The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-18

d
critics as to whether the love-letters OF
famous men ought to be printed. This
controversy is revived just now because
of the latest announcement, following
closely upon the appearance of Victor
Hugos love-letters, that Dickens love-
letters are soon to be given to the pub
lie. Whether these letters should be pub
lished or not depends upon whether there
is to be a thorough study of the life OF
the literary character in question. If so,
then all his letters. or letters touching
every phase of his life, ought to be print
ed. To study tho biography of great or
talented man without true knowledge of
the love that was the light of his life is to
fail to get the true knowledge Of the man.
Indeed, you come nearer knowing the real
man from his love letters than from what
he writes for the public There he is
writing for all eyes; in his love-letters
he is writing only for the eyes of that one
most beautiful to him, and he pours out
his heart without restraint or reserve.
The literary merit may not equal his
essays or stories written for publication,
but there is genuneness and fresh
ness in the love-letter of a noble soul
truly in love that can be found in no
other correspondence. Is the literature
of the world to be denied this best of
the authors creations because, forsooth,
it was not written for publication and
because somebody says it is proclamation
to let the public into the heart secrets
of the author they have learned to love?
When the love-letters of Robert Brown
ing and Elizabeth Barrett first appeared,
fish market in denouncing the publica-
ton 1t was vandalism" it was a
gross violation of good taste;" it was
"a crime against the dead" and almost
every other crime in the catalogue OF
crimes except manslughter. How long
did people of sense, who love the ideals
of pure love, stand with these critics?
Not a day after they read the letters
They breathed a love so sweet and noble
as to add to the reputation of the two
poets who in the language of the only
truly proper novel married and lived
together happily ever afterward.'
r.
Edward NJ Alfriend tells the following
story in his Unpublished Recollection OF
Poe in the Literary Era for August:
Mrs. Shelton also told me that Poe in
formed her over and over again that she
was the Lost Lenore" of the Raven;
she also said Poe told her that she in
spired his poem "Annabel Lee" She said
that he often read 1.-THE Raven" to her.
and she described the fire, the pathos, the
intensity with which he did it., saying.
'When Edgar (she always spoke of him
as "Edgar') read The Raven he be-
came so wildly excited that he frightened
me and when demonstrated with him he
replied he could not help it-that it set
his brain on fire."
Mrs. Shelton was beyond middle age
when | knew her; but l had many ac-
quaintances who had known her in her
youth and they all concurred in describ-
ing her as a beautiful girl l knew her
many years before her death. and my
rather (the late Thomas M. Alfriend, OF
Richmond) was an intimate friend and
a constant visitor at her house. When
/ knew Mrs. Shelton she had lovely,
almost sanity face. Her eyes were a
deep blue, her hair dark brown, touched
with grey, her nose thin and patriclan,
her forehead high and well developed
her chin finely modelled. projecting and
firm, and her cheeks round and full. Her
voice was very low. soft and sweet, Eer
manners exquisitely refined, and intellec-
tually she was a woman of education and
force of character. Her distinguishing
qualities were gentlaness and womanh-
ness. She was just the woman in which
such a perturbed spirit as that of Poe
would have sought rest and found 1t.
Poe told my father, who was his init
mate friend that of all the English poets
he preferred Shelley, and he was espe-
cially fond of repeating Shelley's Lines
to an Indian Air which Poe said was
"the most exquisite pant of the very soul
of passion" My father often said OF him
that he always found him intellectually
the most fascinating man he ever knew,
and always lovable, charming copanlon,
except when he was under the influence or
liquor, when he would become coarse,
gross and vulgar. He also said OF him
that he had fits of the deepest gloom
and on one OCCASION when talking to him,
Poe suddenly turned to him with his lus-
trous eyes full of anguish, and said 1
believe God gave me spark of genius,
but he Cuenched it in misery
SEPTEMBER SMART SET.
The September number of The Smart
Set fully sustains the reputation of that
fascinating magazine for vfvacity and
olevcrness. The number opens with an
amusing novelette, by Caroline Duer, en-
titled "A New Bonnet for Mary" The
adventures of the ingenious and uncon-
ventional heroine, a society heiress, who
assumes to be a dressmaker's assistant
for sweet charity's sake, and dramatically
assists in the recovery of a large guam
tity OF stolen gems, are diverting to a