New-York tribune., 1895-01-20
EMILY DICRINSON'S LETTERS.
GIINPSES OF \ NEW-ENGl'AND "'or'

vrrrps ot- EMILY DICKINSON. Edited by
Mabel Loomis Todd vols. ROBERTS bro'he's'
However Justly the gentle and elusive personan'y
~ Emily Dickinson may have evoked tne e"-
tbusinst.c regard OF her friends we cannot say
tsat ,tc world OF letters Is greatly enrched ny 'ne
publication Of these no volumes "ha' ~ "o''
worthy in them could have been set forth easily
e., Ri, tho s,ece The range OF ideas n high IL
narrow: there are repettions In meaning ana even
in wording: aad some % thcse halting ana seem-
Ingly mystical phrases merely express "ha' ''"'
been better said In many an ancient fnaN''" "r'
modern epigram We are aware that IN the ''c'"-
nv o. Boston vagueness s sometimes cohs'uele"
the mark OF lofty lntellect-an Olympian thuhner-
ing behind the clouds. but the Boston iao ''''''
takes rank a. literature.
The schooi-day letters with which the COLLECTION
opens are dreary reading They are sentimental
somewhat stilted-in fact. glrly-glrly-and Always
r,nyentona.ly reflective IN the fashion OF the
rs. and the reader cannot but smile al the
soler,ni:y wi.n which these tr!yalltles are INTRO
duceI Various phrases suggest that the writer
was strongly Influenced by tAe books and per.
hans bv the reported personal pecullarites OF
,,o Uront9 sisters this Influence may be
traced. Indeed. In come OF the later epistes.
As her scho0l-Iays rec"iei Miss Dickinson
became less plaiitui.nous. and her writings ex-
blbteI more ard more tAc poetic apprehension
"a. ,ou.h-anl-go pictorial qualify that she was
l On o., me hear: o., scene W u sensation Ike
lash o, lightning We ar. inclined TO doubt.
however whether her ncatc9t strokes were quite
unpremedlta.ed Some q them show a careful
,,re..,sness: and the compiler naivey notes that
In q letter TO Mr.. CIeen HunD Jackson found
a.,o,e Miss rickiason's rarers. are many erasures
.a-d constitutions sivrs evidence o. pasns'akns
ro-lnc uiior Ni;hcut iIr. 'yns That tier" is any
.,.r. aisrr. or unworthy In 'li' iud'cous
rr.tirg We NAV say iha; "hat - clever and
ncculiar i'm these letters IS rot entirely an un-
,f.!lei rcwcf.ns of rare genius. This ladys mind
ana is outcome. 10th In prose and poetry. "ere.
"a h,,l.,e more strongly affected b. the books she
.re,d than h,r admirers are willing to concede. As
.,,,-. l. the Emily Broatc atmosphere In some of
r,r e,rirh le,iers so there is he Emerson note In
her later Nersc
Mrs Todd tells us that her friend. though shy IN
nature and OF recluse habit was keenly humorous'
even witty-"at hear. a. ecsta,c AZ BIRD. o' th''
there are no indications in these letters There Is.
indeed. a pretty payfulncss concerning bird and
be.st ard flower. but the keen humor and Nit must
have been manifested In ways not yet revealed TO
III, The Qualities to b, found In Miss Dicknsons
lotters a. IN her verse tender apprecia-
,lon o, Nature a. visited in orchard. neld and
garden. religious. not p!ous. feeling an In
affection for her trends. and shrinking from ap-
proach Ike that o. the mimosa. Sufficient unto
her soul apparently was The horizon Itself estab-
leLcd But IA. noblest work is not done In her
m,t's ave and a illc .ess centred In self might
have found exprcssion In lo.er and richer strains
than those We owe 20 this New England muse