New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-02
THE LECTURE SEASON.


Of NeyYork lectured, tonight, IN Music Ham, oeIOio ~
Parker fraternity the character OF Iheooio
whose name the Fraternity bears The supecI ""o "o
signed 10 the lecturer Of the committee WIN 'no
,rd, that he was 20 treat it without conventional OF
,,1oi,l reserve Eight years and half ago. said the
sneaker on the 10th Of May 1860, Theodore Farher was
ld among the yoles and daisies IN the niue fro'estah
meter, inst outside the Piuu Gate the Italian city
g Florence lie had not lain there in his place one year
when the cannon from the batteries surrounding sumter
,cupced the fllfllment OF ms remarkable prediction
mat the conflict between Freedom and Slavery would
come 20 the arbtramen OF He had not lain there
three wears when President LnCon's proclamation Of
Liberty 10 the Slaves fulfilled his other prophecy that
the war between the North and the South would bring
about the emancipation Of the Blacks, Before he has lain
there nine years the election of Gen Grant herads the
future he looked forward to- and usufes his hope that
the Northern democratic idea Of Government OF the
people by the pcOple-n the interest Of the people
would prevail an the land. The removed many
a prejudice, corrected many Judgment throned ant
dethroned many reputation Among the ch%Iae,SeIs
has helped enthrone is that OF Theodore PaiKc-a
man who. more probably, than any other aided ID po
cptatug the conflict who.as much as any other, Hen
10 the Northern people the moral force 10 whS
they owed their victory man wtoHt
part IN the work OF reconstruction so auspigously
begun. Theodore Parker, II is admitted wa 70 nor roy
the calm eternal men whom worship Out 10 lu' IL
lie "a man OF 3uHheS-so gIdhu q ,enk thrown
class that many took him TO he a sep"i Tt biS feet were
up by special CONFUSION of Nature but M ieT' Nm
planted ON the ground The Ccologist can yen an aDUu
Pi, IIis eorv was 10 have been man OF his place ana
ti , c65,nIete American he touched America at the
meridian of Boston A COslopolo III luOHEi.'' nc ,,J
mn the world, affairs through the square Ioot ol fVuu
Lr trod on He was plainly predesllhcd man. his III
dvduaity the indiy 0uhty %, sohoI% EN- lie tens
Ms himself what ms father gave him. ana what ne Dol
r3weG IRON i H His cry of Oh don't" when
tc water of baptism touched his baby forehead was ut
CIV of his ancestors. lie was literally the Hover OF
f,iIv ai, originality lay his having IN Inn so much
mat other had and in his making hlusirlous Ie
NAV bee made ordinary material how little greatness
depends genius, how much depends on 9Seu Slis
t1 lis anna
essentially To mankind-industry, TRUTH Hdenly; aleo
ti0nateuess, simplicity trust Coca Will e naU o,S
the KIND. Iarbers life was spent duulnly i'll I3hs anu
giving. HI, power both ways was immense Ils soni
constitution made blood OF all that came uusi anu
ashes OF the Old World, the chips and gravel oI te New
lie was always hungry-his mills never stopptu ne
took IN a literature al meals he learned LANGUAGE i'll
IacatOn; he digested philosophy on lail"a! udIn.
II mattercd not TO him whether the yapors
Tat gathered ON his summit drawn
fr,m the salt the Silver Lake. from rivers OF gut
w DAYS being asked why he read The Boston Courier,
he replied, II you were Inspector OF Sewers would you
~ tie foulest water9" But his powers of distribution
great as his powers OF reception Is ier1vs
ruaned with of matter His letters would lurhlsh
library Wherever he SAW mud ne hled lt-ho mat
tr whose mlnd-a farmer meSnac y stv 70 80" -,
good as any all lac asked was the privilege OF hihS H.
Parker accepted his place and time and made DOth great
b. great Interpretation OF then Nnei no c"i1 Ci 'o
Stage he found the intellectual world awe IN Europe
tie TeutOuc spirit OF liberty asserting ltsell against
the Latin spIlt OF I1M. III @ ri - me tire mist
world awaking. The air was iuil OF tne lIc Inst
pr me EmerSon's genius hung over Boston IKE s!ar.
Ga lyle's earlier writings were stirring me SOUS Oh e
youig men: COlerdge scattering about the sparks
Of his brilliant but erratic intellect; the poetry OF
Wordsworth was becoming familiar schler.EImacher
was preaching through his books the religion OF sent-
ment the transcendental philosophy mad It's disciples
aud teachers in New-Engand Inc word OF society Mas
alive Garrison calling attention 10 the slave HOT
Mann stirring up the people on Ihe sutJeG1 o
education the temperance reform was agitated; men
discussed the rights Of labor and the rights oil women
Socialism was proposing its theories OF organizations
enterprises Ike Brook Farm" and Frutands" were
ripeuing toward experiment In all tins he was inter
sted of it he took part Parker was not man
skepuc; not bit Of Moutaigne His whole heart was
with him IN everything he dld he Deheved III 1iel
10 took his position for granted strike the chOrd sn.
Cery" and response comes from every moment OF ms
career from the farm where he worked from the hills
where he picked the berries that paid Tor his Latin Dc
tOuary. from the village sehoohouse where he out
learned the teacher, from the College where he out
stripped his classmates and pushed his acquisitions INTO
realms Of learning never contemplated IN the Cohege
from the cell where the divinity student failed al
tasks undertaken by the professors from tle niue
parsonage West Roxbury from the village pulpit from
camp aud battle ground What he was called to be al
moment that he Parkers grand characteristic
Character Not learning nor intellectual range nor
popular eOquence but sngeDess Of purpose ana sead-
ness of will This made him Eanest and earnestness made
him misunderstood. Sinners are touchy folk The
pachyderns Of Boston thought 1t hard that Parker hrsd
mimic balls at them instead OF blowing peas put ne
was Realst. Original SIN was pretty Dad Dnt the SIN
that not in the least original was great ueaI worst
TO him sin was sinner maHEhly va" i1 iuan tie
Prince Of Darkness was gentleman HIS crime VIZ
beng saxon, he asked Saxon speech This lnanilness
looks colossal through four years mist OF blood 1t
from the ground We forgot all his attauments III this
one chief attainment. We forget all acheyemens IN
Emerson. - He OveIestimated his friends" We VIII
balance with another, equally helnels lie diG Justice
his enemies" The two explain each other 10 nave
love enough 10 bapze haers he must needs have ad
enough to drown hls lovers Nobody ever chdIHeu MN
with lying or saying what he did not believe, or doing
thing TO be ashamed Of There was none ne could
not look the face he would not take by the hand
none he dared speak OF in his prayer HIS opinions
might repe but he irresistible. Theodore Parker
a natural rcfOrmer He could not live TO himself or
die to himself poor boy had felt the disabilities Of
poverty Born to toll he could sympathize with the toll
Crs. OF humble parentage, he knew no Instruction OF
persons. To him. the greatest was no more than hu-
being the smallest was not less At the bar OF hu-
manity all might plead ana All must Ahthohy brown
and Daniel Webster stood there side by side The com
mon humanity gl9rh6d Absence Of dne common 9u
manity condemned But he was no teOrst or doctrim-
are schemer lie had no patent medicine or iniali-
bic pill His stout common seEse stuck right out O the
cOyeret whatever Procrusess bed he as stretched
and the legs condemned the bedstead. lie would not
march with train band He was the despair OF poll
tcians Even the best eforner must be elastic 10 take
him in. He Numbered against inemperance, ana de-
money to buy cannon. He sacrificed not his Me-Nork
only but his life. 10 the negro but the negro was slow
Crasshopper This interest in the human. The un.
6nman h. nitied and worked for the inhunan he pitied
more and worked for harder but the human only lie
dead no woud work TO rescue IL when il seemed lost
he would work create sense Of II where II was unde
yeOped he would fight for H. bleed for IT, die for NJ but
Veon the Stman in mankind was his endeavor Hence
his belief in the people his faith IN the personal
eat in the acknowledgment OF the negro hence his
confidence in republican form Of government; hence
hrs devotion TO every humane enterprise hence the
terrible earnestness with which he threw himself INTO
the struggle the Northern and Southern clNza
tons lie grded himself to save not the Union but the
nation; not the Government but the idea on winch the
Government rested. He baed for the rights OF human
ity on the Continent The negro might be happier or not
the progress OF civilization demanded his freedom In
that battle no matter who fell matter what reputa
ton suffered; matter what great name went down; no
matter what great heart broke. The future OF America
hung in the scale ready TO die for II himself; he
ready 20 strike down whOmsOeyer he had 10 lace lie
Lit hard. Well for us that he did He saw what was
COMING he felt the earthquake in the atmosphere His