The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-06-18
CURTIS ON EMERSON

Coutu not nave tht>uHuC4ste'N HIS his1h- ing. turn sadly ,o his after days when he seemed to write with Il cork-scrcw instead of a pen. l, ls particularly painful te Amcrioans Ia unmistakabl, sec that Emerson. once the scrs grace of pefsp.- cuity. ,,lifencd his hngual sinew> and out through the paper ~i,h the harsh pen ot -ou,landish' ambiguity. In speaking ot Dr. lohnson's use of harsh and loud sounding words. Macaulay sad mo man can think m such language
 Mir Geols. WIiiAm CurtfS sAy@ of fm-- >aH.. warkS= "la uo e-usl tads ai Nriting k there mofe uniform value II s II golden and Y i> unqnc>tionAh, the rlshr,' eontrthg i,on nf American genus Ia uHsrrsal hteFa tutr in Milton, ot Jeremy aNief. NJ Ihosa.S Browne or nurke. thefr i> no richer -.gis.ail.r- lItrrAts straIn than n Emerson, and II N not eass ta ser ~hs his intellee tutl stasp is not A >uHe sna refma ncnt
 If the mighty Curtis live many wears longer he will be as hopelcssis lneompie- hcnSihlc as Emerson himself II is tari- ous to trace the influence of German transoendcn,alism an minds purely imiat- ive and plastic Carlyle. when he began his literary career wrote to be understood. and his style is almost n pure and grace fal as that oi Addison oI t,nldsmfth. An earlA essay on Ban> will illustrate our meaning: lei the reader compare this charming piece of composition with some er anv of hls later works. and he aili scarcely believe that they come from the same pen Carlyle had Tn the interval spent several ycarS m the study of .erman literature. and so much iaseinaied did he become with the writings of Goethe and other grca, continental in,ellects. tha, he deliberately resolved to ~ri,c no longer ineligible English. but to gisc such readers as prcicndcd ,o see iar into mll- s,os.s Baby lonisf yarg"n " neither fish. flesh. nor good red herring. From that houg the s.f,,ngs os Carlyle and All his :. scrious savings darkcncd to sublImity " in ,he eyes of hls esoteric admirers. All ,his literary mciainoFphos'> so noticeable m the master be- tInc extensively pronl- ncn, in the pupil Emerson. Nothing was easier than to write what II WAS impossible to understand. and to confess that you were not tEdipus but plain Da.us. was to proclaim your ignorance and be nobody m Boston. The English founder of thrs school If mysticism ~as oolendge; he 7 gave iceigTcS- mctaphs sse> ths, th. most subtle of hIs hearers did nat pretend io uaticrsiand. Byron requested his --brufhcr iHrd to cxplaln his explanation ln vain: C"leridge retained his profound ob- Scurty to the last. Emerson, like Carlyle. cultivated m his early days dear and un- adorned style. quite free from the tram mels of imitation or affected obsCurity While he continued io preach and instruct his flock he remained untouched l., the pernleious influence of the ,ranseendents.l school of theology and philosophy But an unlucky yisI, ,n wild Craisenpuitoek closed the career of Emcrson' usefulness. except for the philosophers of New Eng land Carlyle had succeeded in attaining a style as harsh. rugged and unoou,h AS his o~n oons,pated temper. Emerson never sunk to such depths of mystical de pravity of style. and his amiable disposl- ton scorncd 10 cherish the literary envy. injustice and unchari,ablcncss of his crnak ing master Both these eminent men Eneied they had from some unknown quarter what they deem ed 4 mission; the nature of ,his embassy wa> of too uTonen,ous import to be communicated to the sons of clay cs- cep, through the medium of the pro foundcsi ambiguity of language. They found d fc~ disciples ~ho declared that all the teachings of the neS school acre plain and easy af comprehension Car lyIe answered all pefplesing questions from his follo~eTs about fhc problems of life and immortality. by bidding them ,o keep their mouths shut. ,o live. watch and learn. Sound philosophy then IS n ,his bit of advice. But ho~ rare K origInal- ity. Don puixo;e has something better m the same Inc of sIlenclng impcrti- hence = Patience cousin and shuttle the cards. Mr. Curtis IS clearly candidate for the chair lei, sacan, by the lamented Emerson He wil. be able to deliver af- ter 4 while, IT the true Sr fakf<drd man. n-r of the school. his opinion of the mer- its and rank in literature of all writcrs of this or any other age The paragraph cited above from the gentleman is no bad specimen of his style and manner. The authors referred to for comparison could scarcely have beer, worse chosen. They acre all ScholarS. winch Emerson was not. and had all the worlds best produc- tons q, command. and although they had never said they had any special rnis- son. the world had no difficulty m under sanding the produciions of their tongues and pens While nothing $ more certain than the decreasing number of readers Of Carlyle and Emerson. ~c are informed Il IS nos easy to see ~hy the intellectual grasp Of the lauef writer IS not as sure and permanent as ,ha, of the giants men iione4. Mir Curtis is alone in his blindness. for eycry one else sees that the intellectual grasp Of Emerson is neither ts..s l.