memories and portraits-第20章

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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