New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-01-08
fner-0n,s Plato.
EfHFF-OHh fHtVs
Correspondence Of The Tribune.

Correspondence Of The Tribune.
BosToS, Jan ;. 1919.
DEAR TRIBUsE. Two or three weeks ago lis
tened to the spin. stirring csdences OF Emerson lie
Iec,ured upon Plato before select audience, in the
church OF Rev. James Freeman Clark. The audience
was such a. we have in Boston-ony in Boston Ii
was composed of persons subdued TO intellectual devo
ton by the apostolic preaching Of Mr. Clark soitened
from the ssperity engendered by compettory life BY
tho benign eloquence Of William Henry Charming and
now kinded 10 strange Intellectual life BY the insp
ring muse Of Emerson twould have done your heart
good 10 have looked upon this audience-such facial
angles, sofrened by tbs angelic touch OF purity Of
thought, Of inspired faith, of earnest endeavor.
Plato said Emerson, philosophy, and philosophy IL
Plato. In him, too are found the surorsl beams Of
Christianity and here ia forecast the Koran Of No
BANNED. Everybody finds his peculiar taste gfa,ifed
In Plato to the French be is Partisan 10 the German
Teutonic In this respect he is like Helen Of Argos
whose beauty made everybody that her feel rels
ted to her 1t is remarkable that uncertainty exists
TO the authenticity Of Of the writings Of genius
Of Homer, of Plato snd Shakespeare This is because
these great minds msgnetsed and assmlated TO them
selves those about them and thus each lived in several
bodies 1t is said that Plsao plsgiarsed. IT IS only
the inventor who knows how to borrow " and the stu
pendous genius Of Plato could not but absorb all the
learning of the times. Another merit OF Plato was,
that, being q philosopher, he was something beyond,
be a poet. A man TO attain perfection in any
department must stand on higher ground than that
be works upon. The biography Of Plato Is short.-
80 10 that OF all seniuses 1t 10 written In their
books and In the painting of Plstos pen, are
10 look for the portraits OF his family and the pictures
Of his home. Plato pstrician by birth In early
life had inclination for war but was arrested BY the
persuasion OF Socrates with whom he remained from
the age Of 20 till 80 Then Plato Travelled TO Italy 70
Egypt To Babylon II is said and, returning from his
tour his celebrated Academy at Athens, and
finally died 10 the act Of writing at the Of FL years
The writings Of Plato are ever young. ever modern
for In them exists In the germ the Europe OF our day
This 10 the test Of genius Is II ever young never out
grown by any passage Of time - Emerson said All
onioogy existed ia two depsrtmeDts-uuity and
riety. BY prayer by religion soar 20 unity having
communion with God. Hence the religious and en-.
hghtened man be selfish he has felt the
living sense OF his being Ia God aud the God Is
every thing about him; the words and niue eonsti
tute Ignorance" To the religious, form 10 imprsOn
ment "that which the soul seeks is resolution into
being above form -" emancipation from organization"
Psto learned In Asis this religion. which ever goes
back from the varied rradision Of the one 10 It's cen
trail being. He also possessed Italian intellect and art
to trace his way back again from the 10 the dru
sion Of variety. He shall be ss god to me, said
Plato, who can rightly divide aud define When
see he said, who the whole and the parts,
tread on his steps like those Of q god Devotion,
says Emerson babes in the central sunlight OF the
one Art represents the BY variety Indebtedness
and detects the and the same In Its variety hel-
gion Art lntellect-a these had Plato I" lie united
the freest poetry with the most exact geometry
his energy of thought was like the momentum OF the
falling planet his discretion like It's return 10 the curve
Plato believed In pre,ernatural faculties. lie knew
too that the sublime essence OF all being Is beyond the
stretch of human Ken. But la this respect Emerson
criticised Plato Though immense OF vision, he had
Platonzed the subjects Of his thoughts and liked HE
copy right upon the world Bat II Is the creation Of
God and not OF Plato and partial Intelligence can
expound H. except to the limits OF mite understand
Ing and with the coloring OF an imperfect mind PA
90. moreover, was too eqosl, too complete you are
scream of the prophet or tue swayiDg force OF the
unettered Arab Socrates and Plato said Emerson
are the double which instrument has been able
entirely 10 separate" Ii was happy thing that socra
tes the vice fsop OF the mob yet SO honest and en-
thasissc In religion early impressed Plato, and took
lasting position In the foreground Of his mind
Thus have snatched away for you dear Tribune,
few gems from the discourse OF Emerson. But as
cannot transmit you the music OF hls meditation TO
which they set, you but dimly perceive their
souldsz xling fascination. Emersons style of speech
would for him another fable like that OF the
bees who clustered upon the lips OF Plato in his
cradle. k +. +.