New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-12-02
OLD ACOUAINTAVCE.

OLD ACQUAIN1ANCE
Our old acquaintance, The Atlantic, as every
body knows is about to pass from the hands
of its former publishers into those of Messrs
Uurd & HoughtOn. The editor and contrib
utors remaining virtually the same, no change,
wo presume, will Immediately be made III the
temper or motive of the magazine. 1t would
be wise, perhaps, to make no change; The
Atlantic is nothing to its peculiar constituency
if not of Boston, Bost0nian. 1t was the
direct outgrowth and exponent of the narrow,
yet liberal, New gland idea-the freedom OF
religious and philosophical speculation which
was the natural reaction from Puritansm:
rebellion against the iron pilory of rule and
creed wherein the Pilgrim fathers prisoned
thought which welcomed Emerson, loftiest OF
Egotists, and ThOreau, most intellectual OF
animals, as new and sacred revelationsj which
made of Margaret Fuller Longfellow, and
Agassiz, dem- gods, on precisely the same plane.
The first successful editor of The AHantic,
with ready TACT made his magazine the organ
of this catholic spirit of appreciation. Thus,
not only were the modern Athcnians. perpetu-
ally in receipt OF new heroes to admire, but
every literary aspirant through the country
hero. The Bostonian who has flung off long
ago the shackes of his ancient spiritual mas
ters but has still vivid remembrance Of
their weight, is ready to test impartially by
his own intutiye insight all things from Bud
dhsm TO Forstcr's raps. Socially, he gropes
and asDires from that rigid, bare economy OF
his forefatbers, stintcd in ali grace and color
of courtesy. TO the high breeding and repose
of his English cousins; while the Westerner,
having suffered no reaction from blSotry to
transcendentallsm carries about with HIM to
his daily work a creed and manners which
have grown out OF his daily exgencies, and to
their standard of hard, keen common sense
brings down all ideas, including Buddhism
and Boston itself. TIE atlantic, while it pro-
fessed TO be a literary magazine adapted to
the wants OF the whole country. was made by
this very impartiality OF hospitality more
strictly representative of its cwEngland
cndes. Only to Boston audience could
such opinions and facts, so new and
divers have beon brought with certainty
of applause and welcome and fair
trial Dat of .le quaint old clearinghouse
on Washington -St. the magazine issued month
after month, like summons to the banquets
which had once brought beneath liz roof rare
assemblages of wit and wisdom. The Wit and
wisdom came ut its call; the best which the
country could yield. Here The people caught
furtiye glimpses OF their highest poet whose
place has never been filled, Hawthorne, with
his arch, unclnny beauty; hero Longfeiiow
established himself in perpotnity bard OF the
ireside; here Holmes, miraculous little
o. al hf
to light tho power and curiously womansh
traits of his humOr and fancy There Is no
name known 10 worldly III American htera-
ture which had not place at that board.
When the lights are gone on and the guests
departed, we better understand what the hos
pitality was which VIC have lost, rs we go
back Iegretiully to the genial days when the
Autocrat presided nc the breakfast table, and
Gail Hamilton gave to tho dishes SAVIOR oil
salt and Lowell sung bis flrst song i'll tones
mellow and fervent with youth. Even the
poor author sent away wish rejected Ms,
and the anxious thanks OF tho editor for the
chance of its perusal, was warmed by the fine
courtesy abroad in tho air aud was almost
persuaded that his ar5.cle had been accepted,
and that he too had suppod on Heiicon.
Turning over the pages Of the old atlantic,
we read these first essays Of long famous men
"A we looked at tho Sirestans on the wall
of the old house in WasLngton-st. The ban
ouet is over, the songs sung, even our host
departed. A Younger, bgisker spirit has of late
peryaded the magazine, as If q more youthful
hand held the helm aud kept the vessel steady
in the track OF the light trade winds. 1t is II
gracious, cosmopolitan, gentemanlite spirit
full of Western breadth, and European obser-
yetior, and hearty, wholesome hope and kind
Illness. Under these same auspices no
doubt we shall be grateful to Messrs. Hurd
81 Houghton for the new Atlantic; but
let it be thc old faithful Truepenny. Let
us have no stout Knickerbocker flesh or
Broadway garments lung about it's limbs.
They will find that any ,cAangc even for the
better must be made with care, thOieh no doubt
it il their purpose to render IL stronger and
fuller of the lie of 70 Dian was It's predeces-
sor But when the phen.x arose, triumphant
and young from its ashes, no doubt many
bystandcrs complained that it was not the
blind bird they used to know; and when Era
finished the second temple moro glorious than
any building in the world, the weeping OF the
old men drowned the shouting of tho people
because they remembered the temple OF their
youth and were sure ihey could never look
upon its like again.
A physician In Bangor. Me, the other day, bad an