OUR FACILE MASTERY OF ENGLISH 9 



American, although on final examination he proves to be a cosmo- 

 politan. In one of his Japanese letters that genuine artist pays the 

 following tribute to words, a tribute which I believe to be absolutely 

 sincere on his part, even if it does seem extravagant to us : 



The readers do not feel as you do about words. They can't be supposed to 

 know that you think the letter A is blushing crimson, and the letter E pale sky- 

 blue. They can't be supposed to know that you think KH wears a beard and a 

 turban; and initial X is a mature Greek with wrinkles;— or that "no" has an 

 innocent, lovable, and childlike aspect. 



To these objections Hearn makes rejoinder: 



All this is true from the critic's standpoint. But from ours, the standpoint of : 

 The dreamer of dreams 

 To whom what is and what seems 

 Is often one and the same — 



To us the idea is thus: 



Because people cannot see the color of words, the tints of words, the secret 

 ghostly motion of words: 



Because they cannot hear the whispering of words, the rustling of the proces- 

 sion of letters, the dream-flutes and the dream-drums which are thinly and weirdly 

 played by words: 



Because they cannot perceive the pouting of words, the frowning and fuming 

 of words, the weeping, the raging and racketing and rioting of words: 



Because they are insensible to the phosphorescing of words, the fragrance of 

 words, the noisomeness of words, the tenderness or hardness, the dryness or 

 juiciness of words — the interchange of values in the gold, the silver, the brass 

 and the copper of words: 



Is that any reason why we should not try to make them hear, to make them 

 see, to make them feel ? Surely one who has never heard Wagner, cannot appre- 

 ciate Wagner without study! 



And in conclusion : 



I write for beloved friends who can see color in words, can smell the perfume 

 of syllables in blossom, can be shocked with the fine elfish electricity of words. 

 And in the eternal order of things, words will eventually have their rights recog- 

 nized by the people. 



Now I for one, with my dull ear and dim eye, cannot realize all 

 of these superb possibilities, but I do accept his closing thought 

 that "in the eternal order of things, words will eventually have 

 their rights recognized by the people"; even if there will always be 

 a few Humpty Dumpties on the wall. 



