Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-01-26
EMERSON ON BOOKS.
Some Criticisms by the Grcat Phil.
lsupl,cr,

From CONWAY Z, Emerson at Home and Abroad
He gave me much counsel about books
and reading. II was. he said, grea
point TO get hold of the right book whel
1t WIS personally needed, and not toe
soonur too late. "Thc time comes wher
one requires quantity rather than qual
ity. Goethe awaits that. Not every body
is old enough to read the effective Affi.
mites He maintained that the best in
every book is trauslatable, and that t.
read foreign books IN the original, aftel
they were translated. was like swimming
river instead of going over the bridge.
He often spoke of CARLYLE with warm per-
sonal affection. but is was plain tc me
that the later works of his friend were
regarded by Emerson as unhealthy.
When the Life Of Frederick, VAS ap-
pearing. lac derived great benefit from it,
and wrote warm thanks to CARLYLE for
cach volume but there WAS some hcsita-
tlon when 1t became question whether
any youth should rC-enter the old atmos-
pherc OF enthusiasm which had surround
ed Carlylc's writings. As much care was
needed to get ut the best in Carlyle's
book as to get al the heart of the man.
"When | was in England" he said
young men desired me TO introduce them
to Carlyle ; but | said: why will YOU
have this vltrol thrown over YOU ?'
III current literature he said. the really
useful books are those that deal seriously
with some prominent point or question.
"The interest Of j ne Eyre, for ill.,
stance, is that it puts earnestly such IL
question. There are writers who write
much, and much that is not important
but still show ability to advance thought
at some point. Those are the writer's to
get hold Of These novels OF Elizabeth
Shepard have an interest, in the fact that
they show powerful persons recognizing
character and superiority under whatever
plain exterior or IN humble position. rs in
'Counterparts. - Talk of Browning's
"Paracelsus, he did not think Paraccl-
sus asplred, "it Is the mere canine hum
ger for knowledge fol the power it gives.
When nature wants an artist she makes
Tennyson, and everything good is artis-
tic" The work of Tennyson he liked
least was In Momuriam. He valued
highly the romamcos of George Borrow,
George Sand aud M0nzoni But Emerson
was rarely enthusiastic, except about GER
tain ancient books and especially "scrip-
lures The Bhagavat GllG is of high
importance, and also the Bhagavat Para
na-ah, there is Il book to be read on
ones knees These Oriental Bibles are
more intellectual than the Hebrew and
Christian, but not So fervent." He per-
sonally loved SLadi.
When his own poetry was praised
Emerson interrupted with, "You forget ;
we are damned for poetry" He included
his own poetry under his label for much
American work of that kind-'yerses. -
None could come up to his unyielding
standard, Rufus Griswald he held an in
teresting person, as the one man who has
discovered the existence of American
poetry. Not that lie did moi love and
value his contemporaries and literary
friends hc iciolced in them; but he was
remorsclCss in his demands about poetry.
Poe was merely ''the man who jingles.
OF modcns, CARLYLE most nearly ap-
preached his poetic standard. OF himself
he said one, when forced to speak MY
reputation, such us it, will be one day
cited to prove the poverty OF this time.