New-York tribune., 1874-09-07
BOSTON.
LITERARY NOTFS

AIKEN AN UNCONSCIOUS HEX
OPINION OF PREscoTTs sTYIE-ENGI1sH WOMEN
AS coNTRAsTED WITH AMERIcANs-GooD SOCIETY
DIR. CLAIMING HAPPY DESPITE HIS FAILING
PowERs-Two PURE AND BEAUTIFUL NATURES
yrRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
BOSTON, Sept. 5.-Seldom has there appeared
q volume Of letters between and woman which
reflects SO much credit the mental and moral quaI
ties of both as the Correspondence OF William Eery
Claiming d. D., and Lucy Aiken. from 1896 to 1871
which Roberts Brothers about to publish Inc DooK
s edited by Anna Letitia lie Breton, niece OF MISS
Aiken and is prefaced WITH sort OF letter OF sanction
from the Rev. William Henry Charming nephew OF
Dr. Charming This correspondenoei OF soId and real
value 1t lacks the romantic interest which belonged 10
Goethe's eorrespondences with women-Dr. Claiming
and Miss Aiken had each other friendship utterly
without sentiment and their letters we're characterized
by flavor OF od.fasbioned poteness. They grew more
intimate as the years went and expressed them
selves to each other with more absolute rankness
but always Dear Miss Aitken" and her Dear FRIEND
IL with the cool permanence OF print before
their eyes They preserved their letters carefully and
made an that the entire correspondence
10 be the property Of the survivor Miss Aiken outved
her friend by some twenty years; and, at her death
gave all the letters her niece, Mrs lie Breton the
editor OF the present volume
Many OF the letters concern themselves with the DO
ltcal aspects OF the tme both In this country and in
suffrage and the Reform bill. Miss Aiken writes with
certain proud national enthusiasm about the coronation
Of the young Qleen Victoria She remarks that there
great applause for the Queen, great applause Ior
her mother and the Duke OF Sussex and KIND recog
milton OF the other members OF the royal family; there
was generous applause Of soult, because we hsu
formerly beaten him." but not the slightest notice OF
any other foreigner. The ambassadors extraordinary
might display much pOmp as they would-and GER
tany such spendOr equpages had never before been
exhibited IN the streets of LOndon-stil honest John
remained obstinately mute or contented himself with
whispering Depend upon IL those coaches are English
built, and the horses were bought here"
Miss Aiken processes herself a democrats but one
smiles to see everywhere in her letters the genuine En-
gish respect for the "arstocracy"-the unconscious
feeling that in the whole world there such standard
of manners no such garden of social culture as the
English peerage. DR.. Claiming inquiries about the
authorship Of two books which he thinks show great
power, namely. Essays the Formation Of Opinion
and on 1.-THE Pursuit OF TRUTH and Miss Aiken an
swers:
I have heard the two works you mention spoken Of
with high praise by few good judges; but nave not
vet seen them. The author am told is a Mr. Bailey
of Sheffield, but this is all learn. You cannot con-
ceive how much the letered arstocracy of London
cety disdain TO know nythng of provincial genius or
literature. Montgomery, Sheffield poet, being also
Evangelical, is tolerably well known III London and
may In some companies be slightly mentioned without
committing the speaker. But Sheffield metaphysi-
clan bold were the dner-out VINO would dare not 10 De
ignorant of him.
She reads Prescotts Ferdinand and Isabella :" and
the notion OF the English aristocracy the one
final standard by which all questions of taste must be
settled, crops out in her criticism she writes:
As for the stylethe dction. ratherR Is pretty good
bers of Parliament dlscaim personal application.
In fact, II is in style like yours, which neither Is
that Of an Engshman can be detected Neither indeed
Is Mr. Prescott chargeabe with using words or phrases
liar IN ufrV wei m
days Of steamboats, aud railroads to imagine an English
possessed Of the knowledge and literary talent OF
fms writer chO should neuer hare mingled in the good
soeVof London he expected compose in the
same styletha is TO say provided he had never made
study Of his own language. He ike MI. Prescott,
might employ the Scotch term, "a border Jordv !" he
might call artisans operatives the slang word OF the
papers, French" military" and other terms; he
might peraps want the tact to exclude from the style
of history several mere cOloQualsms, well corrupt
Of words. which might be enumerated. Consider
ing this work which Will attain permanent sta
tiOn in English literature, cannot but regret these
blemishes aud wish TO see them removed In another
them TO you which is this: You tell me you
in arisocracy This is useto establish standard
of tasto and refinement IN language, as in
manners; TO rebuke pedantry; TO set
mark upon ignorance, proyincialism' and yul-
and vigor. No one without having freQuened those
London circles where letered men and women OF rank
associate with letered men and women without RANK
can form just conception OF the grace and beauty OF
which Language is susceptible In It's cooquia forms
No without this advantage can attain hn1shed eie-
ganee any style Of composition. except the most
grave and dignied-that Of the public and the schools
AT st such attainment is rare, that when meet
with IT. the works OF that IOU LrtSDdn Goldsmith,
1t fills us with surprise as much as admiration.
And 40 she goes on with her innocent audaon Of the
perfect English-f London style. No scOchman, she
says ever attained it, Walter Scott she pronounced
full of provincialisms and barbarsms; and Burns. in
prose- wrote language at ALL She ends her protest
with the declaration: can upper class, metropolis and
court alone preserve the language of extensive
Empire. Therefore unto you, Americans~
Toward the close of the correspondence Dr. Claiming
chances to speak American superior 10 En
glish women in beauty and in grace. Valantly this
Truthful James in pettcoats comes TO the defense OF
her English sisters. She writes:
Imust frankly tell you in reference toyonr very unex
pected claim for cOuntrywomen OF superior refine
nent that although have several OF them whose
too quiet and retiring TO give the least
offense, / have neither heard of any who,
in the society Of middle classes were thought
entitled to than this negative cOmmendatOn-any
who have become prominent without betraylng gross
ignorance OF more than conventional goOd-Dreedlng
The yerv tone voice. the accent and choice OF phrase
give the impression or extreme lnelegance fatlOt
and staneh Republican as YOU think you must admit
the pror probability that the metropolis OF be BRIT
ish Empire the first city in the world for sze for oDu-
lenee for diffusion of the comforts aecomnodatlohs Us
and uxuries of life. as well as for all the appliances OF
science literature and taste the seat OF court unex-
celed spendor and OF arisocracy absolutely un-
rvaled in wealth, in substantial power and dignity and
especially in mental cultivation of the most s0ld and
elegant kDd-wOuld afford such standard OF graceful
and finished manners as your State capitals have no
chance OF coming up TO-
OF course Miss Aiken herself had shared in the In
estinable advantages OF which she speaks 1t wouldibe
presumption one who is an American OF the Ameri
cans TO crtcise herr else it might be suggested that
snoe Dr. Charming had introduced TO her American
ladies from to time-Mrs. Farrar, Mrs. Norton and
others-each time characterzing them as some Of our
finest women" there is. to an uututOred American mind,
certain seeming Of discouresy in the assertion that
she had neither seen heard OF thoroughly we'll
hammered American woman. But 1t were nvidious 10
--t,f,., ,obr
Miss Akens part of the book and which certainly does
not commend IL TO the American mind, when there
is so much else which is most admirable. Miss
Aiken many Of her letters, proves herself keen and