The times., 1901-04-07
The Love Letter Crnze.


correspondence. Two huge volumes of
the love letters of Robert and Elizabeth
Barrett Browning were printed. and
thousands of people who have long been
appreciatiye and sympathetic readers of
the work of one or both these authors,
felt almost as if the thing were q. per-
sonal insult Reading that poem of
Browning in which he expressed his
views on such matters, who can doubt
that he would have felt that the scatter
ing Of his most private thoughts in the
mar5et-place would have been an offence
to him? Here is a part of the poem
evidence enough, one would think
Invite the world as my betters have done?
Take notice; this building remains on view,
Its suites Of reception every one,
Its private apartment and bedroom, too;
''For a ticket, apply to the Publisher"
No; thanking the public, I must decline.
a peep through the window. if folk prefer;
But, please you, no foot over threshold Of
mine!
Outside must suffice for evidence;
And whose desires 90 penetrate
Deeper must dive hy the epIrlt-ssusc-
No optics like yours, al any rate'
''Hoity-toity, street 10 explore.
Your house the exception, with this same
Shakespeare unlocked bis heart cnre more,"
Did Shakespeare II 10, the Joss Shakespeare
be,
Following this piece of desecration. so
clearly in contradiction 60 the expressed
wishes Of Browning and 90 the stlu more
shrinking and delicate nature ~ his wife,
came the publication Of the love letters
Of Bismarck and of Victor Hugo ana
other people less promineut This kind of
thing ls bad enough when it occurs in
the natural course ~ a biography. Tor thc
liogra1her should bc clever enough %
give q true idea ~ his subject without
TaziHE out of the past d0cuma mauts which
tho writer would prefer O. Keep private.
but t Isl sometimes eNcusahle 10 tho see
lection ls tactfully made and the letters
q real assistance On Hscertai1inE the
character and influence % the writer But
when the amatory misslves are gathered
into a pile by themselves and published
under the label Love Letters with the
deliberate purpose q attracting readers
whose curiosity Is greater than their
good taste. the thing is about as bad as
it can be.
Paul Meurice IS the person especially
responsible FOR the Hugo volume. and he
naively remarks in his introduction. after
quoting a bit OF poetry written by Victor
Hugo on the love letters OF his early
manhood.
They evidently were not written TO
be seen by other eyes than those of the
girl he loved. he constantly entreats
her 70 burn them: they are all the
more valuable on that account"
This sounds rather as If gossip should
say triumphantly coming into a room full
of company,
Il have found out something about
the early hfe-the private life-of Mr..
So-and-So. / overheard him telling it
TO his wife. and he entreated her on no
account to repeat il TO anybody: so
You can see il IS something We all
ought 10 be glad 10 hear"
When people get valuable information
10y that means. they are generally dis
Greet enough not to go around boasting
Of the particular way they took 10 get it.
But there is a mysterious sOmething-a
''je ne sails quoi de sang-froid," as one
might put IT in n. Meurice's own lang
uage-a peculiar quality in the French na-
ture which enables a Frenchman, when
he does something Of which he ought to
be ashamed, 10 do It with an air OF beam
ing and unconscious pride. il is OF no use
for the Angio-SaXon TO try to initiate
that air. II is indigenous in France.
II Victor Hugo knows anything about
the publication Of these letters. he has at
least the consolation Of remembering that
they contain nothing OF which he need be
ashamed. So far as their style and matter
are concerned, they are pure, charming, and
delightful such letters as any girl might
be proud TO receive; and II is not much
20 be wondered at that Madame Hugo,
following the instinct Of a woman in such
matters, cherished them long after the
writer had become her husband. There
d #
sense which characterized the love letters
Of certain English novelist. Hugo does
not sign himself 100 own Poodle" nor
does he talk second-rate baby talk TO his
inamorata. or address her in terms Of en-
dearment ordinarily considered sacred to
the nursery.
He is never gross. undignified. or in any
way lacking in delicaCy, and despite the
ardent devotion expressed in almost every
line, the old-time formaiity and court
esy Of the style remind one Of the sedate
lovers Of oid-fashioned novels, who, how
ever great their transports Of affection,
never lost their self-control and appeared
ridiculous II he had written those let
ters for the eyes Of the public he could
hardly have done better although there
IS no theatrical posing anywhere IN them,
and no seif-conscious phrase. They are
evidently. as the editor says, written for
the eve Of his Adele, and nobody's else.
A great part Of the volume is given up
10 discussions OF the possibility Of their
marriage for the difficulties IN the way Of
the young lovers were considerable, espe-
ciallyfrom the point of view OF good French
children The families on both sides were
opposed to the union. the mother Of Victor
being especially bitter against Il: and for
some time Il seemed absolutely impossible
that they should ever be betrothed. 1t
was, therefore. eminenuy practical that
they should reassure and comfort one an
other during this long period Of uncertain
Is and separation. and this they did. If
any Of the readers Of the book approach
IL with the expectation Of finding much
that Is spicy or sensational IN il, the re-
suit win be q serious disappointment.
These two young lovers are children with
e. truly mature idea Of propuety and dlial
duty, and. while they love each other de-
Notedly, and are desolated al the thought
Of a permanent separation neither OF them
has any idea OF wOunding the parental af-
fection on either side by doing anything
rash. There IS a good deal more sense Of
duty IN the letters than there IS Of any
thing else. CNew York: Harper < Bros.
s3UgJ
4 study of Life.
''The Individual is tho title OF a little
book by Nathaniel Southeate Shaler, pro-
fcssor Of geology ia Harvard University.
il is one Of those books becoming rather
common NOWADAYS in which life death