New-York tribune., 1908-10-11

To- The Iuckiest day of my professional 1ife a NO..
when l came to Boston TO stay
1t was the Iuckiest because thenceforth h.
was privileged to do his work in greater quietu4,
and at a more leisureIy pace than would Der
haps have been possible Tor him in New Yo-,
AIdrich was TO Iounger- He gave some Of II.
best years of his life to journalism and that .
4 profession which brooks no idleuess. Wbe,
the war broke out he was eager to serve in ~
field, and though accident deprived him OF a
military appointment. he had some experieno.
Of campaigning as one of the war Corresponden,.
OF The Tribune in 1861 But though he courJ
work hard AIdrich was better out Of the burrv
burIy of things. Carrying on his labors in Boq-
ton. he could little by little pave the way n,
that escape to PonkapOs and to undistIrbei
composition which was. indeed. indispensable >,
the perfect Towering Of his gifts He enjoysl
himself on the way to his day of release fro,
routine editorial obligations. His letters sbo,v
him expanding in spirit and playing Iisht-h heart.
cdIy on any subject that comes to mind V-ba,
he asks Mr. HoweIIs to visit him in the hon.
he has established he says: Il have bought
young Palace on Charles strect-ceIIar freseos4
coal bin inIaid with mOther-Of-pearI and tb.
skulls of tax collectors. and Joyous JirIS d,
giIded cages in every room, warJiIng prornissorv
notes to the tune Of per cent. This fragmar,
is characteristics As Mr.. Cireenslet says Adrf5
was not a born letter writer, cuItivating letter
writing as a fine art after the manner of Lowell
or Stevenson. He wrote as the mood moved
him. and was ingeniOusly witty only because. A
We have already noted. ne could not help him.
self
The charm of the letters collected in the pras
ent volume is not easily illustrated by ra1do,
extracts. II IS best realized as the reader ra-z
deeper and deeper into the biography and cor,ss
to take a letter as part and parcel Of a brrs5
impression The attraction lies very often j,
the writer's whimsical drift rather than in a7
specific turn of phrase But not iufrequenrlv
there is a passage which. even when Ie-ac5ei
retains its SAVIOR Of quiet fun To JIr. F
Sherman he writes in this wise. .Whl br.
Wordsworth could have taught Watson such a
word as .preheHsiIe-? That's W1- Isy.0rth DOM
to the very roots I can fancy thu oiI gentle
man saying it. his face bear.ins with tha, ez-
preston Of yearning for milk wh..l one finds +,
all his portraits" Eut We must give one o.,
these letters intact. aId none more r-pr=sen.l-
tive could be chosen than the following
PoakaPos. Mas. Jaaz = 10.
Dear W1Jdberry- DpE'- ev-- -. away from H.rs
on a ten months abseE-. without leaving ,7-s
body behind To answer yg1r letters for yC-
have been sFiIHped, and am ''-. 5.-- -e.Lus
head ont OF ny ao-resggite-c-- -.lui my I--
vate affairs in Il tango, t.1- and u.- easy D.
stT4!St--n out. But r-e slug IN -1- bud. "a
I Gods IN tAe SKY. ami ths w0--t is Az % K IS
Browning Incidental remarks Ar-l--s ar Er9z-
\ ing. I've been reading his l-----z Pa ant
| "Ba's' letters % Ei-. and think II q stsms.-
| thing tEat they Sh1.it De- printed All that ro-
derous I5ve-I. EI0Sa queer r--N.l-a & ----z rl.7
and uitd.=-ag- ST. 'kl--~; @" I;l was forty yels
oId'-is vsry tedious Here -Gt there IS d--
passage and one Is a-r----t ~ the way The lovers
patrJ-IZa every body they q mr. l---.-a BIZ a=
whole the book takes away f-.-1 I3-aw-i-'s l-
nifty \ rlan--@y-n - -rest-a------'t s-sl1i 5-
/ ing photographed in his plJl--.- Thank God.
are spared StaEeSyel--'S Letters ro AEI- Ha-a
/ away, Doubtless E- wrote E-- some s--gr --taS
/ lie did everything Jrar ever nan 5li.
We are gradually breaking -p here. p-e1a-l' y
/ to moving 90 The C-EES va ID has been ., se
these three summers shall go There without l-7
ing The Eve Of - Agnes into k-2-1se.
} Vouldn't !t - deIi-i5I~.-
st Haeuess Hava, '1v bI00r050- chill r was,
The Howl for all his ruiSr-r was .-ea.L
The are IUQrd trrIubL1' t-rJ--- The 5l4-St1!
grass,
Etc. cl-- :,
I think II might make Keats poT1'a- aza.2-P--
,lrl-- English Tho dear r1y wasn't ---0'- q a--
Ing 'Ciawt' Instead ot God
In I'D haste. as ever. T. =. J.
was v--r cordial % me il u1r-r f---e-T-..
fashion. al mt Gaze greatly for ---- -a-S1---
Good head long body short Le-s ~-l'et
looked Ike a s-tnt- standing. ha just missed, 5---
i dwarf He talked Well but not So wei. as Love.
An element Of special interest .o This ~-
responIenre is that which tas-ldrz % A-i-lls
critical vfsor. His seo-rfu- es-.Ca-- 1f WIT
man. which NJ CirerD~--t r,.r-5-asI .sF
months ago We have already quoted The san
candor Is shown again and again in the to'i
before US. Protesting to Mr. Sts!-an aga.1i
th, inclusion Of Lauier in the "Ac---iran Al