ponkapog papers-第13部分

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　recol…　lection　of　the　tempestuous　Junius　Brutus　Booth。　That　Yorick　had　formed　his　estimate　of　me；　and　probably　not　a　flattering　one；　is　something　of　which　I　am　strongly　convinced。　　　　　　At　the　death　of　Edwin　Booth；　poor　Yorick　passed　out　of　my　personal　cognizance；　and　now　lingers　an　incongruous　shadow　amid　the　mem…　ories　of　the　precious　things　I　lost　then。　　　　　　The　suite　of　apartments　formerly　occupied　by　Edwin　Booth　at　The　Players　has　been；　as　I　have　said；　kept　unchangeda　shrine　to　which　from　time　to　time　some　loving　heart　makes　silent　pilgrimage。　　On　a　table　in　the　centre　of　his　bedroom　lies　the　book　just　where　he　laid　it　down；　an　ivory　paper…cutter　marking　the　page　his　eyes　last　rested　upon；　and　in　this　chamber；　with　its　familiar　pictures；　pipes；　and　ornaments；　the　skull　finds　its　proper　sanctuary。　　If　at　odd　moments　I　wish　that　by　chance　poor　Yorick　had　fallen　to　my　care；　the　wish　is　only　half…　hearted；　though　had　that　happened；　I　would　have　given　him　welcome　to　the　choicest　corner　in　my　study　and　tenderly　cherished　him　for　the　sake　of　one　who　comes　no　more。



THE　AUTOGRAPH　HUNTER

　One　that　gathers　samphire；　dreadful　trade！King　Lear。

THE　material　for　this　paper　on　the　auto…　graph　hunter；　his　ways　and　his　manners；　has　been　drawn　chiefly　from　experiences　not　my　own。　　My　personal　relations　with　him　have　been　comparatively　restricted；　a　circumstance　to　which　I　owe　the　privilege　of　treating　the　subject　with　a　freedom　that　might　otherwise　not　seem　becoming。　　　　　　No　author　is　insensible　to　the　compliment　in…　volved　in　a　request　for　his　autograph；　assuming　the　request　to　come　from　some　sincere　lover　of　books　and　bookmen。　　It　is　an　affair　of　different　complection　when　he　is　importuned　to　give　time　and　attention　to　the　innumerable　unknown　who　〃collect〃　autographs　as　they　would　collect　post…　age　stamps；　with　no　interest　in　the　matter　be…　yond　the　desire　to　accumulate　as　many　as　possi…　ble。　　The　average　autograph　hunter；　with　his　purposeless　insistence；　reminds　one　of　the　queen　in　Stockton's　story　whose　fad　was　〃the　button…　holes　of　all　nations。〃　　　　　　In　our　population　of　eighty　millions　and　up…　ward　there　are　probably　two　hundred　thousand　persons　interested　more　or　less　in　what　is　termed　the　literary　world。　　This　estimate　is　absurdly　low；　but　it　serves　to　cast　a　sufficient　side…light　upon　the　situation。　　Now；　any　unit　of　these　two　hundred　thousand　is　likely　at　any　moment　to　in…　dite　a　letter　to　some　favorite　novelist；　historian；　poet；　or　what　not。　　It　will　be　seen；　then；　that　the　autograph　hunter　is　no　inconsiderable　per…　son。　　He　has　made　it　embarrassing　work　for　the　author　fortunate　or　unfortunate　enough　to　be　re…　garded　as　worth　while。　　Every　mail　adds　to　his　reproachful　pile　of　unanswered　letters。　　If　he　have　a　conscience；　and　no　amanuensis；　he　quickly　finds　himself　tangled　in　the　meshes　of　endless　and　futile　correspondence。　　Through　policy；　good　nature；　or　vanity　he　is　apt　to　become　facile　prey。　　　　　　A　certain　literary　collector　once　confessed　in　print　that　he　always　studied　the　idiosyncrasies　of　his　〃subject〃　as　carefully　as　another　sort　of　collector　studies　the　plan　of　the　house　to　which　he　meditates　a　midnight　visit。　　We　were　as…　sured　that　with　skillful　preparation　and　adroit　approach　an　autograph　could　be　extracted　from　anybody。　　According　to　the　revelations　of　the　writer；　Bismarck；　Queen　Victoria；　and　Mr。　Gladstone　had　their　respective　point　of　easy　accesstheir　one　unfastened　door　or　window；　metaphorically　speaking。　　The　strongest　man　has　his　weak　side。　　　　　　Dr。　Holmes's　affability　in　replying　to　every　one　who　wrote　to　him　was　perhaps　not　a　trait　characteristic　of　the　elder　group。　　Mr。　Lowell；　for　instance；　was　harder…hearted　and　rather　diffi…　cult　to　reach。　　I　recall　one　day　in　the　library　at　Elmwood。　　As　I　was　taking　down　a　volume　from　the　shelf　a　sealed　letter　escaped　from　the　pages　and　fluttered　to　my　feet。　　I　handed　it　to　Mr。　Lowell；　who　glanced　incuriously　at　the　superscription。　　〃Oh；　yes；〃　he　said；　smiling；　〃I　know　'em　by　instinct。〃　　Relieved　of　its　en…　velope；　the　missive　turned　out　to　be　eighteen　months　old；　and　began　with　the　usual　amusing　solecism：　〃As　one　of　the　most　famous　of　American　authors　I　would　like　to　possess　your　autograph。〃　　　　　　Each　recipient　of　such　requests　has　of　course　his　own　way　of　responding。　　Mr。　Whittier　used　to　be　obliging；　Mr。　Longfellow　politic；　Mr。　Emerson；　always　philosophical；　dreamily　con…　fiscated　the　postage　stamps。　　　　　　Time　was　when　the　collector　contented　him…　self　with　a　signature　on　a　card；　but　that；　I　am　told；　no　longer　satisfies。　　He　must　have　a　letter　addressed　to　him　personally〃on　any　subject　you　please；〃　as　an　immature　scribe　lately　sug…　gested　to　an　acquaintance　of　mine。　　The　in…　genuous　youth　purposed　to　flourish　a　letter　in　the　faces　of　his　less　fortunate　competitors；　in　order　to　show　them　that　he　was　on　familiar　terms　with　the　celebrated　So…and…So。　　This　or　a　kindred　motive　is　the　spur　to　many　a　collector。　　The　stratagems　he　employs　to　compass　his　end　are　inexhaustible。　　He　drops　you　an　off…hand　note　to　inquire　in　what　year　you　first　published　your　beautiful　poem　entitled　〃A　Psalm　of　Life。〃　　If　you　are　a　simple　soul；　you　hasten　to　assure　him　that　you　are　not　the　author　of　that　poem；　which　he　must　have　confused　with　your　〃Rime　of　the　Ancient　Mariner〃and　there　you　are。　　Another　expedient　is　to　ask　if　your　father's　middle　name　was　not　Hierophilus。　　Now；　your　father　has　probably　been　dead　many　years；　and　as　perhaps　he　was　not　a　public　man　in　his　day；　you　are　naturally　touched　that　any　one　should　have　in…　terest　in　him　after　this　long　flight　of　time。　　In　the　innocence　of　your　heart　you　reply　by　the　next　mail　that　your　father's　middle　name　was　not　Hierophilus；　but　Epaminondasand　there　you　are　again。　　It　is　humiliating　to　be　caught　swinging；　like　a　simian　ancestor；　on　a　branch　of　one's　genealogical　tree。　　　　　　Some　morning　you　find　beside　your　plate　at　breakfast　an　imposing　parchment　with　a　great　gold　seal　in　the　upper　left…hand　corner。　　This　documentI　am　relating　an　actual　occurrence　announces　with　a　flourish　that　you　have　unan…　imously　been　elected　an　honorary　member　of　The　Kalamazoo　International　Literary　Associa…　tion。　　Possibly　the　honor　does　not　take　away　your　respiration；　but　you　are　bound　by　courtesy　to　make　an　acknowledgment；　and　you　express　your　insincere　thanks　to　the　obliging　secretary　of　a　literary　organization　which　does　not　exist　anywhere　on　earth。　　　　　　A　scheme　of　lighter　creative　touch　is　that　of　the　correspondent　who　advises　you　that　he　is　replenishing　his　library　and　desires　a　detailed　list　of　your　works；　with　the　respective　dates　of　their　first　issue；　price；　style　of　binding；　etc。　　A　bibliophile；　you　say　to　yourself。　　These　inter…　rogations　should　of　course　have　been　addressed　to　your　publisher；　but　they　are　addressed　to　you；　with　the　stereotyped　〃thanks　in　advance。〃　The　natural　inference　is　that　the　correspondent；　who　writes　in　a　brisk　commercial　vein；　wishes　to　fill　out　his　collection　of　your　books；　or；　pos…　sibly；　to　treat　himself　to　a　complete　set　in　full　crushed　Levant。　　Eight　or　ten　months　later　this　individual；　having　forgotten　（or　hoping　you　will　not　remember）　that　he　has　already　de…　manded　a　chronological　list　of　your　writings；　forwards　another　application　couched　in　the　self…same　words。　　The　length　of　time　it　takes　him　to　〃replenish〃　his　library　（with　your　books）　strikes　you　as　pathetic。　　You　cannot　control　your　emotions　sufficiently　to　pen　a　reply。　　From　a　purely　literary　point　of　view　this　gentleman　cares　nothing　whatever　for　your　holograph；　from　a　mercantile　point　of　view　he　cares　greatly　and　likes　to　obtain　duplicate　specimens；　which　he　disposes　of　to　dealers　in　such　frail　merchandise。　　　　　　The　pseudo…journalist　who　is　engaged　in　preparing　a　critical　and　biographical　sketch　of　you；　and　wants　to　incorporate；　if　possible；　some　slight　hitherto　unnoted　event　in　your　lifea　signed　photograph　and　a　copy　of　your　book…　plate　are　here　in　orderis　also　a　character　which　periodically　appears　upon　the　scene。　　In　this　little　Comedy　of　Deceptions　there　are　as　many　players　as　men　have　fancies。　　　　　　A　brother　slave…of…the…lamp　permits　me　to　transfer　this　leaf　from　the　book　of　his　experi…　ence：　〃Not　long　ago　the　postman　brought　me　a　letter　of　a　rather　touching　kind。　　The　unknown　writer；　lately　a　widow；　and　plainly　a　woman　of　refinement；　had　just　suffered　a　new　affliction　in　the　loss　of　her　little　girl。　　My　correspondent　asked　me　to　copy　for　her　ten　or　a　dozen　lines　from　a　poem　which　I　had　written　years　before　on　the　death　of　a　child。　　The　request　was　so　shrinkingly　put；　with　such　an　appealing　air　of　doubt　as　to　its　being　heeded；　that　I　immediately　transcribed　the　entire　poem；　a　matter　of　a　hun…　dred　lines　or　so；　and　sent　it　to　her。　　I　am　unable　to　this　day　to　decide　whether　I　was　wholly　hurt　or　wholly　amused　when；　two　months　afterward；　I　stumbled　over　my　manuscript；　with　a　neat　price　attached　to　it；　in　a　second…hand　book…　shop。〃　　　　　　Perhaps　the　most　distressing　feature　of　the　whole　business　is　the　very　poor　health　which　seems　to　prevail　among　autograph　hunters。　　No　other　class　of　persons　in　the　community　shows　so　large　a　percentage　of　confirmed　invalids。　There　certainly　is　some　mysterious　connection　between　incipient　spinal　trouble　and　the　col…　lecting　of　autographs。　　Which　superinduces　the　other　is　a　question　for　pathology。　　It　is　a　fact　that　one　out　of　every　eight　applicants　for　a　specimen　of　penmanship　bases　his　or　her　claim　upon　the　possession　of　some　vertebral　disability　which　leaves　him　or　her　incapable　of　doing　anything　but　write　to　authors　for　their　auto…　graph。　　Why　this　particular　diversion　should　be　the　sole　resource　remains　undisclosed。　　But　so　it　appears　to　be；　and　the　appeal　to　one's　sympa…　thy　is　most　direct　and　persuasive。　　Personally；　however；　I　have　my　suspicions；　suspicions　that　are　shared　by　several　men　of　letters；　who　have　come　to　regard　this　plea　of　invalidism；　in　the　majority　of　cases；　as　simply　the　variation　of　a　very　old　and　familiar　tune。　　I　firmly　believe　that　the　health　of　autograph　hunters；　as　a　class；　is　excellent。




ROBERT　HERRICK

I

A　LITTLE　over　three　hundred　years　ago　England　had　given　to　her　a　poet　of　the　very　rarest　lyrical　quality；　but　she　did　not　dis…　cover　the　fact　for　more　than　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　afte