The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-06
LITERATURE.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Julian Hawthorne, Au-
gnSta ]. Evans and Father Thtbaud.
Philosophy Travel, Romance, Ancient Re-
ligon and Modern Science.
CLAIMS OF THE BIBLE OVER SCIENCE.


The mser does not sit down 10 count over his
boarded gold with any keener relish than the reviewer
20 read a new volume by Emerson. There is little 10
critcise in the Concord philosopher. We drink at his
well Of English indebted and draw his thoughts alike
brilliant and solid, with all the eagerness Of the follow
ers Of Moses, who drank the from the the
desert This volume has been long expected and
eagerly awaited and now II has come Ii was well
worth waiting for Such elaborated thought could not
be put forth like the leaves every spring II is the re-
suit OF great study and careful observation Cd the part
OF great man. When Emerson speaks all the
world listens. The book divided into several
parts:-Poetry and Imagination; Social Aims;
Eloquenc,; Resources; The Comic; Quotation and
Originality; Progress Of Culture; Persian Poetry In
spiration; Greatness and Immortality poet him
self Emerson OF course ranks poetry and Imagination
high, and the chapter those subjects without
peculiar interest Science he says 'does not know
It's debt to imagination Goethe did not believe that
great naturalist could exist without this faculty He was
himself conscious Of its help, which made him
prophet among the doctors The mind
penetrated with It's sentiment or It's thought projects
Il outward on whatever it behods The lover secs re.
minders OF his mistress every beautiful object the
saint an argument for devotion in every natural proc
ess Poetry is," he says 'the perpetual endeavor
to express the spirit Of the thing to pass the brute
exist-to that the object is always flowing away
while the spirit or necessity which il subsistS
Its essential mark Is that it betrays In every
word instant activity of the mind, shown in
new uses Of every fact and image
IN preernatural quickness or perception
OF relations All its words poems 1t presence
OF mind that gives miraculous command OF all means
Of utterng the thought and feeling Of the moment
The poet squanders the hour amount Of life that
would more than furnish the seventy years OF the man
that stands next him. And poetry is the
only verty-the expression OF a sound mind speaking
after the IDEAL and not after the apparent AS power
is the perception OF the symbolic character OF things
and the treating OF them representative as talent
II Is magnetic tenacousness Of an image and by the
treatment demonstrating that this pigment OF thought
is as papabe and objective TO the poet the ground
on which he stands or the walls Of houses about him.
And this appears in Shakespeare and Dante" A new
quality which Mr. Emerson considers necessary to the
poet is veracy. The fault OF our popular poetry, he
says, is that II Is not sincere. The only teller OF
news is the poet When he sings the world listens
with the assurance that q OF Goo is 10 be
spoken There is no choice OF words for him
who clearly the truth That provides him with the
best word" In poem "we want design and do not
forgive the bards II they have only the art
OF enameing We want architect and they bring
upholsterer."
Here truth that is the experience Of every OBJ
serving person. "The use Of occasional poems is TO
give leave 20 originality. Every one delights in the
felicity frequently shown in drawing rooms In
game party picnic poem each released from
the rhythmic traditions which alarm and suGo.
rate his fancy and the result that one OF the part
offers poem in style that hints new liter
ature. Yet the writer holds II cheap and could do the
like all day On the stage the farce commonly far
better given than the tragedy, the stock actors
derstand the farce and do not understand the tragedy
There nothing like rhyme for mpressng acting upon
the memory. ''we shall never understand. political
economy until Burns Beranger or some poet shall
teach II In songs" Mr.. Emerson does not think much
OF Faust" In comparative "To show the
merit OF Shakespeare, he says, "read Faust end
Faust 4 little too modern and Ineligible We can
nnd such fabric at several mills though a little nfe-
Faust abounds in the disagreeable. The vice Is
prurient, learned, Partisan. The book is IN
deniably written BY MASTER and unhappily re-
lated TO the whole modern world but IL a very dis
agreeable chapter Of literature and accuses the author
we'll as the times"
SAXON SrUDIEs BY Julian Hawthorne Boston:
James X Osgood h Co
The reader who has not visited saxony would never
be induced 10 visit that country by perusal Of Mr.
Julian Hawthornes book But II he should chance be-
tossed there by the OF circumstances no would be
most agreeably surprised. Mr. Hawthorne prepares
the traveller to End soggy country boated peo-
Pile The sentmentality OF the Germans which we have
been taught hook upon thing OF beauty he holds
up ridicge He very coory says the first chapter
that study foreign countries aud customs not for
their intrinsic sake but in order compare them dis
advantageously with own Such Is undoubtedly
the motive that inspired Saxon Studies" but let US
hon all
spirit The author gives a rather remarkable excuse
for his generally scofng mood which is by reason Of
the " mawkish tendency, very observable OF late to
make Germans Of all people In the world and Saxons
with them objects Of sentimental hero worship" This
book Is about OF Saxony Dickens american
Notes" Of America Certain things arc as Mr..
Hawthorne paints them, but they are seen by
everybody thank fortune y in the same light The
and vulgarty s often In the way you look
at thing Most persons would think the inscriptions
carved jabs and lniels Of the Saxon front doors
a very pretty feature Ho says 10 is not sincere or
wholesome practice, rather kind OF religious snob-
bishness" Now are inclined 10 think the snobbsh.
Is in Mr. hawthorne and not in the simple hearted
Saxons Just the things have always looked upon
beautiful and attractive characteristics Of German
life he finds fault with. The who goes into costa
a dazzling he once pronounces In.
cincere. "what true lover Of nature" he says,
"should she in fortunate hour reveal her beauty to
him, would not blush and stammer in the attempt TO
compliment her to her face ?" "Not so tho
saxon, who not only delights to his heart upon
bis sleeve, but Is himself the daw that pecks
al IT," This writer has not particle OF sympathy
with low life yet u is that which he attempts de-
picI ''superacially be says, "a best society draw
Ing room In Germany and in England appear much
alike. The thin skin OF the polished man or
the world Is better veil Of his soul than the
like hide OF the coarse grained aborer." In reading
this book nnd great deal OF brilliant thought and
beautiful writing but does the author paint
delicate pretty picture, than he daubs IL with pitch
and destroys the charm Of the arst impression There
Is question but that the saxon peasant woman s
hard worked Ill treated creature. and Mr.. Hawthorne
has done well TO break lance In her defence In that