, 1876-01-30
BOSTON,.
The Radical Club---An Essay on
Don Quixote.
The Quixotes of To-Day Discussed
.--A Lively Talk.
Col. Higginson Draws His Sword Against
Tragedy-An Onslaught upon Him
from All the Lions.

Tragedy-An Onslaught upon Him
from AL the Lions.
| From Our Ogn Correspondent
Bos1os, jan 27.-Tho Radical Club-it il Of
no use, the old name aciN Stick in spite OF reso-
| lusions, and formal announcements. and the
best intentions-he1d one OF its spicleet moet-
| ings at the January session on Monday Pref
| Everett, of Harvard, read an essay on CerEaotes
| Don Ouixotc. and John Waise, and David Was
! son and James Freeman CLARKE, and Samuel
| Lonefclon, and Dr.. Dnrtol, aud Col H'ggin-
Sun. we're in the front seats aB lstene1s- VI
course, with this group, might be expected
lively discussion, and the expectation WAS re-
a1ized, and WAS, in fact. the best part OF
the morning. Mr. Everott's presenta-
ton of tho character OF the knight
! OF La Mancha Was clear and appre-
ciativc, combining. as it did. the recognition Of
| Ceryantes' skill and intention with the living
force and truth which resulted from this 1nten-
ton. Giving b1lef account Of the life OF Ger
| vanteo, he showed us Nhere his keeuly humorous
sense united with his poetical genius to paint
picture which should stand to the world for all
| timo IN exponent Of enthusiasm, as 1t ID re-
| garded by the commonplace, conservative world.
4 man Of narrower nature than Ceryantes, he
| said, might have hated his age and time, or, IT
religious man in the senee that religion WAS
meant then, he might lave abandoned himself
to devotional fervor +; but Cervantes with his
bumor, sav the ridiculous side Of things, and
fell into
| FIT 0P LAUGHTER.
| in which the whole world Was forced to join. It
| is true that in the midst Of this laughter Ger
vsntes is accused OF having destroyed the digni-
ty aud chvalrous feeling Of lis nation. It is
true that while he Is the greatest Of her poets,
he IL also her last, for, with Don Quixote, Span
! ish literature died out. But this w.as not Ger
| yantes' fault. It vas once thought that tho
| wood ecker killed trees because men noticed
| TINT the trees he tapped soon after died, but We
now know that these trees were already rotten.
| and this was the case withSpaln. The esaavist
pictures tho scene IN which Don Quixote mis-
takes the recognition which he owes to the label
fastened to llis back for the result Of his wide
reputation. So to-day the good knights dream
has become reality, also portrait, as he looked
| aETayed in battered a1mor. hulmeted With bar
! ber's basin, mounted on Rosinante, yet bearing
| himself With lofty enthusiasm, would be known
! anywhere. This is the prerogative Of genius
| it is crowned king Of the world; coin from its
| mint, bearing its stamp, circulases everywhere,
and we. seeing its image and seeing its super-
scription, know that it is Issued BY Cesar. Ger
| vantes in bis great laugh had included appar-
| entity the best things aa well as the worst, and
had thus made the essence Of chlvair5 to seem
as lud.crous IS he ssrove to make the forms.
But the institution essence of chiValry Was
not ridiculous: it was worthy Of all honor. ii
| not Of reverence. Ch1yalry aud its apparent ab-
eurditlos sprang up in the old fendal days. but
the essayist protested in ascribng the errors Of
| feudallsm to chivalry. An ags like the present,
he said, which carefully removes every element
OF intelligence from Jury trial. has not much
! to say concerning another which believed iu the
| trial By combat. For VINO is there. be went on
| but must admit that in the famous BROOKLYN
suit the jury we're far from beng ths peers in
| any way Of
| BEEcHEn OR TLIoy.
With this little aside AZ Al arroW Of defense
for the days OF chival1y, aIr. Everatt went OIL
| to dehne his idea OF Qui1otism which nas the
| ABSORPTION OF mind in one idea which went be-
yond OF apart from ordinary conceptions, at Or
| dinary moments. Lovers, no declared. were
Quix0te5. In q commonplace maiden they
| would see angelic qualities; aud the common
| placo maiden SAW 4 hero in very faulty and
| prosalc youth. It WAS the old story OF the
| knight Of L. Man:ha- Still. though ne laugh at
I love. there ia no creature on earth that might
! not look pobla to us had We loves insight upln
| that point. He who is intoxicated with one
| glowing thought upon one subject is no longer
| an individual. bat nas entered upon immortality.
| In conclusion. he said that he also il Qui1otic
r! who fights against tho truth, and the Devil
| therefore may be called the greatest Qui1ote.
| COL H1ao1Ssoy.
at thus conclusion. started the bs& o1 siseusaion
by saying that no muat protest arAlnht giving
| tho word Qul1otic to the Conservatives. Us Mr..
Everett defined them IN his last statement He
| thought Slo,czofic would suit them better.
Mrs. Cheney said in relation to Mr. ETe.ett's
declaration that lovers were laughed ut, that it
| Was tender laughter. d.. Bartol said he could
not laugh at them in any Nay Mr. Wasson Was
E~sure that Don Qu.xote VAS ridiculous to nobody
but his fool Col. Higginson then said that he
| thought the men who were in advance always ran
the risk Of being laughed at. Some escaped in
! jury from being, like Sumner, without percep-
tion OF hu1nor, and others by laughing back.
M1. Clarke cited John Brown as the one reform
er who was never laughed at. 1t WAS the daring,
the courage, the height OF his am altogether,
with its tragic element, which was the reason,
he thonght- He was, in facs, 30 roblc that tho
grandeur OF this nobility oycrcame all else. In
this connection Col. Hisgionson aud others re-
fez1ed to
TIE OLD nST1-sLAvEnT DAYS,
| aud said that all the prominent men in fhat
cause we're fully conscious OF the ridiculous ele-
ments sn it, in the shape OF workers, and points
Of the work itself. but they accepted all as
necessary part The Colonel then took up Pro-
fessor Evaretta tribute to enthusiasm, and slylv
said he WAS very glad to hear tho Professor
speak IN praise Of enthusiasm. because he was
not unconnected With an institution which IVES
suspected of being hostile to that disposition.
mean, he went on. that perhaps the Professor,
having the painful privilege Of reading the col
lege newspapers. might have seen soma dlscuss-
ions IS to whether sophomore. aged IL, having
advanced to
THE DIGNITY or WEARING COAT AND READING
THE "SAT1oS."
ought to admire ANYTHING. THIS sly hit brought
down the house, and in the laughter the Colonel
went On to declare that in spite OF all this It did
him good to go out TO commencement and hear
these very boys show that they zcere 16 and not
GO. Then, in connection with tho words that had
been said about tragedy dignifyiug Quixotio
movement, he struck on out OF the maiu road, "a
is his usna1 way, ard quoted Margaret Fu!ler's
saying that tragedy was mistake. And pro-
syance enae what ]ooiad y- % lrscsdv s e the
time to the actor in it WAS no such thing. And
the actor by and BY perceives this himself.
THIS RouSEp THE LIONS,
and tho roaring commenced. WassoD Barto1
Clarke xnd tho whole Of this advance guard.
we're down upon him. Tragedy WAS tragedy,
and there was use to ehirk 1t. That il had
it's noble ends they admitted, aud that tho noble
ind han at asfe 1iafancn ~ .r.o - -.