The Washington times., 1908-06-07

= KNOW a man who became fairly
wise and not absurdly great,
4 through writing, for several
years, to a woman OF brains. The
advantage OF writing direct 10 some
one who thinks well Of you, instead
Of a daily theme for a professor Of
rhetoric vino doesn't. is that the love
letter r. vitalized with spirit, whereas
the daily theme IS stuffed with straw.
Then when one gets II the habit Of
vitaliZing what he writes instead OF
upholstering g. he is we'll or the road
10 literary success.
OF course, there is no end TO this
road. but the advantage Of keeping
on the move IS that you are not iu
so much danger Of getting ran over
and ground into the dust OF despair
by the automobile Of somebody else's
ambition.
To be ground into the dust OF de-
spair is not pleasant for any indi-
vidual who is ground. nor for those
10 whom he relates how It all hap
pened. The only man who is safe is
the man " no IS IN motion.
Thackeray never wrote a letter that
wasn't literature. his letters were
like roses with the dew upon them
touched with that perfume OF the
morning
You know what Carlyle said Of En-
ersCn's visit-'It was like a window
flung open to azure" That is what
every letter should be. for a letter is
only a visit from friend.
You see. 1 am assuming a good deal
here am assuming that people only
write letters to their friends. We will
not here mention those unspeakable
persons who write anonymous letters,
and that other small class. repre-
scented by Hat-Pin Mary, whose YER
bose and vituperative missives are
simply envelopes containing sundry
and divers pin-pricks.
And about ThaCkeray-he never had
use for rhetorical cUrled hair, literary
sea-moss, nor booky excelsior. He said
things, and all the peroxide Of iron in
his ink was for the edifcation OF his
friends and not for the vexation OF the
enemy. In fact, the snobs, and all OF
society's heavy dragons are strictly
pachyderU-pity bestowed on them Is
wasted.
Thackeray wrote books and letters,
for his friends.
No man who lived in England at
the time Of Thackeray wrote letters
that are worth as much at auction as
his.
Each letter he wrote was an artistic
whole It is "A portrait on copper plate.
II Is correctly spelled. rightly pUnctu
ated. and in itself a nugget of wisdom
and good will Short, sharp. brief.
and 10 the point. il says something
and stops. il rounds up the idea. ropes
ii. and upon it is placed the hot iron
Of Thaekeray's personality. A Thack-
cray letter is no maverick.
The Thackeray style OF letter IS
pretty we'll known. Charlotte Bronte.
I believe. was the first TO write just
like the master. She loved him so
well that ii nearly broke her heart
when she saw him eating cabbage,
and her cry was. "Oh, Mr.. Thackeray,
please don't"
In America, Gene Field is the first
example Of a Thackeray letter writer.
II you have letters written by Field
hang ONO them, they will help the
receiver 10 pay par.
Robert Louis, the Beloved, wrote
letters OF love too-a dash of wit. an
idea. and a handicap
To perpetuate a hateful thought by
writing IL in q letter is deliberate lu-
macy. To say the spitefuI thing Is not
So awful bad-you can make up and
forget But 70 write the words OF
scorn and set It afoat on the sea of
time-neveri
Next to writing a fool letter is to