New-York tribune., 1908-12-26
By william winter.

of -As+ remarkable poet. by his ahectlohaPe
ey4en5 Thomas Sprat. Bishop OF KochesIeI'-
z,9,s, seems to have been one Of the Nisee' W
beet of yoen-there Is a significant adnoih'oiS
passage x-,.,,,7s.
Letters that pass between particular liieii
$50 wrote the Bishop. If they are "'i''e" .
sea1 ought to be. can scarce be fit to see 'he
-. -ree, sbould not consist Of fusome COM
.,5,-,s,ts Or tedious politics. or elaborate ele-
..nces or general fancies; but they shoulo
feve 8 native clearness and shortness' uo
-77eStical 11Ia1Iness. and peculiar kIno o. -Sii'
sarity. which can affect only the huTnor OF 'nose
- ,horo they were intended. The very same
messages which make writings Of this nature oe
IghtfuI among friends will lose al manner "a
1oe+e when they come to be read by those that
ara indifferent In such letters the SOUS Oh
men should appear undressed. and IN thet heei-
sent habit they may be fit TO be seen oy one oi
t4Qo in q chamber but not 10 go abroad into the
streets
The law as to the use Of private letters could
rot be better formulated; Yet there are occA-
.iors when. rightly and beneficially, IT can De
vsssxed Literature would be much tmpoVer-
tshed for example, lacking the familiar letters
cf Thomas Gray william Cow-per, ana SIT " al
ter Scott II has happened TO me- IN 'he course
rf = 4ons- life To receive many letters from many
Interesting persons-some OF them the helrs Vi
fame That me poet the late Thomas balieS
Aldrich was an intimate friend CT T1ne ouIiiIs
sbe Greater mart Of his life We first met IN
1S5s. and from that time tin his death tMarch
"a 7aa-l o,,r cordial friendship remained un-
A-,,lyeo We had rnaintaiDed an active CORE
x,o-5erce for several months before We becaihe
,,zrsonaJlv acauainted.-he being then resioen'
n New York and IN Cambridge, Mass Alo'ION
--as an exceedingly interesting person In MS
,7o,,1b and he retained his youthful spirit anu
r,ersonaj charm It'll the end Of his days some
- T1--r q
me long aeo.-before experience, care ana the
,eas-,,e that comes with years had. in any de-
= 7,.-,-a5 hts euth,Isiasmy-show such gen
=. a4fac+iorate nature. and reveal their writer
sn s7,cl7 4 charming light, that heeo mo- ~
tate. now that the grave has closed over IiiAH' -
,,.1,e .har7 known at least in part. Ihey oe-
,7ota him truly, depicting him IN "oIus uIa
came direct from his heart and that never ''l'
- have been seen by any eyes but mine. They
sccororlish a portrait Of the poet as ne was All
e-is ingenious boyhood.-e portrait which Oh
Sewers Of character and students Of literature
snr,recfatfve Of the fine achievement OF his ma
+ure genius. are likely to welcome, since, per
raps il suggests additional reason Why his
memory should be cherished a few OF thern-
indeed. may seem TOO much charged with TO
mantle affection for his correspondent; never
theIess because they show the generosity Of his
nature. the beauty Of his character and the
modification. and in the belief that the disclos-
szre Of them r1u be ascribed the right motive,
and not 70 vanity.
IN the midsummer Of 1855 Ald11ch was con-
valescent. after serious Illness and on July
2 he wrote:
How sweet is the letter that comes TO a sick
room. fresh from the hand Of q very dear though
unseen fr1endi And how sweet it is, when one
IS tust convalesceut enough TO sit before a COM
portable WIltlnS oesk aIlc lang7lloly hang
thoughts. like weeks washing (pardon the
horaely coTnparisOn), upon a ljne to watch "the
swell mob Of bad characters, as Tom Hood
saws. creep gradually over the pagel This pleas
rre Is mine nozv, dear Winter, and q sort Of
dreamy Joy comes over me- 7Vhen think how
,e7v soon vo11r ewes VIII run over these lines
almost following the point OF my pen
How odd that 1 have never seen yoUi How
strange that We have looked into each others
hearts and never touched 4 hand or exchanged
e glancel If We should never meet. shall al
WAYS think Of you one of the delicious phan-
toms which have, before now lifted through
the heaven Of nv fancy. leaving only dim
conjecture Of what il might have been cannot
see you hut can send you my MIND. tne better
part Of me- which cannot be taken away This
invisible God in us.-this living, eternal mind
IS awful boon NY brain is so heavy that Il
sr9nf think. but my heart thinks, instead, and Il
there was ever q letter written from the soul
this IS one.-so don't read II carelessly-
The rest Of the letter relates 70 personal ez-
rerierce. essentially private The letter that
-ClCV-S
place 2 white rose Of honor and constant afec-
tion on the grave - 2 forgotten poet-Albsrt
Ilsizl7ton. ofs Portsmouth.
New York July L. 1855.
Ny Dear Friend: Your last was read with
peculiar pleasure. an growing 70 love your
letters ard yourself very much. VIII Winter
has become 4 fixture in my stock Of pleasant
thoughts and I look forward with perfect joy
70 the tine when shall grasp his hand and hear
his voice. It is something more than mere curl
osity. It is affection and respect which make
rne wish 10 meet him
And VOL dear Winter. have excited more than
common interest in the bosom Of one love
almost as well as lfe: nay, better for would
la down mine TO save his He writes very ten
der beautiful verse I enclose a notice
which wrote some time since of his poetry
Observe the beauty in Joe" and the
.Tstbos running through The Tress Of Hair"
seut him one OF your early letters 10 read Che
resides in Portsmouth, and. to show in what
sIgft he holds you. / 7sil use his own words:
read his letter with much pleasure; in fact
read IL three times over, and af1er every
Tesding l wanted William Winter close beside
ne that rligft give nm a corola5 5 gG5sP 5PS5 g
You in your divine calling. 7 should say OF
lin thus; he has q noble generous ,s,
f5ciug Suirit; gentle, trusting. chilo-Ike soni.
TTie soul has '1Tnbibed more shade than sun
-. - a strong desire for friends and in his
1-n sir,rle comprehensive language. what he
loves ne loves very dearly DO Hls1uose oi
overra.e him2
A.. 7--o+a 10 nv friend. mo. YOU neither
,,isip5ce nor overTate him William winter
a x-e-v noble and good. am sure ana IloIe
+1-or4I7y Of your friendship. in = hundred ways
rhsn am
Albert a.a.ehton.-yhom afterHva-d met OF
49,. ,~asion OF a visit to the quaint. picturesque
t,e,,sstfr,r city Of Portsmouth and who became
. ,,osa frsend and a correspondent Of mine'-
was = native Of that place. born In le2S. he