New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-17

pretty sketch Of Venetian lie, full of subtle insight
and elegant description.
THEPHnOsOPHY OF CARLYLE. BY EDWIN D. MEAD
sVo, PIP. lao Houghtcn, Mit,lin e Co.
This little treatise is at the double disadvantage
of having for subject theme which has been dill
gently worked in the last few months and of hav-
ing nothing new TO say upon it. All that is original,
and at the same time valuable in the work has been
borrowed from and properly credited to the dozen
OF more notable writer's English and American, who
have recently had Carlylcs life and writings under
review. Tainc's criticism and the spcculations Of
ume-honored philosophers have a minor place in the
ono. foot-note informs the reader that tie
nucleus OF the essay Is a paper which read
shortly after Caryc's death, before the Harvard
Philosophical Club, which is a society of students
in the University. The essay, in its extended FORM
belongs property to amateur philosophy. This is a
KIND of recreation which recommends itself to the
taste of only few people in our practical country
perhaps for the reason that most of those who are
phhosophically inclined are satisfied with CARLYLE
and Emerson in the undilutcd state. This volume
Is also striking example of the hasty patchwork
that nowadays passes too often for a book Sclcc-
tlons from recent discussions of Carlylc's "Rcmi-
niscences and his pcculiartics as a writer and Mr.
Meads comments thereon, form the first few chap
tcrs. But III the sixth chapter the longest in the
book, he squarcly attacks the philosophy of Carlyle
by comment and quotation, in the following pro-
portions:
We shall best understand Carlyc's general phi
iosophy; MS movement and seeming contradictions,
~ considering II With references to the German
ldeallsm IN which it has its roots. CARLYLE "A sort
OF OF cptome of the German mind. and almost all
the cashing elements of German thought from
Kant to Schopenhauer and Hartmann find some
sort of representation in him. The learning of the
German language, at time when the knowledge
Of It was rare IN England, the making of
Carlyle, 1t was in the midst of his troubles with
the doctrines of his fathers kirk, that some good
he nd
what he wanted IL German; ana it was by the help
Schd f Ic' tha4 'mihhers especially OF Goethe and
slough Of Dcspond and to find d. his s s"%ff No
man Of our time has had so profound grasp of the
German mind as lac. lie is almost more at home
in our literature than ourselves" said Goethe IL
was Goethe himself in whom he found the deepest
looked upon as his master. Eager for firm foot
hold, says Mr. Morley, etc.
Here follow two pages from Mr.. Morley in refer
encc TO Carlyle's obligations to Goethe. Mr. Mead
then says:
With the philosophy of England in general and in
particular with that mechanism, whether of Eng
lish and French materialsm OF Scotch dogmafism.
which he was horn INTO Carlyle's mind had nothing
III common. There is no better possible statement
than his of tie nature of the philosophy against
which German ideals rose. and which he himself
ahjured. This is from the essay " Signs Of the
Times which belongs to the very earliest stage of
Carlylcs literary HE, two years earlier even than
"Saytor Rcsartus" am tempted to call this essay
by no means the equal of others in power the com
Petcst expression, IN short. of the philosophy of
Carlyle there Is almost no principle afterwards
developed by him which is not involved in this;
ana 1t may DC sad IN Passing that no truer words
likely to be said in hurry than Carlyle says here
Three pages and half are here quoted from this
work of Carlyle, which is thus commented upon:
would not in any way weaken the force of this
exposure of mechanical and matcralistio philoso-
phy But Carlyle, 1t seems to me, would be kent bv
precisely the same habit of mind which kccps him
from seeing adequately how machinery is the means
to greater freedom and spontaneity, and why De-
lnocTacy does not suppress individuality Though it
doc not Keep HIM, on the religious side from see
ing tha miracle Is yagaeond and that there is
from acknowledging properly how absolutely tree
spirit Expresses itself and must do so, in and
through the material. The paralelism of the ideal
and the material must be complete, and the legiti-
mate and valuable Investigations of the physiolo-
gsts can only result in still more astonishing assr-
accs OF the physical equivalents of thought These
results may al be discounted from the beginning
Leibnitz put the whole matter in nutshell almost
two centuries ago.
Lebniz is permitted to speak for himself and Mr.
Mead remarks 81 do not think this statement of
the case will require any immediate revision" Two
pages OF Iaine are then introduced by half dozen
lines after which the New gland philosopher is
announced by this ominous phrase: Emerson
says. and it is almost the last thing that he has
said" After which Taine again engages the attcn.
ton of the reader and yields to Carlyle and Mr..
Mead who is moro lucid editor than as an ex
FOUNDER.
The authors tendency to initiate Carlyles man.
and the usual painful result fairly shown at
the outset Of the concluding chapter:
Here we pause-for somewhere we muslin n
study which might be indefinitely continued. Yet
may these fragmentary words provoke some thought
that shall tend definitely somcw hither More and
better-may all this talk to-day about Carlyle bring
forth somewhere and somehow the fruits of good
living That is all he cared about-and he would
thank US little for talking so long about what
translate something into life His opinions and his
philosophy must go for what they worth--but
let US look at his life and get the upward impulse
III IT DO true that circuinst ances the man