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colours of the sunset。



Natural talk; like ploughing; should turn up a large surface of 

life; rather than dig mines into geological strata。  Masses of 

experience; anecdote; incident; cross…lights; quotation; historical 

instances; the whole flotsam and jetsam of two minds forced in and 

in upon the matter in hand from every point of the compass; and 

from every degree of mental elevation and abasement … these are the 

material with which talk is fortified; the food on which the 

talkers thrive。  Such argument as is proper to the exercise should 

still be brief and seizing。  Talk should proceed by instances; by 

the apposite; not the expository。  It should keep close along the 

lines of humanity; near the bosoms and businesses of men; at the 

level where history; fiction and experience intersect and 

illuminate each other。  I am I; and You are You; with all my heart; 

but conceive how these lean propositions change and brighten when; 

instead of words; the actual you and I sit cheek by jowl; the 

spirit housed in the live body; and the very clothes uttering 

voices to corroborate the story in the face。  Not less surprising 

is the change when we leave off to speak of generalities … the bad; 

the good; the miser; and all the characters of Theophrastus … and 

call up other men; by anecdote or instance; in their very trick and 

feature; or trading on a common knowledge; toss each other famous 

names; still glowing with the hues of life。  Communication is no 

longer by words; but by the instancing of whole biographies; epics; 

systems of philosophy; and epochs of history; in bulk。  That which 

is understood excels that which is spoken in quantity and quality 

alike; ideas thus figured and personified; change hands; as we may 

say; like coin; and the speakers imply without effort the most 

obscure and intricate thoughts。  Strangers who have a large common 

ground of reading will; for this reason; come the sooner to the 

grapple of genuine converse。  If they know Othello and Napoleon; 

Consuelo and Clarissa Harlowe; Vautrin and Steenie Steenson; they 

can leave generalities and begin at once to speak by figures。



Conduct and art are the two subjects that arise most frequently and 

that embrace the widest range of facts。  A few pleasures bear 

discussion for their own sake; but only those which are most social 

or most radically human; and even these can only be discussed among 

their devotees。  A technicality is always welcome to the expert; 

whether in athletics; art or law; I have heard the best kind of 

talk on technicalities from such rare and happy persons as both 

know and love their business。  No human being ever spoke of scenery 

for above two minutes at a time; which makes me suspect we hear too 

much of it in literature。  The weather is regarded as the very 

nadir and scoff of conversational topics。  And yet the weather; the 

dramatic element in scenery; is far more tractable in language; and 

far more human both in import and suggestion than the stable 

features of the landscape。  Sailors and shepherds; and the people 

generally of coast and mountain; talk well of it; and it is often 

excitingly presented in literature。  But the tendency of all living 

talk draws it back and back into the common focus of humanity。  

Talk is a creature of the street and market…place; feeding on 

gossip; and its last resort is still in a discussion on morals。  

That is the heroic form of gossip; heroic in virtue of its high 

pretensions; but still gossip; because it turns on personalities。  

You can keep no men long; nor Scotchmen at all; off moral or 

theological discussion。  These are to all the world what law is to 

lawyers; they are everybody's technicalities; the medium through 

which all consider life; and the dialect in which they express 

their judgments。  I knew three young men who walked together daily 

for some two months in a solemn and beautiful forest and in 

cloudless summer weather; daily they talked with unabated zest; and 

yet scarce wandered that whole time beyond two subjects … theology 

and love。  And perhaps neither a court of love nor an assembly of 

divines would have granted their premisses or welcomed their 

conclusions。



Conclusions; indeed; are not often reached by talk any more than by 

private thinking。  That is not the profit。  The profit is in the 

exercise; and above all in the experience; for when we reason at 

large on any subject; we review our state and history in life。  

From time to time; however; and specially; I think; in talking art; 

talk becomes elective; conquering like war; widening the boundaries 

of knowledge like an exploration。  A point arises; the question 

takes a problematical; a baffling; yet a likely air; the talkers 

begin to feel lively presentiments of some conclusion near at hand; 

towards this they strive with emulous ardour; each by his own path; 

and struggling for first utterance; and then one leaps upon the 

summit of that matter with a shout; and almost at the same moment 

the other is beside him; and behold they are agreed。  Like enough; 

the progress is illusory; a mere cat's cradle having been wound and 

unwound out of words。  But the sense of joint discovery is none the 

less giddy and inspiriting。  And in the life of the talker such 

triumphs; though imaginary; are neither few nor far apart; they are 

attained with speed and pleasure; in the hour of mirth; and by the 

nature of the process; they are always worthily shared。



There is a certain attitude; combative at once and deferential; 

eager to fight yet most averse to quarrel; which marks out at once 

the talkable man。  It is not eloquence; not fairness; not 

obstinacy; but a certain proportion of all of these that I love to 

encounter in my amicable adversaries。  They must not be pontiffs 

holding doctrine; but huntsmen questing after elements of truth。  

Neither must they be boys to be instructed; but fellow…teachers 

with whom I may wrangle and agree on equal terms。  We must reach 

some solution; some shadow of consent; for without that; eager talk 

becomes a torture。  But we do not wish to reach it cheaply; or 

quickly; or without the tussle and effort wherein pleasure lies。



The very best talker; with me; is one whom I shall call Spring…

Heel'd Jack。  I say so; because I never knew any one who mingled so 

largely the possible ingredients of converse。  In the Spanish 

proverb; the fourth man necessary to compound a salad; is a madman 

to mix it: Jack is that madman。  I know not which is more 

remarkable; the insane lucidity of his conclusions the humorous 

eloquence of his language; or his power of method; bringing the 

whole of life into the focus of the subject treated; mixing the 

conversational salad like a drunken god。  He doubles like the 

serpent; changes and flashes like the shaken kaleidoscope; 

transmigrates bodily into the views of others; and so; in the 

twinkling of an eye and with a heady rapture; turns questions 

inside out and flings them empty before you on the ground; like a 

triumphant conjuror。  It is my common practice when a piece of 

conduct puzzles me; to attack it in the presence of Jack with such 

grossness; such partiality and such wearing iteration; as at length 

shall spur him up in its defence。  In a moment he transmigrates; 

dons the required character; and with moonstruck philosophy 

justifies the act in question。  I can fancy nothing to compare with 

the VIM of these impersonations; the strange scale of language; 

flying from Shakespeare to Kant; and from Kant to Major Dyngwell …



〃As fast as a musician scatters sounds

Out of an instrument〃



the sudden; sweeping generalisations; the absurd irrelevant 

particularities; the wit; wisdom; folly; humour; eloquence and 

bathos; each startling in its kind; and yet all luminous in the 

admired disorder of their combination。  A talker of a different 

calibre; though 

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