The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-24

her lips without having her father and her
mother and all her little impish brothers and
| sisters for her audience-nay, if there was even
a cherry checked kitchen-girl to romance with
! occasionally, it might possibly be enduraole.
! Nothing but vinegar faced old maids and
| drawing room notwithstanding that
would do TO write poetry TO but the sylph of
! the confectioner's counter and she sweet
| little Fanny has left US to weep when we think
| of her departed smiles and her too fleeting Ice
cream. l do believe shall never be contented
until get the undisputed mastery OF petit
| coat.
The letters written from Paris show him
in much more contented frame of mind.
! They contain no laments of a lack of
female society, and are devoted to more
| serious themes. 1t would not be fair,
however, to infer from this change that
the Partisan girls were more attractive
than those of Cam bridge. Some portion
of the altered tone must be attributed to
the fact that while the letters from Har-
ward were written to a schoolmate those
! from Paris were written to his parents
Among the interesting features of these
! Partisan letters are passages which by
! showing what Holmes considered the nov
| elites OF life there give US an idea of what
! he had been accustomed to in Boston. In
one of these letters, for example, he says !:
| The truth is live in Paris just as if I had
| been there all my life, and, indeed, l can
hardly conceive of anybodys living in any
other way, so completely have l naturalized
! myself II seems hideous TO think of more
than two meals day. How-could ever have
dined at o'clock? How could l ever lave
put anything 10 my mouth bnt silver fork?
HOW could have survived dinner without a
napkin? AS for napkins and silver
forks the most ordinary eating-house in Paris
considers them indispensable, and so with
regard to many things which we consider as
luXuries they make part of the ordinary ex-
istence of the Partisan.
1t is impossible to avoid drawing from
this the conclusion that in Holmes youth
the Bostonians ate their beans with knife
and dispensed with napkins except on
state occasions. There was, nevertheless
a very brainy race of men and women in
Boston at that time, and as we read their
names in the letters that follow Holmes
return to this country we are forced to
confess that the absence of napkins among
the Bostonians of that day had at least
the good result of not permitting them to
hide their talents.
When Holmes returned he found the
intellect of New England agitated by a
zeal for the moral, mental and political
regeneration of man. A thousand reforms
were advocated. Peace societies, anti
slavery societies, temperance societies,
woman's rights societies and societies for
the relief OF the poor abounded. In these
movements Holmes took no part, and a
letter from Lowell upbralding him for his
indifference to reform and the betterment
of humanity drew from Holmes one of
the best letters in the volumes before u.s.
The letter is too long and too meaty for an
adequate digest to be presented here, but
the concluding passage sums ii up thus:
1 shall follow the bent of my natural
thoughts, which grow more grave and tender
or Will do so, as the years creep over me. |
shall not be afraid OF gayety more than of old
but shall have more courage to be serious.
Above all, shall always be pleased rattle to
show what is beautiful in life around me than
TO be pitching into giant vices against which
the acrid pulpit and the corrosive newspaper
will always anticipate the gentle poet.
Each of US has his theory of life, of art of his
own existence and relations. 1t is too IN UGH to
ask of you to enter fully into mine, but be
very well assured that it exists-that it has its
axioms. its intuitions, its connected beliefs, as
well as your own Let me try to improve and
please my fellow men after my own fashion at
present When come to your way of thinking
tthis may happen) l hope 1 shall be found
worthy OF less qualified appreciation than
you have felt constrained to give me at this
time.
With this quotation, which gives a state
ment OF DR.. Holmes philosophy of life
and shows at once his conception of his
relations to the world, and his broad and
kindly tolerance OF all who differed from
him, we must close our review. 1t is hard
to lay the book aside. Dr. Holmes is so
charming companion that over these
letters one could spend whole long sum-
mer's day, and find no moment dull.
Our object, however, has not been to
make digest of the work, but only to
point out to those who love literature and
genial souls where they can find fields
and pastures new for their delight. In
these letters there is both pleasure and in
struction, and DR.. Holmes, who has
already won fame in the diverse fields of
poetry, criticism, romance and science.
will be known hereafter also as one of the
most accomplished and graceful of Ameri-
can letter-writers. For sale by Doxey,
631 Market street. JOHN McNAuGHr.