ecclesiastical polity" of tho other
The elder DIsrae has surely mentioned nothing
remarkable in his Cosis Of Lratuss than this dispo
stion Of the literary world to worship at the shrnes Of
its "unknown gods" We have scen high reward
somewhere offered for the discovery Of young Amer
can who in these times of eecromagnetism still has
the auaclsy his fathers silver watch and in on
age Of high literary preenson We should greatly cad
mre at any body under the age Of forty who has te
good to read old books and the courage to plead
ignorance concerning Dckens's "last."
Boarding school Misses with their small English and
less French" can suppose, be hardly expected to read
any thing in the latter tongue unless it has first passed
through the hands Of Mr. Henry William Herbert to whom
the ladies aforesaid indebted for ALL nearly ALL they
knowabou Of French erature for the few who
get far in French did the little heroine Of the
aWide, wide World" (who charmed Swiss gentleman
by saying Est-cs Morgarte Monsieur, must suppose
rather prodiges than otherwise But to oil such the
Letters Of the charming Sevgne commend themselves
by titles than almost any other book Of which we
are aware in the department Of polite literature And
there is lack Of good editions to supply any demand
that may be made. The FIRST collection Of Madame de
Sevigres Letters made by the Able de Busy from
copies furnished by her granddaughter Madame dc ST.
miane 1t appeared in the year 1885, and underwent
many editions though very incomplete and inaccurate
In 1854 tho Cheyaier de Perrin published revised and
enlarged rcu Of the Letters, but first expurgated them
of all passages which might prove offensive to persons
still living upon whom Madame dc SGvigne often
ments with Of satire than fattery. But, in 1906
Monmerqu6 did for the sprighty and witty letterWr
ter what Faugere has recently done for de Sc
sgnes most ustrous literary friend and contemporary
Blase Pascal of whom she wont to say that she put
him de mo tout q est beau that u.s. lie has restored
the reading Of her letters from original copies sl pre-
served and careful recenson Of the text has cleared
it from many blunders of the transcrbbers Gray
calls them and the printers. And besides this complete
edition, find many selections among the best per-
haps, being that Of Madame Tastu and the compilation
anonymously edited whose title haye placed at the
head Of this column
In the volume before us we find the evidences Of much
CARE and far capable Of discerning of much
good taste on the part Of the compiler. OF course
miss letters which could have i'll afforded to omit
had partialities guided the EDITORS selection.
Why, for instances have specimens Of that
charming prfciosJ earncd quaintness) which Mad. de
Seygpe more than Affects though meet with but
single instance of it ia the present collection Does
the editor wish to conceal the fact that Mad de seyignG
was of the habudcs Of the Hotel Ramboulet, that
she was>the friend Of the blue-socking Madame Mon
tausier and Mademoisele de Scuder who wrote inter-
minable romanccs and talked French as Marin wrote
italian! Is it not fair that should have little Of her
Cartesansm well much of her maternal affection
for Mad de Grignan But batting this exception, it is
safe to say that whoever shall carefully read the letters
before will have some knowledge Of whatever is
remarkable in that correspondence which, however
copious peruse as French critic has observ
ed, without pausng at the end Of each letter under
feeling Of regret that no has one less to read
NJ Suard, whose valuable essay the genius Of Mad
de SeSgne is at worthy of its author and subject
has raised the question: " wherein consists that which
essentially characerizes the episclary style?a ques
ton which he finds it easier put than to 1t il
We In-sne almost as difficult extract the OF
etterwrng as to catch the spirit Of poetry, and the
"rhyming dictionaries" are, fear quite good
cpes for the production Of the lattor as the Compete
Letter Writer'S for supply Of the former Letter writ
ing, in fact opens wider field for display of versa
ty in talent and character than any other department
IN the Walks Of nterature and hence the difficulty Of de-
timing its distinctive Quality. letter, says Suard has
for its object the communication Of thoughts and feelings
to absent person persos and dictated by friend
ship, confidence, poencss This definition, it will
Se at once Is imperfect foraow can 1t be made to
include the political letters which play 50 important
apart in country just the eve II Presidential
election Are they always intended to Scommuncate
thoughts ?" and, So why they often leso Delphi
cay obscure in their utteranccs to need
Interpretation after the election is The anor Of
= Proverbal Philosophy" (which few years ago,ve
s-ry to say, was more in vogue than Soomons) has
Auuse@ g the prudent penning of letter. to be the
.s "niS hath most profit in the world" sentiment
WINCH "i'no0> having passed into "proverb," has
many modern hstances to quote in its confirmation.
But we forbear to sr,cify.
we were called, horever to define epistoary STYLE
we should do so by merging the whole question into an
inquiry respecting the characte4 genius and object Of
the individual writer Letter-writiAv IL nothing more
than conversation, without any Of its hsm. hars and
'1rrhas As an easy afably is that which constitutes
the chief charm of social intercourse so natural and
familiar STYLE slightly raised however above tho negli
gences for which the rapdity Of conversation is su
cient excuse is that which should characterize letter
letter demands just that greater degree Of correctness
and care in thought and expression which rapid writing
affords rapid talking only this and nothing more"
for more than this is fall into the mistake of John
Foster whose leter essays but whose essays are
vorv IA fron, ha;p l.xto