The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-24

writer. James Howell. Friendship" said
he, lis the great chain of human society.
and intercourse OF letters is one OF the
chiefest links of that chain" He doubt
less was thinking of the revelation and
giving of self that letters imply, opening
the heart as a key does a door. as his ia
pandit epistola pectus." This. too. was the
view which DIR. Johnson took when he
wrote to Mrs. Thrale that "a mans soul
lies naked I'm his letters" Yet he was con-
scious that this was not the whole story,
Tor he charaeteristicaly observed in his
Life of Pope that mo transaction offers
stronger temptations 20 fallacy and sophis-
tication than epistolary intercourse But
there Is no doubt that the true Stevenson,
the sincere friend and gallant spirit. 10
displayed in these delightful letters of his
\ French critic speaks OF them in the last
number OF the Revue des Deux Mondes as
the very model Of what literary mans
correspondence should be.
For professional writer's, one would
think. there is special need of expanding
ia letters TO each other, or TO a judicious
friend. They have SO many things TO say
which they cannot say TO the public.
Pearls often decorate a letter which simply
could not be cast be.ore-well, the genteel
reading public. There are forms OF wicked
cievernesss of irony. OF truth taught by
siicn. laughter, which would be wasted
upon the literal and unwinking deyourer
OF print. and which require the written
page anu 1T auoIence. Then there are the
conventionaii,ies. the humbugs generally
agreed upon, which must be observed IN
dccorous magazine, or book. 5as which
your true letter writer finds a delightful
freedom IN disrcgarding or exposing in
private. This was long ago remarked by
Poe, who said that the confidential talk
and private criticism of literary NEIL was
vastly more illuminating than their public
utterance. Tie reason was that. Ia cir
Gle of friends. most OF all in a conversation
deux, man could not take the trouble
TO mold his countcnance to the lie ex-
pected of him m print, Many mans let
tiers are the we'll In which he keeps truth.
Stevenson's letters. TO come back TO
them. frequently possess one thing I'm COM
mon with those of the best writers-the at
Effectiveness Of ifEproulptu and unofficial
criticism IL Is getting TO be a question II
this is not the very best criticism We have.
The CHANGING judgment of Fitz Gerald's
letters. the happy insight In some OF
keatss Tennysoas obiter dicia. Brown
ing's keen dsliverances I'm his letters. Loo
works of formal crlticis,n shall We find
their equal for inspiration and solacc? IL
was a surprising thing In Matthew Ar
nold's letters that they were so barren OF
of II I'm the critic by profession. Yet be-
yond the urdisguised respect with which
he analysed his own poctical powers and
prospects there was little or nothing OF IL
To catch and fix the attention. IL takes the
more spontaneous natures TO overflow In
the unprecedented criticism which makes
the cut-and-drled article seem a poor and
juiceless affair. Stevenson had some de-
lightfui splashes OF the former.
But the main thing Is. as We said at the
start. that he gives us one proof more that
letter-writing has survived. The formal
and stilted art may have passed away but
the breath and JOY OF quick and conf
Dental communication of friend with
friend remain. IL sometimes seems as IL no.
body but lovers kept up nowadays the
practice OF close and full intercourse by
means OF letters. Certainly long rs the
world has lovers. SUFFERING luxe Shakespeare
from "separable spite" IL will have let
tiers. and long and leisurely ones. The
Prince OF Wales. who was later George ~.
did his twenty-seven pages OF "I-lcNe-
yous'' 10 AIRS. Fitzherbert as the most nat
ural thing In the world. and natural IL con-
tinues 10 men I'm his condition. But 10 get
two large volumes OF letters. like steven
sons with never n love letter An the lot.
Is grateful renewal 90 hope In the per-
sistence. even In our shorthand genera
tion, of leisurely and self-reyealing letter
writing.