New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1842-03-11
THE TRIBUNE.

Mr.. EMEksoS's FOURTH LEcTURE.-in com
mencing his fourth Lecture, MIR. Emerson alluded
10 the general but mistaken belief that she
views which arc manifesting themselves IN New
England, and which arc knswn by the name OF
Transccndentalisre, are new views; he sad thcE
were the very oldest doctrines passed into the
world in somewhat new form-given to item By
prevailing circumstances. Light, he said. was
ALWAYS identical: ii falls however. upon variety
Of objects and Ia thus first, revealed TO us 30
literature and thought the same. always ara III
every land; the same to-day centuries aso-tiis
same in Rome as in London-thc same IN hisoaa
as in New York The whole fact concerning these
new views is this: tina, Transccndenasm among
Us Is nothing bu, decentralization as itappcars
in l84o All thinking men in all times have been
divided into two sects-Alaterialiss and ldcallss
the first founding every thing on Experience, and
the others On Consciousness. Materallsni begins
10 think from the senses IdealisIn. owing 10
greater constitutional vivacity, Pcrcelvcs that the
senses arc not nal and says that theygve US only
representations Of things; but what the things
themselves are they cannot tell. Matellallsm ba-
Ideslism on pure though, and the will, on inspira-
ton on miracles and individual attraction Both
these mode. are natural but the ldcali.t insists
that his Is of the hi CHEST nature. DE comedies all
that the other aiiirms he admits the impressions
OF sense but afrms facts that not affected by
the illusions of sense and asserts their superiority
10 natural facts; and says that it needs only
retirement from the senses to see them. Every
Ideals, will be natural Even Cond!ac, the most
accurate Of the Maerialists, says that though man
scars into heaven or sinks into the abyss. he Gun
never go out Of himself; he always is that which
he perccivcs-und this is ldeasm. The Mate
Iiulis shifts and Knocks these tine-sphn theories
and thinks the astronomer the only man. But t
is easy to show that he is ust as fantastic, and
philosopher need ask him only or two sim
pie questions to that his doctrines also become
quite dim and impapablc before the sensas.-
He is sure Of one thing that the Maierialis,s sys
tom is certain and does not give him thehead-ache
figures do not lie, and the multiplication table has
always been found sufficiently accnrntc; thut these
fine thought soon pass away. But ask him achy
his experience in these matters continues uniform
and on what ground it is founded and you will ind
the same quaking as in the other. The matcrialist
takes his departure from experience and estimates
man ns he finds him; the Gdcahst takes his depart.
ure from consciousness and says that all else is
mere appearance. This distinguishes the TWO sys
TENS. idealism measures things BY the rank they
take in consciousness. Himself he regards the
sole reality, OF which men and all nuturc besides
arc only reflections. He respects what is called
great labor and its products, religion, charters,
governments only they are manifold aPpcaran-
ces reiteruting his own being. My thought.
he SAYS. ihatis the Universe He feels that the
highest dignity Of man is To be sc-s'istnlncd Ito
need no foreign force to help him on. Society Is
good when il does no,zn ure or impede me; it's
best when it is likcsl TO solitude. The Deity
dwclls alone; and everything divine shares this
self-reliance. This thought which is called j, Is
the mould into which, the world from without is
poured and from which it takes its shape. As
am 30 shall | acts so shall associates shall
speak The rransccndcntali>t adopts the whole
circle Of spiritual doctrine: ebcleves in the mir
acle: he believes in inspiration: in cccslay: he
wishes that the spiritual principle should den'n-
strate itself to the end He Iesists all attempts
TO palm foreign words or forces upon his spirit.
He SAYS with Jncobi am that goddess person who
would lie as the diving Dcsdcmonn lied: who
would commit sucricge with David: who would
commit murder as Brutus did who would pluck
corn as Jesus did on the Sabbath because the needs
of my nature demand IL It is the divinity of
man that gives divinity to his acts. The spirit OF
of Buddhism is the same Ii thanks no man
latters man, but believes that every good dcen
s sure of Its reward
twill easily be seen from these views that there
is no such thing as transcendenlul party--therc
can be no such thing pure transccndentallSt
We only know these men Is the prophets and her
aids of such doctrnc--,s harbngcrs and lore
runners. History ailrms example OF n purely
spiritual life; there is man who has lived tins
higher life and eaten angels food. Though with.
OUT thought he finds himself fed and S}ctercd-
he knows not how, and yet it is by his own hand.
1t is only In the lower anim,S that we find some
thing of this; the squirrel boards nuts and the
bee honcy-thcy know not why-;lnd yet II Is tor
thoir life. This Way of thinking fell on Roman
times and gave birth to Stsics: in heroic times and
produced Gates: in supersiitious times and pro-
duced Apostles: i'll Unitarian and Conservative
times and produced Transccndentalisls.
This doctrine acquired the name-Iran Sccndcni-
alism-from the use of the term by lmmamel
Kant of konigsbcrg, in his reply To the sccptical
philosophy of Locke. 1t has colnrcd the covcisa-
tion and poetry Of the present day, and the history
of these times will be the history OF TIL. tendency
Ii has caused class of men who believe in its
precep,s and surrender themselves 10 its tendency
TO withdraw from the marle; and forum and to lead
n certain severe, critical and solitary life They
prefer to wander in the groves and the noun
1ains and to delight themselves the country,
rather than be content with such accommodations
as the CITY affords them To them the writing of
Hamets or an Epic-thc building an Empire, We're
Il drudgerv. Every crcaturc-aSp or angcl-nlsl
work after its kind and so do they and we may
well begin to ask what it is that these companions
and conntrymen Of ours think and do. Oar Liter
allure and Spiritual history, it must be confessed,
vet in the opatve mood: but whose sees
these admirable radicals taking severely task
lh. things nd arnul,d moods be rve thai