nearly all people who are old
enough know how to do both. We can understand that this man may have
beautiful thoughts--the thoughts of a true poet or of a true
artist--but being unable to write or to spell he could not put his
thoughts on paper for others to read and to study. This is the way
thoughts are preserved and made into books so that people may benefit
by them.

It would, therefore, be necessary for this man, about whom we speak,
to get the assistance of some one who knew how to write thoughts and
to spell their words. Then, together, they would have to talk about
the thoughts, choose proper words, form the sentences, and make all
fit rightly together as a writer must who desires to be clear. But it
is more than likely that the one who writes would not do all these
things to the satisfaction of the other. Of this there could be but
one result. The person who had the beautiful thoughts would be forever
wishing that he had learned in the first days to write and to spell.
Then he could do all these things for himself and show his thoughts to
others exactly as he wished them to appear.

Now it is clear that some may have beautiful and valuable thoughts and
not know how to write them, while others may have the ability to write
without having thoughts worth preserving. Evidently what one must have
are both beautiful thoughts and ability to write them.

Did you think when I read you that bit from the letter of Mendelssohn
that all a composer has to do is to find in his heart just what he
wants to say? As we have already discovered, that is not enough. To
show you that Mendelssohn was not afraid of hard work let us read a
little from another of his letters.[29] Mendelssohn had resolved to
work in Germany and maintain himself. "If I find that I cannot do
this, then I must leave it for London or Paris, where it is easier to
get on. I see indeed where I should be more honored, and live more
gaily and more at my ease than in Germany, where a man must press
forward, and toil, and take no rest,--still, if I can succeed there,
_I prefer_ the latter."[30]

We can now understand that it is quite the same with word-thinkers and
with tone-thinkers. Good thoughts and the proper writing of them make
the classics.

Out of this thought there comes another. It is this: Great thoughts,
expressed well, out of a great heart, make the works which last the
longest; and still further, for one truth leads out of another. Only
they ca