Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-26
ACHAT WITH HOLMES.
The AutOcrat of the Breakfast Table
in His Boston Home.
HIS PEN-HOLDER OF SWANS QUILL.
The Chambered Nautilus BE Considers Hid
Best Production.
FAlLINGs OF THE MODERN WRITER'S
WRITTEN FOR THE p1sPArcH.

A few days ago, on invitation, 1 knocked
at the door of DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes.
| On being admitted, I at once saw in the hall
slight but attractive-looking old gentls-
man, dressed in black and with rare taste,
leaning with his back to the baluster Of the
stairway, drawing on a pair of slippers.
There was no difficulty in recognizing the
| qhainf, pleasant face as that of DR.. Holmes.
He informed me that he had just returned
| from his usual walk. The doctor Ralks
long distances, always with his back to the
wind to avoid pneumonia, returning on the
street cars.
We were soon speaking of Ann Arbor,
which 1 suggested might sometime become
the literary center of the country.
Eyes, possibly" returned the doctor; "and
| again it may be Milwaukee; yet, in a coun-
try so large as ours, where culture is becom-
! ing more and more general, there can be no
such thing as a literary capital. At ono
time Boston was the seat of the rIpest schol-
arship in this country. Of course this 10
many years ago. before people in general
were given to reading and making literature,
| as at the present time. New York Is seek
| ing recognition as the literary capital, but
| in vain, for its real interests lie almost
| wholly in the direction of commerce and
money-getting. Why, take Bryant himselfs
what did he ever write after going to New
York which made him greater poet7
| grant he did write some fine poems after
| leaving Massachusetts,; but after all his
| real fame was the result of such poems as
| 'Thanatopsis,' Lines to a Waterfowl, his
earlier work, produced before going over
| there"
DIR. HOLMES LIBRARY.
nj A
the second floor OF his residence. 1t is large
room, and from the large bay window, day
after day, the doctor can look out upon the
! broad, fair Charles river and across to Cam
bridge in the distance. The "AutOcrat's"
library is Just such an one as anybody might
expect him to possess. All the books have
fine bindings, and are systematically ar
ranged on handsome shelves, occupying
nearly or quite the entire four high walls Of
the large room. But, as the doctor informed
me, the books which here find place are by
no means all that ne possesses. Books are
to be found everywhere throughout the
house, amounting to some six thousand
volumes.
Near the center of the library stands the
doctors commodious and attractive writing
desk, on which may be seen on its FURNISHED
rest beside a crystal inkstand, the gold pen
with its swan 's-quill holder, with which the
poet wrote "Else Venner" and the "Auto.
crat" papers, and in fact nearly all the now
famous poems and prose papers which have
made their author dear to so many thou
sands OF people everywhere. The other fur
nishings of the study in the way of carpet,
chairs, pictures and bric-a-brac, are all that
any mortal could possibly desire. But az
DR.. Holmes is man OF exquisite tastes in
everything, the same will account for all
fbob baau nj aTDnOi infr nj herein 6osorihad
ESTIMATE OF HIS POEMS.
1 ventured to ask the doctor which
of his poems he valued most highly.
'I think much of The Chambered Nauti-
lus, which is also my most finished poem,"
he answered. But then 1 am also partial
to The Voiceless,' and MY Aviary,' COM
posed, by the by, at the window thera
(pointing); The Silent Melody and The
Last Leaf which Poe liked very much"
HAS THE Chambered Nautilus any his.
tory connected with it?" 1 asked.
"None whatever"
"But The One HOss Shay'-this has .
history, has it rot?"
"No. it was merely a random fancy OF
mine. such as often comes to me, and in this
particular instance l made use of it.
"HoW came YOU to write the 'Autocrat Of
the Breakfast Table?'" 1 inquired.
sit was soon after the Atlantic Monthly
came into existence, and Mr.. Lowell had
been selected as ths editor, that he came to
me one day and asked me if would con-
tribute series of articles to the magazine
on some subject of my own selection. At
his urgent request consented to do so, and
the 'Autocrat' papers were the outgroWth
of the contributions in question"
WRITERS OF THE PRESENT.
''Do you think, doctor, that on the whole,
the work of the present generation of writer's
has the lasting qualities OF the old school
to which Cooper, Irving and Hawthorne be-
longed?"
81 rarely ever read anything in the way Of
modern fiction; 1 have no time or inclination
for it, but am very much disposed to favor
the older writers. In their special lines
Cooper and Hawthorne have no equals. As
for Irving, however. while a finished
writer, 1 never felt to appreciate him az
the majority look upon him. In
deed, 1 think the Sketch Book an
overrated afair-pleasant reading to be
sure, Dut the best thing in it by far is Rip
Van Winkle.' Much OF his other work to
me seems rather common place. But this ia
only my judgment, remember"
"Do you think that the present demand
for light fiction on the part of the public il
to be permanent
mo. The people will become surfeited
after a time, and will want a change. Thera
may be a return to poetry; it is not improb-
able, 1 think. The trouble is, the most of
the poetry which is offered to the world is
entirely artificial, and does not satisfy. To
all young writers of verse and song would
say. if you would reach the ears Of the
people, sing from the heart, and you will ba
heard gladly"
FAME RESTS ON QUALITY.
"Many writers are disposed to write too
much. Take the case of Hood. His fame
rests almost wholly on much less than q
dozen poems; yet the number which he
wrote is very large. think Burns him
sell oYerdid the matter. The trouble is with
writers, especially after reaching a certain
point, they unconsciously write drivel. We
shall be remembered BY only very few
things, and those, perhaps, the ones We
least on. Among my poems 7
rather think that such lyrics as old Iron-
sides, My Aviarv' and Dorothy O. will
live as long as any,"
GEORGE NEWELL LovEJoY."
nDCCo r1nD MN