New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-09-23


called discussion which is forced by the pressure
of outside opinion. to be all Of one sde') OUT
other writers. they insist upon it, must eschew
politics (if politics includes Slavery altogether
They measure their approval of literature as tue
parishioner in the anecdote measured bis ap-
proyal of the ps.tor's mountaineering those
best which refrained from sny unpiea,int allusion
10 religion.
81 ct your Magazines be exclusively literary,
exclsims this writer in The Initlligenesr aud all
bis clsss-but what do they mean by literature
Does ii consist of namby- pamby verses, maudnn
love. tales, pedantic essays on Hebrew roots aud
trsgical- funny attempts to be witty over small
topics' Does the function Of literature exhaust
tselfin
sucsIirs fool, and :bronieling small beer
Has il no broader field thsn the graceful tri6ing
of the bellies lettres no other home than GFuo-
street-no deeper. esrnester, loftier sympathles
than those of the book-worm' In short, Is 1t
Lot the free expression of the intellect and heart
of nation, bound to no special interests, en-
shaved BY no local prejudices, restricted to NJ
single channels of communication, bat pouring
itself forth with the might and majesty and exult-
ing bound Of the Mississippi Is il not the utter
spce Of all that people thinks aud Of all that it
feels. on all the great questions which involve Its
own destiny as nation, as well as the destinies
of the worldl Does not its peculiar worth aud
glory depend upon the fact that il is the honest
and fearless record of the struggles of genius TO
convey it's own sense Of the problems of the
time TO lift the controversies Of petty parties into
the light Of principle, and to guide the common
mind TO sound conclusions and noble hopes
For our part we confess that we have no con-
ception of a literature, except as worthless,
which should overlook the investigation and dis
cussion Of the great moral, social and religious
movements of the day. 1t would be the play of
Hamlet with the part of Hamleteft out. Itwoufd
be an emasculated literature. Children playing
with puff. balls-a kitten chasing its own tai-the
dance of shadows on the water-the wriggling Of
cells in a net-these would then be its sppro-
priate symbOls-saviDg that it would not even
possess the grace of any of these natural but
trivial actions In fact there would be no litera-
ture at all, as is just now abundantly exemplifed
at the South itself The reason is that freedom
is the only atmosphere in which the higher liter
AZURE can live while it is also true that If you
extinguish one kind of literature you extinguish
all other kinds, because you e1tinguish that play
of sentiment, thought and susceptibilities in
which all literature has its origin. Des2otism is
the blight of the mind and, the universal expe.
rience of nations has shown that free constitu-
ton of society-ether politically or socially-is
alone compatible with solid and generous growth
of the higher arts We have heard much, in
times past, of the necessity of royal and aristo-
cratic patronage to the success of genius; but it
il part of the scheme of falsehood by which cum
ming men have tried to delude the masses into
their support. The success Of genius depends
upon its own unfettered energies-an open field
and a people sufficiently cultivated to appre-
ciste its immortal deeds.
Tie writer in The lRteHigencer is not only op-
posed to the discussion of the Slavery question,
but he insists that all books and periodicals offend
ing in that respect shall be excluded from South
ern families. "You surely, he says to Putnam:
"You surely canrot say, by way of Justification
that your columns are open TO all sides, and that you
ready 10 publish reply to this TRADE; for you
know full well that the Southern people would prefer
not TO discuss the question in that way. Whatever
they may do in the newspapers, or however they may
be wrought upon toa reply by Sumner or Gidtings
in either House Of Congress they prefer 10 keep the
book Of the ire-sde unp0llued by matter peculiarly
offensive to Their sensbilities.
Where, in heavens name tt en-, are your South.
ern families to get their reading from They
cannot take a sinle one of the foreign Quarter
lies, French German, or English, for not one of
II
open the debates in Parliament, nor those
of Congress, nor even read the decisions
Of the judicial tribunals The first class
poets Of their own country are Of course
taboOed-fcr Emerson, Lowell and Whittier,
are Abolitionists-whie Bryant, Lorgfellow,
Dana, aud Others, are Free Sellers. Nine tenths
of the literature of mankind is opposed to
Slavery Even the books of science are shut Off
those, we mean, which treat OF political aud
moral principles, because these condemn Slavery,
and the only recourse for the South is the mathe-
mstcel and abstract sciences. Pretty freside
reading that would be, Or perhaps the South
will hereafter raise its own poets, philosophers,
and esssyists, as it has heretofore raised cotton.
Can it not make these useful and entertaining in
diyidusls cut of its slaves They did 50 in an-
cent times and why not now Esop, the fable
ist was a slave, and so was ROscius, the actor, if
We remember rightly, in common with large
number Of the doctors, readers, musicians and
others of Rome. Indeed, it is sometimes said
that We need not resort to ancient times to find
clergymen, physicians, lawyers and literary men,
who are slaves in soul at least, if not in body.
Could not these De transplsnted to more genial
soil Ii is true, they are not among the best