The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-08
FROM POLLOCK"
a Talk About Certain Authors, Books and
Certain PHILOSOPHERS.

a Talk About Certain Authors, Books and
Certain PHILOSOPHERS.
In reading Maud Naples" dissertation
on Emerson's writings wss not only
pless-d but interested. ] am pleased 10
hear sueh an earnest advocate Of kmpr-
sonian philosophy, AMI interested liz the.
70 me, original treatment OF the sub
ject in hand.
The mentioning Of this writer calls TO
mind pleasing "reminiscences OF Claiming
and Brook Farm" The Diai: :" also
Margaret Fuller. Thoreau, Hawthorn, and
even Lowell. Whittier and Holmes peep
like shadOwy ghosts over obivion's cur
tain The history of Emerson's time is
the history of the only group Of writers
in American literature, it is said having
conference enough 10 merit the
name OF a school. Transcendenta ism
was its religion. Waldo Emerson was
Its prophet and Concord was its Mecca.
Ye; il was not strictly confined 20 his lat
itude nor was transcen dentalism ts only
hobby 1t spread out It's wings and gath
cred under its protecting shadow thu
young ''chicks" OF many secis, whOss
mother lad Gisappe red or who'd other
wise been left TO perish in tue burning
Iun OF neglect. 4 new soil was here be-
Ing created. and tho il was but the sol Of
the mother country with some different
Ingredients in its composition, II notNith-
handing produced from the same seeds
ZONE very original plants. The most
original was perhaps. the man who'd adj
Fise YOU 10 hitch your chariot 20 a star, a
resglt iigt az the hiyneat ordpr
he has also been dubbed a lycenum
lecturer lie possessed smooth vigor-
ous uiterance, a clear enunciation, concise
succinct. easily understood by the
masses. and he soon lesped into popu-
larity. lie possessed oil the attTactiveness
Of a Franklin without the scientific or
Wrongly humorous characteristics. In mis-
pertinent waY OF hitting the nail on the
head he reminds Us OF Josh Billings, in hi.
Keeper studies. II such a name can be
applied 10 his works, he resemhled Car
lyle. But he wasn't prOlix or exhaustive
ike the after. His writ in composition
was tue sentence. "lIe had no system"
The dearest disciples are al fault "a are
he defenders. lie attemp Ell a theory
Of ths universe, and his theory
j. not complete or seIfevidsnt. One
lhinks he means this, another that. lie
has said one thing in one place
aud the reverse OF il in another
place" The foregoing inc osed in quota
hon marks Is what Emerson said of Plato
In his Representative Man." And an
other writer says il applies equally well
20 the Prophet OF characterization"
That We may no, stultIfy ourselves il NAV
be necessary to make ci, arer what We mean
by popularity above used. We don't
wish To have the Impression that Emer-
son Was popular or easily understood in
the sense that these words are used by
thoughtful people, but rather as
illustrated by the following anecdote
A child had suddenly disd and every
body wondered what had al ed the infant,
but after the attending doctor had a.
signed long Greek name TO the disease
everybody understood" and the doctor
popularity" increased with astonishing
rapidity. Emerson was a seer-he an
nounced truth. But ike some OF the
hostages NOWADAYS, after being announced.
they. like the hostages guests. were eft
90 hustle" for themselves. Yet this
Socrates of Concord accomplished much
In setting people thinking To look back
over that period and observe the
many new fats which were inaugu-
rated and many new problems dis
cussed reminds one verv strongly
OF reading Looking Backward" or Toa
Pains's age Of Reason" ITO transcend
sntslists." says Noted authority. Christ