Volume I Part 11 (2/2)

[5] Hearn rarely dated his letters, but in nment of a fairly definite date

Thus Greece furnished Rome with nearly all the soft instruments of the family of flutes and of lyres; Germany and the provinces of the North, inhabited by warlike races, taught their conquerors to acquire a taste for terrible instruments, of the family of trumpets and of drureatly multiplied the nuion, naturalized a instruypt introduced the sistruether with the worshi+p of Isis; and no sooner had Byzantiuion of Christ adopted theht consecrate them exclusively to the solemnities of her worshi+p, West and East

”All the varieties of instrue in the capital of the Empire; first at Rome, then at Byzantium; when the Roman decline marked the last hour of this vast concert, then, at once ceased the orations of the Ean Gods in the temples; then were silenced and scattered those musical instruments which had taken part in the poious celebrations; then disappeared and becaan civilization had made use of, but which became useless a is the description of an organ,--a wonderful organ,--in a letter from St Jerome to Dardanas,--made of fifteen pipes of brass, two air-reservoirs of elephant's skin, and two forge bellows for the imitation of the sound of thunder The writer coht early Italian, about ten early French, and some Spanish authors--all antiquated and unfa I shall talk about EGO,--I shall talk about ME

I a here by my letters to the paper I think I can make about 40 per month This will keep me alive and comfortable I am determined never to resuht; and then you knohat a horrid life it is While acting as correspondent I shall have ti better than police news I have a lot of work h I never expect toSo far I have had a real hard time; but I hope to do better now, as they send ularly

I do not intend to leave New Orleans, except for farther South,--the West Indies, or South A ith it soon

I think I can redeeood society; and as everybody is poor in the South, my poverty is no drawback

Yours truly, ?a??ad??

TO H E KREHBIEL

NEW ORLEANS, 1877

MY DEAR KREHBIEL,--I am charmed with your letter,--your paper, and your exquisite little jocose progra that really shtful little parties of this kind were given That cenacle was established by the disciples of Victor Hugo,--_les Hugolatres_, as they were ly but perhaps also nobly named; and the records of its perfors in French literature

Hector Berlioz was one of the merry crowd,--and Berlioz, by the way, had written some fine romances as well as fine musical compositions

There is a touch, a brilliant touch, of real art in all these little undertakings of yours, which gives meof the _tout-ensehtly think I was talking about sonorant Do you knoever, that I have never forgotten that pretty Chinese melody I heard at the club that day; and I so it involuntarily

I aot Char Lee's instruments, and are soon to receive others Were there any Indian instruet you soer araces could not be more evident than in them Le Pere Rouquette, their ht have been half a century ago He is going to take me out to one of their camps on Lake Pontchartrain soon, and I shall try to pick you up so queer

As yet I have not received the Chinese Play, etc, but rite when I do, and return it as pro from a week's sickness--fever and bloody flux--and I don't believe I weigh ninety pounds You never saw such a sight as I am I have been turned nearly black; and my face is so thin that I can see every bone as if it had only a piece of parchment drawn over it And then all my hair is cut close to the skin I have had hard work to crawl out of bed the last few days, but aular yellow fever noould certainly go to the cemetery; for I aives only wages to its ees,--and literary reputation to its capitalists; although in France the opposite condition exists There are exceptions, of course, when aits value, allows its free exercise That has been your case to a certain degree; you have not only won a reputation for yourself, but have given a tone and a standing to the paper which in ot everything here down to a fine point--three hours' work a day!

There is but one thing here to cos

They are remarkably cool, sweet, juicy, and tender Unfortunately they are too delicate to bear shi+petic _thought_ is out of the question; and unfortunately the only inspiring hour, the cool night, I cannot utilize on account of gaslight When the night coht of Northern suht of which the divine Greek poet wrote,--”O holy night, hoell dost thou harmonize with me; for to rance!”

The infinite gulf of blue above seems a shoreless sea, whose foa and flickering and palpitating, a vast stillness filled with perfume prevails over the land,--ht-birds and crickets; and all the busy voices of business are dead The boats are laid up, cotton presses closed, and the city is half e But I etic clireat deal if you are not

_Melusine_ is preserving all those curious peasant songs with their music,--sohtful relish to you