The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-06-08
PuENoMENoLooY OF NATURE.
The Suggestions of a New fntei-
lecttIai Discipline.

The Suggestions of New fntei-
lectuai Discipline.
n But iii Rusk.n we have indeed rev.
elation OF nature in new light: and
this attitude of mind is distinctly mod
ern and In its main development has
been chiefly English. Perhaps with a
running parallel with Wadsworth, the
American poets, Bryant, Longfellow,
Whittier, Emerson, Lowell and, above
all, Thoreau aad Burroughs, with their
intercourse with nature and their love
for intimacy with the wealth of beauti,
ful trees in which the New England
and Middle States abr I'D, may be
quoted. But they, as well as Keats,
Southey and Tennyson, do not form the
distinct landmarks which the four
names here following indicate. The
Greeks; though they were in no wise
romautic-in fact, were distinctly OPP
posed to that frame of mind-were Sc
thoroughly and pronouncedly human
in their whole mental organization that
they did not develop this form OF ap,
probation. They constantly projected
though actual, present man
into nature, and endowed her with life
like her own, so vivid that they could
always hold friendly communion with
her. Further, she harbored the life Of
their gods, and their gois. were thus
Familiarity present to them But &c
study and admire her for her inner
beauty of form and color, rs they
studied and admired the human form
for its own pure sake, was stage Of
aesthetic development to which they
did not attain. And in the whole
range of literature down to our own
days, so far as ] am acquainted with il
and as l have been able to recall its
treatment of nature, there is no mani
festation of the habitual and sustained
effort of describing and dealing with
nature for her own sake. independent
o. human associations. Spring and
summer, valleys and mountains, mead
ows and flowers, rain and sunshine,
are indeed dealt with; but in the deal
ing with them there is no manifesto
tion of real observation of their form,
nor is there a pure and concentrated
interest in them for their own sake. II
they IRE not themselves anthropomor-
phic, historical or romantic, they are
at most bucolic or idyllic in their treat
ment. The beginning of this new
epoch are quite recent, and they are,
as | believe, to be found in a writer
who in his main features is considered
the arch romanticist, namely, Byron,
in one of his works, ''Childe Harold. :
OF course in this poem we have much
description of scenery which would be
classed under the head OF romantic
and only mean that in him we have
the beginnings OF designed and CON
centrated desire of dwelling upon the
scenes, making their own inner har
mouy the chief point of artistic inter.
est The next stage in this develope'
ment l find in Shelley; and though
in him the warmth of his humanitar
in interest, which gives its stamp tt
his lyrical genius, always makes its
strength felt especially in the
human imagery he uses in describ
ing nature, still We feel The
genuine touch of the true sympathetic
observer, whether it be III the awful
stiffness OF the mountain heights or il
the rush of the west wind driving the
witheied leaves or even in the fantas
tic description OF Alastor's mountain
chasm. And the next marked step il
made by Wordsworth who trains The
eye to watch and perceive oven The
petals of simple little flowers; though
in him again. there is preponderance
| of the didactic habit. But the highes
stage yet reached in this direction,
new departure, in fact, in the character
of mans observation, is made by Rusk
in. These four men appear to ME X
mark the advance. The claims o
many have been considered, and have
been rejected as either not falling unde
/ this head at all, or not marking dis
tinct steps in this progression. have
carefully considered, for instance, th'
claims of Scott: but have felt that hi
descriptions are either romantic or, a
lleast, that they are always marked bJ
a subordination to some main i:una,
interest or event in the poem Or story
| And it is especially curious to note tina
have not been able to include anon!
their number any of the Gerlna-
French, or italian poets known to me
/ And though Goethe is less romantic il
his description than Schiller or INLAND
his descriptive lyrics are more directi.
/ expressions OF moods evoked by, o
| casting their light over. the objects de
scribed; while Lamartine and Victo
Hugo strike me as romantic. idylic, o
dicactic. -Harper's Magazine.