New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-17

eonis dscursive, Astounding In acute observr don of
fife in apt anecdote and what may be thou ut hardly
po.sible by those who have only known IN ar poe,
and auth or in humor His of the 1dcnlou. Is no
les Keen than his perception of beau AMI he passes
from one 10 the other with the FRI .dom of reflective
mind and rnpidiiy which, Will IL il perfectly natural
ard consistent with true lotion, sometimes has
strange effect upon the ner GEE of those who have not
been in the habit of coTng in contact with mind Of
such calbre. Les sorrnal character accustomed 10
run IN CERTAIN roadway Of thought strpy into his so
oiey when he Is in bis armchair with two or three ire
eide fends and Mr. Formally will be likely to hsvehi
eyes open very wide more than once II he remains
long listener But though it certainly can never be
charged upon Dana that he has studied 10 conceal his
opinions shrunk from setting them forth in strong
hgtr yet il IL not matter Of opinion or OF controversy
by any means that forms the staple OF his discourse
He loves rather TO dwell upon matters OF AT and man
mere, subjects connected with painting and music
and poetry The soul Of ALL Here his fountain Of ideas
is inezhsutbe and he pOurs them out so constantly
ard unerringly toward all that is high and good that
they terminate and grow upward into lofty and true
principles in the minds of others Within this circle
ard it sufficiently extensive one, few can walk 90
well as he
He has alo the rare faculty Of imperccpbly conduct
ing conversation along these quiet and secure channels
In PAIRING few hours with Dana, and those by whom
he IL usually surrounded, men lose for the while por
ton Of their individuality and ind themselves refreshed
perpexed, excited, they hardly know why how
but impressed they must be If they possess common
susceptibility There are those who have this secretly
IL
probable IN all walks of lfo-individuals who have
power 10 throw passing light those around them,
to lift them up, as II were, BY strong idosyncrafc or
idioynamic force deprived OF which they fall back by
their own nertness but few so highly charged with
this spiritual magnetism as Dana His friends must
have remarked that there many in his circle OF per
sons acquaintance who different creatures when he
is BY much wiser and wiier than ~ eny other times,
and more impossible. This H. perhaps, one OF the
most desirable species of conversational porv 1t is
net the power of eoquence and intellectual greatness
alone Ike that Of Coleridse Is rather the Scott fac
ulty who charmed listeners by his unaectedness, and
heslthnpsrting vigor II is the free intercourse oone
srirt with another" good tax, as a child of my
quainiance once expressed II.
But while we are enjoying this sort Of intercourse
three hours have slipped away, and the different
members Of the poets family, and the guests il there
are any, and there almost sure 10 be some are be-
ginning to drop in from their morning remb!cs. Ole
comes with book in hand from the shades OF the hill
another with portfolio two or three more with bask.
ots of blackberres for the bill and lis enyrons said
to be one of the best berying places in the vicinity,
~ the anythingiutuby tips OF all the ncomers bear
oral though inarticulaie evidence. While oil this
uanfpires dinner approaches and II becomes tune, az
Dana the younger might express H. 10 call oil hands;
for some III It'll away yonder, looking like Matthew
Lee
"si,ting on that lcng black ledge,
Which makes so far out into the SCI,
Feeling the kelp-woed on "a edge
and some ore still ensanguning their fingers in the
blackberry thckes, lost all considerations oil tine
md dining The call must be sow dcd, which Is horn,
blown by TriiOn-not "wrcathed horn however,
hut fH one such sends welcome echoes in summer
time all ever New England meadows. They hear and
rock, wood aid hill " rebelow to the roar" Very soon
the brought H. and the usual metGmorphOsis
in apparel the important duty Of the day commences.
Think Of thus dining. in parljr with the cool sou'h-
wet wind blowing through the lattice right of the At
lontic, diowsily murmuring on the beach below!
Turning our back on the breezy shore, we
pass over the wooded hill-sidcs Of Middlcsex,
till we arrive at the rural mansion Of the Sage
of Concord" This is a plain, square, white
Westinghouse, though with certain city air
about it, which prevents you from installing it
for a farmhouse. A quiet, transformations
you would say, has here hidden him-
self from town. A thick grove of pine and fir
trees, almost brushing the two windows on the
right Of the door, suggests at least peculiar
taste in the retired merchant, or hints the pos
sibility that he may have sold the place to
poet or philosopher, or to some old East India
sea captain, who cannot sleep without the
sound of waves, and so plants pines to rustic
surf-lihe against his chamber windows Mr.
EMERSON library is the room at the right of
the door on entering the house. 1t is simple
square room, not walled with books like the den
Of literary grub, nor merely elegant like the
retreat of dlletante The books are ar
ranged upon plain shelves, not in architectural
bookcases, and the room is hung with few
choice engravings Of the greatest men. 1t is
the study of scholar. All the authors pub
shed writings date from this room, as much
rs they date from any place or moment Pill
grims drawn TO Concord by the desire of con-
VersiDg with the man, whose cloquence has
charmed them, find him in no porch Of philoso.
ply nor academic grove, but in plain white
house by the way.sidc. The familiar reader of
Emerson will not be surprised to find the
q walking eye-ball simply sheltered, and the
= endless experimenter with no past at my
back" housed without ornament H. will be
pleased to alight at the little gate and hear the
welcome of the pines and the simple salutation
Of their owner. 1t is always morning within
those doors. If you have no gem to add to the
leapth phe OF thought you had better pass by
lpon the other side. Emerson's mind Is al.
ways on the alert. He eats no lotus, but for
4ver quais the waters which engender immor-
al thirst. His house is ffequented by throngs
If friends and enthusiasts from every quarter
Nowhere have the greatest questions of our
lay and of all days been discussed with more
'oetic insight than in the cOmely square white
house on the edge of the Lexington turnpike.
The atmosphere, however, sometimes becomes
90 ethereal to afford a ft medium for words. |
md golden silence" takes the place OF
silver speech"
II was in the year lsi5 that circle Of persons OF va
Jus sges and differing very much in everything but sym
'athy, found themselves in Concord. Toward the end
n the autumn Mr. Emerson suggested that they should
meet every Monday evening through the winter in his
library Monsieur Aubepine" miles Coverdale"