The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-02-01
Criticism on !!tE.e Professor

from the graceful pen Of WILLIS, IN IL
at. number of the Home Jouua!. We
give a portion of the article:-
ave have spoken Of the antagonistie
spirit of the Professor MS another point i'll
which he goes beyond the Autoerat; we
should, perhaps, have said his disposition
to arouse antagonism in others. we
sec this in lis talk with tho 'Mo1:F'
about wealth and fashion, in which he
AYERS that erich people are, commonly,
altogether the most agreeable comPan-
ions;" that "you do not get elegance, as
a general thing, short of two or three ro-
moves from the soil;" that he "likes the
quality ladies better than the common
kind, even of literary oneS," prcterrlng
tact and elegance to learning; that he be-
Eeves there are men who have shown as
much self devotion in carrying lone
wal.-howcr down to the supper table, as
ever saint or martyr in the act that has
canonizod lis name:' that there are
martyrs in pearls and diamonds
"Florcnce Nightingales of the ballroom
who find out the red-handed, glcveless
undergraduate of bucolic antecedents, as
he sQuirms in his corner, and distil their
soft words upon him like dew upon the
green herb,' ETC.. etc.-ani all this with
malice aforethoughs, and with the evident
design of stirring up to Indignation first
and reflection aftelward-a large class
Of his readers.
We have a further Illustration of this
in meteorological talk melted by the 'fe-
male boarder in black attire;" in which
he eravely recommends an alarming pro-
cess lie calls ''depslarizatioB," by the aid
of which the human soul is to be saved
fiom the almost necessity of inheriting
tie religious faith of those from whom it
inherits its body. But VIC will let the
Professor explain himself on the sub
lect:-
"When given symbol which repre-
scnts u thought has lain for . certain
time in the mind, it uudergocs n change
like that which rest, in n certain position,
gives to iroa. 1t becomes magnetic in its
relations-it is traversel by strange forces
which did not belong to it. The word,
and consequently the idea it represents, is
polJri@ed.
"The religious currency Of mankind,
in thought, in speech, and in print, con
s.sts entirely Of polarizod words. Bor-
row one Of these from another language
and religion. and it will finl it leaves all
it's magnetism behind it. Take that IA
nous VOID, O'm, of tho Hindoo mytholo-
gy. Even u priest cannot pronounce it
without sin; and a holy Pundt would
shut bis ears and run away from vou in
horror, if YOU should say it aIou(. What
do YOU care for ON: If you wanted
t! G Pnndit to look at his religion fairly,
you must first denolarize this and all sim
liar words for bin. The argument for
anil against new translatiions Of the Bible
really turns on this. Sccpticism is afraid
to trust its trnths in depoIarizel words,
and so cries out against q new translation.
. .h;"i. myself if every idea our Book
contains could be shellel out u 80 81!
symbol and put into new, clean. I'M
magnetic words, we should have some
chance Of reading it as philosophers, or
wisdom lovers, ought to read it-whch
we do not md cannot now, any mo- e
than Iiindoo can read the 'Gayatri' rs
fair man and lover of truth should do.
When society has once fairly dissolved
the New Testament. which it has never
done yet, it will, perhaps, crystalline it
over again in new forms of language"
A very admirable press, certainly
but rather impracticble. We could not
try it if we would Even with regard to
new version of the Bible, where it would
seem the easiest, it would require new
translation for every generation, and a
new language soon, for synonyms would
be exhausted. 1t is still more certain
that we would not if we could. No, no.
When the Englishman will depo.arize
his old castles and abbeys, by tearing
away the ivy, and scraping off the moss
and the lichen, that we may Judge Of them
by tho naked architectural outline; when
the German will diveot the Rhine of its
classic and romantic association, and de-
depo'arize it into Hudson, 10 be admir-
ed for its natural beauty only; when the
octogenarian, celebrating his golden we'd
ding, will forget the BIRDS of his youth
and look with the depolarized eyes of the
'.philosopher or wisdom lover" upon the
wrinkled and toothlcss old woman by his
side; when the Professor himself will de
polarize Faneail Hall, by changing the