Oscar Hammerstein: A Wonderful Guy

What are we seeking when we read the diaries, journals, or correspondence of great men? In this cynical age, in which examples of hypocrisy are not just expected but actively pursued, many of us are looking either for a hint of scandal or a chink in the armor — some sign that an admired figure is not, in fact, without faults, or, by the same token, some confirmation that a disliked figure is, it turns out, eminently worthy of disfavor.