New-York tribune., 1909-02-14

.-s middle Of the Last century, In the bonds
~ that inherited and unrelaxing Puritanisrn
which was her strength and her weakness Oar
-, had not spoken. The effort 70 reconcile
-,ence and theolcgy-aot religion-hed only
nse-,n Agassiz's was still the voice most trust
.s and he with all his scientific genius and
,nnzledge, was on the side Of the angels. The
ser,and for evidence had not yet overcome the
assertion Of ecclesiastical authority in matters
- belief. The spiritual ascendency of the New
england minister little. If at ALL impaired,
end his political ascendency had still to be
reokoned with There were. suppose. no two
,lsces in the world much under the dominion
,f one form or another of priestly rule the
sir New England States and Scotland: and
therefore no two between which spiritual and
-,oIirical resemblances were close.
There were, however. influences which while
less visible were sometimes more potent The
,ez+or was the fgurehead OF a Congregational
church; or 10 use Phillips's siraie, he was the
talking beam which the observer might think
,be propeIling force Of the steamboat But"
ssid Phillips, there's always a fanatic down
IN the hold. feeding the fires The fanatics
we're the deacons. They often had in them the
s.irit OF persecution. They encroached upon.
srd sometimes usurped, the rightful authority OF
the true head Of the Church, the pastor: in mat
tsrs of faith and matters OF conduct alike They
morals Of the flock; the pastor and his family
included Ny father was man whose mind
strongly toward liberalism. He had nothing of
me inuuisitor about him But his deacons were
,ossessed with schoomastering demon. They
ba5 the vigilance of the detective policeman
snd 8 deep sense OF responsibility to their Gre
s,or for the behavior Of their fellow men Good
and conscientious citizens all OF them. but in
disposed TO believe that men who held other
,a-1,T Gle her pnG ~Nai-
individual consciences were to be the guide Of
life 70 the rest of the world If they had not
the ferocity OF NIucklewraith they had his in
sole-ance They would have made absence from
divine service statutory offence as the earlier
Puritans did. Two services each Sunday, a
sunday school in between. and prayer meetings
on wednesdays-aT these must be punctually
attended by us children. and were.
When q decision had TO be taken about my
eaipg TO college, I wished to be sent to Har-
ward: as every Massachusetts, boy naturally
would But Harvard was a Unitarian college.
and the deacons persuaded my father that the
welfare Of my immortal soul would be inperilled
if was taught Greek and Latin by professors
who did not believe in Trinitarian God This
spirit Of theological partisanship prevailed and
was sent TO Yale. At that admirable seat Of
learning, there was no danger of laxity or her
esy The strictest Presbyterianism taught
eleuflessly and the strictest discipline enforced
Chapel morning and evening, three or perhaps
four services on Sunday-in all let US say
some eighteen separate compulsory attendances
on religious exercises each week Would it be
wonderful boy who had undergone all this
for four years should consider that he had
earned the right TO relaxation in after days?
None the less willingly do acknowledge my
debt TO Yale; a debt which would have been
heavier had I been more industrious. The
President Of the University In time the
Reverend Dr.. Wolseley: learned. austere, kindly
but remote We boys saw little Of him except
on pedestal or in the pulpit. When he bade
the class farewell he made friendly little
speech and proposed toast: THE class OF
1885. drink their healths In water. May their
names not be writ IN water" Nor were they.
Perhaps no class contained so many members
who have filed larger spaces for a longer time
Il the public eye and the public press.
There was stedmau, the poet and poet critic.
Ee left poems which viii live forever, but no
such body OF poetical achievement he might
lave produced had not circumstances obliged
him 70 devote to business and to editorial work
abilities superior TO either. He is not reraem-
bered pre-euinsntly poet OF patriotism, but
the only poem Of Stedman's included In Ener-
sons @Parnassus" Is his John Brown Of Osa-
wztor1ie," vritten-wes It not for The Tribune?
IN November 1885, while Brown lay in his vir
Einia gsol waiting 70 De hanged. Stedman, his
genius towering in prophetic insight, warned
nen; but his -Virginians don't DO II" rang
svatingiy through the land: and his
Old Brown,
Osawatolnis Brown,
Nsy trouble you more than ever when you've
nailed his coffin down,
never rescheo the virginian mind TIL Northern
regiments sang their way through Southern
States 10 the tune Of John Browns Body.
stedran's range was wide He set perhaps
most value On his Lyrics and IdylIs. That was
ne title he gave to the volume of Poems pub
hsned in London In 1879; selected by himself for
mis- English readers. His American friends will
Ike 70 be reminded that the first third Of the
volume Is given to American Lyrics and
ldylls.' including ~old Brown" and that tender
nonody On Horace Greeley. which no Tribune
reader can have forgotten
There was Charlton Lewis, an Admirable
CTichton-in his versstinty,-if the serious mean
lng CT that name has survived Mr. Barrfe's trav-
esty Of If on The stage. We knew him at Yale
as mathematician who played with the tough
est problems proposed 20 by mathematical
tutors and professors whose very names for
get We knew him afterward lawyer, In
surance expert, Latin photographer, journalist.
nnencier and editor Of Harper's Book OF Facts,
the best OF al books OF facts; but now or when
last inquired, cut Of print and not easily pro-
curaole- He understood cards also. Playing
whist, which think was forbidden in college,
ne dealt 70 his partner and two adversaries the
usual miscellaneous hand; and TO himself. by
Say OF jest, all thirteen trumps. When the
enemy demonstrated Lewis answered: IF you
91n specify any other order in which It is
automatically more probable that the hands
-