New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-02
rTBEW ARNOLD ON EMERSON.
, LECTURE IN CHICKERING HALL, BOSTON
THE SAGE OF CONCORD NOT RANKED WITH TIE
GREAT MEN OF LETTERS.
tpy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUsEl

A
TUT SAGE OF CONCORD NOT RANKED WITH THE
GREAT MEN OF LETTERS.
FRY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUsEl
Rosroy. Dec. 1.-Matthew Arnold delivered
his new lecture on Emerson this afternoon III
Chickering Hall, before an audience Limited only "
the size of the hall. Almost nine-tehtnS Oh 'noS0
nresept were ladies. Among the prominent ntotaiJ
l,o were DR. Oliver Wendell Holmes, II. W. Haines,
~ r,,,,,ion scholar: J. T. Trowbridge, the Rev.
phrI;ns Rrooks and the Rev. James Freeman Clarke.
rLo Ioctnrer WAS critical and analytical, though
I;nd ond generous. The audience was not demon
t4vo no little in the lecture called for applause
or created enthusiasm Occasionally when Dir. Ar
,oId dronned into the humorous vein a Duzz Oh
snnnrcssed laughter showed that his points were APP
nrociated. Mr. Arnold said in part
Forty years ago. when was an Undergraduate ~ 01
ia voiccs were i'm the air there which haunt my t
oI 1onnv the man who in that susceptible Stage
Of youth hears such voices! Ihey are po'So'Sion "
The name of Cardinal Newman is great name 10 tne
imagination still his genius and his sly 10 are sun ~
Ufa. he was close ut hand TO us at OhIorui ne ma
preaching in St Marys pulpit eyGIy % ~ us the most
az ahsbed institution I'm the world-the Chulch oI Llg
land somewhere or Other ,c ha ave When Oxford sheds
round ms and here they were! But there WcIo pSv
voices sounding ~ co ~ Carlyc so sorcy strained,
ovGrrsed and misused since put tncm I'LL ~, fnc
iyelVS
Anu besides those voices there came to us IN hat Ola
oxford time voice also from THIS sde OF o n, NAV rate
clear and pure which, for my ear az my aIc'
brought strain as. new and moylhs' nG oetho 70 ~
"a the strain of Newman. Carlyle or OOethS; 20 US
at Oxford Emerson was only voice d ~ sSenE tSnt
5000 miles away But IN sucT nav and Concord were
names Invested TO my car with S AN wr
which invests for the names or oNloru hnu Nc
d satcbcs Of Emerson's stra fixed themselves In my
mind "a Imperishably as any OF inc cioiuyns olu'
WnGn own country and looking upon Boston
Raw Naturally revert the friend Of my youth ~ n9t
ones sci questions about le tilSs
81 o%s youth; they cannot always well support IL Gar
lyle for In my judgment cannot w." ~ re-
surn We should nart with our Illusions we should know
the truth. When come to thls county hih ,m are
now counts for much and where .uoh mn 81 ,eIf
made Tor him pull myself together ana ASK nysel'
what the truth about this object OF my you'u 'uii''
Time has no Indulgence; any wells OF Illusion which
may have left around an Object Oecsuso a noctry
time Is sure TO strip away; tnod WILL FnefL
ought 10 he simple, sensuOus, impaSslOhe VIZ, ~ ~
SassoPP"d In general II lacks drecness /! lacks Gon
creeness Il lacks energy Ln9 bo ogv ever produces.
snch good work the famous stanhS OH IT, IT,, e,itc
monument is the exception WIN nm m bc Eo,ton
LYNN da moi t%n. place Emerson AMONG hc-grca poets
pm Lo VI, a'' -, i,ttars who are q Il of lot
trrs3 They are men like Cicero. Plat .ilL', g.,
writer. With in The frat place, gent ' th't ot
styc whose prose is by Kind ~ uau' nee l uH'
ana ,cnn hr @ a.cs ~ sircwd and fclicous witt
he has crisp cpigums; he has passages OF cAQ"sl~g
tr his sylc has not the requisite wholrnc-- 81 good
tissue You will think deal tn nothing but h.SiIn's.,
have been saying that Emerson }, mol ON, "i i
mon of cticr-t,c great writer's. llc has not ttF quar-
y Of style. lie IT, however he pi"poWnd,r 10, p ,
ophy. Emerson cannot think be called Mi,n 6
great philosophical writer He cannot hnla ur "i y,
rungcuicnt OF philosophical ideas has no pro- ~ A.
s"nc rcic Viii tel. YOU that Emcr-on- poetry indeed
bcst work /, his English Trait" But lt-i't on al
way. trying EmrrsOus work hy thr h-L'-I
Tricd by the highe-t standards and compared WIN "
work ~ the great markers ana Igc"i ',i :. 'n
human Nfr-of writers IKE MoLialsnr J.! h''l '.'' H.
eon-thc English Trait. Will not s'tni ihr '.nAIl'n
Emcrsou'- observation has not tho di.hicf.,'l n.5
ton OF a man - stenacy bene' oicl A. ia" ' n
observation IN Our GA ami , c,, moi With
the riaos and spinoLa- not win we T%toS "a we
| r,nk Emerson Ills work of different kinds, when one
compares it with the work done in oorrcspouding lnd
by these masters falls stand this comparison No uan
! could see this clearer than Emerson himself ~.
i And now / think / have cleared the ground. h'''
eIs Ever t to oStn We have not Emerson great
poet great writer great philosophy maker lIi' ~
lation 10 Is not that 81 one % tnpNo prI'ohss, W.
relation TO M Is Ike that Of the Emperor Marcus
Aurcliu- Marc1, Aurclins = not great pnio-'Pny
maker: he Is the friend and alder OF those Who "oud IN g
IN tho spirit Emerson s the Same" lilo l. Tie iii;ha
points ih them which necessary Tor iio purpose hu
mixes bat he docs not combine them into system, or
pre,rm' inem 40 i, sc rcd%e Talent for tbs Kind Of
thing they would Ice less useful than ~ incr.on CIV
ana the man WIN INC ldl'lt I" -
them would be l1ss impressive IMAM Inc son: iney u
very well ~ they stand-lke hoWdrfs' "a. ne rN
in paragraphs incOmpIcsahlr. each sentence on hHl
irly f.prilcut particle" In such reuicncrs hls man
pon. fccur again and again, and become hNed Ia lht
memory Yes. surely, his Insight t. admlrablci MS rum
is precious the secret OF Lis effect d. not these; II
temper. whercwith these. In Emerson, are ind--Oh1F
joined In which they work and have i1giI beng lie
SAYS himself we Judge ~ mans wisdom hy l- hope
knowing TINT the perception OF the inrNhusi oil
nature immortal youth" Ono cannot vel otcIidlt
the mpotancc OF us holding fast 10 happuc. and hope
II gives TO Ener7onr work AN inVhuahlr virtue -
,gOrths poetry is Ia my Judgment The most lmpOr
taut work done IN verse IN our Language curing inc c.
fury En- crsOn rcssay. are the most Important W"h
done IN prose. IFS work Is much more important tti
Carylcs Happiness In labor, righteousness and vcrariIy
in the life OF the spirit; happiness ana eternal nope
Many OF your writer's oyer-sanguinc, and on Tho
wrong grounds bat You have two men who. In wha
where courage and hope just, where they are also III
hnitey important. but where they are not easy 1h'
most dsuuctyely and hOnoraby American OF your VIII
they the most original ana the most valuable
Wise men everywhere know that We must Keep up on
courage and hOpci that hope IS "a Wordsworth hOblJ
'''' "Tho paramount duty which heaven lays
For own suffering heat"
But the very word Ity points 10 effort and n strng
gle To maintain hope unbrokon Franklin ana Emer
SON maintain theirs with convincing ease, inspiring
low Franklns confidence In the happiness with which
diligence honesty and economy will crown the life o.
this wOrkday world Is such that he runs over will
felicity. With like felicity does Emerson run Over
when he conempates the happiness etcrnay attached
to the true life In the spirit You cannot prize him ol
much heed him too diligently lie has lessons fo
both The branches OF our race hgurc him 10 my mine
us visible upon tho earth still as standing here by Bo
ton Bay, his Concord, In his habit a. he lived
but OF heightened stature aud SHINING utureOnc hhnt
stretched out toward the East, toward laden anC
laboring England; the other toward the grownS
West toward his dearly loved America" great. In
tegeut sensual ayariciOus America" To us he show
for guidance his lucid freedom, HIS cheeruines5 ant
hope to you his dignity decacy serenity elevation