Miss Lucy Osgood.
Wayland, 1864.
I joyfully hailed the sight of your hand-writing; more joyfully even than usual; because I conjectured that you would write about the biography of Theodore Parker.
It is an inspiring book, making one feel that there is nobleness in the battle of life when a true man girds on his armor for the fight.
This record confirms my impression that Theodore Parker was the greatest man, morally and intellectually, that our country has ever produced.
The manner in which the book is made up is, I think, open to some criticism.
In the first place, there is the general fault of containing too much.
It seems to me that if one half, or at least one third, had been omitted, the remaining portion would have been more unqualifiedly interesting.
In the second place, the arrangement is not orderly.
In the third place, the sentences of Mr. Weiss sometimes need studying to discover his meaning.
I have great respect and admiration for Mr. Weiss, but I do not like his style.
I often wish that his large and noble thoughts were expressed with more simplicity.
He reminds me of an anecdote of Mr. Berrien of Georgia.
A stranger, who had just been hearing Foote of Mississippi speak in Congress, remarked to Mr. Berrien, “Foote has great command of language.”
“On the contrary,” replied Berrien, “I think language has great command of him.”
I think scorn of simplicity and directness is the crying sin of writers of the present day.
