The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15
ESTIMATE OF EMERSON
REV. j. CUMMING SMITH THINKS HIS
INFLUENCE OVEREsTIMATED.
Preacher of a Serene Gospel, Yet His
TranscendentaIism Made Him
Vague and Visionary.

fore literary club of this city, the Rev.
]. Cumming Smith took rather an unusual
view of the Concord sage" While eulo-
giving Emerson as the prophet of a new
era, and the preacher of a sane, joyous,
serene gospel, Mr.. Smith believes that we
overestimate his influence. 1t was the re-
coil from Puritanism that he accentuated,
and in this reaction does he find his his
toric place. But as an apostle of a free
spiritual manhood, Mr.. Smith asks, does
he not go too far in the other direction?
His appeal is from an external book to
conscience as supreme authority; he del
fies mind. and in doing this worships not
one god, but many.
Again. Emerson is unscientifc, and for
this reason is losing ground with a certain
class of readers. With evolutionary pro-
cesses he has nothing to do; he does not
make his deductions with relation to the
laws of cause and effect, but frequently
sets aside the force of fact and experience
for shadowy intutions. The reader may.
therefore, begin anywhere and leave off
anywhere. His author selects a center and
forgets a circumference.
Like most idealists," says Mr.. Smith,
"he repudiated compromises and halfway
measures, but while fearless and often
drastic in his denunciation of wrong, EN-
erson was too sensitive and peaceable for
us to ever conceive of him as a bold re-
former Apart from the vulgar mob, he
preferred to brood upon high themes
and utter a philosophy of serenity
HIS TRANSCENDENTALIS
There is a touch of characterization
even in his love of nature which amounted
to a passion He claimed he saw what
others saw not and heard what others
heard not, and this is as often the boast
of the insane as IL is of the sane. Shaks-
peare what others saw not and heard
what others heard not, but he made others
see and hear. Emerson suggests the I'M
known; Shakespeare simplifies the I'M
known. If a genius discovers some thing
he must incarnate it so that his fellows
may enjoy il. We doubt If anything can
be true that cannot be appreciated by the
popular intelligence. Esoteric schools must
become exoteric. Burns perhaps saw as
far with the heathery beauty of Scotland
and Byron's fiery insight pierced as deep
into Alpine scenery Emerson's ever did
or could, but both Byron and Burns were
prompted by their very genius to reveal
might enjoy their ecstacy.
while Emerson felt the significance of
woods and streams, the luminaries of
science of that period were bequeathing
their discoveries to the mass of men. They
drew careful differences from facts: Emer-
son brooked no such interference and
scared away on wings in scorn of such
limitations. His worshipers protest that
gisms and facts and the bondage of COM
mon conditions. Is it true that we can
trust the seer only when he scorns the
world of facts?
His texture of mind being what Il was,
Emerson was compelled to set aside
churches, and creeds, and Bibles, and
sacraments, and historic developments of
religion, and in their place to introduce a
vast vague, elusive thought of infinitude
which it is hard to refute because hard to
understand. There were errors in the
Puritan thought, but when they swing to
the opposite extreme from puritanism and
Danish logic from the high spheres of re-
ligion and mock the historic development
of the church they make religion proof
against reason, and this lands us in ag-
Mysticism by one stroke and lands agnosti-
cism itself in the ditch
A PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT.
while revering Emerson and his col
leagues for their fight against the aus
terity of Puritanic thought, transcenden-
talists should be reminded that religion
must be treated in a logical and scien-
tific manner; that il is a historical, or
ganized development and as such must
be fearlessly investigated Admitting EN-
erson's services. il is Yet true that he takes
away sunlight and gives us a substantial
moonlight, perhaps only the faint star
light.
while acknowledging Emersons vast
service to mankind and giving fun credit
to his intense optimism and sincerity in
the giving of his message TO the world,
yet Mr. Smith asserts that he really had no
elaborate. harmonious system OF thought
no logical philosophy of the universe such
as Plato OF Swedenborg or Darwin or
| Charming had. These minds plunged into
the greatest depths of our mysterious
world and gave birth to new interpreta-
tons of nature and God. Emerson was
a prophet. not pilot. and swan with the
| stream without trying TO guide H."