oliver wendell holmes-第2节

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of　the　person　who　made　overtures　to　his　acquaintance；　for　he　was　aware
that　his　friendship　lay　close　to　it；　he　wanted　to　be　sure　that　he　was　a
nice　person；　and　though　I　think　he　preferred　social　quality　in　his
fellow…man；　he　did　not　refuse　himself　to　those　who　had　merely　a　sweet　and
wholesome　humanity。　　He　did　not　like　anything　that　tasted　or　smelt　of
Bohemianism　in　the　personnel　of　literature；　but　he　did　not　mind　the　scent
of　the　new…ploughed　earth；　or　even　of　the　barn…yard。　　I　recall　his
telling　me　once　that　after　two　younger　brothers…in…letters　had　called
upon　him　in　the　odor　of　an　habitual　beeriness　and　smokiness；　he　opened
the　window；　and　the　very　last　time　I　saw　him　he　remembered　at　eighty…five
the　offence　he　had　found　on　his　first　visit　to　New　York；　when　a
metropolitan　poet　had　asked　him　to　lunch　in　a　basement　restaurant。




III。

He　seemed　not　to　mind；　however；　climbing　to　the　little　apartment　we　had
in　Boston　when　we　came　there　in　1866；　and　he　made　this　call　upon　us　in
due　form；　bringing　Mrs。　Holmes　with　him　as　if　to　accent　the　recognition
socially。　　We　were　then　incredibly　young；　much　younger　than　I　find　people
ever　are　nowadays；　and　in　the　consciousness　of　our　youth　we　felt；　to　the
last　exquisite　value　of　the　fact；　what　it　was　to　have　the　Autocrat　come
to　see　us；　and　I　believe　he　was　not　displeased　to　perceive　this；　he　liked
to　know　that　you　felt　his　quality　in　every　way。　　That　first　winter；
however；　I　did　not　see　him　often；　and　in　the　spring　we　went　to　live　in
Cambridge；　and　thereafter　I　met　him　chiefly　at　Longfellow's；　or　when　I
came　in　to　dine　at　the　Fieldses'；　in　Boston。　　It　was　at　certain　meetings
of　the　Dante　Club；　when　Longfellow　read　aloud　his　translation　for
criticism；　and　there　was　supper　later；　that　one　saw　the　doctor；　and　his
voice　was　heard　at　the　supper　rather　than　at　the　criticism；　for　he　was　no
Italianate。　　He　always　seemed　to　like　a　certain　turn　of　the　talk　toward
the　mystical；　but　with　space　for　the　feet　on　a　firm　ground　of　fact　this
side　of　the　shadows；　when　it　came　to　going　over　among　them；　and　laying
hold　of　them　with　the　band　of　faith；　as　if　they　were　substance；　he　was
not　of　the　excursion。　　It　is　well　known　how　fervent；　I　cannot　say　devout；
a　spiritualist　Longfellow's　brother…in…law；　Appleton；　was；　and　when　he
was　at　the　table　too；　it　took　all　the　poet's　delicate　skill　to　keep　him
and　the　Autocrat　from　involving　themselves　in　a　cataclysmal　controversy
upon　the　matter　of　manifestations。　　With　Doctor　Holmes　the　inquiry　was
inquiry；　to　the　last；　I　believe；　and　the　burden　of　proof　was　left　to　the
ghosts　and　their　friends。　　His　attitude　was　strictly　scientific；　he
denied　nothing；　but　he　expected　the　supernatural　to　be　at　least　as
convincing　as　the　natural。

There　was　a　time　in　his　history　when　the　popular　ignorance　classed　him
with　those　who　were　once　rudely　called　infidels；　but　the　world　has　since
gone　so　fast　and　so　far　that　the　mind　he　was　of　concerning　religious
belief　would　now　be　thought　religious　by　a　good　half　of　the　religious
world。　　It　is　true　that　he　had　and　always　kept　a　grudge　against　the
ancestral　Calvinism　which　afflicted　his　youth；　and　he　was　through　all
rises　and　lapses　of　opinion　essentially　Unitarian；　but　of　the　honest
belief　of　any　one；　I　am　sure　he　never　felt　or　spoke　otherwise　than　most
tolerantly；　most　tenderly。　　As　often　as　he　spoke　of　religion；　and　his
talk　tended　to　it　very　often；　I　never　heard　an　irreligious　word　from　him；
far　less　a　scoff　or　sneer　at　religion；　and　I　am　certain　that　this　was　not
merely　because　he　would　have　thought　it　bad　taste；　though　undoubtedly　he
would　have　thought　it　bad　taste；　I　think　it　annoyed；　it　hurt　him；　to　be
counted　among　the　iconoclasts；　and　he　would　have　been　profoundly　grieved
if　he　could　have　known　how　widely　this　false　notion　of　him　once
prevailed。　　It　can　do　no　harm　at　this　late　day　to　impart　from　the　secrets
of　the　publishing　house　the　fact　that　a　supposed　infidelity　in　the　tone
of　his　story　The　Guardian　Angel　cost　the　Atlantic　Monthly　many
subscribers。　　Now　the　tone　of　that　story　would　not　be　thought　even　mildly
agnostic；　I　fancy；　and　long　before　his　death　the　author　had　outlived　the
error　concerning　him。

It　was　not　the　best　of　his　stories；　by　any　means；　and　it　would　not　be　too
harsh　to　say　that　it　was　the　poorest。　　His　novels　all　belonged　to　an
order　of　romance　which　was　as　distinctly　his　own　as　the　form　of
dramatized　essay　which　he　invented　in　the　Autocrat。　　If　he　did　not　think
poorly　of　them；　he　certainly　did　not　think　too　proudly；　and　I　heard　him
quote　with　relish　the　phrase　of　a　lady　who　had　spoken　of　them　to　him　as
his　〃　medicated　novels。〃　　That；　indeed；　was　perhaps　what　they　were；　a
faint；　faint　odor　of　the　pharmacopoeia　clung　to　their　pages；　their　magic
was　scientific。　　He　knew　this　better　than　any　one　else；　of　course；　and　if
any　one　had　said　it　in　his　turn　he　would　hardly　have　minded　it。　　But　what
he　did　mind　was　the　persistent　misinterpretation　of　his　intention　in
certain　quarters　where　he　thought　he　had　the　right　to　respectful
criticism　in　stead　of　the　succession　of　sneers　that　greeted　the
successive　numbers　of　his　story；　and　it　was　no　secret　that　he　felt　the
persecution　keenly。　　Perhaps　he　thought　that　he　had　already　reached　that
time　in　his　literary　life　when　he　was　a　fact　rather　than　a　question；
and　when　reasons　and　not　feelings　must　have　to　do　with　his　acceptance　or
rejection。　　But　he　had　to　live　many　years　yet　before　he　reached　this
state。　　When　he　did　reach　it；　happily　a　good　while　before　his　death；
I　do　not　believe　any　man　ever　enjoyed　the　like　condition　more。　He　loved
to　feel　himself　out　of　the　fight；　with　much　work　before　him　still；
but　with　nothing　that　could　provoke　ill…will　in　his　activities。　　He　loved
at　all　times　to　take　himself　objectively；　if　I　may　so　express　my　sense　of
a　mental　attitude　that　misled　many。　　As　I　have　said　before；　he　was
universally　interested；　and　he　studied　the　universe　from　himself。　　I　do
not　know　how　one　is　to　study　it　otherwise；　the　impersonal　has　really　no
existence；　but　with　all　his　subtlety　and　depth　he　was　of　a　make　so
simple；　of　a　spirit　so　naive；　that　he　could　not　practise　the　feints　some
use　to　conceal　that　interest　in　self　which；　after　all；　every　one　knows　is
only　concealed。　　He　frankly　and　joyously　made　himself　the　starting…point
in　all　his　inquest　of　the　hearts　and　minds　of　other　men；　but　so　far　from
singling　himself　out　in　this；　and　standing　apart　in　it；　there　never　was
any　one　who　was　more　eagerly　and　gladly　your　fellow…being　in　the　things
of　the　soul。




IV。

In　the　things　of　the　world；　he　had　fences；　and　looked　at　some　people
through　palings　and　even　over　the　broken　bottles　on　the　tops　of　walls；
and　I　think　he　was　the　loser　by　this；　as　well　as　they。　　But　then　I　think
all　fences　are　bad；　and　that　God　has　made　enough　differences　between　men；
we　need　not　trouble　ourselves　to　multiply　them。　　Even　behind　his　fences；
however；　Holmes　had　a　heart　kind　for　the　outsiders；　and　I　do　not　believe
any　one　came　into　personal　relations　with　him　who　did　not　experience　this
kindness。　　In　that　long　and　delightful　talk　I　had　with　him　on　my　return
from　Venice　（I　can　praise　the　talk　because　it　was　mainly　his）；　we　spoke
of　the　status　of　domestics　in　the　Old　World；　and　how　fraternal　the
relation　of　high　and　low　was　in　Italy；　while　in　England；　between　master
and　man；　it　seemed　without　acknowledgment　of　their　common　humanity。
〃Yes；〃　he　said；　〃I　always　felt　as　if　English　servants　expected　to　be
trampled　on；　but　I　can't　do　that。　　If　they　want　to　be　trampled　on；　they
must　get　some　one　else。〃　　He　thought　that　our　American　way　was　infinitely
better；　and　I　believe　that　in　spite　of　the　fences　there　was　always　an
instinctive　impulse　with　him　to　get　upon　common　ground　with　his　fellow…
man。　　I　used　to　notice　in　the　neighborhood　cabman　who　served　our　block　on
Beacon　Street　a　sort　of　affectionate　reverence　for　the　Autocrat；　which
could　have　come　from　nothing　but　the　kindly　terms　between　them；　if　you
went　to　him　when　he　was　engaged　to　Doctor　Holmes；　he　told　you　so　with　a
sort　of　implication　in　his　manner　that　the　thought　of　anything　else　for
the　time　was　profanation。　　The　good　fellow　who　took　him　his　drives　about
the　Beverly　and　Manchester　shores　seemed　to　be　quite　in　the　joke　of　the
doctor's　humor；　and　within　the　bounds　of　his　personal　modesty　and　his
functional　dignity　permitted　himself　a　smile　at　the　doctor's　sallies；
when　you　stood　talking　with　him；　or　listening　to　him　at　the　carriage…
side。

The　civic　and　social　circumstance　that　a　man　values　himself　on　is
commonly　no　part　of　his　value；　and　certainly　no　part　of　his　greatness。
Rather；　it　is　the　very　thing　that　limits　him；　and　I　think　that　Doctor
Holmes　appeared　in　the　full　measure　of　his　generous　personality　to　those
who　did　not　and　could　not　appreciate　his　circumstance；　and　not　to　those
who　formed　it；　and　who　from　life…long　association　were　so　dear　and
comfortable　to　him。　　Those　who　best　knew　how　great　a　man　he　was　were
those　who　came　from　far　to　pay　him　their　duty；　or　to　thank　him　for　some
help　they　had　got　from　his　books；　or　to　ask　his　counsel　or　seek　his
sympathy。　　With　all　such　he　was　most　winningly　tender；　most　intelli