New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-03
life and thought. Whatever may be the
rank of our poets, they have what other

life and thought. Whatever may be the
rank of our poets, they have what other
and greater poets have often missed, an eager
and grateful constituency. No production OF
real merit, poetical or otherwise, fails to DO
recognized upon its appearance and properly
welcomed; we are eager for the newest lines
from Bryant, Lowell, Whittier and the rest.
When they are to print we are told in advance
by their publishers whose commercial instincts
are infallble; and we hasten to buy what is
certain to be much talked of. We must make
allowance for idle chatter and parrot-like repe-
tition Of opinion not self-planted; but above
all this IL genuine taste for the mcritoi1ous.
Better still, there is love Of the beautiful,
much Obscurcd as it may he at intervals. we
may, perhaps we must, admit that upon GER
tain side society is too much given to sensu-
atty and frivolity but by sure token we
know that truth is never wholly discarded, that
beauty is never wholly dsregarded, and that
tho noble and the excellent are never left
wholly without their votaries We may be
sick of scandal we may play at cynicism and
sheer at all as rotten; we may deny virtue,
CONTINGENCY, self-dcvOtion, veracity; but when
OUR Indignation is at the hottest or our con-
tempt at the lowest, some manifestation OF
integrity and honor comes to compel revision
of our too general judgment.
Those who are engaged in the management
of q widely circulated newspaper know best
the honor, the intelligence, the beneyOlence,
the good feeling of the great public mind.
Nothing escapes it. for it is watchful to the
last degree. There is hardly notable record
of brave deed, suggestion of necessary re-
form, story of suffering and misfortune, scien-
tiic novelty, fresh literary criticism, art intel
licence, printed in these columns which does
not bring to us scores Cf letters from all parts
of the country approving, condemning, or 9th
erwise discussing. The alertness OF tho popu-
lar intellect is a perpetual surprise even to
those who are most familiar with it. Recog-
nitions como from the most improbable quar-
ters; people who have never been heard OF
write in way which makes lis wonder at
their obscurity; twenty correspondents send
letters on the same topic upon the same day,
while great proportion of them, asking for
information as they do, prove how honorably
anxious the writers are to be right IN their
premises and conclusions. The main feature
and the most encouraging one of this mass OF
communications, is its evident honesty and
sincerity; and next to that stands Its lntelli-
gcnce. There are various deductions which
may be made from facts like these. 1t may
he thought an odd thing to say, but still we
do say that we have higher hopes of the re-
public because the citizens like Mr.. LOngfel-
lows last poem. We are trying the expert
ment of democracy. Is it of no Importance
that we find democracy quite consistent with
degree of refinement and elegancef that so
large a part of our voters are also thinkers
that in so many ways we have evidence OF ma
tional character the native strength of which
has never been lost through oppression, and
vet has not been left without culture to de-
generate into mere military brutality