New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-18
THE POETRY OF EMERSON,
ApApER By DIR. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

The last meeting for the season OF tho Nineeoehln
ceptury Club was held last evening at the house OF
| Mr. and Mrs Cortlandt Palmer. The pariors' as
.uo, vera filed with the membefs Of the club and
fr;snds who had assembled to listen to an adj
~, Inv DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes
On "The Poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson"
There woro present among Others Justice Noah
navis. the Rev. DR.. j. p Newman, Parke Goodwin
| w. H. Appleton, Cyrus w. Field. Burton N Harri-
! ann Caneral George w. Cullum, William c. WHIT
] new Chief Jastics c. p. DAILY, Judge Barrett
! Chaunoey NJ Depew, ex-Judge Howland, Johh
Bjpslow and DR.. Gottheil. Most OF lne
! gentlemen wore accompanied by their
| wives. Mr.. Palmer. the president OF the club,
| introduced DR.. Holmes In short speech. which he
| closed with a quotation from the doctors poem,
The Loying-Cup Song" in which he refers to his
favo1,te flowers, the rose and the pink, and Mr
| Palmer then handed the speaker q small bouquet OF
those flowers to which, in the discussion which
| followed the address. he gracefully referred,
DR.. Holmes said that he should first put and try
| to answer four questions
| First-What are the chief merits and defects OF
MI Emerson's poetry; what is its prevailing char;
acter, and Of what other poets does he most REMIND
| usf
| monious and beautiful prose style. write poetry
Third-Why does any ono who can express, MIN
| self without tho bindraDces OF rhythm and rhyme
Fourth-What is poetry, that it should exercise
such an attraction for those who read it or listen W
| ID, and more especially for those who write lti
Dr. Holmes said that some ofthe questions seemed
| as dry as hay which had long boen stacked. but
| his pen. which was to him what the ptchfork was
TO the farmer was in his hand and he proposed to
! toss them over once more in the sunshine OF his
| hearers intelligence. He should take them. he
| said in the reversed order Poetry he defined as
| impassoned or inspiring thought expressed IN
| musical commonly in metrcal, language. Ii need
not necessarily be impassoned but il not inspiring.
however agreeable the verse might be. critics were
dsposed to DENY it the name Of poetry But differ
ent minds are very differently impressed by the
| same poems the speaker said, aud he illustrated by
| several examples Ii was very difncnit 10 TX
| any absolute standard of what was Inspiring
| Poetry was the natural flowing out OF el"quehce'
| Highly excited thought became imaginative and,
| under certain conditions rhythmica. Dr Holmes
| illustrated this by the singsong whine OF certain
preachers which developed into iDtoning, ana theh
| into chants and hymns. lie then showed the curl
ons relation between the rhythms of verse and res
| pIratiop which he said he had before polnted OUT
| in an article contributed to medical journal. Inc
| fatal facilityn of ccosyllabc verse was owing 10
the fact that people breathe from sixteen TO twenty
times IN minute and read ab0ut the same .iufnher
! of these lines at the ordinary rate OF reading Iii
| the same .er1od of time - that there was Que
| breath that 49, expiration. 20 each line. IL wa.
| the easiest measure TO read aloud, ana IN sient
mental articulation Que fel the same KIND OF facl-
| lty. Dr. Holmes then continued;
| There is another important character of poetry,
| ten our secrets. Poetry is to prose what the SO
called "ull dress OF the ballroom IS tothe panest CUR
Se,hns ana I more orHament "Fu dress sthai which
full Of beauty S9 &c ea1 inc noG OIL aa s
other reeeptsoe.s The pearl or a,, o&
a arSHu of andisguissd nature. Just the pet
his hidden self IN verse and trusts TO DIS
Justify aud commend his self.exposurH. Way persons
Who can write ws EEs do S.c"as they are les
than their neighbOrs IN p I'm Englsn io9 Inc
and the satsfscon they in overcoming the Difficult
ties OF yersiacaton are most incense NO niatuuton
Soep Inc man WHO recites his vers 10 every
listener be button-hoe is the mos, ieari9d ,S 81
as warning care ogHem II should DO care ed"ene"'
| WHY MANY PEOPLE WRITE IN VERSE,
The sneaker added that another reason why so
many wrote in verse was because II brought such q
reward of popularity when meets the feelings ana
| tastes of tho community. Next to the successful
| soldier-sometimes more than he-the poet was the
| popular idol. DR.. Holmes illustrated this by the
| exampes of Burns and of John Howard Payne. the
author of single popular lyric. He then gave the
reasons which he supposed led Mr.. Emerson TO write
in verse occasionally. He supposed 1t was partly
instructive movement and partly because lac wanted
| creator freedom than prose allowed hun. lie had
himself spoken of the extraordinary iondness OF me
world for IT'S poets and might have been not unwill
ing 10 avail himself of this predcction The reader
| OF his early essay, "NatuTe." would see by what
process he passed from prose to poetry lie dld not
| make his poet twho was himself, doubtlessl slng IN
! yerse but ne puts into his mouth that when ne
| meant AS the most complete exposure OF his inner
| thoughts. "When it took the metrical form IT was
commonly one of the simplest, much OF II being IN
| what YOU may smile to hear me call mo norman
| respiratory verse" DIR. Holmes then continued 9s
| follows:
A good deal of Mr.. Emersons poetry shuf1es along,
but there individuality IN IT, His verse was evolved
by instructive movement IN his highest moments OF
iusujraton He climbs to the steps or his
imaginative prose. was sit ing at table recently ~
s very The opinion that bis fame would not be
| enduring. On the other side Of me sat gentleman
Which Emerson was odmred made no comments on
the remarks OF my neigbbors There are certain sub
jects tnat would more let loose o. dinner-party
titan would carry hornets into nursery, or
wstchmans rstilelnto Quaker meeting they are worse
n man niansater some who value Emerson's prose
writings prejudice against his verse HIS poetry 10
Why is II not popular many OF us think 1t ought TO
| be I Few poems aie widely and permanently popular
lion and relating to the everyday interests Of humanity
| Two of Mr.. Emersons poems which stand IN the lore
| ground namely. The sphinx and Bfalma'' nave
no doubt frightened OF many readers from his poems
These poems were likely 10 pcplex ana perhaps
| with other poems Of Emerson and kept these
| till the last might have become loyal EnersonianS.
| Mr.. EMERSON A CITIZEN OF THE UNIVERSE.
The difference between Mr. Emerson's poetry and that
Of ohcrs with whom he might naturally be compared is
that Of algebra and arithmetic. He always seeing the
universe in the particular The great bulk Of mankind
| care more for two and two-somethng definite 0xed
ouantty-than 4 b. with and other symbols Imply
ing undetermined amounts and indefinite possibilities
EinerIon citizen Of the who has taken up
his residence few days anG nights IN this travelling
befwecn the two inns whicn hang out the
signs of Venus and Mara. This little planet could not
proy1nclze snch being The fascination OF his poems
IL In their spiritual depth and sincerity ald thor oil.
peryadiug symbolism Nothing 10 vugarf he touches IL
give him a mihng-stoO or an aie.hOuse bench
| TO sit upon, he throws his imperial pnrple over u
and IL becomes throne. Bometmes OF course, symbol
ism ike to become more or less fantastic az in tho
| famous story OF the comments upon Fannie Elslers
dancng doubt Invented for him and Margdre. Fuller
nv some sacy fellow hut worth telling hair dozen OF
the audience possibly may not have heard It, The seer
and have just the danseuse execute mag
| niHcent gyraton with wondrous breadth and grace OF
movement " Margaret, this ia poetry T. the seer