The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-03

illimtabc sea. the lin distant course of tho val
! ley trayerscd by The father Of rivers and which
! has no place forthe enclosed corneld. the iiocks
| upon hundred hfle the cheerful country scat
! the village spir'. the churchyard. the vintagc.
| the harvest home. the dances Of peasants aud
| the cottcr's Saturday night. BY an equally fine
| figure the orator portrays the opposite effect "
an historical romance. into whose main design
! ia patiently interviewer near. distinct, AMI ac-
! curat' though mngnifel and ornamental Wow
| Of the times, people. and country TO which tho
! story leads US back. II is. he says. rs il Won
| We're plaecd in the streets Of city buried 500
| years ago by the lava of volcano. and saw II
suddenly and completely disinicrrcd. aud ia
! whole various population raised in u moment
to life in the Same alert and Eager attitudes
clothed upon with the same bodies. wearing tho
same dresses. engaged in the same occupations.
and worn bv the same passions in which they
/ persisted.
! We reach, however tho substantial literary
merit Of this address and that for which it we'll
! deserves to bc pcrp"tuated when the speaker
passes from theory TO application and pointsou
/ the particular incidents Of New England his
| tory which deserve romantic treatment. lie
| cites in particular the era OF King Philips war
and goes on to exhibit at some length the
method by which tho framework and persons
OF the time might bo made to live again in
! fancy. Nothing could be moro unjust than 10
| interpret 10y glimpses this elaborate and brill
liant picture which. save for tho companion
| pieces in two subsequent orntions is really
unique in American literature. But we cannot
/ refrain from marking more succinot example
| of what may be compasscd by tho thoroughly
/ informed and disciplined Imagination. In the
/ conclusion Of the same address tho speaker
/ undertakes to transport his auditors To the
| town Of Boston Mt the epoch intervening be-
tween the Stamp act and the battle OF Losing
/ ton. He essays to discern and TO reveal what
/ tho people OF that day were. 10 share in the
| strong and wild excitement. 10 enter into tho
! feeling, not loud but deep. Of anger and grief
and conscious worth and the sense Of violated
! rights. into the mingled and luxurious emotion
/ % hope and apprehension with which tho heart
! II province throbbed and laborcd rs tho heart
/ OF man How would Scott. excams the orator.
reveal TO you the spirit Of that age lie would
| place you, says Choate in the middle of group
| Of citizens Of Boston going home from the Old
| South perhaps. or Faneuil Hall, where james
| Otis. or Josiah Quincy. or Samuel Adams had
been speaking, and let you listen 10 their con-
ycrsation. He would take you TO their meeting
| on Sunday when tho congregation stood up ia
prayer and the venerable pastor adycrted to tho
| crisis and asked for strength and guidance
! from above % meet Il. lie would point TO the
| NhIiNl tNlTfN-lNU WHICH ran luSlNntuurUNSIy
over the general countcnancc Of the assembly.
! and show YOU ia those changing looks the va
| ricd fortunes Of Amerca-tho short sorrow. tho
/ long JOY. the strife, the agony. and the glory.
/ In that congregation. continues tho speaker.
| you might see in one scat the wan frame Of
mother whose husband followed the banners
" Wolfe. and fell with him on the Plains Of
Abraham. shuddering with apprehension lest
such life and such death await her only son.
| yet striving rs became "A matron Of New Eng
| land for grace to make even that sacrifice. You
might see Old men who had dragged Sir Will
| liam Peppercll's cannon along the beach of Lew
isburg. now only regretting that they had not
! half so much youthful vigor left to fight their
| King as they then used up in nghting his enc
mics. You read in yondcr eve OF fire the
energy and ardor Of n statesman like John
| Adams seeing clear through that day s business
and beholding the bright spot beyond the gloom.
You see the blood mount into that cheek OF manly
| beauty, betraying the youthful Warren's hope Of
| fame. But rs the pastor proceeded. and his feel
| ings rose. and his voice swcled 10 its full vol
ume, rs he touched ON the rights OF the Colonies
and the injustice OF the King. as his kindlng
| Imagination presented 10 him the scenes OF
| coming and doubtful conhict-you would see all
those minor shades OF individual peculiarly
| pass away from the face ofthe assembly and one
universal and sublime expression Of religion
and patriotism d!ffuse itself over all counte-
nGnces alike. as sunshine upon q late disturbed
sea.
This is one insiance-and only one Of many
! which will strike the reader Of this volume
where the orator signally demonstrates the
power Of philosophical Imagination working
upon known facts. actual experience. and uni
| form laws Of tho human mind. Il is note
worthy. too, rs illustrating at nm cary stage Of
his career the Keynote Of the speak RS polit.-
cal faith. namely. a devotion to the Union which
was at once ardent and unscctional. that he
dw,ils at length on the patriotic uses OF histori-
cal romance. Such romantic literature. he
thinks. would be common property Of all
/ States, treasure OF common ancestral recol-
| lcctons, fountain for the healing OF tho ma
| tons" II would turn back our thoughts from
recent and oycrrated diyersites Of interest 90
the day when our fathers walked hand in hand
/ through the valley Of the Shadow Of Death
! Reminded Of our fathers we should remember
that we are brethren. The exclusiycness Of
state pride the narrow sellshness Of local
policy. and the small Iealousies Of vulgar minds
| would be merged in an expanded. comprcheE-
sive. constitutional sentiment Of old family. fra
ternal regard. Such literature would roas-
semble. us 1t were tho people Of America in
| one vast congregation.
Mercantile Library Association OF Boston in
1874 Tho preceding political canvass had
been peculiarly exciting, and the result had
seemed to testify TO the decay Of New England
| influence and the fast approaching ureponder-
ance Of the West in the republic. There
WAS pcrtincnce therefore, in the subject SCI
lectcd hy Mr.. Choate. namely. " The Power Of
a State Developed 10y Mental Culture" Must il
be, he asks, because tho great central regions
the valley Of the Mississippi. the Underlined
and expanding southwest have attracted TO
themselves numerical supremacy, that our
day is donei Or is there way by
which We yet may De-, and forever may be.
the arbiters OK our own fortunes. may yet BE- felt
| in tho cOunsels 81 America may yet have the
power TO command national policy which We
approve, or a. least to bear unharmcd q national
policy which We condemn. Is It not worth while
| he continues. TO consider whether higher Do
gree Of general mental culture. "A moro
! thorough exercising and accomplishing Of the
whole mass Of our popular md higher mind.
more knowledge. Il wider diffusion Of knowl-