New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-14

The life of Richard Henry Dana IS an tSPcoi"i.S
interesting study because of the Influences party
hereditary, partly those Of early training "nI"n
made it a partial failure. 1t is given 10 le"
yonno mon 70 achieve such a brilliant success
rs the lad Dana did with his famous " TWO Years
Before the Mast; and with that as an earnest, te
most DISTINGUISHED career might well have p''h
predcted for him But his biographer more 'h''h
hints that the long sea voyage ana rough 'N
perience which he then turned to Such sooo 'o-
count really saved him from the natural conSe-
ouencps of his inherited defects and 1ufnisheu
store of energy which alone enabled MN 10 at
complish whatever Of importance aiterWaru cane
under his hand His father the elder klchard
Henry Dana. was born dreamer Sensitive.
di1ident dstrustful Of himself" says Mt Adams.
he sbrank from contact with the mass OF men,
and only sense of duty could force him into
conflict with any one" The son was " OF more
robust intellect, and far more energetic ana sell
reliant nature than his father yet. he had many
traits of character in common with the latter
As n child he was sensitive imprcssiOnable and
addicted to day dreaming: as he grew up he de-
veloped premature and exaggerated punctIouS-
ness on all points of sO-called honor, together
with a somewhat overwhelming sense Of RESPONSE
bility 10 family: later on the hereditary traits,
good in themselves and calculated TO command
respect, but still not conducive to practical sue
and more pronounced.
He was in fact, by nature largely tinctured
with that peculiar local pride and family eN-
clusiveness which has received the name Of " fos-
ton Brahminism. Mr.. Adams thinks that "hut
for his hard and healthy forccastlc experience
these foi5lcs of nature and inheritance would
doubtless have cropped ont earlier and borne
their perncious fruit. Thus with Dana, the fore
castle experience arrested morbid action, or. in
l. 4In O1IfO nj
He could no longer be a dreamer, in danger of
becoming a little later on what is sometimes
called prig he turned n tough, manly.
sensible young fellow. afraid of nothing. eager to
please and succeed. rcsolutc. unselish and honest
In another place Mr.. Adams expresses the opin-
ion that 1.-THE forccaStlc did Dana nothing but
rood He came ont of it better in every respect
han he went into it. Whatever measure of sue
.css and fame he aferward achieved in life was
n all human probability due to il. That which
would have ruined coarser nature simply toned
him up to the proper level. He ceased 10 he too
fine for everyday use. Indeed, all through his
subsequent life a sort of conflict may be oh
served between the saving inspiration of the
foreoastle and hereditary instincts and traditions.
In the prime of his manhood the first FREEDOM
mated and led 10 early and brilliant career;
as the years went the freshness of the great
lesson faded away. and influences which ante
dated his birth and surrounded his life asserted
themselves, not for his good. Here we have the
keynote TO Dana's character and career. This is
the explanation of the curious limitations of his
achievements. The force of hercdity worked
against the promptings of his acquired energy
and persistence, drew him back again and again
from opportunities caused him TO gain the name
of fastidiOus eXclusivenesS, and ciectually shut
him out from the political life which he hclicv"d,
and not without reason, he was specially fitted
for in many ways
Dana indeed douby handicapped at the
start by pride and poverty. His father
able TO help him. He had his way TO make alone
and he was not the 70 take whatever offered
Having chosen the law for his profession re-
turning from his voyage. he endeavored 10 use his
sea experience by seeking the cientage Of sea-
faing people. His book brought him much Of
this kind of business. but it was not remuneratiye
and Dana's cOnscientiousness was such that he
expended upon trifing amount Of en-
ergy which in important suits would have
brought him both honor and profit. For several
years he struggled along in small way, eklng
out insufficient income by giving lectures oc
casonally in the villages and small towns around
Boston, and taking a lively interest in the politics
Of the time This in the fOrties. and Dana
was at first an enthusiastic admirer of Daniel
Webster After the latter's 7th of March speech
and joined those who regarded him having be
trayed his section. The period which no
Ncw-Eng lander can look back upon cheerfully or
with satisfaction The observations Of Mr. Adams
upon Boston public opinion during the whole epoch
and down nearly 10 500 are Of deep interest lie
states emphatically that practically all Boston
was under the thumb of the South that the
tone Of what was considered the best society, IN
fact of all the socalled decent and respectable and
religions elements in the community, was dis
tnctly pro-Southern: that to oppose Southern
sentiments and Southern rule TO lose stand
ine and caste: that Richard Henry Dana. who,
though not an AbOlitiOnist, was emphatically an
Anti-Slavcry man, did lose caste because OF his
opinions and found the doors Of many houses
closed against him for years on this account.
Such "reminiscences are embodied satires upon
the vices and weaknesses of men, and terrible eX
posures of the hypocrisy, cant and baseness whlci
masquerade under the garments OF respec'abllltV
No meaner more abiect and sordid spectacle cou'
we'll he conceived than that of enlightened Bos
ton not only bowling TO the arrogance and in
science of the Slave Power for the considera
ton" of the cotton manufacture, hut presump
tuously boycotting the few honest and selfTespect
ing men who were not given over shaInclessly U
this unpatriotic Mammon worship vi inns III
potcnt and insignificant minority Richard licnrl
Dana 10 his eternal honor be it said was one
Here at least heredity did him yeoman service
for il fostcrcd and developed in him that kihd o
pride that disdans base action-the prdc ina
saws 10 itself noblesse oblige.' 1t was impo'
sble for his fathers son 10 yield 10 the Slav
Power and equally impossible TO withhold hi
disapproval from those who responded withou
blushing TO the crack of the whip. But Norther
sentiment generally at this time greatly az
bauched. and that of New England more than an
other part Of the country, because these wef
shining against the light" They knew VIVA
they were doing. They deliberately weighed N
profts of trade and industry against the deman'
of duty and the DEGREES OF conscience and mao
the latter tip the beam. And because they knc
they were wrong they turned the more fierce
,nnn the few among their neghhors who refuse