New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-31
TIE CATHOLIC WORLD. June.

The present number, III an article entitled
aThoreau and the New-England TTanScendentalists"
has some curious ana edyng examples OF the use OF per
,ona ephets in the delueaon Of opponents. For in
stance carly Protestant l:efOrmers described as
paragous of "clronic illemper." Even to-day"
,ays the writer. "a Protestant controversial author
writes as though he afame with rage The
doughty Luther, warmed, possibly, AS much VITA the
wine whose praises lie Justify sang as with poenca
teal hurts sot, devil and ass at his oppo
nents He mas declined and corrugated the word deyh
In all cases moods lenses numbers and persons We can
Imagine his broad face purple with rage and his bovine
neck thrOhbing apOpeccay as lie pOurs out the walls
Of his wrath upon that besaanizcd nsatanzed and SUI
persatanzed royal ass Henry WILL whose accredited
book won for the monarchs of England that most gOr
GUS, though alas inappropriate ttle Defender OF
tie Faith The meek Melanchhon had the tongue OF
ternacan; and Bucer must have suggested to Shakes
peare OF the characteristics OF sir john fastan 90
far az a command OF bngsga;e goes for the wordy
combats Of that Teformcr tBCcer We meanl recall
the conversational victories Of the knight OF sack"
To come down 70 recent times, OF Benjamin Frank
lin. who is ironically referred TO as that great and go-
rous light OF American history" the writer remarks
The influence Of that mans example ana writings has
been OF the baleful in our cOuu!Tys history.
The fahOmcss depths of mis- pride the cool assurance OF
Ills VIRTUE the intensely worldly spirit of his maxims,
and his Pharsaical reward OF wealth and hOuois IN
this world have been initiated by thousands
of American youth" or some OF tho writers
who figured in the Transcendental movement, so
called, OF which, told. the characteristics
were morbed rTitabity and unwhOlesome sensitive
ness" there number OF delicate and dainty sketches
For example: Nathaniel Hawthorne became Its
novelist, and Thoreau suggested to him the idea of
Donatello IN THE Marble Fauna finely -oiginzed
animal, acted upon by human and Otherwise spiritual
Influences HawthOrne's morbid genius, for which We
confess have little admiration, was unnatur;lly
stimulated by tue Transcendenal He is for
and
always appearing with dev-Gsh instead OF pearl.
His note books show him TO have been spiritually
diseased man. for whom the stencil aud uglness of
moral fungus grOwths had more charms than had The
flowers He has the besetting weakness OF false re-
formers chronic irritation quite vehement against
the petiiest crosses and yexatiOns Of life
against its awful tragedies and crimes" Thoreau,
1t is said found it much easier than would
TO live in the woods. TO take long walks to
navigate and to collect specimens OF natural his
tory His studies in Nature have no value to the scie-
tist lie was a good surveyor and liked animals. lie
wrote Indifferent poetry lie described some eor-
geous sunsets lie delivered an Grafton Oh John Brown,
and he managed let the world know that lie built and
lived in hut at Walden. Volta tout lie fl?pantly
criticised our Lord Jesus Christ rldcued all Christian
beliefs preferred the company OF mouse to that OF
man. Of an Indian to a white man, and died without
single thob of supernatural faith hope charity. This
was man. too, who had Catholic blood his veins, but
who could not bear to hear the chime OF chuchbelis
without conempuous remarks, and who protested
himself Buddhist without the Indie vcneraoD. and
worshipper Pan without knowing believing that
the great Pan had died for his salvation"
sti the writer owns to certain iDfatuation FOR
Thoreau. which he describes in Unexpectedly candid
confession: 1--WE remember having read A Week
On the Concord and Merrimac Rivers and The Maine
Woods during Summer vacation which we spent be-
tween Mount Desert and Nantucket, and the sweet
Daturalness OF those two beautiful books sank into
heart touched perhaps, by the glorious yet sOmbre
scenery in which we moved. The Jar and discOrd OF
Thoreaus theological opinions melted away the har
nony of the great music which he made hear among
tbe hills and scenes which he loved well and Of which
be seemed a part He lived a cheerful and
wholesome, natural life, though rather an uncomora-
bic one his woods and among his beasts and flowers
that he was kind and gentle TO beasts but not to God or
10 man, OF whom he seemed TO be afraid. which was
and after he dead he made out to be
great philosopher, golden poet, great social hcoLs
And Iranscendenta saint, which another mistake.
roNsTANTINOPLE. BY EDMoNDo DE AMICIs IrhnsistnesG
from the Italian by CARoLNs TILToa. LIMO Up. oZo'
a. p, Putnam's SoDs
The author traverses the beaten route in his
descriptions Of the Orient but they are invested Win 10