Year: 1868

that OF all which is essentially relative and ransory
and dependent for the most part upon passing impress


for such a work be sought and how could its limits be
dehnedl Even If the things said could be accurately
transerred 10 writing, they would become CONCEALED IN
tbe process for paper cannot smile. Nothing well


illustrates the taste OF time as ITS prevalent style Oh
conversation The serious discussions OF yesterday
would seem tnde timOrous, or superficial or inspd ny
tomorrow echo to report them faithfully The re-
heavy TO another Nine dc Remusat mas lngenously re-
marked in the eleventh chapter o her Essay on Eauea
when the conversation OF the past arrived at ideal per


con It elgdes our grasp ana % gsefs o nG e dshSs M
Chatelet depOre the manners OF men, ana Nine de Lam
bert declares that they have osI the tEue Tone NIUE
pierre and Mme de La Fayete IN her romance removes
the date to the times OF Valos Hence w0ua IAN lhieI
perae for all our habitua lamentations Wnen one re-
grets keenly the delights OF conversation gust as wen
favorable exception, and snatchlDg rev happy IDo
ments And. after all, who ever had moref


And now that am the subject Of introducing
grayer element into social intercourse desire 20 note
more so as it especially literary consequence Shall
venture say them that 10 have the perpetual surface
current of society deeper and more even would he
Hnmixed advantagei From the writer's point of view
il would be decidedly inconvenient were there any
greater uniformity than at present between what is
Spoken and what is written. We speak with more Of
warmth (rerre), we write with less The tact ana pro
prey assumed with the pen are not always the writer
of talent adequate compensation for what he resigns
We're customary therefore to say the things whch we
intend 10 write, our ideas would perhaps De rendered
flexible; but they would also suffer premature
loss OF strength and color and should write with less
OF freshness even than now. 1--WE should not some
has very Willingly said, be thrilled, some line morn
ing by the discovery of truth should seem TO nave
known IL from all eternity" Yet society would gam an
interest and afford nOber employment for our leisure
and in short those persons for whom Is neither an ac
cident thOrOughfaTe, place OF foreble detention,
but an habitua and necessary residence must needs
make the of it-must think and reflect aloud
therein fear of not finding time 10 reflect at all Now
thinking aloud before the world operating upon ourdeas
presence of witnesses s brilliant exercise, most
fascinating amusement, which comes finally to supersede
all Others Chase collected, earnest thought Is scared
away It, such thought Is shy and proud Then, to0
one must study well think aloud. The style IL
sharpened IL gains in pungcncy, rapdty, ana interest
but il loses originality and depth. SeDsiby ana imag
native power, retcent and fastdous mode OF expires
sion, are acquired aud preserved. NJ de BunOn
knew this WELL and too well outside the castle OF Mont
bar he was not lavish Of these gifts.


Without having been able to make careful com
parisOn of the translation of this volume with the
original, we Judge that it has been completed with
intelligence and conscientiousness. No very start
ling Gallcisms are apparent on the surface and the
dction in general betrays good degree OF literary
cultivation and practice in composition Afew ex-
pressions occasionally disturb the serenity OF the
purst in verbal matters, such as rdnspre for occur
leaency for lenity, and the awkward word entirely
but Oh the whole, we find little to complain Of in
that rcSpect,