New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-21
NEW-YORk TRIBUNE.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

| .ed he wall observe head scarcely appearing
.5ove the door ben, down study or compost
.on. Tha, head Bookings to Edwin +. Whipple,
the writer Of the book named as the subject Of hs
src.e-s head that has not many equals in the
| c,t. where II thinks, many supcrlors m the
| nation. Even physically, II u Of imposing mag
| niude--o; massive force and breadth OF brow,
| ,.llch might rest on the shoulders Ol Leibnitz
| or Luther Large aud OF deep expansion It Is
| the cspacious dome over a capacious heart, aud
filed as it u.s. with spec0lations OF noble thought
with visions aud colorngs Of beauty, il IS enriched
| and warmed with most manly and most generous
affections.
rare man is Mr.. Whipplc in rare position.
Il There he sits IN that office surrounded by all the
hard worldly passions that Journalism can put into
L type, or that traffic can put into mau musing on
/ high themes, and deciding great questions IN the
regions Of pure thought or in the realms Of many
L hued Imagination, calling spirits from the Vastly
l deep OF Intellect Fancy-settiing what place
i they are to hold IN the universe aud how they
Will stand related to duration, % Immortality OF b
| oblivion. But, withal. there is no drcaminess in
/ our muscr. aud no alcctation OF absence or alb
strecton Ever alive 10 friendship to courtesy, TO
II
/ to welcome brother, to discuss politics or talk
about the weather. Considering that his brain
may have been kindlcd up with the splendid CON
ceptons of Shelley, with light almost as splcn-
did as Sheey's own or that his heart may
have been painting with feelings aroused by the
intense pages of Byron, we cannot easily conceive
of more thorough secommand, more complete
mastery of manner aud OF mind. Looking at Mr..
Whipple thus ia the midst Of newspapers aud
merchants aud understanding in what things ls
faculties are generally engaged, we have no idea
Of a more remarkable union of the Ideal and the
Actual And we liketh connection Of the Think
err with Actually. We Of those who honor
men that keep their places IN the world OF PractI-
cal realities and feel that they are on earth for
ether purposes than writing, however brilliant the
writing be. The greatest creators OF Literature
were the least tfcrdry and what they left the
world. and what the world has preserved, were
products Of hearty and healthy nanliness, trained
bv experience among their iellows-products
Of n nurture strengthened in the midst of human
sympathes character aud passions strengthened
in the midst OF human beings they are, IN the
struggles. the Joys tho sorrows oi eNstencc--that
agitste living brains, aud pant in living hearts,
Let idealsts poetize as they may, on the dignity
Of letters we have always admired that hury
simplicity that modest grandeur in Scott which
could afford To hold the literary life as secondary to
the actual which left the writer within the covers
Of the book which confined enchsntment to the
witchery OF types. and never obtruded the Author
where only the Man was wanted. Let those who
have no full hearty actual life be literary to their
Hannah Mores Hayleys with their "Triumphs OF
Temper. aud Herveys with their Prosings among
the tombs But for our part, give us the plowman
that turns up the soil and whistles Joyous carols
on the morning air, and we shall leave stockings
dyed in blue to any male or female legs which
ache 10 wear them. We commend Mr. w nipple,
then for his connection with the actual world with
its business and its hustle and we trust that 1t is
connection which he will continue to maintain.
We trust. also, that his connection with the actual
world NAV as surely bring him fortune as his con
necton With the ideal one will bring him fame.
We cannot say" we nothing If not cnti-
cal - should We try to be critical, then, indeed
we should be nothing, and especially in the pres
snce of such criticism an is here before us We
can but utter feelings. and these Essays have
stirred feelings in US, that Periodical Essays
have stirred in us for many a long day we used
once when we were young to be charmed with
aught that touched finely upon literature
popular name in letters used to stir us like the
sound Of a trumpet A passing allusion to a sus-
gestive name used to strike as flame from Heaven
ON the graves of memory, and, presently there
arose in gorgeous resurrection, armies of emo
tons and imaginings. But lately We had fore
gone our accustomed exercises Lately there
was no spell in these things to mar us The re-
allties OF Nature aud of fact had gathered gloom
upon our brain, and Time with growing years
was putting his icy hand upon our heart. W nile
heads were maddened about us, aud hearts con
vulscd. and terrible Sin and grim Oppression
tramplcd over PROSTATE aud bleeding spirits, the
most hstrous specimens OF literary criticism be
gan IN appear to as as solemn trihng. We have
sometimes asked ourselves did Jeffrey ever see
wrctched woman with dying infant, while he
was pointing his needle sentences Did Hazhtt
ever see a broken down English peasant going
10 weep out his last days IN the work-house, while
he was grooming forth his petulant complaints
Did Macaulay ever see a stalwa art man, willing To
work. vet dying Of hunger, while he was hnsing
the rsrcst rhetoric with hues from lightning or the
RAINBOW On tht Nuua'AtI " NA'N' " Wv NN~i
ti.m Of Hastings But these fine volumes of
Whipplc, iu of heart and fan OF head, have come
with breath of iorvor 10 rcdden the embcrs that
hal not only ceased 10 blaze but even ceased 10
sparkle They have como with a glow oi hu-
msnty 70 make to the tired soul, literary men.
and literary history, pleasant as the tullness oil
harvest moon, as glowing as the gushing sun
hight OF summer dawn.
This book would be remarkable for any man II
is extraordinary for young man Were tho
9EalHy vastly inferior to what 1t is, the quantity
alone. is moral triumph. What industry, what
thought, what perseverance, what temperance,
what hope does it not evince And all this has
been done IN silence. with no prsgmatic pirate OF
labor with no cOmPainlngs Of fatigue, with no
petulance of scholarly vanity, with one duty OF
the common life neglected or overlooked. The
very bulk OF the work, we repeat, is a moral tri-