Touch　us　gently；　Time！　　　　　　Let　us　glide　adown　thy　stream；
  was　written　in　one　of　his　rare　moments。　　Leigh　Hunt；　though　not　without　questionable　manner…　isms；　was　rich　in　the　inspiration　that　came　but　infrequently　to　his　friend。　　Hunt's　verse　is　full　of　natural　felicities。　　He　also　was　a　bookman；　but；　unlike　Barry　Cornwall；　he　generally　knew　how　to　mint　his　gathered　gold；　and　to　stamp　the　coinage　with　his　own　head。　　In　〃Hero　and　Lean…　der〃　there　is　one　line　which；　at　my　valuing；　is　worth　any　twenty　stanzas　that　Barry　Cornwall　has　written：
  So　might　they　now　have　lived；　and　so　have　died；　　　　　　The　story's　heart；　to　me；　still　beats　against　its　side。
  Hunt's　fortunate　verse　about　the　kiss　Jane　Carlyle　gave　him　lingers　on　everybody's　lip。　That　and　the　rhyme　of　〃Abou　Ben　Adhem　and　the　Angel〃　are　spice　enough　to　embalm　a　man's　memory。　　After　all；　it　takes　only　a　handful。
  DECORATION　DAY
  HOW　quickly　Nature　takes　possession　of　a　deserted　battlefield；　and　goes　to　work　repairing　the　ravages　of　man！　　With　invisible　magic　hand　she　smooths　the　rough　earthworks；　fills　the　rifle…pits　with　delicate　flowers；　and　wraps　the　splintered　tree…trunks　with　her　fluent　drapery　of　tendrils。　　Soon　the　whole　sharp　out…　line　of　the　spot　is　lost　in　unremembering　grass。　Where　the　deadly　rifle…ball　whistled　through　the　foliage；　the　robin　or　the　thrush　pipes　its　tremu…　lous　note；　and　where　the　menacing　shell　de…　scribed　its　curve　through　the　air；　a　harmless　crow　flies　in　circles。　　Season　after　season　the　gentle　work　goes　on；　healing　the　wounds　and　rents　made　by　the　merciless　enginery　of　war；　until　at　last　the　once　hotly　contested　battle…　ground　differs　from　none　of　its　quiet　surround…　ings；　except；　perhaps；　that　here　the　flowers　take　a　richer　tint　and　the　grasses　a　deeper　emerald。　　　　　　It　is　thus　the　battle　lines　may　be　obliterated　by　Time；　but　there　are　left　other　and　more　last…　ing　relics　of　the　struggle。　　That　dinted　army　sabre；　with　a　bit　of　faded　crepe　knotted　at　its　hilt；　which　hangs　over　the　mantel…piece　of　the　〃best　room〃　of　many　a　town　and　country　house　in　these　States；　is　one；　and　the　graven　headstone　of　the　fallen　hero　is　another。　　The　old　swords　will　be　treasured　and　handed　down　from　gener…　ation　to　generation　as　priceless　heirlooms；　and　with　them；　let　us　trust；　will　be　cherished　the　custom　of　dressing　with　annual　flowers　the　rest…　ing…places　of　those　who　fell　during　the　Civil　War。
  With　the　tears　a　Land　hath　shed　　　　　　　　　Their　graves　should　ever　be　green。
  Ever　their　fair；　true　glory　　　　　　　　　Fondly　should　fame　rehearse　　　　　　Light　of　legend　and　story；　　　　　　　　　Flower　of　marble　and　verse。
  The　impulse　which　led　us　to　set　apart　a　day　for　decorating　the　graves　of　our　soldiers　sprung　from　the　grieved　heart　of　the　nation；　and　in　our　own　time　there　is　little　chance　of　the　rite　being　neglected。　　But　the　generations　that　come　after　us　should　not　allow　the　observance　to　fall　into　disuse。　　What　with　us　is　an　expression　of　fresh　love　and　sorrow；　should　be　with　them　an　ac…　knowledgment　of　an　incalculable　debt。　　　　　　Decoration　Day　is　the　most　beautiful　of　our　national　holidays。　　How　different　from　those　sul…　len　batteries　which　used　to　go　rumbling　through　our　streets　are　the　crowds　of　light　carriages；　laden　with　flowers　and　greenery；　wending　their　way　to　the　neighboring　cemeteries！　　The　grim　cannon　have　turned　into　palm　branches；　and　the　shell　and　shrapnel　into　peach　blooms。　　There　is　no　hint　of　war　in　these　gay　baggage　trains；　ex…　cept　the　presence　of　men　in　undress　uniform；　and　perhaps　here　and　there　an　empty　sleeve　to　remind　one　of　what　has　been。　　Year　by　year　that　empty　sleeve　is　less　in　evidence。　　　　　　The　observance　of　Decoration　Day　is　un…　marked　by　that　disorder　and　confusion　common　enough　with　our　people　in　their　holiday　moods。　The　earlier　sorrow　has　faded　out　of　the　hour；　leaving　a　softened　solemnity。　　It　quickly　ceased　to　be　simply　a　local　commemoration。　　While　the　sequestered　country　churchyards　and　burial…　places　near　our　great　northern　cities　were　being　hung　with　May　garlands；　the　thought　could　not　but　come　to　us　that　there　were　graves　lying　southward　above　which　bent　a　grief　as　tender　and　sacred　as　our　own。　　Invisibly　we　dropped　unseen　flowers　upon　those　mounds。　　There　is　a　beautiful　significance　in　the　fact　that；　two　years　after　the　close　of　the　war；　the　women　of　Colum…　bus；　Mississippi；　laid　their　offerings　alike　on　Northern　and　Southern　graves。　　When　all　is　said；　the　great　Nation　has　but　one　heart。
  WRITERS　AND　TALKERS
  AS　a　class；　literary　men　do　not　shine　in　con…　versation。　　The　scintillating　and　playful　essayist　whom　you　pictured　to　yourself　as　the　most　genial　and　entertaining　of　companions；　turns　out　to　be　a　shy　and　untalkable　individual；　who　chills　you　with　his　reticence　when　you　chance　to　meet　him。　　The　poet　whose　fascinating　volume　you　always　drop　into　your　gripsack　on　your　summer　vacationthe　poet　whom　you　have　so　long　desired　to　know　personallyis　a　moody　and　abstracted　middle…aged　gentleman；　who　fails　to　catch　your　name　on　introduction；　and　seems　the　avatar　of　the　commonplace。　　The　witty　and　ferocious　critic　whom　your　fancy　had　painted　as　a　literary　cannibal　with　a　morbid　appetite　for　tender　young　poetsthe　writer　of　those　caustic　and　scholarly　reviews　which　you　never　neglect　to　readdestroys　the　un…lifelike　portrait　you　had　drawn　by　appearing　before　you　as　a　personage　of　slender　limb　and　deprecat…　ing　glance；　who　stammers　and　makes　a　painful　spectacle　of　himself　when　you　ask　him　his　opinion　of　〃The　Glees　of　the　Gulches；〃　by　Popo…　catepetl　Jones。　　The　slender；　dark…haired　novel…　ist　of　your　imagination；　with　epigrammatic　points　to　his　mustache；　suddenly　takes　the　shape　of　a　short；　smoothly…shaven　blond　man；　whose　conversation　does　not　sparkle　at　all；　and　you　were　on　the　lookout　for　the　most　brilliant　of　verbal　fireworks。　　Perhaps　it　is　a　dramatist　you　have　idealized。　　Fresh　from　witnessing　his　de…　lightful　comedy　of　manners；　you　meet　him　face　to　face　only　to　discover　that　his　own　manners　are　anything　but　delightful。　　The　play　and　the　playwright　are　two　very　distinct　entities。　　You　grow　skeptical　touching　the　truth　of　Buffon's　assertion　that　the　style　is　the　man　himself。　　Who　that　has　encountered　his　favorite　author　in　the　flesh　has　not　sometimes　been　a　little；　if　not　wholly；　disappointed？　　　　　　After　all；　is　it　not　expecting　too　much　to　expect　a　novelist　to　talk　as　cleverly　as　the　clever　characters　in　his　novels？　　Must　a　dramatist　necessarily　go　about　armed　to　the　teeth　with　crisp　dialogue？　　May　not　a　poet　be　allowed　to　lay　aside　his　singing…robes　and　put　on　a　con…　ventional　dress…suit　when　he　dines　out？　　Why　is　it　not　permissible　in　him　to　be　as　prosaic　and　tiresome　as　the　rest　of　the　company？　　He　usually　is。
  ON　EARLY　RISING
  A　CERTAIN　scientific　gentleman　of　my　acquaintance；　who　has　devoted　years　to　investigating　the　subject；　states　that　he　has　never　come　across　a　case　of　remarkable　longevity　un…　accompanied　by　the　habit　of　early　rising；　from　which　testimony　it　might　be　inferred　that　they　die　early　who　lie　abed　late。　　But　this　would　be　getting　out　at　the　wrong　station。　　That　the　majority　of　elderly　persons　are　early　risers　is　due　to　the　simple　fact　that　they　cannot　sleep　morn…　ings。　　After　a　man　passes　his　fiftieth　milestone　he　usually　awakens　at　dawn；　and　his　wakeful…　ness　is　no　credit　to　him。　　As　the　theorist　con…　fined　his　observations　to　the　aged；　he　easily　reached　the　conclusion　that　men　live　to　be　old　because　they　do　not　sleep　late；　instead　of　per…　ceiving　that　men　do　not　sleep　late　because　they　are　old。　　He　moreover　failed　to　take　into　ac…　count　　the　numberless　young　lives　that　have　been　shortened　by　matutinal　habits。　　　　　　The　intelligent　reader；　and　no　other　is　　sup…　posable；　need　not　be　told　that　the　early　bird　aphorism　is　a　warning　and　not　an　incentive。　The　fate　of　the　worm　refutes　the　pretended　ethical　teaching　of　the　proverb；　which　assumes　to　illustrate　the　advantage　of　early　rising　and　does　so　by　showing　how　extremely　dangerous　it　is。　　I　have　no　patience　with　the　worm；　and　when　I　rise　with　the　lark　I　am　always　careful　to　select　a　lark　that　has　overslept　himself。　　　　　　The　example　set　by　this　mythical　bird；　a　　myth…　ical　bird　so　far　as　New　England　is　concerned；　has　wrought　wide…spread　mischief　and　discom…　fort。　　It　is　worth　noting　that　his　method　of　　ac…　complishing　these　ends　is　directly　the　reverse　of　that　of　the　Caribbean　insect　mentioned　by　Laf…　cadio　Hearn　in　his　enchanting　〃Two　Years　in　the　French　West　Indies〃a　species　of　colossal　cricket　called　the　wood…kid；　in　the　creole　tongue；　cabritt…bois。　　This　ingenious　pest　works　a　sooth…　ing；　sleep…compelling　chant　from　sundown　until　precisely　half　past　four　in　the　morning；　when　it　suddenly　stops　and　by　its　silence　awakens　everybody　it　has　lulled　into　slumber　with　its　in…　sidious　croon。　　Mr。　Hearn；　with　strange　obtuse…　ness　to　the　enormity　of　the　thing；　blandly　re…　marks：　〃For　thousands　of　early　risers　too　poor　to　own　a　clock；　the　cessation　of　its　song　is　the　signal　to　get　up。〃　　I　devoutly　trust　that　none　of　the　West　India　islands　furnishing　such　satanic　entomological　specimens　will　ever　be　annexed　to　the　United　States。　　Some　of　our　extreme　ad…　vocates　of　territorial　expansion　might　spend　a　profitable　few　week