San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-03-08
out any effort, better letter than

a man OF culture will turn off.
There has been a marked falling
of within the last century in the
degree OF attention paid to the
epistolary art. Friends nowadays
correspond with each other only at
long intervals, and as men now
live in a hurry and never enjoy a
bit OF leisure, they dash off their
letters in hurry and in careless,
slipshod fashion, in order to get
through with an irksome task. In
former times, public men inter-
changed letters quite frequently
with one or two intimate friends,
and interspersed their letters with
frequent illusions to public men
and to public measures, which
were on the anvil, or in contem-
plation. After their death these
letters, which were never designed
by their authors for publication,
have been interviewer into their
biographies and serve to throw
light on public affairs as we'll as to
give a clearer view of the authors
of these letters. There is Won
derful charm in the letters OF Viii.
liam Writ incorporated in his life
by his biographer and they serve
to give us a clearer insight into the
mind, temperament and character
Of Writ. John Randolph of Roa-
noke is generally regarded as a
heartless cynic, who was merciless
in his invectives and wantonly
cruel in his sarcasm, but his let
tiers to his friends, published in
his life, present him In a much
more amiable light as we'll as at
test the enduring strength and
tenderness of his friendship. IL is
to be regretted, that our literary
and public men do not write more
letters than they do, to their init
mate personal friends. They could
not bequeath to posterity a more
acceptable legacy than to leave
such private and confidential let
ters behind them. Such letters
would explain and account for APP
parent inconsistencies in their con-
duct and throw light on the
characters of many prominent pub
lie men as well as on the why and
wherefore of the rise and fall of
public men. We see the actors on
the stage, but the private and
confidential letters by persons,
who were admitted behind the
scenes, would give US a
view of the actors when
they were of the stage and
Invested Of their stage costumes.
1t was saying Of Voltsire, that
mo man was hero to his valet"
and many an admired public man
would appear In quite different
light, IL we could see him face to
face, in his unguarded moments,
and not "through glass darby"
Thomas jefferson was consid-
cradle letter writer and his epistol-
airy styl lie was, generally, good one,
Most OF his political movements
were started by means Of his pri-
vate letters to personal and politi-
cal friends, as he unfolded q plan
of action in these letters and urged
his friends to exploit such policy
through articles in the public
press. 1t was in this manner, that
Jefferson moulded and guided pub
lie opinion and dislodged the tri-
umphant federalists from the
strong hold Of federal power.
love to read the private letters
of the literary and public men OF
former times, because the perusal
of them makes me feel as though i
was having friendly chat with
them, after they had quilted the
public stage and put of their stage
costume.
ANTHONY w. BILLIARD.