Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-22
CONCORD PHILOSOPHY.
A ORAUGHT FROM THE SOURCE
OF The PlERlAN SPRING.
A fhiloscphic Tea-Lecturers who Fight
Shy of Their subjects-PecuIiarR Results
of Boston Culture-OId Hobby Riders
Aired-Dsnte and His Beatrice.

Especial CorrespOndencel
I NEw IoRH, Aug l6.-Not long since
turned eastward i'll search of light shall
never forget the first night | reached Con
, cord, Mas. ] arrived about in the even
ing, and was just congratulating myself upon
detecting in the hall of my boarding house the
aroma Of delicately cooked viands, when |
WAS summoned to tea" My heart nearly
failed me at the ominous word, but 50 sharp
set was my appetite that it was impossible to
blot out faith that something must come to
appeaSe my hunger descended, crossed the
threshold of the dining room, and there lay
the board before me. Covered with spotltsSs
linen it certainly was, but ON the linen stood
only a teapot, bread and butter, blueberries
round, dark, hard and defiant-and some
slices of pale cake
A New England tea is enough to draw
tears from stone But this was the land Of
philosophy; here indeed was simple living,
however it might be as to high thinking NV
dropping spirits were not elated by the infor-
nation that breakfast was served at ESQ u m g.
dinner at noon, and tea at 80 p. M Thirteen
mortal hours to digest those hlueberries.
understood the origin of transcendentaksm
] was already disciple for mysticism. and
ebsh HihiitAidbfiN ~ "dlh uD Illlslle
chapel where the School of Philosophy was
held
1t Was a pretty path | took under grand
elnls, past the Emerson home, along one Of
the principal streets of Concord The chapel
is All unpaintei, rough, board building, vine
clad, and nestled on a grassy slope in an
orcharl adjoining the old AIcott house.
1t is a decidedly close little place when the
Srn shines with full Suu,u,ar haat 81
roof has way Of letting the rain dribble
down philosophic necks; but we were seekers
after the higher way, -, Of course, did not
motto" the small ahversities of this mundane
sphere.
For those disinclined 10 make their pilgrim
ages to Mecca on foot, there are huge omni-
buses running 10 and fro These vehicles are,
of course, not named omnibuSes A spade is
not called spade at Hillside chapel The
conveyance for the mystics is a barge" 1t
was in one Of these that first saw Miss Pea
body. Her hair hung, once upon a time no
doubt, in ringlets either side her face, but
years had made havoc of the curls. and now
straight locks struggled unkempt 10 the shout
ders- With mantle hanging off this side. ker-
chief off that; with brooch and shawl pin
askew, with well-inked digits, with one black
N'tbOn SlpNt ebDi DtNpnu
the fingers of the left hand, with bonnet hang
ing by sleazy strings from the hack of her
head, with mystic utterance sat Elizabeth
Peabody
When one thinks Of the noble work she has
done for education one feels, in spite Of her
appearance, n certain tenderness and gratitude
for the gentle lady bending under her weight
of fourscore years. She has made our paths
easier, let us not nlske hers rough.
As Miss Peabody entered the chapel, directly
behind her came little girl of some nine
summers, nursing a big doll This infant
disciple was accompanied by her mamma
Then Mrs. Cheney, the lecturer of the even
ing, made her appearance. Miss Peabody
rose from her arm chair on the platform, ad-
vanced to Mrs. Cheney and saluted her with
a transcsndental kiss and embrace. 1t was
sweet TO see the affections flourish on the
platform. Before the lecture there was
one last thing necessary. Miss Peabody
must be supplied with Il tumbler of water
Now all is ready and Mrs. Cheney begins to
discourse on Dante and Michael Angelo"
Soon the infant philosopher, the owner of
the doll, succumbs to sleep. Miss Peabodys
bedtime is also apparently passed; her eyes
are tight shut and head nodding How hu-
man it Is to start up and in manner affirm
that We have been wide awake all the time
But after acting this mild form Of deceit sew
eral times, catastrophe overlook the ancient
philosopher Miss Peabody gave one big
nod, aud head and tumbler went simulta-
neOusly down into her lap Anxious, devoted
maidens rushed to her assistance, and in the !
twinkling of an eye the lap WAS hailed out and !
Miss Peabody righted; and again she was |
silently protesting that she had only intended |
TO make deep obeisance 10 the golden truths |
spoken, and to offer up hbatiOns Of water !
Hamlet would have agreed with me, that all !
things in heaven and earth arr dreamed of in |
this philosophy.
As | attended the school from day to day.
il seemed TO me that not more than one or two |
lecturers were at all deeply versed in their !
subject 1t is possible, perhaps, on founda- |
ton of those New England enthusiastically |
and general smartness-tO build up a paSSably |
good exposition of social questions in our own |
times; but to discuss an Italian poet Of a by |
gone century requires scholarship. Most Of
The diSquisitions on Dante were mere aca-
iemic essays, not worth, TO n real student, the |
time consumed in listening TO them One
feeble effort was merely a chaotic mass of .
quotations from various books on the poet,
and most of these from critic considered
BY the scholarly Of absolutely no worth
And such was the public criticism
made by the only Dante authority
present, Professor Thomas Davidson.
Some Of the lecturers began with
Excuses for lack of preparation notably one
n which the speaker stated that the ideas
presented were based on impressions made by
youthful study of Dante thirty or forty years
igo. This effort-if anything 80 feeble can
De called such-ended with a sentimental ode
Is long as it was weak, written by the lee
urer when about ~ years old. Valuable
contribution this to Dantesque literature!
During the week devoted to the great Italian
,oet, the ecstasy with which Dante's love for
3eatrica was referred to, sounded very odd 10
imple Nineteenth century ears. Mrs. Julia
Ward Howe, in her lecture, mentioned
hat Beatrice married another than
Ter lover, but failed in her eulo-
,ium Of the poets infinite love to tell us
hat he, too, married some one else, and had
even prosaic children. | grew impatient
With the slurs at modern life and exaltation
4 chivalry.
No one even specifically acquainted with
he subject could claim that the knights OF
Rivalry paid respect TO woman comparable
o that accorded the sex by men of our day
/ was all so funny, this contrast between
he assembly and its sayings; Women sit
ing on the platform freely discussing every
hing the audience mainly composed Of
women, and yet all doing their best to be
title the sentiments OF this generation and
Nalt those Of the middle ages Oh, that
night have been a magician and could have
aid, "hey, prestov and could have watched
he fair lecturers as they vanished, one by
ne, into some moated castle, and seated
themselves at the embroidery frame Can
uch be the result of the refinements of BOs-
on cuturet Better, then, the less highly