literary boston as i knew it-第6章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


no　sympathy　with　those　who　think　that　the　man　who　may　any　moment　be　out
of　work　is　industrially　a　slave。　　This　is　not　strange；　so　few　men　last
over　from　one　reform　to　another　that　the　wonder　is　that　any　should；　not
that　one　should　not。　　Whittier　was　prophet　for　one　great　need　of　the
divine　to　man；　and　he　spoke　his　message　with　a　fervor　that　at　times　was
like　the　trembling　of　a　flame；　or　the　quivering　of　midsummer　sunshine。
It　was　hard　to　associate　with　the　man　as　one　saw　him；　still；　shy；　stiff；
the　passion　of　his　verse。　　This　imbued　not　only　his　antislavery
utterances；　but　equally　his　ballads　of　the　old　witch　and　Quaker
persecution；　and　flashed　a　far　light　into　the　dimness　where　his
interrogations　of　Mystery　pierced。　　Whatever　doubt　there　can　be　of　the
fate　of　other　New　England　poets　in　the　great　and　final　account；　it　seems
to　me　that　certain　of　these　pieces　make　his　place　secure。

There　is　great　inequality　in　his　work；　and　I　felt　this　so　strongly　that
when　I　came　to　have　full　charge　of　the　Magazine；　I　ventured　once　to
distinguish。　　He　sent　me　a　poem；　and　I　had　the　temerity　to　return　it；　and
beg　him　for　something　else。　　He　magnanimously　refrained　from　all　show　of
offence；　and　after　a　while；　when　he　had　printed　the　poem　elsewhere；
he　gave　me　another。　　By　this　time；　I　perceived　that　I　had　been　wrong；
not　as　to　the　poem　returned；　but　as　to　my　function　regarding　him　and　such
as　he。　　I　had　made　my　reflections；　and　never　again　did　I　venture　to　pass
upon　what　contributors　of　his　quality　sent　me。　　I　took　it　and　printed　it；
and　praised　the　gods；　；and　even　now　I　think　that　with　such　men　it　was　not
my　duty　to　play　the　censor　in　the　periodical　which　they　had　made　what　it
was。　　They　had　set　it　in　authority　over　American　literature；　and　it　was
not　for　me　to　put　myself　in　authority　over　them。　　Their　fame　was　in　their
own　keeping；　and　it　was　not　my　part　to　guard　it　against　them。

After　that　experience　I　not　only　practised　an　eager　acquiescence　in　their
wish　to　reach　the　public　through　the　Atlantic；　but　I　used　all　the
delicacy　I　was　master　of　in　bowing　the　way　to　them。　　Sometimes　my　utmost
did　not　avail；　or　more　strictly　speaking　it　did　not　avail　in　one　instance
with　Emerson。　　He　had　given　me　upon　much　entreaty　a　poem　which　was　one　of
his　greatest　and　best；　but　the　proof…reader　found　a　nominative　at　odds
with　its　verb。　　We　had　some　trouble　in　reconciling　them；　and　some　other
delays；　and　meanwhile　Doctor　Holmes　offered　me　a　poem　for　the　same
number。　　I　now　doubted　whether　I　should　get　Emerson's　poem　back　in　time
for　it；　but　unluckily　the　proof　did　come　back　in　time；　and　then　I　had　to
choose　between　my　poets；　or　acquaint　them　with　the　state　of　the　case；　and
let　them　choose　what　I　should　do。　　I　really　felt　that　Doctor　Holmes　had
the　right　to　precedence；　since　Emerson　had　withheld　his　proof　so　long
that　I　could　not　count　upon　it；　but　I　wrote　to　Emerson；　and　asked　（as
nearly　as　I　can　remember）　whether　he　would　consent　to　let　me　put　his　poem
over　to　the　next　number；　or　would　prefer　to　have　it　appear　in　the　same
number　with　Doctor　Holmes's；　the　subjects　were　cognate；　and　I　had　my
misgivings。　　He　wrote　me　back　to　〃return　the　proofs　and　break　up　the
forms。〃　　I　could　not　go　to　this　iconoclastic　extreme　with　the
electrotypes　of　the　magazine；　but　I　could　return　the　proofs。　　I　did　so；
feeling　that　I　had　done　my　possible；　and　silently　grieving　that　there
could　be　such　ire　in　heavenly　minds。




X。

Emerson；　as　I　say；　I　had　once　met　in　Cambridge；　but　Whittier　never；
and　I　have　a　feeling　that　poet　as　Cambridge　felt　him　to　be；　she　had　her
reservations　concerning　him。　　I　cannot　put　these　into　words　which　would
not　oversay　them；　but　they　were　akin　to　those　she　might　have　refined　upon
in　regard　to　Mrs。　Stowe。　　Neither　of　these　great　writers　would　have
appeared　to　Cambridge　of　the　last　literary　quality；　their　fame　was　with　a
world　too　vast　to　be　the　；test　that　her　own

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃One　entire　and　perfect　crysolite〃

would　have　formed。　　Whittier　in　fact　had　not　arrived　at　the　clear
splendor　of　his　later　work　without　some　earlier　turbidity；　he　was　still
from　time　to　time　capable　of　a　false　rhyme；　like　morn　and　dawn。　　As　for
the　author　of　'Uncle　Tom's　Cabin'　her　syntax　was　such　a　snare　to　her　that
it　sometimes　needed　the　combined　skill　of　all　the　proof…readers　and　the
assistant　editor　to　extricate　her。　　Of　course；　nothing　was　ever　written
into　her　work；　but　in　changes　of　diction；　in　correction　of　solecisms；　in
transposition　of　phrases；　the　text　was　largely　rewritten　on　the　margin　of
her　proofs。　　The　soul　of　her　art　was　present；　but　the　form　was　so　often
absent；　that　when　it　was　clothed　on　anew；　it　would　have　been　hard　to　say
whose　cut　the　garment　was　of　in　many　places。　　In　fact；　the　proof…reading
of　the　'Atlantic　Monthly'　was　something　almost　fearfully　scrupulous　and
perfect。　　The　proofs　were　first　read　by　the　under　proof…reader　in　the
printing…office；　then　the　head　reader　passed　them　to　me　perfectly　clean
as　to　typography；　with　his　own　abundant　and　most　intelligent　comments　on
the　literature；　and　then　I　read　them；　making　what　changes　I　chose；　and
verifying　every　quotation；　every　date；　every　geographical　and
biographical　name；　every　foreign　word　to　the　last　accent；　every　technical
and　scientific　term。　　Where　it　was　possible　or　at　all　desirable　the　proof
was　next　submitted　to　the　author。　　When　it　came　back　to　me；　I　revised　it；
accepting　or　rejecting　the　author's　judgment　according　as　he　was　entitled
by　his　ability　and　knowledge　or　not　to　have　them。　　The　proof　now　went　to
the　printers　for　correction；　they　sent　it　again　to　the　head　reader；　who
carefully　revised　it　and　returned　it　again　to　me。　　I　read　it　a　second
time；　and　it　was　again　corrected。　　After　this　it　was　revised　in　the
office　and　sent　to　the　stereotyper；　from　whom　it　came　to　the　head　reader
for　a　last　revision　in　the　plates。

It　would　not　do　to　say　how　many　of　the　first　American　writers　owed　their
correctness　in　print　to　the　zeal　of　our　proof…reading；　but　I　may　say　that
there　were　very　few　who　did　not　owe　something。　　The　wisest　and　ablest
were　the　most　patient　and　grateful；　like　Mrs。　Stowe；　under　correction；
it　was　only　the　beginners　and　the　more　ignorant　who　were　angry；　and
almost　always　the　proof…reading　editor　had　his　way　on　disputed　points。
I　look　back　now；　with　respectful　amazement　at　my　proficiency　in　detecting
the　errors　of　the　great　as　well　as　the　little。　　I　was　able　to　discover
mistakes　even　in　the　classical　quotations　of　the　deeply　lettered　Sumner；
and　I　remember；　in　the　earliest　years　of　my　service　on　the　Atlantic；
waiting　in　this　statesman's　study　amidst　the　prints　and　engravings　that
attested　his　personal　resemblance　to　Edmund　Burke；　with　his　proofs　in　my
hand　and　my　heart　in　my　mouth；　to　submit　my　doubts　of　his　Latinity。　　I
forget　how　he　received　them；　but　he　was　not　a　very　gracious　person。

Mrs。　Stowe　was　a　gracious　person；　and　carried　into　age　the　inalienable
charm　of　a　woman　who　must　have　been　very；　charming　earlier。　　I　met　her
only　at　the　Fieldses'　in　Boston；　where　one　night　I　witnessed　a
controversy　between　her　and　Doctor　Holmes　concerning　homoeopathy　and
allopathy　which　lasted　well　through　dinner。　　After　this　lapse　of　time；
I　cannot　tell　how　the　affair　ended；　but　I　feel　sure　of　the　liking　with
which　Mrs。　Stowe　inspired　me。　　There　；was　something　very　simple；　very
motherly　in　her；　and　something　divinely　sincere。　　She　was　quite　the
person　to　take　'au　grand　serieux'　the　monstrous　imaginations　of　Lady
Byron's　jealousy　and　to　feel　it　on　her　conscience　to　make　public　report
of　them　when　she　conceived　that　the　time　had　come　to　do　so。

In　Francis　Parkman　I　knew　much　later　than　in　some　others　a
differentiation　of　the　New　England　type　which　was　not　less
characteristic。　　He；　like　so　many　other　Boston　men　of　letters；　was　of
patrician　family；　and　of　those　easy　fortunes　which　Clio　prefers　her　sons
to　be　of；　but　he　paid　for　these　advantages　by　the　suffering　in　which　he
wrought　at　what　is；　I　suppose；　our　greatest　history。　　He　wrought　at　it
piecemeal；　and　sometimes　only　by　moments；　when　the　terrible　head　aches
which　tormented　him；　and　the　disorder　of　the　heart　which　threatened　his
life