He said that he himself felt on reading the book as if he had been
listening at keyholes, or peeping in at windows, and seeing the
natural endearments of husband and wife, mother and children.
I said that what seemed to me to make a difference was whether the
people thus espied were conscious of the espionage or not; and that
it was no more improper to have such things revealed IN A BOOK,
than to have them described in a novel or shown upon the stage.
Moreover, it seemed to me, I said, as though to reveal such things
in a book was the perfect compromise. I feel strongly that each
home, each circle has a right to its own privacy; but I am not
ashamed of my natural feelings and affections, and, by allowing
them to appear in a book, I feel that I am just speaking of them
simply to those who will understand. I desire communion with all
sympathetic and like-minded persons; but one's actual circle of
friends is limited by time and space and physical conditions.
People talk of books as if every one in the world was compelled to
read them. My own idea of a book is that it provides a medium by
which one may commune confidentially with people whom one may never
see, but whom one is glad to know to be alive.
Pages:
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228