New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-04-20
THE YOUNG AMERICAN.
BY RALru WALDO EMERSON.
lecture read tero.s the Mercantile Library Association
Boston. Fet. 9Th. lSii.
lContLnued.l

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domestic architecture. Public gardens, on the
scale of such plantations in Europe and Asa, are
now unknown TO us. There is no feature OF the
old countries that more agreeaby and newly
strikes an American, than the beautiful gardens
If Europe such as the Bobol.in Florence, the WI!
Ia Bofghcse IN Rome the Villa d'ESle IN TWoli:
works easily initiated here, and which might wei
make the i.nd dear TO the citizen, and intiame
PATRIOTISM II is the fine art which Is lett tcr Us
now that sculpture, and painting, and religious
and evil architecture have become Gillette, and
have passed into second childhood. We have
twenty degrees OF latitude wherein 20 choose
seat, and the ncw. modes oi travelling enlarge the
opportunity Of selection, hy ;naklugi !; easy TO cu-
tivac very distant tracts, and YET remain III strct
intercourse w;;h the Genres OF trade and ppPuh-
ion And the vYho: force OF all the arts goes 10
facilitate the decoration OF lands and dwellings. a
garden has this advantage that 1t makes II lndi
fcrent where YOU live. a well. lad garden makes
the face oil the country about you OF no account ;
low o: high, greud OF mean, yon have made
beautiful abode worthy OF man. III the landscape
is pleasing, the garden shows It'll tame, ii ca
Guides it, 4 little grove, winch any iar:ncT can
find, or cause 10 grow near his house, will, III
few years, so 81! the eye and mind OF the iniiaoi.
tant, as to make catardcts and chains o. noun
80 contentcd'wiih his alleys woodlands, orchards,
and river. that NianaIa, aud the Notch OF the
White His, and Nanlaskei Beach, are supeTiiui-
ties. And yet the selection o: 1T houSe-!ot has
the same advantage owe: AN ind ficron; one, as the
selection 10 a gwen employment oil man WHO
has genius for HAT work. In the last case all
the culture Of years Wi! never make the most
paiustakinp scholar ms equal no more VIII gar
dcning give the advantage Of Il happy site TO
house IN il hole or on plnnicc. God Almighty
first planted garden says Lord Bacon, " and
it is tho purest of human pleasures. 1t ls the
greatest rcfreshn,ent TO the spirits Of man, With
out which, buildings and palaces arc but gross
handyworks; and ID man shall ever see that when
ages grow to civllity and eegancy, men come to
build stately, sooner than to garden iineiy US IL
gardening were the greater perfection" bacon
has followed up this sentiment IN his TWO Essays
on BuiidingS and on On deaS, with many pleas
ing details on the decoration Of lands; and Au-
brcy has giyen us all engaging account oil the
manner in which Bacon finished his own manor
at Gorha,nbury. In America, NC have hitherto
little to boast in this kind. The cities Continual
" drain the country Of the best part OF It's poPu-
lation the flower OF the youth, OF both sexes,
goes into the towns, and the country is cultivated
by n so much inferior o:sss Tho land, travel
:. Whole day togcthor,iooks poverty stricken
and the buildings plan and poor. In Europe
where society has arIstocratic structure, li!c
land is full of men Of the best stock and The best
culture, whose interest and pride 1t Is 10 remain
hall the wear on their estates, and to MI them
with cyerv convenience and ornament. OF course
these make model farms, and model architecture,
and arc . constant education 10 the eye ei the
surrounding population. Whatever events III
progress Shall 20 TO disgust men with cities, ana
inlusc into them the passion for Countrywide, ana
country pleasures, will render prodIgious service
TO the whole face OF THIS continent, and Will iur
ther the most poetic Of all the occupations OF real
life, the bringing out by art The native but hidden
graces Of the landscape.
look on such improvements, also, as directly
tending to endear the land to The inhabitani, ana
give him whatever Is valuable III local attach.
ment. ANY relation to the land, the habi, cl
,;liing it, or mining it, or even hunting on II,
generates the feeling of patriotism. lie who
keeps shop on il, or he who merely uses 1t as Il
support TO his desk and ledger or 10 has manuac-
tory, values il very little. The vast majority OF
the people OF THIS country live by the land, and
carry lis quality IN their manners and OPINIONS.
We in the Atlantic States, by position, have been
commercial and have, as SAID, imblbed easily
All European culture. Luckily for us, now thai
steam has narrowed the Atlantic TO a strait The
nervous, rocky West is intruding new ard
continental element into the national mnd and
we shall! vet have an American genius. How
much better when the whole land is a garden
and the people have grown up IN tic bowers OIL
paradise. Without looking, thcn,e to those cX'
traord,nary social influences winch arc now act
inc in precisely this direction, but only at whal l:
inevitable dong around US, | think wc must re-
yard the land us u commanding and increasing
tI,. ftyp ~,
Alncscanizing influence, which promises TO DIS
close new powers Tor ages 10 come.
.. In the second place the uprse and culml-
nation OF the new and anti-leGdal power OF Com
mcrcc, is the political fact of most significance
10 the American 1T this hour.
We cannot look Oil the freedom OF this coun-
try, in ConneXion with Its youth, without pre-
sentiment that here shall laws and institutions
exist on Suiac scale OF proportion to the ma)es'y
of nature TO men legislating Tor the vast area
be,wixt the two oceans, bctTlxt the SHOWS and
the tropics, somewhat ofthc gravity ana grandeur
of nature viii iufuse itself into the code. n
heterogeneous population crowdlng on all s'hPs
from all corners OF the world 10 the great gates
of North America namely, Boston, Newly oril,
and New. Orleans. and thence proceeding inward
10 the prairie and the mountains, and quickly
contributing their private thought 20 the public
opinion, their toll 10 The treasury. and their vote
to the election, it cannot be doubted that The
legislation of this country should become more
Catholic and cosmopolitan than that OF any
other II seems 50 easy for America to inspire
and express the most expansive and humane
spirit; new. born, free, hcathiu strong, the land
of the laborer, OF the democrat, OF the pMlanthro-
ps,, of the believer, OF the SAINT She should speak
Tor the human race. America is the county OF
the Failure From Washington, lis capital city,
proycrbially the city of magnificent distances, y
through all its cities, States, and territories is
country Of beginnings, ofproects OF vast designs
and expectations. 1t has 10 past: all mas an
onward and prospective look. And herein Is 1t
fitted TO receive more readily every generous iea-
,ure which the wisdom or the fortune OF man has
yet to express.
Gentlemen, there is a sublime and friendly
Destiny by which the human race is guided
the race never dying, the individual never spared