New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
EMERSON.

~, Corwav dayotes much of his volume TO rem
~ of thu transcendental movement in New
zealand something less of this might have served
~ithout injury to the artistic consistency Oh HIS
nortrait The book will be generally valued IN 80
far AZ il deals closely with mind oil the lol'ies'
order and nature unique in Its Depth scNeii'
and truth.
The glimpsos uf Emerson's spiritual beliefs s''oh
nv Mr. Conway are almost without exception .n-
teresting. 10 one who asked concerning his rehg-
Tons opnions be wrote: I" l believe that most oi
Tho lamentations and difficulties that iniest us VIC
must thank ourselves for that each mnu' II "uo
to ITSELF will 10y living for the right ana uo' "P
ing into itself the doubts of other men, "'''o''O
MI difficulties as the sun at midsummer ""'N0 w
tho cl,udsv In speaking to Mr., Conway concern
ing the heated theological debates AZ ii''s
C,llege nc said: am not much lntelesVe" /" rum
d,.ons.ions. il does seem deploIable that there
sbould be tendency in some people 10 creeuS "''o"
wouid take man back to the chimpanzee. nave
-, ,,,od cronnds for being a Unitarian aud a
Trinitarian too | need not nibbe for ever al one
loaf bnt eat it and thank God for It, AMI earn
another" On berrying party, just before MI Low
xva,'s graduation Emerson spoke to him about us
studi.s IN Divinity College The youDs man ehun-
Grated them and Emerson said; " cannot ieei III
sre.ted in Christianity The thoughts anu words
of a great man becoming ut last the inherithhce VI
doukevs they make them into system Su't'ole "
themselves and ntO institutions Tor 'heSe 'hc9 VIII
lie and will hate and mahgn others WHO Law
different thoughts; ana they do not see 'n'U 'no'i
arguments are refuted by their iacN oi 'no in'""
and character which alone might prove their case
II would SEEM" he said again, q" that there sho'Iu
he NJ, end sometime 10 these controversies ana TINS
casujstrv Why should ask me an opininn
obout miracles ! ain familiar with similar nara
t,ves in other bouks than tie Bible ana have no
difficulty IN dealing with them there. LOOK INTO
the diamond eyes OF that child and see her eyes oi
sunshine. What Is a jewish or Christian miracle
beside it3"
What We used to call the problem of evil was no
problem to Emerson. ilo Told me Il had poeh uiaue
cIear to INN wnen ho first came TO perception OF
the Jaw OF GeycioUment III nature nom tne
sponge up 10 Hercules 70 remember MS phI"St "a
lA}l The fact lay in that phrase, arrested ue-
vclopment" There is no EVIL III nature III me
theoiO.ic OF evil, each Organization - III l"i
its own purpose but when II Is not III lor NINE
call Il evil Cal Is evil to mouse. II the distracted
is OF higher organization than the oDstruclor' lie
~ tn II he pIOuouncos bad. Development is
shOwnln the dcgIre OF approach 70 lhat; al thdC
fall, short Of the standard Is arrest Ininoralty
means people living out thoH several shoi.i
comIngs or cOmings short OF the s'clai
Standard Prisons are asylums for arrested
de,elepments This phenomenon OF arrest
in nntilre was popularly called the Devil But
since Tins Devil was adopted by theoiogy ne n ns
become a name Tor sOmo GOOD thlngs' as one Calls
him " the great Second Best"
Emerson deghyed i'll telling certain little story
whenever conversation threatened to become the0-
lop,cal Mary KOtch, q wise and sanity Quaker
woman told him that her little girl one day asked
if size mi ght do something. She replied, W nat does
the voice in thee say p The child went Oh. and al
ter o tune returned to say, Mother the llttlc voice
saws no." Hat" said Emerson, calls the tears 10
ones eyes, When Emerson was last IN England
fen years ago. Mr. Conway found that he had be
th. 10 IA lp4f n u
about stating religious opinions. 1t Is pleasant to
read that he was more optimistic after twenty
years and advised his friend to trust more TO time
than destructive criticism IN the combat with
error He held his Old sentiment about the efficacy
OF PRAYER and said: II saw man GU his knees
should not like to tell that man to get up" Even
the attitude OF reverence Tor something above self.
Mr. Conway says he thought TO be OF some value,
and suggested that it sort OF witness against
the nOlOn OF mediation.
Mr. Conway gives some interesting details con-
corning EmersOns literary tastes and opinions.
He cave me much counsel about books and
reading. L. was, hc saIi, "a great point 10 get
hold OF the right book when II was eisOnaiIy
needed, and not too soon OF TOO late Inc time
comes when requires quantity rather IMAM
quality -; Goethe awaits that. Not every body Is
old enough To read the " Elective Aiin.tles.' lie
maintained that the best III every boob IS lransat
able aud that read foreign BOOKS III tile original
aiteI they weIe translated, was Ike swimming a
river instead OF 20 ny over the bridge. lie often
spoke OF Carlyle with warm personal affection, but
il WAS plain To tnat the later works OF his friend
were regarded by Emerson as unhealthy W hen
th. " l. lta of Fredrlca was al pcarIng lie derived
great beuent iron IL, aud wIute warm thanks to
Carly 10 for each volume: but there was some hesl-
talon when 1t became question whether amy
youth should Renter the old atmospheric oil ell
thusiasIu which had surrounded Carlyle Writings.
AS much care needed 10 get 81 the bost IN
Carlyies book as To get at the heart oil The man
" When Twas in England" Ito SAID, young men
introduce them TO IdlIYIS; Dut |
SAID Why will you have this Vitrlol thrown over
I'm current literature, he SAID, the really useful
books are those that deal seriously with some PROM
inent point OF question The interest OF Jane
Eyre for instance is that 10 puts earnestly such a
question. There are writers VINO VINE mucn ana
mech that Is not important, bat stlll show ability
10 advance thought at some point Those are the
winters TO yet hold or" These novels by Eliza
beth shepherd have interest III the fact that they
show powerful persons recognizing character and
superiority under whatever plan exterior or IN
humble position, as In 'COunterpdrts'" Talking
of BrownIngs "PaIactlsus" be did not think
Paracelsus aspired; 1T Is the mere canine hunger
for knowledge for the power II gives" When
nature wants an arts;. she makes Iennyson, and
everything good Is artistic" The wUIk OF Ienuy-
son he liked least was In Men Oriam.' He valued
highly the romances o: George Borrow, George
Sand and Manzoni. But Emerson rarely ell
thusIastc except about certain ancrnt books, and
epecIaIly scriptures "Ihe BhagaVat Glta is of
hIph importance, and also the BhaSavai Purana,-
an there Is a book to be read on ones knees I!
These Oriental bibles are moro intellectual than the
Hebrew and Christian. but not 80 IerVent" lie
personally loved Sasdi.
When ms own poetry was praised Emerson inter
ruuted with You forget; we are damned for
poetry" lie included his own poetry under his
label for much American work of that kind" vers-
es" None could up TO his nnyleldlng staLd-
ard. Rufus Grswald lie held an interesting person,
as the one man has discovered the existence of
American Poetry Not that he did not iOve and
value his content OrarIes and literary friends lie
reiolced ia them; but he TemOrseess in his
demands about poetry. Poe merely the man
who iingles" Of moderns, Carlyle most nearly
spproached his poetic standard OF himself he said
once when forced TO speak, my reputation, such
as 1t Is will be one day cited to prove the poverty
OF this time"
The Uawtbornes, Thorean. .Alcott. and others Of