The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-09-28

\
and natural order, laying them before
his reader, one after the other, for con-
venient deliberation, so that every one
of them may receive individual atten-
tion.
Emerson, on the other hand, deals in
long sentences, rich in inter-involved
parenthesis, like an oriental fakir's set
of trick boxes one within another, fur
nishing the reader with fragmentary
bits which he is then called upon to
collect carefully and store up in his
memory, as if they were scattered
pieces of a mutilated manuscript after
wards to be sorted out, and made sense
of by matching them with the CORE
spending portions to which they re-
spectively belong.
He shows tendency-nay, a habit
Ito break up his principal sentences
into little pieces, for the purpose of
pushing into the crevices thus created
two or three other little thoughts, by
way of parenthesis, thereby unneces-
sarily confusing the reader. And this
opinion stands upon no authority of
mine. 1t is supported by uncontrovert-
ible evidence; and, while it is not my
purpose to weary you with any extend
ed citations, hope your good nature
will incline you to some degree of in
dulgence whilst 1 quote, briefly, from
one or two of Mr.. Emerson's essays.
The passages which 1 have selected
are only such as may be found in
plenty by opening at random volume
of Mr.. Emerson's essays, and they are
not exceptional in the sense that they
offer vivid contrast to other portions
of his work.
Mr.. Emerson defines Nature thus:
"Philosophically considered, the uni
verse is composed of Nature and the
soul. Strictly speaking, therefore, all
that is separate from us, all which
philosophy distinguishes from the
NOT ME-that is, both Nature and
body-must be ranked under this name
NATURE In enumerating the
values of Nature and casting up their
sum shall use the word in both
, senses-in its common and in it's phil
osophical import. In inquiries so gen.
eral as our present one, the inaccuracy
is not material; no confusion of
thought will occur. Nature, in the
common sense, refers to essences un-
{ changed by man: space, the air, the
, river, the leaf. Art is applied to the
mixture of his will with the same
things, as in house, picture, stat
ue, a canal. But his operations, taken
{ together, are so insigni6cant-a little
: chipping, baking, patching, and wash.
. ing-that in an impression so grand as
: that of the world on the human mind
!. they do not vary the result"
, And, finally, quote from Mr.. Emer
, sons Essay on Love:
3 "Let US approach and admire beauty
. whose revelation to man we now cele
3 brate-beauty, welcome as the sur
t wherever it pleases to shine, which
: pleases everybody with it and with
f themselves. Wonderful is it's charm
/ It seems sufficient to itself. The love-
J. cannot paint his maiden to his fanc!
poor and solitary. + Like a tree il
d flower, SO much soft, budding, inform
l ing loveliness is society for itself, an,
+. she teaches his eye why Beauty wa
o ever painted with Loves and Grace
Is attending her steps. Her existenc
it makes the world rich. Tho she ex
q trudes all other persons from his atten
70 tion as cheap and unworthy, yet sh
r indemnifies him by carrying out ne
l. own being into somewhat impersona
# large, mundane, so that the maide
h stands to him for representative Q
It all select things and virtues.
d "For that reason the lover sees neve
G. personal resemblance in his mistress t
q her kindred or others. His friends fin
If in her likeness to her mother, or he
70 sisters, or to q person not of her bloo(
t.; "The lover sees no resemblance Q,
II cept to summer evenings and damon
g mornings, to rainbows and song {
BIRDS"
D. In submitting the foregoing as fa
to samples of Mr.. Emerson's literary styl
rs I cannot refrain from, adding, by wa
+; Of comment. thatjn my opinion tt
Is very fact that people read such slush
III 4 serious rejection on their ment,
ft{ sls sY8ta rseft rot .f-saf ieseDs IA