first visit to new england-第17章

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again　that　men　who　took　themselves　so　seriously　as　that　need　not　be　taken
very　seriously　by　me。

In　fact　I　had　heard　things　almost　as　desperately　cynical　in　other
newspaper　offices　before　that；　and　I　could　not　see　what　was　so
distinctively　Bohemian　in　these　'anime　prave'；　these　souls　so　baleful　by
their　own　showing。　　But　apparently　Bohemia　was　not　a　state　that　you　could
well　imagine　from　one　encounter；　and　since　my　stay　in　New　York　was　to　be
very　short；　I　lost　no　time　in　acquainting　myself　further　with　it。　　That
very　night　I　went　to　the　beer…cellar；　once　very　far　up　Broadway；　where　I
was　given　to　know　that　the　Bohemian　nights　were　smoked　and　quaffed　away。
It　was　said；　so　far　West　as　Ohio；　that　the　queen　of　Bohemia　sometimes
came　to　Pfaff's：　a　young　girl　of　a　sprightly　gift　in　letters；　whose　name
or　pseudonym　had　made　itself　pretty　well　known　at　that　day；　and　whose
fate；　pathetic　at　all　times；　out…tragedies　almost　any　other　in　the
history　of　letters。　　She　was　seized　with　hydrophobia　from　the　bite　of　her
dog；　on　a　railroad　train；　and　made　a　long　journey　home　in　the　paroxysms
of　that　agonizing　disease；　which　ended　in　her　death　after　she　reached　New
York。　　But　this　was　after　her　reign　had　ended；　and　no　such　black　shadow
was　cast　forward　upon　Pfaff's；　whose　name　often　figured　in　the　verse　and
the　epigrammatically　paragraphed　prose　of　the　'Saturday　Press'。　　I　felt
that　as　a　contributor　and　at　least　a　brevet　Bohemian　I　ought　not　to　go
home　without　visiting　the　famous　place；　and　witnessing　if　I　could　not
share　the　revels　of　my　comrades。　　As　I　neither　drank　beer　nor　smoked；　my
part　in　the　carousal　was　limited　to　a　German　pancake；　which　I　found　they
had　very　good　at　Pfaff's；　and　to　listening　to　the　whirling　words　of　my
commensals；　at　the　long　board　spread　for　the　Bohemians　in　a　cavernous
space　under　the　pavement。　There　were　writers　for　the　'Saturday　Press'　and
for　Vanity　Fair　（a　hopefully　comic　paper　of　that　day）；　and　some　of　the
artists　who　drew　for　the　illustrated　periodicals。　　Nothing　of　their　talk
remains　with　me；　but　the　impression　remains　that　it　was　not　so　good　talk
as　I　had　heard　in　Boston。　　At　one　moment　of　the　orgy；　which　went　but
slowly　for　an　orgy；　we　were　joined　by　some　belated　Bohemians　whom　the
others　made　a　great　clamor　over；　I　was　given　to　understand　they　were　just
recovered　from　a　fearful　debauch；　their　locks　were　still　damp　from　the
wet　towels　used　to　restore　them；　and　their　eyes　were　very　frenzied。
I　was　presented　to　these　types；　who　neither　said　nor　did　anything　worthy
of　their　awful　appearance；　but　dropped　into　seats　at　the　table；　and　ate
of　the　supper　with　an　appetite　that　seemed　poor。　　I　stayed　hoping　vainly
for　worse　things　till　eleven　o'clock；　and　then　I　rose　and　took　my　leave
of　a　literary　condition　that　had　distinctly　disappointed　me。　　I　do　not
say　that　it　may　not　have　been　wickeder　and　wittier　than　I　found　it；
I　only　report　what　I　saw　and　heard　in　Bohemia　on　my　first　visit　to　New
York；　and　I　know　that　my　acquaintance　with　it　was　not　exhaustive。　　When　I
came　the　next　year　the　Saturday　Press　was　no　more；　and　the　editor　and　his
contributors　had　no　longer　a　common　centre。　　The　best　of　the　young
fellows　whom　I　met　there　confessed；　in　a　pleasant　exchange　of　letters
which　we　had　afterwards；　that　he　thought　the　pose　a　vain　and　unprofitable
one；　and　when　the　Press　was　revived；　after　the　war；　it　was　without　any　of
the　old　Bohemian　characteristics　except　that　of　not　paying　for　material。
It　could　not　last　long　upon　these　terms；　and　again　it　passed　away；　and
still　waits　its　second　palingenesis。

The　editor　passed　away　too；　not　long　after；　and　the　thing　that　he　had
inspired　altogether　ceased　to　be。　　He　was　a　man　of　a　certain　sardonic
power；　and　used　it　rather　fiercely　and　freely；　with　a　joy　probably　more
apparent　than　real　in　the　pain　it　gave。　　In　my　last　knowledge　of　him　he
was　much　milder　than　when　I　first　knew　him；　and　I　have　the　feeling　that
he　too　came　to　own　before　he　died　that　man　cannot　live　by　snapping…turtle
alone。　　He　was　kind　to　some　neglected　talents；　and　befriended　them　with
a　vigor　and　a　zeal　which　he　would　have　been　the　last　to　let　you　call
generous。　　The　chief　of　these　was　Walt　Whitman；　who；　when　the　Saturday
Press　took　it　up；　had　as　hopeless　a　cause　with　the　critics　on　either　side
of　the　ocean　as　any　man　could　have。　　It　was　not　till　long　afterwards　that
his　English　admirers　began　to　discover　him；　and　to　make　his　countrymen
some　noisy　reproaches　for　ignoring　him；　they　were　wholly　in　the　dark
concerning　him　when　the　Saturday　Press；　which　first　stood　his　friend；
and　the　young　men　whom　the　Press　gathered　about　it；　made　him　their　cult。
No　doubt　he　was　more　valued　because　he　was　so　offensive　in　some　ways　than
he　would　have　been　if　he　had　been　in　no　way　offensive；　but　it　remains　a
fact　that　they　celebrated　him　quite　as　much　as　was　good　for　them。　　He　was
often　at　Pfaff's　with　them；　and　the　night　of　my　visit　he　was　the　chief
fact　of　my　experience。　　I　did　not　know　he　was　there　till　I　was　on　my　way
out；　for　he　did　not　sit　at　the　table　under　the　pavement；　but　at　the　head
of　one　farther　into　the　room。　　There；　as　I　passed；　some　friendly　fellow
stopped　me　and　named　me　to　him；　and　I　remember　how　he　leaned　back　in　his
chair；　and　reached　out　his　great　hand　to　me；　as　if　he　were　going　to　give
it　me　for　good　and　all。　　He　had　a　fine　head；　with　a　cloud　of　Jovian　hair
upon　it；　and　a　branching　beard　and　mustache；　and　gentle　eyes　that　looked
most　kindly　into　mine；　and　seemed　to　wish　the　liking　which　I　instantly
gave　him；　though　we　hardly　passed　a　word；　and　our　acquaintance　was　summed
up　in　that　glance　and　the　grasp　of　his　mighty　fist　upon　my　hand。　　I　doubt
if　he　had　any　notion　who　or　what　I　was　beyond　the　fact　that　I　was　a　young
poet　of　some　sort；　but　he　may　possibly　have　remembered　seeing　my　name
printed　after　some　very　Heinesque　verses　in　the　Press。　　I　did　not　meet
him　again　for　twenty　years；　and　then　I　had　only　a　moment　with　him　when　he
was　reading　the　proofs　of　his　poems　in　Boston。　　Some　years　later　I　saw
him　for　the　last　time；　one　day　after　his　lecture　on　Lincoln；　in　that
city；　when　he　came　down　from　the　platform　to　speak　with　some　handshaking
friends　who　gathered　about　him。　　Then　and　always　he　gave　me　the　sense　of
a　sweet　and　true　soul；　and　I　felt　in　him　a　spiritual　dignity　which　I　will
not　try　to　reconcile　with　his　printing　in　the　forefront　of　his　book　a
passage　from　a　private　letter　of　Emerson's；　though　I　believe　he　would　not
have　seen　such　a　thing　as　most　other　men　would；　or　thought　ill　of　it　in
another。　　The　spiritual　purity　which　I　felt　in　him　no　less　than　the
dignity　is　something　that　I　will　no　more　try　to　reconcile　with　what
denies　it　in　his　page；　but　such　things　we　may　well　leave　to　the
adjustment　of　finer　balances　than　we　have　at　hand。　　I　will　make　sure　only
of　the　greatest　benignity　in　the　presence　of　the　man。　　The　apostle　of　the
rough；　the　uncouth；　was　the　gentlest　person；　his　barbaric　yawp；
translated　into　the　terms　of　social　encounter；　was　an　address　of　singular
quiet；　delivered　in　a　voice　of　winning　and　endearing　friendliness。

As　to　his　work　itself；　I　suppose　that　I　do　not　think　it　so　valuable　in
effect　as　in　intention。　　He　was　a　liberating　force；　a　very　〃imperial
anarch〃　in　literature；　but　liberty　is　never　anything　but　a　means；　and
what　Whitman　achieved　was　a　means　and　not　an　end；　in　what　must　be　called
his　verse。　　I　like　his　prose；　if　there　is　a　difference；　much　better；
there　he　is　of　a　genial　and　comforting　quality；　very　rich　and　cordial；
such　as　I　felt　him　to　be　when　I　met　him　in　person。　　His　verse　seems　to　me
not　poetry；　but　the　materials　of　poetry；　like　one's　emotions；　yet　I　would
not　misprize　it；　and　I　am　glad　to　own　that　I　have　had　moments　of　great
pleasure　in　it。　　Some　French　critic　quoted　in　the　Saturday　Press　（I
cannot　think　of　his　name）　said　the　best　thing　of　him　when　he　said　that　he
made　you　a　partner　of　the　enterprise；　for　that　is　precisely　what　he　does；
and　that　is　what　alienates　and　what　endears　in　him；　as　you　like　or
dislike　the　partnership。　　It　is　still　something　neighborly；　brotherly；
fatherly；　and　so　I　felt　him　to　be　when　the　benign　old　man　looked　on　me
and　spoke　to　me。




II