New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-17

Xyi Roberts DrOs
N, eanborn in this rambling biography IS Ill
thc singular position of attempting 10 Po'u"S
what he considers greatness "lthou. o'"s an"
20 enumcrate tangible proofs OF that greatness a''
,.ou, tho testimony of the distinguished friends
~ his subject He admits that Aco't ro"i' "v'
,,r;,e we'll during his .iist sixty YEAS 'Housh
q. talker lie was impressive ana sueses'N'' ""''
;doo1 ouotes more than one of Emersohs cohi-
,nor,s ON This disobility-as thus: TO me Finer
, ue.d IN slv ,nf Alcott When he SITS uo""
,o write all his genius leaves him; lie gives No"
tho shells and throws away the kefh'i Vi 10
.houobt'n Concerning the verse Wrl'"n W
,lcott after his siatlcth year, Mr. oahpoi" Sp'""
with confident admiration, Ill WHICH we "o IN
share even if we do NOT wholly a-rc" WIZ
Emerson's conclusion, reached after hie'i"' y,
Intimacy that his friend could wIlte h''ul"S ",''
WAS worth printing. We must iook' ''en' ~;
The measure of Mr.. Mcotts influence upon IA
rsneration. and upon that which succeeded u,
IN his short and comparatively unsucceasln pi'o'
~ scbool-teaching. to his Conversations Ill Nc"
J.',a,a .rd tbo West. 70 his appearances at
;ous roform conventions. and 10 his uiscouiS'S
=. Tho Concord School of Philosophy IN HIS l"sV
s.o,,lo wars The record of actual, uehhi'e SCI
tho IN his race as found IN these Volumes i NOV
.. imposing one, and we take leave u -
that his country would have suffered se'e''''
Mr. Alcott had never become PhioSop"'i
.,,a.r holds that Alcotts mission was 10 III
sn;re thought and to share the spifi'uai '"'''
the ,ime: but he has failed to show us any WI
siderable body of disciples moved u no'"
tellectual and moral eNertlons pN '"e P''''.
rber's inspiration. .as he has falled 10 s"'" "'
INDISPENSABLE STARE taken by Aico'' ~ ;o,
aforementioned spiritual tasks i"o =.
,vnoriment Of Fruitands-the attempt 10
oh,I6isb in conception and execution tha' II 'o"'"
n;.n no+b;no brt pity and laughter ana 10
,isbed inspiration" to nobody put the sio"P'
=, hl.nccd fanatics who filled the "oous DIT
.,o. roriod As an inspiring force MIR. oahoo'n
,oLos his subject too seriously. Alcot'S Ooh>'i
cations. were in TRUTH best appreciated ~ ms
hrotber Transcendcntalists. who did ho' paul
,a,lv need communicated INSPIRATION uious" ''''
accented it chcerfully A., >f
Will il is impossible TO concede ''a' Nv
A,cott was IA very great man, WHOSE o"' :.
one Of special importance ana pehencen0'' -
ebould be acknowledged that he Id"
toents and pure and elevated chai"o''
erson once said of him: Il thhk ne Has 'O'
faith in the ideal than any man nav N"'"
10Y oIooybore he called him "a tedious afch-
ANGEL Tedious he often was Ill u'.i' 49,,
ua had not the saving grace OF knowing WIG"
thing of pompous words and CLOUDY i'e'9
:. an .;r And no CO." as Emerson mas SAN VI
h;s friends literary style. His testimony d. ~
.Icott's talk at its hest was as e'hpha"''
rure intellect | have never seen MS equ''
wrote in 1866 For want of the balance ""'o'
~ common-sense most of this high CIV wa
..od Tho Good man walked the earth WIN
b;s head in the clouds, lis soul bent on Su"is",
way bringing about millennium oil wisooii EovU
moss and beauty, and heartily believing ia ~,
nosshility of such Golden AGE Mi"s'0"
all his lofty aspirations were lucas ~
sohomos 60 fantastical. that it is no wonder
practical people laughed at the 'eac"i"s' .Yr,'
nronbet capablc of so much weakness ana lo'IS
irnn aooo,nt which he himself gave in his later
,e.rs Of his Fruitlands experiment is si2iincan'
~ tho want of those "reconcng gifts winch
,,aro needed TO recommend his propaganda Vi
the Ideal.
Only vegetable diet was allowed; for the
rcbts of animals TO life. liberty, ana the pIrSu
of happiness formed fundamental pri .np' Of
their Constitution. This not only cut rlcn Iii; ~,
from beef. but from milk and eggs Inc mn. IN
belonged to the calf-the chicken nau r,an' the
its existence as well as the in, ian annie tree,
,rara not ID be molested. They haG as NUN
right to the apples as man had; ,nW ;nto
farm operations were not star'ea ui.n W." We ,.aIno
ds,nendence was barley; but the philosophers
S;d not finch at the thought of an eAclush =.
barley diet Now and then they gave .no ,boas
os to what they should do for shoes wren 'nose
they now had were gone; for deprlVihg ,Ie r g9
of her skin was a crime not to be toieraVsu, t,o
barley crop was injured IN thn IN ,be face
irhis burden fell heaviest upon Mrs AIcot', lor,
as housewife. it was her duty to prepare .' iu
meals day. They renamed at. al rnsts bav;na
,n;dwnter in dire poverty. all the guests ma ~
taken their departure as PROVISIONS Nali van, n,
Friends came to the rescue. ana cohcluueo ~. W
Alcott with tone OF pathos !" HIS Nv sed and
p%a,e our way TO Concord. SO faded one oil the
dreaps Of my youth.
The burden always fell heaviest on Mrs' ar
cott.. until their daughter Louise came 10 INC
rescue with her literary earnings, cruei poverty
toll bevond her strength and the necessary az
centanee of tcneits from friends were the 10, o'
the philosophers faithful wife. II Is har"y Jus
.ena.mn as vulgar money -grubbers those who
r;d;culcd Alcott's absurditles ana reJec'"u III
teachings. II is but human TO demand from
.,., horor who assumes 10 lead mankinf
. reasonable consistency and deeds as sprituai'A
Io-o;o 90 bis words: and Mr.. Alcotts offer
,a;orons ,vbims of reform, his prodigous egotisII
.ra tho uhdigested platitudes which came IRON
h;s non did much 20 blind the eyes OF men u III
i"' 80 , That serene and noby BALANCED
;nteyect which moved beside nm az cohco''
49, mon mistook for long-Emerson had "hltche'
,-....r IN q star" but he did not deser
Tho wagon and attempt 10 live IN the stars al
fooetber The lore of the heavens came 10 nell
A.. saro and competent management of TIN
CULINARY vehicle. One could not imagine hln
sosus;rc n cat and shutting himself up TO Oh
i,oc.nse q visionary community scheme had failed
II, was only the entreaties of his wife that pre-
vented Alcott from thus DESERVING her and thel
four young children when the end of frul'
,onds came How much of this despair rose IRON
wounded vanity and how much from the vanish
inc of an ideal. no one could have told so wei
"a Emerson. He. as they grew old together
measured Alcotts faults as accurately as III
Ia ..aa 10 Emerson that the :" teOlOu