The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-08

mote so vast and vague an object as the sal
walton of the world. 'T will leave the saliva
ton of the world" says Mr. Carlyle, 'to the
maker of the world, and look little to my
own saving, which am more competent to.
Instead of this, these professed disciples of
his have organized league to save the world,
as would appear, by virtue of his teaching
The other sponsor of the association is in
quite as hostile an attitude to them, if we
may judge from the whole tone of his writing.
With him, too, men are all; institutions are
nothing.
more striking illustration of that prone
ness of our age to distrust individual effort
and trust to cooperation which Mr.. Carlyle
has expressly, and Mr. Emerson by inevitable
inference, deprecated, could hardly be found
than in the formation of an association to
promulgate their views. The postulate of a
society which processes to found itself upon
them is that they are wrong in one Of the
most distinctive of the doctrines which they
hold and inculcate in common.
But, waving that, what is it that this asso-
citation proposes to itself to do? This specific
thing, among number of nebulous and
general things: "to popularize the writings
and teachings of Carlyle and Emerson" But
Carlyle and Emerson are quite accessible
already to anybody who has taste for them
Ii 1T is complained of them that they are both
sometimes obscure, we do not imagine that
tend to commit the impertinence of illustrat-
ing them by notes, or by translations into the
vulgar tongue, by way of "popularizing
them. And, indeed, such obscurity as there
may be In them is inherent; for no appreciative
reader of either will deny that he is an admi-
rable literary artist, or admit that any other
expression OF his thought could be an i'm
provement upon his own.
The truth is that the main value of the
writings of Mr. Carlyle in particular is not
that he promulgates systematic scheme of
religion or of morals but that he is con-
tinual stimulus to the feeling and the con-
science of his reader, and forces him by the
power of earnest appeal-all the more effec-
tive because it is unconscious-to live up
more nearly to the readers own ideal. This
may be called the highest worth of any writer
to any reader; but this cannot be attained in
any other way, that we can see, than by indi-
vidual study of the writer's works. All that
an association can do for student is to
direct him where to go for instruction, and
that, it seems to us, he would find out, in the
present state of intelligence, quite as readily
without the association as with it.
If the admirers of two eminent writers
wish to do them honor-and that we suspect
to be the real motive of this association-no-
body can object. But the mode which has
been chosen in this instance, we may safely
say, is one which neither of the persons meant
to be honored could approve, and in which
many of their true admirers and disciples
cannot join. 1t is doubtless the birth Of a
generous young enthusiasm, for which its
possessors will by and by discover more
fruitful field But to get up an association
for the purpose of testifying the gratitude of
pupils to instructors is boyish way of vent
ing enthusiasm which neither gods nor men
can approve, however much they may SYM
pathize with the spirit that prompts it.