New-York tribune., 1896-05-03
III.

It Is to Holmes himself to the irresistible man
behind all the studying and lecturing, that Mr..
Morse brings back the reader, and after the Inca
ments of The doctor have been drawn the por-
trait of Holmes pure unprofeseional and inim-
liable Holmes, is see1 II dominate the canvas
He was as has been shown, In love with his
medical tasks: he did not give up his lectures
until his career drawing to close. and there
is one paseGg &c In the first Of these volumes bear
ing upon the relative degrees OF Satisfaction
which he derived from the composition OF The
Chambered Nautilus" and from his celebrated
fever essay which 1t would be interesting
to v,uote intact If IL were not too long lie found
II hard TO- say whether he had been happier over
the pocm than the essay. The latter had
saved many lives. OF the poem he wrote ~
George Ticknor saying: II am as willing TO SUD-
nit this to- criticism any have written. In
form as we'll in substance, ana IL was I'M
nosstbIe for him to shake off the feeling of the
creative writer. the feeling that to have written
that one perfect poem was in Itself the highest
of lows But he could not he would not, speak
with flnality about his pride in this matter and
Il is nat NECESSARY for criticism to speak for him
II Is better to leave him in his indecision and to
pass from his medical achievements 10 those by
which he is most widely known After all, pos
terity, which is grateful to him for the knowl-
edge embalmed in the fever essay, Will never
-linger over that work while the "Autocrat, the
Professor" and the Poet" are waiting. And
Mr. Morses readers having secured from his
vsrious chapters the information concerning his
subjects youth and young manhood. which was
lacking to them heretofore. will settle down with
an almost. luxurious sensation to the study OF
the poet the novelist the writer Of an incom-
parable prose.
In this study, however the spirit OF the man.
his personality are constantly present, and all
the letters which Mr.. Morse reproduces are
colored by the charm which was greater than
all his criticism all his wisdom, all his under
standing and Wit. Choose. in illustration, the
sketch of Emerson embodied In one Of the let
ters to Motley, which belong to the finest part
Of Holiness limited correspondence. The letter
was written in 1870 II went to the club last
Saturday" writes Holmes. alluding to the
famous Saturday Club, whose members were for
him the spokes Of the wheel for which Boston
proVided the hub "and met some of the friends
YOU always like to hear Of sat by the side OF
. Emerson, who always charms me with his de-
Iicious voice, his fine sense and wit, and the
delicate way. he steps about among the words Of
his. vocabulary. II you have seen cat picking
her footsteps.in wet weather. you have seen the
picture of Emerson's exquisite intelligence. feel
ing for It's phro Sc Tor epithet Sometimes think
of ar ant-eater singing out his insects. see
him looking about and Selling his noun or ad-
1ieqtive--the best, the only one which would
serve the need of his thought" Holmes was
writing to a friend. OF friend. when he wrote
this, and to the sensitive reader It's frankness
will SUI ely not seem incompatible with the af-
i: fectionate feeling for both Emerson and Motley
which lay at the writer's heart. Indeed the
correspondence In these volumes, rich as 1t is In
the playful hunor OF Holmes. full as 1t Is Of dry
wisdom. sharp criticism and philosophy which
lis always reverent but never narrow, invariably
the philosophy of a true citizen Of the world;
stf6ng az this correspondence is we say In
everything that means keen thought and a supple
intellect, 1t Is yet most Of all the correspondence
of a man whose love for his friends was one Of
his chief qualities.
As Nj. Morse appears to feel the letters TO
Motley. are possibly most interesting. Holmes
hadIn the historian such friend as he adored
rhorei THAN fastdohs full Of humor and
yet fuller Of the dignity Of mind and soul
which belong irrevocaby to the New-England
from which these writer's sprang. But In the
slightest note. written to the least Of his corre-
spondents. Holmes equally agile as a w.t.
equally tender with the matter in hand whether
1t were the death Of his friends friend or the
manuscript which some unknown person had
lauuched upon him out Of the widespread belief