andnow,onemightaswellaskforthelostbooksofLivyasinquireatabookstorefor\"GaspingsforImmortality。\"
Theauthorsofthesepoemsareallroundus,menandwomen,andnoonewithafairamountofhumansympathyinhisdispositionwouldtreatthemotherwisethantenderly。Perhapstheydonotneedtendertreatment。Howdoyouknowthatposteritymaynotresuscitatetheseseeminglydeadpoems,andgivetheirauthortheimmortalityforwhichhelongedandlabored？Itisnoteverypoetwhoisatonceappreciated。Somewilltellyouthatthebestpoetsneverare。Whocansaythatyou,dearunappreciatedbrotherorsister,arenotoneofthosewhomitisleftforaftertimestodiscoveramongthewrecksofthepast,andholduptotheadmirationoftheworld？
Ihavenotthoughtitnecessarytoputinalltheinterpellations,astheFrenchcallthem,whichbrokethecourseofthissomewhatextendedseriesofremarks;butthecommentsofsomeofTheTeacupshelpedmetoshapecertainadditionalobservations,andmayseemtothereaderasofmoresignificancethanwhatIhadbeensaying。
NumberSevensawnothingbutthefollyandweaknessofthe\"rhymingcranks,\"ashecalledthem。HethoughtthefellowthatIhaddescribedasblubberingoverhisstill—bornpoemswouldhavebeenbetteroccupiedinearninghislivinginsomehonestwayorother。
Heknewonechapthatpublishedavolumeofverses,andlethiswifebringupthewoodforthefirebywhichhewaswriting。Afellowsays,\"Iamapoet！\"andhethinkshimselfdifferentfromcommonfolks。Heoughttobeexcusedfrommilitaryservice。Hemightbekilled,andtheworldwouldlosetheinestimableproductsofhisgenius。\"Ibelievesomeof\'emthink,\"saidNumberSeven,\"thattheyoughtnottobecalledupontopaytheirtaxesandtheirbillsforhouseholdexpenses,liketherestofus。\"
\"IftheywouldonlystudyandtaketoheartHorace\'s\'ArsPoetica,\'\"
saidtheProfessor,\"itwouldbeagreatbenefittothemandtotheworldatlarge。Iwouldnotadviseyoutofollowhimtooliterally,ofcourse,for,asyouwillsee,thechangesthathavetakenplacesincehistimewouldmakesomeofhispreceptsuselessandsomedangerous,butthespiritofthemisalwaysinstructive。Thisistheway,somewhatmodernizedandaccompaniedbymyrunningcommentary,inwhichhecounselsayoungpoet:
\"\'Don\'ttrytowritepoetry,myboy,whenyouarenotinthemoodfordoingit,——whenitgoesagainstthegrain。Youareafellowofsense,——youunderstandallthat。
\"\'Ifyouhavewrittenanythingwhichyouthinkwellof,showittoMr。______,thewell—knowncritic;to\"thegovernor,\"asyoucallhim,——yourhonoredfather;andtome,yourfriend。\'
\"Tothecriticiswellenough,ifyouliketobeoverhauledandputoutofconceitwithyourself,——itmaydoyougood;butIwouldn\'tgoto\'thegovernor\'withmyverses,ifIwereyou。Foreitherhewillthinkwhatyouhavewrittenissomethingwonderful,almostasgoodashecouldhavewrittenhimself,——infact,healwaysdidbelieveinhereditarygenius,——orhewillpooh—poohthewholerhymingnonsense,andtellyouthatyouhadagreatdealbettersticktoyourbusiness,andleavealltheword—jinglingtoMotherGooseandherfollowers。
\"\'Showmeyourverses,\'saysHorace。Verygooditwasinhim,andmightyencouragingthefirstcounselhegives！\'Keepyourpoemtoyourselfforsomeeightortenyears;youwillhavetimetolookitover,tocorrectitandmakeitfittopresenttothepublic。\'
\"\'Muchobligedforyouradvice,\'saysthepoorpoet,thirstingforadraughtoffame,andofferedahandfulofdust。Andoffhehurriestotheprinter,tobesurethathispoemcomesoutinthenextnumberofthemagazinehewritesfor。\"
\"Isnotpoetrythenaturallanguageoflovers？\"
ItwastheTutorwhoaskedthisquestion,andIthoughthelookedinthedirectionofNumberFive,asifshemightanswerhisquestion。
ButNumberFivestirredherteadevotedly;therewasalumpofsugar,Isuppose,thatactedlikeapieceofmarble。Sotherewasasilencewhilethelumpwasslowlydissolving,anditwasanybody\'schancewhosawfittotakeuptheconversation。
Thevoicethatbrokethesilencewasnotthesweet,winsomeonewewerelisteningfor,butitinstantlyarrestedtheattentionofthecompany。Itwasthegrave,manlyvoiceofoneusedtospeaking,andaccustomedtobelistenedtowithdeference。Thiswasthefirsttimethatthecompanyasawholehadheardit,forthespeakerwasthenew—comerwhohasbeenrepeatedlyalludedto,——theoneofwhomI
spokeas\"theCounsellor。\"
\"IthinkIcantellyousomethingaboutthat,\"saidtheCounsellor。
\"Isupposeyouwillwonderhowamanofmyprofessioncanknoworinteresthimselfaboutaquestionsoremotefromhisaridpursuits。
AndyetthereishardlyonemaninathousandwhoknowsfromactualexperienceafractionofwhatIhavelearnedofthelovers\'
vocabularyinmyprofessionalexperience。Ihave,Iamsorrytosay,hadtotakeanimportantpartinagreatnumberofdivorcecases。
Thesehavebroughtbeforemescoresandhundredsofletters,inwhicheveryshadeofthegreatpassionhasbeenrepresented。Whathasmoststruckmeintheseamatorycorrespondenceshasbeentheirremarkablesameness。Itseemsasifwritinglove—lettersreducedallsortsofpeopletothesamelevel。Idon\'trememberwhetherLordBaconhasleftusanythinginthatline,——unless,indeed,hewroteRomeoandJuliet\'andthe\'Sonnets;\'butifhehas,Idon\'tbelievetheydiffersoverymuchfromthoseofhisvaletorhisgroomtotheirrespectivelady—loves。Itisalways,Mydarling！mydarling！Thewordsofendearmentaretheonlyonestheloverwantstoemploy,andhefindsthevocabularytoolimitedforhisvastdesires。Sohislettersareapttoberathertediousexcepttothepersonagetowhomtheyareaddressed。Astopoetry,itisverycommontofinditinlove—
letters,especiallyinthosethathavenoloveinthem。Thelettersofbigamistsandpolygamistsarerichinpoeticalextracts。
Occasionally,anoriginalspurtinrhymeaddsvarietytoanotherwisemonotonousperformance。Idon\'tthinkthereismuchpassioninmen\'spoetryaddressedtowomen。IagreewithTheDictatorthatpoetryislittlemorethantheashesofpassion;stillitmayshowthattheflamehashaditssweepwhereyoufindit,unless,indeed,itisshoveledinfromanotherman\'sfireplace。\"
\"Whatdoyousaytothelovepoetryofwomen？\"askedtheProfessor。
\"DideverpassionheatwordstoincandescenceasitdidthoseofSappho？\"
TheCounsellorturned,——nottoNumberFive,asheoughttohavedone,accordingtomyprogramme,buttotheMistress。
\"Madam,\"hesaid,\"yoursexisadorableinmanyways,butintheabandonofagenuinelove—letteritisincomparable。Ihaveseenastringofwomen\'slove—letters,inwhichthecreatureenlacedherselfabouttheobjectofherworshipasthatSouthAmericanparasitewhichclaspsthetreetowhichithasattacheditself,beginswithaslendersucculentnetwork,feedsonthetrunk,spreadsitsfingersouttoholdfirmlytoonebranchafteranother,thickens,hardens,stretchesineverydirection,followingtheboughs,——andatlengthgetsstrongenoughtoholdinitsmurderousarms,highupinair,thestumpandshaftoftheoncesturdygrowththatwasitssupportandsubsistence。\"
TheCounsellordidnotsayallthisquitesoformallyasIhavesetitdownhere,butinamucheasierway。Infact,itisimpossibletosmoothoutaconversationfrommemorywithoutstiffeningit;youcan\'thaveadressshirtlookquiterightwithoutstarchingthebosom。
Someofuswouldhavelikedtohearmoreaboutthoselettersinthedivorcecases,buttheCounsellorhadtoleavethetable。HepromisedtoshowussomepictureshehasoftheSouthAmericanparasite。Ihaveseenthem,andIcanassureyoutheyareverycurious。
Thefollowingverseswerefoundintheurn,orsugar—bowl。
CACOETHESSCRIBENDI。
Ifallthetreesinallthewoodsweremen,Andeachandeverybladeofgrassapen;
IfeveryleafoneveryshrubandtreeTurnedtoasheetoffoolscap;everyseaWerechangedtoink,andallearth\'slivingtribesHadnothingelsetodobutactasscribes,Andfortenthousandages,dayandnight,Thehumanraceshouldwrite,andwrite,andwrite,Tillallthepensandpaperwereusedup,Andthehugeinkstandwasanemptycup,StillwouldthescribblersclusteredrounditsbrimCallformorepens,morepaper,andmoreink。
V
\"Dolce,manontroppodolce,\"saidtheProfessortotheMistress,whowassweeteninghistea。Shealwayssweetenshisandmineforus。Hehasbeenattendingaseriesofconcerts,andborrowedtheformofthedirectionstotheorchestra。\"Sweet,butnottoosweet,\"hesaid,translatingtheItalianforthebenefitofanyofthecompanywhomightnotbelinguistsormusicalexperts。
\"Doyougotothosemusicalhullabaloos？\"calledoutNumberSeven。
Therewassomethingverymuchlikerudenessinthisquestionandthetoneinwhichitwasasked。Butweareusedtotheoutbursts,andextravagances,andodditiesofNumberSeven,anddonottakeoffenceathisroughspeechesasweshouldifanyotherofthecompanyutteredthem。
\"Ifyoumeantheconcertsthathavebeengoingonthisseason,yes,I
do,\"saidtheProfessor,inabland,good—humoredway。
\"Anddoyoutakerealpleasureinthedinofallthosescreechingandbangingandgrowlinginstruments？\"
\"Yes,\"heanswered,modestly,\"Ienjoyshebrouhaha,ifyouchoosetoconsideritsuch,ofallthisquarrelsomemenagerieofnoise—makingmachines,broughtintoorderandharmonybythepresidinggenius,theleader,whohasmadeahappyfamilyofthesesnarlingstringedinstrumentsandwhiningwindinstruments,sothatalthoughLinguaecentumsent,oraquecentum,notwithstandingthereareahundredvibratingtonguesandahundredbellowingmouths,theironegrandblendedandharmonizeduproarsetsallmyfibrestinglingwithanotunpleasingtremor。\"
\"Doyouunderstandit？Doyoutakeanyideafromit？Doyouknowwhatitallmeans？\"saidNumberSeven。
TheProfessorwaslong—sufferingunderthisseriesofsomewhatperemptoryquestions。Herepliedveryplacidly,\"IamafraidIhavebutasuperficialoutsideacquaintancewiththesecrets,theunfathomablemysteries,ofmusic。Icannomoreconceiveoftheworkingconditionsofthegreatcomposer,\'UntwistingallthechainsthattieThehiddensoulofharmony,\'
thanachildofthreeyearscanfollowthereasoningsofNewton\'s\'Principia。\'IdonotevenpretendthatIcanappreciatetheworkofagreatmasterasabornandtrainedmusiciandoes。Still,Idoloveagreatcrashofharmonies,andtheoftenerIlistentothesemusicaltempeststhehighermysoulseemstorideuponthem,asthewildfowlIseethroughmywindowsoarmorefreelyandfearlesslythefiercerthestormwithwhichtheybattle。\"
\"That\'sallverywell,\"saidNumberSeven,\"butIwishwecouldgettheold—timemusicbackagain。Yououghttohaveheard,——no,Iwon\'tmentionher,dead,poorgirl,——deadandsingingwiththesaintsinheaven,——buttheS_____girls。IfyoucouldhaveheardthemasIdidwhenIwasaboy,youwouldhavecried,asweallusedto。Doyoucryatthosegreatmusicalsmashes？Howcanyoucrywhenyoudon\'tknowwhatitisallabout？Weusedtothinkthewordsmeantsomething,——wefanciedthatBurnsandMooresaidsomethingsveryprettily。Isupposeyou\'veoutgrownallthat。\"
NoonecanhandleNumberSeveninoneofhistantrumshalfsowellasNumberFivecandoit。Shecanpickoutwhatthreadsofsensemaybewoundofffromthetangleofhisideaswhentheyarecrowdedandconfused,astheyareapttobeattimes。Shecansoftentheoccasionalexpressionofhalf—concealedridiculewithwhichthepooroldfellow\'ssalliesareliabletobewelcomed——orunwelcomed。Sheknowsthattheedgeofabrokenteacupmaybesharper,verypossibly,thanthatofaphilosopher\'sjackknife。Amindalittleoffitsbalance,onewhichhasaslightlysquintingbrainasitsorgan;willoftenprovefertileinsuggestions。Vulgar,cynical,contemptuouslistenersflyatallitsweaknesses,andpleasethemselveswithmakinglightofitsoftenfutileingenuities,whenawiseraudiencewouldgladlyacceptahintwhichperhapscouldbedevelopedinsomeprofitabledirection,orsointerpretanerraticthoughtthatitshouldprovegoodsenseindisguise。ThatisthewayNumberFivewasinthehabitofdealingwiththeexplosionsofNumberSeven。Doyouthinkshedidnotseetheridiculouselementinasillyspeech,ortheabsurdityofanoutrageouslyextravagantassertion？Thenyouneverheardherlaughwhenshecouldgivewaytohersenseoftheludicrouswithoutwoundingthefeelingsofanyotherperson。Butherkindheartneverwouldforgetitself,andsoNumberSevenhadachampionwhowasalwaysreadytoseethathisflashesofintelligence,fitfulastheywere,andliabletobestreakedwithhalf—crazyfancies,alwaysfoundonewillingrecipientofwhatlighttherewasinthem。
NumberFive,Ihavefound,isatrueloverofmusic,andhasarighttoclaimarealknowledgeofitshigheranddeepermysteries。Butsheacceptedverycordiallywhatourlight—headedcompanionsaidaboutthesongsheusedtolistento。
\"Thereisnodoubt,\"sheremarked,\"thatthetearswhichusedtobeshedover\'Oftinthesullynight,\'or\'AuldRobinGray,\'or\'Aplaceinthymemory,dearest,\'werehonesttears,comingfromthetruesourcesofemotion。Therewasnoaffectationaboutthem;thosesongscamehometothesensibilitiesofyoungpeople,——ofallwhohadanysensibilitiestobeactedupon。Andontheotherhand,thereisagreatamountofaffectationintheapparententhusiasmofmanypersonsinadmiringandapplaudingmusicofwhichtheyhavenottheleastrealappreciation。Theydonotknowwhetheritisgoodorbad,theworkofafirst—rateorafifth—ratecomposer;whethertherearecoherentelementsinit,orwhetheritisnothingmorethan\'aconcourseofsweetsounds\'withnoorganicconnections。Onemustbeeducated,nodoubt,tounderstandthemorecomplexanddifficultkindsofmusicalcomposition。Gotothegreatconcertswhereyouknowthatthemusicisgood,andthatyououghttolikeitwhetheryoudoornot。Takeamusic—bathonceortwiceaweekforafewseasons,andyouwillfindthatitistothesoulwhatthewater—bathistothebody。Iwouldn\'ttroublemyselfabouttheaffectationsofpeoplewhogotothisorthatseriesofconcertschieflybecauseitisfashionable。Someofthesepeoplewhomwethinksosillyandholdsocheapwillperhapsfind,soonerorlater,thattheyhaveadormantfacultywhichisatlastwakingup,——andthattheywhocamebecauseotherscame,andbeganbystaringattheaudience,arelisteningwithanewlyfounddelight。Everyoneofushasaharpunderbodiceorwaistcoat,andifitcanonlyoncegetproperlystrungandtuneditwillrespondtoalloutsideharmonies。\"
TheProfessorhassomeideasaboutmusic,whichIbelievehehasgiventotheworldinoneformoranother;buttheworldisgrowingoldandforgetful,andneedstoberemindednowandthenofwhatonehasformerlytoldit。
\"Ihavehadglimpses,\"theProfessorsaid,\"oftheconditionsintowhichmusiciscapableofbringingasensitivenature。Glimpses,I
say,becauseIcannotpretendthatIamcapableofsoundingallthedepthsorreachingalltheheightstowhichmusicmaytransportourmortalconsciousness。Letmeremindyouofacuriousfactwithreferencetotheseatofthemusicalsense。Fardownbelowthegreatmassesofthinkingmarrowanditssecondaryagents,justasthebrainisabouttomergeinthespinalcord,therootsofthenerveofhearingspreadtheirwhitefilamentsoutintothesentientmatter,wheretheyreportwhattheexternalorgansofhearingtellthem。
Thissentientmatterisinremoteconnectiononlywiththementalorgans,farmoreremotethanthecentresofthesenseofvisionandthatofsmell。Inaword,themusicalfacultymightbesaidtohavealittlebrainofitsown。Ithasaspecialworldandaprivatelanguagealltoitself。Howcanoneexplainitssignificancetothosewhosemusicalfacultiesareinarudimentarystateofdevelopment,orwhohaveneverhadthemtrained？Canyoudescribeinintelligiblelanguagethesmellofaroseascomparedwiththatofaviolet？No,——musiccanbetranslatedonlybymusic。Justsofarasitsuggestswordedthought,itfallsshortofitshighestoffice。
Pureemotionalmovementsofthespiritualnature,——thatiswhatIaskofmusic。Musicwillbetheuniversallanguage,——theVolapukofspiritualbeing。\"
\"Angelssitdownwiththeirharpsandplayateachother,Isuppose,\"
saidNumberSeven。\"Musthaveanatmosphereupthereiftheyhaveharps,ortheywouldn\'tgetanymusic。Wonderifangelsbreathelikemortals？Iftheydo,theymusthavelungsandairpassages,ofcourse。Thinkofanangelwiththeinfluenza,andnothingbutacloudforahandkerchief！\"
——ThisisagoodinstanceofthewayinwhichNumberSeven\'ssquintingbrainworks。Youwillnowandthenmeetjustsuchbrainsinheadsyouknowverywell。Theirownersaremuchgiventoaskingunanswerablequestions。Aphysicistmaysettleitforuswhetherthereisanatmosphereaboutaplanetornot,butittakesabrainwithanextrafissureinittoasktheseunexpectedquestions,——
questionswhichthenaturalphilosophercannotanswer,andwhichthetheologianneverthinksofasking。
Thecompanyatourtabledonotkeepalwaysinthesameplaces。ThefirstthingInoticed,theotherevening,wasthattheTutorwassittingbetweenthetwoAnnexes,andtheCounsellorwasnexttoNumberFive。Somethingoughttocomeofthisarrangement。OneofthosetwoyoungladiesmustcertainlycaptivateandperhapscapturetheTutor。Theyarejusttheagetobefallinginloveandtobefalleninlovewith。TheTutorisgoodlooking,intellectual,suspectedofwritingpoetry,butalittleshy,itappearstome。
Iamgladtoseehimbetweenthetwogirls。Iftherewereonlyone,shemightbeshytoo,andthentherewouldbelesschanceforaromancesuchasIamonthelookoutfor;buttheseyoungpersonslendcouragetoeachother,andbetweenthem,ifhedoesnotwakeuplikeCymonatthesightofIphigenia,Ishallbedisappointed。AsfortheCounsellorandNumberFive,theywillsoonfindeachotherout。Yes,itisallprettyclearinmymind,——exceptthatthereisalwaysanxinaproblemwheresentimentsareinvolved。No,notsoclearabouttheTutor。Predestined,Iventuremyguess,tooneortheother,buttowhich？Iwillsuspendmyopinionforthepresent。
IhavefoundoutthattheCounsellorisachildlesswidower。IamtoldthattheTutorisunmarried,andsofarasknownnotengaged。
Thereisnouseindenyingit,——acompanywithoutthepossibilityofalove—matchbetweentwoofitscircleislikeachampagnebottlewiththecorkoutforsomehoursascomparedtoonewithitspopyetinreserve。However,ifthereshouldbeanylove—making,itneednotbreakupourconversations。Mostofitwillbecarriedonawayfromourtea—table。
SomeofushavebeenattendingcertainlecturesonEgyptanditsantiquities。IhaveneverbeenontheNile。Ifinanyfuturestatethereshallbevacationsinwhichwemayhavelibertytorevisitouroldhome,equippedwithacompletebrand—newsetofmortalsensesasourtravellingoutfit,IthinkoneofthefirstplacesIshouldgoto,aftermybirthplace,theoldgambrel—roofedhouse,——theplacewhereitstood,rather,——wouldbethatmighty,awe—inspiringriver。
Idonotsupposeweshalleverknowhalfofwhatweowetothewiseandwonderfulpeoplewhoconfrontuswiththeoverpoweringmonumentsofapastwhichflowsoutoftheunfathomabledarknessasthegreatriverstreamsfromsourcesevenasyetbutimperfectlyexplored。
IhavethoughtagooddealaboutEgypt,lately,withreferencetoourhistoricalmonuments。Howdidthegreatunknownmasterywhofixedthetwoleadingformsoftheirmonumentalrecordsarriveatthoseadmirableandeternaltypes,thepyramidandtheobelisk？Howdidtheygettheirmodelofthepyramid？
Hereisanhour—glass,notinappropriatelyfilledwithsandfromthegreatEgyptiandesert。Iturnit,andwatchthesandasitaccumulatesinthelowerhalfoftheglass。Howsymmetrically,howbeautifully,howinevitably,thelittleparticlespileupthecone,whichiseverbuildingandunbuildingitself,alwaysaimingatthestabilitywhichisfoundonlyatacertainfixedangle！TheEgyptianchildrenplayinginthesandmusthavenoticedthisastheyletthegrainsfallfromtheirhands,andtheslopingsidesoftheminiaturepyramidmusthavebeenamongthefamiliarsightstothelittleboysandgirlsforwhomthesandfurnishedtheirearliestplaythings。
Naturetaughtherchildrenthroughtheworkingofthelawsofgravitationhowtobuildsothatherforcesshouldactinharmonywithart,topreservetheintegrityofastructuremeanttoreachafar—offposterity。ThepyramidisonlytheconeinwhichNaturearrangesherheapedandslidingfragments;theconewithflattenedSurfaces,asitisprefiguredincertainwell—knowncrystallineforms。TheobeliskisfromanotherofNature\'spatterns;itisonlyagiganticacicularcrystal。
TheEgyptiansknewwhatamonumentshouldbe,simple,noble,durable。
ItseemstomethatweAmericansmighttakealessonfromthoseearlyarchitects。Ourcemeteriesarecrowdedwithmonumentswhichareveryfarfromsimple,anythingbutnoble,andstandasmallchanceofbeingpermanent。Thepyramidisrarelyseen,perhapsbecauseittakesupsomuchroom;andwhenbuiltonasmallscaleseemsinsignificantaswethinkofit,dwarfedbythevaststructuresofantiquity。Theobeliskisverycommon,andwheninjustproportionsandofrespectabledimensionsisunobjectionable。
ButthegiganticobeliskslikethatonBunkerHill,andespeciallytheWashingtonmonumentatthenationalcapital,areopentocriticalanimadversion。LetuscontrastthelastmentionedofthesegreatpileswiththeobeliskastheEgyptianconceivedandexecutedit。
ThenewPharaohorderedamemorialofsomeimportantpersonageorevent。Inthefirstplace,amightystonewasdislodgedfromitsconnections,andlifted,unbroken,fromthequarry。Thiswasafeatfromwhichourmodernstone—workersshrinkdismayed。TheEgyptiansappeartohavehandledthesehugemonolithsasourartisanshandlehearthstonesanddoorsteps,forthelandactuallybristledwithsuchgiantcolumns。TheywereshapedandfinishedasnicelyasiftheywerebreastpinsfortheTitanstowear,andontheirpolishedsurfaceswereengravedinimperishablecharacterstherecordstheywereerectedtopreserve。
EuropeandAmericaborrowthesenobleproductionsofAfricanartandpower,andfindthemhardenoughtohandleaftertheyhavesucceededintransportingthemtoRome,orLondon,orNewYork。Theirsimplicity,grandeur,imperishability,speakingsymbolism,shameallthepretentiousandfragileworksofhumanartaroundthem。Theobeliskhasnojointsforthedestructiveagenciesofnaturetoattack;thepyramidhasnomasseshanginginunstableequilibrium,andthreateningtofallbytheirownweightinthecourseofathousandortwoyears。
AmericasaystheFatherofhisCountrymusthaveamonumentworthyofhisexaltedplaceinhistory。Whatshallitbe？AtemplesuchasAthensmighthavebeenproudtorearuponherAcropolis？AnobelisksuchasThebesmighthavepointedoutwithpridetothestrangerswhofoundadmissionthroughherhundredgates？Afterlongmeditationandtherejectionofthehybridmonstrositieswithwhichthenationwasmenaced,anobeliskisatlastdecidedupon。Howcanitbemadegrandanddignifiedenoughtobeequaltotheofficeassignedit？Wedarenotattempttocarveasinglestonefromthelivingrock,——allourmodernappliancesfailtomakethetaskaseasytousasitseemstohavebeentotheearlyEgyptians。Noartisticskillisrequiredingivingafour—squaretaperingfiguretoastonecolumn。Ifwecannotshapeasolidobeliskoftheproperdimensions,wecanbuildoneofseparateblocks。Howcanwegiveitthedistinctionwedemandforit？Thenationwhichcanbragthatithas\"thebiggestshowonearth\"cannotboastagreatdealinthewayofarchitecture,butitcandoonething,——itcanbuildanobeliskthatshallbetallerthananystructurenowstandingwhichthehandofmanhasraised。Buildanobelisk！Howdifferenttheideaofsuchastructurefromthatoftheunbroken,unjointedprismaticshaft,oneperfectwhole,ascompleteinitself,asfitlyshapedandconsolidatedtodefytheelements,asthetoweringpalmorthetaperingpine！Well,wehadthesatisfactionforatimeofclaimingthetalleststructureintheworld;andnowthatthenewTowerofBabelwhichhassprungupinParishaskilledthatpretention,Ithinkweshallfeelandspeakmoremodestlyaboutourstonehyperbole,ourmaterializationoftheAmericanloveofthesuperlative。Wehavethehighercivilizationamongus,andwemusttrytokeepdowntheforth—puttinginstinctsofthelower。Wedonotwanttoseeournationalmonumentplacardedas\"thegreatestshowonearth,\"——perhapsitiswellthatitistakendownfromthatbademinence。
Idonotthinkthatthisspeechofminewasverywellreceived。ItappearedtojarsomewhatonthenervesoftheAmericanAnnex。TherewasasmileonthelipsoftheotherAnnex,——theEnglishgirl,——whichshetriedtokeepquiet,butitwastooplainthatsheenjoyedmydiatribe。
ItmustberememberedthatIandtheotherTeacups,incommonwiththerestofourfellow—citizens,havehadoursensibilitiesgreatlyworkedupon,ourpatriotismchilled,ourlocalprideoutraged,bythemonstrositieswhichhavebeenallowedtodeformourbeautifulpublicgrounds。Wehavetobeverycarefulinconductingavisitor,sayfromhismarble—frontedhoteltotheCityHall。——KeepprettystraightalongafterenteringtheGarden,——youwillnotcaretoinspectthelittlefigureofthemilitarygentlemantoyourright。——
Yes,theCochituatewaterisdrinkable,butIthinkIwouldnotturnasidetovisitthatsmallfabricwhichmakesbelieveitisatemple,andisaweak—eyedfountainfeeblyweepingoveritsowninsignificance。Aboutthatotherstonemisfortune,cruellyremindingusofthe\"BostonMassacre,\"wewillnotdiscourse;itisnotimposing,andisrarelyspokenof。
Whatamortificationtotheinhabitantsofacitywithsomehereditaryandcontemporaryclaimstocultivation;whichhasnobleedifices,grandlibraries,educationalinstitutionsofthehighestgrade,anart—galleryfilledwiththefinestmodelsandrichinpaintingsandstatuary,——astatelycitythatstretchesbotharmsacrosstheCharlestoclaspthehandsofHarvard,hertwin—sister,eachlendinglustretotheotherlikedoublestars,——whatapitythatsheshouldbesodisfiguredbycrudeattemptstoadornherandcommemorateherpastthathermostlovingchildrenblushforherartificialdeformitiesamidstthewealthofhernaturalbeauties！
