New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-01

that of others He knew. doubtless that others
COMPOUNDED him with the endless number OF per-
sons who take ceaseless pleasure In the SOUND OF
their own voices. Musing on the suDJect, ne
distinguished at least two classes Oh takers
whom II would be wrong to cohiouhu' lhere
were those who used vast numper Oh worus
to express a single idea with these common-
place sinners he, S. T. Coleridge had no SYM
pathy But the other sort of ohenders-there IS
something grand about them-use "hVe hundred
moro ideas images reasons etc. than there IL
any need of TO arrive at their object. till the
only object arrived at is that the minds eye or
the bystander is dazzed with colors succeeding
SO RAPIDLY as to leave one vague impression that
there has been great blaze OF colcrs all ABOUT
something" All about nothing was In erect
the comment Of Carlyle after he had listened
long to one Of Coleridges talks. But Cariyie
himself was also'a copious talker. and hence
not the most kindly critic of another mans
monologues. The notebook obliged Coeridge 10
select his thoughts, to neglect much Of the color
and verbal pyrotechnics that maze MS fihd d
nicturesque scene to himself and his conversa-
ton delight 10 many who cared Ittle LOT
thinking and to say what he meant. Not that
his philosophic ESSAYS and fragments In inns
volume are always clear. even when the thought
ploteness for the very reason which Colerdge
himself pointed out when he observed In one or
tho notes in this book how thoughts not only
lead to each other but blot each other out
"This 7 find" he added, when. having lain
musing on my sofa, number OF Interesting
thoughts having suggested themselves, conquer
nv bodily Incidence, and rise to record them in
these books. alas. my only confdants' HIS
thoughts crowded each osher to dca'h' ne
fancied But that phrase about bodily indoience
raises the suspicion that these were no hnKeo'
definite thoughts that vanished before they
could be written.
This suspicior is strengthened by the fact
that Coleridge when alert. could remember IN
a startling way the fantastic. disorderly impress
sions obtained In dreams. He had habit or re-
cording dreams the moment he awoke; ana MS
memory as evinced by "Kubla Khan was capa-
BILE Of carrying innumerable details for time.
II there Is to be science or dreams some cor
trbutions to it will be found in TINS volumc'
ON one occasion he dreamed that he said or
read or heard read the words: "Varrius thus
prophesied vinegar at his door by damned frigid
tremblings" After waking he fell asleep again
considering how dreams might be made regular
and the former dream recurring. the words
seemed to be added Il should have thought 1t
Vossius rather than Varrus, though Varrius
hcine a great poet the idea would have been
more suitable to him. only that all his writings
were unfortunately lost in the Arrow. There IL
here no consecutive thought and no relation OF
time or meaning among the names. But Cole
ridge evidently had no trouble in remembering
the whole medley. Sometimes his dreams, even
when extravagant, were as orderly as MS wax
ing thoughts For example. he dreamed on one
occasion that Adam fell AMONG some of the
descendants of Cain who had never heard the
story Of the creation OF the origin of mankind,
and was killed by them on the suppositlon that
he was a madman. 1t IL wonder that Coleridge
did not see way of developing this fantasy
into an entertaining and perhaps satirical tale
especially as he was unfriendly to the Darwin
ism of his day-that is TO the theories OF the
poet DR. Erasmus Darwin.
II Is also surprising that ne should have been
content with a merely apparent explanation Tor
the lapse Of thoughts into oblivion. He was too
minnie q psychologist really to believe that one
thought could affect another in physical way.
cr,wdng IL or crushing it. Besides he was
elaborate enough when he fell to reasoning
about words omitted in writing. He thought 1t
worth noting and endeavorng to detect the law
of the mind 'by which in writing earnestly
while we are thinking We omit words necessary
TO the sense" He held that I'VE seldom omit
the material word. but generally the word by
which the mind expresses its mobilization OF the
verbum materae." So far he Is merely re-
cording an observation which may or may not
have been warranted by tests at various times
Then comes his explanation that the nina
borrows the materia from without, and-passiVe
with regard to 1t. as the mere subject Is 'Ston
"a simple event of memory takes place; but nav
ing the other in itself. the inward Having. with
ITO of
Uavinq-or is all memory an anxious act, and
thereby suspended by vivid security? or ere
both the same? or if not. are they consistent
and capable of being CO. or sub-ordinated!
Whatever this may mean it certainly shows
that Coeridge not always content with SIM
ole explanations such that his thoughts
crowded each other to death.