Sentence:  It is to say <WSD>rather</WSD> , I believe , that he has brought to bear on the history , the traditions , and the lore of his region a critical , skeptical mind - the same mind which has made of him an inveterate experimenter in literary form and technique . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  on the contrary; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"