New-York tribune., 1882-04-28

manner the purity and occasional quaintness ol MS
Language. the melody of his voice the originality
and freshness Of his criticisms, all comDiheu W
make these lectures as delightful as they were i-
struetiye They were the first introduction OF
many to the masterpieces OF ltalan art foregn
travel was not so common then as now, ana IL WAS
,,n,h IN those who knew of Europe little save what
tbey had gathered books to listen 10 the report
of an original and enthusiastic observer willing to
talk so familiarly, yet so finely and integentiy' OF
Whist he had seen. Upon one OCCASION in country
town. he took good deal of pains to illustrate ana
enliven the lecture by getting together number OF
paintings and prints, and to hear him discourse Oh
the Venus de Medcis -" the marble lady" as he
called her-whle he pointed out her position IN the
Tribune almost reconciled to the fortune when
had denied him a sight of such an enchanting pro-
duction. One who then boy, for the first time
drank in the living words OF man oil genius anu ~
found them more vital than the books which ne h"u
been for little while devouring. now that SO many
wears of varied fortune have gone Dy as hc pon'
this Inadequate remnscence. recalls those e'eh'nE
a. NIGHTS almost of the gods and ranks them with
The concentrations which make life tole1aole.
In 1894 Mr. Emerson delivered in Boston, ana
perhaps in other places, series o1 oiograpnio"'
Lectures on Michael Angelo, Milton, Luther, Oeorge
I,ox and Edmund Burke. Those upon Michael
North Ameyioan Repier. This year Mr.. Emerson
.,so read poem before the Phi Beta Kappa
Society at Cambridge In 1885 he fixed his resi-
dsnce at Concord Mass where he bought the we'll
known house in which be passed the greater part Oh
his life During the winter he delivered Ten ieo
tures on English Literature. and these were io'-
lowed by twelve lectures in 1886 on the fhilosoPhy
Of History. by ten lectures on Human Cuithre III
1887. by ten on Human Life in 1889, 10y ten on
the Present Age i'll 1S39 and by seven lectures on
The Times in lS41. Since that period ne den'eIcu
seyeral courses of lectures in Boston, anu III
1850 he read before the Concord Lyceum his
one hundredth lecture. The Salem MASS hN-
ceum can boast that he lectured before it for
forty consecutive seasons and was ai"aSs
warmly welcomed. There was magnetism III MN
x,b;cb made those who heard him once eager 10
hear him again. He visited all parts of the country
for the purpose of lecturng, and even extended MS
circuits to California.
Mr. Emerson published IN lS3o MS essay vi
nrose poem entitled Nature" which was written
at Concord In the Old Manse of his grand1ather'
Dr. Ripey. This book was but thin and unpre-
tending volume but no folio ever attracted more
the attention OF a small and thOughttul class. AS
hook selling speculation il was hardly successful loI
it is said that it required twelve years 10 sell an
edition of 500 copies Many readers found it diff
now. when Emersons Methods of expression are
,nors familiar and less cabalistc. Then people of
excellent reputation for and culture shook
+heir heads and declared that they could not un-
aerstand il al don't" said jeremiah Mason, q
hard headed old advocate, but my daughters dO'
Cleaning through the mysticism OF thls poem lneIe
We're occasional passages of great beauty Win lre-
ouent examples of those fecites OF expression anu
delicacies of phrase in which none OF Emerson
writings are wanting. Idealism was new thing
then. even to American thinkers but 1t was feIt
that this was fresh and original contribution 10
American literature, worthy of welcome and not 10
he neglected because of its novelty, ana IL secured
for i,s writer if he cared for such following smal
but earnest band of disciples who found or pro
fessed to find strength and courage in such teaching
and n relief from the tedium OF colnmonl lace anu
conformity.
IL is not remarkable that after the publication OF
snch book Mr. Emerson was often called upon To
sneak before the literary societies at college ami
yersaries Among the orations so delivered may Dc
mentioned his address before the PHI Beta Kappa
Society at Cambridge in 1887 entitled The Aneri-
can Scholar; his address 10 the senior class o1 the
Cambridge Divinity School in 1888, when gave
rise TO much discussion more or less sensible; ana
his Method of Nature" In 1910 began Inc pun
1cation of The DIAL quarterly review published
first the Editor and among the ontriDutors' be-
sidas Emerson. were A. Bronson Alcott William
Henrv Charming Theodore Parker and George
Riniov The publication was continued for f0ur
wears During last two years OF It's existence IL
was under the supervision of Mr. Emerson. III was
accepted as the organ of the new or transceh-
dental philosophy, contained mneh that was
admirable though caviare to the multitude and
was sharply criticised and even ridicuied by many
who were hardly fit Judges of its purpose and per
formance In this periodical the Orphic say
ings" of Mr.. Bronson Alcott first appeared ana
they served to strengthen the character LOT op-
scurity which, in spite of many adniiaoe papers
this miscellany had acquired. Mir. Greeley, in biS
q @Recollections of Busy Life" speaks OF The D'a'
as the quartery utterance of small fraternity OF
scholars and thinkers who had so far Outgrown the
recognized standard of orthodox opinion III
theology and philosophy as to be grouped in the
yapue. awkward termnolOgy of tins stammerlnl
century as transcendentalsts' Mr.. Greeley
Thought that the circulation of The/5hdt never
reached 2,OOO copies, and that 1t hardly average
1000. The smaller estimate is probably over
liberal
Jn1s41 Mr. Emerson collected and published th'
first and IN 1914 the second, series OF his ESSAYS
In 1916 appeared volume of his Poems" many
10 them reprinted from The Dial Some Of them
written perhaps, during his earlier years ara al
mos. entirely free from the mystical and recondit'
character of his later metrcal pieces, and have 8
grace music and quaintness of thought' feeling anC
expression which are all their own. Several o.
these poems have become even favorltes OF the
reading public, especially The humble Bee hac'
In AuD and "a Threnody." AS a poet, MIR. Emer
son is safe from comparison with Others. Apar
from slight flavor of early English writer's al
occasional Renaissance of Cowey o. OF the poets
the Shakespoarean era these verses are thoroughly
self produced and original In spite OF their occa
sionally abstract character, many OF them have
sonsnnns flavor and music which arrests ant