Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-09

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A literary find of much interest and
Importance is printed in the July At
matchmaking less than some ex-
tracts from the Journal of Emerson
written during his stay in Washington
in 1862. Mr.. Emerson's sketches of
| the characters of the public men of the
time whom he met there have ex-
traordinary insight and vividness; Lin
coin, Stanton, Seward, and many 9TH
ers are described with very lively real
ism.
The late Laurence Hutton was at the
time of his death engaged in reading
the proofs Of THE Literary Land
marks Of the Scottish Universities"
which viii be brought out in the fall
by G. P. Putnam's Sons. Mr.. Hutton
spent the last winter in collecting ma
terial for a volume of "reminiscences
He was assisted in this work by Mrs.
Isabel Moore, who took notes from con-
| versations when Mr.. Hutton was too
i'll to, write himself. This task was
I L,
before Mr.. Hutton's death, a portion OF
tho material appearing in the June
Critic under the title Hands That
Have Done Things" The entire work IN
two volumes will be brought out in the
fall by Messrs. Putnam. Although not
a complete biography, 1t will recount
the facts and associations of a life
| time.
Irving Bachelor has what is probably
| 4 unique study in which to do his
work. He has built home at Sound
Beach, Conn.,, and it stands but a
stone s-thrOw from the water. The
| house faces the broad reaches of the
| Sound. where the novelist refreshes
himself with his favorite sport, fishing.
His den is not in the house but is a
separate square built structure on the
rocky edge of the water, and when the
| tide is high it is half boat, half house,
for the waves come up under it in q
| sort of tunnel built directly beneath for
| the safe housing of a boat. When Mr..
| Bachelor has been working far into
| the night, he may go to sleep in the
study as pleasurably as if he were far
out at sea on am ocean steamship.
I believe in reading, in a large pro-
portion, by subjects rather than by au-
thOrs Some books must be read tast-
ing. as it We're, every word. Tennyson
will bear that as Milton would. as Gray
would-for they tasted every word
themselves as Ude or Careme would
taste a pottage meant for a king or a
queen. But once become familiar with
- xna hat icI,
to learn about it. and you can read
page as a fash of lightning reads it
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
There is, of course, required in a per-
feet letter level of phraseolcgy
slightly higher than the average of fair
| conversation; but, at the same time, it
should give a sense of ease and free
dom to a greater degree than is usual
ly desirable in matter that is intended
to go into a book. 1t follows that the
published correspondence of authors is
frequently disappointing. Whether
they have any anticipation or not that
their letters to their friends may some
day appear in print. they find it very
difficult, when pen is once in their
hands, to escape from the deliberate
nature Further. it is not often that
this correspondence really ACIDS much
to our knowledge of the man himself:
for any writer of vigorous personality
is certain to reveal in his books not
only the extent of his knowledge and
the general trend Of his opinions, but
also the idioSyncraSies of his charac-
ter Occasionally a series of dated let
ters may enable the. reader to trace
the development of writer's mind;
but even this result can commonly be
attained by a careful study of his books
and articles in chronological order.
There is another obstacle in the way
of professional writer becoming a sat
isfactory correspondent. writes Herbert
W. Howell in the Forum. The inditinS
of letters in the evening may be an in
tellectual and physical relief to any one
save the man who has been engaged in
literary work all the day. To the au-
thor or journalist, this exercise is not
so much a diversion from his regular
toll as an extension of it. 1t does not
even provide such refreshment as was
enjoyed by the fabulous bus-drivcr
who was accustomed to spend his hOi-
DAYS az n passenger on some other
mans bus. Carlyle, it is true. speaks
of writing a letter as "a little piece or
recreation after the completion Of
another chapter in a book: but in this
respect, as in so many others. Carlyle
was not a representative literary man.
The average member of his profession
will be rather of the opinion of Lowell,
who. in the busy days of his editorshlp
of The Atlantic Monthly. declared:
81 believe that none but an idle man
can write a good letter. 1 mean by
idle, a man who is not under the neces-
sity OF tapping his brain on the public
side, and tapping SO freely that the
runnings on the other cannot be
sprightly for want of head. This is
why women are such good letter writ
ers. Their ordinary employments do
not suck them dry of oil communca-
tiveness-I can't think of any other
woodland their writing is their play.
as it should be. AS for me, nowadays.
| 20 I'm INV non iS Oply the reminder