oliver wendell holmes-第1章

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Oliver　Wendell　Holmes

by　William　Dean　Howells






Elsewhere　we　literary　folk　are　apt　to　be　such　a　common　lot；　with
tendencies　here　and　there　to　be　a　shabby　lot；　we　arrive　from　all　sorts　of
unexpected　holes　and　corners　of　the　earth；　remote；　obscure；　and　at　the
best　we　do　so　often　come　up　out　of　the　ground；　but　at　Boston　we　were　of
ascertained　and　noted　origin；　and　good　part　of　us　dropped　from　the　skies。
Instead　of　holding　horses　before　the　doors　of　theatres；　or　capping　verses
at　the　plough…tail；　or　tramping　over　Europe　with　nothing　but　a　flute　in
the　pocket；　or　walking　up　to　the　metropolis　with　no　luggage　but　the　MS。
of　a　tragedy；　or　sleeping　in　doorways　or　under　the　arches　of　bridges；　or
serving　as　apothecaries'　'prenticeswe　were　good　society　from　the
beginning。　　I　think　this　was　none　the　worse　for　us；　and　it　was　vastly　the
better　for　good　society。

Literature　in　Boston；　indeed；　was　so　respectable；　and　often　of　so　high　a
lineage；　that　to　be　a　poet　was　not　only　to　be　good　society；　but　almost　to
be　good　family。　　If　one　names　over　the　men　who　gave　Boston　her　supremacy
in　literature　during　that　Unitarian　harvest…time　of　the　old　Puritanic
seed…time　which　was　her　Augustan　age；　one　names　the　people　who　were　and
who　had　been　socially　first　in　the　city　ever　since　the　self…exile　of　the
Tories　at　the　time　of　the　Revolution。　　To　say　Prescott；　Motley；　Parkman；
Lowell；　Norton；　Higginson；　Dana；　Emerson；　Channing；　was　to　say　patrician；
in　the　truest　and　often　the　best　sense；　if　not　the　largest。　　Boston　was
small；　but　these　were　of　her　first　citizens；　and　their　primacy；　in　its
way；　was　of　the　same　quality　as　that；　say；　of　the　chief　families　of
Venice。　　But　these　names　can　never　have　the　effect　for　the　stranger　that
they　had　for　one　to　the　manner　born。　　I　say　had；　for　I　doubt　whether　in
Boston　they　still　mean　all　that　they　once　meant；　and　that　their
equivalents　meant　in　science；　in　law；　in　politics。　　The　most　famous；　if
not　the　greatest　of　all　the　literary　men　of　Boston；　I　have　not　mentioned
with　them；　for　Longfellow　was　not　of　the　place；　though　by　his　sympathies
and　relations　he　became　of　it；　and　I　have　not　mentioned　Oliver　Wendell
Holmes；　because　I　think　his　name　would　come　first　into　the　reader's
thought　with　the　suggestion　of　social　quality　in　the　humanities。

Holmes　was　of　the　Brahminical　caste　which　his　humorous　recognition
invited　from　its　subjectivity　in　the　New　England　consciousness　into　the
light　where　all　could　know　it　and　own　it；　and　like　Longfellow　he　was
allied　to　the　patriciate　of　Boston　by　the　most　intimate　ties　of　life。
For　a　long　time；　for　the　whole　first　period　of　his　work；　he　stood　for
that　alone；　its　tastes；　its　prejudices；　its　foibles　even；　and　when　he
came　to　stand　in　his　'second　period；　for　vastly；　for　infinitely　more；
and　to　make　friends　with　the　whole　race；　as　few　men　have　ever　done；
it　was　always；　I　think；　with　a　secret　shiver　of　doubt；　a　backward　look　of
longing；　and　an　eye　askance。　　He　was　himself　perfectly　aware　of　this　at
times；　and　would　mark　his　several　misgivings　with　a　humorous　sense　of　the
situation。　　He　was　essentially　too　kind　to　be　of　a　narrow　world；　too
human　to　be　finally　of　less　than　humanity；　too　gentle　to　be　of　the　finest
gentility。　　But　such　limitations　as　he　had　were　in　the　direction　I　have
hinted；　or　perhaps　more　than　hinted；　and　I　am　by　no　means　ready　to　make　a
mock　of　them；　as　it　would　be　so　easy　to　do　for　some　reasons　that　he　has
himself　suggested。　　To　value　aright　the　affection　which　the　old　Bostonian
had　for　Boston　one　must　conceive　of　something　like　the　patriotism　of　men
in　the　times　when　a　man's　city　was　a　man's　country；　something　Athenian；
something　Florentine。　　The　war　that　nationalized　us　liberated　this　love
to　the　whole　country；　but　its　first　tenderness　remained　still　for　Boston；
and　I　suppose　a　Bostonian　still　thinks　of　himself　first　as　a　Bostonian
and　then　as　an　American；　in　a　way　that　no　New…Yorker　could　deal　with
himself。　　The　rich　historical　background　dignifies　and　ennobles　the
intense　public　spirit　of　the　place；　and　gives　it　a　kind　of　personality。




II。

In　literature　Doctor　Holmes　survived　all　the　Bostonians　who　had　given　the
city　her　primacy　in　letters；　but　when　I　first　knew　him　there　was　no
apparent　ground　for　questioning　it。　　I　do　not　mean　now　the　time　when　I
visited　New　England；　but　when　I　came　to　live　near　Boston；　and　to　begin
the　many　happy　years　which　I　spent　in　her　fine；　intellectual　air。
I　found　time　to　run　in　upon　him；　while　I　was　there　arranging　to　take　my
place　on　the　Atlantic　Monthly；　and　I　remember　that　in　this　brief　moment
with　him　he　brought　me　to　book　about　some　vaunting　paragraph　in　the
'Nation'　claiming　the　literary　primacy　for　New　York。　　He　asked　me　if　I
knew　who　wrote　it；　and　I　was　obliged　to　own　that　I　had　written　it　myself；
when　with　the　kindness　he　always　showed　me　he　protested　against　my
position。　　To　tell　the　truth；　I　do　not　think　now　I　had　any　very　good
reasons　for　it；　and　I　certainly　could　urge　none　that　would　stand　against
his。　　I　could　only　fall　back　upon　the　saving　clause　that　this　primacy　was
claimed　mainly　if　not　wholly　for　New　York　in　the　future。　　He　was　willing
to　leave　me　the　connotations　of　prophecy；　but　I　think　he　did　even　this
out　of　politeness　rather　than　conviction；　and　I　believe　he　had　always　a
sensitiveness　where　Boston　was　concerned；　which　could　not　seem　ungenerous
to　any　generous　mind。　　Whatever　lingering　doubt　of　me　he　may　have　had；
with　reference　to　Boston；　seemed　to　satisfy　itself　when　several　years
afterwards　he　happened　to　speak　of　a　certain　character　in　an　early　novel
of　mine；　who　was　not　quite　the　kind　of　Bostonian　one　could　wish　to　be。
The　thing　came　up　in　talk　with　another　person；　who　had　referred　to　my
Bostonian；　and　the　doctor　had　apparently　made　his　acquaintance　in　the
book；　and　not　liked　him。　　〃I　understood；　of　course；〃　he　said；　〃that　he
was　a　Bostonian；　not　the　Bostonian；〃　and　I　could　truthfully　answer　that
this　was　by　all　means　my　own　understanding　too。

His　fondness　for　his　city；　which　no　one　could　appreciate　better　than
myself；　I　hope；　often　found　expression　in　a　burlesque　excess　in　his
writings；　and　in　his　talk　perhaps　oftener　still。　　Hard　upon　my　return
from　Venice　I　had　a　half…hour　with　him　in　his　old　study　on　Charles
Street；　where　he　still　lived　in　1865；　and　while　I　was　there　a　young　man
came　in　for　the　doctor's　help　as　a　physician；　though　he　looked　so　very
well；　and　was　so　lively　and　cheerful；　that　I　have　since　had　my　doubts
whether　he　had　not　made　a　pretext　for　a　glimpse　of　him　as　the　Autocrat。
The　doctor　took　him　upon　his　word；　however；　and　said　he　had　been　so　long
out　of　practice　that　he　could　not　do　anything　for　him；　but　he　gave　him
the　address　of　another　physician；　somewhere　near　Washington　Street。
〃And　if　you　don't　know　where　Washington　Street　is；〃　he　said；　with　a　gay
burst　at　a　certain　vagueness　which　had　come　into　the　young　man's　face；
〃you　don't　know　anything。〃

We　had　been　talking　of　Venice；　and　what　life　was　like　there；　and　he　made
me　tell　him　in　some　detail。　　He　was　especially　interested　in　what　I　had
to　say　of　the　minute　subdivision　and　distribution　of　the　necessaries；
the　small　coins；　and　the　small　values　adapted　to　their　purchase；
the　intensely　retail　character；　in　fact；　of　household　provisioning；
and　I　could　see　how　he　pleased　himself　in　formulating　the　theory　that　the
higher　a　civilization　the　finer　the　apportionment　of　the　demands　and
supplies。　　The　ideal；　he　said；　was　a　civilization　in　which　you　could　buy
two　cents'　worth　of　beef；　and　a　divergence　from　this　standard　was　towards
barbarism。

The　secret　of　the　man　who　is　universally　interesting　is　that　he　is
universally　interested；　and　this　was；　above　all；　the　secret　of　the　charm
that　Doctor　Holmes　had　for　every　one。　　No　doubt　he　knew　it；　for　what　that
most　alert　intelligence　did　not　know　of　itself　was　scarcely　worth
knowing。　　This　knowledge　was　one　of　his　chief　pleasures；　I　fancy；　he
rejoiced　in　the　consciousness　which　is　one　of　the　highest　attributes　of
the　highly　organized　man；　and　he　did　not　care　for　the　consequences　in
your　mind；　if　you　were　so　stupid　as　not　to　take　him　aright。　　I　remember
the　delight　Henry