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192 LETTERS.
But do not therefore believe that I underrate mine. No, I
thank God for it, and I will endeavor to guard against the
egotism and meanness which so frequently sully an author,
by that earnestness which grasps life in its profundity, and
. by thinking only one thing is of importance — to do good.
In my walk in life I shall also try to labor for the good.
Should I not succeed, I shall then rejoice if others succeed
better. That God’s will be done and the welfare of man-
kind be promoted, that is the essential, the beautiful, and
the good of life.
I thank you most sincerely for your remarks about
“Nina.” If you will let me hear some more of them, I
should be still more grateful to you. Your words are al-
ways delightful to me, and afford me many subjects for
reflection. You are right in saying that I ought not to
shrink from the severest criticism, as long as it is profound,
true, and enlightening. But a criticism, like that of Mr.
A: n’s, which is full of arrogance, superficial, bitter,
hasty, full of contradictions, neither sensible nor true, can
only provoke indignation. But do not fancy that iny indig-
nation was either bitter or of long duration. It was like
April snow, or like the crackling of burning pine wood.
This unwise criticism defeats its own end, and truth is in-
deed not a gainer thereby. It is no easy task to be a good
critic. It requires a knowledge and a profundity of thought,
of which common critics have no idea. Fortunate it is
that an author has other sources than these, to which he
can look for light and power. The opinion of highly edu-
cated women is of the greatest value to me. In feeling
and in judgment they have a correctness which is incontro-
vertible, when man and what relates to him is in question.
Women have been my best critics, and if I could have fol-
lowed their advice more I should have avoided niany faults.
Yes, many and great faults have I made in my calling;
nobody can feel this more acutely than I, and nobody can
be so dissatisfied with “Nina” asIT am. Mr. A n was
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