[Boston—Tuesday, 25 September 1866]
Tuesday rainy, east wind, and mist, dressmaking, shopping & reading manuscripts. Have had button-holes made by a machine for the first time—good but somewhat expensive in actual outlay although a saving of time which of course saves life-wear and money at the same time.
J. is making selections from Swinburne—leaving out his licentious verses which are too full of indecent pictures in words to be read aloud, he will then print a volume, play & poems in one. He is a man of real genius and so young, we heard he is but 30 he may yet come out of these slums for he is brilliant and forcible in expression “beautiful diction thrown away” said J.
Winslow Homer came to town & called on J. today (the painter from N.Y.) also a youth of good education from Toronto, a perfect Goldsmith in simplicity but full of ability. Thought he could fall to work in the “Atlantic” immediately, J. gave him a letter to N.Y. Eve. Post, explained difficulties at which the poor youth was first aghast then abundantly grateful. J. thinks he is one of the kind to be well employed.
Osgood goes to N.Y. every Thursday & returns every Tuesday. J. & Clarke attend to business & Atlantic here. By the way a new and eager boy came to J. for his advice yesterday, of most respectable family, one who is soon to be promoted but in the meantime is office-boy. It is singularly hard considering the times are called “hard” to find a boy to wait in & clean the office. This one is almost a young man (17 years) but his eagerness is quite beautiful. He told J. yesterday he had been timing the walk from his boarding-house to the office that he might never be late, found it took him just 22 minutes to walk.
Lowell has written a new introduction to the Biglow papers 2d Vol. the most egotistic, it is said, but the most learned thing he has done, giving some record or suggestion of his knowledge which is so vast it hardly has a competitor here and should not be allowed to die unexpressed. He has been writing about Howells in the North American, in immense praise almost too much for so young a man, even if it were all quite deserved—but about H’s future it appears to me we must say “nous verrons” he does not appear to me a vatis but his book is charming, showing much talent, and should be fitly praised.
Prof. Holmes came in a moment to-night to speak about a proof. He lingered and talked of men and things, somewhat about his son lately returned from Europe where he has had a run through the best society of England and walked over two Alps. “He doesn’t talk much about it though, it comes out little by little, it has not altered him one hair’s breadth, except perhaps occasionally in the pronunciation of some word for half an hour which soon comes all right again. He’s not easily thrown off his balance and although tis a pleasure to have seen the best society because if up to that you’re not likely to be thrown out anywhere else, still he is not altered materially and is reading again at the law as he was before he went.
--“Dear me! How I hate strangers and new people. I always feel like leaving my card and a cake of soap for it is so rare a thing to find a clean gentleman. Why, just think of it. Forceythe Willson came in for half an hour the other day and after he had gone my wife opened the door saying, “you need not tell me whose [sic] been here,” the odor was so strong. Think how dreadful! Lowell thinks it is [illegible word]—but all I want is to have him put in and boiled—boiled and soaped,—as I would like to do to several other persons I know.”
He is already on the “last third of the fifth part” of his story. We don’t like to show him the last of “Griffith Gaunt” which is so magnificently handled for the same idea of infusing life from one body to another is used by both although in different ways.
