What do you do with your railroad presidents? You take good care that _they_ get their work done, don't you? They have secretaries to catch every word, they have private cars to carry them where they would go, men to run and serve them, to make smooth their paths and save their every instant for them! But your poet, your man of genius--who makes smooth _his_ paths, who helps _him_? He needs nobody to run and serve him--he needs no cars and no palaces, no gold and precious raiment--no, nor even praise and honor! What he needs--I have said it once--he needs but to be left alone, to listen to the voices of his soul, and to have some one bring him food to keep him alive while he does it. That--only that!--think of it--for the most precious things of this life, the things that alone save this life from being a barren mockery and a grinning farce! And he can not have them--and you, you enlightened society, you never care about it, you never _think_ of it! * * * * * If he comes a master, he can force his way; or if he be rich, or if some one honor him, then he can live his life and heed nothing. But when he is poor! And when he is weak! And when he is young! God help him, God help him!--for you, you great savage world, you _crush_ him. * * * * * You send him to the publishers! And he is young, and crude, and inexperienced! He has not found himself, he has not found his voice, he stammers, he falters, he is weak! And you send him to the publishers! * * * * * I have said it once, I say it again: that the publisher is part of the world and his law is a law of iron--he publishes the books that will sell. And this feeble voice, this young love, this tender aspiration, this holy purpose--oh, it is a thing to make one shudder! * * * * * And these things higher yet, these things so precious that we dare not whisper them--this new awe of righteousness--this new rage at what the world loves best--this flash of insight that will astound a new age! * * * * * You send it all to the publisher! * * * * * But what _can_ you do? I will tell you what you can do--I will tell you what you _will_ do when you come finally to honor what is truly precious in this life--when you are really civilized and enlightened--when you really believe in and value Genius. * * * * *