New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-07
IELTER-LrRITEEH-


Ii ia common but unjust complaint that
cheap postage killed the art OF lettcr-"ritinG.
10 the last century the dispatch OF an epistIe
was an affair OF some moment The expense
of the post was not to he incurred without con-
sideration; and since It was the receiver of the
missiyc who had to pay for Vt, every gentleman
who valued his reputation was anxious that his
friends should find his correspondence worth
the money. The kuark of composing an Gle
CANT and entertaining letter was one OF the
first accomplishments demanded of man OF
Wit and culture. The broad pages upon which
hc expended his pains took the place, in some
degree, which has since been filled by the news
paper and the magazine; every letter writer
tried ~ be an cssayist, chronicler Of politics
and business, a critic, gossip. Hundreds Of
volumes Of private correspondence have been
collected and printed in our time, which rank
with the most valuable materials tor history
and the most entertaining Illustrations OF the
taste, opinions and manners Of past genera
Gon,: and no uncomfortable part OF them
po,-rss beside. positive literary quality. 1t Is
truc that AS soon rs We 20 back To the fashion
,hIo era of lrttcr-writing, to the time Of Wal
milo aud pore we find oursclvcs in the midst
or ipsipcer,ty and artince; but these were
cLaracter,stics of the society of that day, and
the letters would not be priced SO highly rs they
are if they we're not faithful reflections of the
life from which they Came
The change in tue style and purpose Of cpis-
tolarv correspopdcnce is strihingly indicated
-. ~. disanpeor,nce Of the old Bath post
rcttcr.,brrts and the substitution of notc-papcr,
which yearly becomes more and more minute.
In the volume of valuable autographs whose
perusal has led us into these remarks large
nroportion of the correspondence of a dlstiu-
puished man Of letters is written upon sheets Of
paper about three inches square, and nearly
halfapagc of each sheet is occupied by a printed
,ddress-hcad One is tempted to declare that
letters are orrlte out of vogue we wrCe nothing
now but curt messages. And vet, if the whole
trutI, were known, it would probably be found
that a good deal of the best letter writing in
the English language has been done in our own
day. We should he at loss to name any
master of the art who has cycolled Dickens.
Some fault has been found with his letters on
the ground of elaboration but In fact one OF
their chief merits is that they are the UNAFFECTED
expression Of his nature, aud II they are careful
and emphatic it is because no was in every
thing, great and small, one Of the most careful
and emphatic of men. For various reasons no
adcouate collection Of his correspondence has
ever been made, and if we would read his best
letter, We must search through various pub
lications-ospecially the volumes put forth by
his daughter and sisier-ln-Iaw' the oloEi"phy
10y Forster the lcSicldayS Win Authors
of the late James T. Fields, and the " Reroi-
lcction, of Charles and Mary COwden Clarke
There must be a multitude Of interesting auto
prnlh- of his which have never seen the light,
for he was an interchangeable writer, and many
of his intimate friends arc very mcagreIy
represented in tho existing collections.