The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-30

worm mas IN trutn. 0pic passion. ana mhttyrs
himself to the human heart. the main region
OF his song. In regard TO his genius alone.
We ind what he snys true A. far as We have
experienced aud We can Judge no further
but by larger experience for ax!oms In
philosophy are not axioms until they are
proved upon our pulses. We read fne things.
but never feel ,hem TO the full until we have
gone the same stops as the author. I know
this l. not plain: you will know exactly my
meaning when say that now I shall relish
Hamlet more than ever have dons-or bet
ter. you are sensible that no man can set down
Vcncry as hestia or joyless thing until he is
sick OF It. and. therefore. all philosophizing on
1t would be mere wording. Until we are sick
We understand not; In fno Byron says,
knowledge Is SORROW and I 60 on to ray
that Sorrow ia wisdom and further. for
aught We can know for certainty. Wisdom is
folly" Returning TO Wordsworth from this
digresslon. Keats again endeavors to dcnno
tho quality OF hi. genius by contrasting
Incidentally he reveals his own. II
compare" he says. human Lie TO n
largo Mansion OF Many apartments two OF
which only l Gnu describe. the doors OF the
rest being as yet shut upon mo. The first We
stop into We call the infant or thonehtless
Chamber. IN which We remain ~ long as we do
not think. We remain there long whlle. and
Notwithstanding the doors OF the second Cham
ber remain wide open. showing q bright APP
pearance we caro- not to hasten to 1t: but are
at length imperceptibly impelled by the awak-
ening OF the thinking principle wi hin us. We
| no sooner get into the second Chamber which
| I shall call tho Chamber OF Maiden Thought,
than va become intoxicated with tho light
and atmosphere. We sec nothing but
pleasant wonders. and think OF delay
ing there forever in delight. However.
among tho effects OF this breathing in
further Of that tremendous one OF sharpen.
ing ones vision into the heart and nature OF
Man-of convincing ones nerves that the
world is full Of Misery and Hearthrenk. Pain.
| Sickness. and oppress.on-whereby this Cham.
| bsr OF Maiden. Thought becomes gradually
| darkened. and at the same time. on all sides OF
| II. many doors arc set open. but all dark. nll
| leading to dark passages. We see not the bal
, ance OF good and evil We are in a mist: We
arc now in that state. We feel tho burden Of
| the Mystery"
TWAS to this point Keats thinks that Words
| worth had como whom he wrote Tintern Alb
boy" His genius had become explorative OF
| the dark passages OF life. Keats goes on to
say that III VIC live and go ON thInXinG we.
| too shall explore them. He Is a genius and
superior to US in 40 far a. he can. more than
We. mike discoveries and she'd light in them.
Here must think Wordsworth Is deeper than
Milton. though think 1t has depended more
upon the general AMI Rregarious advance OF
intellect than individual greatness Of Mind.
From tho Paradise Lost and the other Works
| Of Milton l hope It is not too pre-
Stunning. even between ourselves. to say
that his Philosophy. human and divine.
may be toleraby understood by ono not much
advanced In years." After an acute analysis
OF tho religious and moral conditions under
which Milton wrote. Keats arrives at
tho conclusion that He did not think
into tho human heart as Wordsworth has
done. Yet Milton as Philosopher had sure
as great powers as Wordsworth. What is then
to be inferred2 o. many things. It proves
that there Is really grand march OF intellect.
1t proves that a mighty Providence subdues
tho mehtiest Minds to the service OF tho time
being. whether it be In human knowledge or
Religion"
In the course of tho year 1918 Keats made
visit to Scotland and spent some time In Ayr
shire among tue scenes immornlized by
Burns. Tho reflections excited were not pleas
ant ones. MS the following a.luslon shows: "One
song OF Burns's is Of more worth to you than
all could think for a whole year In his native
country. His Misery is dead weight upon the
nimbleness OF ones Quill tried to forget it
to drink To-day without any Care-to write q
merry sonnet-it won't do-he talked with
Bitches-he drank with Blsckgunrds. no was
miserable-We can SEQ horribly clear in the
works OF such a Man his whole life. as II We
were Gods spies.-What were mis- addresses to
jean in the latter part OF his life? should
not speak so to you-yet why not-you are not
in the Same ca-e-yo arc in tho right path.
and you shall not be deceived. have spoken
to you against Marriage. hutit was general
the Prospect in those matters has been to m so
blank. that have OF been unwilling to die"
We como now to noteworthy passage in n let
ter from Scotland to BENJAMIN Bailey. In which
Keats describes tn nature OF the feeling with
which he himself had UP TO that time regarded
women. Il nm certain l have not right feel
Ing toward women-At this momen. l am
striving to be Just to them. but cannot-Is it
because they fall 80 far beneath my boyish
Imagination? When l was a schoolboy I
thought fair woman a pure Goddess: my
mind was q soft nest In which some one Of them
slept: though she know it not. have no right
to expect more than their reality-I thought
them ethereal above men-I find them perhaps
e0ual-Rreat BY comparison Is very small. In
suit may be inflicted in more ways than by
word or ncion-One who is tender OF being in
suited docs not like to think an insult
against another. do not like to think
insults In ladys company-I commit a
crime with her which absence would
not have known. Ia it not extrsordina-
ry?-when among men have no evil thoughts.
no malice. spleen-but with women l can
not speak. or DO ailent-I am full OF sus-
picions and therefore listen to nothing-I am
In hurry to be gone. You must be CHART able
and put oil this perveraity to my being disap-
pointed since my boyhood. / could
say good deaf about this. but will loave 1t
In hopes Of belter and moro worthy DISPOSE
lions and also content that am wrongng no
one. for after all do think better OF woman
kind than to suppose they care whether Mis-
ter John Keats. Ave feet high. likes Thorn or
not"
Keats recurs to this subject later. In a letter
written from Hampstead. whore he had been
introduced to Miss Charlotte Cox. an East ,
Indian cousin Of the ReynoldseS. He says:
never WAS In love-Yet tho voice and shape
OF . Woman has haunted mo those two days
At such time. whom tho relief. the feverous
rsliot OF Poetry has conauered-I have re-
lspssd into those distractions which are my
nnl