New-York tribune., 1878-05-04
ALCOTT AND HIS FRIENDS.
TIE CONCORD TRANsCENDENrALIsTs.

IHE CONCOkD
A FAMILIAR TALK IN JOSEPH COOKS PARLoRS-
BRONSON ALCOTI'S EVENING.
lyRoN AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUSE.i
BosToN, April 21.-The Rev. Joseph Cooks
parlors at the Hotel Bellevue in this city, have Deen
onened during the Winter for q monthly conversation
or symposium. conducted by the venerable Bronson
Alcott the Concord transcendentast' MT Aco'V anu
Mr. Cookhaye aimed 10 invite representative Heh 'heo
logical professors doctors of divinity literary men ana
leading laymen TO participate in the discussions ana
have together diverse in their views
as DR. Barol and President Warren or Samuel John
son and Young Professor Borden p Bovine. The gath
erings have certainly been unique, delightful aud ILL
structive.
Two weeks ago the parlors were crowded to hear Mr.
Acott discourse, his familiar conversational stye on
his Concord friends living and deceased, who nave Dee
known as leaders in the transcendenal movement anu
none who were present Will forget the uterance OF
that OCCASION Mr. Alcott himself is nearly eghiy wears
old a tall, welprOpOrtiOned, sunny Oh gentleman
with long svery hair. merry twinkle ID MS eye anu
some remembrance bOyhOod still lighting up HIS cou
tenance He has always been great talker In Iact IL
ia said that he has done but little else all HIS
life The success of his daughter, Louisa AlcOtt'
as the writer Of "Little Women ana khurea
hooks has placed him in comfortable cncuhi-
stances, and he now spends g00d part OF his tlme
asaNe Socrates in asking and answering qles-
tons which are put him in public and private circles
of his speech As many strange things are said OF nun
as OF Emerson or ThOreau but with all his vagarles OF
transcendenta theories he has always combined such a
amount of good and such genial spirit tnae
friends spring up In his path wherever he goes his
task fortnight since was one which demanded great
decacy and tact because he touched upon the marked
peeuarlties of living persons, but heard nothing
which offended good taste which trenched
upon the obligations Of friendship; ana he
said so much which is OF interest 10 a wider
circle than the fifty persons who could listen 10 MN Ill
Mr. Cooks parlors that send you pretty full report
Of his informal address His audience was select IL not
large. and included many men who have made or are
making their mark He aimed to give only outlines, not
fuu nortr,its and began his address with the remark
that American literature which had anything original III
IL was not yet over fifty years old The substance OF
what he said follows:
EMERSON.
Emerson is our first truly American or New
England writer. Abroad he is regarded as our
chief representative author and has had Wlder III
Anenee than any of his contemporaries upon our younger
Writer'S II he is less read than other authors he al
WAYS controls his readers. 1t is always Emerson hih-
self who Is speaking He is not wide reader ana YET
nothing escaped him. He an absorbing reader Ihs
is always characteristic of genius While II DorroWsN
hides its borrowings" Mr.. AcOtt then traced the
opasis nj one Of Emersons essays "He of the
country and is familiar with nature lie loves solitude
and knows hat to do with it. He does nothing or
thinks nothing which he does not put down III MS jour
nal or notebook. SO in interview with friend OF ID
reading book the best thing said or read goes INTO the
diary II doesn't take him long TO read book IL Is
good rule 10 read last sentence Of most books ana
skim the rest All scholarsknOw what this means The
nont is TO get the outcome of person in the quickest
way He knows how to get the honey out
Of books nature and experience. He has the eye
of a New Englauder, and his observations 90
into his commonplace books. What Is 10 De
done with theml When an idea sezes nm he
turns to these notebooks to what he hes upon It,
This paragraph he says, is good for beginning Ihat
one is best to close with Once went into his study
and found him lying the floor with the sheets OF MS
place book spread ont in every decilOn' Whle
he was trying TO gather up from them what he wanted
Tor the essay in hand When he has cued what ne wants
and shuied his materials into some form, he goes out 10
read his lecture and tries it people to see how II hts
and when he is satisfied by actual experience that there
Is in IT, he sends 1t TO press He does not read
criticisms on his writings, and while he always listens
with courtesy TO the advice of others, is seldom
known to follow 1t. He writes almost as well as
bright and cultivated women converse. They always
speak the best English. Emerson has been before the
public forty years. and may be fairly said to have made
the American lecture No course OF rstclass lectures
for many years has thought to be complete without
one from him. when lie first began to lecture IN Boston
the people were hardly mp TO him, and used TO say lie
belongs to a family of insane people The late JeFe-
miah Mason, noted for his strong common sense was
uersuaded by his daughters TO attend OF Emersons
lectures in those early days He consented ana when
asked his opinion sad turning TO bs daughters doh
understand IT, but the girls can tel you all ABOUT t
Emerson Is the typical gentleman OF TINS country lor
modesty for grace Of manner for magnanmlty, for
hospitality, for friendship
HAWTHORNE.
Mr. Alcott then passed on to Hawthorne. There Is
mvtb vbe said about the great that he was
In, Sail X daylight.
was as GOV as maiden and had TO be cOurted IN much
the same manner He could never be induced to go be-
fore the public When in london he went TO the Lord
Mayors dinner on the pledge that he should hot Dc
asked TO make a speech. lie was called on however,
and to his own and the surprise of everybody ese ade
one good speech in England He was my nearest heish
bor Our estates side by side but hawthorne never
his friends gate but twice four years svisits
then were to my daughters The first time he soon eX-
eused himself because the stove too hot the next
time because the clock licked too loud HIS haDl was
TO hide himself after dinner in the remotest corner Of
the ROOM and enjoy the conversation without taxing any
mart in IT, His method Of writing much like Emer-
Hon's out Of commonplace books. lie was man OF
dark type alludng to his features and emperamentl
and there is certan darkness running through all MS
writings. He is very great on SIM lie can tr1c@ IL
sinner through all his purlieus better than any man
have known This makes his writings most interesting
10 youug people They like intensity There is a fine
humOr wit, or rather irony, running through h's ~
fnances aud stories All bis books make for virtue
They are not always wholesome and yet they are moral
They intimate rather than speak the religious type Of
thought"
MARGARET FULLER
Mr. Alcott then turned to Margaret Fuller "Wherever
there is noble man, there is noble woman not lar OIL
Margaret Fuller is the representative American woman
Her hook Woman in the Nineteenth Century is what
most men and women accept truth But she is not Ill
her books She great in conversation This Is the
specal grace Of women and she had It," Mr. Aicott
here teferred to the Transcendental Club where the
members were all persons who have since made name
In the world and said that, though VIII ana brightness