New-York daily tribune., 1845-05-29

| quisitc for the best success III literature.
! The frs, thing tia, strikes us in this argument is
| the wide meaning that is given 10 the word p0yQi-
Nor. iV and religion. moral and spiritual seem 70
be used almost quite synonimonslv. Nay, lhc
closing argulncn; after speaking M length upon the
religions nature Of poets and artists draws the III
ference that, dcc0rGsnciy profound moral expert
enccs are required. | think there must oe some
coniu lion in this OF the word, and propose to
| examine il.
NDrGi derived from mas. Aa0TGS, Custom. man
mrs the adjective beng used IL good sense cain;
| 10 mean "accoring to good manners good
inorai. Jar5S has au outward sense, end 30 has
moral. bod, having 3 bearing on society-
! We call s. moral man. IS this the hghes! We
can say of u man l. there any soecism in saying
y il n moral man. but b. does noble or generous
actions th5t 4. is incapable Of yet is not moral
| man What then does Bs conduct spring from.
! From a noble generous impulse. In Mr.. Pat.
mans words great thoughts, like great actions
| spring generally out Of the emotions in other
words, from i+sionate mpulsve loyc OF noi'!c-
mess or generosity b. passionate, / mean IN
! siinctirc inbonl, not derived from reason " =
/ caimo, read the histories of the saints without
fcclin. that the love OF God was an Unborn passion
| in tlcin Tie love Of glory, the love of mankind,
the love of trutil-ihesc have been not merely prin
ciTles they were passions in tiic heroes our race
| And in tho. same manner. the love OF beauty, the
| love Of melody of color, OF sound Of alnouy-lo
we not find these feelings amoUn to passions IN the
earliest vents OF the poet, the painter the musician
Now wiat is this instructive tore that Is born
with us Is il not the characteristic Of the spiritual
! nature or rather tue spiritual nature itseltl
TO return TO A. and B. " say y. acis from 11J7"
ciD}c as B does from impulse. think all .vill ad
nit tis TO be the characteristic OF moral action
| What is principle, in any ART or science Is II
not that pcrccving the universal application OF II
| truth we make il into rule 10 walk by! FarthcrI
is not science body of principles, in relation 10
any subject The principles o! music, Tor instance
constitute tie Of music, and their practical
| application is the art oi music Now is not mo-
| ralitv lust such science and art Again how do
! we arrive al principle. a savage loves music
| but he has neither science nor an art, but simply
| an instructive love of harmony; such a passionate
| love ls we Just now supposed the musical genius
10 have and 10 be derived from the spiritual nature.
| BY and by the intellect percclvcs some law, l. c.
pcrccives that such effect follows universally
from such cause. and the science nj music Is III
vented. The same is true OF all principles, and this
| is the reason why the perception oI q principle Is
perhaps the highest qualification the mind Is capa-
ble Of
The child OF tie savage has no morality, he has
only impulses This leads 10 the question whether
| the term "lnoral nature" be allowable. Take the
child the moment it has learned to use Its hands
and tongue In what full yigor do find the ami
nal nature the intellectual nature the spiritual ma
lure What restless bodily activity and strength.
vl;a; Unsuitable curiosity how the child poses you
and unerrng attractions and repusions, beyond the
reach OF reason All these the child possesses III Il
degree of activity, perhaps greater than the man
but when you come TO the moral, when you would
make ,s tceljMS of justice into Pr1RcPf you have
not TO address its reason; you have got To pursue
just the same process you would 10 teach any other
principle.
Now let us go back and examine the argument
| of the Address
Isl The author says, truth is the object of all
| intellectual cndeavor' i should say the object Of
the poet is 10 produce fine pocm of the painter TO
produce fine picture &c and that truth was the
conditioa of such production.
I'd Love OF the object necessary 10 success. THIS
agrees with what have said; the poet mus
have a passionate love mot simply oi truth but OF
| poetry.
| Sd a love and reverence for truth exists in man
| before any idea of morality is implanted.
| 4th. If what we have said be correct there Is no
moral a0ta,7r and it is from the spiritual nature
that the intellect derives lis materials,
9TH Conncxion with religion. Herc perfectly
| agree with the author. All art and all poetry Is
! closely connected with religion However weak
or erring the artist is elsewhere in the presence Of
| his art he is true dcvout, faithful He believes III
| that, if he believes in nothing else. But the error
| is in using this as an argument
Gil For the necessity of profound morG5 OK
pcriences.'
Now the artist from the necessity of his nature is
| dcblrred in n measure from outward life; III some
| arts more or some less. From his earliest child
hood hls thoughts run princpally in direction.
| He is sensible of one excellence. and undcrvalucs
| others His desires swallowed up in one desire.
10 re,roducc To this his study, his observation,
his loycs his fears all tend art is his life, and out
| ward life circumstance In the one he Is strong,
clear earnest; in tie other too often The sport OF
circumstances or passions. His works constitute
his practical lie. Take such man as Mozart
or Goldsmith. Indeed the remark is often made
that mon of genius resemble children; and thus H.
| true both of their strength and their weakness
| They want in outward action that irresistible force
and persistence that is the result of moral culture
of 1cftmg from principles. They too act from prin-
| cpics but the manifestation oi their lc;oilS IS IN
their work, not their life. Indeed. with the long
| catalogue oi illusriouS names before us we may
| we'll wonder that the facts did not stare the orator
out OF countc,iancc; nnd they certainly would have
oouc SO had he confined morality 20 moral action
| have ,iwet thus long upon this subject because
the orators view is thai is supported by the pre-
vainc OF Society, and seems 10 me 10 he found
cd in confusion that injuries alike Religion Morality
and Art In the first place We are Il moral people
We perceive the force and certainty that Morality
| impartS 10 individual and 10 Social action. We per
ceye lis immense value as III clement oi Social pro-
Srcss; and as Il natural consequence OF ali TINS ap
preciation we come 10 thn:.!ia which we find TO be
excellent 10 bc the one excellence, and applicable
Ia All things We call il Nature which il L. not Y
Nay We cndow il with sixth sense, called the
mora, sense We doub, even if ii he not the same
with Religion; any rate we con'ound it with Re
licion, and tho spiritual we make lis eNpctive or
SYNONYM.
LIE, Ms, then confess and not fear 10 be looked
upon as enemies OF well doing, that while Morality
is the science OF outward action, Indispensable 10
the complete man, Indispensable 10 all consistent
we'll doing that while the genius rs member oi
society is equally amenabc lis laws with the rest
of us there have yet been some magnificent chll-
dren unskillcd to walk here upon our earth. or by
our laws who have Yet had, like Tircsias, an in
ward light to which our light is twilight. Ger,
,ainty to which our knowledge is pcdantry
We are in n singular position in regard 10 Art \
savage nation beginning 10 be civilized is the cradle
of Art: but we have never been a savage nation.
civilized nation has the works of its infancy. which
i, preserves as man does the dreams Of his child
hood with sacred awe. as fountain OF inspira-
ton and nobility FOR all time but our elder brothers
across the water have retained all that is of this
patrimony save the uurotainable, Poetry 1t Is not
TOO much to say thai in respect oil Initiative