,,transcriber',s ,,note ,this etext differs from the original in the following ways4 ,three minor typographical errors have been corrected that did not affect the sense of the text4 ,the oe character is shown as oe4 ,,recollections ,,and ,,impressions #ahbb-ahij ,,octavius ,,brooks ,,frothingham ,,author ,,of ,,boston ,,unitarianism1 #ahbj-ahej1 ,a ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,work ,,of ,,nathaniel ,,langdon ,,frothingham1 ,,the ,,religion ,,of ,,humanity1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons ,,new ,,york ,,london #bg ,,west ,,twenty-,,third ,,st4 #bg ,,king ,,william ,,st41 ,,strand ,the ,knickerbocker ,press #ahia ,,copyright1 #ahia ,,by ,,octavius ,,brooks ,,frothingham ,the ,knickerbocker ,press1 ,new ,york ,electrotyped1 ,printed1 and ,bound by ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons ,,contents ,,page ,i ,,parentage #a ,,ii ,,education #ai ,,iii ,,divinity ,,school #be ,,iv ,,salem #ce ,v ,,the ,,crisis ,,in ,,belief #ec ,,vi ,,jersey ,,city #fe ,,vii ,,new ,,york #gf ,,viii ,,war #ajd ,,ix ,,the ,,free ,,religious ,,association #aae ,x ,,the ,,progress ,,of ,,religious ,,thought ,,in ,,america #acc ,,xi ,,the ,,clerical ,,profession #adf ,,xii ,,my ,,teachers #afe ,,xiii ,,my ,,companions #aij ,,xiv ,,my ,,friends #bbe ,,xv ,,the ,,present ,,situation #bdh ,,xvi ,,the ,,religious ,,future ,,of ,,america #bgb ,,xvii ,,confessions #bhi ,,index #cjc ,,recollections ,,and ,,impressions4 ,i4 ,,parentage4 ,my father was1 as ,i have said elsewhere1 a clergyman in ,boston1 ,massachusetts1 a ,unitarian minister to the ,first ,church1 standing in a long line of men1 of whom the earliest was severely orthodox1 while he abhorred orthodoxy4 ,yet he was ordained without hesitation1 was more than acceptable to the best minds through a service of thirty-five years1 and continued more and more unorthodox to the end2 so gradually and insensibly did the ,puritan tenets disappear one by one until the shadow of them only remained4 ,we are assured that by #aghj nearly all the congregational pulpits were filled by ,arminians4 ,in #ahae1 the year of my father's ordination1 they were well domesticated in ,new ,england1 ,calvinism having lost its hold on the minds of thinking people1 and none but keen-eyed watchers on the tower seeing what course opinion was taking4 ,how far the tendency towards the moral and practical view of religion as distinct from the speculative view had gone1 is well illustrated in my father's case4 ,he was a man of excellent education1 one of the best scholars in a distinguished class at ,harvard1 an enthusiast for intellectual cultivation1 singularly refined in perception1 an acute critic1 a careful1 precise1 elegant writer4 ,his tastes were pre-eminently literary4 ,this is said in full view of the fact that he was a learned theologian1 a pungent disputant1 a zealous student of biblical researches1 a faithful pastor4 ,he was essentially a man of letters4 ,his passion was for the ,latin classics4 ,the best edition of ,cicero was on his shelves2 the finest copy of ,horace graced his book-case4 ,his knowledge of the ,greek literature and language was fair4 ,he was fond of poetry of a stately and romantic description2 was1 himself1 a poet of a gentle1 meditative1 spiritual cast1 especially eminent as a composer of hymns written for church occasions1 the dedication of meeting-houses1 the consecration of ministers1 many of them of permanent and general value1 as both liberal and orthodox collections attest2 while he has done as much as any man in his generation to elevate1 purify1 and console delicate and serious natures4 ,his library of about three thousand volumes was exceedingly miscellaneous1 illustrating the breadth of his interests and the activity of his mind4 ,there were ,bibles of choice editions and in every tongue4 ,there were biblical commentaries1 dictionaries1 grammars4 ,the ,church ,fathers were well represented4 ,church history was presented by its best narrators4 ,but the bulk of the collection was secular4 ,it contained copies of ,addison1 ,johnson1 ,bayle1 ,carlyle1 ,milton1 ,bacon1 ,dante1 ,dickens1 ,emerson1 ,grote1 ,shakespeare1 ,goethe1 ,schiller1 ,hugo1 ,heeren1 ,hume1 ,iriarte1 ,michelet1 ,lessing1 ,kingsley1 ,macaulay1 ,longfellow1 ,plutarch1 ,pindar1 ,pope1 ,scott1 ,rousseau1 ,racine1 ,rueckert1 ,rabelais1 ,tasso1 ,george ,sand1 ,thucydides1 ,theocritus1 ,virgil1 ,voltaire1 ,wieland1 ,pliny1 ,wordsworth1 ,wilkinson1 ,zschokke1 ,walt ,whitman4 ,they were very various4 ,they commanded all extremes3 ,augustine and ,anacreon2 ,aratus and ,annual ,register2 ,a,eschylus and ,moliere2 ,aristotle and ,herrick2 ,seneca and ,horace2 ,antoninus and ,almanacs2 ,burton and ,boccaccio4 ,there was no pure metaphysics--a compendium or two of philosophy1 a bit of ,spinoza1 of ,kant1 of ,cousin1 of ,jouffroy1 of ,malebranche1 the ,dialogues of ,plato--nothing of ,schelling or ,hegel4 ,i find ,proclus1 and ,jamblicus1 and ,boehme1 and dramatic literature in ,greek1 ,latin1 ,french1 ,german4 ,here is ,burlamaqui on ,law1 and ,erasmus ,darwin1 and ,godwin's ,memoirs of ,mary ,wollstonecraft1 and the ,hitopadesa1 and the ,hymns of ,orpheus1 and ,palaephatus1 together with many a forgotten book4 ,the favorite language next to ,english was ,german1 then came ,french1 then ,latin1 which was pretty well represented in its literature4 ,dr4 ,frothingham was a wide reader1 but his finest gift was a power of penetrating to the heart of an author1 a power that was akin to genius4 ,he called himself a taster4 ,but every taster must take into his mouth some things that are unpleasant1 and he did4 ,he nibbled at ,heine1 but ,heine's philosophy disgusted him4 ,he nibbled at ,browning1 but ,browning's lack of sensuous music did not satisfy his idea of poetry4 ,his mind1 trained in the old school1 could not adapt itself to the new style of expression4 ,he gladly turned his back on doctrines he did not like4 ,he was spiritually minded1 but soberly so1 as if to be spiritually minded belonged to a special temperament2 a ,christian theist in all respects1 though indifferent to many details of ,christian doctrine2 an optimist on principle as well as from instinct1 inclined to put the most cheerful construction on the ways of divine ,providence1 and to look patiently on the moral conditions of human life2 an unquestioning believer in ,christ1 immortality1 the need of revelation1 the supremacy of the religious and moral nature1 the demand for the steady influence of the spiritual world to enlighten mankind on the truths of conscience no less than on the mysteries of faith4 ,he was no seer1 gazing on things unseen with the penetrating1 inward eye2 no prophet possessed by an overwhelming conviction of the absolute law2 no regenerator believing that men must be lifted up from the earth by an interior renewal of soul2 no reformer bent on changing the circumstances of society4 ,he was an apostle of air1 sunshine1 and the mild1 enticing summer shower which covered the wintry ground with the smiling grass and the sweet-smelling flowers4 ,reformers1 of whatever school1 were not to his taste1 partly because their methods seemed to him violent1 but partly also because their primary assumption that the world was out of joint did not command his sympathy4 ,he could not think that the established institutions of the age ought to be subverted1 even though they might be improved under enlightened teaching4 ,socially he was conservative1 although by no means reactionary2 disposed to see the soul of good in things evil1 though not always as studious as one must needs be to search it out4 ,rather he took it for granted1 and was often impatient with those who felt keenly the evil but could not discover the good4 ,high-minded he was rather than deep-souled2 devout in sentiment1 chivalrously moral in principle and in practice2 ideal1 poetic1 delicate of sensibility1 but not soaring of spirit2 certainly not a spiritual enthusiast1 as little a prosaic plodder2 no mystic but no disciple of common-sense4 ,for the dignity1 decency1 purity1 propriety of the clerical profession he had great regard1 but as much on account of its social position as on account of its sanctity4 ,it indicated the highest type of gentlemanliness1 the finest style of personal character1 a kind of exquisite courtliness of manhood1 humanity of a finished stamp of elegance2 and he resented everything like an admixture of ordinary philanthropy4 ,it was in his view a descent to enter the arena of strife even for the purpose of removing an evil4 ,thence his dislike of ,channing2 his disapproval of ,pierpont1 otherwise a particular favorite of his2 his disagreement with ,parker1 of whom he was fond4 ,when the ,miscellanies were published the writer sent a copy to his friend1 who acknowledged the volume by a letter in which expressions of personal affection were curiously blended with antipathy towards the class of speculations with which ,mr4 ,parker was identified4 ,george ,ripley and ,r4 ,w4 ,emerson won and held his attachment to the end1 but he never visited ,brook ,farm1 and was deaf to solicitations to join the ,transcendental ,club4 ,his friends were many and various--,emerson1 ,ripley1 ,francis1 ,hedge1 ,bartol1 ,stetson1 ,parkman1 ,longfellow1 ,felton1 ,hillard1--the list is long1 for the sunny temper of the man drew all hearts to him and his warm affectionateness of disposition made him tenacious of good-will4 ,he was interested in men as individuals not as members of a clique or party1 and was not repelled by differences of opinion where his heart was engaged4 ,on the whole1 his sympathies were with conservatives like ,george ,ticknor and ,w4 ,h4 ,prescott1 and the literary spirit mainly kept him in association with those4 ,where this spirit was wanting and there was divergence of sentiment there was no attempt at intimacy4 ,of interest in the denomination1 the sect1 the party name1 he was absolutely devoid4 ,he never attended the conventions or conferences of the ,unitarian body or spoke in their deliberations4 ,on anniversary week it was for many years his custom to visit ,new ,york1 where no professional responsibility rested upon him1 and where he could find recreations of a purely social kind4 ,but at the ,boston ,association where he met friends one by one1 and could talk half confidentially1 with perfect freedom1 in a conversational tone1 he delighted to be present4 ,for the rest1 he was a man universally respected1 admired1 and beloved1 mirthful and sportive1 more than tolerant of gaiety1 as a rule in excellent spirits1 though subject1 as such temperaments usually are1 to moods of depression4 ,without private ambition and utterly destitute of vanity1 his uneventful days were spent among his friends and his books4 ,the round of clerical duties was even and monotonous2 his calling had few excitements2 even poverty had limits1 and social iniquity was manageable in those times when relations were simple4 ,the routine of parochial service was such as a friendly man of quick sympathies and ready speech could easily discharge in a few hours of each week1 nor was the transition violent from it to the quiet library1 the companionship of ,cicero1 ,shakespeare1 ,milton1 ,walter ,scott1 ,herder1 ,rueckert4 ,the love of art1 society1 literature1 was not inconsistent with a love of the ,saviour2 and though as a matter of taste he would not have spoken of a sonata of ,beethoven in a sermon1 there was nothing in his philosophy to render secular allusions improper4 ,his literary predilections were somewhat at the mercy of his sense of beauty1 as if he had an eye to artistic effect quite as much as to intellectual justice1 as if the firm lines of logical discernment were blurred by the passion for poetic or scenic grace4 ,of the two famous ,german writers about whom opinions were divided1 he greatly preferred ,schiller to ,goethe1 probably because the former was glorious1 ardent1 declamatory4 ,of the two eminent ,english novelists whom all the world was reading1 ,dickens was his choice far above ,thackeray1 perhaps for the reason that ,dickens had color and warmth of sentiment1 while ,thackeray seemed to him cold1 skeptical1 and cynical4 ,the flow of eloquence1 the charm of dramatic style made him relish authors as radically unlike as ,carlyle1 ,ruskin1 and ,macaulay1 rendering him unmindful of qualities in their cast of thought which he might have disapproved of if less seductively presented4 ,when a lady objected to ,macaulay on the score of his material ethics1 ,dr4 ,frothingham was too much captivated by ,macaulay's manner to criticise his philosophy1 and he let the philosophy go4 ,it sometimes looked as if the way in which things were said was of more importance in his view than the things themselves2 but it was not so1 for he could respond to ideal sentiments when they offered themselves fairly to his mind1 and his moral indignation against an act of flagrant turpitude was quick and hot4 ,with politics1 whether speculative or practical1 he gave himself small concern1 for in his day politics were hardly an honorable calling4 ,he belonged to the ,whig party1 as it was then called1 because it comprised the greater number of educated men--scholars1 divines1 lawyers1 physicians1 judges1 and people of consideration from their position in society4 ,the ,republican party in ,massachusetts was not formed till his public life was nearly ended1 and we may doubt whether he would in any case have connected himself with it1 for its aims and purposes were hardly such as he could have gone along with4 ,the well-known sentiment1 ascribed to ,wendell ,phillips1 ,peace if possible1 ,truth at any rate1 he would in all probability have reversed so as to read1 ,truth if possible1 ,peace at any rate2 not because the search for truth was difficult1 and peace furnished the most promising conditions for finding it1 but because peace was preferable in itself as being stable and quiet4 ,he was not a fighter2 he disliked the noise of battle2 his horror of anti-slavery agitation1 as of all other1 was constitutional2 and even if he had been convinced of the slave's degradation1 no mode of redress that was proposed commended itself to his gentle1 apprehensive mind4 ,to him the chief interest of society was enlightenment associated with refinement2 the needed influence was that of education4 ,he was a delicately organized1 sensitive man1 fond of repose1 happy in his temperament1 in his tastes1 in his occupation1 in his social position1 in his relationships1 in his home4 ,he had his disappointments and sorrows like other men1 but he did not repine4 ,his latter years were afflicted with total blindness1 accompanied by constant distress and steadily increasing pain2 but his friends never failed to find him cheerful2 the companion who ministered to his daily necessities and culled from books and periodicals the materials for his entertainment1 seldom had reason to complain of his petulance2 the visitor could with difficulty be brought to believe that the man was living in the presence of death1 and was exposed to frightful phantoms due to a slowly decomposing brain4 ,his aesthetic tastes were active1 as may be supposed1 and would have been keen if there had been opportunity for cultivating them1 and leisure to pursue them4 ,the pictures that adorned his parlor walls were not distinguished as works of art1 but they were pure in sentiment1 they showed a love of color1 and of the highest truth4 ,there was not much fine painting at that time in ,america1 and what there was required for its fair appreciation more training and experience than was possessed by one immersed in the cares of an exacting profession and interested also in literary pursuits4 ,mr4 ,frothingham's artistic taste was1 besides1 so much controlled by moral feeling that he could not be critical of form4 ,of art for its own sake he had no conception1 and could have none1 for that cry which voices the demands of technical execution had not been raised2 but even if it had been he would have felt no sympathy with any kind of excellence that was not directly associated with the moral sentiment4 ,his taste in music was much like his taste in painting1--that is to say1 it was uneducated and unscientific4 ,to the great music1--that of the intellect and the soul1--the compositions of the masters1 of ,bach1 ,mozart1 ,beethoven1 ,mendelssohn1 he was indifferent2 but the music of the heart1 of feeling1 emotion1 elevated passion1--the ,scotch songs1 the ,irish melodies1 the ,english lays1 madrigals1 glees1 was his delight4 ,he was especially fond of religious airs4 ,the oratorios of ,the ,creation and ,the ,messiah he was never tired of hearing4 ,his voice was melodious1 and he was fond of using it4 ,his organist taught him the principles of his own art1 and hours were spent at a parlor-organ in playing favorite hymn-tunes1 the melody of which he sang as he played4 ,he amused his children by trilling nursery ditties1 and joined his boys as they performed glees from the ,orphean ,lyre1 sometimes singing with the heart quite as much as with the understanding4 ,his joyous nature expressed itself instinctively in song4 ,his whole nervous system responded to it4 ,he was transported out of himself by sweet strains1 and fairly trembled under the influence of divine harmonies4 ,mr4 ,frothingham's love of dramatic art amounted to a passion1 but the art must be high as well as pure4 ,tragedy he did not like4 ,all of the ,shakespearian plays he was critically familiar with1 but he loved ,the ,tempest best1 as uniting poetry with cheerfulness in fullest measure4 ,the lines he wrote on the restoration of the ,federal ,street ,theatre expressed the depth of his interest4 ,a religious society1 afterwards the ,central ,church in ,winter ,street1 was gathered here4 ,of this kind of enterprise the poet says3 ,more reverence than befits us here to tell1 ,we yield to courts where sacred honors dwell4 ,but have not they their places8 ,have not we8 ,has not each liberal province leave to be8 ,the ,lecture-,room he had little respect for1 none at all for the ,variety ,show4 ,to every device he wishes a cordial farewell1 exclaiming3 ,restored6 ,restored6 ,well known so long a time1 ,these buried glories rise as in their prime4 ,our tastes may change as fickle fashions-fly1 ,but art is safe3 the ,drama cannot die4 ,more than restored6 ,whate'er the pen since wrought ,of loftiest1 sprightliest1 here that wealth has brought4 ,whate'er the progress of the age has lent ,of purer taste and comelier ornament1-- ,to this our temple it transfers its store1 ,and makes each point shine lovelier than before4 ,but the drama must be clean3 ,but more yet1--and how much6 ,we claim a praise ,the ,playhouse knew not in the ancient days4 ,own us1 ye hearts with moral purpose warm6 ,our word ,renewal adds the word ,reform4 99 99 99 99 99 ,come1 friends of ,virtue6 ,share the feast we spread4 ,it loads no spirits1 and it heats no head4 ,but rouses forth each power of mind and soul ,with food ambrosial and its fairy bowl4 99 99 99 99 99 ,hearts are improved by ,feeling's play and strife2 ,refined amusement humanizes life4 ,so wrote the ,sages1 whom the world admired2 ,so sang the ,poets1 who the world inspired2 ,why in ,new ,england's ,athens is decried ,what old ,athenian culture thought its pride8 ,thus ,righteousness and ,peace are made to kiss each other4 ,art and ,virtue walk hand in hand4 ,the sole condition is that art shall be virtuous and that virtue shall be artistic4 ,there was a singular blending in his mind of the sacred and the secular4 ,perhaps ,matthew ,arnold's definition of religion as morality touched with emotion comes as near expressing ,dr4 ,frothingham's conception as any4 ,there must be morality2 that is cardinal2 that lies at the foundation of all systems2 that must be strict and high4 ,but emotion is indispensable also4 ,this runs into praise1 the love of goodness1 the worship of the highest4 ,this imparts warmth1 glow1 passion1 the upward lift that inspires4 ,morality alone is cold1 emotion alone is apt to be visionary4 ,but the two united propel the ship1 one serving as ballast to keep it steady1 and one as sails to catch the winds of heaven4 ,my mother was an example of pure character4 ,she laid no claim whatever to literary talent4 ,indeed she had none4 ,i cannot associate her with books of any special description1 but ,i can always associate her with goodness1 with humility1 sincerity1 duty1 kindness1 pity1 and simplicity4 ,truthfulness was her great virtue1 and was saved from bluntness only by her delicate feeling for others and her inborn politeness4 ,the severest rebuke ,i ever received from her was on account of a sharp arraignment of merchants in a youthful sermon1 which to her seemed presumptuous4 ,her household cares1 the nurture of her children 7she had seven1 five sons and two daughters1 all of whom she trained most carefully like a devoted mother71 the family visitings1 the parish calls1 missions among the poor1 occupied the day4 ,she would sit for hours knitting or sewing1 or in an armchair before the coal fire silently musing4 ,she was quiet1 reserved1 old-fashioned in her sentiments1 but with a great fund of inward strength1 which came out on emergencies4 ,i shall always remember her ceaseless solicitude for an unfortunate elder brother of mine who had for years been an anxiety and a trouble4 ,when he died in early manhood1 after nursing him tenderly1 she softly closed his eyes1 and preserved the memory of him in her heart4 ,her chamber window in the country looked upon his distant grave1 the little white stone over which kept him before her eye who was always in her thoughts4 ,she accepted the existing order of things because it was established1 disliking experiments1 however humane1 for the reason that they had not been tested2 and if she had misgivings1 she kept them to herself not daring to set up her private feelings in opposition to the will of the ,supreme1 the question whether the existing order expressed the will of the ,supreme never being raised by her4 ,she was ,unitarian1 having so been taught1 but speculative matters were out of her reach as well as uncongenial with her sphere4 ,her faith was of the heart1 and all the reason for it she had to give was an uplifted life1 unspotted from the world4 ,of creeds she knew nothing1 not that she was deficient in mind1 but because they seemed to her to be affairs of criticism1 with which she had nothing to do4 ,her concern was with practical things1 and conduct was1 with her1 more than seven eighths of life4 ,even the very mild decoction of theology that was administered from ,sunday to ,sunday in ,chauncy ,place was sometimes too much for her4 ,she was a practical ,christian1 if there ever was one4 ,her love of nature was genuine4 ,as a young woman she could distinguish the colors of a flying bird4 ,when she had a house of her own in the country1 she preferred a spot remote from the world of society2 went there as early as possible in the spring1 and stayed as late in the autumn as she could4 ,she delighted in the place2 loved the air1 the trees1 the smell of the ground4 ,she enjoyed her garden2 liked to see plants grow4 ,every morning after breakfast she went out to inspect the grounds1 and came back laden with modest flowers2 in the fall with pine cones1 the flame of which she enjoyed4 ,on her last evening1 quite unaware of her coming end1 she sat on the piazza1 and looked at the sunset1 wrapped in shawls1 though it was midsummer1 for she was weak and emaciated but patiently tranquil4 ,her habits were simple1 not from parsimony but from taste4 ,she cared nothing for decoration or display4 ,she spent no more than was necessary on dress or furniture4 ,she was fond of old-fashioned1 solid things4 ,in the midst of abundance1 her appetite was for plain food1 yet she was no ascetic or prude1 but a largehearted1 sensible woman1 sober and serious but genial too4 ,browning makes ,paracelsus say3 ',t is only when they spring to heaven that angels ,reveal themselves to you2 they sit all day ,beside you1 and lie down at night by you1-- ,who care not for their presence1--muse or sleep1 ,and all at once they leave you and you know them4 ,this is in a measure true4 ,death is a great revealer4 ,unfortunately it is a great deceiver also1 putting wings on very earthly bodies4 ,but in this instance1 the qualities were all there in the living form1 and all clearly visible to those who sat all day beside my mother4 ,death did but brush away a little film that hung before distant eyes4 ,until near middle life ,i had the example and advice of these dear spirits4 ,it is my privilege to have their blood in my veins4 ,that was my best endowment1 and kept me always hopeful of a better future in the time to come4 ,the dream of a nobler age for literature1 art1 science1 humanity1 came directly from my father4 ,the desire to do something to make the dream an actual fact1 to prove myself as of some service in the world1 came from my mother4 ,his was the love of intellectual liberty4 ,hers was the passion for practical accomplishments4 ,he was a scholar4 ,she was a worker4 ,both had thoughts deeper than they could express4 ,both were utterly sincere in their calling1 and the limitations of their age alone confined their advance4 ,the times were quiet then2 the world was small and disconnected2 ,boston was a little place and shut off even from ,american cities by difficulties of travel and by exorbitant rates of postage4 ,thus responsibility was mainly confined to individuals4 ,there were no wearing duties2 no perplexing cares2 even railroad disturbances did not worry1 for there was no railroad speculation1 and no railroad system4 ,hours were early1 dinner was at two or half-past1 tea at six or seven1 the evening ended at ten1 and was spent with books1 melodious music1 or playful games of amusement1 not of instruction4 ,there were few social gatherings2 balls were very rare1 seldom lasting later than eleven o'clock4 ,there was an occasional concert1 and here and there a theatre1 but there were no great dinner parties4 ,social problems were exceedingly simple2 the classes were divided by lines that nobody attempted to pass over4 ,socialism was unborn1 and labor agitations were unknown4 ,in a word1 there was such a thing as leisure1 and this was used chiefly for the cultivation of the mind4 ,my father was greatly interested in the education of his boys2 watched all their attainments2 taught them ,french2 encouraged their learning how to box1 and fence1 and swim2 while my mother shed an atmosphere of peace over the whole household4 ,she made one joke only1 as far as my memory serves me1--and ,i mention it here lest any one should suppose there was a lack of sunshine in her nature4 ,my father was very fond of voeslauer1 an ,austrian red wine4 ,when the last bottle was produced my mother1 said archly1 your face will lower when it is all drunk up4 ,it was not much of a joke1 but a small jest will show the spirit of fun quite as well as a large one4 ,there was a singular combination of aspiration with peace at that time4 ,probably there is as much aspiration now as there was then1 perhaps more2 but it is associated with social reform rather than with personal perfection2 there is peace1 too1 at the present day1 but it is harder to get at and needs to be sought most often in private homes2 the inward peace is found in all periods4 ,how the principles then formed would bear the strain of a later age or a larger sphere remained to be proved4 ,fifty years ago the modern era with its complications and perplexities could not even be suspected4 ,the foundations alone could then be laid4 ,,ii4 ,,education4 ,of the primary schools it is unnecessary to speak4 ,they were of the same kind that were established in ,boston at that period4 ,indeed ,i can recollect but two1 one1 a child's school of boys and girls1 kept by a ,miss ,scott1 at the corner of ,mt4 ,vernon ,street and ,hancock2 the other a boys' school kept by a ,mr4 ,capen1 a poor hump-backed cripple who could not get out of his chair1 but wheeled himself about the room1 and kept on his table a cowhide1 which was pretty generously exercised4 ,the school was on ,bedford ,street behind the ,church of ,church ,green4 ,a little alley-way ran along in the rear of the church through which ,i used to go to the school-house4 ,the ,latin ,school was an old institution brought hither by ,rev4 ,john ,cotton1 who remembered the ,free ,grammar ,school founded in ,lincolnshire1 ,england1 by ,queen ,mary1 in which ,latin and ,greek were taught4 ,it was established here1 in #afce1 five years after the landing of ,winthrop1 two or three years before ,harvard ,college4 ,when ,i was there1 it stood on ,school ,street1 opposite the ,franklin statue4 ,it had a granite front and a cupola4 ,the head-master was ,charles ,k4 ,dillaway1 an excellent scholar1 a faithful teacher1 an agreeable man4 ,he had to resign in consequence of ill-health4 ,the tutors were ,henry ,w4 ,torrey and ,francis ,gardner1 who afterwards became head-master4 ,both were pupils of the school4 ,mr4 ,frederick ,p4 ,leverett1 author of the ,latin ,lexicon1 was chosen to succeed ,mr4 ,dillaway1 but died before assuming the office4 ,the next head-master1 during my course1 was ,epes ,sargent ,dixwell1 a most accomplished man1 an elegant scholar1 a gentleman of the world1 very much interested1 as ,i remember1 in the plastic art of ,greece4 ,he is still living1 and amuses himself by writing ,greek4 ,mr4 ,dixwell held office till #ahea1 when he established a private school4 ,the discipline of the ,latin ,school was strict but mild4 ,corporal punishment was the unquestioned rule1 but it was never harshly administered1 though the knowledge that it might be undoubtedly did a good deal toward stimulating the ambition of the scholars4 ,here and there no doubt a boy exasperated the teacher by idleness or disorder2 possibly at moments the teacher was nervous and irritable4 ,i recollect a single instance in which he was over-sensitive1 too prone to take offence1 which fastened suspiciously upon some individual scholar2 but injustice was a very rare occurrence4 ,we learned ,greek and ,latin1 the rudiments of algebra1 writing and declamation2 but the best part of the education ,i received in those days was an atmosphere of elegant literature1 derived from friends of my father4 ,i used to see ,william ,h4 ,prescott taking his walk on ,beacon ,street1 in the sun1 and have often sat in his study in his tranquil hours1 and heard him talk4 ,the beautiful library of ,george ,ticknor1 at the head of ,park ,street1 was open to me1 and ,i can see his form now as he walked on the ,common4 ,george ,s4 ,hillard1 the elegant man of letters1 was a familiar figure on the street4 ,charles ,sumner1 then a young law student1 strode vigorously along1 his manner even then suggesting the advent of a new era4 ,in #ahdf1 ,i listened to his oration before the ,phi ,beta ,kappa ,society of ,harvard ,university on the ,scholar ,pickering2 the ,jurist ,story2 the ,artist ,allston2 the ,philanthropist ,channing2 and his bold declamation was strangely in contrast with the academical gown that he wore4 ,daniel ,webster used to stalk by our house1 the embodiment of the ,constitution1 the incarnation of law1 the black locomotive of the train of civilization4 ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson often sat at my father's table diffusing the radiance of serene ideas1 and heralding the diviner age that was to come4 ,from the ,latin ,school to ,harvard ,college was an easy transition4 ,there existed an impression that ,latin-,school boys might take their ease for the first year at ,cambridge1 because they were so well prepared1 but ,i found enough to do2 there was the great library1 there were the advanced studies1 there was the more perfect training4 ,the ,president was ,josiah ,quincy1 the elder4 ,henry ,w4 ,longfellow was professor of modern languages2 ,cornelius ,c4 ,felton1 the ardent philhellene1 taught ,greek2 ,charles ,beck1 a ,german1 taught ,latin2 ,benjamin ,peirce was professor of mathematics2 ,james ,walker was an instructor in intellectual and moral philosophy2 ,joseph ,lovering1 teacher in chemistry4 ,among the tutors were ,bernard ,roelker1 in ,german2 ,pietro ,bachi1 in ,italian2 ,francisco ,sales1 in ,spanish4 ,the new buildings now in the college yard were not erected2 ,holworthy 7#ahab71 ,stoughton 7#ahjd-ahje71 ,hollis 7#agfc71 ,harvard 7#agff71 ,holden 7#agcd71 ,massachusetts ,hall 7#agbj71 ,university ,hall 7#ahab-ahac7 were in existence4 ,there were no athletics2 there was no gymnasium2 there was no boating2 there was little base-ball4 ,there were few literary societies2 so that we were driven back mainly upon intellectual labor4 ,the professors' houses were always open1 and there was choice society in the town4 ,i recollect particularly well going to the house of ,john ,white ,webster1 who was executed later for the murder of ,dr4 ,parkman4 ,he was very fond of music and had a daughter who sang finely1 besides being handsome4 ,she afterwards married ,mr4 ,dabney1 of ,fayal4 ,the ,doctor was a nervous man1 high strung1 but good-natured and polite4 ,his fatal encounter with ,dr4 ,parkman ,i always attributed to a sudden outbreak of passion4 ,within the grounds of the college we were quite studious1 companionable among ourselves4 ,there was no rioting1 no excess of any kind4 ,walking and swimming in the river ,charles were our chief recreations4 ,connection with ,boston was infrequent and difficult1 as there was no railroad4 ,the ,sundays could be passed in the city if the student brought a certificate that he went regularly to church2 otherwise it was expected that the ,first ,church1 or one of the others1 should be frequented4 ,the instruction was of a cordial1 friendly1 courteous1 and humane kind2 the professors were enthusiastic students in their departments4 ,i well recollect ,professor ,longfellow's kindness2 ,professor ,felton's ardor 7,i visited ,pompeii with him in #ahec74 ,charles ,beck was a burning patriot in the war4 ,pietro ,bachi's great eyes lighted up and glowed as he talked about ,dante4 ,bernard ,roelker afterwards became a lawyer in ,new ,york4 ,charles ,wheeler and ,robert ,bartlett1 tutors1 both rare spirits1 died young4 ,on the whole1 life at ,harvard ,college was exceedingly pleasant1 and a real love of learning was implanted in young men's bosoms4 ,the corner-stone of ,gore ,hall was laid in #ahac4 ,the books were moved into the library in the summer vacation of #ahad4 ,there were forty-one thousand volumes at that time4 ,in the early part of my career1 ,i took my meals in ,commons1 at an expense of two dollars and a quarter a week1 the highest price then paid4 ,commons was abolished for a time in #ahdi1 it being found difficult to satisfy the students1 who for some years had boarded in the houses in the neighborhood4 ,there were excitements too4 ,though there was no gymnasium1 or boating1 and little foot-ball1 base-ball1 or cricket 7these games were all very simple and rudimentary71 there were the clubs1 the ,greek3 ,alpha ,delta ,phi1 still a secret society1 and occupying a back upper room1 to which we mounted by stealth1--the same room serving for initiations and sociables1--was exceedingly interesting in a literary point of view4 ,there were papers on ,scott1 ,byron1 ,wordsworth1 delightful conversations1 anecdotes1 songs4 ,the ,institute of #aggj taught us elocution1 and readiness in debate2 the ,greek3 ,phi ,beta ,kappa1 no longer a secret society1 and no longer actively literary1 hung over us like a star1 stimulating ambition and inciting us to excellence in scholarship4 ,altogether it was a delightful life2 a life between boyhood and manhood2 of purely literary ambition1 of natural friendship4 ,there was no distinction of persons1 no affected pride4 ,we found our own level1 and kept our own place4 ,money did not distinguish or family1 only brains4 ,there was no care but for intellectual work2 there was no excess save in study4 ,expenses were small1 indulgences were few and simple4 ,the education was more suited to those times than to these1 when culture must be so much broader1 and social expectations demand such varied accomplishments4 ,,iii4 ,,divinity ,,school4 ,to enter at once the ,divinity ,school was to start on a predestined career4 ,from childhood ,i was marked out for a clergyman4 ,this was taken for granted in all places and conversations1 and my own thoughts fell habitually into that groove4 ,there was nothing unattractive in the professional career as illustrated by my father4 ,i was the only one of a large family of brothers who pursued the full course of studies at ,cambridge1 or who showed a taste for the scholastic life4 ,an appetite for books rather than for affairs pointed first of all to a literary calling1 while a fondness for speculative questions1 a leaning towards ideal subjects1 and a serious turn of mind naturally suggested at that time the pulpit4 ,an inward experience of religion1 which in some other communions was regarded as essential to the character of a minister of the gospel1 was not demanded4 ,religion was rather moral and intellectual than spiritual1 a matter of mental conviction more than of emotional feeling4 ,the clerical profession stood very high1 higher than any of the three learned professions1 by reason of its requiring in larger measure a tendency towards abstract thought1 an interest in theological discussions1 and a steady belief in doctrines that concerned the soul4 ,literature was not at that period a profession2 there was no ,art to speak of except for genius of the first order like that of ,allston or ,greenough4 ,men of the highest intellectual rank1 whatever they may have become afterwards1 tried the ministry at the start4 ,the traditions of ,new ,england favored the ministerial calling4 ,the great names1 with here and there an exception1 were names of divines4 ,the great books were on subjects of religion2 the popular interest centred in theological controversy2 the general enthusiasm was aroused by preachers2 the current talk was about sermons4 ,the clergy was a privileged class1 aristocratic1 exalted4 ,divinity ,hall had been dedicated in ,august1 #ahbf4 ,it was situated on an avenue about a quarter of a mile from the college yard4 ,it contained1 besides thirty-seven chambers for the accommodation of students1 a chapel1 a library1 a lecture-room1 and a reading-room2 it stood opposite the ,zooelogical ,museum4 ,before it was a vacant space used for games4 ,behind it was meadow land reaching all the way to ,mr4 ,norton's4 ,just beyond it was ,dr4 ,palfrey's residence4 ,george ,rapall ,noyes1 ,d4,d41 was elected in ,may1 #ahdj1 with the title of ,hancock ,professor of ,hebrew and ,oriental ,languages1 and ,dexter ,lecturer on ,biblical ,literature4 ,he had already translated the poetical books of the ,old ,testament1 and it was his eminence as a translator which had won him fame while a minister at ,petersham4 ,it was his duty also to explain the ,new ,testament1 and in addition to give lectures in systematic theology4 ,besides all this he was to preach in the college chapel a fourth of the year4 ,he steadily grew in the respect and attachment of the young men2 his authority in the lecture-room was very great2 his opinions were carefully formed and precisely delivered2 and his shrewd1 practical wisdom was long remembered by his pupils4 ,convers ,francis1 ,d4,d41 appointed to the ,parkman ,professorship1 after the resignation of ,henry ,ware1 ,jr41 was his associate4 ,the branches assigned to him were ecclesiastical history1 natural theology1 ethics1 the composition of sermons1 and instruction in the duties of a pastor2 besides all this he was to preach half of the time in the college chapel4 ,dr4 ,francis was an accomplished scholar and a faithful teacher4 ,the best man1 too1 for his position1 at a time when in an unsectarian school it was exceedingly desirable that the professors should harmonize all tendencies2 for with a strong sympathy with transcendentalism1 as it was then called1 he had been a most successful parish minister1 a very acceptable preacher1 and a man in whom all the churches had confidence4 ,at ,cambridge1 owing to the influence of ,buckminster1 ,ware1 and ,norton1 ,unitarian opinion prevailed1 though the controversial period had passed by when ,i was there4 ,the clouds of warfare no longer discharged lightning2 there was no roll of thunder2 only a faint muttering betrayed the former excitement2 and the memory of old conflicts hovered round the spots where the fights had been hottest4 ,marks of strife were still visible on texts1 and chapters were scarred with wounds4 ,comment still lingered near the passages where polemics had raged1 and the blood burned as we read the tracts or studied the essays of the champions we admired4 ,it was impossible to forget the interpretations that had been given to words or phrases4 ,a strictly scientific study1 either of the ,bible or the creed1 was therefore out of the question4 ,but the course of exercises was broad1 generous1 inclusive1 as far as this was feasible4 ,the bias was decidedly unorthodox1 yet without the bitter temper of opposition4 ,the old system was rather set aside than attacked4 ,it was assumed to have been vanquished in the fair field4 ,the professors were liberal in their views4 ,a small but serviceable library furnished the students with a certain amount of needed material1 the college library was freely opened to them1 and the collections of the professors were gladly placed at their disposal4 ,the days were fully occupied with lectures1 recitations1 discussions1 exercises in writing out and taking of notes4 ,once a week there was a debate on some general theme not connected with the topics of the class-room2 and at the latter part of the course there was special training in the composition and delivery of sermons1 accompanied by a brief experience of extemporaneous speaking4 ,the ,unitarian ministry was alone contemplated2 no wide divergence from it was encouraged1 and the conservative methods of interpretation were the ones recommended4 ,some knowledge of ,greek and ,latin being presupposed1 the study of ,hebrew was made the one study of language1 and this was pursued with the best available helps4 ,biblical criticism naturally took a prominent place in the current curriculum1 under the guidance of the most distinguished authorities2 books of every school were recommended1 whether old or new1 ,catholic or ,protestant1 conservative or liberal1 ,horne1 ,tholuck1 ,de ,wette being consulted in turn4 ,the ,new ,testament and ,historical ,christianity were taken for granted2 and these meant belief in miracles1 which were defended against rising objections of the ,strauss and ,paulus schools1 the former holding by the mythical theory1 the latter favoring the notion of a natural explanation of some sort4 ,the hostility towards rationalism was decided4 ,this was forty years ago1 before the historical method1 as it was called1 instituted by ,baur1 ,schwegler1 ,zeller1 ,sneckenburger1 and the ,theologische ,jahrbuecher1 had any expositor in this country1 long before the ,dutch school1 the later ,french school--,kuenen1 ,reville1 ,reuss1 ,nicolas1 ,renan1--came out4 ,the great issue was the credibility of the miracles of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,the half-monastic life we led at ,divinity ,hall cut us off a good deal from social amenities1 reform agitations1 attempts to change institutions1 and even from the deeper currents of religious sentiment4 ,none but the very observant took note of ,brook ,farm1 or heeded the movements in behalf of ,association that were going on in other communities4 ,whatever was outside of the ,christian ministry concerned us but little4 ,the professors did not direct our eyes to the mountain tops or call attention to the bringers of good tidings from other quarters than the ,christian ,revelation1 as explained by its scholars and writers4 ,even such a phenomenon as ,emerson did not make a profound impression on the average mind4 ,a tone of old-fashioned piety pervaded the establishment4 ,a weekly prayer-meeting1 always attended by one of the professors1 though officially rather than as a stimulator1 was much in the manner and spirit of similar exercises at ,andover4 ,the students were cautioned against excessive intellectualism4 ,several of them spent their ,sundays in teaching classes of the young in the neighboring towns1 in ministering to the sick in hospitals1 or in carrying the monitions of conscience to the criminals in the prison at ,charlestown4 ,the aims of a practical ministry were thus kept in view as well as the circumstances of the time permitted4 ,of course the school could not be a philanthropic institution any more than it could be independent or scientific4 ,it was committed to a special purpose1 which was the supply of ,christian pulpits with instructed1 earnest1 devoted men4 ,that they should be ,unitarians was expected2 that they should be ,christians in belief was demanded4 ,there were two ever-present spectres1 orthodoxy and rationalism1 the one represented by ,andover1 the other by ,germany4 ,audacity of speculation when unaccompanied by practical piety was discountenanced1 and in flagrant instances rebuked4 ,the literal form of the orthodox creed1 it need hardly be said1 was made more prominent than its imaginative aspect4 ,this was inevitable1 for the object was to assail it rather than to understand it4 ,to be perfectly fair to all sides was1 under the circumstances1 not to be expected at a period so near the era of controversy4 ,an earnest1 ingenuous youth could find at ,cambridge all the courage and impulse he needed1 for the atmosphere of the place was neither chilling nor depressing4 ,the less emotional1 more intellectual scholar was left to pursue his studies undisturbed1 the wind of spiritual feeling not being strong enough to carry him away4 ,in a word1 the institution was all that could have been looked for in a time when ecclesiastical and doctrinal traditions were fatally though not confessedly broken1 and naked individualism was not avowedly adopted4 ,the task of the professors1 conscientious1 hard working1 utterly faithful men1 was laborious1 difficult1 and thankless4 ,the ,unitarian public1 fearing a tendency to unbelief1 gave them a grudging confidence2 the students1 ,i am afraid1 were not considerate of them1--the zealous finding them lukewarm1 the cold-blooded blaming them for stopping short of the last consequences of their own theory4 ,it is wonderful that the school went on at all4 ,the single-minded devotion of the teachers alone preserved it4 ,looking thoughtfully back across a wide gulf of years1 the writer of these pages feels that he owes this tribute to ,convers ,francis and ,george ,r4 ,noyes4 ,how often he has wished he could take them by the hand and ask their forgiveness for his frequent misjudgment of them1 misjudgment the remembrance of which makes his heart bleed the more as he can only think of their generous forbearance4 ,their influence was emancipating and stimulating4 ,they were friendly to thought4 ,under their ministration the mind took a leap forward towards the confines of the ,christian system of faith4 ,what the divinity school of the future may be able to accomplish it would be hazardous to conjecture4 ,it could hardly then have done more than it did4 ,the study of comparative religions1 so zealously prosecuted within a few years1 together with a desire to do perfect justice to orthodox doctrines1 may render practical a scientific review of theological systems1 but in this event a predilection in favor of a separate ,christian ministry can be no longer characteristic of a divinity school which proposes to prepare young men for the clerical calling4 ,the three years of secluded life passed quickly away4 ,the trial sermon in the village church was delivered and criticised4 ,the ,president of the college then was ,edward ,everett1 my uncle4 ,the next morning ,i went to his office2 he spoke warmly of my sermon1 but advised me henceforth to commit sermons to memory as he did4 ,this ,i tried two or three times1 but the effort to write the sermons so fatigued me that the task of committing them to memory was too great1 and for years ,i wrote my discourses1 until for convenience' sake ,i learned to preach without notes4 ,the diploma was bestowed1 the actual ministry was begun4 ,the term of preaching as a candidate did not last long4 ,by the advice of friends an invitation was accepted to an old established conservative parish in ,salem1 ,mass4 ,ordination and marriage soon followed1 and public life was inaugurated under the most promising conditions4 ,i had the best wishes of the conservative portion of the community to which ,i was1 properly1 supposed to belong1 and the hopes of the radical portion who anticipated a change of view as time went on1 and ,i was brought into sharper collision with prevailing habits of thought than was possible at ,cambridge1 where the student was in a great measure cut off from intercourse with the world4 ,at the ,divinity ,school ,i was known as a young man with conservative ideas4 ,i remember now discussions1 essays1 criticisms1 in which the opinions in vogue among old-fashioned ,unitarians were defended somewhat passionately against the more daring convictions of my companions4 ,in especial my faith was in direct opposition to the spiritual philosophy2 ,strauss was a horror2 ,parker was a bugbear2 ,furness seemed an innovator2 ,emerson was a ,transcendentalist1 a term of immeasurable reproach4 ,all this was soon to pass away1 and ,i was to go a great deal beyond even ,parker4 ,the word ,transcendentalist ceased to be a synonym for enthusiast4 ,the philosophy of intuition was first literally adopted1 then dismissed1 and ,i came out where ,i least expected4 ,but ,i well remember1 one evening as ,i was walking out from ,boston1 presenting to myself distinctly the alternative between the adoption of the old and the new4 ,i am afraid that the old commended itself by its venerableness1 the solidity of its traditions1 and the authority of its great names1 while the new was still vague and formless4 ,i then and there decided to follow in the footsteps of my fathers1 a course more in sympathy with the prevailing temper of the age and with the current of thought at ,divinity ,hall1 though ,emerson had delivered his address some years before1 and the ,new ,jerusalem was even then coming down from heaven4 ,,iv4 ,,salem4 ,old ,salem was a city of the imagination4 ,history does it no justice4 ,the ,essex ,institute1 founded in #ahdh1 by the union of the ,essex ,county ,historical ,society and the ,essex ,county ,natural ,history ,society1 has a very fine collection of books1 pamphlets1 manuscripts1 an invaluable museum1 relics1 pictures1 so that in no locality in the country has so much been accomplished in exhuming the treasures of municipal and civil history1 and in bringing to light antiquities4 ,hurd's ,history of ,essex ,county1 published in #ahhh1 with its monographs on commerce1 religion1 literature1 newspapers1 etc41 written by thoroughly competent men1 throws a flood of light on the past of the place4 ,mr4 ,upham's ,memoir of ,francis ,peabody1 published in #ahfh1 gives an admirable account of the literary eminence of the old town4 ,colonel ,higginson's article in ,harper's ,monthly on ,old ,salem's ,sea ,captains1 published in ,september1 #ahhf1 gives something of its romantic character4 ,but best of all as illustrating this feature are the articles written by ,eleanor ,putnam 7,mrs4 ,arlo ,bates71 and republished after her death under the title of ,old ,salem1 in #ahhg4 ,she was about thirty years old when she died2 but if she had lived she would have presented the old city in its quaintest aspect4 ,her love of antiquarian research1 her taste1 her devotion to ,salem qualified her in an eminent degree for her self-appointed task4 ,there can hardly be a doubt that the origins of the town were religious2 that a religious purpose1 deep though undefined and undeclared1 animated the emigrants before ,winthrop4 ,the very name1 ,salem1 the ,hebrew for peacefulness1 instead of ,naumkeag 7the old ,indian name71 adopted in #afbh1 to commemorate the reconciliation between the company of ,roger ,conant and that of ,john ,endicott1 was already suggestive of spiritual qualities4 ,eminent forms loom up in the distance3 ,francis ,higginson1 the first minister of ,massachusetts ,bay2 ,roger ,williams1 whose name is identified with soul freedom2 ,hugh ,peters1 his opponent4 ,john ,endicott was a most imposing figure2 hasty1 rash1 choleric 7as was shown by his striking a man in early life71 imperious1 but brave and bold4 ,he was a stern ,puritan1 hating popery so much that he cut out the image of the king from the ,english banner1 because it was an image1 while at the same time he persecuted the ,quakers1 because they advocated obedience to the inner light and were disturbers of the established peace4 ,but he had sweeter qualities--gentleness1 generosity1 and kindness4 ,an old scripture 7,ecclesiasticus xi41 #bh7 says3 ,judge none blessed before his death2 for a man shall be known in his children4 ,the descendants of ,john ,endicott are graceful1 elegant1 refined people1 lovely in manners1 gentle in disposition4 ,the root of these qualities must have been in the forefather two centuries and a half ago4 ,the intellectual history of the city is very illustrious and began early4 ,a strong intellectual bent characterized the early settlers1 who were persons of inquisitive minds1 addicted to experiments and enterprises1 exceedingly ingenious4 ,near the middle of the last century there was in existence in ,salem a social evening club1 composed of eminent cultivated and accomplished citizens4 ,on the evening of ,monday1 ,march #ca1 #agfj1 a meeting was held at the ,tavern ,house of a ,mrs4 ,pratt for the purpose of founding in the town of ,salem a handsome library of valuable books1 apprehending the same may be of considerable use and benefit under proper regulations4 ,the books imported1 given1 or bought1 amounted to four hundred and fifteen volumes4 ,this society1 which may be regarded as the foundation of all the institutions and agencies established in this place to promote intellectual culture1 was incorporated in #agig4 ,in #agff1 the famous ,count ,rumford was an apprentice here4 ,in #agha1 ,richard ,kirwan1 ,,ll4,d41 of ,dublin1 an eminent philosopher of the period1 had a valuable library in a vessel which was captured by an ,american private armed ship and brought into ,beverly as a prize4 ,the books were given by ,dr4 ,kirwan1 who would accept no gratuity and was delighted that his volumes were put to so good a use4 ,the books were sold to an association of gentlemen in ,salem and its neighborhood1 and formed the ,philosophical ,library4 ,this and the ,social ,library were afterwards consolidated into the ,salem ,athenaeum1 which was incorporated in ,march1 #ahaj4 ,among the distinguished men were ,william ,h4 ,prescott1 ,benjamin ,peirce1 ,nathaniel ,hawthorne1 ,john ,lewis ,russell1 ,charles ,grafton ,page1 and ,jones ,very4 ,here lived ,edward ,augustus ,holyoke1 president of the ,massachusetts ,medical ,society and the ,american ,academy of ,arts and ,sciences2 ,timothy ,pickering1 ,rev4 ,john ,prince1 ,rev4 ,william ,bentley1 ,nathaniel ,bowditch1 author of the ,practical ,navigator and translator of the ,mecanique ,celeste2 ,john ,pickering1 ,joseph ,story1 of the ,supreme ,bench2 ,daniel ,appleton ,white1 ,leverett ,saltonstall1 ,benjamin ,merrill1 and many another man of accomplishments and learning4 ,even the uneducated1 and those engaged in the common occupations of everyday life1 gratified their love of knowledge1 and followed up1 for their private enjoyment1 researches in intellectual and philosophical spheres2 apothecaries and retail shopkeepers distinguished themselves as writers2 one of them--,isaac ,newhall by name--was reputed the author of the famous ,junius ,letters1 thus enjoying companionship with ,burke1 ,gibbon1 ,grattan1 ,camden1 ,chatham1 ,chesterfield1 and other distinguished writers4 ,its commercial history was exceedingly brilliant4 ,in its palmy days it had more trade with the ,east ,indies than all the other ,american ports put together4 ,its situation by the sea encouraged maritime adventure4 ,from its very infancy its inhabitants sent vessels across the ,atlantic of forty to sixty tons1 and followed up the trade with ,spain1 ,france1 ,italy1 and the ,west ,india ,islands4 ,in the war of the ,revolution it sent out one hundred and fifty-eight armed ships1 mounting at least two thousand guns1 and carrying not less than six thousand men4 ,in #aghe1 ,salem sent out the first vessel to the ,isle of ,france1 ,calcutta1 and ,china2 she began also the trade to the other ports of the ,east ,indies and ,japan2 to ,madagascar and ,zanzibar1 ,brazil and ,africa4 ,in the south seas1 ,salem ships first visited the ,fiji ,islands2 they first opened up to our commerce ,new ,holland and ,new ,zealand4 ,in the war of #ahab she had two hundred and fifty privateers4 ,when the war was over1 these vessels were engaged in the merchant service4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,derby1 one of the great merchants1 said to be the richest man in ,america1 sent out thirty-seven vessels in fourteen years1 making a hundred and twenty voyages4 ,the names of the great merchants1 ,e4 ,h4 ,derby1 ,n4 ,silsbee1 ,william ,gray1 ,peabody1 ,crowningshield1 ,pickman1 ,cleveland1 ,cabot1 ,higginson1 are of universal celebrity4 ,then ,derby ,street was alive with sea-captains1 the custom-house was active1 the tall warehouses were full of treasures1 the great ,east ,indiamen fairly made the air fragrant as they unloaded their merchandise4 ,to quote the language of ,eleanor ,putnam3 ,there was poetry in the names of the vessels--the ship ,lotus1 the ,black ,warrior1 the brig ,persia1 the ,light ,horse1 the ,three ,friends1 and the great ,grand ,turk4 ,there was1 too1 a charm about the cargoes4 ,they were no common-place bales of merchandise1 but were suggestive in their very names of the sweet1 strange odors of the ,east1 from which they came4 ,there was food for the imagination in the mention of those ship-loads of gum copal from ,madagascar and ,zanzibar2 of hemp and iron from ,russia2 of ,bombay cotton2 of ginger1 pepper1 coffee1 and sugar from ,india2 of teas1 silks1 and nankeens from ,china2 salt from ,cadiz2 and fruits from the ports of the ,mediterranean4 ,miss ,putnam speaks of the gorgeous fans1 the carved ivory1 the blue ,canton china1 the generous tea-cups1 the tureens1 the heavy tankards1 the ,delft jars1 the ancient candle-sticks1 the heavy punch bowls1 the strange beads1 suggestive of the ,hindoo rites1 ,nautch dances1 and women with dusky throats4 ,then the very air was weighty with romantic adventures4 ,we read with awe of cashmere shawls hanging on clothes lines1 of jars full of silver coin1 of the gilded fishes on the side of each stair1 of the grand staircase in the front hall of ,mr4 ,pickman's house on ,essex ,street1 of logs of sandal-wood4 ,the museum of the ,east ,india ,marine ,society contains sceptres from the ,fiji ,islands2 a musical instrument from ,new ,south ,wales1 another from ,borneo2 a carved statue of a rich ,persian merchant of ,bombay2 an alabaster figure of a ,chinese ,jos2 a copper idol from ,java2 a mirror from ,japan2 fans from ,maraba1 the ,marquesas ,islands1 ,calcutta2 cloth from ,otaheite2 an earthen patera from ,herculaneum2 two dresses of women from the ,pelew ,islands2 sandal-wood from the ,sandwich ,islands2 a parasol from ,calcutta2 nutmegs from ,cayenne2 thirty-six specimens of ,italian marble2 cement from the palace of the ,caesars at ,rome2 white marble from ,carthage2 porphyry from ,italy2 beads worn by the ,pundits and ,fakirs in ,india2 a glass cup from ,owyhee2 ,verde ,antico from ,sicily2 sandal-wood tapers from ,china2 wood images of mummies from ,thebes2 a silver box from ,soo-,soo2 porphyry from ,madagascar2 a piece of mosaic from ancient ,carthage2 silk cocoons from ,india2 marble from the temple of ,minerva at ,athens2 piece of pavement from the site of ancient ,troy2 and polished jasper from ,siberia4 ,when ,i was in ,salem1 from #ahdg to #ahee1 this splendor had departed4 ,derby ,street was deserted1 the great warehouses were tenements for laborers4 ,hawthorne has described the custom-house in his famous preface to the ,scarlet ,letter4 ,the sailors had disappeared2 the commerce1 owing mainly to the shallowness of the water in the harbor1 had gone to ,boston and ,new ,york4 ,but traces of the old glory still lingered4 ,here and there a great merchant was seen on the streets4 ,some of the old houses remained3 the ,pickering ,house on ,broad ,street1 built in #afea2 the ,turner ,house2 ,roger ,williams' house1 at the corner of ,essex and ,north ,streets1 built before #afcd2 and ,mr4 ,forrester's house4 ,as the chairman of the ,salem ,lyceum1 it was my privilege to entertain such men as ,r4 ,w4 ,emerson1 ,george ,w4 ,curtis and others4 ,thomas ,starr ,king1 when he lectured in ,danvers1 drove over to my house1 and spent the rest of the evening4 ,nathaniel ,hawthorne ,i used to meet frequently on the street4 ,i often saw ,mrs4 ,hawthorne leading her children by the hand4 ,mr4 ,hawthorne1 who was in ,salem from #ahdf to #ahdi1 was remarkable for his shyness4 ,his favorite companions were some ,democratic politicians1 who met weekly at the office of one of them1 where he occupied himself in listening to their talk1 but he avoided cultivated people4 ,on one occasion a friend of mine asked us to meet him at dinner2 twice he went to remind his guest of the engagement4 ,the hour arrived1 the dinner was kept waiting half an hour for ,mr4 ,hawthorne to come4 ,he said but little during the dinner1 and immediately afterward got up and went away2 his reluctance to meet people overcoming his sense of propriety4 ,my church1 the ,north ,church1 as it was called1 was a handsome building on the main street1 a stone structure with a tower1 and a green before it4 ,it was founded in #aggb by people who had left the ,first ,parish by reason of great dissatisfaction4 ,the first minister1 called in #aggc1 was ,thomas ,barnard4 ,he was a broad-minded1 liberal man1 and left the church substantially ,unitarian4 ,his successor was ,j4 ,e4 ,abbot1 called in #ahae1 whose ministry1 from ill-health1 was very short4 ,my predecessor1 ,john ,brazer1 a cultivated1 scholarly1 sensitive man1 a good preacher1 an excellent pastor1 was settled in #ahbj4 ,my ministry there was exceedingly pleasant and tranquil for several years4 ,there were long hours for studying2 the parish work was not hard2 the people were honest1 quiet1 sober1 some of them exceedingly refined and gentle2 it was as if the old ,puritan spirit1 modified by time1 still lingered about the old town4 ,family life was beautiful to see2 the homes were charming2 there was luxury enough2 there was great intelligence1 singular activity of mind2 and ,i remember well the bright conversations1 the entertainments1 the teas1 the dinners1 the receptions1 the social meetings4 ,the women1 especially1 were distinguished for interest in literary matters4 ,many interesting people still lived in the town1 ,daniel ,appleton ,white1 for instance1 ,dr4 ,treadwell1 ,benjamin ,merrill1 ,thomas ,cole2 some of these were my parishioners and all were my friends4 ,but the life was almost too quiet for me1 as circumstances presently proved4 ,at the same time1 as if to render impossible my further ministration in this first place of service1 the anti-slavery agitation was at its height1 dividing churches1 breaking up sects1 setting the members of families against each other1 detaching ministers from their congregations1 and arraying society in hostile camps4 ,the noise of the conflict filled the air4 ,it was impossible to evade the issue4 ,those who had fixed positions in the community1 were of a tranquil temperament1 or of an easy conscience1 might survey the battle calmly1 or be vexed only by the confusion in the social world2 but they who had the future still before them could not but feel the necessity of taking sides in the quarrel4 ,when ,garrison1 the incarnate conscience1 was enunciating the moral law and illustrating it by flaming texts from the ,old ,testament2 when the intrepid ,phillips was throwing the light of history on politics1 and putting statesmanship in the face of humanity1 judging all men by the maxims of ethical philosophy2 when ,parker was proclaiming the absolute justice1 and ,clarke was applying the truths of the eternal love2 and many others1 men and women1 were thundering forth the divine vengeance on iniquity2 when facts were set out for everybody's reading1 and tongues were unloosed1 and fiery messages proceeded from all mouths1 and conviction was deep1 and eloquence was stirring1 it was impossible to be still4 ,now the situation is changed2 the evil is removed2 the wound has healed2 the surgeon's knife has been put up in its case4 ,a new philosophy is disposed to blame the action of the anti-slavery champions4 ,some critics have doubted whether the conduct of the abolitionists was wise2 whether their primary assumption of the political equality of all men was correct2 whether a race that had never founded a government or contributed to the advance of civilization could add any weight to the cause of liberty4 ,but then such misgivings could not be raised4 ,the abolitionists seemed to have on their side the precepts of the ,new ,testament1 the teachings of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 the character and example of ,jesus1 the burning language of prophecy1 the inspiring traditions of primitive ,christianity1 the humane instincts of the heart1 the moral sentiments of equity1 pity1 compassion1 all reinforced by the growing democratic opinion of the age1 and by the tenets of the intuitive philosophy then coming to the front4 ,the glowing passages from ,isaiah and from ,matthew3 ,let the oppressed go free2 break every yoke2 ,inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these1 ye did it unto me1 shone in our eyes4 ,to the anti-slavery people belonged the heroic virtues1 courage1 faithfulness1 and sacrifice4 ,theirs was the martyr spirit2 the readiness to surrender ease1 position1 and success for an idea4 ,it would have been strange if1 at such a time1 a young man1 a clergyman1 too1 had been a champion of vested interests4 ,the doctrine of a higher law than that of the ,state commended itself to his idealism1 and pledged him to oppose what he regarded as legalized wrong4 ,the doctrine of legal rights for all men made him a firm enemy of organized inhumanity4 ,it was a period of passionate war4 ,in every department of the ,church and ,state the irrepressible conflict went on4 ,it was no time for the calm voice of the loving spirit of wisdom to be heard4 ,it was no time to propose that the local laws respecting slavery should be remodelled1 and the relation between whites and blacks readjusted on more equitable principles4 ,the science of anthropology had no weight in ,america or anywhere else4 ,no exhaustive study of race peculiarities could be entered on4 ,the combatants had the whole field1 and between the combatants there seemed to be no room for choice by a minister of the ,gospel1 an enthusiastic friend of humanity1 a democrat1 and a transcendentalist4 ,on one occasion1 after a brutal scene in ,boston attending the return of a slave to his master1 feeling that the larger part of his congregation were in sympathy with the government1 and approved of the act of surrender1 the excited minister declined to give the ordinance of communion1 thinking it would be a mockery4 ,this action brought the growing disaffection to a head4 ,the feeling of the parish was divided4 ,bitter words were exchanged4 ,the situation on both sides became uncomfortable1 and he accepted an invitation to another city1 where he could exercise his independence without check or limit4 ,the position in regard to slavery which was taken thirty years ago there is no room to regret4 ,it was taken with perfect sincerity1 and under an uncontrollable pressure of conviction4 ,the part performed by the abolitionists was predestined4 ,the conduct of their opponents looks now as irrational as it did then4 ,american slavery was so atrocious a system1 so hideous a blot1 that no terms were to be kept with it4 ,probably nothing but the surgeon's knife would have availed in dealing with such a cancerous mass4 ,the cord had become so fatally twisted that the knot1 too closely drawn to be untied1 must be cut with the sword4 ,the abolition of slavery was inevitable2 it came about through a great elemental upheaval4 ,the situation had become intolerable and was past reforming4 ,long before the war1 it had become impossible to get along with the slaveholders1 except on the most ignoble principles of trade or fashion4 ,all manly acquiescence was out of the question4 ,the ,unitarians1 as such1 were indifferent or lukewarm2 the leading classes were opposed to the agitation4 ,dr4 ,channing stood almost alone in lending countenance to the reform1 though his hesitation between the dictates of natural feeling and ,christian charity towards the masters hampered his action1 and rendered him obnoxious to both parties1--the radicals finding fault with him for not going further1 the conservatives blaming him because he went so far4 ,the transcendentalists were quite universally abolitionists1 for their philosophy pointed directly towards the exaltation of every natural power4 ,wherever they touched the earth--as they did not always1 some of them soaring away beyond terrestrial things--flowers of hope sprang up in their path4 ,in ,france1 ,germany1 and ,england1 they were friends of intellectual and social progress1 of the ideal democracy4 ,the spiritual philosophy was in the air2 its ideas were unconsciously absorbed by the enthusiastic spirits4 ,they constituted the life of the period2 they were a light to such as dwelt in darkness or sat under the shadow of death4 ,in this country ,mr4 ,emerson led the dance of the hours4 ,he was our poet1 our philosopher1 our sage1 our priest4 ,he was the eternal man4 ,if we could not go where he went1 it was because we were weak and unworthy to follow the steps of such an emancipator4 ,his singular genius1 his wonderful serenity of disposition inherited from an exceptional ancestry and seldom ruffled by the ordinary passions of men1 his curious felicity of speech1 his wit1 his practical wisdom1 raised him above all his contemporaries4 ,his infrequent contact with the world of affairs1 his seclusion in the country1 his apparitions from time to time on lecture platforms or in convention halls1 gave a far-off sound to his voice as if it fell from the clouds4 ,some among his friends found fault with him for being bloodless and ethereal1 but this added to the effect of his presence and his word4 ,the mixture of ,theism and ,pantheism in his thoughts1 of the personal and the impersonal1 of the mystical and the practical1 fascinated the sentiment of the generation1 while the lofty moral strain of his teaching awakened to increased energy the wills of men4 ,his speech and example stimulated every desire for reform1 turning all eyes that were opened to the land of promise that seemed fully in sight4 ,how much the anti-slavery conviction of the time1 along with every other movement for the purification of society1 owed to him we have always been fond of saying with that indefiniteness of specification which communicates so much more than it tells4 ,this must be said1 that1 in the exhilaration of the period1 they that worked hardest felt no exhaustion1 and they that sacrificed most were conscious of no self-abnegation1 and they that threw their lives into this cause had no sentiment but one of overflowing gratitude and joy4 ,the anti-slavery agitation was felt to be something more than an attempt to apply the ,beatitudes and the ,parables to a flagrant case of inhumanity--it was regarded as a new interpreter of religion1 a fresh declaration of the meaning of the ,gospel1 a living sign of the purely human character of a divine faith1 an education in brotherly love and sacrifice2 it was a common saying that now1 for the first time in many generations1 the essence of belief was made visible and palpable to all men2 that ,providence was teaching us in a most convincing way1 and none but deaf ears could fail to understand the message4 ,it was1 indeed1 a most suggestive and inspiring time4 ,never shall ,i forget1 never shall ,i cease to be grateful for1 the communion with noble minds that was brought about1 the moral earnestness that was engendered1 the moral insight that was quickened4 ,then1 if ever1 we ascended the ,mount of ,vision4 ,i was brought into close communion with living men1 the most living of the time1 the most under the influence of stimulating thoughts2 and if they were intemperate in their speech1 extravagant in their opinions1 absolute in their moral judgments1 that must be taken as proof of the depth of their conviction4 ,they loved much1 and therefore could be forgiven1 if forgiveness was necessary4 ,they sacrificed a good deal1 too1 some of them everything in the shape of worldly honor1 and this brought them apparently into line with the confessors and saints4 ,they made real the precepts of the ,new ,testament4 ,their clients were the poor1 the lowly1 the disfranchised1 the unprivileged1 against whom the grandeurs of the world lifted a heavy hand4 ,they were champions of those who sorrowed and prayed1 and this was enough to win sympathy and disarm criticism4 ,it was a great experience2 not only was religion brought face to face with ethics1 but it was identified with ethics4 ,it became a religion of the heart3 pity1 sympathy1 humanity1 and brotherhood were its essential principles4 ,at the anti-slavery fairs all sorts and conditions of men met together1 without distinction of color or race or sex4 ,there was really an education in the broadest faith1 in which dogma1 creed1 form1 and rite were secondary to love2 and love was not only universal1 but was warm4 ,salem was the home of story and legend4 ,there ,puritanism showed its best and worst sides1 for there ,roger ,williams preached1 and there the witches were persecuted4 ,the house where they were tried and the hill where they were executed were objects of curiosity4 ,there were the wild pastures and the romantic shores1 and broad streets shaded by elm trees1 and gardens and greenhouses4 ,there were spacious mansions and beautiful country-seats and pleasant walks4 ,there was beauty and grace and accomplishment and wit4 ,there were quaint old buildings1 and ways once trodden by pious and heroic feet4 ,on the whole1 this was the most idyllic period in my ministry4 ,thither came ,emanuel ,vitalis ,scherb1 the native of ,basel1 an exile for opinion's sake1 a man full of genius1 learning1 enthusiasm4 ,young1 handsome1 hopeful1 his lectures on ,german literature and poetry attracted notice in ,boston1 whence he came to ,salem to talk and be entertained4 ,the best houses were open to him2 the best people went to hear him4 ,alas1 poor ,scherb6 ,his day of popularity was short4 ,he sank from one stage of poverty to another2 he was indebted to friends for aid1 among the rest to ,h4 ,w4 ,longfellow1 who clung to him till the last1 and finally died from disease in a military hospital early in our ,civil ,war4 ,i remember1 in connection with ,samuel ,johnson1 collecting an audience for ,mr4 ,a4 ,b4 ,alcott1 the most adroit soliloquizer ,i ever listened to1 who delivered in a vestry-room a series of those remarkable conversations--versations with the con left out--for which he was celebrated4 ,it was1 in many respects1 a happy time4 ,v4 ,,the ,,crisis ,,in ,,belief4 ,i was in ,salem when this came4 ,it happened in the following way3 ,a woman in my choir1 a melancholy1 tearful1 forlorn woman1 asked me one day if ,i knew ,theodore ,parker4 ,i said ,i did not1 but then1 seeing her disappointment1 ,i asked her why she put that question4 ,she replied that her husband had abandoned her some months before and with another woman had gone to ,maine4 ,there he had left the woman and was living in ,boston1 and was a member of ,mr4 ,parker's ,society2 and she thought that if ,i knew ,mr4 ,parker ,i might find out something about him1 and perhaps induce him to come back to ,salem4 ,i told her ,i was going to ,boston in a day or two1 and would see ,mr4 ,parker4 ,my visit1 again and again repeated1 resulted in an intimacy with that extraordinary man which had a lasting effect on my career4 ,his personal sympathy1 his profound humanity1 his quickness of feeling1 his sincerity1 his courage1 his absolute fidelity of service1 even more than his astonishing vigor of intellect and his earnestness in pursuit of truth1 made a deep impression on my mind4 ,to be in his society was to be impelled in the direction of all nobleness4 ,he talked with me1 lent me books1 stimulated the thirst for knowledge1 opened new visions of usefulness4 ,as ,i recall it now1 his influence was mainly personal1 the power that comes from a great character4 ,he communicated a moral impetus4 ,faith in man1 love of liberty in thought1 institution1 law1 breathed in all his words and works4 ,his theological ideas were somewhat mixed1 as was inevitable then4 ,his gift of spiritual vision1 especially as shown in his interpretation of the ,old-,testament narratives1 may have been imperfect2 his moral perspective may have been incomplete2 his learning was copious1 rather than discerning4 ,but his single-mindedness was perfect1 and his devotion to his fellow-men was almost superhuman4 ,it was a privilege to know such a man1 so simple-hearted and brave4 ,the slight disposition to put himself on his omniscience1 to strike an attitude1 was not strange considering his enormous force1 his consciousness of power1 his singular influence over men1 and his conviction 7in large measure forced on him by his advocates7 that he was a religious reformer1 a second ,luther1 the inaugurator of a new ,protestantism4 ,his three doctrines1 to which he constantly appealed1 and in proof of which he adduced the testimony of the human soul1--the existence of a personal ,god1 the immortality of the individual1 and the absoluteness of the moral law might have been untenable in the presence of modern knowledge under the form in which he stated them4 ,his vast collection of materials in attestation of ,theism may have been valuable chiefly as a curiosity2 but the man himself was all of one piece1 genuine through and through4 ,the mingling of fire and moderation in him was very remarkable1 the blending of consuming radicalism with saving conservatism puzzled his more vehement disciples2 but his character interested everybody2 his firmness was visible from afar1 and his warmth of heart was felt through stone walls4 ,there were no two ministers in ,boston who did as much for the inmates of hospitals and prisons as he did4 ,his ministry ceased a quarter of a century ago1 but the effect is vital yet1 and will last for years to come4 ,at this distance the heart leaps up to meet him4 ,his chief work was done1 for it consisted mainly in the adoption of a type of character1 and length of days is not needed for this1 while it is apt to be impaired by the infirmities of age4 ,his long1 wearisome illness1 full of weakness and pain1 tested the strength of his fortitude1 patience1 hopefulness1 and trust1 and was interesting as showing the passive1 acquiescent side of heroism1 all the more impressive in view of his love of life1 his desire to finish his course1 his sense of accountability 7stronger in him than in anybody ,i ever met71 and his wish to serve his kind4 ,it was my happiness1 more than ten years after he went away from men1 to dwell for months in his atmosphere1 while writing his biography1 and all my old impressions of him were confirmed4 ,and five years later1 reviewing his life in the ,index1 ,i was again struck by his greatness4 ,i may be excused for quoting the closing passage from the ,index1 of ,july #e1 #ahgg1 in which ,i stated the claims of ,theodore ,parker to the honor of posterity4 ,the paragraph sums up the qualities that have been ascribed to him--integrity1 catholicity1 outspokenness2 to these might have been added warmth of heart1 but this last attribute lay on the surface1 and could be easily appreciated by ordinary observers--in fact1 was seen and acknowledged by his enemies1 and by those who knew him least4 ,on the whole1 then1 ,i should say that manliness was ,theodore ,parker's crowning quality and supreme claim to distinction4 ,that he had other most remarkable gifts is conceded as a matter of course4 ,everybody knows that he had4 ,but this was his prime characteristic4 ,the other gifts he had in spite of himself--his thirst for knowledge1 his love of books1 his all-devouring industry1 his unfailing memory1 his natural eloquence or power of affluent expression2 but character men regard as less a gift than an acquisition1--the fruit of aspiration1 resolve1 fidelity1--the product of daily1 nay1 of hourly1 endeavor4 ,hence it is that intellectual greatness does not impress the multitude2 even genius has but a limited sway over the masses of mankind4 ,but character goes to the roots of life4 ,in fact1 ,theodore ,parker's eminence as a man of thought and expression in words has concealed from the world at large the intrinsic quality of the person4 ,his reputation as theologian1 preacher1 controversialist1 has concealed the real greatness which comes to light as the dust of controversy subsides4 ,the very causes in which the heroism of his manliness was displayed--as1 for example1 the anti-slavery cause1 to which he devoted so much of his time and vitality--rendered inconspicuous the contribution he made to the treasury of humane feeling4 ,now that that great conflict is over1 now that its agitations have ceased and its heats have cooled1 the character of which this conflict revealed but a portion1 the career in which this long agony was but an episode1 loom up into distinctness4 ,the greatest of all human achievements is a manly character--guileless1 sincere1 and brave2 that he by all admission possessed4 ,he earned it2 he prayed for it2 meditated for it2 worked for it2--how hard1 his private journals show4 ,and for this he will not be forgotten4 ,for this he will be remembered as one of the benefactors1 one of the emancipators1 of his kind4 ,from a shelf in his library1 ,i took ,schwegler's ,nachapostolische ,zeitalter1 a work which threw a flood of light on the problems of ,new-,testament criticism4 ,this led to a study of the writings of ,f4 ,c4 ,baur1 the founder of the so-called ,tuebingen ,school4 ,a complete set of the ,theologische ,jahrbuecher1 the organ of his ideas1 was imported from ,germany1 and carefully perused4 ,these volumes contained full and minute studies on all the books of the ,new ,testament--,gospels1 ,epistles1 the writing termed ,the ,acts of the ,apostles1 with incidental glances at the ,apocalypse4 ,the calm1 consistent strength of these expositions commended them to my mind4 ,the author was a university professor1 a man of practical piety1 a ,lutheran preacher of high repute1 simple1 affectionate1 faithful to his duties1 quite unconscious that he was undermining anybody's faith1 so deeply rooted was the old ,lutheran freedom of criticism in regard to the ,bible4 ,in the ,german mind1 religion and literature1 ,christianity and the ,scriptures1 were entirely distinct things4 ,the scholar could sit in his library in one mood and could enter his pulpit in another1 preserving in both the single-mindedness that became a ,christian and a student4 ,other theories have arisen since1 but none that have taken hold of such eminent minds have appeared4 ,theodore ,parker accepted it2 ,james ,martineau adopted its main proposition in several remarkable papers written at various times1 last in the ,unitarian magazine ,old and ,new4 ,in the brilliant lectures delivered in ,london1 during the spring of #ahhj1 on the ,hibbert ,foundation1 ,ernest ,renan's striking account of early ,christianity owed its force to the assumption of the fundamental postulate of the ,tuebingen ,school4 ,in the latter years of his life1 ,baur summed up the results of his criticism in a pamphlet that was designed to meet objections2 and in #ahge-ahgg his son-in-law1 the learned ,edward ,zeller1 one of his ablest disciples1 an eminent professor of history at ,berlin1 published an earnest1 carefully considered1 masterly report of the writings of the now famous teacher1 in the course of which he paid a merited tribute to his character1 vindicated his views from the charge of haste and partisanship1 and predicted for them a triumphant future499 99 ,vortraege und ,abhandlungen1 von ,e4 ,zeller1 #b vols41 ,leipzig4 ,the adoption of these opinions1 so opposed to the views current in the community1 compelled the adoption of a new basis for religious conviction4 ,christianity1 in so far as it depended on the ,new ,testament or the doctrines of the early ,church1 was discarded4 ,the cardinal tenets of the ,creed--the ,deity of the ,christ1 the atonement1 everlasting perdition--had been dismissed already1 and ,i was virtually beyond the limits of the ,confession4 ,but ,theism remained1 and the spiritual nature of man with its craving for religious truth4 ,without going so far as ,theodore ,parker did1 who maintained that the three primary beliefs of religion--the existence of ,god1 the assurance of individual immortality1 the reality of a moral law--were permanent1 universal1 and definite facts of human nature1 found wherever man was found2 without going so far as this1 ,i contended that man had a spiritual nature2 that this nature1 on coming to consciousness of its powers and needs1 gave expression to exalted beliefs1 clothing them with authority1 building them into temples1 ordaining them in the form of ceremonies and priesthoods4 ,in support of this opinion1 appeal was made to the great religions of the world1 to the substantial agreement of all sacred books1 to the spontaneous homage paid1 in all ages1 to saints and prophets2 to the essential accord of moral precepts all over the globe1 to the example of ,jesus1 to the ,beatitudes and ,parables1 to the respect given by rude people to the noblest persons1 to the credences that inspire multitudes1 to the teachings of ,schleiermacher1 ,fichte1 ,constant1 ,cousin1 ,carlyle1 ,goethe1 ,emerson1 in fact1 to every leading writer of the last generation4 ,all this was so beautiful1 so consistent and convincing1 so full of promise1 so broad1 plain1 and inspiring that1 with a fresh but miscalculated enthusiasm1 over-sanguine1 thoughtless1 the young minister undertook to carry his congregation with him1 but without success2 so he went elsewhere4 ,this action proceeded from the faith that ,parker instilled4 ,parker was pre-eminently1 to those who comprehended him1 a believer4 ,in the words of ,d4 ,a4 ,wasson1 his successor in ,music ,hall3 ,theodore ,parker was one of the most energetic and religious believers these later centuries have known4 ,this was the prime characteristic of the man4 ,he did not agree in the details of his unbelieving with the majority of those around him1 because it was part of his religion to think freely1 part of their religion to forbear thinking freely on the highest matters4 ,but he was not only a powerful believer in his own soul1 but was the believing ,hercules who went forth in the name of divine law to cleanse the ,augean stables of the world4444 ,this1 ,i repeat1 and can not repeat with too much emphasis1 was the characteristic of the man--sinewy1 stalwart1 prophetic1 fervid1 aggressive1 believing4444 ,the ,hercules rather than the ,apollo of belief1 it was not his to charm rocks and trees with immortal music1 but to smite the hydra of publicity1 iniquity1 and consecrated falsehood with the club or mace of belief2 if this might not suffice1 then to burn out its foul life with the fire of his sarcasms4 ,to quote my own words1 written in #ahgc 7see ,life4 p4 #eff73 ,with him the religious sentiment was supreme4 ,it had no roots in his being wholly distinct from its mental or sensible forms of expression4 ,never evaporating in mystical dreams nor entangled in the meshes of cunning speculation1 it preserved its freshness and bloom and fragance in every passage of his life4 ,his sense of the reality of divine things was as strong as was ever felt by a man of such clear intelligence4 ,his feeling never lost its glow1 never was damped by misgiving1 dimmed by doubt1 or clouded by sorrow4 ,far from dreading to submit his faith to test1 he courted tests2 was as eager to hear the arguments against his belief as for it2 was as fair in weighing evidence on the opponent's side as on his own4 ,oh1 that mine enemy had written a book6 he was ready to cry1 not that he might demolish it1 but that he might read it4 ,he knew the writings of ,moleschott1 and talked with him personally2 the books of ,carl ,vogt were not strange to him4 ,the philosophy of ,ludwig ,buechner1 if philosophy it can be called1 was as familiar to him as to any of ,buechner's disciples4 ,he was intimate with the thoughts of ,feuerbach4 ,he drew into discussion every atheist and materialist he met1 talked with them closely and confidentially1 and rose from the interview more confident in the strength of his own positions than ever4 ,science he counted his best friend2 relied on it for confirmation of his faith1 and was only impatient because it moved no faster4 ,all the materialists in and out of ,christendom had no power to shake his conviction of the ,infinite ,god and the immortal existence1 nor would have had had he lived till he was a century old1 for1 in his view1 the convictions were planted deep in human nature1 and were demanded by the exigencies of human life4 ,moleschott respected ,parker2 ,dessor was his confidential friend2 ,feuerbach would have taken him by the hand as a brother4 ,there can be no greater mistake than to call ,theodore ,parker a ,deist2 than to class ,theodore ,parker with the ,deists4 ,he was utterly unlike ,chubb or ,shaftesbury1 ,herbert of ,cherbury or ,bolingbroke4 ,even the most philosophical of them had nothing in common with him4 ,hume and ,voltaire1 for instance1 were utterly unlike him4 ,they1 it is true1 believed in a ,god1 the ,first ,cause1 the ,author of ,nature1 the ,supreme ,being1 and in a future life4 ,but their belief was merely logical and mechanical1 his was vital2 he believed in the real1 living1 immanent ,deity4 ,they thought that religion was an imposition1 a policy of the priests1 who played upon the fears of mankind2 he believed that religion was a working power in the world1 the origin of the highest achievement1 the soul of all aspiration4 ,they had no faith in the direct communication of the ,supreme ,mind with the soul of man2 he believed in the infinite genius of man1 and in the direct communication of the absolute intelligence4 ,they thought of justice as a contrivance for securing happiness2 he thought of it as the law of life4 ,one of ,mr4 ,parker's friends ascribed to him a gorgeous imagination2 if he had it1 it is a surprise that it should have been so completely suppressed as it was1 for his taste in pictures and in poetry was very questionable4 ,his want of speculative talent probably helped him with the people4 ,whether he formulated his thoughts is uncertain4 ,such was not his genius4 ,he was a constructive1 not a destructive4 ,it was his faith that he criticised the ,bible in order that he might release its piety and righteousness2 that he tore in pieces the creeds in order to emancipate the secrets of divinity4 ,it is useless to conjecture what ,parker might have been had he lived4 ,that he would have held to his primary convictions is almost certain2 it is quite certain that he would have loved mental liberty4 ,he would have been a great power in our ,civil ,war2 he would probably have been a leader in the free religious movement4 ,parker1 when ,i first knew him1 was in full life and vigor4 ,he had gone to ,boston a short time before my ordination in #ahdg1 and had before him a long future of usefulness4 ,all the exigencies in which he might have been conspicuous were distant4 ,that the effect of such a man on me and my connections was exceedingly great is not strange4 ,it would have been strange had it been otherwise4 ,in sermon1 prayer1 private conversations my convictions came out4 ,that the people were disappointed may be assumed1 but they were kind1 generous1 and patient4 ,the congregations did not fall off2 there was little violence or even vehement expostulation4 ,but the position was not comfortable1 and when an invitation came from ,jersey ,city to found a new ,society1 ,i accepted it at once4 ,it had been a dream of ,dr4 ,bellows to establish a ,society at that place1 and1 learning that ,i was in search of another sphere of activity1 he asked me to undertake the work4 ,this was seconded by a cordial representation from ,jersey ,city itself1 on the part of some who were ,dr4 ,bellows' own parishioners4 ,the uprooting was not easy1 for ,salem had become endeared to me as the first scene of my ministry1 a place where ,i could be useful in many ways1 and which contained a delightful society2 an established1 well-furnished town1 with historic associations2 a country centre1 an agreeable situation4 ,but the waters were getting still there1 and the sentiment of the past was getting to over-weigh the promises of the future4 ,,vi4 ,,jersey ,,city4 ,jersey ,city1 to which ,i went directly from ,salem1 was a very different place from what it is now2 smaller and perhaps pleasanter4 ,where now is a large city1 a few years ago was but a village4 ,now it is a manufacturing place1 with great establishments1 foundries1 machine-shops1 banks1 insurance companies1 newspapers1 more than forty schools1 and more than sixty churches4 ,then it was a large town1 though it was nominally a city 7incorporated in #ahbj71 with a population of about twenty thousand1 the increase being chiefly due to the annexation of suburbs1 not to its own vital growth4 ,it was substantially rural in character1 with extensive meadows1 broad avenues2 a place of residence largely1 the gentlemen living there and doing business in ,new ,york4 ,there were a few ,unitarians1 a few ,universalists1 but there was no organized ,unitarian society before ,i went there4 ,a great many cultivated people resided in this place4 ,there was wealth1 culture1 and interest in social matters4 ,a meeting-house was built for me and dedicated to a large1 rational faith4 ,the chief peculiarity of my ministry there was the disuse of the communion service4 ,this rite ,i had thought a great deal about in ,salem4 ,there had been1 then1 a well-meant proposal on the part of the pastor to make an alteration in the form of administering the communion service4 ,the custom had been 7quite an incidental one1 for the usage was by no means the same in all the churches of the denomination7 to thrust the rite in once a month1 between the morning worship and dinner time1 and to offer it then to none but the church-members1 who composed but a small part of the congregation4 ,as a consequence of this arrangement1 the observance became formal1 dry1 short1 and tiresome4 ,to the majority of the ,society it seemed a mystical ceremony with which they had no concern1 while those who stayed to take part in it1 wearied already by the preceding exercises1 and hungry for their mid-day meal1 gave to it but half-hearted attention4 ,the observance was thus worse than thrown away2 for1 in addition to the loss of an opportunity for spiritual impression1 a dangerous kind of self-righteousness was encouraged in the few church-members1 who regarded themselves as in some way set apart from their fellow-sinners1 either as having made confession of faith or as being subjects of a peculiar experience4 ,to impart freshness to the rite1 and at the same time to extend its usefulness as a means of grace1 the minister proposed to celebrate it less frequently 7once in two or three months71 to substitute it in place of the usual afternoon meeting1 to make special preparation for it by the co-operation of the choir1 and to throw it open to as many as might choose to come1 be they church members or not4 ,the suggestion met with feeble response1 and that chiefly from young people who had hitherto stayed away out of a laudable feeling of modesty1 not wishing to remain when their elders and betters went out1 and not thinking themselves good enough to partake of a special privilege4 ,the communicants1 as a rule1 set their faces against the innovation1 perhaps because they were secretly persuaded that the change portended the secularizing of ,christianity by a removal of the barrier that divided the church from the world1 possibly because they wished to retain an exclusive prerogative which had always marked the elect4 ,the matter was not pressed2 the routine went on as before2 the minister did his best to render the service impressive and interesting4 ,but his studies and meditations led him to the conclusion that the observance had no place in the ,unitarian system2 that it was a mere formality1 without an excuse for being2 that it contained no idea or sentiment that was not expressed in the ordinary worship2 that it was a remnant of an otherwise discarded form of ,christianity1 where it had a peculiar significance2 that it was the last attenuation of the ,roman sacrament of transubstantiation2 that it ought to be dropped from every scheme of liberal faith as an illogical adjunct1 a harmful excrescence1 a hindrance1 in short4 ,no whisper of these doubts was breathed at the time1 but the pastor's silence allowed the scepticism to strike the deeper root in his mind4 ,mr4 ,emerson's departure from his parish1 on the ground that he could no longer administer the communion rite according to the usage of the sect1 had occurred many years before this1 but was still remembered in discussion and talk4 ,theodore ,parker had no communion2 but he was an established leader of heresy1 and did not furnish an example4 ,many1 agreeing with ,emerson's reasoning1 disapproved of his course in resigning his pulpit rather than continue to administer the bread and wine4 ,he himself advised others to hold on to the observance1 if they could1 hoping for the time when it might be universally vivified by faith4 ,some might do it as it was4 ,the congregations would1 it is likely1 without exception1 have decided as his did1 to lose their minister sooner than their ,supper4 ,some years later1 on passing through ,boston on my way to another scene of labor1 ,i called on a distinguished clergyman who had taken a part in my ordination1 and was asked by him what ,i intended to do in my new parish with regard to the communion4 ,i replied that it was not my purpose to have it1 ,you cannot give it up1 he said2 it is stronger than any of us4 ,i should drop it if ,i dared1 for there is nothing real in it that is not in the general service1 but ,i am afraid to try4 ,i shall watch your experiment with interest1 but without expectation of its success4 ,very well1 ,i replied1 we shall see4 ,the experiment was tried and succeeded4 ,for four years ,i had no communion1 and not a word was said about it4 ,on leaving for ,new ,york1 several of my friends1 who had been accustomed to the ceremony all their lives1 were asked if they did not think it would be wise to reinstate the rite4 ,to my surprise1 they with one voice said that there was no need of it1 that the ,society got along perfectly well without it4 ,it is needless to say that in ,new ,york the observance was never celebrated4 ,the ceremony was justified among ,unitarians by various reasons which1 in the end1 seemed apologies4 ,with the old-fashioned1 semi-orthodox members of the congregations it was a precious heirloom1 prized for its antiquity2 a link that still held them in the bond of fellowship with the universal church2 a last relic of the supernaturalism to which they clung without knowing why2 the pledge of a mystical union with their ,christ4 ,any change in the administration of it was regarded as a desecration2 the suggestion of its complete discontinuance could1 they thought1 arise in no mind that was not fatally poisoned by infidelity4 ,it was not1 in their opinion1 a symbol of doctrine1 but a channel of divine influence1 which no intellectual doubts could touch1 which spiritual deadness alone could dispense with4 ,tenets might be abandoned1 forms of belief might be discredited1 but this citadel of faith must not be assailed or approached by irreverent feet4 ,mr4 ,emerson's example was not followed by his contemporaries4 ,his fellows did not so soon reach his point of conviction4 ,even radicals1 like ,george ,ripley1 did not4 ,in my own case it was the growth of time4 ,at the moment there was no disposition to abandon the observance1 simply a desire to reanimate it4 ,it was not perceived till much later that the changes proposed implied a virtual abandonment of the rite itself2 that the communion is regarded as a sacrament1 that as a sacrament it might be presumed to be supernaturally instituted for the communication of the divine life2 that1 when faith in the supernatural declines1 the sacrament no longer has a function as a medium1 and must be omitted2 that no attempts to revive it as a sentimental practice could be justified to reason2 that all endeavors to awaken interest in it by assuming some occult efficacy must be futile because groundless4 ,the memorial service can in no proper sense be called a sacrament4 ,it may be a pleasing expression of sentiment1 somewhat over-strained and fanciful1 but capable of being made attractive4 ,the task of reproducing the emotions of the early disciples as they sat at supper with their ,master1 nearly two thousand years ago1 is too severe for the ordinary imagination1 and when persisted in from a sense of duty may become a dull1 creaking performance1 against which the sensitive rebel and the witty are tempted to launch the shafts of their sarcasm4 ,the only way of saving it from gibes is to ascribe to it some mystical efficacy for which there is no logical excuse4 ,the ,roman ,catholic doctrine of ,transubstantiation had a foundation in the philosophy of the ,church4 ,the ,lutheran doctrine of ,consubstantiation1 which recognized the presence of ,christ on the occasion1 but not the literal change of the substance of his flesh1 was legitimate4 ,but the ,sabellian theory1 which the ,unitarians inherited1 was in no respect justified1 save as a tradition4 ,the sole alternative at that time for me1 when the ,communion service was made a test question between the conservative and the radical1 was to drop it4 ,at present the situation is altered4 ,it is no longer a ceremony or a tradition1 but a means of spiritual cultivation4 ,it stands for fellowship and aspiration1 not for a communion of saints1 but of all those who desire to share the saintly mind1 of all who aim at perfection4 ,the rite is one in which all may unite who wish1 however fitfully1 for goodness2 all1 whether ,romanist or ,protestant1 and ,protestant of whatever name2 all1 in every religion under the sun1 ,eastern or ,western1 ,northern or ,southern1 old or new1 every dividing line being erased4 ,i once attended the ,communion service of a ,broad ,churchman4 ,the invitation was large and inclusive1 comprehending everybody who1 though far off1 looked towards the light1 everybody who had the least glimmer of the divine radiance2 and none but an absolute infidel was shut out4 ,there was a recognition of a divine nature in men1-- ,like plants in mines which never saw the sun1 ,but dream of him1 and guess where he may be1 ,and do their best to climb and get to him4 ,the idea of spiritual communion is a grand one4 ,it is universal too2 it is human in the best sense4 ,the symbols were ancient when ,jesus used them1 the ,bread signifying ,truth1 the ,wine signifying ,life4 ,originally the symbols referred to the wealth of nature1 as is evident from an ancient prayer4 ,it was the custom for the master of the ,jewish feast to repeat this form of words3 ,blessed be ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 our ,god1 who givest us the fruits of the vine1 and then he gave the cup to all4 ,leaving out the personal application which is purely incidental1 and discarding the sacramental idea which is a corruption1 throwing the service open to the whole congregation as an opportunity1 a great deal may be accomplished in the way of spiritual advancement4 ,true1 the ceremony contains no thought or sentiment that is not expressed in the sermon or the prayer1 but it puts these in poetic form1 it addresses them directly to the imagination1 it associates them with the holier souls in their holiest hours1 and brings people face to face with their better selves in the tenderest and most touching manner1 teaching charity1 love1 endeavor after the religious life4 ,the rite is full of beauty when confined within the bounds of ,christianity1 but when extended to the principles of other faiths1 it is rich in meaning1 and may be used with effect by those who wish to educate the people in the highest form of idealism1 who desire comprehensiveness4 ,a symbol often goes further than an argument1 and a symbol so ancient and so consecrated ought to be preserved4 ,a friend of mine included all religious teachers in his commemoration4 ,this was a step in the right direction1 but if the people are not ready for this yet1 they may welcome an extension of the reign of spiritual love among the disciples whom theological hatred has kept apart4 ,but this was not suspected then4 ,it will be remarked that my reasons were not those of ,emerson4 ,his argument was solid and sound1 but his real reason was personal4 ,he said in his sermon3 ,if ,i believed it was enjoined by ,jesus and his disciples that he even contemplated making permanent this mode of commemoration1 every way agreeable to an ,eastern mind1 and yet on trial it was disagreeable to my own feelings1 ,i should not adopt it4444 ,it is my desire in the office of a ,christian minister to do nothing which ,i cannot do with my whole heart4 ,having said this ,i have said all4444 ,that is the end of my opposition1 that ,i am not interested in it4 ,my ground was different2 ,i had no objection to the symbol1 none to an ,oriental symbol1 and the mere fact that ,i was not interested in it seemed to me not pertinent to the case4 ,my objection was that it divided those who ought to be united2 that it encouraged a form of self-righteousness2 that it implied a grace that did not exist4 ,for the rest1 my form of religion was of sentiment4 ,it was scarcely ,unitarian1 not even ,christian in a technical sense or in any other but a broad moral signification4 ,it was ,theism founded on the ,transcendental philosophy1 a substitute for the authority of ,romanism and of ,protestantism4 ,this was an admirable counterfeit of ,inspiration1 having the fire1 the glow1 the beauty of it4 ,it most successfully tided over the gulf between ,protestantism and ,rationalism4 ,parker used it with great effect4 ,it was the life of ,emerson's teaching4 ,it animated ,thomas ,carlyle4 ,it was the fundamental assumption of the ,abolitionists1 and of all social reformers4 ,i had perfect freedom of speech in ,jersey ,city2 there was no opposition to the doctrine announced4 ,the ,society there was large and flourishing1 and its influence in the town was on the increase4 ,but ,jersey ,city was1 after all1 a suburb only of ,new ,york4 ,some of my most devoted hearers came from ,new ,york1 and urged me to go there4 ,dr4 ,bellows was anxious to found a third ,society in the great city1 and added his word to their solicitations1 so that in the spring of #ahei ,i went thither4 ,my church in ,jersey ,city was continued for a short time1 but ,i had no settled successor2 the congregation did not grow2 some of my most earnest supporters had either died or left the town4 ,the war broke out and was fatal to institutions that had not a deep root4 ,the building was sold soon after1 for business purposes ,i think1 and the society was never renewed4 ,this may appear singular considering that there are ,unitarian churches elsewhere in ,new ,jersey1 at ,camden1 ,orange1 ,plainfield1 ,vineland1 and ,woodbury4 ,the changed condition of the town may have had something to do with the failure to revive1 after the war1 the ,unitarian ,society4 ,the ,catholic1 ,presbyterian1 ,orthodox ,congregationalist communions were more suited to the new population than the ,unitarian was4 ,possibly1 too1 the radical complexion of the parish had something to do with the disrepute that fell upon it4 ,however this may have been1 the cause did not seem to prosper4 ,mr4 ,job ,male1 who died recently at ,plainfield1 was one of my most zealous supporters and exerted himself to keep the enterprise alive1 but in vain4 ,it is understood that the flourishing ,unitarian church in ,plainfield was largely due to his efforts4 ,,vii4 ,,new ,,york4 ,for the first year in ,new ,york ,i lived with ,dr4 ,bellows at his parsonage4 ,mrs4 ,bellows and the children were at ,eagleswood1 ,new ,jersey1 the children being at school with ,mr4 ,weld4 ,and this is the place to say something about ,henry ,whitney ,bellows4 ,he was a very remarkable man1 most extraordinary in his way2 an original man1 a peculiar individual2 of mercurial temper1 various1 quick1 sympathetic1 brave1 whole-hearted1 generous1 but all in his own fashion4 ,more ,celtic than ,saxon1 more ,french than ,english1 prone to generalize1 something of a doctrinaire1 indifferent to personalities1 but of warm affections where he was interested2 loyal1 as knights always are1 where his honor was concerned1 but impatient of dictation1 restless1 nervous1 impetuous1 dashing from side to side1 always consistent with himself1 yet rarely consistent with ordinary rules of conventional society4 ,such a man is best described in detail4 ,dr4 ,bellows1 as we called him1 had a singular gift of expression4 ,this was the soul of him1 his most prominent feature1 the trait that explains every other4 ,his appearance indicated as much4 ,he had a mobile mouth1 flexible features1 a ringing voice1 a cordial manner4 ,he was fond of talking1 brilliant in conversation1 attractive in social intercourse1 a charming companion1 full of wit1 rapid in repartee1 ready with anecdote1 illustration1 allusion4 ,he was a great favorite at the dinner-table1 at friendly gatherings1 at the club1 where a circle always collected round him and were delighted with the endless versatility of his discourse4 ,in fact1 he was a man of society rather than a clergyman1 though he occupied a pulpit from the beginning1 and was faithful to all the duties of his profession4 ,still they were not altogether to his taste1 and he got away from them whenever he conscientiously could4 ,his best deliverances were half-secular addresses on some theme of immediate popular interest1 speeches1 orations1 ethical talks1 ever on a high plane of sentiment1 but looking towards the urgent preoccupations of the time4 ,he was not a student in any direction2 not a deep1 patient1 exhaustive thinker2 not a scholar in any school1 but an immense reader of current literature1 of magazines1 papers1 memoirs1 and an eloquent reproducer of thoughts as he found them lying on the surface of the intellectual world4 ,his brain was exceedingly active1 and reached forth in all directions2 his pen was fluent1 facile1 and busy2 language exuded from all his pores4 ,as a preacher he was conventional1 restrained1 and1 it must be confessed1 not engaging as a rule1 but as a talker he was delightful1 copious1 entertaining1 kindling1 attractive to old and young1 and crowds thronged the house when he spoke about what he had seen or felt1 while his pulpit discourses did not fill the pews4 ,like many men of remarkable talents1 he imagined his strong points to be those in which he was most deficient1 not being gifted with much power of self-knowledge1 and perhaps aspiring after accomplishments he did not possess4 ,he prided himself more than he should have done on his insight as a theologian1 his depth as a philosopher1 his skill as an administrator1 his practical success as an organizer2 whereas his consummate ability consisted in exposition1 not in original discovery4 ,he was not a theologian1 not a philosopher1 not a builder1 but a most persuasive advocate1 perhaps the most adroit ,i ever met with4 ,his range was wide1 his exuberance infinite1 his sway over his listeners absolute4 ,it is no marvel that such a man was persuaded that he could achieve all things4 ,he was the only speaker ,i ever knew who could talk himself into ideas4 ,many1 by dint of talking1 can work themselves into an implicit faith in doctrines they were indifferent about at starting2 but this man had the dangerous gift of being able1 not merely to think on his feet1 but to set his faculties in motion by the action of his tongue4 ,again and again he has gone to a public meeting1 at which he was expected to speak1 with no preparation at all1 or none but a very general one1 depending upon some impulse of the moment to set him a-going4 ,a word dropped by a previous speaker1 the mere presence of the audience1 a suggestion awakened in his mind as he sat awaiting his turn1 would excite him sufficiently2 and when he stood up one idea started another1 an illustration opened a new field of thought1 till the torrent1 growing deeper and more tumultuous as it flowed1 carried the hearers away in ecstasy4 ,one who did not know him found it hard to believe that he had not meditated his address beforehand4 ,he has gone into the pulpit with a written sermon1 and being struck by a sentence in the ,scripture he was reading1 has laid his manuscript aside and delivered an extemporaneous discourse on an entirely different theme4 ,the reason why he did not preach habitually without notes was that this fatal facility of speech excited him too much1 carried him too far1 rendered him discursive1 led him on to inordinate length1 and wearied his congregation4 ,he needed the restraint of the paper1 the calm dignity of the closet meditation2 he needed also to spread his thoughts over a larger expanse of time1 and thus to secure quiet for his brain4 ,at the risk1 therefore1 of being dull1 he spared himself1 as well as his parishioners1 the stimulating fervor of the extemporaneous address4 ,he may have felt1 too1 that his was not the quality of mind for this method4 ,it required a less fluent talent1 a less ready loquacity1 a less mercurial temperament1 a more reserved habit4 ,there are those whose constitutional reticence preserves them from aberration2 who can see the end from the beginning2 can cling closely to the matter in hand2 can walk a thin plank2 and have too few ready ideas to be in any peril of going astray4 ,such are the most successful extemporaneous preachers4 ,dr4 ,bellows' genius was better adapted to an address1 therefore1 than to a sermon4 ,the secular view of things was more attractive to him than the spiritual4 ,his defence of the drama in #aheg 7an oration delivered in the ,academy of ,music1 and which was very bold for that time72 his vigorous conduct of the ,christian ,inquirer1 a ,unitarian paper1 which he managed and for which he wrote constantly for four years1 advocating an unwonted liberality of sympathy1 maintaining1 for example1 the substantial identity of the ,unitarian and the ,universalist confessions2 his interest in questions of social and philanthropic concern2 his lectures before the ,lowell ,institute in #aheg1--;all attest his desire to effect a reconciliation between science and religion1 between this world and the next4 ,his oration before the ,phi ,beta ,kappa ,society of ,harvard1 in #ahec1 is an admirable specimen of his treatment of similar themes4 ,the subject of the oration was ,the ,ledger and the ,lexicon1 or ,business and ,literature in ,account with ,american ,education2 and its purpose was to assert the claims of popular life against those of scholarship1--to state the case of natural instincts and practical intelligence as the controlling force of our destiny4 ,he says1 most truly1 at the outset1 ,speaking purely as a scholar1 ,i should unaffectedly feel that ,i had nothing to offer worthy this audience or occasion1 and then he goes on with a full1 earnest1 eloquent plea for the intellectual character of our political and commercial activity4 ,here is an extract3 ,what ,history asks from us is not ,literature and ,art4 ,the world is full of what can never grow old in either4 ,american ,literature1 ,american ,art6 ,heaven save us from them6 ,let us freely use what is so much better than anything one nation can make1 the ,literature and ,art of the whole past and the whole world4 ,history implores us1 first of all1 to be true to humanity4 ,she begs to see the education1 the taste1 the sensibility of this great people turned to the serious1 vital1 universal interest of thoroughly vindicating ,man from the scorn of men2 of establishing man on his throne as man1--free because man1 happy because man1 noble and religious because man6 ,literature and ,art will take care of themselves2 high education and scholarship will come in their own time2 and so1 thank ,god1 will everything humanity needs4 ,but for ourselves and the immediate generation1 there is no work so worthy as confirming the faith of our people in their own principles2 encouraging devotion to ,liberty as the supreme interest of ,man2--of man sacred in his own eyes1 with duties1 rights1 aims1 that are bounded neither by color1 nationality1 nor law4 ,the love of the race1 the liberation of humanity from complexional1 material1 political1 and moral disfranchisements2 the elevation of the individual and of every individual2 the prostration of all partition-walls that separate our kind2 the tumbling of the artificial pedestals that elevate the few1 into the unnatural pits that bury the rest2 the affiliation of the foreigner1 and the emancipation of the slave2 the subjugation of rebellious matter and reluctant wealth to the wants and desires of man2 the establishment of beautiful and independent homes1 of high and free and noble lives2--this is ,american scholarship1 this ,american art4 ,a country that sacrifices even its nationality1 that proudest of all prejudices1 to its humanity1 will be the first to pay that tribute to man1 which ,christ waits to welcome as the final triumph of his kingdom4 ,and1 finally1 here in ,america1 where for the first time universal comfort and general abundance reign1 the race looks to us to pronounce the banns between the spiritual and material interests and pursuits of man1--his worldly well-being1 and his heavenly prosperity1--a union that shall not be a miserable compromise of which both shall be ashamed and which neither shall keep1 but an honorable1 hearty1 and intelligible alliance1 on the highest grounds4 ,this is very fine and brave1 and similar in tone was all he said about ,american life and destiny4 ,he tried to exalt common things1 and in this way he more than made amends for his lack of scholastic equipment4 ,his mission was to encourage and fortify and console actual men and women1 not to solve deep problems of fate4 ,a good but commonplace man spoke to me with tears in his eyes of his endless gratitude to ,dr4 ,bellows because on one ,new ,year's ,day he preached a doctrine of promise1 and said that men did their best1 and that the world was as good as could be expected2 not an extraordinary doctrine certainly1 but one that is seldom announced with so much cordial1 human sympathy4 ,this same ardor he threw into his ordinary lectures1 carrying audiences away with a flood of conviction4 ,when our ,civil ,war broke out and it became evident1 as it soon did1 that the conflict would be a long one1 necessitating large armies in a region of country unused to military needs and ignorant of military exigencies1 ,dr4 ,bellows' attention was drawn to the questions involved in the maintenance of a vast number of men in the field1 their protection1 discipline1 and comfort2 the proper supply of food1 clothing1 medicine2 the best kind of tent1 the best kind of hospital1 the duty of keeping up the home associations by means of correspondence and missives4 ,he talked over the situation with a few friends2 societies were formed1 organizations instituted1 the means of relief set in motion4 ,out of this grew the ,sanitary ,commission1 of which he was the mouthpiece and the inspiring soul4 ,the work was immense1 but the task of awakening the country to the necessity of endeavor was1 beyond all ordinary power of conception1 arduous4 ,such was the blind faith in the government1--a government inexperienced in similar matters1--such was the indifference of multitudes who were far removed from actual danger1 such the unconsciousness of the magnitude of the peril1 such the insensibility to the demands of the hour1 the serene confidence that all was going well1 the jaunty sense of complacency in having raised the regiments1 that nothing less than a trumpet call was required to rouse the country to a feeling of obligation4 ,afterwards when the magnitude of the strife was self-evident1 when the dangers of camp-life were understood1 and the temptations to infidelity of many kinds were painfully apparent1 other forces came in to carry forward the work2 but at first prescience was needed1 and zeal1 and faith in principles1 and a sense of the gravity of the situation4 ,it is hardly too much to say that but for the energy shown by the ,sanitary ,commission in the early part of the war1 the issue might have been indefinitely postponed4 ,that the ,commission itself flourished to the end was due in the main to ,henry ,bellows4 ,of course he did not do everything1 but he did his part4 ,the labor of organization was discharged by other orders of genius4 ,the duties of treasurer devolved upon men differently constituted still2 there were many hands employed1 many heads busy with planning4 ,but his was the potent voice4 ,he sounded the clarion2 ,east1 ,west1 ,north1 and as far ,south as he could go1 he argued1 remonstrated1 pleaded1 exhorted1 interpreted1 inspired1 and wherever he was heard he filled veins with patriotic fire4 ,he was never daunted1 never disheartened1 never depressed4 ,his tones always rang out clear1 strong1 decisive4 ,the bugle never gave an uncertain sound4 ,in ,washington he addressed the highest authorities and was so urgent1 not to say so imperious1 that ,president ,lincoln asked him which of the two ran the machine of government4 ,he possessed in a singular degree the power of making people work1 and work gladly1--all sorts of people1 men and women1 the sensible and the enthusiastic1 the practical and the sentimental1 the low-toned and the high-strung2 and they toiled day after day at scraping lint1 packing garments1 raising money1 organizing fairs4 ,in the meantime he travelled to and fro1 lecturing1 addressing crowds in the meeting-houses1 halls1 theatres2 writing letters to committees1 visiting men of influence1 inspecting hospitals and camps1 making himself acquainted with the newest methods of dealing with sanitary problems1 and imparting ideas as fast as they came to him4 ,his activity was prodigious4 ,he was one of the most conspicuous figures in the country4 ,he brought the ,commission into universal repute4 ,under his spell it lost its local character and became a national concern4 ,he was a ,unitarian preacher2 his immediate co-operators were ,unitarians2 yet so broad and mundane was he that no savor of sectarianism mingled with his zeal1 nor could it be suspected1 except for his aims1 that he was a clergyman4 ,as long as the war lasted this energy continued1 the enthusiasm did not abate1 the outpouring did not slacken4 ,it was not till the struggle was over that the over-tasked brain craved repose4 ,then the reaction was purely nervous1 not in the least moral or intellectual4 ,he sprang up again and threw himself into new enterprises with the old fervor and the old brilliancy of speech1 striving to awaken a desire for religious unity1 as he had promoted national concord4 ,the establishment of the ,national ,conference of ,liberal ,churches1 which was to supplement the more local ,unitarian ,associations1 was his suggestion4 ,the scheme did not entirely meet his expectations1 but this shows how large his expectations were1 and how comprehensive were his purposes of good4 ,as has been intimated already1 his desires were in advance of his practical ability4 ,he was a man of wishes rather than of expedients4 ,his plans often failed1 but his aspirations were always pure and lofty1 and it was characteristic of him to impute the failure of the special plan to some stubbornness in the materials he attempted to manipulate1 rather than to any deficiency in his own faculty4 ,thus his confidence in himself was sustained1 and he went on trying experiments and believing in his talent to set anything1 even communities and ,states1 on their feet4 ,people used to say that his advocacy was very uncertain2 that it was impossible to tell in advance whether he would take a liberal or a conservative view of a party or dogma2 in short1 he had the reputation of being somewhat of a chameleon1 of catching his line from the last person he talked with4 ,one of his parishioners remarked1 jestingly1 that the hearers of ,dr4 ,bellows were taught in perfection one lesson1--that of self-reliance4 ,this was probably true1 as it was a general impression2 and it illustrates the warmth of his sympathy1 the impressionableness of his temperament1 the readiness of his adaptation1 the facility of his discourse1 as well as the want of depth in his speculative intellect and his lack of hold on fundamental principles4 ,he was an advocate by nature1 not a theologian1 a philosopher1 or a critic2 an adept in speech1 not a subtle or profound thinker4 ,he saw the effective points in either doctrine1 and chose the one that was most captivating at the time4 ,his eclecticism was simply ease of transference1 not a keen perception of the grounds of identity4 ,his logic was the skilful accommodation to circumstances1 not absolute fidelity to the laws of reason4 ,his affluence of diction and his profusion of thoughts covered up his essential poverty of insight1 and persuaded some that he looked farther than he did2 but still it remains true that he was not a sure guide in matters of opinion4 ,he was a most adroit1 subtle1 engaging talker1 and as such was of incalculable value2 a fountain of entertainment1 and a source of influence4 ,a decided vein of ,bohemianism ran through his character4 ,he was light-hearted1 gay1 versatile1 fond of fun1 restless1 addicted to society1 abhorrent of solitude1 darkness1 confinement2 a friend of artists1 musicians1 wits2 a club-man2 could smoke a cigar1 and drink a glass of wine1 and tell a merry story2 a man of quick emotions1 volatile some would call him1 though of unquestioned and unquestionable loyalty when any principle was at stake1 or any person he loved and trusted was in trouble4 ,otherwise he forgot unpleasant things and went to something else1 dropping the individual1 but holding fast to the elements of charity4 ,this faculty of changing rapidly from one interest to another saved him from a vast deal of fatigue1 and enabled him to pursue his almost incredible labors with less wear and tear than would have been possible under other circumstances4 ,the formation of roots1 and the necessity of pulling them up frequently with a feeling of loss and pain1 is sadly weakening and disabling4 ,this fosters a disposition to stay at home1 to form few ties1 to remain quietly where one is placed by destiny1 to expose one's self to no more disruptions than are appointed1 to hide one's self in a corner of existence1 to avoid the wind4 ,the scholar hugs his library1 reads books1 meditates1 cultivates his mind1 appears in public only when he is prepared4 ,the man of society dashes out and deems the time wasted that is passed in the house4 ,dr4 ,bellows once expressed his wonder that a friend should have no desire to go abroad1 but should be content in his study4 ,he was a knight-errant1 a ,norman gentleman1 ever ready to succor the oppressed1 but satisfied when he had unhorsed the oppressor1 though the victim lay helpless on the ground4 ,he derived his name from ,belles ,eaux4 ,he was not a democrat as implying one that had affinities with the people4 ,on the contrary1 he was at bottom an aristocrat1 looking down on the people2 but he was humane in idea1 holding it to be the part of a gentleman to relieve the unfortunate4 ,the motto1 ,noblesse oblige applied to him exactly1 with the understanding that he belonged to the ,noblesse1 and was privileged to patronize4 ,this tendency was prominent in him4 ,he would not allow a companion to pay his car fare1 because he would not borrow so small a sum1 but he confronted the man to whom he had lent fifty dollars1 and who had forgotten the payment1 as people often do4 ,meeting the defaulter in the street1 he reminded him of the transaction1 taxed him with infidelity to his engagements1 and had the satisfaction of receiving his money and relieving his mind at the same time4 ,magnanimous he was by nature4 ,i will give a single instance of it1 out of several ,i could detail if personalities did not forbid4 ,when ,i first came to ,new ,york to found a parish1 there was a woman in my congregation1--an angular1 brusque woman1 not sunny or agreeable1--whose husband1 being unfortunate1 had1 to repair his fortune1 gone to ,san ,francisco2 she stayed in ,new ,york and kept school1 for the purpose of educating her children1 and of eking out the family expenses4 ,one day1 complaining to me of her lot and labor1 she spoke of certain prejudices against her as interfering with her success1 and accused ,dr4 ,bellows of being one of her enemies4 ,having satisfied myself of the injustice of the impression about her1 and of her worthy deserving1 ,i took occasion at once to speak to ,dr4 ,bellows on the subject4 ,reminding him of the circumstances in which the woman was placed1 ,i asked him if he did not think she ought to be helped instead of being hindered4 ,he acknowledged that he knew her1 that he did not like her1 that he had spoken harshly of her under the impression that she was not deserving of moral support4 ,on my presentation of her case1 and conviction that he was wrong1 he1 being persuaded of his heedlessness1 offered to do everything in his power to repair any mischief he might have caused4 ,in my excitement1 ,i became audacious and suggested the drawing up and signing of a paper1--about the most disagreeable thing that could be proposed4 ,but he assented1 prepared the paper1 affixed his signature1 and from that hour did his utmost to befriend the woman whom he took no pleasure in thinking of4 ,this was noble1 even great4 ,he could put his personal tastes aside when a principle was involved4 ,it used to be urged against him that he dropped people when he had done with them1 and felt no scruple in sacrificing them to his views of policy4 ,but it cannot be proved that he was false to anybody1 and his notion of the absolute unfitness of the individual for his place1 or of the man's unreliability1 was probably the real cause of his opposition4 ,probably1 in each instance of his withdrawal of confidence1 there were excellent reasons for his conduct1 though it was natural that those who were suddenly neglected or displaced should feel indignant and aggrieved4 ,dr4 ,bellows was not one to act on a private prejudice or a personal pique4 ,his affections were strong and would have led him to make any concession that was consistent with what he regarded as his public duty4 ,no doubt he was somewhat imperious in judging what his duty was2 he lacked the useful faculty of remaining in the background2 he was impetuous and forward2 but he never was or could be insincere1 and he always had a sufficient explanation of the course he pursued1--an explanation perfectly satisfactory to one who bore his temperament in mind and considered what he could do and what he could not4 ,a most lovable1 cordial1 faithful man ,i always found him1--a man to be depended on in difficult and trying times1 high-minded1 courageous1 daring1 ready to enter the breach1 happiest when leading a forlorn hope1 straight-forward1 inspiring1 easily lifted beyond himself1 and imparting nervous vigor to his followers4 ,followers he must have1 for he was not content to obey any behest2 but then his leadership was so hearty and wholesome1 so free from superciliousness1 so abundant in expressions of loyalty1 that it was a joy to go with him4 ,he was more than willing to do his share of hard work1 and to indulge his servants4 ,if one could forbear to cross him1 he was friendliness itself2 a warm advocate of liberty1 only insisting that liberty and progress should march hand in hand2 that private idiosyncrasies should not stand in the way of practical advance4 ,he was a very different man from ,dr4 ,dewey1 yet he loved ,dr4 ,dewey devotedly while life lasted4 ,he was an entirely different man from me in temperament and in gifts1--quite opposite in fact1--yet he was one of the best of my friends as long as he lived1 seldom resenting my radicalism1 never impatient of my slowness1 but warm1 sunny1 helpful to the end1 the man to whom ,i instinctively resorted for sympathy in the most painful passages of my career4 ,in a word1 the foundation of his character was impulse4 ,he was a man of fiery zeal1 of moral passion1 of vast enthusiasm1 and when a storm of spiritual power came sweeping down from some unseen height1 he was easily carried away4 ,this impulsive character explains his chivalry of disposition1 his magnanimity1 his self-abnegation2 for though he was self-asserting1 he could at once forget himself1 and sink his own individuality entirely when some cause he had at heart strongly appealed to him4 ,this impulsiveness explains1 too1 his theological inconsistency1 for when the popular feeling struck him1 he was carried away in a different direction from what he had first proposed4 ,for instance1 once--,i think it was at ,buffalo--he gave a most eloquent plea for individualism1 having determined to speak in favor of institutions2 and in ,boston when he had been expected to uphold a creed1 he was so borne away by the opposite sentiment that1 when he ended1 a creed seemed absolutely impossible4 ,a very different person from the foregoing was ,dr4 ,samuel ,osgood1 the successor of ,dr4 ,dewey in the ,church of the ,messiah on ,broadway1 and the close associate of the pastor of ,all ,souls1 which name he suggested when the new edifice on the corner of ,fourth ,avenue and ,twentieth ,street was christened4 ,he was a lover of ecclesiasticism1 of forms1 usages1 ceremonials1 though he was not unmindful of the ideas that lay beneath them1 and too good a ,new ,englander1 too good a ,unitarian1 too staunch a friend of free thought to be anything but a liberal ,protestant2 a man of names and dates1 and instituted observances1 not electric1 magnetic1 or a leader either of thought or action2 not a man of deep emotions1 or moving eloquence in or out of the pulpit2 not a man of long reach or wide influence1 but conspicuous in his way1 unique1 worth studying as a figure in his generation4 ,he was devoted to books1 of which he read and produced many1 and might have been called learned1 yet he was not a closet man1 not a recluse2 on the contrary1 he knew about public affairs1 talked about what was going on in the world1 attended political1 social1 and literary meetings1 was a member of the prominent clubs1 like the ,century and the ,union ,league1 was for years the ,corresponding ,secretary of the ,historical ,society1 rather prided himself1 in fact1 on the number and intimacy of his outside relations4 ,with all this1 he was a diligent pastor1 an excellent denominationalist1 a dependence on all church occasions within his sect1 a speaker at conventions1 a worker of the ecclesiastical machinery1 a man much relied on for denominational work4 ,his writings were numerous4 ,in fact he always seemed to have the pen in his hand4 ,besides the books which are known1--,studies in ,christian ,biography1 ,the ,hearthstone1 ,god with ,men1 ,milestones in ,our ,life ,journey1 ,student ,life1--all popular once1--he contributed frequently to the ,christian ,examiner1 the ,north ,american ,review1 the ,bibliotheca ,sacra1 and other important magazines2 delivered orations1 printed theological discourses1 especially a famous one before the theological school at ,meadville1 ,pennsylvania1 on ,the ,coming ,church and its ,clergy1 and for several months1 during ,mr4 ,curtis' illness1 prepared the essays in the ,easy ,chair for ,harper's ,monthly ,magazine4 ,his interest in matters of education and literature was incessant1 active1 and useful4 ,he made speeches1 served on committees1 prepared reports1 in every way tried to serve the cause of rational knowledge4 ,yet with all his industry and all his ability--for he possessed ability of no mean order1--he had a mind singularly destitute of vitality4 ,his ingenuity1 his pleasantry1 his sententiousness1 his versatility1 could not conceal this lack of organic power4 ,his vivacity did not exhilarate1 his happy expressions did not create the sense of life in the mind1 but were like artificial flowers that had no perfume1 and reminded one more of the perfection of art than of the involuntary sweetness of nature4 ,he was destitute of genius to inspire4 ,it is the more wonderful that he could persevere1 as he did1 without the popular recognition that his talents merited1 or the applause his endeavors deserved4 ,he had praise1 to be sure1 but it was not hearty or effusive1 and they who rendered it probably wondered why they could not put more soul into their laudation4 ,the address was brilliant1 but not warming4 ,one must come within arm's length of him to feel the beating of his heart1 to be sensible of his force4 ,he was unable to project himself far1 and relied upon incidental advantages of occasion for effects which he could not produce by genius4 ,he was a most affectionate man1 dependent1 clinging1 always ready to serve1 obliging1 docile1 patient1 without hardness and without guile4 ,he was devoted to his family1 faithful to his friends1 never allowing differences of opinion to interfere with his duty towards those who might expect support from him1 but fulfilling disagreeable offices when he felt that loyalty made perfect truthfulness incumbent4 ,there was something touching in his fidelity towards men who gave him nothing but outside recognition1 and who were willing to abandon him when he could no longer be useful4 ,there was something plaintive in his readiness to work for men who accepted his labor as a matter of course1 and allowed him to throw away his love4 ,he1 for his part1 asked no reward1 but was quite satisfied if his service was accepted kindly by those to whom he rendered it4 ,not that he did not like recognition2 he did1 and the more public it was the better he liked it4 ,for he was fond of notoriety1 had a craving for publicity1 and was happiest when a multitude applauded4 ,this may have grown out of his affectionateness1 for he reached forth his arms as widely as possible1 and wanted to hear the sound of many approving voices1 needing sympathy and the assurance that he was conferring pleasure1 the noise of plaudits reassuring his heart4 ,still he could do without this1 if he was certain of the attachment of a single warm friend4 ,recognition of some sort was essential to his peace1 for he did not possess independence enough to stand alone1 and he cared too much for individuals to be easy if they were displeased4 ,he gave himself a great deal of pain1 worried1 took infinite trouble about imaginary sorrows1 not being able to feel or to affect indifference1 and being destitute of the robustness of character necessary to throw off unpleasant things2 for his ambition1 not springing from vitality of mind1 was no guard against griefs of the spirit4 ,he that cannot lose himself in his studies fails to derive from them their best satisfaction1--that of consolation and refuge4 ,he stands naked to the wind1 and1 if his skin is tender1 suffers acutely4 ,dr4 ,osgood was intensely self-conscious1 self-regarding1 self-referring4 ,not vain in the ordinary sense1 though he seemed so from his countenance1 attitude1 manner1 for all of which1 ,i am persuaded1 nature was more responsible than disposition1 his physical formation producing a certain carriage that suggested superciliousness and conceit4 ,if he were forth-putting1 it was1 in most instances at least1 because he lacked self-reliance1 and wished to be seen1 knowing that he could not be felt4 ,in reality he was a modest1 timid1 shrinking man1 with an inordinate desire for distinction1 which impelled him continually to make a demonstration in public4 ,mere vanity--the love of appearances--he was destitute of1 for he was too tender-hearted and too conscientious to make victims4 ,one must be self-centred to be vain1 as he was not4 ,i recollect his coming one day into the office of the ,christian ,inquirer1 with his head up as usual1 and calling out in a loud voice3 ,where do you think ,i went on my way down town8 ,of course none of us knew or could guess4 ,well1 he went on to say1 with an air of complacency1 ,i stopped at ,fowler ,wells' and had my head examined4 ,ah6 exclaimed one of the impudent1 did they find anything1 ,sam8 ,what they did not find1 he said1 will interest you more4 ,they declared that ,i was deficient in self-respect1 and it is true4 ,and it was true4 ,samuel ,osgood assumed a brave air1 for the reason that he could not trust himself in the open field4 ,he needed the protection of a rampart4 ,he wore a showy uniform1 because he was not valiant4 ,he had too much self-esteem to forget himself1 and too little courage to assert himself2 the consequence was that he said and did numerous things that looked vainglorious and were absurd1 but which were intended to conceal his impuissance4 ,it was an innocent kind of bravado1 like poor ,oliver ,proudfute's1 in ,scott's romance1 ,the ,fair ,maid of ,perth4 ,nobody was hurt by it1 though to him the passion for notoriety was fatal4 ,he liked to see his name in a newspaper1 coveting the kind of reputation that came in that way1 and comforting his heart with the thought of lying on the broad bosom of the community4 ,his restless desire for public notice brought ridicule on him1 for ordinary people ascribed it to his conceit1 whereas it rather indicated an absence of self-confidence4 ,it was a cloak to hide his depreciation at the same time that it made him look larger in the general eye4 ,it was1 therefore1 more touching than despicable1 and if it excited mirth there was nothing bitter in the smile which could not break into laughter4 ,selfish he could not be called1 for he was always serving others1 and disinterestedly too2 but on a charge of complacency he could hardly be acquitted4 ,this was the manner in which he took his reward1 and1 as ,i said1 it cost nothing to anybody1 while the public received a great deal of service very ungrudgingly bestowed4 ,the change from ,unitarianism to ,episcopacy is very easily explained4 ,his craving for sympathy was boundless4 ,he was necessarily isolated in ,new ,york1 nor had he the solace of a great popular success4 ,in fact his following was small2 his church was dwindling2 his reputation was certainly not increasing2 and he became persuaded1 ,i think without sufficient reason1 that he was the victim of adverse influences4 ,in ,london1 he was charmed with the blended freedom and sanctity of the ,broad ,church represented by ,stanley1 ,kingsley1 ,jowett1 and a host of cultivated men2 by its unity amid diversity2 its sympathy and fellowship and large scholarship4 ,here was a church indeed2 wide1 holy1 liberal1 devout1 with articles admitting of various interpretations1 sacraments tender and elastic1 forms that did not constrain1 and usages that did not bind1 an unlimited range of speculation1 and a spirit of reverence that kept the most widely separated together4 ,here was something very different from the sectarianism he had1 all his life1 been accustomed to1 and1 all his life1 had loathed4 ,he joined this ,communion not so much on account of its creed as of its creedlessness2 not as another form of denominationalism1 but as an escape from denominationalism2 a real1 living1 comprehensive church1 where there was room for all ,christian souls1 whatever their special mode of belief2 a ,protestant church with a truly catholic temper1 cordial1 humane1 courteous2 with a respect for literature1 and a love for knowledge2 with no jealousy or ill-will1 or fear of thought4 ,his heart was warmed1 his fancy fired4 ,shortly after his return1 as he sat in my study1 ,i asked him if he had materially changed his theology4 ,he replied that he had not1 he had simply altered the emphasis2 as much as to say that in substance it remained what it was before1 essentially ,unitarian1 as he understood that designation4 ,in fact1 his sermons were to all intents and purposes the same2 they never abounded in doctrine1 they did not now2 they were always sentimental1 in the sense of dealing with sentiment1 they were so still4 ,he was not a prime favorite with ,episcopalians in ,america4 ,he was not narrow or strict enough for the orthodox2 he was not sensational enough for the liberals2 he was too ecclesiastical for the ,low ,churchmen2 too rationalistic for the ,high ,churchmen2 and his failure to communicate warmth was not favorable to his attractiveness4 ,there were not many ,broad ,church ministers in ,new ,york1 so that his circle of fellowship was small2 and on the whole the reception was a disappointment4 ,he longed for recognition1 which he found among many of his old associates1 as he did not find it among his new friends4 ,he was always a churchman when he was a ,unitarian2 he was no more of a churchman now1 and the sympathy he sought he might have found in his former connection4 ,probably had he lived elsewhere than in ,new ,york1 where the competition was sharp1 and where individuality alone without distinguished power counted for nothing1 he would have continued ,unitarian1 and been happy1 but he was ambitious of eminence2 he wanted to live in a great city1 to be minister of a metropolitan parish1 to be a ,doctor of ,divinity1 and for all this he lacked the force4 ,there was a perpetual conflict between his aspirations and his vigor4 ,he joined the ,episcopal fraternity1 hoping for what none but those born into it attain without energy of an exalted kind4 ,his ancient comrades fell away1 as was natural2 he could not win other comrades1 and his later years became lonely4 ,he cared more for ,christian fellowship than for any other2 and he had not the power to secure this4 ,thus his affectionateness was against him4 ,he was a loyal man1 true to his convictions1 faithful to the bent of his mind4 ,he could not be a deceiver or a renegade1 and his heart was not strong enough or wide enough to push him forward4 ,some thought him deficient in common-sense1 and this is1 in a sense1 true4 ,he had not the force to carry projects through1 nor had he the hearty accord with the people of his generation that would give him an instinctive insight into their wishes and enable him to strike into the current of their designs4 ,his self-reference always stood in the way of his sympathy with other men2 yet he often took practical views of speculative questions1 and curbed a propensity to moral enthusiasm on the part of some of his associates4 ,this1 however1 was due to his timidity1 to his absence of vigor1 to his want of vital conviction1 rather than to any clearness of perception4 ,he had no humor1 no sense of the incongruous1 the incompatible1 or the absurd4 ,he named rocks1 groves1 arbors1 on his summer estate1 after the famous poets1 and used to sit in turn on the seats he had thus immortalized4 ,he said things that no man of taste would have uttered1 and did things that no man of judgment would have been guilty of4 ,but all this was owing to the absence of sensible qualities rather than to the presence of visionary ones4 ,he was not perverse1 stubborn1 or wrong-headed1 did not outrage common opinion1 or fly in the face of established prejudice4 ,his want of good sense was negative1 not positive2 innocent1 not harmful4 ,such men have their uses and their place1 and neither is small or low4 ,his love of learning1 his devotion to duty1 his friendliness1 his fidelity1 his kindliness1 were rare gifts1 particularly rare in communities like ours4 ,his child-like conceit1 very different from the aggressive vanity that offends the sensitive soul1 was not offensive or noxious1 and was a source of harmless amusement4 ,his guilelessness was more than touching2 it was admirable as an example and as a lesson1 in an age that honors knowledge of the world beyond its deserts2 and his simplicity of nature1 his trustingness1 his ingenuousness1 rendered him a confiding friend1 dear to those whose hearts were sore4 ,few men living have so small a number of enemies4 ,he did not provoke the hostility he received4 ,it was possible to be sorry for him2 it was impossible to bear him malice4 ,as ,i think of him1 the vision arises of a complacent man1 with a loud greeting1 a metallic voice1 an outstretched hand1 a consequential manner4 ,all this is dust and ashes1 but his singleness of intention is not dead4 ,when everything else is forgotten1 his faithfulness will be remembered4 ,both these men gave me a warm welcome2 in fact1 my relations were most friendly among the other ,unitarian ministers in the neighborhood4 ,it was anticipated1 no doubt1 that ,i would establish a third ,unitarian ,society up town1 of a liberal type2 but a wide departure from the existing order was not suspected4 ,the expectation was that the usual doctrines were to be proclaimed2 that the sacraments were to be administered2 that the regular order was to be observed4 ,perhaps my willingness to undertake such an enterprise was regarded as a sign of concession on my part2 perhaps it was supposed that the conservative tone of the city1 together with the attitude of the other churches1 would repress the radical tendencies of the young clergyman2 perhaps the trials incident to a new society and the confusions of the time concealed somewhat the real bearing of the undertaking4 ,however this may be1 there was no opposition1 no criticism1 no dictation1 no proscription of radical leanings4 ,my congregations were composed of all sorts of people4 ,there were ,unitarians1 ,universalists1 come-outers1 spiritualists1 unbelievers of all kinds1 anti-slavery people1 reformers generally4 ,but this1 as being incidental to the formation of every liberal society1 was not objected to4 ,it need not have been2 for if there had been no interruption1 no check1 everything might have gone smoothly1 as in similar societies since4 ,,viii4 ,,war4 ,hardly had ,i got warm in my place when the mutterings of war were in the air4 ,during the autumn of #ahei1 on the #afth of ,october1 ,john ,brown planned his attack on ,harper's ,ferry4 ,his was a portentous figure4 ,his position in history--greater than his achievements would warrant--was due partly to his position as herald of the coming strife1 but mainly to his personal qualities4 ,these were colossal2 however much one may criticise his particular deeds1 or the details of his motive1 these qualities can not be exalted too highly4 ,his courage1 heroism1 patience1 fortitude1 were most extraordinary4 ,even ,governor ,wise1 the man whose duty it was to see him tried and executed as a felon1 said of him2 ,they are mistaken who take ,brown to be a madman4 ,he is a bundle of the best nerves ,i ever saw2 cut and thrust and bleeding and in bonds4 ,he is a man of clear head1 of courage1 fortitude1 and simple ingenuousness4 ,he is cool1 collected1 indomitable2 and it is but just to him to say that he was humane to his prisoners1 and he inspired me with great trust in his integrity as a man of truth4 ,colonel ,washington1 another ,virginia witness1 testified to the extraordinary coolness with which ,brown felt the pulse of his dying son1 while he held his own rifle in the other hand1 and cheered on his men4 ,his character made his prison cell a shrine4 ,on the day of his execution1 ,december #b1 #ahei1 he stood under the gallows with the noose round his neck for full ten minutes while military evolutions were performed2 he never wavered a moment1 and died with nerves still subject to his iron will4 ,he was a ,calvinistic believer in predestination2 a real ,covenanter1 more like the ,scotch ,covenanters of two centuries ago than anything we know of to-day4 ,he was an ,old-,testament man1 and like all fanatics was indifferent to death1 either that of other men or his own4 ,his anti-slavery zeal began in his youth4 ,he early took an oath to make war against slavery1 and1 it is said1 called his older sons together on one occasion and made them pledge themselves1 kneeling in prayer1 to the anti-slavery crusade4 ,this purpose he always bore in mind1 whatever else he was doing2 he even chose the spot for his attempt--the mountains which ,washington had selected as a final retreat should he be defeated by the ,english4 ,nearly nine years before his own death1 he exhorted the members of the ,league of ,gileadites to stand by one another and by their friends as long as a drop of blood remained and be hanged1 if they must1 but to tell no tales out of school4 ,then came the war4 ,though its physical aspect1--the loss of treasure and of blood--was most affecting1 ,i cannot but think that its mental and moral aspect has been underrated4 ,its whole justification lay in its moral character1 and ,i must believe that full justice has never been done to those who were obliged to stay at home and uphold this feature4 ,the preacher of the ,gospel of ,peace had as much as he could do to overcome the horrors of war2 and the preacher of ,righteousness was engaged all the time in promoting the cause of justice4 ,they who went to the front had the excitement of battle1 the pleasures of camp-life1 the assistance of comradeship1 the comfort of sympathy4 ,the preacher had none of these4 ,every day rumors were reaching his ears2 extras were flying about in the silence2 he had to comfort people under defeat1 to humble them in hours of victory2 to interpret the conflict in accordance with the principles of equity2 to keep alive the moral issues of the struggle4 ,this was an incessant weariness and anxiety2 to fight foes one could not see1 and to uphold a cause that was discredited1 fell to his portion2 it is no wonder that when the war was over he was spent and aged4 ,an illustration of a part of what he had to contend with is found in the riot of the summer of #ahfc4 ,this was an anti-abolitionist riot1 a fierce protest against the conscription1 and at the same time an uprising against the government1 which was supposed to maintain a war of the blacks against the whites4 ,the riot was directed against the negroes and the abolitionists1 and was pitiless and ferocious in the extreme4 ,it was my lot to be in ,new ,york in that dreadful week in ,july4 ,i was visiting friends in the upper part of the town when the uproar began4 ,as ,i walked home down ,madison ,avenue a group of rough men met me2 one of them snatched at my watch chain1 and ,i should have been maltreated had not more attractive game in the shape of people in a buggy drawn away the attention of my assailants4 ,i reached my home in safety4 ,the next morning1 as ,i walked about the city1 there were groups of men standing idle1 or armed with missiles1 in almost every street4 ,had the mob been organized then it might have done more mischief than it did1 for the inhabitants of the city were unprepared and unprotected4 ,as ,i stood at night on my roof1 ,i could see the fires in different parts of the town1 and hear the shots4 ,an arsenal stood on ,seventh ,avenue1 near my house1 full of arms and ammunition which the insurgents wanted4 ,when the ,united ,states troops arrived1 they defended this arsenal4 ,cannons were pointed up and down the street1 guards were posted1 officers with their clanking swords marched up and down before my door4 ,the riot lasted three days1--from the #acth to the #afth4 ,on the following ,sunday a sermon was preached which gives expression to the better thoughts of the wisest people1 and from which accordingly extracts are made3 ,of all the dreadful and melancholy passages in the history of human progress1 none1 to a thoughtful man1 are more dreadful or melancholy than those which tell how men have resisted1 pushed away1 reviled1 cursed1 beaten1 mobbed1 crucified their benefactors4 ,it does seem1 as we read them1 as if the most dreaded thing on earth had been the personal1 the domestic1 the social welfare2 as if the deepest anxiety on the part of men of all sorts was an anxiety to escape from their health and salvation2 as if the profoundest dread was a dread of mending their estates1 and their utmost horror was a horror of heaven6 ,it does seem1 as we read1 as if happiness1 prosperity1 success1 were the pet aversion of mankind2 as if the signs that were looked for with the most agonized apprehension were the signs that the kingdom of heaven was at hand4444 ,we saw this conspicuously and dismally exemplified in the events of the past week4 ,the one man who1 before and above all others1 was a mark for the rage of the populace1 the one man whose name was loud in the rabble's mouth1 and always coupled with a malediction1 the one man who was hunted for his blood as by wolves1 who would have been torn in pieces had the opportunity been afforded1 and on whose account the dwelling of a friend was literally torn in pieces1 was a man who had been the steadfast friend of these very people who hungered for his blood2 their most constant1 uncompromising1 and public friend2 thinking for them1 speaking for them1 writing for them2 pleading their cause through the press1 in the legislature1 from the platform2 excusing their mistakes and follies1 asserting and reasserting their substantial worth and honesty and rectitude1 advocating their claims as working people1 vindicating their rights as men2 proposing schemes for the safety of their persons1 the healthfulness of their houses1 the saving and increase of their earnings1 the education of their children1 the exemption of their homesteads from seizure in cases of debt1 the enlargement of their sphere of labor1 the transferring of their families from the crowded city1 where they could do little more than keep themselves alive by arduous toil1 to the fruitful lands of the ,west1 where they could become noble and self-respecting men and women4 ,this was the man whose blood was hungered for4 ,i need not speak his name1--you know whom ,i mean1 ,horace ,greeley1--a man whom some call visionary1 but whose visions are all of the redemption of the people2 whom some call fool1 but who1 if he seem a fool1 is foolish that the people may be wise2 whom some call radical1 but whose radicalism is simply a determination that the popular existence shall have a sound1 sure1 and deep root in natural law and moral principle2 at all events1 a man who has lived for the people and suffered for the people1 and been laughed at when he suffered and because he suffered4 ,this was the man whose blood was hungered for4 ,and yet the most moderate1 kind1 considerate of all the papers1 the last week1 was his paper4 ,and ,i believe he1 even had he fallen into the hands of his enemies1 would have said1 ,forgive them1 they know not what they do4 ,indulge me in one more personality4 ,i said that the dwelling of a friend was pillaged by the mob1 under the impression that ,mr4 ,greeley lived there4 ,what was this dwelling8 ,who was this friend8 ,the dwelling was one the like of which is rare in any city1 a dwelling of happiness and peace1 a home of the tenderest domestic affections1 a house of large friendliness and hospitality1 a refuge and abiding-place for the unfortunate and the outcast4 ,there was no display of wealth there--there was no wealth to display2 yet the house was full of things which no wealth could buy4 ,it was crowded with mementos4 ,the pieces of furniture in the rooms had family histories connected with them2 chairs and tables were precious from association with noble and rare people who had gone4 ,pictures on the walls1 busts in the parlor1 engravings1 photographs1 books1 spoke of the gratitude or love of some dear giver4 ,one room was sacred to the memory of a noble boy1 an only son1 who had died some years before4 ,there was his bust in marble1 there were his books1 there were the prints he liked1 the little bits of art he was fond of1 and all the dear things that seemed to bring him back4 ,the whole house was a shrine and a sanctuary4 ,and who were the inmates8 ,the master1 a man whose sympathies were always and completely with the working-people1 a man of steady and boundless humanity2 the mistress1 a woman whose name is familiar to all doers of good deeds in the city of ,new ,york1 and dear to hundreds of the objects of good deeds4 ,to the orphan and friendless and poor1 a mother2 to the unfortunate1 a sister2 to the wretched1 the depraved1 the sinful1 more than a friend4 ,in the city prison her presence was the presence of an angel of pitying love2 at ,blackwell's ,island she was welcome as a spirit of peace and hope4 ,the boys at ,randall's ,island looked into her face as the face of an angel4 ,again and again had she rescued from the life of shame the countrywoman1 and possibly the kindred of these very people who plundered her house4 ,for the better part of a year and more she has been in camp and city hospitals1 nursing their brothers and sons1 performing every menial office4 ,at this moment she is at ,point ,lookout1 doing that work1 amid discomforts and discouragements that would daunt a less resolute humanity than hers1 giving all she has and is to the people1 to the wounded1 crippled1 bleeding1 and broken people2 giving it for the sake of the people--giving it that the people may be raised to a higher social level6 ,and she1 forsooth1 must be selected to have her house pillaged6 ,she must be stabbed to her heart of hearts1 stabbed through and through1 in every one of her affections1 by these people for whom her life had been a perpetual process of dying6 ,why1 if they had but known this that ,i have been telling you1 or but a tenth part of it1 those men would have defended with their bodies every thread of carpet she trod on4 ,but so it was1 and so it must be6 ,only the best names are ever taken in vain on human lips1 and they are so taken because they are the best1 and best is worst to those who cannot understand it4 ,theodore ,winthrop was shot by a negro4 ,did he know what he did8444 ,in thinking of it one's bosom is torn with distracting emotions1 and between feeling for the persecuted and feeling for the persecutors1 one almost loses the power of feeling4 ,could anything be more pitiful8 ,yes1 one thing more pitiful there was--the savage hunting down and persecution of the negroes1 as if they1 too1 were the enemies of these working-people4 ,the poor1 inoffensive negroes1 most innocent part of the whole population6 ,most quiet1 harmless1 docile people1 who could not stand in the way of the white people if they would1 and who never thought of anything but of keeping out of their way6 ,these the enemies of white labor6 ,as if they had not1 for these very white people1 borne the burden and heat of the tropical day1 raising the cotton by which we are clothed1 and the rice by which we are fed6 ,as if to these and the like of these1 the white people did not owe a large share of the manufacturing towns where they get their bread6 ,as if the lowest foundation stones of this very ,new ,york of ours were not cemented by their bloody sweat6 ,as if there were too many of them in the country now for the country's needs1 supposing the country ever to fall into a settled and civilized condition again6 ,as if all there are might not by and by be required to do the work which white labor can not for a long time1 if it can ever1 safely undertake6 ,strange complications of things6 ,strange cross-purposes of human nature6 ,the ,southern people would revive the slave trade1 because they have not black laborers enough1 and their allies among ourselves would banish or kill all the black people1 because they interfere with white labor6 ,a mutual stabbing at each other's hearts6 ,and on each side a stabbing to its own heart6444 ,it is a very mysterious thing in history1 this alliance between the most turbulent and the most tyrannical1 the most depraved and the most despotic portions of society4 ,the most undisciplined1 barbarous1 savage members of a community are ever in a league with the most overbearing1 insolent1 imperious1 and domineering members of it4 ,they who are under the least self-control bow most deferentially before those who rule others with the most cruel rod4 ,the people who were proudest of having turned out to a man1 in ,london1 for the maintenance of law and order1 on the day of the great ,chartist demonstration there1 were the most immoral class in the city--proved by the criminal returns to be nine times as dishonest1 five times as drunken1 and nine times as savage as the rest of the community4 7,see ,spencer's ,social ,statics1 p4 #dbd47 ,in ,boston1 on the occasion of the rendition of ,anthony ,burns1 all the thieves1 burglars1 cut-throats1 swarmed from their dens and volunteered with alacrity to enforce the fugitive-slave law4 ,and now the leaders of the ,southern ,confederacy count1 and count securely1 on the ,northern populace4 ,the fiercest allies of the only absolutely despotic class in the country are the outlaws of society4 ,the men who are fighting for the privileges of the extremest tyranny1 the privileges not of ruling merely1 but literally of owning the laboring class1 these men have the implicit1 unquestioning1 fanatical loyalty of the people who are at the opposite end of the social scale--the people who own nothing either of fortune1 position1 influence1 or character1 and whose sole relation towards the despots they worship is that of mad1 savage slaves4 ,in ,europe this alliance between the despotic and the lawless may be fortunate for the peace of the community4 ,in our ,southern ,states it is eminently conducive to the tranquillity they desire4 ,but when the lawless are here and the despotic are there1 when the barbarism is in ,new ,york and the tyranny in ,richmond1 when the elements of discord and turbulence in our ,northern cities fly to support their iron-handed rulers in the seceded ,states1 there ensues a state of things1 especially in time of war1 that is calculated to shake society to its foundations1 and fill every loyal heart with dread4 ,the unruly1 as if they felt instinctively their lack of self-control1 seek a ruler--fly to the strongest to save them from themselves1 worship the sternest1 the most high-handed1 the cruellest1 and by that natural sympathy with brutality are maintained in subjection to law4 ,heaven speed the time when these heedless1 reckless1 licentious children of humanity may feel sensible of the weight of power without its brutality1 may reverence authority when it is neither beastly nor cruel1 may yield obedience to ,order1 whose symbol is not the sword1 and to ,law1 whose badge is not the bayonet4 ,but till that time comes1 we1 with thoughtful minds and sad hearts and sober consciences1 and souls full as we can make them of human charity and good-will1 must hold in our hands those terrible symbols1 and in the ,christian spirit do the ruler's part4 ,the insurrection did not last long4 ,as soon as the ,united ,states troops appeared the trouble was over and order was restored4 ,there was fighting2 there was pillage2 but how many lives were lost and how much property was destroyed was never exactly known4 ,on the whole1 the riot strengthened the hands of the government1 increased pity for the victims of outrage1 and excited sympathy for the negroes and the abolitionists4 ,the priests1 as ,i well remember1 helped in the work of pacification4 ,on the second day of the uprising1 as ,i was visiting a friend in his studio on ,fifth ,avenue1 the mob came along1 shouting1 yelling1 brandishing clubs1 on their way to the archbishop's palace1 to hear an address by him4 ,the prelate appeared on the balcony dressed in full canonicals1 in order to impress the people1 and delivered a most ingenious and persuasive address4 ,beginning ,men of ,new ,york1 he flattered their self-esteem1 paid a tribute to their sense of power and exalted influence1 and advised them against cruelty and anarchy4 ,the effect of this speech was surprising in soothing and quieting the crowd4 ,they had come there in a mood of tumult--they separated peacefully and went to their own homes1 satisfied4 ,from that hour the soul of the riot was broken4 ,the incidents of the war cannot be detailed here4 ,the story has been told too often1 and is altogether too long for my space4 ,and after all the moral issues of the war were the most interesting though not the most pathetic4 ,the sentiment of union1 the establishment of the national supremacy1 the authority of the reign of law1 the emancipation of a degraded race1 the new inspiration imparted to a great people1 and the advent of a universal republicanism were most significant4 ,it is quite likely that the modern uprising of labor and the urgent claims of women for recognition and civil power were aided1 if not suggested1 by this overwhelming triumph of order and enlightenment4 ,it is more than likely that the position of the ,united ,states1 as a power among the nations of the earth1 was due mainly to the victory that was achieved by the powers of liberty4 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,free ,,religious ,,association4 ,the happy ending of the war stimulated1 as has been said1 the sentiment of ,unity4 ,the success of the government in putting down the rebellion filled the air with the spirit of union4 ,the restoration of political harmony suggested a deeper harmony1 when divisions should cease4 ,at this moment1 in ,april1 #ahfe1 the indefatigable ,dr4 ,bellows1 who had been the soul of the ,sanitary ,commission1 summoned all ,christian believers of the liberal persuasions to a convention in his church for a more complete organization4 ,the invitation was most generously interpreted1 and was hailed by some who could be called ,christians only under the most elastic definition of the term4 ,a prominent layman of the ,unitarian body brought an elaborate creed which he wished the convention to adopt2 and a distinguished minister of the ,west was of the opinion that the work of perfect organization could best be done by the adoption of stringent articles of faith4 ,but the minimum of belief was imposed4 ,the preamble of the constitution1 the work of reconciling minds1 reads thus3 ,whereas the great opportunities and demands for ,christian labor and consecration1 at this time1 increase our sense of the obligations of all disciples of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to prove their faith by self-denial and by the devotion of their lives and possessions to the service of ,god1 and the building up of the kingdom of his son1 ,therefore4 ,then follow the articles4 ,it was this phrase1 ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that provoked discussion4 ,the struggle was renewed at ,syracuse on ,october #hth of the next year1 #ahff1 and an attempt was made to explain away the force of the declaration by announcing that while the preamble and articles of the constitution represented the opinions of the majority1 yet they were not to be considered an authoritative test of ,unitarianism1 or to exclude from fellowship any who though differing in belief are in general sympathy with our purpose and practical aims4 ,but this was not considered by the radicals as satisfactory4 ,for in the first place the title of ,lord seemed to contain by implication a doctrine which could not be subscribed to1 as the ,lordship of ,jesus was supposed to be supernatural4 ,here seemed to be a fundamental difference between those who held to the old world's idea of a spiritual kingdom1 and those who proclaimed the new world's idea of a spiritual democracy4 ,in fact1 one of the leaders--,dr4 ,bellows--plainly said if there was to be any change it must be made in the other direction2 we are to consider not only the few on the one side1 who may or may not care to unite with us1 but the great body of ,christians of all denominations1 the ,universal ,church of ,christ2 ,i demand liberality to them1 the liberality which acknowledges their ,lord and ,leader1 and welcomes them to a household whose hearth glows with faith in and loyalty to the personal ,saviour4 ,it was plainly declared by him that ,unitarians assumed the name of liberal ,christians1 because they allowed liberality of inquiry and opinion within the pale of ,christian discipleship4 ,this of itself was enough to create a palpable division1 but it was felt besides that freedom of interpretation did not imply freedom of rejection4 ,the phrase ,lordship of ,jesus1 although as little of a creed as could be devised1 was hostile to freedom1 besides not being altogether true1 as ,jesus never claimed to be infallible4 ,the radicals1 under the lead of ,francis ,e4 ,abbot1 attempted to introduce a substitute for the original preamble1 inculcating unity of spirit and of work as the basis of the ,national ,conference of ,unitarian and ,independent ,churches4 ,this substitute was not carried1 and a final breach between the ,independents and the ,unitarians was thus established4 ,this was inevitable twenty-five years ago2 it could not happen to-day1 when both wings are united in one body4 ,for my part ,i did not go to ,syracuse1 having foreseen what eventually occurred1 namely1 the intended solidification of the ,unitarian body by the strengthening of the bonds of organization4 ,my own personal experience1 which other radicals knew nothing of1 led me to this conclusion4 ,my church edifice on #djth ,street was begun in the spring of #ahfc4 ,the two ministers in ,new ,york were present at the informal service of laying the corner-stone4 ,the walls were going up during the summer2 on the week of the riot the mob called the workmen off1 threatening to destroy what was built if the masons did not leave4 ,the building was finished in the winter1 and dedicated on ,christmas ,day4 ,to the warm personal invitation which was sent to all the ,unitarian clergy in ,new ,york and ,brooklyn--there were but three then--no response was returned2 and when my father and ,i went to the church there were no ministers on the platform4 ,we went through the service1 my father offering the prayer and ,i preaching the sermon4 ,no remark was made at the time beyond an expression of surprise at the non-appearance of the brethren4 ,the next day my father1 who had come from ,boston on purpose to attend the dedication1 and whose blindness was approaching fast1 went to make a friendly visit on ,dr4 ,bellows4 ,on his return1 when asked if any reason was assigned for the failure to participate in the proceedings of the day before1 he said that the duties of ,christmas were alleged as the cause4 ,i was sure there was another explanation behind2 and as soon as ,i had put my father in the train for home wrote to ,dr4 ,bellows1 taxing him among the rest with discourtesy4 ,it was evident that such a charge was anticipated and prepared for2 that the ministers had met and had agreed on a course to be pursued in my case4 ,for at once there came a reply to my note1 accusing me of studiously neglecting all the usual observances of the denomination4 ,my invitation had not been official2 there was no church2 there had never been any sacrament2 the allegiance to fundamental doctrines of the sect had been slack4 ,all this was true1 and no attempt at exculpation was made1 but it was felt that a breach existed4 ,the excitements of the war overshadowed everything else at this period1 and nothing more was said4 ,my ,society was duly represented at the first conference2 but as soon as our side was argued1--as it was by ,d4 ,a4 ,wasson1--it was plain that the spirit of organization prevailed and was against us4 ,a division was inevitable4 ,the ,independents must form a separate party4 ,this virtual exclusion occasioned the formation of the ,free ,religious ,association4 ,a meeting was held on the #eth of ,february1 #ahfg1 at ,dr4 ,c4 ,a4 ,bartol's1 in ,boston1 to consider a plan for creating a new association on the basis of free thought4 ,very strong words were spoken on that occasion4 ,one man1 ,i recollect1 spoke of all churches1 all ministers1 and all religion as being outgrown4 ,but the majority were of the opinion that religion was an eternal necessity1 and the administration of it an absolute demand4 ,dr4 ,bartol himself was always a warm friend of the ,association1 appearing on the platform1 speaking always hopefully1 one of the most welcome of its supporters4 ,the ,association was formed in the spring of that same year4 ,in the plan of organization it was distinctly announced that the aim of the ,association was to promote the interest of pure religion1 to encourage the scientific study of theology1 and to increase fellowship in the spirit2 and to this end all persons interested in these objects are cordially invited to its membership4 ,thus the object of the ,association was exceedingly broad4 ,it proposed to remove all dividing lines and to unite all religious men in bonds of pure spirituality1 each one being responsible for his own opinion alone1 and in no degree affected in his relations with other associations4 ,if the movement had been in the hands of orthodox and well-reputed people1 it would have seemed not only large but noble and beneficent4 ,being1 as it was1 in the hands of a few radical clergymen and laymen1 it was supposed to be infidel in its character2 and was misrepresented and abused accordingly4 ,at first1 the dissensions of the sects were rebuked4 ,afterwards1 the scope of the idea was extended2 all the religions of the world being put on an equality of origin and purpose4 ,the spiritual nature of man was assumed2 the universality of religious feeling2 the inherent tendency to worship1 aspiration1 prayer1 being taken for granted as an element in the best minds2 all churches and confessions of faith being looked upon as achievements of the soul2 ,jesus being classed among the leaders of humanity2 the ,bible being accepted as a record of spiritual and moral truth2 and the church being regarded as an organization to diffuse belief4 ,the foundation1 therefore1 was a pure ,theism1 and the effort contemplated the elevation of all mankind to the dignity of children of the ,highest4 ,that this aim was always borne in mind is not pretended4 ,the negative side was made too conspicuous4 ,now and then there was a lurch in the direction of denial4 ,there was too much criticism1 and it was not always just4 ,there was too much speculation1 and it was not always wise4 ,the plan of letting each sect tell its own story was a little confusing at the start4 ,still1 on the whole1 the object was pretty faithfully kept in view4 ,lucretia ,mott suggested that the word religion should be substituted for the word theology1 but the word religion was too vague to afford ground for discussion1 and it was felt that the phrase scientific sufficiently explained1 through the substitution of the scientific for the theological method1 the purpose of the association4 ,moreover1 the purpose was to remove theological differences1 the only differences that existed4 ,there were names of distinguished men and women on our list of officers1 members1 speakers1 and friends--,ralph ,waldo ,emerson1 ,amos ,bronson ,alcott1 ,gerrit ,smith1 ,george ,william ,curtis1 ,edward ,l4 ,youmans1 ,nathaniel ,holmes1 ,william ,lloyd ,garrison1 ,wendell ,phillips1 ,rowland ,g4 ,hazard1 ,lucretia ,mott1 ,lydia ,maria ,child1 ,ednah ,d4 ,cheney4 ,thomas ,w4 ,higginson was one of our most effective speakers2 ,john ,weiss read on our platform his most brilliant paper on ,science and ,religion2 ,david ,atwood ,wasson lent us the light of his countenance4 ,our greatest want was the want of a leader1--a man not only of competent learning and spiritual enthusiasm1 but of natural impulse and vigor2 a man of the people1 a man of rugged speech1 a man of vivacity and humor4 ,if ,theodore ,parker had been alive he might have taken this position1 and distinguished himself as a leader in this movement2 as it was1 there was no one who could take his place1 and the enterprise flagged accordingly1 lacking the popular zeal which would give it currency4 ,the speculative character of the association was always against it and rendered it somewhat dry2 but this under the circumstances was inevitable1 because we were forced to deal with technicalities of credence1 and had not power enough to get beyond them into the universalities of faith4 ,there was an expectation in many quarters that the association would devote itself to beneficent projects2 and this was natural1 because it seemed as if those who gave up the bond of belief must adopt the bond of work4 ,mr4 ,emerson seems to have had a similar desire4 ,i wish1 he said1 that the various beneficent institutions which are springing up like joyful plants of wholesomeness all over this country1 should all be remembered as within the sphere of this committee1--almost all of them are represented here1--and that within this little band that has gathered here to-day should grow friendship4 ,but in the first place1 ours was not a philanthropic institution2 its aim was religious entirely1 as it attempted to substitute the universality of religion for the one faith of ,christendom4 ,the chief workers in several forms of charity presented their schemes for our consideration1 and at one time it looked as if we must be borne away into some philanthropic enterprise4 ,the current1 however1 which carried us towards religious unity was too strong4 ,and then1 at that time there was little scientific philanthropy4 ,the word charity was more or less associated with patronage and pity1 the very things that we wanted to avoid2 they who were bent on wiping out distinctions could not countenance these1 and it was safer not to let our hearts get the better of our reason4 ,but even if there had been a scientific treatment of humane questions1 we were afraid of the danger of becoming too much absorbed in this kind of work1 and so of losing sight of our chief end4 ,at present the idea of our ,association is pretty well domesticated in ,christendom4 ,it was not1 after all1 entirely new4 ,in #ahde and #ahdf ,frederick ,denison ,maurice1 lecturing on the ,boyle ,foundation in ,london on ,the ,religions of the ,world and their ,relations to ,christianity1 attempted to do justice to the ancient faiths of ,india1 ,persia1 ,egypt1 ,greece1 and ,rome4 ,in #ahhb1 in ,edinburgh1 eminent men discussed the same problems under the title of ,the ,faiths of the ,world4 ,in #ahga ,james ,freeman ,clarke published his ,ten ,great ,religions4 ,the study of comparative religion has been going on for many years4 ,when ,mozoomdar came to this country a few years ago1 there was such a rush for him among ,american orthodox ,christians that the ,free ,religious ,association could not get at him at all1 though it had tried in vain to get a real ,brahmin on its platform4 ,true1 there were differences of opinion among the orthodox students of the old-world systems4 ,some regarded the ancient religions as effete2 some denied that ,christianity touched them at more than one or two points2 some treated them simply as preparations for the crowning faith of ,christ4 ,still1 whatever their differences1 all agreed that the religious instinct was universal2 that there was a ground for revelation in the human heart2 since ,carlyle's famous lecture in ,heroes1 delivered in #ahdj1 it was impossible to regard ,mahomet as an impostor1 or to look upon religion as a fabrication of the priests1 as an attempt to practise upon human ignorance and fear4 ,among the ,unitarians our conception is familiar4 ,at the convention that was held in ,philadelphia1 in ,october1 #ahhi1 both parties1 the most conservative and the most radical1 sat side by side4 ,a manager of the ,free ,religious ,association delivered one of the addresses1 and said3 ,i never believed one tithe as much as ,i believe to-night4 ,never did ,i have such faith in ,god2 never did ,i so believe in man2 never did ,i see such a glorious outlook for the ,church2 never did ,i hold such a glad theory of human hope for the future4 ,the secretary of the ,american ,unitarian ,association was full of joy4 ,the secretary of the ,western ,unitarian ,conference quoted the opinion of the ,western churches1 assembled at ,chicago in ,may1 #ahhg1 and declared our fellowship to be conditioned on no doctrinal tests1 and welcomes all who wish to join us to help establish truth and righteousness and love in the world4 ,a prominent leader of ,unitarianism in ,illinois uttered himself thus3 ,whatever its traditions1 whatever its present positions1 or its prospects1 this spiritual commonwealth is extra-,unitarian1 extra-,american1 extra-,christian2 it is human1 and on that account it is universal1 and it is divine4 ,another speaker at this convention declared that the hand that shall hold this master key is ,christ1 as the modern mind conceives him1--,christ healing the sick1 raising the dead1 cleansing the leper1 casting out devils from society and business1 from politics and religion2 ,christ1 the friend of ,lazarus and of ,mary ,magdalen2 ,christ robed in absolute justice and also in transcendant love1 and embracing the whole world4 ,it is not claimed that this extraordinary change in ecclesiastical fellowship and sympathy is due to the ,free ,religious ,association4 ,that was one of the signs of the times1 and is an effect rather than a cause2 but it is a sign of the grander unity4 ,when the portrait of ,theodore ,parker is hanging on the walls of ,channing ,hall2 when a cordial welcome is extended to all seekers for the light2 when the ,east and ,west are ready to embrace in a fellowship of aspiration2 when the young men are all alight with fresh hope and fresh endeavor1 we may with confidence anticipate the time when there shall be but one fold1 and the aim of the ,free ,religious ,association be met4 ,the emancipation from denominational trammels was of great service to the young minister4 ,it is true that he was still in a church which kept him within ecclesiastical associations2 but these fetters were not heavy1 and they were soon to be thrown off4 ,for in the spring of #ahfi1 the church was sold to another congregation4 ,this was done partly because the acoustic properties of the building were not favorable1 and partly because the place was not suited to the genius of the new society4 ,there was no room in the inn1 was the subject of the last sermon preached in that building4 ,lyric ,hall1 to which we removed1 is situated on ,sixth ,avenue1 between #djth and #dast streets4 ,it is a large room fifty by one hundred feet4 ,during the week it was used as a dancing hall1 but on ,sundays it was arranged for a religious service4 ,a small organ was placed there1 a platform was built1 and seats were brought up from the cellar below4 ,the first sermon preached there was on ,secular ,religion1 and it indicated the whole character of the services4 ,the most remarkable thing1 as regards myself1 that happened in ,lyric ,hall1 was the adoption of the habit of speaking without notes4 ,the light from the avenue was too far off for reading1 and the speaker was therefore obliged to dispense with a manuscript altogether4 ,a theme was first chosen that admitted of subdivisions1 so that as fast as the speaker exhausted one he could fall back on another4 ,the habit soon became so familiar that no difficulty was experienced in handling the most complicated subject4 ,here we remained until the spring of #ahge1 when we removed to ,masonic ,temple1 on ,sixth ,avenue and #bc;d ,street4 ,this building1 which was very large and handsome1 had just been erected by the ,masons1 who designed it for their own accommodation4 ,the structure having cost1 however1 more than was anticipated1 the owners were obliged1 reluctantly1 to let the large hall1 which they did for literary and religious purposes only4 ,we were the first to occupy it4 ,the hall was spacious and stately1 with fixed seats for about a thousand people4 ,a fine organ stood at one end of the platform2 at the other end there was a large reception room4 ,the first sermon there was on ,reasonable ,religion4 ,the audience was never large--never more than eight or nine hundred1 usually six or seven hundred4 ,the form of service much resembled the form common in ,unitarian churches1 with the exception that ,mr4 ,conway's ,sacred ,anthology was substituted for the ,bible1 and the other exercises were more universal in their character4 ,it had long ceased to be a ,unitarian congregation4 ,there were people of ,catholic training1 many of ,protestant training1 some of no religious training whatever1 materialists1 atheists1 secularists1 positivists--always thinking people1 with their minds uppermost4 ,it was a church of the unchurched4 ,george ,ripley1 the journalist1 was always there2 ,e4 ,c4 ,stedman1 the man of letters2 ,calvert ,vaux1 the architect2 ,sanford ,r4 ,gifford1 the painter2 ,henry ,peters ,gray1 the artist1 was there until he died2 ,c4 ,p4 ,cranch1 the poet1 was a member of the ,society as long as he was in the city4 ,in the ,lyric-,hall days1 ,judge ,geo4 ,c4 ,barrett had a seat in the audience4 ,the secular character was always prominent4 ,when we had a church on #djth ,street1 the large basement was used for music1 dramatic performances1 readings1 festivities1 social gatherings4 ,in ,lyric ,hall1 these were continued as far as they could be4 ,the ,fraternity ,club was organized in #ahfi by a devoted member of the ,society for the entertainment and improvement of its members2 and drew together very brilliant minds both within and without the immediate fellowship4 ,the meetings were held once in two weeks1 when an essay was read1 a debate carried on1 and a paper presented2 all the performers being nominated in advance by the ,president4 ,the work was mainly done by a few young men1 who have since become eminent in various fields--as teachers1 lawyers1 literary critics1 publishers1--and by witty women not a few4 ,there were about seventy members1 each one standing for some peculiar accomplishment4 ,the subjects of the essays were such as these1 illustrating the breadth of the intellectual interest3 ,on ,taste2 on ,expressions2 on ,the ,coming ,man2 on ,wordsworth2 on ,the ,tree of ,life2 on ,spencer's ,britomart as the ,type of ,woman2 on ,light and ,laughter2 on ,successful ,people2 on ,culture2 on ,the ,cultivation of the ,masses4 ,the subjects for debate were equally varied3 ,ought the sexes to be educated apart82 ,does a house burn up or burn down82 ,is the highest musical culture compatible with the highest intellectual development82 ,is there a distinctly ,american literature as contrasted with that of ,england82 ,should matrimonial union be contracted early or late82 ,ought we to cultivate most those faculties in which we naturally excel1 or those in which we are naturally deficient82 ,does increase of culture involve decrease of amusement82 ,is the existence of a ',mute inglorious ,milton' possible82 ,will giving the franchise to women exert a beneficial influence on society82 ,had you rather be more stupid than you seem1 or seem more stupid than you are8 ,the papers1 of which there are some nine volumes existing1 were receptacles for the fancy1 imagination1 sentiment1 and humor of the editors or their co-editors2 there were verses1 stories1 criticisms1 jokes1 illustrations1 in them2 each had its name3 ,the ,bubble1 ,the ,venture1 ,bric-a-,brac1 ,stuff1 ,the ,rag-,bag4 ,the club ceased soon after the ,society disbanded1 in #ahhj4 ,the root idea of the ,society1 apart from its independence1 was the mingling of the spiritual and the natural2 the domestication of faith4 ,with a view of making the idea more prevailing and complete1 a children's service in the afternoon was substituted for the regular ,sunday-school4 ,a book was prepared1 ,the ,child's ,book of ,religion1 by the pastor1 for this express purpose4 ,there were responsive readings1 recitations in unison1 songs1 and an address1 simple and anecdotical1 by the minister4 ,the ,society was never fashionable1 or even popular4 ,at one period--that of the ,richardson-,mc,farland matter--there was a vast deal of misrepresentation1 criticism1 and abuse1 but all this had no effect on the constituency of the parish4 ,there was the same loyalty1 the same interest1 the same determination to sustain a thoroughly liberal ministry1 by which every form of conviction was made conducive to a purely spiritual faith4 ,it was never pretended that the ,society was anything more than a beginning4 ,a small and feeble beginning1 but of something that was to grow and spread2 the beginning of a faith that is as rational as it is wide4 ,its influence was more diffusive than concrete as an instituted thing4 ,it is the pride and consolation of those who began it that they removed some of the barriers that divided the great brotherhood of believing men4 ,my ministry in ,new ,york ended in the spring of #ahgi4 ,its close was due entirely to my ill-health4 ,a year before the doctors had warned me not to continue longer than was necessary my rate of speed4 ,they urged me to go slower1 to take in sail1 and to withdraw as far as ,i could from all public demonstrations4 ,measures were taken against every emergency1 and ,i sailed away in the ,french steamer1 with the hope that in six months ,i might regain my nervous power1 and return4 ,there was first the exhilarating sea voyage2 then the beautiful city hall of ,rouen1 the churches and famous buildings1 the square where ,joan of ,arc suffered2 then came ,paris with its enchantments2 after that ,basel showed its great ,holbeins1 and its lovely promenade overlooking the river2 this led to the celebrated baths at ,ragatz in ,switzerland1 the placid waters of ,pfeffers'1 the gorge1 the hotel gardens1 and the lovely walks2 after this came the pass of the ,spluegen1 the ,via ,mala1 the hotel at the summit of the pass among the snows1 the pastures1 the wild goats2 then came ,lake ,como in ,italy1 ,bellagio1 the charming ,villa ,serbeloni1 looking down upon the two lakes1 ,como and ,lecco1 the vineyards ripening in the sun1 the terraces1 looking across upon the mountains2 then ,milan opened its great cathedral1 the gallery of the ,brera1 the ancient church of ,saint ,ambrose4 ,afterwards came ,florence and its heavenly environs1 its pictures and statues and public buildings1 its groves and stately drives and lovely villas2 ,florence was followed by ,siena1 and there ,i saw the great cathedral1 walked on the esplanade1 enjoyed the public square1 the palaces1 the pictures of ,sodoma4 ,from there ,i went to ,rome1 in ,december4 ,it was all in vain2 ,i became satisfied that the complaint was not of a temporary nature1 not owing to overwork or over-excitement1 not easily cured--if curable at all1--but nervous and hereditary4 ,thereupon1 ,i wrote a letter to my trustees absolutely resigning my office and declining to be a clergyman any longer1 as ,i could not attempt to renew the same kind of labor4 ,an attempt was made to secure a successor2 several names were mentioned1 and among men greatly my superiors in learning and eloquence1 but none1 it was thought1 represented the precise form of speculation1 the exact view of religion which my friends desired4 ,the ,society therefore was disbanded1 and no attempt has been made since to reorganize it4 ,the members were scattered1 some among other churches1 some among other cities1 while some never joined any religious society whatever4 ,thus a thriving and growing organization is now simply a memory4 ,x4 ,,the ,,progress ,,of ,,religious ,,thought ,,in ,,america4 ,an article in the ,north ,american ,review for ,april1 #ahhe1 on ,free ,thought in ,america1 is chiefly significant as showing how gradual and tentative the progress of thought in religion was4 ,the comments on individuals are often wide of the mark1 but the general drift is quite correct4 ,the course was shadowy1 but the main point was unmistakable4 ,at this day1 the wholesale abuse of religion is harmless1 and can exert no wide influence4 ,the friends of liberal thought are against it2 and those who seek the old grim conclusion do so in another way1 striving to substitute a new faith in nature for the old faith in divine inspiration1 and to prove the latter to have been a growth rather than an imposition4 ,the study of comparative religions has put a new face on the question1 and the concern is now to discover the source of faith in the supernatural and not to make it appear a creation of priestcraft4 ,no sooner had serious investigations into antiquity become known1 than the method pursued by ,voltaire and ,dupuis was abandoned1 and each generation since has confirmed the facts of historic development4 ,that my own immediate predecessors were ,emerson and ,parker is most true4 ,with the writings of the former ,i was familiar2 the latter was my intimate friend4 ,perhaps my theological views are due to him more than to any other man1 though the circumstances of his generation were peculiar1 and determined1 in a much greater degree than in my own case was possible1 the cast of his thought4 ,the ,unitarian controversy1 in which he played so prominent a part1 and by stress whereof he was driven into some of his positions1 is over4 ,the anti-slavery struggle1 into which he threw himself and as a result of which his religious antagonisms were sharpened1 was ended many years ago4 ,poe said in the preface to ,eureka1 that perfect beauty was a guaranty of perfect truth2 so ,i felt--felt rather than reasoned--that a great character was sufficient proof of the truth of doctrine1 and ,i accepted the teaching on the strength of the nobleness which was before my eyes4 ,later researches confirmed my opinions1 but while ,i was under ,parker's influence1 his theological views were accepted without much consideration2 his unique style of personality laying my heart as it were under a spell4 ,emerson was a man of colder temperament1 thinner of blood1 more spare in frame2 of finer intellectual fibre1 of more commanding intellectual supremacy2 not a combatant on any field2 a sweet1 gracious1 shadowy personality2 calm1 lucid1 imperturbable2 pursuing knowledge along the spiritual path of pure thought1 although he was also a student of books2 a regenerator of mind rather than a reformer of customs2 a prophet1 distinguished for penetration rather than for will4 ,his ideas were substantially the same as ,parker's1 but he did not arrive at them in the same way1 or hold them in the same spirit1 or apply them with the same directness4 ,he carried them out further1 not being hindered1 as his contemporary was1 by the immediate necessities of the hour4 ,in short1 he was another sort of man entirely4 ,both were transcendentalists1 but ,parker shaped his philosophy to the working exigencies of his generation1 while ,emerson let his stream freely in the air4 ,the writer of the article in question accuses ,emerson of want of pathos1 and declares that this was the lack of the transcendentalists1 as a school4 ,but he could hardly charge this on ,parker1 who was an ardent transcendentalist1 but whose very language was vascular1 who affected multitudes of men and women1 and who held audiences by the heartstrings4 ,did ,hopkins or ,bellamy or ,edwards melt people8 ,were the preachers of ,calvinism priests of sorrow8 ,this is a matter of temperament and not of creed4 ,extreme rationalists leave their congregations in tears1 and extreme churchmen dismiss theirs unmoved1 the humors of the men deciding the issues of their ministrations4 ,the closer to the ground1 the more abundant the sympathy4 ,the question is whether one is more mundane or more ethereal by native gift and endowment4 ,that transcendentalism was mainly speculative may be doubted1 but if it was so this may be accounted an incidental circumstance to be explained by the prevailing theological temper of the age1 and the duty imposed on it of transferring the body of doctrine to an ideal realm2 a task which demands an intellectual effort of no common magnitude4 ,and when with this task was joined the endeavor to sift out the purely spiritual ideas from the mass of dogmatical and ecclesiastical error1 it is no wonder that it should have been speculative in its tendency4 ,certainly1 ,brook ,farm was concrete enough1 and the transcendentalists were1 as a rule1 interested in social reconstruction1 though not in a way to touch popular emotion4 ,one cannot1 even at this distance1 think of the quickening radiance shed by the transcendentalists over the whole region of religious belief and duty1 without gratitude4 ,the hymns1 the sermons1 the music1 the ,sunday-schools1 the prayers1 the charities1 the social ministrations1 breathed forth a fresh spirit4 ,if there were fewer tears of woe1 there was more weeping for joy4 ,there was too much gladness for crying4 ,life was made sunny4 ,human nature was interpreted cheerfully4 ,there was an unlimited future for misery1 ignorance1 turpitude4 ,sin was remanded to the position of crudity1 and was banished from the heavenly courts4 ,violence was protested against in laws1 customs1 manners1 speech4 ,harsh doctrines were criticised4 ,austere views were discarded4 ,intellectual barriers were removed4 ,spiritual channels were deepened and widened4 ,light was let into dark places4 ,the brightest aspects of divinity were presented4 ,immortality was rendered native to the soul4 ,the life below was regarded as the portal to the life above4 ,in my own case1 whatever of enthusiasm ,i may have had1 whatever transports of feeling1 whatever glow of hope for mankind1 whatever ardor of anticipation for the future1 whatever exhilaration of mind towards ,god1 whatever elation in the presence of disbelief in the popular theology1 may be fairly ascribed to this form of the ideal philosophy4 ,it was like a revelation of glory4 ,every good thought was encouraged4 ,every noble impulse was heightened4 ,it was balm and elixir to me4 ,if transcendentalism did not appear as a sun illuminating the entire mental universe it was the fault of my exposition alone4 ,absolute faith in that form of philosophy grew weak and passed away many years since1 and the assurance it gave was shaken2 but the sunset flush continued a long time after the orb of day had disappeared and lighted up the earth4 ,gradually the splendor faded1 to be succeeded by a softer and more tranquil gleam1 less stimulating but not less beautiful or glorious4 ,the world looks larger under the light of stars4 ,i always loved ,blanco ,white's magnificent sonnet to ,night1 but never appreciated its full significance until the scientific view had succeeded to the transcendental1 and ,i began to walk by knowledge1 steadily and surely1 but not buoyantly any more4 ,it would be a mistake to suppose that anything like pain1 sadness1 or sterility accompanies the departure of an old faith1 when a new one takes its place and soon opens fresh prospects of good4 ,the universe but grows larger3 other methods are adopted1 other hopes are entertained1 other consolations are presented1 and soon the mind adjusts itself to the altered conditions4 ,the downcast mood of ,george ,eliot1 of the author of ,physicus1 and of many another less distinguished unbeliever1 may be due in part to temperament1 in part to the first feeling of chill that ensues upon a transitional period1 which brings in a different climate2 but the allegation of lasting coldness1 gloom1 discontent1 is wholly groundless4 ,the old fable says that quails drop from the clouds1 that even rocks quench the traveller's thirst4 ,there is1 in short1 no wilderness4 ,that the creed was filmy1 the foothold unsteady1 is altogether likely1 for the ancient supports were removed1 the pillars that replaced them were shaking1 and tradition alone remained to hold by4 ,but religion was still the ,poetry of ,life1 and kept its place among the interests singly represented by art1 music1 literature1 philosophy1 those fine intimations of a higher state1 those splendid foreshadowings of the future1 those noble efforts to solve problems that must be forever insoluble4 ,my creed did not pretend to be final or even definite4 ,it was simply a study1 a preliminary sketch1 an essay towards truth4 ,a claim to completeness1 to logical consistency1 would have been fatal4 ,still less1 if possible1 did it pretend to meet popular wants4 ,it resolutely turned in the opposite direction1 and took up positions which1 it was understood1 the general public could not occupy without abandoning all its works and retiring to other ground4 ,no effort was made to commend it to common opinion2 on the contrary1 everything like concession was shunned1 and the slightest signal of agreement with current beliefs was regarded as a warning against a compromise of principle4 ,nothing was assumed except the validity of the human faculties1 including1 of course1 the higher reason1 the insight of genius1 and such feelings as were parts of the rational constitution1 together with perfect liberty in their exercise4 ,every theological system was repudiated2 even the doctrines of a conscious ,deity and the individual immortality of the soul were left open to discussion1 the atheist and the materialist being listened to with as much deference as any4 ,these doctrines were accepted1 yet not on the ground of authority or tradition1 but simply considered as faiths1 hopes1 sentiments of the spiritual being2 the existence of living mind1 coupled with the demand for unity1 seeming to guarantee the first1 the fact of individual persistency appearing to demonstrate the second4 ,but all definition was carefully avoided1 conviction being confined to the main idea1 and being purely spiritual in its character1 not in the least dogmatical1 or exclusive of knowledge4 ,of doctrine in the usual sense there was none4 ,there was merely thought4 ,the very teaching was more of the nature of suggestion than of final conclusion4 ,for this reason no account of the credo can be given1 all fixed expressions of views being discountenanced as premature1 and therefore irrational4 ,this should be distinctly understood by those interested in coming at the truth on this subject4 ,the object was to disintegrate1 to pulverize1 to enable mind to float freely in the air of intellect1 to the end that it might crystallize about natural centres4 ,all dogmatism1 that of the infidel as well as that of the believer1 of the man of science as well as of the theologian1 of the sensualist as well as of the spiritualist1 was obnoxious4 ,there was no sympathy with those who regarded the case as closed1 either as the anti-,christian assailant or as the apologist did2 either with the school of ,paine or with the school of ,calvin4 ,hereafter there may be articles of belief1 at present there can be none4 ,this1 it may be said1 was a temporary1 incidental position1 quite indeterminate and unsatisfactory4 ,no doubt it was4 ,that was all it pretended to be4 ,the sooner it disappeared and was succeeded by a more stable one1 so it was reasonable1 the better1 for that would indicate an advance in rational judgment4 ,this task--the complete emancipation of the human mind from every form of thraldom--will occupy liberal teachers for a long time to come4 ,all that can be said in defence of instituted religion1 and all that can be urged on the other side1 had been put forward again and again1 but in a sectarian--that is1 in a partisan--spirit4 ,now an even temper is demanded4 ,unfortunately1 impartiality is apt to degenerate into indifference4 ,breadth of view is1 as a rule1 inconsistent with rapidity of motion4 ,the fact that the ,free ,religious ,association had a small constituency as compared with many an orthodox society is no evidence whatever that the orthodox society is nearer the truth4 ,the former was broad enough to admit all religions1 the latter shut out all save the ,christians1 thus making them a special community saved by their belief4 ,the problem is to preserve and1 if possible1 deepen intellectual enthusiasm while opposing fanatical adherence to dogmas2 to associate breadth with force1 to unite freedom with earnestness1 and to render the love of truth more intense in proportion as the horizon recedes and ideas multiply4 ,such ought to be the result of free thinking1 and such it is when thinking goes hand in hand with freedom4 ,critical studies must keep an even pace with philosophy1 and both must conspire to push back the lines of credence as far as faith in the spiritual sentiment will permit4 ,the latest investigations have substantiated liberal conclusions and carried them into regions which were inaccessible to the authorities of an early day4 ,a certain amount of denial was necessary of course1 but this was made in view of a larger affirmation which had to be brought forward1 and was1 moreover1 confined to matters incidental1 not directed at the substance of faith4 ,the assumption of a spiritual nature in man guaranteed the inherent genuineness of all aspiration4 ,no doubt the assumption of a creative religious nature in man lent aid to the endeavor to glorify the pagan faiths1 and predisposed the mind to accept criticisms on ,christianity2 but scientific investigation of the world's bibles went on quite independently of this assumption4 ,it was promoted by ,catholics and ,protestants1 by ,lutherans and ,unitarians1 by ,germans1 ,french1 ,english1 ,americans4 ,certainly the alleged antiquity of a system is not in its favor2 for ignorance1 credulity1 superstition1 are much older than this2 older than the ancient books1 than the ancient thinkers4 ,the oldest things are errors1 delusions1 falsities4 ,the allegiance of great minds simply proves the limitations of intellect4 ,sir ,thomas ,more believed in transubstantiation1 and ,samuel ,johnson believed in ghosts4 ,the wide reverence for the ,scriptures is an impressive fact1 until it is seen that no writings have been so guarded1 nor have such pains been taken in regard to any other literature to create for it a habit of docile veneration4 ,fidelity is praiseworthy1 but it is no pledge of wisdom4 ,on the contrary it draws attention to the merits or demerits of the creed to which it is consecrated4 ,is witchcraft respectable8 ,yet it had its martyrs4 ,is demoniacal possession credible8 ,yet saints attested it4 ,the fury of the fighter cannot vouch for the worthiness of the cause4 ,if it could1 the narrowest credence would be the truest as the world goes1 and they who adhere to the ,christian tradition would be consigned to the darkest cells of it4 ,the newest thing is knowledge4 ,this never paralyzes1 and never is fanatical4 ,its heat is stimulating yet gracious4 ,its zeal does not scorch or consume4 ,it awakens every faculty1 keeps inquiry on the stretch1 excites the noblest ambition1 and at the same time rebukes the partisan temper in all its manifestations4 ,its reign is beneficent2 its coming is full of hope4 ,it is ever looking forward with sanguine anticipation1 and if it is at times impatient1 petulant1 or imperious1 it is because it is fretted by stubborn obstacles that prevent the full realization of its purpose to discover the truth4 ,for a long time to come there will be controversy1 but its violence will disappear1 its acrimony will gradually cease1 the passion for victory will yield to the love of knowledge1 and all genuine seekers will unite in the search after light4 ,in the last generation the progress of intelligent examination into nature's secrets has been exceedingly rapid4 ,during my active ministry ,i was hardly aware of it1 for though an assailant of the popular religion1 a champion of the freest thought1 ,i was a defender of the current religious ideas2 since leaving the profession1 the significance of the mental revolution that is taking place1 has been more fully revealed to me4 ,the advance has approached very near to the heart of the citadel4 ,the questions under discussion are fundamental ones1 the existence of a self-conscious deity1 the fact of personal continuance beyond the grave1 the line of distinction between material and spiritual things4 ,the dispute hangs on invisible threads of logic4 ,the conservatives occupy positions which radicals of thirty years back could not assume4 ,the next step in the development of free thought must be toward the realization of all the ideal supports of mankind1 the spiritualizing of the secular1 the lifting into heavenly places of this world's activity1 the transfiguration of our common life4 ,if by religion is understood the striving after perfection in intellectual things by the untrammelled pursuit of knowledge1 in social concerns by the exercise of fraternal kindness1 in the spiritual world by aspiration towards a complete surrender to natural law1 every free thinker will encourage that and will do what he can to promote it4 ,that there is no final truth discoverable must be admitted1 but such a confession need not trouble those who look manfully forward to a future of new discoveries1 and gird themselves to remove all obstacles to the knowledge of the world they live in4 ,robert ,browning in his ,paracelsus1 published in #ahce1 anticipates the doctrine of evolution4 ,thus ,he dwells in all1 ,from life's minute beginnings1 up at last ,to man--the consummation of this scheme ,of being--the completion of this sphere ,of life2 whose attributes had here and there ,been scattered o'er the visible world before1 ,asking to be combined4 ,in #ahcf1 ,emerson in his ,nature1 reiterated this grand prophecy3 ,a subtle chain of countless rings1 ,the next unto the farthest brings1 ,the eye reads omens where it goes1 ,and speaks all languages1 the rose2 ,and striving to be man1 the worm ,mounts through all the spires of form4 ,in #ahfg1 science had gone so far that it could announce the ,unity of ,creation2 the absolute ,order and ,law2 one continuous ,force2 ,progress as the end of life4 ,the eternal beauty existed for those who had eyes to see4 ,on this foundation the human heart1 with its qualities of mercy1 pity1 peace1 and love1 its sentiments of justice and equity1 its hunger for advance1 its idea of goodness1 built up a very noble and benignant conception of deity and the sure hope of moral perfection4 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,clerical ,,profession4 ,it is natural that the clerical profession should be an order by itself4 ,every other calling is--the lawyer's1 the physician's1 the artist's and the merchant's4 ,there is an absurd notion that the clerical profession stands alone2 that it has a supernatural origin1 which takes it out of the circle of ordinary employments2 that it is not to be compared with other institutions of society4 ,but the real dignity of the profession consists in its filling its place among human arrangements4 ,a certain temperament too1 seems to belong to all employments4 ,there is the legal temperament1 the artistic1 the dramatic1 the mercantile4 ,it is no disadvantage that one prefers solitude1 likes abstract thoughts1 has no taste for business enterprise1 is fond of books and study4 ,indeed1 this is an advantage for one whose office it is to amass learning1 to weigh opinions in fine scales1 to follow the spiritual laws1 and to peer into the mystery that surrounds human life4 ,the very misunderstandings1 illusions1 superstitions that gather around the calling may be recommendations1 inasmuch as they prevent the intrusion of rude minds1 and draw their attention towards subjects they would not otherwise be interested in4 ,a certain amount of positiveness is necessary to ensure the worth of the profession4 ,the ,catholic priest has no doubt whatever of the providential establishment of the church in which he is a servant4 ,this must be beyond question or misgiving4 ,this is taken for granted by clergy and laity4 ,all learning must be made to confirm it1 all observation is compelled to favor it4 ,the laws of society must have nothing to do with the kingdom of ,god2 for society is to be redeemed1 nature is to be supplanted by grace1 secular life must therefore be excluded4 ,the priest1 such is the theory1 dwells out of the world1 and is encouraged to do so4 ,he is poor1 celibate1 homeless1 has no attachments1 no affections1 no terrestrial occupations4 ,he must be to all intents and purposes dead to mortal affairs4 ,one may find fault with earthly institutions2 one is bound to find fault with them1 but the church must be beyond criticism and must be accepted as a gift from heaven4 ,the ,protestant clergyman holds fast by his doctrine of faith as by divine appointment4 ,his chief tenets must not be submitted to doubt4 ,whatever he may reject1 there remains something he is not tempted to resign--namely1 the presence of the ,holy ,spirit in his creed4 ,reason may carry the outworks--ceremonies1 ordinances1 incidental points of belief1--but the citadel is removed from assault4 ,the world-spirit may hover around him1 envious1 expectant1 watchful1 applauding his boldness1 cheering his progress towards negations1 glad to see the gulf betwixt him and the age gradually diminishing1 and pressing into every vacant position2 society may claim interest in him more and more2 but there are points he must not yield1 and which he merely wishes to bring into prominence in surrendering others which he regards as secondary4 ,so much may be necessary1 but religion must practically take its place among the ideal pursuits of men and be exposed1 as they are1 to the full examination of the mind before any fair account of it can be given4 ,and this cannot be so long as a region1 however small1 is shut off from investigation by supernatural powers4 ,moreover1 it is the common impression that the office of the ministry is detrimental to the best interest of humanity1 because it establishes another caste and thus destroys the unity that is so important in the integrity of the world4 ,by it the priest is a person set apart1 hedged about by the laws1 held in peculiar reverence1 habited in special garments4 ,some kinds of entertainments1 such as dancing1 the drama1 are commonly forbidden to him4 ,his presence on festive occasions used to be regarded as a gracious intrusion4 ,he was not expected to take part in gayeties or to have any share in frivolities1 which were much more hilarious when he was absent and the restraint of his presence was removed4 ,he was thought to be somehow at war with nature1 and his looking on at merrymaking was regarded by the polite as a piece of condescension on his part1 an evidence of unusual liberality of sentiment4 ,it was but the other day that a young physician1 belonging to a ,unitarian family1 and himself an enthusiastic student of science1 praised a minister for excusing his continual absence from church on the ground of his being so well employed4 ,this was regarded as a long step in the direction of indulgence towards natural inclination4 ,even among rationalists1 a symptom of the old idea appears in an expression of the face1 the manner of address1 the walk1 or the general bearing4 ,it is thought a great stretch of charity if he is kind to the atheist1 the materialist1 the infidel2 and to take in the tempted child of nature1 the drunkard1 the victim of lust1 avarice1 is extreme good-will1 benevolence amounting to saintliness4 ,to abolish from it the pretension of superiority in the form of pity1 as the high look upon the low1 the good upon the bad1 the moral upon the immoral1 the virtuous upon the vicious1 is1 it is presumed1 to overlook all recognized distinctions1 to enthrone nature1 to accept instinct as a safe guide1 to renounce religion altogether and reject the saying that the ,christian church is immortal because its fundamental dogma involves a doctrine of ,god in nature so ample and clear as to satisfy every profoundest want of the heart and every urgent demand of the head towards ,god forever4 ,there are distinctions enough among men at any rate1 and to obliterate them as far as possible is the office of true religion and all real humanity2 to increase love1 to multiply the bonds of fraternity1 to bring mankind to a social equality1 to annihilate all that keeps mortals apart4 ,of course the safety of society must be preserved by laws1 customs1 prejudices1 but care should be taken to make these simply protective in their function1 and in no event should it be assumed that such distinctions1 however radical1 have any absolute value or go beyond the limits of this outward world4 ,save men1 if you can1 from intemperance1 violence1 covetousness1 lasciviousness1 cowardice1 gluttony1 laziness1 from every vice that brutalizes them1 renders them objects of hate1 fear1 suspicion1 or jealousy2 make their circumstances wholesome1 their condition in life invigorating1 but do it in the name of enlightenment1 do it as members of the human brotherhood1 not as members of a divine organization4 ,many ministers make great efforts to exorcise this demon of exclusiveness1 but the effort is too severe for any but the few1 and the success of it is of doubtful accomplishment4 ,the ,christian minister is a representative of humanity1 pure and simple1 without recognition of its division into classes4 ,he is neither rich nor poor1 high nor low1 in society nor out of it1 elevated nor obscure4 ,he is democratic1 the friend of everybody1 the servant of all1 on terms of charity and sincerity with all men4 ,sectarianism1 with its manifold evils of violence1 malignity1 hatred1 misrepresentation1 is a standing evidence of the harm done to society by a priesthood1 whether ,catholic or ,protestant1 and ministers who have labored to overthrow its influence as being fatal to charity have been obliged to fight against the spirit of party1 and to rely more upon their natural disposition than upon their professional training4 ,in this respect the laity have been in advance of their so-called leaders4 ,the people have always been opposed to dogmatical exclusiveness1 and have welcomed every sign of generosity towards unbelievers4 ,they have followed their instinct of sympathy1 they have read the ,new ,testament by the light of their human feeling1 and setting common-sense against doctrinal narrowness1 have rejoiced at every victory gained over intolerance4 ,they have been friends of brotherhood2 they have adopted the cause of liberty2 and ,i must own with grief1 the foes they have had to contend with have been1 in too many instances1 the ministers who would not see that charity was before faith4 ,everybody must have observed the unanimity and the persistency with which ministers of all denominations and of all ages have devoted themselves to the rich4 ,in fact the devotion is so conspicuous that it is one of the commonplace criticisms on the profession4 ,people in general assume that this kind of adulation1 amounting often to toadyism1 is characteristic of the clerical calling1 so inseparable from it indeed that the majority of men are incredulous as to any departure from it1 and look with unfeigned admiration1 when there are no reasons for distrust1 on the minister who knows no distinction of persons or conditions1 but has regard to intellectual or spiritual considerations alone4 ,such a man is viewed as a wonder1 an exception to all rules1 singularly constituted1 either extraordinarily humane or extraordinarily obtuse1 either more or less than a man4 ,the worship of wealth is so common that some explanation of it must be given4 ,the sufferings1 mishaps1 troubles of the rich are reputed to be more serious than they are in the ordinary run of cases2 their disappointments are more pitiable1 their crosses heavier1 their losses severer1 their sorrows a graver imputation on ,providence4 ,they are looked on as the favorites of heaven1 and the cotton-wool in which they are wrapped is spoken of as the provision that is made for them expressly by the ,lord4 ,this may be accounted for on grounds of material convenience4 ,they who have money are of great importance1 and that they should be interested in church affairs is of immense moment to all concerned1 not to the ministers alone1 but to the entire congregation1 nay1 to the whole community of believing men4 ,there is always need of money1 to build churches1 pay officials1 hire singers1 furnish ornaments1 support charities1 maintain organizations for various ecclesiastical purposes2 and it is much easier to get this in larger sums and with little trouble1 than to obtain it in little driblets1 with much pain1 great expenditure of time1 and constant vexation of spirit4 ,the minister1 from the nature of the case1 is chargeable with this concern1 which obliges him to visit frequently the wealthier members of his sect4 ,to this end he must keep on good terms with them1 must sit at their tables1 eat their dinners1 drink their wine1 praise their pictures1 compliment their tastes1 commend their performances1 flatter their self-esteem1 admire their surroundings1 take their side in controversy2 and all such conduct is set down by kindly1 thoughtful people1 to the account of prudence which is more than pardonable in one situated as he is4 ,this is quite true1 but it is not the whole truth4 ,by implication already1 the duty of cultivating the rich as donors involves the qualities of manhood to an indefinite extent4 ,the line of necessary courtesy is not decisively drawn2 cannot be drawn by the rules of etiquette4 ,this must be the result of a trained experience1 of a delicacy and sensitiveness1 of a pride of selfhood1 of a loftiness or dignity of mind that are hardly to be looked for in any large class of human beings1 however free from special temptation or particular seductions that may be4 ,the influence of luxury1 ease1 comfort1 elegance1 is very insidious1 so that even an unusual zeal for truth1 an extraordinary passion for excellence1 yields to the power of moral indifference1 of intellectual superficialness1 which is characteristic of those who do not do battle with circumstances4 ,it is so much easier to do nothing than it is to do something2 it is so charming to be deferred to1 to be looked up to1 to be flattered1 to have one's opinion sought without being involved in discussion1 or vexed by opposition1 or confronted with scepticism2 it is so delightful to the natural man to sit in an easy cushioned chair1 and be treated with delicate courtesy and dainty refinement as an authority on matters theological1 philosophical1 literary1 instead of being put on the defensive by keen questioners who submit awkward problems for immediate solution2 it is so gratifying to one's self-esteem to be received as a superior being1 that ordinary human nature generally succumbs to the temptation and finds ready excuse for acquiescence in the necessity of being on good terms with one's wealthier parishioners1 and so securing their all important good-will4 ,in short1 a fastidious kind of flunkeyism is engendered that is quite inconsistent with the spiritual life4 ,the rich become a refuge as well as a resource1 and the inner man is weakened while the outer man is confirmed4 ,a species of lethargy creeps over mind and conscience4 ,even the moral purpose faints and languishes1 and charity ceases to be athletic1 as elegance of form is substituted for pith of resolution4 ,the prophet is induced to say smooth things1 to announce easy principles1 to gloze over hard interpretations1 to keep out of sight unwelcomed truths2 and extraordinary courage is required of those who would resist this tendency to complaisance4 ,the rich are1 from the nature of the case1 easily persuaded of the excellence of existing institutions1 ideas1 observances4 ,i had been in the pulpit five years before ,i saw ,henry ,james' remarkable lecture on ,property as a ,symbol1 and learned for the first time that ,property symbolizes the perfect sovereignty which man is destined to exercise over nature2 that ,property as an institution of human society expresses or grows out of this instinct of sovereignty in man4 ,while this instinct is as yet misunderstood or unrecognized by the individual1 while its full issues are as yet unimagined by him1 society lends all her force to educate it under this form of an aspiration after property1 or a desire to appropriate to one's self1 land1 houses1 money1 precious stones1 and whatsoever else evidences one's power over nature4444 ,thus the moral law is nothing more or less than an affirmation of the sacredness of private property4 ,it virtually asserts an individuality in man superior to that conferred by his nature4444 ,such is the temper of mind which ,god begets in him1 to subdue the whole realm of the outward and finite to himself1 to the service of his proper individuality1 and so vindicate the truth of his infinite origin4444 ,the sole ground of our sovereignty over nature is inward1 consisting in a ,god-inspired selfhood1 instinct with infinite power4 ,it would be comforting to believe that a felt consciousness of this infinitude1 however dim1 animates the attachment of the clergyman to the opulent of any congregation2 but ,i1 for one1 must make the confession that the fact of property was taken literally1 that the ideal1 symbolical character of it was concealed1 that the instinct of sovereignty was unrecognized and unimaginable1 and that the divine intent was unsought for1 the institution being held quite sufficient to itself and needing no authentication beyond its existence4 ,and such1 ,i apprehend1 is the prevailing view among the clergy1 whose worship of it is not identical with the adoration of the ,infinite4 ,one cannot undertake to speak with knowledge on a subject so complicated as this is with private motives1 personal temperaments1 social circumstances2 but1 as far as my memory goes1 the clergy1 as a class1 have been too much engaged with matters ecclesiastical to be deeply interested in any cause of reform1 and too timid to take the initiative in any matter involving disagreeable relations with controlling powers4 ,while towards the rich the attitude of the clergy is one of allegiance1 towards the poor it has been one of patronage4 ,this is a danger4 ,the poor ye have always with you1 and whenever ye will ye can do them good1 expresses their doctrine of charity4 ,as if the poor were created in order that others might exercise beneficence2 as if poverty was a providential institution1 maintained in the interest of religion6 ,it is hard in a so-called ,christian community to get away from this view4 ,the modern scientific theory and the ,christian theory are thus at war2 the former being intent on the well-being of society1 the latter having in mind the cultivation of the individual in tenderness of sympathy2 the former educating intelligence1 the latter educating feeling4 ,still there was charity4 ,the ,catholic ,church1 to say nothing here of any ecclesiastical purpose in keeping masses of men and women out of the world1 gathered those who could not help themselves into great buildings and took care of them4 ,in the ,protestant ,church the care of the poor has been held to be a religious duty1 and a large part of the efforts of ,christian ministers is directed to the fostering of pity and generosity in the hearts of the wealthy4 ,to give to those who had nothing was reckoned the chief of graces1 and charity--interpreted as love for those in want--was placed above faith and hope1 even when money alone was given4 ,not long ago a ,unitarian minister exhorted his congregation to set apart for the uses of the poor one tenth part of their annual income1 and doubtless he had the consciences of nearly all his hearers with him1 for the monstrous proposition has been so often asserted as to seem by this time a commonplace4 ,probably no man living does that or ever did1 and the practice of it on a large scale would pauperize the community4 ,think of it6 ,five thousand dollars a year is not a great income1 yet if every one who had as much bestowed a tenth part of it on charitable objects what a fund for human demoralization would be raised6 ,and when the income is ten thousand1 fifteen thousand1 twenty thousand1 the amount of imbecility created would be indescribable2 inertia would be frightfully increased1 and multitudes would sit with folded hands who otherwise would have lifted them to do some honest work4 ,a moral lethargy would fall on the toiling masses2 wealth-producing labor would shrink to narrower and narrower limits1 and a paralysis of energy would steal over the will of those whose need of resolution is the sorest4 ,wealth would consequently decrease1 and the number of the givers get smaller and smaller until accumulation1 which is the life of the modern world as distinguished from the ancient1 would be blighted4 ,the industrial classes would be reduced to servitude1 enormous fortunes would be gathered by fraud1 speculation1 cruelty1 and progressive society would relapse into sterility4 ,fortunately the minister could not persuade people to adopt this fatal policy4 ,fortunately1 in this particular1 niggardliness went hand in hand with common-sense4 ,that the churches1 under the lead of the ministers1 have done a vast deal in the direction of charity1 so far from being denied or disputed1 is cordially allowed and even maintained4 ,indeed1 this has been their chief function1 and they have discharged it with immense zeal and astonishing results4 ,but that it was an ideal profession is1 as ,i said1 a recommendation to the ministry4 ,it is a broad foundation for spiritual-mindedness1 for unworldliness4 ,true1 the habit of dealing with abstract topics1 of holding commerce with purely speculative themes1 of entertaining mere theories which cannot be verified1 of going back to what are called first principles1 imparts a curiously vague1 dreamy1 impersonal1 impalpable character to the minister's intellect1 rendering it unfit to treat concrete questions of life or morals2 for this reason he is not often successful as a man of business1 a practical politician1 a manager of affairs1 his cast of mind disqualifying him for close consideration of details4 ,the duty of answering unanswerable questions1 too1 of solving problems that are insoluble1 of replying positively to what1 from the nature of things1 he cannot know1 gives him a kind of ingenuity which is not genuine insight1 but consists in subtle turnings1 windings1 in making fine distinctions and splitting hairs1 and inventing ingenious interpretations1 rather than in keen insight or straightforward analysis4 ,he must seek ways of escape from his pursuers1 and1 when no other offers1 hide in the thicket of mystery or run up the tree of faith4 ,he must1 if possible1 have an explanation ready1 and1 if he has none1 he must fall back on authority1 and be impressive1 addressing the sentiment of awe which is usually alive in every bosom1 or1 in the last resort1 asseverating the truth of revelation1 and thus silencing the debate he cannot continue4 ,if neither conscience is satisfied1 his own or his interlocutor's1 there is no remedy save in submission4 ,he makes no attempt to clear up his conceptions1 or1 if he does1 ends at last in vacuity or discontent4 ,his neighbor1 unconvinced1 concludes that this is a clerical subterfuge1 and so far loses confidence in a profession he cannot understand4 ,probably he does not do it justice1 but the effect is the same1--a rooted depreciation such as would not be felt towards a layman who simply said that he had no answer4 ,the minister1 also1 is generally committed to a conception of the universe as a product of the ,supreme ,will which1 makes him an apologist4 ,he is1 after a fashion1 in the secret of ,god4 ,he is supposed to deliver messages and to utter oracles4 ,his is the wisdom of the ,eternal4 ,his is the ,bible4 ,his are the testimonies4 ,he must follow the ways of the ,spirit and defend the divine economy in the constitution of the world4 ,but in each case1 every allowance being made for indefiniteness1 for largeness of statement and broadness of exposition1 the minister must be a champion of the ,infinite ,wisdom and ,goodness1 pledged to maintain it against all opponents2 and however cordially he may choose that part1 the consciousness of being bound may act as a fretting annoyance1 not to say a galling restraint4 ,a singular dogmatism often accompanies this claim to speak in the name of the ,almighty2 the minister must enunciate truths1 not deliver opinions4 ,an authoritative tone gets into his voice1 pervades his manner1 affects his whole expression of face1 is conveyed by his gait and walk1 so that he is known at once from afar4 ,men hush their voices in his presence1 ventilate thoughts not natural to them1 conceal their actual sentiments1 from a feeling that he is to be deferred to1 not argued with like another man4 ,the tone of the pulpit animates his conversation and works into the very structure of his thought4 ,he is always a preacher4 ,the atmosphere of ,sunday hangs about him4 ,he carries the ,new ,testament into the parlor2 unconsciously to himself he uses the language of authority1 and finds to his mortification that he is angered by dispute4 ,the duty of administering consolation to the afflicted adds to this visionary frame of mind4 ,frequent intercourse with the suffering1 sad1 and bereaved1 intimate commerce with sick-beds and graves1 besides creating ghostly dispositions1 deepens his cast of thought4 ,to comfort people under disappointments1 to smooth the rugged path1 to quiet the perturbed heart1 is a business to discharge which all the resources of faith are called into requisition1 and any means that will accomplish the end in view are considered as justifiable4 ,in the effort to find comfortable things to say1 the temptation to say pleasant things1 easy things1 amiable things1 to present the kindly aspect of ,providence1 and to indulge happy fancies in regard to human allotments and destiny1 is exceedingly strong2 so that one may come at last to believe himself what gives so much contentment to others in the severe crises of existence4 ,the loving heart is in perilous proximity to the thinking head4 ,all the sweetest feelings of our nature1 the wish to console people1 to make them patient1 trusting1 resigned1 cheerful1 are brought in to reinforce the faith in a benignant purpose on the part of the ,creator1 and an unquestioning disposition is encouraged in the spiritual physician as well as in the stricken patient4 ,mr4 ,henry ,james says 7,substance and ,shadow1 p4 #bad73 ,protestant men and women1 those who have any official or social consequence in the church1 are apt to exhibit a high-flown religious pride1 a spiritual flatulence and sourness of stomach which you do not find under the ,catholic administration4 ,this is strong language1 but not too strong considering the author's abhorrence of exclusiveness1 separation1 ,pharisaism1 and his identification of this with official religion4 ,if humility is the base of all the virtues1 as it is commonly reported1 then a profession that directly favors pride is not productive of the highest type of character4 ,and if love1--kindness1 brotherhood1 fellowship1--is the fulfilment of the law1 then a calling that puts desire in conflict with duty is not conducive to unity or peace1 whether in the private mind or in the collective household4 ,character1 as naturally interpreted1 consists of an innate superiority to one's fellow-men in the qualities that glorify humanity1 purity1 heavenly-mindedness1 patience1 earnestness1 truthfulness1 sincerity4 ,character1 as spiritually interpreted1 consists of the cordial affiliation with one's fellow-men in the qualities that unite the atoms of humanity in love1 compassion1 humility1 forgiveness1 sympathy4 ,but the higher view has not prevailed in my experience2 let me repeat1 in the most emphatic language at my command1 my conviction that ministers as a body do not succumb to the temptations thus apparently incident to their profession4 ,it is commonly supposed that the intellectual part of the minister's labor--the making of the sermons--is most severe4 ,it is imagined that the task of addressing the same audience every ,sunday must be exceedingly arduous4 ,this is a mistake4 ,there is a facility of work in every profession4 ,the mind becomes accustomed to running in certain grooves1 to going through the same process of thinking1 to applying the same rules to many details of practice4 ,the longer one's continuance in the ministry1 the easier this becomes4 ,experience accumulates4 ,themes multiply4 ,novel suggestions occur4 ,new thoughts arise4 ,fresh books are written4 ,singular questions are proposed4 ,problems present fresh aspects4 ,the old interests remain in all their force4 ,men never tire hearing about ,god1 ,immortality1 ,destiny4 ,in truth1 the intellectual difficulties become less and less appalling until at last they disappear4 ,the real effort is to keep alive the feelings of humanity2 to overcome the inclination towards separation into classes2 to avoid distinguishing between persons2 to keep love glowing2 to maintain the supremacy of soul2 to identify spirituality with custom4 ,the preaching is subordinate not to the private practice alone1 but to the religious attitude towards mankind1 which is conditioned on charity and the recognition of human worth and sonship4 ,the most beautiful trait in the pastor is his universality1 his simple1 unaffected manhood4 ,but enough of criticism4 ,it is a privilege to belong to a profession occupied with things ethereal2 to be interested in the grandest themes2 to hold intercourse with the loftiest minds2 to live aloof from the world2 to put the happiest constructions on the events of human life2 to interpret ,providence beneficently4 ,and it is my firm persuasion that in proportion as the profession throws off the thraldom of ecclesiasticism and dogmatism1 it increases in power and is sure to recover its ancient superiority4 ,,xii4 ,,my ,,teachers4 ,among ,englishmen1 ,i owe the most to ,james ,martineau1 at the time of my ordination 7#ahdg71 a ,unitarian clergyman in ,liverpool4 ,his lectures in the ,unitarian controversy 7#ahci7 on ,christianity without ,priest and without ,ritual1 on ,the ,christian ,view of ,moral ,evil1 on ,the ,bible3 ,what ,it ,is and ,what ,it is ,not2 his articles on ,distinctive ,types of ,christianity1 on ,creeds and ,heresies of ,early ,christianity1 on ,the ,ethics of ,christendom1 on ,the ,creed of ,christendom1 on ,st4 ,paul and ,his ,modern ,students1 made a profound impression on my mind4 ,one passage in particular1 at the close of the essay on ,the ,ethics of ,christendom1 still lingers in my memory3 ,the old antagonism between the world that now is and any other that has been or is to come1 has been modified1 or has entirely ceased4444 ,here is the spot1 now is the time for the most devoted service of ,god4 ,no strains of heaven will wake man into prayer1 if the common music of humanity stirs him not4 ,the saintly company of spirits will throng around him in vain if he finds no angels of duty and affection in his children1 neighbors1 and friends4 ,if no heavenly voices wander around him in the present1 the future will be but the dumb change of the shadow on the dial4 ,in short1 higher stages of existence are not the refuge of this1 but the complement to it2 and it is the proper wisdom of the affections not to escape the one in order to seek the other1 but to flow forth in purifying copiousness on both4 ,martineau's intellectual fidelity1 accurate learning1 earnestness of feeling1 were exceedingly fascinating4 ,in this country ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson was the great teacher4 ,he gave an atmosphere rather than a dogma4 ,he was air and light4 ,he is best described1 not as a philosopher1 a man of letters1 a poet1 but as a seer4 ,his gift was that of insight4 ,this he tried to render comprehensive1 searching1 intelligent1 accurate1 by reading1 study1 meditation1 the acquaintance of distinguished men2 but he was never beguiled into thinking that learning1 eloquence1 wit1 constituted his peculiarity4 ,he had a penetrating1 eager1 questioning look4 ,his head was thrust out as if in quest of knowledge4 ,his gaze was steady and intense4 ,his speech was laconic and to the purpose4 ,his direct manner suggested a wish for closer acquaintance with the mind4 ,his very courtesy1 which was invariable and exquisite in its way1 had an air of inquiry about it4 ,there was no varnish1 no studied grace of motion or demeanor1 no manifest desire to please1 but a kind of wistfulness as of one who took you at your best and wanted to draw it out4 ,he accosted the soul1 and with the winning persuasiveness which befits friendliness on human terms4 ,there was a certain shyness which indicated the modesty which is born of the spirit4 ,but a commanding doer he certainly was not2 that is1 he was no man of expedients1 of practical resources1 of merely executive will4 ,he appreciated this kind of ability1 as his lecture on ,napoleon shows1 but he possessed little of it1 his ,yankee ingenuity being more confined in its range4 ,the moral courage belonged to him1 the earnestness1 the faith1 but his ethereal qualities lacked driving force4 ,his principles made him interested in every movement of reform1 for he had a boundless hope which led him sometimes into extravagant anticipations of truth and benefit4 ,every sign of life1 intellectual1 moral1 spiritual1 caught his eye1 and so long as it promised new developments of power his eager sympathy went with it1 but when the creative period ceased he turned away4 ,he early enlisted in the anti-slavery cause1 not because he had entire confidence in the negro1 or specially liked the abolitionists1 but because he demanded the utmost liberty for all men in order that substantial advantages might be widely shared2 but he was not prominent among the workers of that reform4 ,his name stood foremost in the list of those who claimed the emancipation of woman from social or political disability1 not that he was a worker in the woman's-rights phalanx1 not that he looked for any immediate benefit from that agitation1 or felt any particular interest in the leaders or in the success of that individual crusade1 but that he was in favor of the largest opportunity for all human beings1 and wished every particle of power to be used4 ,from the first he welcomed the ,free ,religious ,association as giving promise of original light1 greater breadth1 fresh vigor1 new revelations of knowledge in that most ideal1 but most deplorably limited1 of all spheres2 but when in his view that promise was unfulfilled1 though his name still stood with those of its vice-presidents1 he ceased to take any part in its proceedings or to feel any personal concern in its affairs4 ,there was something theoretical1 speculative1 in his attitude as a reformer4 ,his philosophy pledged him to the utmost individualism1 and this called for the utmost liberty1 that each might receive all he could of the divine fulness and be as much as his nature required4 ,hence his own limited expectation2 hence his enthusiasm in behalf of individuals like ,walt ,whitman1 ,john ,brown1 ,henry ,thoreau2 hence the light that came into his eyes when he sat in some reform convention where high thoughts were spoken4 ,his word was given1 and it was always inspiring1 emancipating1 uplifting1 heard in the valleys from the dizziest heights of vision2 but force was not his to give4 ,such words were more than half battles1 to be sure1 so invigorating were they to all the champions of good causes1 but they were words still1 and seemed to proceed from some upper region of impersonal mind4 ,they expressed convictions1 feelings1 desires1 but there was lack of blood in them4 ,they seemed made of air2 there was soul behind them1 but not as much body as many wished4 ,in a word1 all the ideal elements were present4 ,he was a man who believed1 felt1 hoped1 had vast resources of faith1 but was a thinker more than an actor4 ,thinking is indeed doing1 yet not in the same sphere of achievement4 ,emerson recognized the limitations of genius4 ,life is a scale of degrees1 he says in the lecture on the ,uses of ,great ,men4 ,between rank and rank of our great men are wide intervals4 ,mankind have in all ages attached themselves to a few persons who1 either by the quality of that idea they embodied1 or by the largeness of their reception1 were entitled to the position of leaders and lawgivers4444 ,with each new mind a new secret of nature transpires2 nor can the ,bible be closed until the last great man is born4444 ,we cloy of the honey of each peculiar greatness4 ,every hero becomes a bore at last4444 ,we balance one man with his opposite1 and the health of the state depends on the see-saw4 ,emerson looks forward to the time when all souls shall lie open to the heavenly influx1 and he regards greatness as an earnest of that possibility4 ,what disappointments he must have felt as he was forced to turn away from people who should have been saints and heroes1 but were none6 ,what bitter moments he must have known when he stretched out his arms to welcome a goddess and embraced only a cloud6 ,but his expectations continued eager2 no feature betrayed evidence that these practical refutations of his theory had effect on his heart4 ,whether ,emerson's constant belief in the ,over-soul1 his stubborn theism1 his persuasion of an immanent ,god1 was an advantage or a disadvantage to his philosophical view of the universe may be doubted4 ,on the one hand1 we cannot question the fact that he owed to it his enthusiastic faith in the substantial unity of creation1 his optimism1 his assurance of future progress1 his confidence in man1 his moral earnestness1 his elevation of soul1 his buoyancy of spirit1 his forwardness in all endeavors after reform4 ,on the other hand1 it can hardly be denied that it led him to take some things for granted1 diverted his mind from the unprejudiced observation of phenomena1 prevented his rendering full justice to the scientific method1 was the cause of wide aberrations in his estimates of human character1 and of a curious onesidedness in his judgments on human condition4 ,emerson was always profoundly religious1 at heart a supernaturalist4 ,the blood of centuries of pious ancestors was in his veins4 ,his soul was uppermost1 not his intellect nor his heart4 ,he was a closet man1 a minister at the altar4 ,true1 he rejected every form of the religious sentiment1 and moved with entire freedom among dogmas however expressed in word or in rite4 ,every attempt at giving voice to spiritual emotion was disagreeable to him4 ,i like a church2 ,i like a cowl2 ,i like a prophet of the soul2 ,and on my heart monastic aisles ,fall like sweet strains or pensive smiles2 ,yet not for all his faith can see ,would ,i that cowled churchman be4 ,theology had fallen from him like a shroud4 ,he would not venture any definition of the spiritual laws4 ,doctrine had become faith2 prayer was changed into aspiration2 the speechless utterance was the only one he cordially listened to4 ,but faith he held fast2 aspiration he cherished2 the inarticulate language of the eternal was ever in his ears4 ,ever and anon would come a burst of conviction4 ,oh1 my brothers1 ,god exists6 he cries in an ecstasy of emotion4 ,some years ago ,emerson seemed fascinated by the inductive method1 so that some of his admirers thought he would become a convert to physical science4 ,but the bent of his nature asserted itself1 and he pursued the deductive system as before4 ,his passion for ,first ,truths1 as they were called1 was irresistible4 ,he could not abandon the philosophy of intuition1 and all his studies--comprehensive1 profound1 and original as they were1--his insatiable thirst for knowledge1 his inordinate appetite for details of fact1 incidents1 anecdotes1 gleanings from literature of every kind1 were subservient to this4 ,emerson's serenity is often spoken of as evidence of the power of his religious faith4 ,it may allow of this construction1 but it may be accounted for on other and different grounds which lie nearer at hand and proceed immediately from more obvious sources4 ,how far may a long ancestral experience in devout meditations1 practices1 longings1 worked into the system and producing a sedate1 calm1 interior temperament1 go in explaining that almost imperturbable tranquillity8 ,the piety of his forefathers was so genuine that it drove him from the church of his adoption1 and rendered another calling sacred4 ,their descendant exhibited the same saintliness which they possessed but in a different fashion4 ,and he was probably saintlier than they were1 because he was their child4 ,his brothers had the same characteristic of equanimity by virtue of the same parentage4 ,his brother ,william1 whom ,i knew intimately in ,new ,york1 showed in his daily life a similar dignity1 and tradition reports the same of ,charles4 ,it was the perfect fruitage of centuries of heavenly-minded men1 not the peculiarity of an individual soul4 ,this predisposition to inwardness was favored by the long seclusion of ,concord1 which kept ,emerson aloof from the world and prevented the friction which is so damaging to serenity4 ,he saw those only who respected1 loved1 honored1 and revered him4 ,he came into collision with none4 ,men of thought1 unambitious men1 students1 farmers1 were his fellow-townsmen4 ,several hours in each day he was alone with his books or his mind4 ,when he visited the city it was for an intellectual or social purpose1 as one who had dropped from a star and was soon to vanish4 ,his contact was with men of letters1 clergymen1 publishers1 friends1 gentlemen interested in mental pursuits who had left their business in order to disport themselves in the fields of thought4 ,these added to his stores of wisdom1 and sent him home replenished rather than drained4 ,the gains of his day were not dissipated either by business occupation or pleasure4 ,then1 whether from disposition or philosophy we cannot tell1 this man avoided everything dark1 evil1 unwholesome1 unpleasant4 ,sickness of all kinds1 complaint1 depression1 melancholy1 was an abomination to him4 ,he turned away from ugly sights and sounds1 thus evading conflict4 ,he never argued1 never discussed1 but said his word as well as he could1 and encouraged others to say theirs1 in this way hoping to get at the truth4 ,by this course he escaped the usual provocations to ill-temper1 and was forced upon an undisturbed equipoise of mind4 ,nothing helps serenity so much as avoidance of contest1 and when one can thoroughly convince himself that there is no rooted evil in the world to be fought against1 an even condition of soul is not hard to maintain2 optimism is proverbially cheerful1 but an optimism that is grounded in principle must be unconquerable by any force that circumstances can bring against it4 ,it must be remembered that ,emerson was not a man of warm temperament1 not tropical in color or in heat2 more like the morning1 cool and breezy1 than like the sultry noon-day1 or the glowing evening2 more like the dewy spring1 than the effulgent summer or the fruit-bearing autumn2 not a child of the sun1 rather suggesting the still1 white1 imaginative moonlight4 ,there was an air of remoteness about him4 ,his remark to the inn-keeper1--heat me red-hot1 tells the story4 ,simple habits kept his frame wiry1 and a ,new ,england nurture saved his mind from luxuriant uncleanness4 ,by nature he was passionless4 ,the beautiful ,threnody on the death of his boy1 reveals the sorrow of a soaring mind rather than the grief of a crushed heart4 ,to command one's self enough for such an effort evinces a rare power of rising above mortal conditions4 ,such a constitution finds solitude congenial and is calm by force of inclination4 ,friendship seems an emotion better suited than love to that ethereal soul1 which was always radiant but seldom burning1 benignant1 seldom craving1 always gracious in imparting1 seldom hungry for receiving4 ,one might walk in his illumination1 but one could hardly bask in his heat1 or lie on his bosom1 or nestle near his heart4 ,they that knew him at home may speak more warmly of him1 but thus he appeared to people outside2 thus he appeared to many who had admired him as ,i did and tried to get close to him4 ,the love of wild1 untrimmed nature1 the want of interest in cultivated gardens1 was part of his theory of the universe as the expression of ,god2 the richer1 the less it was interfered with4 ,he would approach as near to the ,creator as possible1 listening for the divine voice1 which was most clearly heard in the wilderness4 ,to the same source must be ascribed his partiality for wild1 untrained men1--foresters1 hunters1 pioneers1 trappers1 back-woodsmen4 ,he sought everywhere after originality1 freshness1 power1 in individuals and in groups4 ,he hailed a genius1 however rough4 ,unconventionality excited his enthusiasm to such a degree that he could scarcely contain himself1 but said the most extravagant things in the ecstasy of his hope4 ,men of polished outside he did not care for2 mechanical men1 however successful1 politicians1 however popular and adroit1 were his aversion4 ,accomplishments1 however great1 scholarship however finished1 he did not respect4 ,he wanted the rough1 uncut gem4 ,genius of whatever description1 in whatever class1 whatever its order or grade1 was his joy4 ,in him the love of truth predominated4 ,he submitted to the inconvenience of imperfect opinion1 but respected the highest law of his being4 ,he believed in the eternal laws of mind1 in the self-existence of right1 in purity1 veracity1 goodness4 ,he was one of the most honest of men1 one of the cleanest1 and he did his utmost to bring his life into correspondence with his best thought4 ,that all created things must be imperfect was part of his creed2 that this imperfection ran through human character he was as much convinced as any man2 and his efforts were unceasing to turn men's eyes towards the beauty ancient but ever new1 which he in his moments of insight beheld4 ,no one lives up to his most exalted faith4 ,no one ever endeavored to do so more sincerely and humbly than ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,in my early ministry1 the discourses of ,dr4 ,orville ,dewey on ,human ,nature1 ,human ,life1 ,the ,nature of ,religion1 seemed all-sufficing4 ,i read them over and over again with increasing admiration1 and his solutions of spiritual problems were accepted as final4 ,miss ,mary ,dewey1 in the admirable memoir of her father1 lays great stress on his affectionate qualities4 ,these cannot be too emphatically asserted2 yet they probably had more scope than even she suspected4 ,indeed1 unless ,i am much mistaken1 they formed the basis of his character4 ,he was a most deep-feeling man4 ,he loved his friends in and out of the profession1 with a loyal1 hearty1 obliging1 warm1 and even tender emotion1 expressing itself in word and deed4 ,it was overflowing1 not in any sentimental manner1 but in a manly1 sincere way4 ,he was a man of infinite good-will1 of a quite boundless kindness4 ,his voice1 his expression of face1 his smile1 the grasp of his hand1--all gave sign of it4 ,he felt things keenly2 his sensibilities were most acute2 even his thoughts were suffused with emotion4 ,he could not discuss speculative themes as if they were cold or dry4 ,nothing was arid to his mind4 ,in prayer it was not unusual for his audience to discern tears rolling down his cheeks4 ,one day1 in his study1 on speaking about the intellectual implications of the ,philosophie ,positive1 he dropped his head and seemed for a moment lost in reverie largely made up of devotion4 ,in him1 heart was uppermost2 intellect1 conscience1 were of subordinate value when taken alone2 in fact1 they were incomplete by themselves1 and wanted their proper substance4 ,he said once that his skin was so delicate that the least soil on his hands was felt all through his system and prevented him from working4 ,this excessive sensibility1 which could not be understood by the world at large1 was at the bottom of his likes and dislikes1 of his personal fears and hopes4 ,excitement drained off his strength4 ,he exhausted himself physically1 and fell into ill-health by exertions that would not have taxed an ordinary constitution4 ,it cost him a great deal to write sermons1 to visit the sick or sorrowing1 to conduct public services4 ,at the same time1 he was disqualified1 by a certain want of steel in his blood1 for any but the clerical profession1 where qualities like his are of inestimable value1 and of the rarest kind4 ,he was a minister from the beginning1 always profoundly interested in questions of the interior life1 and though he early left the orthodox communion and became a preacher of ,unitarian ,christianity1 making it his work to apply religious ideas to all the concerns of the natural world and the secular life1 he retained all the fervor of spirit that charaterized the most devout believer4 ,a vein of passionate feeling ran through all his discourses1 and while his themes were taken from daily existence1 his thoughts were fixed on eternity4 ,he was absorbed in the destiny of the human soul1 of the individual soul1 bringing all discussions to that point1 and trying to make lasting impressions on the spiritual natures of men and women4 ,when ,i first knew him he had the reputation of being a self-indulgent man4 ,this was a great mistake4 ,his way of life was exceedingly simple1 and his habits were almost abstemious4 ,in fact1 neither his physical nor his mental constitution allowed of any indulgence in eating or drinking4 ,still the impression was a natural one1 for a certain amount of ease1 exemption from care1 gayety1 was necessary to him4 ,the society of elegant1 accomplished people was indispensable to his recreation and rest4 ,his motive for seeking such was not the love of luxury so much as a demand for recreation and a craving for repose4 ,he was not1 in any sense1 an earthy man or one who loved sensual delights4 ,on the contrary1 he was always mindful of his calling1 always intent on high subjects1 always ready to lead intercourse upwards1 always1 to the extent of his power1 interested in the moral aspect of current discussions2 over-anxious1 if anything1 to approach speculative themes4 ,he possessed an eager1 unresting1 questioning mind4 ,he was always thinking1 and on great subjects of theology or philosophy1 and he put into them an amount of feeling that is extraordinary with intellectual men4 ,that he should have been so sensitive as he was to the words and suspicions of anti-slavery men who charged him with being an advocate of a fugitive-slave law1 an apologist for slavery1 a ready tool of the inhuman1 reactionary party of the country1 is not surprising4 ,his dread of pain1 his hatred of falsehood1 his horror of injustice1 his love of fair play1 will sufficiently account for this2 while the impossibility of explaining himself kept the wound open4 ,that for thirty years the sore should have bled1 shows the delicacy of his temperament and the shrinking nature of his will4 ,to speak of him as a friend of slavery is absurd4 ,no one can read his sermon on ,the ,slavery ,question1 preached shortly after the annexation of ,texas and at a moment of great excitement at the ,north in regard to the advances of the slave-power1 and not perceive that he was deeply moved4 ,are these people ,,men8 he said2 that is the question4 ,if they are men1 it will not do to make them instruments for mere convenience1--for the mere tillage of the soil2--if they are men1 it is not enough to say that they have a sort of animal freedom from care1 and joyance of spirits4 ,if they are men1 they are to be cultivated2 their faculties are to be regarded as precious2 they are to be improved4444 ,if he is a man1 then he is not only improvable and ought to be improved1 but he will improve in spite of all we can do4 ,and a great deal more to the same effect4 ,he indignantly protested against treating an intelligent creature1 a fellow-being1 a brother-man1 a being capable of indefinite expansion and immortal progress1 as one would treat a tree1 a flower1 an ox1 or a horse4 ,grant that the ,african of the present generation cannot be raised to our stature2 yet if in the course of ages he may be1 and if it is our policy systematically to arrest or to retard his growth1 does the case materially differ from what ,i have supposed8 ,namely that of a child4 ,dr4 ,dewey visited slave-,states and talked with slave-holders in order to make himself fully acquainted with the condition of opinion and of feeling about the case1 and he took occasion everywhere to argue the ,northern side4 ,this ought to be enough in the way of vindication of his personal sentiments4 ,at the same time1 he was a ,unionist of the ,webster school4 ,his attachment to the ,union was intense4 ,disunion in his judgment meant ceaseless discord1 the end of republican institutions1 the arrest of civilization1 the indefinite postponement of progress1 the hopelessness of education and uplifting for the slave1 the withdrawal of ,northern influence1 the final overthrow of government by moral powers4 ,a long reign of anarchy1 in the course of which the lovers of the race must see their visions of good disappear1 would supervene1 and this he could not contemplate with equanimity4 ,then he was an old-fashioned enemy of war1 especially of civil war4 ,he was a sincere lover of peace1 and a believer in the arts of peace1 in industry1 education1 the diffusion of intelligence1 the weaving of the ties of fraternity2 and though he acknowledged the heroic mission of strife1 he recoiled instinctively from it4 ,war1 in his estimation1 was an inevitable necessity in the order of the world1 but it was an awful element in the world problem2 a fearful scourge1 a condition to be outgrown along with vice1 passion1 injustice1 selfishness1 ambition1 a sign that is destined to disappear as intelligence and ,christianity come in4 ,it must be submitted to as an ordination of ,providence1 but it should never be precipitated by men1 least of all should it be brought on hastily1 by unreasonableness1 malignity1 or hate4 ,the evils of war were precisely such as appealed most directly to his imagination2 they were so personal1 they were so domestic1 they were so pitiable1 they were so full of tears4 ,he shrank from violence1 from rage1 from party ambition1 from curses and cries4 ,he loved his countrymen1 and1 so long as any reason remained1 he could not bear to think of fighting4 ,so long as any oil was left in the can1 the troubled waters were not to be abandoned by the peace-makers4 ,it was much for him to have patience with those who used angry words1 even in a cause of righteousness4 ,he1 for his part1 could not scold or overstate1 or do anything in a harsh temper4 ,dr4 ,dewey believed in colonization2 not necessarily in ,africa1 but in a separation between the white and black races1 in the civilization of the negro4 ,in the tenth lecture of the course on ,the ,problem of ,human ,destiny 7#ahfd71 he takes occasion to welcome the great hope that thus was opened for purging our ,american soil from the stain of slavery4 ,many of us have long been asking how this is to be done4 ,look at ,africa1 surrounded by a wall of darkness1 and filled with cruelty and blood1 with no civilizing influence in herself1 as the story of ages has proved2 what now do we see8 ,britain sends to her borders the man-stealer1 to tear her children from her bosom and transport them to the ,american colonies4 ,it was a deed of unmingled atrocity1 compared with which capture in war was generous and honorable2 the ,african ,king of ,dahomey grows white by the side of the ,saxon slave-trader4 ,but what follows8 ,the ,african people in this country improve1 and are now far advanced beyond their kindred at home4 ,and now they begin to return2 they are building a state on their native borders which promises to stop the slave trade with ,africa and to spread light and civilization through her dark solitudes4 ,at the close of his discourse on the slavery question1 he said3 ,if ,i were to propose a plan to meet the duties and perils of this tremendous emergency that presses upon us1 ,i would engage the whole power of this nation1 the willing co-operation of the ,north and the ,south1 if it were possible1 to prepare this people for freedom2 and then ,i would give them a country beyond the mountains1--say the ,californias1--where they might be a nation by themselves4 ,ah6 if the millions upon millions spent upon a ,mexican war could be devoted to this purpose1--if all the energies of this country could be employed for such an end1--what a noble spectacle were it for all the world to behold1 of help and redemption to an enslaved people6 ,what a purifying and ennobling ministration for ourselves6 ,the intimacy with ,dr4 ,charming re-inforced the conclusions which were native to ,dr4 ,dewey's temperament4 ,the moderate view1 the dread of overstatement1 the fear of fanaticism1 the faith in reason1 the love of tranquillity1 the desire after truth1 were rooted in his mind4 ,his constitutional conservatism was confirmed4 ,then he was a ,unitarian1 and therefore rational in his methods1 inclined to judge by arguments1 to sift opinions by the understanding4 ,the abolitionists were1 for the most part1 either ,calvinists or transcendentalists1 people who followed an inward voice1 who placed interior conviction before ratiocination1 and encouraged moral sentiment to take the lead in action1 blowing coals into a flame1 and not content unless they saw a blaze4 ,the ,unitarians1 as a class1 were not ardent disciples of any moral cause1 and took pride in being reasoners1 believers in education1 and in general social influence1 in the progress of knowledge1 and the uplifting of humanity by means of ideas4 ,the habit of discountenancing passion may have been fostered in a school like this4 ,perhaps if young ,dewey had continued in his old belief he would have been a more vehement reformer than he was4 ,his natural glow was softened down into a mild effulgence1 communicating warmth to his convictions1 but not producing a burning zeal for any substance of doctrine4 ,his power of emotion made him a powerful preacher but prevented his being a great philosopher4 ,dr4 ,bellows1 who was his close friend for many years1 described him as a man of massive intellectual power1 and then went on to impute to him the gifts that belong to the pulpit orator3 poetic imagination1 a rare dramatic faculty of representation4 ,perhaps by massive ,dr4 ,bellows meant the power to throw thoughts in a mass1 with cumulative effect4 ,this power ,dr4 ,dewey certainly possessed in an extraordinary degree4 ,but of philosophical talent he had little4 ,indeed1 he seemed to be conscious of this himself4 ,at the end of his first lecture before the ,lowell ,institute he said3 ,i am not sorry that the place and occasion require me to make this a popular theme4 ,i am not to speak for philosophers1 but for the people4 ,i wish to meet the questions which arise in all minds that have awaked to any degree of reflection upon their nature and being1 and upon the collective being of their race4 ,i have hoped that ,i should escape the charge of presumption by the humbleness of my attempt--the attempt1 that is to say1 to popularize a theme which has hitherto been the domain of scholars4 ,the lecture assumes the existence of a ,personal ,god1 the reality of a conscious soul1 the freedom of the human will1 the fact of a moral purpose in creation1 the perfectibility of man1 the idea of progress1 the evidence of design in the universe attesting a divine intelligence4 ,the treatment nowhere shows metaphysical acumen or speculative insight4 ,on every page is brilliancy1 eloquence1 skilful manipulation of arguments1 fervent appeal to conscience4 ,nowhere is subtilty or depth of intuition4 ,take for example the discourse on ,the ,problem of ,evil1 the most intellectually exacting of all subjects4 ,it ends thus after a series of pictures3 ,give me freedom1 give me knowledge1 give me breadth of experience2 ,i would have it all4 ,no memory is so hallowed1 no memory is so dear1 as that of temptation nobly withstood1 or of suffering nobly endured4 ,what is it that we gather and garner up from the solemn story of the world1 like its struggles1 its sorrows1 its martyrdoms8 ,come to the great battle1 thou wrestling1 glorious1 marred nature6 strong nature6 weak nature6 ,come to the great battle1 and in this mortal strife strike for immortal victory6 ,the highest ,son of ,god1 the best beloved of ,heaven that ever stood upon earth1 was made perfect through suffering4 ,and sweeter shall be the cup of immortal joy1 for that it once was dashed with bitter drops of pain and sorrow2 and brighter shall roll the everlasting ages1 for the dark shadows that clouded the birth-time of our being4 ,this is not argument1 but preaching--- very fine1 stimulating1 powerful preaching1 but preaching nevertheless2 quite different from ,james ,martineau's treatment of the same theme1 in the course of the ,liverpool lectures 7delivered in #ahci74 ,mr4 ,martineau1 too1 addressed a popular assembly1 and closed his discourse in a strain of exhortation4 ,still1 the grave tone of the previous discussion sobered the rhetoric1 and the background of the ancient debate made the moral lessons solemn4 ,philosophy yielded to the necessities of ethics1 much as the ,kritik der ,reinen ,vernunft gave place to the ,kritik der ,practischen ,vernunft of ,kant--the preacher and the reasoner standing indeed on different ground1 but the moral instruction being tempered by the philosophical4 ,orville ,dewey was a great preacher1 perhaps the greatest that the ,unitarian communion has produced2 greater as a preacher than ,dr4 ,channing1 because more various and more sympathetic1 nearer to the popular heart1 less inspired by grand ideas1 and for that reason more moving4 ,he was imbued with ,channing's fundamental thought--the ,dignity of ,human ,nature1--and illustrated it with a wealth of imagination1 enforced it by an urgency of appeal1 quickened it by an affluence of dramatic representation all his own4 ,his function was to apply this doctrine to every incident of life1 to politics1 business1 art1 literature1 society1 amusement1 and he did this with a boldness1 a freedom1 a frankness unusual at any time1 but without example when he was in the ministry4 ,i shall never forget1 in one of his sermons1 an allusion to a symphony of ,beethoven which gave me a new conception of the essential humanity of the pulpit's office1 of the close association that there was between religion and art4 ,his conversational style1 impassioned but not stilted and never turgid1 was exceedingly impressive1 while his constant employment of the forms of reasoning added weight to his sentences4 ,the discourse was plain1 and yet from its copiousness it was ornate2 and the affectionate tone assumed an air of grave remonstrance which was deepened in effect by the appearance of formal logic4 ,the hearer seemed to be admitted to the secrets of a living1 earnest mind1 and to be listening to something more than the usual enunciations of ethical principle4 ,at the same time his own will was consulted1 he was taken into partnership with the orator and introduced to the processes of conviction4 ,his state of feeling was considered1 his objections were met1 his scruples answered1 his arguments confronted4 ,he was1 in short1 treated like a rational being1 to be reasoned with1 not to be looked down upon4 ,dr4 ,dewey was always a friend of liberal thought4 ,there are no more significant pages in his daughter's memoir of him than those which contain his correspondence with ,mr4 ,chadwick1 one of the most radical of ,unitarian divines4 ,he was himself a student of divinity at ,andover1 early converted to ,unitarianism1 became an assistant and warm friend of ,dr4 ,channing1 but instead of remaining stationary in dogmatic faith1 took a rational view of all religious questions1 favored the largest liberality1 and welcomed every effort to adapt spiritual ideas to actual knowledge4 ,he had no dogmatic prepossessions1 and no professional fears4 ,what he asked for was sincerity coupled with earnestness4 ,this being given1 conclusions1 within certain limits1 of course1 were of little moment4 ,theodore ,parker used to sadden and irritate him1 but less on account of his opinions than on account of his pugnacious manner in expressing them4 ,parker rather despised him for what he regarded as his time-serving disposition1 and could not understand his mental delicacy2 but men who thought as ,parker did were even then on the best terms with ,dr4 ,dewey1 whose mellowness1 on the whole1 increased instead of diminishing with age1 and was greatest in his declining years4 ,he was a man fond of personalities2 even in his addresses on the greatest themes1 he would if possible narrow the subject down to the measure of individual application4 ,thus when lecturing on ,the ,problem of ,evil1 after submitting various considerations1 he adds3 ,broad and vast and immense as that problem may appear1 it is after all1 in actual experience1 purely individual4444 ,the truth is1 nobody has experienced more of it than you or ,i have1 or might have1 experienced4 ,with regard to all the intrinsic difficulties of the case1 it is as if one life had been lived in the world2 and since no man has lived another's life1 or any life but his own1 there has been to actual individual consciousness but one life of thirty1 seventy1 or a hundred years lived on earth4 ,the problem really comes within that compass4444 ,if ,i can solve the problem of existence for myself1 ,i have solved it for everybody2 ,i have solved it for the human race4444 ,do you and ,i find anything in this our life that makes us prize it1 anything that makes us feel that we had rather have it than have it not8 ,doubtless we do and other men do2 all men do4 ,this passage illustrates well the tendency to personal reference that distinguished the man4 ,in a discourse on war delivered before the ,peace ,society he resolves its miseries into those of the individual1 as if mass--affecting1 as it does1 nations1 civilizations1 humanity itself--counted for nothing4 ,this tendency explains his fondness for his friends1 his strength of sympathy1 his tenacity of attachment1 his love for people4 ,it does not betoken a broad1 deep1 philosophic mind1 but it does betoken a warm1 clinging1 affectionate nature4 ,it made him too a charming feature in society1 a delightful talker1 an easy1 graceful1 delectable companion1 an interested adviser and counsellor1 a beloved person in his family1 an excellent townsman4 ,we should be grateful for this1 that one has lived to irradiate a somewhat sad profession1 to warm the bleak spaces of mortal existence1 to throw a gleam of gladness upon the sunless problems of human destiny4 ,it is a great deal to be assured that a living heart has walked with us1 and that a living voice has proclaimed the heart-side of man's lot4 ,,xiii4 ,,my ,,companions4 ,these were many1 but most of them are living and cannot1 therefore1 be spoken of4 ,there is an advantage in writing about the dead1 for they cannot protest against the handsome things you say1 and they cannot remonstrate against the unhandsome things4 ,i shall on this account choose but two1 with whom ,i was very intimate1 and who are very near to my heart4 ,i shall give sketches of ,john ,weiss and ,samuel ,johnson1 and first of ,john ,weiss499 99 ,reprinted from the ,unitarian ,review of ,may1 #ahhh4 ,this man was a flame of fire4 ,he was genius unalloyed by terrestrial considerations2 a spirit lamp always burning4 ,he had an overflow of nervous vitality1 an excess of spiritual life that could not find vents enough for its discharge4 ,as his figure comes before me it seems that of one who is more than half transfigured4 ,his large head2 his ample brow2 his great1 dark eyes2 his sable-silvered beard and full moustache2 his gray hair1 thick and close on top1 with the strange line of black beneath it1 like a fillet of jet2 his thin1 piping1 penetrating1 tenuous voice1 that trembled as it conveyed the torrent of thought2 the rapid1 sudden manner1 suggesting sometimes the lark and sometimes the eagle2 the small but sinewy body2 the delicate hands and feet2 the sensitive touch1 feeling impalpable vibrations and detecting movements of intelligence within the folds of organization 7they say he could tell the character of a great writer by holding a sealed letter from his hand71--all indicated a half-disembodied soul4 ,his spoken addresses and written discourses confirm the impression4 ,i first met him at the meetings of the ,hook-and-,ladder199 a ministerial club of which we both were members4 ,at the house of ,thomas ,starr ,king1 in ,boston1 he read a sermon on the supremacy of the spiritual element in character1 which impressed me as few pulpit utterances ever did1 so fine was it1 so subtle1 yet so massive in conviction4 ,illustrations that he used stay by me now1 after the lapse of more than forty years4 ,i next heard him in ,new ,bedford1 at the installation of ,charles ,lowe1 when1 in ill-health and feeble1 he gave1 in substance1 the discourse on ,materialism1 afterwards published in the volume on ,immortal ,life4 ,it struck me then as exceedingly able2 and it derived force from the intense earnestness of its delivery1 as by one who could look into the invisible world1 and could speak no light word or consult transient effects4 ,many years later1 ,i listened1 in ,new ,york1 to his lectures on ,greek ideas1 the keenest interpretation of the ancient myths1 the most profound1 luminous1 sympathetic1 ,i have met with4 ,he had the faculty of reading between the lines1 of apprehending the hidden meaning1 of setting the old stories in the light of universal ideas1 of lighting up allusions4 ,the lecture on ,prometheus ,i remember as especially radiant and inspiring2 but they were all remarkable for positive suggestions of a very noble kind4 99 ,we copy from a private letter the following account of the origin of this club and of its grotesque name1 which has lost1 alas6 its significance to the younger generation4 ,in the year #ahdd 7,i think it was7 a few of us young ministers formed a club1 including ,charles ,brigham1 ,edward ,hale1 ,john ,weiss1 with one or two elders1 as ,dr4 ,hedge and1 later1 ,o4 ,b4 ,frothingham1 ,starr ,king1 ,w4 ,r4 ,alger1 ,william ,b4 ,greene1 and others4 ,we went long without a name1 in spite of my urgent appeals as ,secretary1 till one fine day1 at ,george ,r4 ,russell's house in ,west ,roxbury1 in an after-dinner frolic1 ,weiss turned the garden-engine hose upon a fellow-member and drenched him from head to foot2 upon which escapade it was unanimously agreed to call ourselves the ',hook-and-,ladder1' by which name the memory of it is fondly kept among us to this day4 ,a similar older fraternity had gone by the name of the ',railroad ,association1' and1 in imitation1 when it was proposed to borrow a title from some like line of industry we1 on this sudden whim1 chose the fire-department4 ,his genius was eminently religious4 ,not1 indeed1 in any customary fashion1 nor after any usual way4 ,he belonged to the ,rationalists1 was a ,protestant of an extreme type1 an avowed adherent of the most advanced views1 a speaker on the ,free ,religious platform1 a writer for the ,massachusetts ,quarterly1 and for the ,radical4 ,his was a purely natural1 scientific1 spiritual faith1 unorthodox to the last degree1--logically1 historically1 critically1 sentimentally so1--so on principle and with fixed purpose4 ,the accepted theory of religion excited his indignation1 his scorn1 his amazement1 and his mirth4 ,he could brook no dogmatic limitations1 even of the most liberal sect1 but went on and on1 past all barriers1 facing all adversaries1 confronting every difficulty1 and resting only when there was nothing more to discover4 ,he had an agonized impatience to know whatever was to be known1 to get at the ultimate data of assurance4 ,nothing less would satisfy him4 ,his cup of joy was not full till he could touch the bottom4 ,then it overflowed1 and there was glee as of a strong swimmer who is sure of his tide4 ,his exultation is almost painful1 as he welcomes fact after fact1 feeling more and more positive1 with each new demonstration of science1 that the advent of certainty was by so much nearer4 ,evidence that to most minds seemed fatal to belief was1 in his sight1 confirmatory of it1 as rendering its need more clear and more imperious4 ,we need be afraid of nothing in heaven or earth1 whether dreamt of or not in our philosophy4 ,the position of theistic naturalism entitles it not to be afraid of all the scientific facts that can be produced4 ,there is dignity in dust that reaches any form1 because it eventually betrays a forming power1 and ceases to be dust by sharing it4 ,it is a wonder to me that scholars and clergymen are so skittish about scientific facts4 ,we owe a debt to the scientific man who can show how many moral customs result from local and ethnic experiences1 and how the conscience is everywhere capable of inheritance and education4 ,he cannot bring us too many facts of this description1 because we have one fact too much for him2 namely1 a latent tendency of conscience to repudiate inheritance and every experience of utility1 to fly in its face with a forecast of a transcendental utility that supplies the world with its redeemers1 and continually drags it out of the snug and accurate adjustment of selfishness to which it arrives4 ,there is a great deal to the same purpose4 ,in fact1 ,mr4 ,weiss cannot say enough on this head4 ,he accepts the doctrine of evolution in its whole length and breadth4 ,of what consequence is it whence the living matter is derived8 ,we are not appalled at the possibility that organic matter may be made out of non-living1 or1 more properly1 inorganic matter4 ,we are nerved for such a result1 whether it occur in the laboratory or in nature1 by the conviction that the spiritual functions are no more imperilled by using matter in any way1 than that the ,creator hazarded his existence by originating matter in some way to be used by himself and by us4 ,science does me this inestimable benefit of providing a universe to support my personal identity1 my moral sense1 and my feeling that these two functions of mind cannot be killed4 ,its denials1 no less than its affirmations1 set free all the facts ,i need to make my body an expression of mental independence4 ,hand-in-hand with science ,i go1 by the steps of development back to the dawn of creation2 and1 when there1 we review all the forces and their combinations that have helped us to arrive1 and both of us together break into a confession of a force of forces4 ,this cordial sympathy with science1 this absence of all savor of a polemical spirit1 this hearty welcoming of every fact of anatomy and chemistry1 is very noble and inspiring4 ,it is very wise1 too1 though the noble1 hearty side was alone attractive to him4 ,he had in view no other1 being a single-minded lover of truth4 ,but1 nevertheless1 he could not have adopted a more politic course4 ,for thus he propitiated the scepticism of the age1 struck in with the prevailing current1 disarmed opposition1 and erected his own principles on the eminence which scientific men have raised and which they cannot build too high for his purposes4 ,he doubles on his pursuers1 and fairly flanks his foes4 ,this throws the labor of refuting him on the idealists1 who may not care to become responsible for his positions1 and may demur to conclusions he arrives at1 while they cannot but applaud his general aims1 and wish they could give positive assent to all his specific doctrines4 ,there was always this discrepancy between his sentiment and his logic2 but it came out most conspicuously in his elaborate arguments4 ,the burden of his exposition was the existence of an ideal sphere1 quite distinct from visible phenomena2 facts of consciousness attesting personality1 a moral law1 an intelligent cause1 an active conscience1 a living heart2 order1 beauty1 harmony1 humanity1 self-forgetfulness1 self-denial4 ,as he states it3 ,i claim1 against a strictly logical empirical method1 three classes of facts3 first1 the authentic facts of the ,moral ,sense1 whenever it appears as the transcender of the ripest average utility2 second1 the facts of the ,imagination1 as the anticipator of mental methods by pervading everything with personalty1 by imputing life to objects1 or by occasional direct suggestion2 third1 the facts of the ,harmonic ,sense1 as the reconciler of discrete and apparently sundered objects1 as the prophet and artist of number and mathematical ratio1 as the unifier of all the contents of the soul into the acclaim which rises when the law of unity fills the scene4 ,upon these facts1 ,i chiefly sustain myself against the theory which1 when it is consistently explained1 derives all possible mental functions from the impacts of objectivity4 ,if ,mr4 ,weiss had stopped with this general thesis1 he would probably have carried most ,rationalists1 certainly the mass of ,transcendentalists1 with him4 ,they would have been only too glad to welcome so clear and brilliant a champion4 ,but he insisted on gathering up these conceptions into two points of doctrine--,god and ,immortality4 ,on these points his arguments become strained1 and too subtle for ordinary minds4 ,indeed1 many will be inclined to suspect his whole exposition1 which would be a misfortune of a very grave character4 ,mr4 ,emerson avoided all definite assertion of personality carried beyond the limits of individuality in the present state of existence4 ,mr4 ,weiss is more daring1 and proclaims a ,god who arranges creation as it is1 and an immortality that drops what to most people constitutes their highly valued possessions--namely1 their animalities of various kinds4 ,what will most men think of a ,god who takes his chances1 who in planet-scenery and animal life is at his play1 who puts up in his divine laboratory curare and strychnine1 and cannot recognize the word disaster1 though he makes the thing8 ,to how many will an immortality be conceivable that can belong only to immutable ideas1 that only springs from the vital necessity of their own souls1 that is a clinging to the breast of everlasting law8 ,to tell the truth1 the arguments themselves for this rather questionable result of idealism are somewhat unconvincing1 not to say fanciful4 ,they are chiefly of a dogmatic kind1 that may be met with counter affirmations1 equally valid4 ,many of them are stated in a symbolical or poetical or illustrative manner1 the most dangerous of all methods4 ,examples of this might be multiplied indefinitely4 ,i had marked several for confirmation1 but they were too long for quotation4 ,one instance of his mode of reasoning may be given993 ,it is objected that no thought and feeling have ever yet been displayed independently of cerebral condition2 they must have brain1 either to originate or to announce them4 ,if brain be source or instrument of human consciousness1 what preserves it when the brain is dead8 ,but there would have been no universe on such terms as that4 ,what supplied infinite mind with its preliminary sine qua non of brain matter8 99 ,it occurs in ,american ,religion1 p4 #adi4 ,but1 surely1 if this is an argument at all1 if it does not beg the very question in debate--namely1 whether there is an infinite mind1--is it not an argument for atheism8 ,for either the existing universe fully expresses ,deity1 in which case ,deity is something less than infinite2 or ,deity must be conceived as very imperfect1 and a progressive1 tentative ,divinity is no better than none4 ,to be sure1 he says3 ,we attribute ,personality to the divine ,being1 because we cannot otherwise refer to any source the phenomena that show ,will and ,intellect4 ,that is to say1 we yield to a logical necessity4 ,to argue that materialism reeks with immortality because the baldest negation is not merely a verbal contradiction of an affirmation1 but a contribution to its probability1--for it testifies that there was something previously taken for granted1--is really a play upon words1 inasmuch as the denial is simply an affirmation of certain facts1 and by no means a categorical declaration involving all the facts at issue4 ,by claiming none but relative knowledge1 the antithesis is removed4 ,one is conscious of a suspicion that the author's tremendous overflow of nervous vitality had much to do with the vehemence of his persuasions4 ,he himself countenances such a suspicion4 ,i confess1 he declares1 to an all-pervading instinct of personal continuance1 coupled with a latent1 haunting feeling that there is a point somewhere in human existence1 as there has been in the past1 where animality controls the fate of men4 ,where is that point8 ,we recoil from every effort to draw the line4 ,he had a very strong sense of personality1 with its inevitable reference of persistency4 ,to us1 perhaps1 he cries1 in a kind of anguish1 no thought could be so dreadful1 no surmise so harrowing1 as that we might slip into nonentity4 ,we impetuously repel the haunting doubt4 ,we shut the eyes1 and cower before the goblin in abject dread until it is gone4 ,with the beauty-loving and full-blooded ,claudio1 we cry1-- ,oh1 but to die1 and go we know not where4 and he quotes the rest of the famous passage in ,measure for ,measure1 adding for himself3 ,put us anywhere1 but only let us live2 and we could feel with ,lear1 when he says to ,cordelia1-- ,come1 let's away to prison4 ,we two alone will sing like birds i' the cage4 ,then1 too1 there come to us the tender and overpowering moments when we can no longer put up with being separated from beloved objects1 who tore at the grain of our life when they went away elsewhere1 with portions of it clinging to them4 ,we must have them again4 ,shall life be stabbed and no justice compensate these sickening drippings of the soul in her secret faintness8 ,the old familiar faces have registered in our hearts a contempt for graves and burials4 ,not so cheaply can we be taken in1 when the lost life lies quick in memory still1 and cries against the insults which mortality wreaks on love4 ,is not this an exclamation of temperament8 ,john ,weiss was essentially a poet4 ,his pages are saturated with poetry4 ,his very arguments are expressed in poetic imagery4 ,to take two or three examples3 ,one who rides from ,south-west ,harbor to ,bar ,harbor in ,mt4 ,desert will see a grove in which the pines stand so close that all the branches have withered two-thirds of the way up the trunks1 and are nothing but dead sticks1 broken and dangling4 ,but every tree bears close1 each to each1 its evergreen crown2 and they seem to make a floor for the day to walk on4 ,this pavement for the feet of heaven1 more precious than the fancied one of the ,new ,jerusalem1 stretches all round the world1 above the thickets of our spiny egotism1 where people run up into the only coherence upon which it is safe for ,deity to tread4 ,or this about the poet's inspired hour3 ,through flat and unprofitable moments1 a poet is waiting for the next consent of his imagination4 ,the bed of every gift1 that lately sparkled or thundered as the freshet of the hills sent its surprises down1 lies empty1 waiting for the master passion to open the sluice when it hears the steps of coming waves4 ,the poet's nature strains against the dumb gates of his body and his mood4 ,with power and longing he hears them open1 and is brim full again with the rhythm that collects from the whole face of ,nature1--the hillside1 the ravine1 the drifting cloud1 the vapors just arrived from the ocean1 the drops that flowers nod with to flavor the stream1 the human smiles that colonize both banks of it4 ,all passions1 all delights hurry to possess his thought1 crowd into the precincts of his person1 pain him with the tumult in which they offer him obedience1 remind him of his last joy in their companionship1 and will not let him go till he ennobles them by bursting into expression4 ,relief flows down with every perfect word2 the congested soul bleeds into the lyric and the canto2 the poet's burden becomes light-hearted1 and the supreme moment of his travail1 when it breaks in showers of his emotion1 cools and comforts him2 he must die or express himself4 ,all the blood in the earth's arteries is running through his heart2 all the stars in the sky are set in his brain's dome4 ,this light and life must be discharged into a word1 and the poet restored to health and peace again4 ,or the following rhapsody about health3 ,what a religious ecstasy is health6 ,its free step claims every meadow that is glad with flowers2 its bubbling spirits fill the cup of wide horizons and drip down their brims2 its thankfulness is the prayer that takes possession of the sun by day and the stars by night4 ,every dancing member of the body whirls off the soul to tread the measures of great feelings1 and ,god hears people saying3 ,how precious also are thy thoughts1 how great is the sum of them6 ,when ,i awake1 ,i am still with thee4 ,yes1--when ,i awake1 but not before2 not while the brain is saturated with nervous blood1 till it falls into comatose doctrines1 and goes maundering with its attack of mediatorial piety and grace2 not while a stomach depraved by fried food1 apothecary's drugs1 and iron-clad pastry 7that target impenetrable by digestion7 supplies the constitution with its vale of tears1 ruin of mankind1 and better luck hereafter4 ,when all my veins flow unobstructed1 and lift to the level of my eyes the daily gladness that finds a gate at every pore2 when the roaming gifts come home from ,nature to turn the brain into a hive of cells full of yellow sunshine1 the spoil of all the chalices of the earth beneath and the heavens above1--then ,i am the subject of a ,revival of ,religion4 ,or these passages about music1 of which he was always a devoted lover1 a passionate admirer1 an excellent critic4 ,my first extract is used to illustrate the doctrine of evolution1 and suggests ,browning's poem of ,abt ,vogler4 ,it should be said1 by the way1 that ,weiss was a great student of ,browning1 whose lines in ,paracelsus1 prophetic of the evolution doctrine1 was often on his lips4 ,he even understood ,sordello4 ,the divine composer1 summoning instrument after instrument into his harmony1 climbed with his theme from those which offered but a single note to those that exhaust the complexity of thought and feeling1 to combine them into expression1 kindling through hints1 phrases1 sudden concords1 mustering consents of many wills1 releases of each one's felicity into comradeship1 till the sweet tumult becomes his champion1 and bursts into an acclaim of a whole world4 ,i ought--so then ,i will4 ,the toppling instruments concur1 become the wave that touches that high moment1 lifts the whole deep1 and holds it there4 ,when perfect music drives its golden scythe-chariot up the fine nerves1 across the bridge of association1 through the stern portcullis of care1 and alights in the heart of man1 there is adoration1 whether he faints with excess of recognition of one long absent1 and lies prostrate in the arms of rhythm1 feeling that he is not worthy it should come under his roof1 or whether he mounts the seat and grasps the thrilling reins2 ,god's unity is riding through his distraction1 brought by that team of all the instruments which shake their manes across the pavement of his bosom1 and strike out the sparks of longing4 ,in calling ,mr4 ,weiss essentially a poet1 ,i am far from implying that he was not a thinker4 ,perhaps he was more subtle and more brilliant a thinker for being also a poet--that is1 for seeing truth through the medium of the imagination1 for following the path of analogy4 ,at any rate1 his being a poet did not in the least interfere with the acuteness or the precision of his thinking1 as any one can see who reads his chapters--those1 for example1 which compose the volume entitled ,american ,religion4 ,i had marked for citation so many passages that it would be necessary to quote half the book to illustrate my thesis4 ,when ,i first knew him1 he was a strict ,transcendentalist4 ,dr4 ,orestes ,brownson1 no mean judge on such matters1 spoke of him as the most promising philosophical mind in the country4 ,to a native talent for metaphysics1 his early studies at ,heidelberg probably contributed congenial training4 ,his knowledge of ,german philosophy may well have been stimulated and matured by his residence in that centre of active thought2 while his intimacy1 on his return1 with the keenest intellects in this country may well have sharpened his original predilection for abstract speculation4 ,however this may have been1 the tendency of his genius was decidedly toward metaphysical problems and the interpretation of the human consciousness4 ,this he erected as a barrier against materialism2 and this he probed with a depth and a fearlessness which were truly extraordinary1 and would have been remarkable in any disciple of the school to which he belonged4 ,no one that ,i can think of was so fine1 so profound1 so analytical4 ,his volume on ,american ,religion was full of nice discriminations2 so was his volume on the ,immortal ,life2 so were his articles and lectures4 ,his ,life of ,theodore ,parker abounded in curious learning as well as in vigorous thinking4 ,he could follow1 step by step1 the great leader of reformatory ideas1 and went far beyond him in subtlety and accuracy of mental delineation4 ,he could not rest in sentiment1 must have demonstration1 and never stopped till he reached the ultimate ground of truth as he regarded it4 ,ideas1 when he found them1 were usually1 not always1 expressed in symbolical forms4 ,his alert fancy detected likenesses that would have been concealed from common eyes2 and often the splendor of the exposition hid the keenness of the logical temper1 as a sword wreathed with roses lies unperceived4 ,but the tempered steel was there and they who examined closely felt its edge4 ,he was a man of undaunted courage1 being an idealist who lived out of the world1 and a living soul animated by overwhelming convictions1 which he was anxious to convey to others as of immense importance4 ,he believed1 with all his heart1 in the doctrines he had arrived at1 and1 like a soldier in battle1 was unconscious of the danger he incurred or of the wounds he received1 being unaware of his own daring or fortitude4 ,he was an anti-slavery man from the beginning4 ,at a large meeting held in ,waltham in #ahde1 to protest against the admission of ,texas as a slave ,state1 ,mr4 ,weiss1 then a minister at ,watertown1 ,mass41 delivered a speech in which he said3 ,our ,northern apathy heated the iron1 forged the manacles1 and built the pillory1 declared that man was more than constitutions 7borrowing a phrase from ,james ,russell ,lowell71 and that ,christ was greater than ,hancock and ,adams4 ,to his unflinching devotion to free thought in religion1 he owed something of his unpopularity with the masses of the people1 who were orthodox in opinion1 though his failure to touch the general mind was probably due to other causes4 ,the class of disbelievers was pretty large in his day and very self-asserting4 ,boldness never fails to attract2 and brilliancy1 if it be on the plane of ordinary vision1 draws the eyes of the multitude1 who are on the watch for a sensation4 ,the chief trouble was that his brilliancy was not on the plane of ordinary vision1 but was recondite1 ingenious1 fanciful4 ,he was too learned1 too fond of allusions--literary1 scientific1 historical1--too swift in his mental processes4 ,his addresses were delivered to an audience of his friends1 not to a miscellaneous company4 ,they were of the nature of soliloquies spoken out of his own mind1 instead of being speeches intended to meet the needs of others4 ,his lectures and sermons were not easy to follow1 even if the listener was more than usually cultivated4 ,shall it be added that his sincerity of speech1 running into brusqueness1 startled a good many8 ,he was theological and philosophical1 and he could not keep his hands off when what he considered as errors in theology or philosophy came into view4 ,his wit was sharper than he thought1 while the laugh it raised was frequently overbalanced by the sting it left behind in some breasts4 ,it was too often a wicked wit1 barbed and poisoned1 which one must be in league with to enjoy4 ,they who were in sympathy with the speaker were delighted with it1 but they who were not went off aggrieved4 ,no doubt this attested the earnestness of the man1 who scorned to cloak his convictions2 but it wounded the self-love of such as were in search of pleasure or instruction1 and interfered with his general acceptableness4 ,a broad1 genial1 good-natured1 truculent style of ventilating even heresies may not be repulsive to people of a conventional1 believing turn2 in fact1 it is not1 as we know4 ,but the thrusts of a rapier1 especially when unexpected1 are not forgiven4 ,mr4 ,weiss drew larger audiences as a preacher on religious themes than he did as a lecturer on secular subjects1 where one hardly knew what to look for1 because he was known to be outspoken and capable of introducing heresies on the platform4 ,then he was in all respects unconventional4 ,his spontaneous exuberance of animal spirits1 which led him to roll on the grass1 join in frolicsome games1 play all sorts of antics1 indulge in jokes1 mimicry1 boisterous mirthfulness1 was inconsistent with the staid1 proper demeanor required by social usage4 ,how he kept himself within limits as he did was a surprise to his friends4 ,ordinary natures can form no conception of the weight such a man must have put upon his temperament to press it down to the level of common experience4 ,temptations to which he was liable every day do not visit average minds in their whole lifetime1 and cannot by such minds be comprehended4 ,the stiff1 upright1 careful old man cannot understand the jocund pliability of the boy1 who1 nevertheless1 simply expends the superfluity of his natural vigor1 and relieves his excess of nervous excitability4 ,on thinking it all over1 remembering his appetite for life1 his joy in existence1 his nervous exhilaration1 his love of beauty1 his passionate ardor of temperament1 ,i am surprised that he preserved1 as he did1 so much dignity and soberness of character4 ,i have seen him in his wildest mood1 yet ,i never saw him thrown off his balance4 ,with as much brilliancy as ,sydney ,smith1 he had1 as ,sydney ,smith had not1 a breadth of knowledge1 a depth of feeling1 a soaring energy of soul that kept him above vulgar seductions1 and did for him1 in a nobler way1 what ambition1 love of place1 conventional associations did for the famous ,englishman4 ,the difficulty was that he was too far removed from the common ground of sympathy4 ,he could not endure routine1 or behave as other people behaved1 and as it was generally fancied he should4 ,if ,sydney ,smith's jocularity interfered with his promotion1 how much more did he have to contend with who to the jocularity added an enthusiastic devotion to heresy1 a partiality for metaphysical speculation1 and a poetic glow that removed him from ordinary comprehension6 ,with an unworldliness worthy of all praise1 but fatal to the provision of daily bread1 he left the ministry1 a fixed income1 a confirmed social position1 ample leisure for study and for literary pursuits1 and launched forth on the uncertain career of lecturer4 ,he was not the first who failed in attempting to harness ,pegasus to a cart1 in the hope of making him useful in mundane ways4 ,neither discharged his full function4 ,the cart would not run smoothly1 and the steed was not happy4 ,the old profession has this advantage3 that to all practical purposes1 the wagon goes over the celestial pavement where there is no mud nor clangor1 and ,pegasus can seem to be harnessed to a chariot of the sun4 ,weiss simply disappeared from view4 ,his books were scattered2 his lectures and sermons were worked over and over1 the best of them being published in his several volumes4 ,a few relics of the author remain in the hands of his widow1 who is grateful for any recognition of his genius1 any help to diffuse his writings1 and tribute to his memory4 ,they who knew him can never forget him4 ,perhaps the very vividness of their recollection makes them indifferent to the possession of visible memorials of their friend4 ,samuel ,johnson should be known as the apostle of individualism4 ,the apostle ,i say1 for this with him was a religion1 and the preaching of individualism was a gospel message4 ,he would not belong to any church1 or subscribe to any creed1 or connect himself with any sect1 or be a member of any organization whatever1 however wide or elastic1 however consonant with convictions that he held1 with beliefs that he entertained1 with purposes that he cherished1 with plans that were dear to him4 ,he never joined the ,anti-,slavery ,society1 though he was an ,abolitionist2 or the ,free ,religious ,association1 though its aims were essentially his own1 and he spoke on its platform4 ,he made it a principle to act alone1 herein being a true disciple of ,emerson1 whose mission was to individual minds4 ,he wrote a long letter to me on the occasion of establishing the ,free ,religious ,association1 of which ,i wished him to become a member1 that recalls the letter written by ,mr4 ,emerson in reply to ,george ,ripley when asked to join the community of ,brook ,farm1 and whereof the following is an extract3 ,my feeling is that the community is not good for me1 that it has little to offer me which with resolution ,i cannot procure for myself4444 ,it seems to me a circuitous and operose way of relieving myself to put upon your community the emancipation which ,i ought to take on myself4 ,i must assume my own vows4444 ,i ought to say that ,i do not put much trust in any arrangements or combinations1 only in the spirit which dictates them4 ,is that benevolent and divine1 they will answer their end4 ,is there any alloy in that1 it will certainly appear in the result4444 ,nor can ,i insist with any heat on new methods when ,i am at work in my study on any literary composition4444 ,the result of our secretest attempts will certainly have as much renown as shall be due to it4 ,johnson ended by discarding the church entirely4 ,in #ahha he wrote3 ,for my part1 every day ,i live the name ,christian seems less and less to express my thought and tendency4 ,i suspect it will be so with the ,free-thinking world generally4 ,in a sermon1 ,living by ,faith1 he says3 ,there is no irony so great as to call this flight out of nature and the creeds that come of it1 faith4 ,the purity of heart that really sees ,god will have a mighty idealization of humanity at the very basis of its creed1 and act on it in all its treatment of the vicious1 the morally incapable and diseased4 ,it is time ,christendom was on the search for it4 ,in the paper on ,transcendentalism1 he says3 ,christianity inherited the monarchical idea of a ,god separate from man1 and a contempt for natural law and human faculty which crippled its faith in the spiritual and moral ideal4 ,it became more and more a materialism of miracle1 ,bible1 church4 ,even its essay to realize immanent ,deity yielded a more or less exclusive1 mediatorial ,god-man2 and it treated personality as the mere consequence of one prescriptive1 historical force1 just as philosophical materialism treats it as mere product of sensations4 ,mr4 ,johnson abhorred the monarchical principle4 ,it was his endeavor to track it from its origin1 through all its forms of institution1 ceremonial1 dogma1 symbol1 from the earliest times to the latest1 through the whole ,east to the farthest ,west4 ,this was the burden of his studies in ,oriental religions1 the sum of his criticism1 the aim of his public teaching4 ,he was profoundly1 intensely1 absorbingly religious1 but the form of his religion was not ,christian in any recognized sense1 ,romanist1 ,protestant1 or ,unitarian4 ,the most radical thought did not altogether please him4 ,his was a worship of ,law1 ,order1 ,cause1 ,harmony1 impersonal1 living1 natural2 a recognition of mind as the supreme power in the universe2 a cosmic1 eternal1 absolute faith in intellectual principles as the substance and soul of the world4 ,god was1 to him1 a spiritual being1 alive1 vital1 flowing in every mode4 ,all power of growth and service depends1 know it or not as we may1 on an ideal faith in somewhat all-sufficient1 unerring1 infinitely wise and tender1 inseparable from the inmost of life1 bent on our good as we are not1 set against our failures as we cannot be4 ,it means that there can in fact be no philosophy of life1 no law of good1 no belief in duty1 no aspiration1 but must have such in-dwelling perfection1 as being alone reliable to guarantee its word4 ,this only is my ,god2 infinite ground of all finite being2 essence of reason and good4444 ,when you see a function of memory1 or a law of perfection1 let your natural piety recognize it as wise and just and good and fair4 ,be loyal to the moral authority that affirms it ought to be1 and somehow must be4 ,let your soul bring in the leap of your mind to grasp it4 ,then1 if you cannot see ,god in perfect1 absolute essence1 you will know the ,infinite and ,eternal in their relation to real and positive existence2 feel their freedom in your own2 know their inseparableness from every movement of your spiritual being4444 ,the love we feel1 the truth we pursue1 the honor we cherish1 the moral beauty we revere1 blend in with the eternity of the principles they flow from1 and then1 glad as in the baptism of a harvest morning1 expanding towards human need and the universal life of man1 our souls walk free1 breathing immortal air4 ,that is ,god1--not an object but an experience4 ,words are but symbols1 they do not define4 ,we say ,him1 ,it were as well1 if thereby we mean life1 wisdom1 love4444 ,must we bind our communion with the just1 the good1 the true1 the humanly adequate and becoming to some personal life1 some special body of social circumstances1 some individual's work in human progress and upon human idealism8 ,how should that be1 when the principles into which the moral sense flowers out in its maturity as spiritual liberty1 essentially involve a freely advancing ideal at every new stage revealing more of ,god1 whom nothing but such universal energy can adequately reveal8444 ,if then1 we cannot see the eternal substance and life of the universe1 it is not because ,deity is too far1 but because it is too near4 ,we can measure a statue or a star1 and look round and beyond it2 but the ,life1 ,light1 ,liberty1 ,love1 ,peace1 whereby we live and know1 and are helpful and calm and free1 which measures and surrounds and even animates us1 is itself the very mystery of our being1 and known only as felt and lived4 ,god stands in all ideal thought1 conviction1 aim1 which ever reach into the infinite2 and thence1 as if an angel should stand in the sun1 come attractions that draw forth the divine capabilities within us1 as the sun the life and beauty of the earth4 ,god is the inmost motive1 the common path1 the infinite import of all work we respect1 honor1 purely rejoice in1 and fulfil2 of art1 science1 philosophy1 intercourse1--whatsoever function befits the soul and the day4 ,these quotations1 which might be multiplied indefinitely1 in fact1 which it is difficult not to multiply1 are probably enough to satisfy any who really wish to know that here was a truly religious man1 a really devout man1 the possessor of a living faith2 one who held fast to more ,deity than the multitude cherished1 and welcomed him in a much more cordial1 comprehensive1 natural manner2 one who fairly drenched the world and man with a divine spirit1 but who was all the more spiritual on this account1 as a man attests his vigor by his ability to lay aside his crutches1 and put the medicine-chest1 bottles1 and boxes on the shelf1 to walk in cold weather without an overcoat1 or lie naked on the ice and melt it through4 ,of course1 the only justification of a pretension of this kind is the actual vitality necessary for such a feat1 the sanity demanded by one who would stand or go alone4 ,in ,samuel ,johnson's case there was no question of this4 ,spiritually1 he was a whole man1 self-poised1 self-contained1 strong1 clear1 alert1 a hero and a saint4 ,his conversation1 his bearing1 conduct1 entire attitude and manner indicated the most jubilant faith4 ,he never faltered in his confidence1 never wavered in his conviction1 never abated a jot of hope that in the order of ,providence all good things would come4 ,there was something staggering to the ordinary mind1 in his assurance of the divine wisdom and love4 ,there was something altogether admirable in the elevation of his character above the trials and vexations that are incident to the human lot1 and that seemed heaped upon him4 ,for his own was not a smooth or fortunate life1 as men estimate felicity4 ,his health was far from satisfactory4 ,he was not rich or famous or popular or sought after4 ,he lived a life of labor1 in some respects1 of denial and sacrifice4 ,not until after his death was the full amount of his renunciation apparent even to those who thought they knew him well4 ,he was a ,transcendentalist--that is to say1 he believed in the intuitive powers of the mind2 he was sure that all primary truths1 such ideas as those of unity1 universe1 law1 cause1 substance1 will1 duty1 obligation1 permanence1 were perceived directly1 and are not to be accounted for by any data of observation or inference1 but must be ascribed at once to an organic or constitutional relation of the mind with truth4 ,that the name ,transcendentalism was given1 a century ago1 to a method in philosophy opposed to the theory of ,locke--that all knowledge comes from the senses1--is more widely known than the fact that what this method affirmed or involved is of profound import for all generations4 ,it emphasized ,mind as a formative force behind all definable contents or acts of consciousness--as that which makes it possible to speak of anything as known4 ,it recognized1 as primal condition of knowing1 the transmutation of sense-impressions by original laws of mind1 whose constructive power is not to be explained or measured by the data of sensation2 just as they use the eye or ear to transform unknown spatial notions into the obviously human conceptions which we call color and sound4 ,all this the ,lockian system overlooked--a very serious omission1 as regards both science and common-sense4 ,and again1 in the same article--that on ,transcendentalism1 first printed in the ,radical ,review for ,november1 #ahgg1 and afterwards included in the volume of ,lectures1 ,sermons1 and ,essays3 ,what we conceive these schools to have misprized is the living substance and function of mind itself1 conscious of its own energy1 productive of its own processes1 active even in receiving1 giving its own construction to its incomes from the unknown through sense1 thus involved in those very contents of time and space which1 as historical antecedents1 appear to create it2 mind is obviously the exponent of forces more spontaneous and original than any special product of its own experience4 ,behind all these products must be that substance in and through which they are produced4 ,and again1 for we cannot be too explicit on this point3 ,it is certain that knowledge involves not only a sense of union with the nature of that which we know1 but a real participation of the knowing faculty therein4 ,when1 therefore1 ,i have learned to conceive truths1 principles1 ideas1 or aims which transcend life-times and own no physical limits to their endurance1 the aforesaid law of mind associates me with their immortal nature4 ,and this is the indubitable perception or intuition of permanent mind which no experience of impermanence can nullify and no ,nirvana excludes4 ,it will be observed that ,mr4 ,johnson does not make himself answerable for specific articles of belief on ,god or immortality1 but confines his faith to the persuasion of indwelling mind1 sovereign1 eternal1 imperial4 ,immortality1 he says1 is immeasurable chance for all4 ,in its light1 all strong1 blameless1 heroic lives--divine plants by the wayside--tell for the nature they express4 ,god has made no blunder in our spiritual constitution4 ,power is in faith4 ,this intense belief in the soul1 in all the native capacities of our spiritual constitution1 in the supremacy of organic feelings1 ideas1 expectations over merely private desires1 this burning confidence in divinely implanted instincts1 this absolute certainty that every promise made by ,god will be fulfilled1 explains the tone of exulting hope in which he writes to bereaved friends4 ,i wish ,i could tell you how firmly ,i believe that feelings like these 7that the absent one cannot be dead71 so often treated as illusion1 are true1 are of ,god's own tender giving2 that in them is the very heart of his teaching through the mystery that we call death4 ,our affections are forbidden by their maker to doubt their own immortality4444 ,immortal years1 beside which our little lives are but an hour--what possibilities of full satisfaction they open6 ,and we sit in patience1 knowing that they must bring us back our holiest possessions--those which have ever stood under the shield of our noblest love and conscience and so are under ,god's blessing forever4 ,how far such a declaration as this comports with the demand for general immortality made in behalf of those who are conscious of no noble love1 who have attained to no conscience1 and have no holy possessions1 we are not told4 ,perhaps ,mr4 ,johnson would seize on the faintest intimations of mind as evidencing the presence of moral being1 as ,mr4 ,weiss does4 ,but he did not dwell on that side of the problem4 ,plainly he ascribed little value to mere personality1 viewed abstractly and apart from its spiritual development4 ,he wrote to those whom he knew and loved1 to remarkable people4 ,yet it would not be fair to conclude that immortality was denied to the basest4 ,if immortality is opportunity1 a chance for all1 it is for those who can profit by it or enjoy it4 ,if any are debarred1 the cause must be their own incompetence4 ,they simply decease4 ,there is no torment in store for them2 no hell is possible4 ,samuel ,johnson was an enthusiastic evolutionist1 but of mind itself1 not of matter as ripening into mind4 ,the ordinary conception of evolution1--that the higher came from the lower1--was exceedingly repugnant to him4 ,every kind of materialism he abhorred as illogical and irrational4 ,the theories of ,comte1--that mind is cerebration2 of ,haeckel1--that it is a function of brain and nerve2 of ,strauss1--that one's self is his body2 of ,taine1--that a man is a series of sensations1 were to him as absurd1 in science or philosophy1 as they were fatal to aspiration and progress4 ,the crude definition of evolution as production of the highest by inherent force of the lowest is here supplanted by one which recognizes material parentage as itself involving1 even in its lowest stages1 the entire cosmic consensus1 of whose unknown force mind is the highest known exponent4 ,he is alluding to ,tyndall's statement that mind is evolved from the universe as a whole1 not from inorganic matter4 ,for himself1 he says3 ,ideas were not demonstrated1 are not demonstrable4 ,no data of observation can express their universal meaning4444 ,what else can we say of ideas than that they are wondrous intimacies of the soul with the ,infinite and ,eternal1 its contacts with universal forces1 its prophetic ventures and master steps beyond any past6444 ,the grand words1 ,i ought refuse to be explained by dissolving the notion of right into individual calculation of consequences1 or by expounding the sense of duty as the cumulative product of observed relation of succession4444 ,how explain as a greater happiness principle1 or an inherited product of observed consequences1 that sovereign and eternal law of mind whose imperial edict lifts all calculations and measures into functions of an infinite meaning8 ,and how vain to accredit or ascribe to revelation1 institution1 or redemption1 this necessary allegiance to the law of our being1 which is liberty and loyalty in one8 ,this is absolute enough4 ,it is plain that to this writer the notion of extracting intellect from form is ridiculous4 ,at the same time the method of evolution is the one adopted by the supreme ,mind in its endeavor to awaken in man religious ideas4 ,the exposition of the original faiths--,indian1 ,chinese1 ,persian--is a long and eloquent argument for this thesis4 ,all criticism1 all thinking1 all analysis1 all study of history1 all investigation of phenomena1 point in this direction4 ,this is the rule of creation2 this is the solution of the problem of the universe4 ,the successive degrees of this divine ascent1 he maintains1 are distinctly traceable in the records left for our reading4 ,the threads are fine1 of course1 but what have we eyes for8 ,it is not necessary that everybody should see them1 and the few who can are amply rewarded for the trouble they take in putting their fingers upon the very lines of the heavenly procedure4 ,his peculiar strain of genius admirably qualified him for this delicate task4 ,it was serious1 critical1 earnest1 and aspiring4 ,at one period of his life he was a mystic1 wholly absorbed in ,god1 and he always had that tendency towards the more passionate forms of idealism which led him to mystical speculations4 ,the search for ,god was ever the animating purpose of his endeavor4 ,the law of the blessed life was never absent from his thought4 ,he1 all the time1 lived by faith1 and was naturally disposed to see the gain in all losses4 ,his mind had that penetrating quality which loved to follow hidden trails1 and appreciated the subtlest kinds of influence4 ,in a striking passage he speaks of the great mystery in these influences which thoughtless people little dream of1 and which common-sense1 so called1 cares nothing about4 ,in the wonderful manner in which1 through books1 the spirits of other men1 long since dead1 enter into and inspire ours2 in the eloquent language of eye and lip which without words1 merely by expression1 conveys deepest feelings2 in the presence in our souls of strange presentiments1 intuitions of higher knowledge than science or learning can give1 voices which seem the presence of other spirits in ours1 which make us feel often that death1 so far from removing our dear friends from us1 brings them nearer to our souls so that they cannot be lost2--in all these wonderful ways we see dimly the unveiling of holy mysteries which the future is to fully open to us1 mysteries which we can even now1 in our sublimer and holier secret moments1 feel trying to disclose themselves to us4 ,this was written in a letter to his sister1 on the occasion of a visit to the menagerie to see ,herr ,driesbach1 the horse-tamer4 ,a man who could spring into the empyrean from such ground may be trusted to behold ,deity where others behold nothing but dirt2 and they who submit to his guidance are pretty certain to come out full believers in the spiritual powers4 ,johnson absolutely subordinated dogma to practice1 holding fast to the idea involved in the declaration that he who doeth the will shall know the doctrine4 ,he began with the ethics of the individual1 the family1 the social circle1 seeing every principle incarnated there4 ,how faithful he was in all domestic relations the world will never know1 for there are details that cannot be divulged4 ,but in all public affairs his constancy was perfect4 ,dr4 ,furness of ,philadelphia used to say that the anti-slavery struggle in this country taught him more about the essential nature of the ,gospel than he had learned in any other way4 ,samuel ,johnson had the same conviction4 ,in a private letter written in #aheg he says3 ,everything in this crisis of ,american growth centres in the great conflict about this gigantic sin of slavery4 ,that is the battle-field on which the questions are all to be fought out1 of moral and spiritual and intellectual ,freedom against the ,absolutism of sect and party2 of ,love against ,mammon2 of ,conscience against the ,state2 of ,man against ,majorities2 of ,truth against ,policy2 of ,god against the ,devil4 ,it is really astonishing how everything that happens with us works directly into this fermenting conflict4 ,they who remember his addresses during the war will not need any confirmation of this announcement1 and they who heard or have read his sermon on the character and services of ,charles ,sumner will have the fullest assurance of the cordial appreciation with which every phase of the struggle was entered into4 ,but though so ardent a follower of the doctrine that ideas lead the world1 ,johnson was not induced to go all lengths with the sentimentalists4 ,while warmly espousing the cause of the workingman his papers on ,labor ,reform show how keenly critical he could be of measures proposed for his benefit4 ,no one will accuse him of indifference to the claims of woman1 but he spoke of ,woman's ,opportunity rather than of ,woman's ,rights2 is inclined to think that it is not true that she is left out of political life from the present wish to do her injustice2 that on the whole1 the feeling1 if it were analyzed1 would be found to be rather that of defending her right of exemption1 relieving her from tasks she does not desire4444 ,among intelligent men at least1 actual delay to wipe out the anomaly of the voting rule is not so much owing to a spirit of domination or contempt as is too apt to be assumed1 as it is to a respect for what woman has made of the functions she has hitherto filled1 and the belief that she holds herself entitled to be left free to work through them alone4 ,he has nothing to say regarding the superiority of woman's nature2 ventures no definition of her sphere2 is not unconscious of feminine infirmities2 doubts the efficacy of the ballot2 confesses that the level of womanhood would be1 at least temporarily1 depressed by the larger area of practical diffusion2 is by no means certain that women would necessarily act for their own good1 and is deeply persuaded of the inferiority of outward to inward influence4 ,this is the one thing he is sure of2 this and the principle that liberty knows--like faith and charity--neither male nor female4 ,in the war between ,russia and ,turkey he took the part of ,turkey1 not only because he respected the rights of individual genius and resented invasion1 but for the reason that he distrusted the civilizing tendencies of ,russia1 and thought the interests of ,europe might be trusted to the ,ottoman as confidently as to the ,russian4 ,in a discourse entitled ,a ,ministry in ,free ,religion1 delivered on the occasion of his resigning the relation of pastor to the ,free ,church at ,lynn1 ,june #bf1 #ahgj1 he said3 ,the pulpit has no function more essential than an independent criticism of well-meaning people in the light of larger justice and remoter consequences than most popular measures recognize4 ,the truest service is1 perhaps1 to help correct the blunders and the intolerances of blind good-will and narrow zeal for a good cause2 to speak in the interest of an idea where popular or organized impulse threatens to swamp its higher morality in passionate instincts and absolute masterships1 to maintain that freedom of private judgment which cannot be outraged1 even in the best moral intent1 without mischievous reaction on the good cause itself4 ,in this connection he speaks of temperance1 the amelioration of the condition of the perishing or dangerous classes1 the various schemes for benefiting the laboring men1 plans for adjusting the relations of labor and capital1 arrangements for diffusing the profits of production1--causes which he had at heart1 but which should be discussed in view of the principle of individual freedom1 which must be upheld at all hazards4 ,he was a close reasoner as well as a warm feeler1 and would not allow his sympathies to get the upper hand of his ideas4 ,he hoped for the best2 he had faith in the highest2 he anticipated the brightest2 but he tried to see things as they were4 ,he was a student1 not a sentimentalist1 and while he was ready to follow the most advanced in the direction of spiritual progress1 he was not prepared to take for granted issues that still hung in the balance of debate1 or to prejudge questions that had not been answered1 and could not be as yet4 ,such moderation and patience are not common with reformers1 and few are independent enough to confess misgivings which are more familiar to their opponents than to their friends4 ,candor like this shows a genuine unconsciousness of fear1 a sincere love of truth1 an earnest postponement of personal tastes1 ambitions1 and connections to the axioms of universal wisdom and goodness2 a loyalty to conviction that is very rare1 that never can exist among the indifferent1 because they do not care1 and which is usually put aside by those who do care as an impediment if not as a snare4 ,in courage of this noble kind1 ,johnson excelled all men ,i ever knew1 for they who had it1 as some did1 had not his genius1 and were spared the necessity of curbing ardor by so much as their temperament was more passive and their eagerness less importunate4 ,of course of the lower sort1--the courage to bear pain1 loss1 the misunderstanding of the vulgar1 to face danger1 to encounter peril1 none who knew him can question his possession4 ,in fact1 he did not seem to suffer at all1 so jocund was he1 so much in the habit of keeping his deprivations from the outside world2 even his intimates could but suspect his sorrows of heart4 ,samuel ,johnson was an extraordinary person to look at4 ,he had large dark eyes2 black1 straight1 long hair2 an ,oriental complexion1 sallow1 olive-colored2 an impetuous manner2 a beaming expression4 ,his voice was rich1 deep1 musical2 his gait eager1 rapid1 swinging2 his style of address glowing2 his aspect in public speech that of one inspired4 ,he was fond of natural beauty1 of art1 literature1 music2 full of fun1 witty1 mirthful1 social4 ,he was attractive to young people1 delightful in conversation1 ready to enter into innocent amusements4 ,his eye for scenery was fine and quick1 his interest in practical science sincere and hearty1 his concern for whatever advanced humanity cordial1 and his freshness of spirit increased if anything with years4 ,,xiv4 ,,my ,,friends4 ,it is impossible to mention them all1 and to single out a few from a multitude must not be done4 ,i should like to commemorate those who came nearest to me by their earnest work and faithful allegiance1 but these cannot be spoken of1 and ,i prefer to enumerate some of those with whom ,i was less intimate4 ,alice and ,phoebe ,cary came to ,new ,york in #aheb1 and were prominent when ,i was there2 their famous ,sunday evenings1 which were frequented by the brightest minds and were sought by a large class of people1 being then well established4 ,these were altogether informal and gave but little satisfaction to the merely fashionable folks who now and then attended them4 ,the sisters were in striking contrast4 ,phoebe1 the younger1 was a jocund1 hearty1 vivacious1 witty1 merry young woman1 short and round2 her older sister1 ,alice1 was taller and more slender1 with large1 dark eyes2 she was meditative1 thoughtful1 pensive1 and rather grave in temperament2 but the two were most heartily in sympathy in every opinion and in all their literary and social aims4 ,horace ,greeley1 one of their earliest and warmest friends1 was a frequent visitor at their house4 ,there ,i met ,robert ,dale ,owen1 ,oliver ,johnson1 ,dr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,chapin1 ,rev4 ,charles ,f4 ,deems1 ,justin ,mc,carthy and his wife1 ,mrs4 ,mary ,e4 ,dodge1 ,madame ,le ,vert1 and several others4 ,among my friends was ,president ,barnard1 of ,columbia ,college1 the only man ,i ever knew whose long ear-trumpet was never an annoyance2 ,ogden ,n4 ,rood1 the ,professor of ,physics at ,columbia1 a man of real genius1 whose studies in light and color were a great assistance to artists1 himself an artist of no mean order and an ardent student of photography2 ,charles ,joy1 ,professor of ,chemistry1 a most active-minded man1 who received honors at ,goettingen and at ,paris1 and contributed largely to the scientific journals2 a man greatly interested in the union of charitable societies in ,new ,york2 ,robert ,carter1 then a co-worker in the making of ,appleton's ,cyclopedia2 ,bayard ,taylor1 novelist1 poet1 translator of ,goethe1 traveller2 ,richard ,grant ,white1 the ,shakesperian scholar2 ,charles ,l4 ,brace1 the philanthropist2 ,e4 ,l4 ,youmans a man fairly tingling with ideas1 and peculiarly gifted in making popular1 as a lecturer1 the most abstruse scientific discoveries4 ,the breadth of my range of acquaintances is illustrated by such men as ,roswell ,d4 ,hitchcock1 of ,union ,seminary1 the learned student1 the impressive speaker2 ,isaac ,t4 ,hecker1 the founder of the ,congregation of the ,paulists2 ,dr4 ,washburn1 the model churchman of ,calvary2 ,henry ,m4 ,field1 editor of the ,evangelist1 a most warm-hearted man1 so large in his sympathies that he could say to ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll1 ,i am glad that ,i know you1 even though some of my brethren look upon you as a monster because of your unbelief1 and welcomed as an example of constructive thought1 ,dr4 ,charles ,a4 ,briggs' ,inaugural ,address as ,professor of ,biblical ,theology at ,union ,college2 ,john ,g4 ,holland 7,timothy ,titcomb71 a copious author4 ,the ,tribune company was most distinguished3 ,there was1 first of all1 the founder1 ,horace ,greeley1 a unique personality1 simple1 unaffected1 earnest1 an immense believer in ,american institutions1 a stanch friend of the working-man1 and a brave lover of impartial justice2 ,whitelaw ,reid1 who was1 according to ,george ,ripley1 the ablest newspaper manager he ever saw2 and ,mrs4 ,lucia ,calhoun 7afterward ,mrs4 ,runkle71 one of the most brilliant contributors to the ,tribune4 ,of ,george ,ripley ,i may speak more at length1 as he was my parishioner and close friend4 ,in my biography of him1 written for the ,american ,men of ,letters series1 ,i spoke of him as a remarkable man4 ,one of my critics found fault with the appellation1 and said it was not justified by anything in the book1 as perhaps it was not1 though intellectual vigor1 range1 and taste like his must be called remarkable2 such industry is remarkable2 no common man could have instituted ,brook ,farm and administered it for six or seven years2 could have maintained its dignity through ridicule1 misunderstanding1 and fanaticism2 could have cleared off its liabilities2 could have turned his face away from it on its failure1 with such patience1 or in his later age1 could have alluded to it so sweetly2 no ordinary person could have adopted a new and despised career so bravely as he did4 ,no journalist has raised literature to so high a distinction1 or derived such large rewards for that mental labor4 ,he deserves to be called remarkable1 who can do all this or but a part of it1 and1 all the time1 preserve the sunny serenity of his disposition4 ,if the biography failed to present these traits it was1 indeed1 unsuccessful4 ,yes1 ,mr4 ,ripley was an extraordinary man4 ,it is seldom that one carries such qualities to such a degree of perfection1 and it may be worth while to look more closely at his character4 ,george ,ripley had a passion for literary excellence4 ,from his boyhood he possessed a singularly bright intelligence1 a clear appreciation of the rational aspect of questions4 ,he was not an ardent1 passionate1 enthusiastic man1 of warm convictions1 vehement emotions1 burning ideas4 ,his feelings1 though amiable and correct1 were of an intellectual cast4 ,they sprang from a naturally affectionate heart1 rather than from a deeply stirred conscience1 or an enchanted soul4 ,if he had been less healthy1 eupeptic1 he would scarcely have been so gay2 a vehement reformer he was not2 a leader of men he could not be4 ,he had not the stuff in him for either4 ,the element of giving was not strong in him4 ,he was not an originator in the sphere of thought2 not a discoverer of theories or facts2 not an innovator on established customs4 ,but mentally he was so quick1 eager1 receptive1 that he seemed a pioneer1 an enthusiast1 a saint2 his quickness passing for insight1 his eagerness for a passionate love of progress1 his receptivity for charitableness4 ,he appeared to be more of an image-breaker than he really was4 ,in fact1 the propensity to iconoclasm was not part of his constitution4 ,but his mind was wonderfully alert4 ,he had his antipathies1 and they were strong ones1 his likes and dislikes1 his tastes and distastes1 but these were instinctive rather than the expression of rational principle or a deliberate conclusion of his judgment4 ,in one instance that ,i know of1 he threw off a man with whom he had been associated for many years1 and in connection with whom he labored daily for a time1 a very accomplished and agreeable person to whom he was indebted for some services1 because he thought that the individual in question had been unjust to some of his friends2 but that this was not entirely a matter of conscience would seem to be indicated by the fact that he sent a message of affection to this man1 as he neared the grave4 ,in the main1 so far as he was under control1 intellectual considerations determined his course4 ,he was prevailingly under the influence of mind2 he acted in view1 a large view1 of all the circumstances2 as one who takes in the whole situation1 and has himself under command4 ,this is not said in the least tone of disparagement1 but entirely in his praise1 for the supremacy of reason is more steady1 even1 reliable than the supremacy of feeling however exalted in its mood4 ,he that is under the control of mind is at all times under control1 which cannot be said of one who is borne along by the sway of even devout emotion4 ,i have in memory cases where passion might have betrayed ,mr4 ,ripley into conduct he would have regretted1 had it not been for the restraining power of purely rational considerations4 ,his early religious training may have produced some effect on his character1 but this is more likely to have operated at first than at the later stages of his career4 ,the love of old hymns1 the habit of attending sacred services1 the fondness for ,watts' poems1 a copy of whose holy songs always lay on his table1 showed a lingering attachment to this kind of sentiment up to the end of his life2 but it existed in an attenuated form1 and at no period after his youth exerted much sway over him4 ,his predominating bent was intellectual1 and this caused a certain delicacy1 fastidiousness1 aloofness1 which kept him in the atmosphere of love as well as of light4 ,from his youth this was his leading characteristic4 ,as a boy he was ambitious of making a dictionary1 a sign of his carefulness in the use of words1 and an omen of the value he was to set on definitions and on exactness in the employment of language4 ,at school he was an excellent scholar1 at college he stood second1 but was graduated first owing to the suspension of a brilliant classmate who might have excelled him but for the mishap of a college riot in which he took part4 ,in the languages and in literature he was unusually proficient1 while in mathematics1--that most abstract1 severe1 precise of pursuits1--his success was distinguished4 ,in later-life his devotion to philosophy marked the man of speculative tastes4 ,his early letters to his father1 mother1 sister1 reveal a consciousness of his own peculiarities4 ,here are extracts3 ,the course of studies adopted here ,cambridge1 in the opinion of competent judges1 is singularly calculated to form scholars1 and moreover1 correct and accurate scholars2 to inure the mind to profound thought and habits of investigation and reasoning4 ,the prospect of devoting my days to the acquisition and communication of knowledge is bright and cheering4 ,this employment ,i would not exchange for the most elevated situation of wealth or power4 ,one of the happiest steps1 ,i think1 that ,i have ever taken was the commencement of a course of study1 and it is my wish and effort that my future progress may give substantial evidence of it4 ,i know that my peculiar habits of mind1 imperfect as they are1 strongly impel me to the path of active intellectual effort2 and if ,i am to be at any time of any use to society1 or a satisfaction to myself or my friends1 it will be in the way of some retired literary situation1 where a fondness for study and a knowledge of books will be more requisite than the busy1 calculating mind of a man in the business part of the community4 ,i do not mean by this that any profession is desired but the one to which ,i have been long looking4 ,my wish is only to enter that profession with all the enlargement of mind and extent of information which the best institutions can afford4 ,these quotations are enough to show what was the prevailing impulse of the man4 ,an intellectual nature like this1 calm1 studious1 accomplished1 eager1 is subject to few surprises and experiences rarely1 if ever1 marked by crises1 cataclysms1 eruptions1 in passing from one condition of thought to another at the opposite extreme of the spiritual universe4 ,a process of growth1 gradual1 easy1 motionless1 takes the place of commotion and violent uproar such as passionate temperaments are exposed to4 ,in #ahba he writes to his sister from ,harvard ,college3 ,we are now studying ,locke1 an author who has done more to form the mind to habits of accurate reasoning and sound thought than almost any other4 ,on the #aith of ,september1 #ahcf1 the first meeting of the ,transcendental ,club was held at his house in ,boston4 ,in #ahch he replied to ,andrews ,norton's criticism of ,mr4 ,emerson's ,address before the ,alumni of the ,cambridge ,divinity ,school4 ,in #ahdj he said to his congregation in ,purchase ,street3 ,there is a faculty in all--the most degraded1 the most ignorant1 the most obscure--to perceive spiritual truth when distinctly presented2 and the ultimate appeal on all moral questions is not to a jury of scholars1 a conclave of divines1 or the prescriptions of a creed1 but to the common-sense of the human race4 ,but this substitution of the intuitive for the sensational philosophy--a change which affected all the processes of his thought and actually caused a revolution in his mind--was made silently1 quietly1 without agitation1 without triumph1 in a sober1 conservative manner1 very different from that of his friend ,theodore ,parker1 who carried the same doctrines a good deal further1 and advocated them with more heat like the burly reformer he was4 ,in religion1 ,mr4 ,ripley's position was the same that it was in philosophy4 ,in fact the intellectual side of religion interested him more than the spiritual or experimental side4 ,it was mainly a speculative matter1 where it was not speculative it was practical2 in each event it concerned the head rather than the heart1 as being an opinion rather than a feeling4 ,he was instructed in the school of orthodoxy1 and1 as a youth1 was strict in his allegiance to the old system of belief2 but he became a disciple of ,dr4 ,channing1 and later a rationalist of the order of ,theodore ,parker1 a friend of ,emerson1 an adherent of what was newest in theology4 ,yet1 in this extreme departure from the views of his early years1 he betrayed no sign of agitation1 no trace of internal suffering4 ,he wished to go to ,yale instead of ,harvard1 because the temptations incident to a college1 we have reason to think1 are less at ,yale than at ,cambridge4 ,he preferred ,andover to ,cambridge1 being convinced that the opportunities for close investigation of the ,scriptures are superior to those at ,cambridge1 and the spirit of the place1 much relaxed from its former severe and gloomy bigotry is more favorable to a tone of decided piety4 ,still1 he goes to ,cambridge1 is much disappointed in what he had learned of the religious character of the school1 and1 on more intimate acquaintance is impressed by the depth and purity of their religious feeling and the holy simplicity of their lives2 enough to humble and shame those who had been long professors of ,christianity1 and had pretended to superior sanctity4 ,in #ahbd a bold article in the ,christian ,disciple1 a ,unitarian journal1 the precursor of the ,christian ,examiner1 excited a good deal of comment1 not to say apprehension4 ,he writes to his sister about it as follows3 ,you asked me to say something about the article in the ,disciple4 ,for myself1 ,i freely confess that ,i think it a useful thing and correct4 ,the vigor of my orthodoxy1 which is commonly pretty susceptible1 was not offended4 ,now1 if you have any objections which you can accurately and definitely state1 no doubt there is something in it which had escaped my notice4 ,if your dislike is only a misty1 uncertain feeling about something1 you know not what1 it were well to get fairly rid of it by the best means4 ,the same year he writes to his mother3 ,i am no partisan of any sect1 but ,i must rejoice in seeing any progress towards the conviction that ,christianity is indeed glad tidings of great joy1 and that in its original purity it was a very different thing from the system that is popularly preached1 and which is still received as reasonable and scriptural by men and women1 who in other respects are sensible and correct in their judgments4 ,when shall we learn that without the spirit of ,christ we are none of us ,his8 ,i trust ,i am not becoming a partisan or a bigot4 ,i have suffered enough1 and too much1 in sustaining those characters1 in earlier1 more inexperienced1 and more ignorant years2 but ,i have no prospects of earthly happiness more inviting than that of preaching the truth1 with the humble hope of impressing it on the mind with greater force1 purity1 and effect than ,i could do with any other than my present conviction4 ,in #ahdj the ministry was abandoned forever1 for more secular pursuits4 ,after #ahdi his activities were wholly literary2 he had no connection with theology1 and none who did not know his past suspected that he had once been a clergyman4 ,the same cast of thought1 not pale in his case1 suffused his action at ,brook ,farm and made a ,utopia quiet1 calm1 dignified1 pervaded by the radiance of mind1 the gentle enthusiasm of the intellect4 ,the heat came in the main from other sources4 ,he was receptive rather than original1 inflammable rather than fiery1 brilliant rather than warm4 ,the heat was supplied by those near him1 by those he trusted1 and by those he loved4 ,not that he was deficient in concern for society2 far from it2 but his interest was more philosophical than philanthropic4 ,the subject of an association that should combine intellectual and mechanical labor and should diminish the distance between the tiller of the ground and the educator was agitated among the thinkers he was intimate with4 ,dr4 ,channing had such a project at heart4 ,mrs4 ,ripley burned with humane anticipations4 ,plans for social regeneration were in the air4 ,it was impossible for one who lived in the midst of ardent spirits1 or was sensitive to fine impressions1 or was cultivated in an ideal wisdom that was not of this world1 to escape the contagion of this kind of optimism2 ,emerson was saved by his belief in individual growth2 ,parker by his steady common-sense2 others were protected by their conservatism of temperament or of association1 by their want of courage1 or their want of faith2 but men and women of ideal propensities1 like ,nathaniel ,hawthorne1 ,w4 ,h4 ,channing1 ,j4 ,s4 ,dwight1 joined the community1 which promised a new era for ,humanity4 ,mr4 ,ripley would probably have left the ministry at any rate1 for it had become distasteful to him1 but it is not likely that he would have undertaken the management of ,brook ,farm unless he had been assured of its success2 for he was a ,new ,england youth by birth and by disposition1 prudent1 careful1 thrifty2 his very enthusiasm was of the ,new ,england type1 the product of theological ideas1 a creation of the gospels1 a desire to introduce the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 a continuance of the prophetic calling4 ,new ,england is as noted for its fanaticism as it is for its theology4 ,its fanaticism is the offspring of its theology1 and in proportion as its theology disappears its fanaticism decreases4 ,in ,mr4 ,ripley's case the theology had reached very near to its last attenuation and the fanaticism had tapered off into a gentle enthusiasm4 ,he undertook to establish a kingdom of heaven on earth because he had given up the expectation of a kingdom of heaven in the skies2 and he undertook to establish a kingdom of heaven on earth by rational1 economic means1 not by religious interventions4 ,he was subject to that peculiar kind of excitement that comes to a few people in connection with the keen exercise of their intellectual powers1 when they have laid hold of what seems to them a principle--an excitement that is easily mistaken for moral earnestness even by one who is under its influence1 which1 indeed1 lies so close to moral earnestness as to feel quickly the effect of moral earnestness in others1 notwithstanding the checks applied by practical wisdom4 ,mr4 ,ripley had struck on a theory of society1 which at that time was passing from the phase of feeling into the phase of philosophy4 ,the theory was in the air2 the most susceptible spirits were full of it2 all noble impulses were in its favor1 it belonged to the order of thought he had attained2 it was native to the aspirations that inflamed the men and women with whom he was most intimate2 their feelings awoke his intellect1 and he was carried away by a stream whereof he appeared to himself to be a tributary and whereof he appeared to others as the main current1 on account of his impetuosity1 and the vigor with which he proceeded to put the idea into practice4 ,in his own mind he was realizing the dream of the ,new ,testament1 but1 in fact1 he was testing a principle of which the ,new ,testament was quite unconscious1 the modern principle of the equal destinies of all men4 ,he had abandoned the ,new ,testament ground of allegiance to ,jehovah1 and had adopted the human ground of fidelity to social law4 ,he was still under the spell of religious emotions1 but they had become merged in the abstractions of rationalism and merely lent an added glow to his ideas1 so that he could readily imagine that he was actuated by spiritual convictions when1 in fact1 he was doing duty as a disciple of socialist philosophers4 ,his own interest in ,brook ,farm was in the main speculative1 though through his personal sympathies he was moved toward an enterprise that had moral ends in view4 ,once embarked in it1 he gave his whole mind to its accomplishment1--all his industry1 all his organizing talent1 all his high sense of duty4 ,he worked day and night2 he wrote letters2 he answered inquiries2 he mastered the science of agriculture2 he did the labor of a practical farmer2 he maintained the supervision of the strange family that gathered about him4 ,very remarkable was his success in keeping the intellectual side uppermost1 in keeping clear of the temptations to give way to instinctive leanings4 ,his associations were with books and study and bright people4 ,he brought the most brilliant men and women of the day to the place4 ,he awakened the interest of the general community4 ,he diffused an atmosphere of cheerful hope around the experiment4 ,it is easy to make sport of ,brook ,farm2 to laugh at the odd folks who came there2 to ridicule their motives and actions2 to repeat stories of extravagant conduct2 to tell of the eccentric behavior of men and maidens who were right-minded but impulsive2 to follow spontaneousness to its results2 to trace the course of unrestricted liberty4 ,but it is not fair to remember these things as peculiarities of ,brook ,farm1 as incidents of its conception1 or as incidents that were agreeable to ,mr4 ,ripley4 ,he exerted the whole weight of his character against them4 ,he watched and guarded4 ,we do not hear of him in connection with the scandals1 the laxities1 or the frolics4 ,his efforts were directed to the supremacy of ideas over instinct1 the idea of a regenerated society1 something very different from joyousness1 or merriment1 or the fun of having a good time4 ,he1 too1 was gay2 he felt the delight of freedom2 but his gayety was born of happy confidence in the principle at stake1 his delight was connected with the advent of a new method of intercourse among men4 ,i remember hearing him once deliver a speech in ,boston4 ,in it he spoke of the foolishness of preaching1 and avowed his willingness to be a pioneer in the task of breaking out a new future for humanity1 a ditcher and delver in the work of constructing the new building of ,god4 ,he had the coming time continually in view4 ,others might enjoy themselves1 others might grow tired of waiting1 but he held smiling on his way1 determined to carry out the idea to the end4 ,there was something grand in the steady intellectual force with which he did his best to carry through a principle that commanded more and more the assent of his reason4 ,when the demonstration of ,charles ,fourier was laid before him1 no argument was required to persuade him to adopt it4 ,he took it up with all his energy2 his enthusiasm rose to a higher pitch than ever2 the rationale of the movement was revealed to him1 and apparently he saw for the first time the full significance of the scheme he had been conducting4 ,the impelling power of an intellectual conviction was never more splendidly illustrated4 ,nobody discerned so clearly as he did the financial hopelessness of the experiment4 ,nobody felt the burden of responsibility as he felt it4 ,yet he did not flinch for a moment1 and his patient assumption of the indebtedness at last had the stamp of real heroism upon it4 ,his renewal of the most painful traditions of ,grub ,street until the liabilities of ,brook ,farm were cleared off is one of the noble histories1 a history that cannot be told in detail because of the modesty which has left no record of toil undergone or duty done4 ,the old simile of the sun struggling with clouds1 and gradually clearing itself as the day wears on1 best illustrates my view of this man's accomplishment4 ,there were the clouds of orthodoxy which were burned away at ,cambridge4 ,then came the clouds of ,unitarian divinity1 which were dispelled by the transcendental philosophy4 ,these were succeeded by the dark vapors of the ministry1 and these by the sentimental philanthropy of ,new ,england rationalism4 ,at length his intellect broke through these obscurations and showed what it truly was4 ,on the failure of ,brook ,farm and the final dismissal of all plans for creating society anew1 ,mr4 ,ripley's faculties emerged in their full strength4 ,the ,new ,england element was withdrawn4 ,there was no longer thought for theology or reform1 but solely for knowledge and literature4 ,in ,boston he had taken on himself every opprobrious epithet4 ,in his final letter to his congregation he avows his interest in temperance1 anti-slavery1 peace1 the projects for breaking down social distinctions2 simply1 it would seem1 because his philosophy1 falling in with popular sentiment1 pointed that way2 for he was never publicly identified with any of these causes1 or ranked by reformers in the order of innovators4 ,indeed1 one of the old ,abolitionists told me that she had never associated him with the anti-slavery people1 though her family went to his church4 ,in ,new ,york there was no pretence of this kind4 ,the devotion to literature absorbed his attention4 ,his democratic concern for the workingmen continued1 but in a theoretical manner1 if we may judge from the fact that he took no part in domestic or foreign demonstrations1 that he made no speech1 attended no meeting1 consorted with no social reformers1 did not even keep up his intimacy with the original leaders of socialism in this country4 ,when the sadness of his first wife's death was over1 and the drudgery of toil was ended1 he was happier than he had ever been4 ,no time was wasted2 no talent was misused4 ,mental labor was incessant1 but in performing it there was pure delight4 ,it is usual to think of his early life as his best1 and there were some who regarded him as an extinct volcano2 but ,i am of the opinion that his latter years were his most characteristic1 and that he was most entirely himself when his intellectual nature came to its full play4 ,in proportion as the olden thoughts1 the spirit's pall1 fell off1 he became peaceful and sweet2 his view backward and forward became clear1 his purpose steady1 his will serene4 ,the past was distasteful to him and he seldom alluded to it2 but as one puts his childhood and his age together1 a steady development is seen to run through both4 ,his could not be a cloudless day1 but he went on from glory to glory4 ,his age more than justified the promise of his youth4 ,in his latter years he befriended aspiring young men2 he made literature a power in ,america2 he threw a dignity around toil2 he associated knowledge with happiness1 and rendered light and love harmonious4 ,his favorite author was ,goethe1 the apostle of culture4 ,his familiarity with ,sainte-,beuve1 the master of literary criticism1 was so great1 that on occasion of that writer's decease1 he sat down and wrote an account of him without recourse to books4 ,though without knowledge of art1 destitute of taste for music1 and deficient in aesthetic appreciation1 his sympathy was so large and true that these deficiencies were not felt4 ,the intellectual sunshine was shed over the entire nature1 and the book was so universal that it seemed to embrace everything4 ,this is the property of pure mind1 rarely seen in such perfection of lucidity4 ,such a mind is at once conservative and radical2 conservative as treasuring the past1 radical as anticipating improvement in the future4 ,there is nothing like fanaticism1 but a bright look in every direction1 a place for all sorts of accomplishments1 hospitality to each new invention1 a radiant acceptance of all temperaments4 ,the mind cannot be superstitious1 for it cannot believe that divine powers are identified with material objects or occasional accidents2 it cannot be ever sanguine as those are who indulge in abstract visions of good1 for it knows that progress is very slow and gradual1 and that the welfare of mankind is advanced by the process of civilization1 by cultivation1 acquirement1 refinement1 the gains of wealth1 elegance1 and delicacy of taste4 ,it judges by rational standards1 not by sentimental feelings1 accepting imperfection as the inevitable condition of human affairs and bounded characters4 ,it is not exposed to the convulsions that accompany even the most exalted moods1 but calmly labors and quietly hopes for the future4 ,i do not say that ,george ,ripley was such a mind1 merely that his tendency was in that direction4 ,he was limited by traditions2 he had too many prejudices4 ,the axioms of the transcendental philosophy clung to him4 ,the shreds of religion hung about him4 ,he could not divest himself of the ancient clerical memories and ways1 nor wholly throw off the mantle of personal sympathy he had so long worn4 ,he was not completely secular4 ,that he was a perfect man is less evident still4 ,his sunny quality was due in some degree to a happy temperament1 and was subject to the eclipses that darken the blandest natures1 and render sombre the most hilarious spirits4 ,he lacked the steadfast courage of conviction1 was somewhat over-prudent and timid1 afraid of pain1 of popular disapproval1 of criticism and opposition4 ,this may have been due in part to his frequent disappointments and the carefulness they forced upon him1 to the distrust in his own judgment which he had occasion to learn1 and the necessity of confining his action to the point immediately before him4 ,but ,i am inclined to think that this apprehensiveness was constitutional4 ,if it is suggested by way of objection that the bold experiment of ,brook ,farm1 made in the face of obloquy and derision1 indicated moral courage of a high stamp1 ,i would remind the critic of the warm approbation of his friends1 and the confident expectation of success on the part of those he was intimate with4 ,his wife not merely gave him her countenance but stimulated his zeal1 and surrounded him every day with an atmosphere of faith4 ,he had the applause of ,dr4 ,channing1 and the support of his brilliant nephew4 ,men like ,hawthorne1 ,ellis ,gray ,loring1 ,george ,stearns1 not to mention others1 urged him on4 ,his own well-beloved sister was one of his ardent coadjutors4 ,he had hopes of ,emerson4 ,in short1 so far from being alone1 he stood in an influential company1 and instead of his being altogether unpopular was encompassed by the good-will of those he prized most4 ,it would have required courage to resist such influences4 ,besides1 he was inflated by a momentary enthusiasm which carried him along in spite of himself and would not allow his judgment to work4 ,a sudden storm struck him1 lifted unusual waves1 caused unexampled spurts of foam1 made the ordinarily quiet water boisterous and dangerous1 and threw long lines of breakers on the coast1 so that what was a still lake became of a sudden a tempestuous sea4 ,one must not hastily imagine that the water had become an ocean1 or that it was really an ,atlantic formerly supposed to be a pool4 ,then it must be said he loved money too well4 ,this infirmity was not native to him1 but must probably be imputed to early poverty1 the necessity of working hard in order to pay debts not altogether of his own contracting1 thus pledging the meagre income of the first sixty years of his life4 ,his final income was large1 but it was earned by incessant literary toil1 which naturally rendered him avaricious of the rewards that might come to him4 ,his generosity did not have a fair chance to show itself outside of his family4 ,there it was lavish1 but there it was too much mixed up with affection1 duty1 and pride to be credited to his manhood4 ,he did not live long enough1 either1 to attain complete superiority over his accidents4 ,he was already an old man before he had money for his wants4 ,i remember meeting him on ,broadway in #ahfa1 the year of his wife's death1 and he said3 ,my grief is embittered by the thought that she died just as ,i was getting able to obtain for her what she needed4 ,he was then fifty-nine years of age4 ,it cannot be expected that any impulse of generosity will overcome the habits of a life-time at so advanced a period as this4 ,that they showed themselves at all is remarkable1 and establishes as well their power as their existence4 ,in a word1 this man was too heavily weighted by circumstances to do his genius full justice4 ,he seemed to be two individuals1 with little in common between them4 ,as one looked at his past or at his present1 his real character was differently judged4 ,the most plausible account of him was that which supposed the experiences to be buried in a deep grave1 which was seldom uncovered even by the man himself1 who lived in the day before him1 and rarely glanced back save to mourn over or to make sport of his former career4 ,the only way of establishing a unity in his history is to concede the supremacy of the intellectual quality over the moral in his first endeavors4 ,the prejudice in favor of the moral was and is so strong that to maintain this supremacy will seem like a condemnation of him1 though meant in his praise4 ,he probably would so have considered it1 especially when carried away by the flood of memories4 ,it was easy for him to be mistaken4 ,his merit consists in the energy of the reason which made headway against a host of disadvantages and achieved something resembling a victory in the end4 ,some time hence1 when the homage paid to sentiment shall have yielded to the worship of knowledge1 ,george ,ripley will be regarded as one of the earliest apostles of the light4 ,all these greatly enriched my life in ,new ,york1 opened new spheres of activity1 and enlarged my whole horizon1 both intellectually and socially4 ,their variety1 elasticity1 and vigor in many fields of intellectual force added much to the extension of my view1 and acted1 not merely as a refreshment1 but also as a stimulus4 ,,xv4 ,,the ,,present ,,situation4 ,the progress of mind is continuous4 ,strictly speaking1 there are no periods of transition1 no crises in thought4 ,the history of ideas presents no gap4 ,every stage begins and ends an epoch4 ,one is often reminded of the common notion that the year begins and ends at a particular moment4 ,every day begins and ends a year2 every hour is equally sacred4 ,yet solemn thought1 worship1 self-examination1 are precious1 and these can be secured only by the observance of times and seasons2 so that we fall on our knees and pray when the old year ends and the new one begins4 ,so1 as a point of time must be fixed upon1 we will begin with ,thomas ,paine4 ,it is not easy to speak fully and justly of ,paine1 because in so doing we must speak of the misapprehensions and mis-statements of which he has been the victim2 and even if we refute these1 the bare mention of them leaves a stain on his fame4 ,no doubt his method--application of common-sense to religion--was essentially vicious4 ,common-sense is an admirable quality in practical affairs1 quite indispensable in the management of business of all kinds1 but it has no place in the discussion of works of the higher imagination--of poetry1 art1 music1 or faith4 ,but such was the man's genius1 such was the demand of his age4 ,it is easy to speak of his ignorance1 his coarseness1 his impudence1 his vanity2 but it must be remembered that his education was very imperfect1 for he was utterly ignorant of any language but his own1 and he did not1 apparently1 read even the ,english deists2 that he was a man of the people2 that he lived in an age of revolutions2 that he stood for the rights of common humanity4 ,it must be remembered also that1 in the first place1 he brought the human mind face to face with problems which had been appropriated by a special class that considered itself exempt from criticism4 ,in the next place he was in dead earnest2 not attacking the ,bible or religion out of flippancy or brutality1 but because he really hated the interpretations that were usually given of sacred things2 his attack was against orthodoxy1 not against faith4 ,his blasphemy1 says ,leslie ,stephen1 was not against the ,supreme ,god1 but against ,jehovah4 ,he was vindicating the ruler of the universe from the imputations which believers in literal inspiration and dogmatical theology had heaped upon him under the disguise of homage4 ,he was denying that the ,god before whom reasonable creatures should bow in reverence could be the supernatural tyrant of priestly imagination1 who was responsible for ,jewish massacres1 who favored a petty clan at the expense of his other creatures1 who punished the innocent for the guilty1 who lighted the fires of everlasting torment for the masses of mankind1 and who gave a monopoly of his favor to priests or a few favored enthusiasts4 ,paine1 in short1 with all his brutality1 had the conscience of his hearers on his side1 and we must prefer his rough exposure of popular errors to the unconscious blasphemy of his supporters4 ,then ,paine did love his kind2 he abhorred cruelty1 and desired1 after his fashion1 to elevate his race4 ,examples of this are numerous4 ,at the time when the ,common ,sense and ,crisis were having an enormous sale1 the demand for the former reaching not less than one hundred thousand copies1 and both together offering to the author profits that would have made him rich1 ,paine freely gave the copyright to every ,state in the ,union4 ,in his period of public favor and of intimate friendship with the founders of the government1 ,paine declined to accept any place or office of emolument1 saying3 ,i must be in everything1 as ,i have ever been1 a disinterested volunteer4 ,my proper sphere of action is on the common floor of citizenship1 and to honest men ,i give my hand and heart freely4 ,the ,state of ,virginia made a large claim on the general government for lands4 ,thomas ,paine opposed the claim as unreasonable and unjust1 though at that very time there was a resolution before the legislature of ,virginia to appropriate to him a handsome sum of money for services rendered4 ,in #agig1 ,paine was the chief promoter of the society of ,theophilanthropists1 whose object was the extinction of religious prejudices1 the maintenance of morality1 and the diffusion of faith in one ,god4 ,it is want of feeling1 says this heartless blasphemer1 to talk of priests and bells1 while infants are perishing in hospitals1 and the aged and infirm poor are dying in the streets4 ,in #aggd1 ,paine published in the ,pennsylvania ,journal1 a strong1 anti-slavery essay4 ,while clerk in the ,pennsylvania ,legislature he made an appeal in behalf of the army1 then in extreme distress1 and subscribed his entire salary for the year to the fund that was raised4 ,towards the close of his life1 he devised a plan for imposing a special tax on all deceased persons' estates1 to create a fund from which all1 on reaching twenty-one years1 should receive a sum to establish them in business1 and in order that all who were in the decline of life should be saved from destitution4 ,it is not generally known that ,paine often preached on ,sunday afternoons at ,new ,rochelle4 ,in ,england he spoke in early life from ,dissenting pulpits1 and to him we owe this exquisite definition of religion3 ,it is man bringing to his ,maker the fruits of his heart4 ,all this is evidence that honorable considerations were at the bottom of his own belief4 ,he was1 according to his view1 the friend of man1 and in this interest wrote his books4 ,he introduced kindness into religion4 ,he certainly repeated the ideas of ,collins and ,toland1 and the conceptions that were floating in the air1 breathed by ,voltaire and ,diderot2 but he did give them voice4 ,the ,english deists were dead1 and would have continued so but for him4 ,he was essentially a pamphleteer1 the master of a very rich1 simple style that went directly to the hearts of the people4 ,his best performances were unquestionably political1 but all his works were marked by the same peculiarities4 ,his mistake was in supposing that the power that could animate an army could pull down a church4 ,paine was no saint1 but he was no sinner above all that dwelt in ,jerusalem4 ,he drank too much2 he took too much snuff2 he was vulgar2 he was a vehement man in a vehement age2 he went to dinner in his dressing-gown2 and he certainly did not bring his best convictions to bear on his private character2 but he did wake up minds that had been dumb or oppressed before4 ,the ,age of ,reason went everywhere1 into holes and corners1 among back-woodsmen and pioneers1 and did more execution among plain moral men than many a book that was more worthy of acceptance4 ,it is a pity that his disciples should be content with repeating his denials1 instead of building on the rational foundations which he laid4 ,for instance1 they might1 while adding to his criticism of the ,scriptures1 have shown their high moral bearing and their spiritual glow4 ,they might have carried out further his enthusiasm for humanity1 showing that man had more in him than ,paine suspected4 ,they might have justified by more scientific reasons his belief in ,god and in immortality4 ,they might have been truly rationalists as he wanted to be1 but could not be at that period4 ,but they were satisfied with saying over and over again what he said as well as he could1 but not as well as they can4 ,he was simply a precursor1 but he was a precursor of such men as ,colenso and ,robertson ,smith1 and a large host of scholars beside4 ,paine's best exponent in ,america is perhaps ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,he is a sort of transfigured ,paine4 ,he has all ,paine's power over the masses1 being perhaps the most eloquent man in ,america2 more than ,paine's wit2 more than ,paine's earnestness2 more than ,paine's love of humanity2 more than ,paine's scorn of deceit and harshness1--for he extends his abhorrence of cruelty even to dumb beasts4 ,he has great power of sympathy1 a tender feeling for misery of all kinds4 ,he is a poet1 as is evident from these words3 ,we do not know whether the grave is the end of this life or the door of another1 or whether the night here is somewhere else a dawn4 ,the idea of ,immortality1 that like a sea has ebbed and flowed into the human heart with its countless waves beating against the shores and rocks of time and faith1 was not born of any book or of any creed or of any religion4 ,it was born of human affection1 and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death4 ,it is the rainbow1 ,hope1 shining upon the tears of grief4 ,paine's simple childlike belief in ,god and ,immortality1 ,ingersoll remands to the cloudy sphere of agnosticism1 as ,paine probably would now2 but it is my opinion that if evidence which he regarded as satisfactory--that is1 legal evidence--could be given1 he1 too1 would accept these articles2 for he has none of the elements of the bigot about him4 ,his detestation is simply of hell and a priesthood2 for pure1 spiritual religion1 he has only respect4 ,like ,paine1 he attacks the ecclesiasticism and theology of the day1 and is satisfied with doing that2 and1 like ,paine1 he has convictions instead of opinions1 and his character is all aflame with his ideas4 ,in his private life1 in his family relations1 in his public career1 there is no reproach on his name--nothing that he need be ashamed of4 ,mr4 ,ingersoll does not worship the ,infinite under any recognized form or name1 but that he adores the substance of deity is beyond all doubt2 he worships truth and purity and sincerity and love1--everything that is highest and noblest in human life4 ,one word more ,i must say1--that his motive is essentially religious4 ,it is his aim to lift off the burden of superstition and priestcraft2 to elevate the soul of manhood and womanhood2 to promote rational progress in goodness2 to emancipate every possibility of power in the race2 and this is the aim of every pure religion1--to open new spheres of hope and accomplishment4 ,the disintegration of the popular orthodoxy goes on very fast1 and always under the influence of the moral sentiment4 ,this is very prettily put by ,miss ,jewett1 in one of her short stories1 entitled ,the ,town ,poor4 ,two ladies1 jogging along a country road1 fall to talking about an old meeting-house which is being improved after the modern fashion4 ,one of them laments the loss of the ancient pews and pulpit1 and the substitution of a modern platform and slips4 ,the other says3 ,when ,i think of them old sermons that used to be preached in that old meeting-house1 ,i am glad it is altered over so as not to remind folks4 ,them old brimstone discourses6 you know preachers is far more reasonable now-a-days4 ,why1 ,i sat an' thought last ,sabbath as ,i listened1 that if old ,mr4 ,longbrother and ,deacon ,bray could hear the difference1 they'd crack the ground over 'em like pole beans1 and come right up 'long side their headstones4 ,in ,chicago1 some years ago1 orthodox preachers begged a pronounced radical to stay and help them fight the matter out on the inside2 and a minister of one of the principal churches there distinctly said that he did not believe in the infallibility of the ,bible or an everlasting punishment4 ,a ,congregational minister in ,connecticut expressed himself as thoroughly in sympathy with the advanced party in theology4 ,an orthodox clergyman in ,new ,england declared that he did not know of an orthodox minister in the whole range of his acquaintance who believed in the old doctrine4 ,a minister in ,rhode ,island1 who occupied a high position in the orthodox church1 while declining to make an open statement on account of social and political reasons1 avowed his willingness to write a private letter disclaiming all belief in the accepted views4 ,the ,rev4 ,howard ,mac,queary1 the ,episcopal rector of ,canton1 ,ohio1 who has recently published a book1 entitled the ,evolution of ,man and ,christianity1 has been convicted of heresy against his own protest and the popular sentiment4 ,the successor of ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 in ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 recently published the essentials of his creed4 ,there is no fall in it1 no trinity1 no miracle in the old sense1 no eternal punishment4 ,he declares1 frankly1 that there is no difference in kind between man1 ,jesus1 and ,god1 but only a difference in degree4 ,the same man recently preached in ,king's ,chapel1 and lectured in ,channing ,hall4 ,the ,andover controversy distinctly reveals the decay of the ancient theology4 ,in ,england dissent has gone very far1 as is evident from a book called ,the ,kernel and the ,husk1 written by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,e4 ,a4 ,abbott1 the author of the article on ,the ,gospels1 in the last edition of the ,encyclopaedia ,britannica4 ,in this article the fall is repudiated1 the trinity1 miracles1 the virgin birth1 the physical resurrection of ,jesus1 and eternal punishment2 yet even his bishop has not rebuked him4 ,yes1 the moral sentiment is certainly coming to its rights4 ,of ,unitarianism1 after what has been said1 it is unnecessary to speak4 ,that there should be a difference between the ,east and the ,west is natural4 ,the ,east holds fast1 in large sense1 to the ancient theological traditions4 ,the ,west never had them1 and can therefore declare that its fellowship is conditioned on no doctrinal tests1 and can welcome all who wish to establish truth and righteousness and love in the world4 ,the ,west will ultimately prevail2 the temper of the ,east is rapidly wasting away1 and the breach will soon be closed up4 ,the new ,unitarian churches will be founded on a practical basis1 the only requirement being that the minister should be deeply in earnest about religious things4 ,the characteristic of all churches1 of whatever name1 is an urgent interest in social reform1 a deep concern for the disfranchised and oppressed1 and a warm feeling towards the elevation of mankind4 ,the universal prayer is1 to borrow the pithy language of ,dr4 ,f4 ,h4 ,hedge3 ,may ,thy kingdom come on earth6 not ,may we come into ,thy kingdom4 ,if it was hard to do full justice to ,thomas ,paine1 it is harder to do full justice to the ,broad ,churchman4 ,there is no authoritative account of his position to which appeal can be made1 and the great variety of opinion on incidental points makes it difficult to frame any description which the leaders would accept4 ,a great deal depends on the change of circumstances1 the ruling spirit of the time1 the prevailing tendencies of thought in the period1--whether scientific1 critical1 or social1--and a great deal depends1 too1 on the peculiarities of individual temperament1 but the fundamental doctrines are the same4 ,the ordinary observer can see the largeness1 sympathy1 inclusiveness1 devotion to actual needs4 ,but the ordinary observer cannot see the real basis of faith in human nature2 the manifestation of the ,divine ,being in the highest possibilities of man2 the trust in a living1 active1 communicating ,god4 ,these are cardinal points1 and must be insisted on4 ,the inherent depravity of man2 his essential corruption2 his absolute inability to receive any portion of the divine life1 is naturally repudiated4 ,but his feebleness1 crudeness1 imperfection1 his dearth and deficiency1 his sensuality1 hardness1 love of material things1 is insisted on1 and cannot be exaggerated4 ,still there is a germ of the divine nature in him1 a spark of the divine flame which can be kindled4 ,the familiar language of ,longfellow expresses this idea exactly3 ,ye whose hearts are fresh and simple1 ,who have faith in ,god and ,nature1 ,who believe that in all ages ,every human heart is human1 ,that in even savage bosoms ,there are longings1 yearnings1 strivings ,for the good they comprehend not1 ,that the feeble hands and helpless1 ,groping blindly in the darkness1 ,touch ,god's right hand in that darkness ,and are lifted up and strengthened3-- ,listen to this simple story4 ,to this nature1 thus receptive1 ,god addresses ,himself4 ,he is the ,father1 the absolute ,love1 and his desire is to lead men upward towards the height of divine perfection4 ,in all ages1 in every way1 he has been trying to do this2 and all nature1 all art1 all literature is full of this affection for his child4 ,even the ,pagan myths express this striving of ,god with man4 ,the existence of what we call evil is assumed1 but there is no attempt to explain it or theorize about it or reconcile it with any mode of philosophy4 ,to us it may be simply the divine effort to startle the soul into a consciousness of itself4 ,even the worst forms of doubt1 of denial1 of atheism may be parts of this divine effort2 even men like ,strauss and ,feuerbach may be witnesses for truth1 because they drive men back in horror from the pit of disbelief1 and compel them to take refuge through tears and prayers in the supreme love4 ,of absolute evil we cannot be sure that there is any2 so many ways must the infinite spirit have to awaken men to a sense of their own destiny4 ,i cannot better convey my thought than by recounting the essence of two sermons that ,i heard some years ago from eminent preachers in different ,american cities2 the first was on the death of ,charles ,darwin4 ,after a very ornate service1 the minister dwelt enthusiastically on the merits of ,darwin as a philosopher1 described his system1 and declared that his own belief in the ,deity of ,christ1 was confirmed in large measure by ,darwin's theory of the ,selection of the ,fittest4 ,the statement was startling at first1 for the two doctrines seemed to point in opposite directions1 but the speaker probably meant that the ,christ expressed all the potentialities of human nature2 that he was the ,fittest2 not a miracle1 not an exception to humanity1 but the perfection of man2 in other words1 a divine person4 ,the other sermon turned on the murder of ,sisera 7,judges iv1 #ah71 as contrasted with a statement in the first epistle of ,john 7iv1 #h71 ,god is love4 ,the rector spoke of the assassination of ,sisera in terms of extreme abhorrence2 called it treacherous1 cruel1 base1 and then said3 ,see what progress the human mind has made from this period to that when ,john was written4 ,the common impression is that the human mind had nothing to do with it1 it being the divine mind that was alone in question4 ,but what the preacher meant was evidently this1--either that the divine mind dropped thoughts into the human mind as fast as they could be appreciated1 or that the human mind1 imperfect in development1 apprehended all that it could of the perfect mind4 ,whichever case we assume1 the integrity of the divine mind is secured1 and at the same time the growth of the human4 ,at this point1 the conception of the ,broad ,churchman's idea of the inspiration of the ,scripture must be dwelt upon1 for the doctrine is very remarkable1 and throws a flood of light upon his whole conception of the aim and purpose of ,christianity4 ,according to the common notion1 the ,bible is literally the word of ,god1 and men have nothing to do but to submit themselves to its authority4 ,they must suppress all natural desires1 all dictates of their moral sense1 to this supreme standard of truth and rectitude4 ,according to this notion1 the whole of man1 as a thoroughly corrupted being1 is subject1 in obedience to this law4 ,the second theory1 adopted by the ,american ,broad ,churchman1 holds that the ,bible contains the word of ,god2 and this implies that there may be a part of the ,bible that is not the word of ,god1 and opens the way to an indefinite amount of criticism1 speculation1 and doubt4 ,the ,english ,broad ,churchman holds1 as ,i understand it1 the common doctrine1 but with this immense difference4 ,that whereas1 according to the common notion1 the ,bible is the word of ,god1 he maintains that the whole object of the ,bible is to educate and uplift man4 ,the word is a minister to human needs4 ,through it1 ,god is trying in various ways1 by history1 biography1 tale1 and song1 to warn1 persuade1 teach1 inspire the human soul4 ,sometimes he can do nothing but startle1 shame1 provoke2 and the very things we find fault with may be designed for moral education4 ,the ,bible1 itself1 encourages this idea4 ,does not ,paul preach reconciliation8 ,does not ,john speak of ,god as love8 ,god hardened the heart of ,pharaoh in order that he might show that ,he was stronger than ,pharaoh4 ,jacob was not altogether a lovely character1 but the ,lord wrestled with him and lamed him1 thus showing his own disapproval of the patriarch's temper4 ,david was a seducer1 adulterer1 and murderer1 but he repented1 was ashamed1 was sorrowful1 and this repentance made him a man after ,god's own heart4 ,it was not that ,god approved of his conduct1 but that he wanted to make us disapprove of it4 ,in like manner ,luther based his faith on the ,bible1 because it convicted him of sin1 and drove him to seek refuge for himself in ,christ4 ,the ,church as an organization has always this one purpose in view--to minister to the soul of man4 ,the ,articles fairly throbbed with this conception4 ,the outrage committed by the ,evangelicals1 men who insist upon everlasting punishment and talk of doom1 consists in their overlooking this divine purpose towards humanity4 ,the doctrines of the ,church--the ,deity of ,christ1 the ,incarnation1 the ,resurrection1 the ,ascension--bear this testimony1 and are inexplicable without it4 ,but these doctrines simply convey one thought4 ,the ,christ must be ,god1 otherwise he could not exemplify the perfect love2 he must be ,incarnate1 otherwise he could not mingle with men4 ,his ,resurrection teaches his absolute triumph over death2 his ,ascension is a pledge of his union with ,god and his perpetual intercourse with ,god's children4 ,the two rites1 ,baptism and ,communion1 give the same idea4 ,baptism imports a recognition of the duty to lead a ,christian life2 and ,communion imports a wish1 on the part of all who partake of it1 to enter into the privilege of a perfect harmony with ,christ4 ,none of these points are reached by criticism1 or any array of texts1 though passages may be cited in confirmation of them4 ,but the proof is derived from experience1 from the felt need of enlightenment and inspiration1 from prayer and the yearning after eternal life4 ,no doubt it is taken for granted that neither the ,bible nor the ,church expresses the whole word of ,god4 ,the word is as large as the divine love1 and this is infinite4 ,the complete word of ,god includes all nature1 all history1 and all life4 ,it will be understood that the ,broad ,church notion is only a theory and rests entirely on its reasonableness4 ,it is simply a modification of ,episcopalianism1 and none but an ,episcopalian would be likely to adopt it4 ,its interest for us consists in its human character1 in its earnestness for social reform1 in its passionate desire to make conscience and justice and freedom of the ,spirit supreme in all human affairs4 ,it is essentially an ethical system with an ecclesiastical addition and a heavenly purpose4 ,there is certainly a great difference between the ,broad ,church in ,america and the ,broad ,church in ,england2 there are no ,thirty-,nine ,articles in this country2 there is no ,national ,church4 ,the ,broad ,churchman here is still a ,churchman1 but the system is much more elastic and much more intellectual4 ,the ,church is to him also a divine institution1 but not a final establishment2 and it becomes divine by virtue of its helpfulness in imparting the divine life and its power of human service4 ,the sacraments have become symbols1 venerable from their antiquity1 but more venerable from their use4 ,the ,broad ,churchman is an orthodox believer1 but he accepts only the simplest creeds1 and he interprets them in accordance with the rational principles of thought1 and with his fundamental conception of ,christianity1 holding not to the written letter1 but to the real meaning of the ,confession4 ,this meaning is1 he maintains1 easily reconcilable with the idea that all revelation is made to a living mind1--whether that of a race or an individual1--and that the ,bible is merely the record of it4 ,no book1 in his estimation1 can be inspired4 ,this1 coupled with a belief in the unlimited progress of the natural conscience1 brings the system within the category of modern arrangements4 ,the idea that man is developed into the divine life1 not converted to it1 seems to be the heart of the system4 ,the writings of ,f4 ,d4 ,maurice are full of it4 ,he said that he did not know what the ,broad ,church was1 and disclaimed any position in it2 yet he is its reputed father1 and certainly held its cardinal doctrine4 ,this was the soul of his teaching2 this dictated his likes and his dislikes2 this animated his dissent from the ,evangelicals on the one hand and the ,rationalists on the other2 this made him cling to the ,articles2 this made him love the ,church4 ,i cannot better convey my notion of the ,broad ,churchman's credence than by quoting some passages from ,maurice3 ,i think that the ground-work of this thought and this humanity is laid bare in the ,thirty-nine ,articles2 that for that ground-work namely1 the living ,god1 the living ,word all our different schools are trying to produce feeble and crumbling substitutes2 that we must recur to it if we would pass the narrow dimensions of ,calvinism1 ,anglicanism1 ,romanism2 if we would learn what a message we have for ,jews1 ,mahometans1 ,brahmins1 ,buddhists1 for all the nations of the earth1 as well as our poor people at home4 ,i cannot doubt that this belief the confession of a ,god1 who was1 and is1 and is to come is latent in every man now2 that we are all living1 moving1 having our being in this ,god1 and that ,he does reveal ,himself to ,his creatures gradually1 before ,he is revealed in ,his fulness of glory4 ,i do perceive that if ,i have any work in the world1 it is to bear witness of this name the name of the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 not as expressing certain relations1 however profound1 in the divine nature1 but as the underground of all fellowship among men and angels1 as that which will at last bind all into one1 satisfying all the craving of the reason as well as of the heart1 meeting the desires and intuitions that are scattered through all the religions of the world4 ,the ,church must either fulfil its witness of the redemption for mankind or be cut off4 ,and ,i cannot help thinking that a time is at hand when we shall awaken to this conviction1 and when we shall perceive that what we call our individual salvation means nothing1 and that our faith in it becomes untenable when we separate it from the salvation which ,christ wrought out for the world by ,his incarnation and sacrifice1 resurrection and ascension4 ,he has been pleased to reveal to me in ,his ,son the brightness of ,his glory1 ,his absolute love4 ,on that point ,i have a right to be certain2 he who says ,i have not1 rejects the ,bible and disbelieves the incarnation of the ,lord4 ,i will not give up an inch of this ground2 it is a matter of life and death4 ,by baptism we claim the position which ,christ has claimed for all mankind4444 ,more and more ,i am led to ask myself what a ,gospel to mankind must be1 whether it must not have some other ground than the fall of ,adam and the sinful nature of man4444 ,no doctrine can be so at variance as this1 with the notion that it is a ,gospel which men have need of1 and in their inmost hearts are craving for4 ,why is not this system sufficient8 ,simply because the claim that ,christ is ,god1 does not seem made out to severely critical minds4 ,such as these must hold even the ,broad ,church to be a mythology1 beautiful and innocent1 but still a mythology4 ,the word mythology implies no disparagement4 ,a mythology is simply the poetical form of an idea1 and takes its character from the nature of the ideas it represents4 ,the pagan mythology is on this account very different from the ,christian1 and a mythology that has universal love as its basis may well be called innocent and beautiful4 ,to the doctrine of trinity1 philosophically considered1 even ,unitarian scholars make no objection4 ,what they cannot accept is the deity of ,jesus as an historical person4 ,the ,christ is not1 in their opinion1 an historical person1 but a doctrine1 not identical with the man of the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,divine ,being has never1 in their estimation1 appeared on earth4 ,they only who can put aside criticism1 can suppress it1 can regard it but as one of many manifestations of mind1 can fix their eyes on a church for society at large and not for individuals1 will be likely to accept it1 and they will on the ground that it is altogether human1 a church for mankind4 ,the last phase in the development of the moral sentiment is represented by the ,ethical ,societies4 ,it is natural that the origin of these should be ,jewish1 for the ,jews are unencumbered by the mysteries of the ,christian theology2 their genius is for social organization1 and the moral element is very large in their religion4 ,it is natural1 too1 that the system should be purer here than in ,england4 ,some of the members of the ,cambridge ,ethical ,society are members of the ,church of ,england1 and have to be warned not to set themselves needlessly in opposition to the work of the ,christian churches4 ,the ,edinburgh ,ethical ,club is mainly a debating society4 ,in ,america it is usual to have a lecturer1 and stated services on ,sunday4 ,but these services are very simple1 nay1 even bare2 there is no prayer1 and no scripture1 no architecture or art or poetry2 but there is an intense earnestness1 nay1 enthusiasm1 for social reform4 ,there are kindergartens for the poor children of the streets1 there are classes for the untaught1 libraries for the workingmen1 plans for better lodging and employment for the families of artisans4 ,there is no fixed doctrine in regard to the origin of the moral sentiments1 lest any should be alienated2 the object being to combine all who have at heart the moral interests of mankind4 ,the peculiarity of these societies is not so much that they lay emphasis on the moral as distinct from the spiritual interests1 or aim to break down the dividing line between ,religion and ,ethics1 as it is that they rest upon conscience as the supreme authority1 that they assume its practical function1 build upon it as the one and only thing absolutely known4 ,there is no pretence of following1 even at a distance1 the charities of the old churches with their vast funds1 their immense organizations1 their heaps of tracts1 their legions of missionaries1 all employed in calling unbelievers into the fold4 ,the object is to elevate all mankind by appealing to their moral instincts1 on the ground of their inherent ability to rise in the scale of being4 ,to make their position clear let me quote the words of the founder of these societies1 contained in an article entitled ,the ,freedom of ,ethical ,fellowship1 in the first number of the ,international ,journal of ,ethics3 ,it is the aim of the ,ethical ,societies to extend the area of moral co-operation so as to include a part1 at least1 of the inner moral life2 to unite men of divers opinions and beliefs in the common endeavor to explore the field of duty2 to gain clearer perceptions of right and wrong2 to study with thoroughgoing zeal the practical problems of social1 political1 and individual ethics1 and to embody the new insight in manners and institutions4444 ,it would be a wrong and a hindrance to the further extension of truth to raise above our opinions the superstructure of a social institution4 ,for institutions in their nature are conservative2 they dare not1 without imperilling their stability1 permit a too frequent inspection or alteration of their foundations4444 ,the subject part of mankind1 in most places1 might1 with ,egyptian bondage expect ,egyptian darkness1 were not the candle of the ,lord set up by himself in men's minds1 which it is impossible for the breath or power of man wholly to extinguish4 ,it is to this candle of the ,lord set up in men's minds that we look for illumination4 ,it is in the light which it sheds that we would read the problems of conduct and teach others to read them4 ,we appeal directly to the conscience of the present age1 and of the civilized portion of mankind4 ,there remains as a residue a common deposit of moral truth1 a common stock of moral judgments1 which we may call the common conscience4 ,it is upon this common conscience that we build4444 ,the contents of the common conscience we would clarify and classify1 to the end that they may become the conscious possession of all classes2 and in order to enrich and enlarge the conscience1 the method we would follow is to begin with cases in which the moral judgment is already clear1 the moral rule already accepted2 and to show that the same rule1 the same judgment1 applies to other cases1 which1 because of their greater complexity1 are less transparent to the mental eye4444 ,and here it may be appropriate to introduce a few reflections on the relations of moral practice to ethical theory in religious belief4 ,to many it will appear that the logic of our position must lead us to underestimate the value of philosophical and religious doctrines in connection with morality1 and that1 having excluded this from our basis of fellowship1 we shall inevitably drift into a crude empiricism4 ,i may be permitted to say that precisely the opposite is at least our aim1 and that among the objects we propose to ourselves1 none are dearer than the advancement of ethical theory and the upbuilding of religious conviction4 ,the ,ethical ,society is a society of persons who are bent on being taught clearer perceptions of right and wrong1 and being shown how to improve conduct4 ,at least1 let us hasten to add1 the ideal of the society is that of a body of men who shall have this bent4 ,is it vain to hope that there will in time arise those who will render them the service they require4444 ,it is safe to say that every step forward in religion was due to a quickening of the moral impulses2 that moral progress is the condition of religious progress2 that the good life is the soil out of which the religious life grows4 ,the truths of religion are chiefly two1--that there is a reality other than that of the senses1 and that the ultimate reality in things is1 in a sense transcending our comprehension1 akin to the moral nature of men4 ,but how shall we acquaint ourselves with this super-sensible8 ,the ladder of science does not reach so far4 ,and the utmost stretch of the speculative reason cannot attain to more than the abstract postulate of an infinite1 which1 however1 is void of the essential attributes of divinity4 ,only the testimony of the moral life can support a vital conviction of this sort4444 ,the ,ethical ,society is friendly to genuine religion anywhere and everywhere1 because it vitalizes religious doctrines by pouring into them the contents of spiritual meaning4444 ,a new moral earnestness must precede the rise of larger religious ideals2 for the new religious synthesis which many long for1 will not be a fabrication1 but a growth4 ,it will not steal upon us as a thief in the night1 or burst upon us as lightning from the sky1 but will come in time as a result of the gradual1 moral evolution of modern society1 as the expression of higher moral aspirations1 and a response to deeper moral needs4 ,in his famous essay on ,worship1 ,emerson says3 ,there will be a new church founded on moral science1 at first cold and naked1 a babe in a manger again1 the algebra and mathematics of ethical law1 the church of men to come1 without shawm or psaltery or sackbut2 but it will have heaven and earth for its beams and rafters2 science for symbol and illustration2 it will fast enough gather beauty1 music1 picture1 poetry4 ,is this the church that ,emerson predicted8 ,it looks like it4 ,already we seem to hear the shawms and sackbuts4 ,already there are desires after a more rich and melodious administration4 ,the last number of the ,international ,journal of ,ethics contains two articles3 one on ,the ,inner ,life in ,relation to ,morality1 the other on ,the ,ethics of ,doubt1 which suggest a transcendental ground for moral beliefs2 and they who dissent from this position surround action with an ideal solemnity4 ,at all events it is something to see1 even at a distance1 a city that hath foundations4 ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,religious ,,future ,,of ,,america4 ,in the ,revue des ,deux ,mondes of ,october #ae1 #ahfj1 ,m4 ,renan wrote a remarkable article on the ,future of ,religion in ,modern ,society4 ,this paper of course dealt largely with questions that were interesting at that time1 but it also contains very acute observations on the whole subject1 which are of universal concern4 ,his conclusions are that neither ,judaism nor ,romanism nor the established forms of ,protestantism will constitute the coming faith1 which must be spiritual 7that is1 free of space and time71 undogmatical1 and enfranchised4 ,the religious question1 he says1 finds its solution in liberty4444 ,the liberal principle pre-eminently is that man has a soul1 that he is to be reached only through the soul1 that nothing is of value save as it effects a change in the soul4 ,an inflexible justice1 granting with inexorable firmness liberty to all1 even to those who1 were they masters1 would refuse it to their adversaries1 is the only issue that reason discovers for the grave problems raised in our time4 ,this essay1 along with that of ,emile de ,laveleye of ,liege in ,belgium1 on the ,religious ,future of ,civilized ,communities1 written in #ahgf1 sums up the whole question4 ,it only remains to apply their principles to ,america4 ,many dread the prevalence of ,roman ,catholicism4 ,i confess ,i never could share in that apprehension4 ,for if there is anything certain it is the unchangeableness of the lines of division that separate the three great regions of the earth1 each having its own faith4 ,there is the ,greek ,church1 which rules in ,asia2 the ,latin ,church1 which is confined to the ,latin races1 and is strongest in ,southern ,italy1 where the people are most ignorant and supine2 and the ,protestant ,church1 which prevails in ,northern ,europe among the ,germanic nations4 ,as ,renan says3 ,nothing will come of the mutual struggle of the three ,christian families2 their equilibrium is as well assured as that of the three great races which share between them the world2 their separation will secure the future against the excessive predominance of a single religious power1 just as the division of ,europe must forever prevent the return of that orbis romanus1 that closed circle1 which allowed no possible escape from the tyranny that unity has engendered4 ,moreover1 the ,roman ,catholic faith is essentially ,italian1 and as such can have no permanent influence in ,germany1 ,england1 or ,america4 ,the great popes of the ,middle ,ages1 whose genius raised the papacy to power and splendor1 were ,italians4 ,italy1 until a few years ago1 was isolated2 not a great political power1 as it is now1 among other powers of ,europe1 nor drawn by political affiliations into the schemes of other dominions4 ,besides1 the ,catholic ,church had the advantages of the ,italian genius for organization1 command1 wisdom in practical affairs4 ,then1 too1 it had the immense benefit of the old ,roman treasures of art1 which gave a glory to the system4 ,these considerations alone would make it impossible that ,romanism1 in its foreign form1 should ever become the religion of the ,united ,states4 ,there may be another kind of ecclesiasticism1 but without the ancient authority2 an ecclesiasticism which stands for pomp1 ornament1 display1 beauty1 but not for anything more4 ,there is evidence that every form of religion here is disposed to take on elements of decoration1--architecture1 music1 stained glass1 drapery1 pictures1 and monuments2 but this is only a sign of increasing wealth1 not of increasing subjection4 ,in addition to all this1 the genius of the ,american people is strongly against anything like submission to authority4 ,the love of liberty is exceedingly powerful4 ,it is claimed that ,romanism is not committed to any form of government1 that it is as favorable to republican institutions as to monarchical2 but this is not the opinion of ,renan1 who was born and trained in the church1 and who is therefore entitled to speak with knowledge2 nor is it the opinion of other scholars1 ,martineau for instance1 who says in his article on the ,battle of the ,churches 7,westminster ,review1 ,january1 #ahea73 ,we are convinced it cannot occupy the scope which ,english traditions and ,english usage have secured2 that every step it may make is an encroachment upon wholesome liberty2 that it is innocent only where it is insignificant1 and where it is ascendant will neither part with power nor use it well1 and that it must needs raise to the highest pitch the common vice of tyranny and democracy1--the relentless crushing of minorities4 ,but whether this charge of absolutism be just or not1 ,romanism has been so long associated as a polity with monarchical governments that it has contracted a habit of domineering1 and the people can never be persuaded that the papacy is democratic in its constitution4 ,americans are very suspicious1 too1 of any interference on the part of the government4 ,if a system demands an army1 a palace1 lands1 it must pay for them out of its own private means4 ,a generation or more ago it was possible for an administration to give for a merely nominal sum1 in the very heart of a large city1 great estates to one denomination4 ,this is possible no longer4 ,every sect must vindicate itself1 and stand on its own feet2 this alone would make it impossible for a church so poor as the ,catholic to establish itself in this country on any terms of supremacy4 ,the desire for change which is inherent in the ,american mind must also prove fatal in the end to any claim of absolute stability4 ,protestantism is therefore better for ,americans than ,romanism is1 because it is more portable1 more various1 more accommodating to popular tastes and inclinations4 ,there is no disposition to undervalue the work of the ,catholic ,church4 ,its great saints1 its heroic martyrs1 its stupendous missions1 its enormous philanthropy1 its influence in educating and controlling masses of people1 cannot be exaggerated2 and still it is destined to wield an immense influence as a spiritual power over the human race2 but it never again can be the absolute system it once was4 ,however it may commend itself to certain classes in our population1 it must always be simply one department in the universal church4 ,but it will be said that the ,catholic ,church may accommodate itself to republican institutions4 ,m4 ,renan doubts whether any radical change can be made4 ,he says3 ,catholicism1 persuaded that it works for the truth1 will always endeavor to enlist the state in its defence or its spread4444 ,catholicism is1 in fact1 the believer's country1 far more than is the land of his birth4 ,the stronger a religion is1 the more effective it is in this way4444 ,more and more have ,catholics been brought to think that they derive life and salvation from ,rome4 ,it is especially worth remarking that the new ,catholic conquests exhibit the most sensitiveness on this point4 ,the old provincial ,catholic1 whose faith belonged to the soil1 has less need of the ,pope1 and is much less alarmed at the storms that menace him1 than the new ,catholics1 who are coming fresh to ,catholicism1 and regard the ,pope1 after the new system1 as the author and defender of their faith4444 ,catholicism has been seduced into becoming a religion essentially political4 ,the ,pope becomes the actual sovereign of the church4 ,but supposing that such an alteration is possible1 that the church can abase its pretensions to supremacy over all other sects1 that ,romanism simply melts into our society1--in this case1 the papacy1 as usually understood1 becomes simply a form of church government like ,presbyterianism or ,congregationalism or ,episcopacy2 ,catholicism becomes a purely spiritual faith1 and1 as such1 is not only harmless but beneficent4 ,the religion1 therefore1 of ,america cannot be ecclesiastical2 neither can it be dogmatic4 ,i was on the point of saying theological2 but there is a great difference between theological and dogmatical4 ,dogmatism is theology raised to power4 ,theology there always must be2 some account of the ,supreme ,power in the world2 some report of the contents of the ,divine ,mind4 ,the present indifference to theology is hardly a good sign1 unless it be an indifference to theology as usually regarded--that is1 to the old systems of theology4 ,the future religion1 for this reason1 cannot be ,protestantism4 ,for ,protestantism is essentially dogmatical4 ,it claims superiority to ,romanism on the one hand and to infidelity on the other4 ,furthermore1 it is identified with the ,bible4 ,now1 modern scientific criticism has so riddled the ,bible1 that it no longer can serve as a foundation4 ,and this foundation being taken away1 ,protestantism must lose its corner-stone1 and rest entirely on a rational basis4 ,likewise1 ,protestantism encourages sectarianism4 ,it exists1 in fact1 only in numerous parties1 each jealous of the rest and seeking to build up its own establishment without regard to the well-being of opposing bodies4 ,there is a dream of unity amid all this diversity4 ,but such unity can be gained only by the sacrifice of the very peculiarity of division1 and the admission of certain things which all have in common2 and such a reconciliation1 besides the tyranny it engenders1 cannot be desired1 as it would be fatal to all activity4 ,sectarianism itself1 apart from the hatred1 malice1 and uncharitableness which accompany it1 may not of necessity be an evil2 but sectarianism as it exists now is an evil of very great moment1 and yet1 without something of this alienation between sects ,protestantism would decline4 ,is ,unitarianism then to be the coming religion8 ,i cannot think so4 ,unitarianism is but a form of ,protestantism2 the most attenuated form4 ,it is committed to the ,bible2 held to it indeed by a very fine thread1 but still held to it4 ,no doubt it has gained greatly in the last years4 ,the annual circulation of its tracts has risen in twenty-five or thirty years from fifteen thousand to three hundred thousand copies4 ,a quarter of a century ago there was but one ,unitarian church on the ,pacific coast1 now there are eighteen4 ,a generation since it had1 in the whole region from the ,alleghanies to the ,rocky ,mountains1 only fourteen churches1 now there are ninety2 and in the same period1 sixty-three new societies have come into being in the ,new ,england and ,middle ,states4 ,still1 as compared with the great sects1 it is very small1 and never can be their rival4 ,and this because1 however interesting and precious it may be to some people1 it lacks1 and must ever lack1 owing to its critical character1 the elements of a great religion1 the passionateness that charms the people1 and the moral enthusiasm that catches up the few men of genius4 ,the period of pale negations is past2 but in proportion as the system becomes positive it tends more and more towards the principle that animates the ethical societies1 namely1 its supreme devotion to the moral law4 ,thus it stands at the beginning1 not at the end1 of the line of advance1 and has all the work of building up to do1 before it can grow in general influence4 ,no1 the religion of the future in ,america must be of the spirit2 not merely as being independent of form and dogma1 but as cherishing a great hope for the soul1 and a great aspiration after perfection4 ,no doubt every spirit must have a form of some kind1 but it need not be a fixed1 established1 dominant imposition4 ,m4 ,renan touched the matter exactly when commenting on the interview of ,jesus with the woman of ,samaria3 ,woman1 the hour is coming and now is1 when men shall worship neither on this mountain nor at ,jerusalem1 but when the true worshippers shall worship the ,father in spirit and in truth4 ,renan says3 ,when the ,christ pronounced this word1 he became really a ,son of ,god1 and for the first time spoke the word upon which eternal religion shall repose4 ,he founded the worship without date1 without country1 which shall endure to the end of time4 ,he created a heaven of pure souls1 where one finds what one asks in vain for on the earth1 the perfect nobleness of the children of ,god1 absolute purity1 total abstraction from the impurities of the world1 the liberty which has its complete amplitude only in the world of thought4444 ,the love of ,god conceived as the type of all perfection1 the love of man1 charity1 his whole doctrine is reduced to this2 nothing can be less theological1 less sacerdotal1 nothing more philosophical1 more profound1 or more simple4 ,the coming religion must also be humane and social4 ,intellectual it must certainly be1 but it must1 too1 be emotional and adoring4 ,there are three implications in it--a spiritual nature in man1 a living power in the universe1 an eternal life of progress and attainment1 and these are assured only by reason4 ,the coming religion1 we may add1 must be ,christian in name1 because ,christianity as an ideal faith has worked itself into our common life4 ,it is the soul of our laws1 of our customs1 of our institutions4 ,all assume its authority2 all respect its sanction4 ,the great thinkers of the world conspire in thinking so4 ,thus ,goethe says3 ,let intellectual culture progress2 let natural science extend our knowledge2 let the human mind grow2 it will never outstrip the grandeur of ,christianity1 nor its moral culture4 ,strauss1 in his essay on ,the ,transient and ,permanent in ,christianity1 declares that humanity never will be without religion2 and ,laveleye says3 ,it is ,christianity which has shed abroad in the world the idea of fellowship1 from which issue the aspirations after equality which threaten the actual social order2 it is also the influence of ,christianity which arrests the explosion of this subversive force1 and its principles1 better comprised and better applied1 will bring back by degrees peace in society4 ,ours is a scientific age4 ,there is a general demand for knowledge1 a desire for demonstrated truth4 ,many will believe nothing that they cannot see with their eyes4 ,in this sense1 and in this sense alone1 it is true that facts count for nothing in the domain of religion4 ,but there are facts of the inner world that are quite as important as any facts in the outer world1--facts of the imagination2 facts of love2 facts of faith4 ,nothing is truer than that we are saved by hope4 ,science has enlarged the world2 has beautified it2 has made it look orderly1 harmonious1 poetic2 but the realm of the known is very small indeed as compared with the realm of the unknown1 and the more we discover1 the more we find that there is to discover4 ,the realm of the inner world is immensely large2 and thousands of years must elapse before we discover its contents1 if we ever do4 ,the language of ,james ,martineau is as true to-day as it was when the words were spoken1 more than fifty years ago3 ,until we touch upon the mysterious1 we are not in contact with religion2 nor are any objects reverently regarded by us1 except such as1 from their nature or their vastness1 are felt to transcend our comprehension4444 ,the station which the soul occupies when its devout affections are awakened1 is always this2 on the twilight between immeasurable darkness and refreshing light2 on the confines between the seen and the unseen2 where a little is discerned and an infinitude concealed2 where a few distinct conceptions stand in confessed inadequacy1 as symbols of ineffable realities4444 ,and if this be true1 the sense of what we do not know is as essential to our religion as the impression of what we do know3 the thought of the boundless1 the incomprehensible1 must blend in our mind with the perception of the clear and true3 the little knowledge we have must be clung to as the margin of an invisible immensity2 and all our positive ideas be regarded as the mere float to show the surface of the infinite deep4 ,shall ,i say that some form of theism will be the religion of ,america in the future8 ,not the literal theism of a generation or more ago1 with its individual ,god1 its contriving ,providence1 its supplicatory prayer1 its future of retribution2 nor yet the theism of ,theodore ,parker1 of an infinite ,god revealed in consciousness1 the ,being1 infinitely powerful1 infinitely wise1 infinitely just1 infinitely loving1 and infinitely holy4 ,it well may resemble the system described by ,francis ,w4 ,newman in his book called ,theism1 published in ,london in #aheh4 ,in this work he describes a religion based on conscience1 without regard to any form of professed faith1 yet covering in its theory and practice the whole region of ideal ethics4 ,different minds approach the problem from different directions4 ,mr4 ,f4 ,e4 ,abbot 7,scientific ,theism1 #ahhe7 appeals to science2 ,josiah ,royce printed a volume in #ahhe entitled ,the ,religious ,aspect of ,philosophy1 wherein he pursues the line of sympathetic thought2 ,james ,martineau in his ,study of ,religion 7#ahhh71 bases his system on the moral sense2 but all three arrive at the same point--a supreme mind in creation4 ,we must be careful not to confound ,theism with ,deism1 for though both are the same word--one ,greek and one ,latin--and mean the same thing1 yet they stand for entirely different conceptions4 ,deism is a purely negative system1 weighed down with denials4 ,it is content when it has rejected what it calls all supernatural adjuncts--miracles1 revelations1 an inspired ,scripture4 ,its face is set towards the past1 not toward the future1 and it is simply what is left of the old systems of belief1 having no positive philosophy of its own4 ,but ,theism is a positive1 fresh1 original faith4 ,it gazes forward1 and builds on the natural consciousness of man1 making no criticism on previous modes of belief4 ,it is full of hope and enthusiasm1 looking towards something that is before it1 not scorning but believing4 ,all that it needs in order to become a popular faith is a poetical element1 something imaginative1 symbolical1 picturesque4 ,the intellectual requirements it already possesses4 ,it is affirmative2 it is universal4 ,neither must this kind of theism be identified with natural religion1 unless natural religion be made to comprehend facts of the inner as well as the outer world--facts of psychology as well as of physiology2 facts of mind as well as of body4 ,such a theism is not a mere reminiscence1 either1 of an ancient faith2 for every form of mediatorial religion1 however modified1 simplified1 enlightened1 as it is called1 leaves something of its temper behind it4 ,the intellect is haunted by old modes of truth2 the heart lingers around the ancient places of reverence2 the conscience refers to some antique authority2 the soul cannot pray except in the language of a pater-noster or a psalm4 ,a scent as of roses may hang round the human mind2 but the roses will be grown in some garden of the ,east1 not in ours4 ,such a theism as ,i am thinking of will be grounded in ,ethical ,law4 ,you may call it ,christian1 if you will1 because the word ,christian expresses the highest form of the moral sentiment1 and carries a supreme authority to the human conscience2 but on the human conscience it must rest4 ,it will be a noble1 pure faith1 giving a welcome to all knowledge1 bright with anticipation1 warm with enthusiasm4 ,as ,john ,weiss has said so much better than ,i can what ,i mean1 ,i will quote a passage from him4 ,it occurs in ,american ,religion 7page #fg73 ,cannot the power which sustains1 without budging from the spot1 my personal vitality1 sustain and nourish the immediate conscience of which that vitality makes me aware8 ,i cannot hurt my health1 nor tell a lie1 nor commit a fraud1 nor strike my brother1 nor leave the beggar in the ditch1 nor parade my superiorities1 without knowing it by direct intimation4 ,my pains are its rebukes1 my delights its sympathies1 my hopes its suggestions1 my sacrifices its impost1 my heavenly longings its apology for haunting me forever4 ,there is a power in which ,i live and move and have my being1 in which ,i eat1 drink1 breathe1 sleep1 wake1 love and hate1 marry1 and protect a home4 ,is it incapable of sustaining all my functions of true religion on the spot as well as these8 ,do ,i have these without a mediator1 and must ,i travel for the rest8 ,when ,i undertake to breathe by tradition it will be time for me to get a sense of ,god in the same way4 ,the ,dignity of ,human ,nature must be our watchword2 of human nature1 not of human character4 ,for human nature denotes the capacities of man1 what he ought to be and shall be1 not what he is4 ,human character expresses only the undeveloped condition of man1 and is therefore not to be taken as a final stand4 ,this doctrine does not belong to a sect or a church1 but to all mankind4 ,it assumes an entirely new conception of the basis of religious faith2 it makes a new beginning2 it starts a new system2 it exactly reverses the ancient order of thought1 and builds up from a completely original foundation4 ,the weightiest objections proceed from the undeveloped character of man4 ,for example1 the common saying that conscience is crude1 confused1 either does not exist at all1 or erects inconsistent standards of right and wrong4 ,but if a high criterion of morality is established1 as it is1 it has an educating and sustaining power4 ,every saint attests it2 all the bibles of the world voice it2 revelation owes to it its authority4 ,great souls do but raise the common level on which common souls tread2 as the discovery of the ancient pavements in the ,forum at ,rome opens to ordinary feet the way that statesmen and heroes went4 ,when ,i was in ,salem1 a young man who was very much addicted to drink1 being remonstrated with1 urged that he could not help it1 that he was born so1 just as another was born to praise and pray4 ,his appetite for ardent spirits was just as natural to him as the preacher's appetite for spiritual things4 ,his argument could not be refuted1 but ,i always thought that in his hours of reflection1 if he had any1 he must have despised himself4 ,at all events1 the outside observer would class him with a lower order of humanity2 the fixed rule of conscience being a universal judge4 ,again1 the slowness of moral advance is flung in our teeth2 the stubbornness of vice and evil4 ,but we must give time for improvement and cultivation4 ,all good things must wait--coal1 petroleum1 gas1 electricity2 the fertilizing qualities of guano were known and announced a full generation before the industrial world acted on the discovery2 now millions of dollars are made by its importation4 ,we are so used to thinking of the globe as round1 and of men as living at the antipodes just as we live here1 that we cannot believe that once it was deemed impossible for human creatures to live with their heads downward and their feet upward1 and to walk like flies upon a ceiling4 ,none but hopelessly crazy or foolish people were supposed to entertain such a notion4 ,so the time will come when it shall be as natural for men to do right as to breathe2 when all kinds of injustice1 cruelty1 and tyranny will be instinctively abandoned4 ,when that time does come1 men will be unable to believe that the ages ever were when men could make brutes of themselves or brutally treat each other4 ,an eminent divine1 commenting on a passage in ,matthew1 xviii41 #ae--,moreover1 if thy brother shall trespass against thee1 go and tell him his fault between him and thee alone2 if he shall hear thee1 thou hast gained thy brother4 ,but if he will not hear thee1 then take with thee one or two more1 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established4 ,and if he shall neglect to hear them1 tell it unto the church3 but if he neglect to hear the church1 let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican1--said3 ,this is equivalent to saying1 ',you must begin all over again2 must start fresh from the beginning4' ,this was very bad exegesis1 but it was excellent morality2 even the heathen man and the publican holds in his bosom all the possibilities of human nature2 and we are bound to believe that in time the like of him may be saintly4 ,the decline of faith in religion1 the passion for material things--money1 fame1 luxury1--is often cited as a proof that man is going downward2 but may not this be a simple return to honesty and a rudimental integrity2 a disposition to depend on one's self1 and not on any mediator or redeemer8 ,let us build then in hope and faith1 for1 after all1 these are the great architects4 ,a listener to an eminent divine once said that when he got up to speak a radiance seemed to grow round his head2 the great walls of a temple seemed to rise above him2 the audience was composed of all nations1 all sorts and conditions of men1 and a choir of seraphs made the music2 and yet this man spoke in a small1 low-browed hall to a scanty audience1 and the hymns were badly sung by a voluntary company4 ,such power has a great conviction2 and when a deep conviction like that is extended and confirmed1 the visible church will match the invisible1 and shepherds will again hear the songs of angels4 ,,xvii4 ,,confessions4 ,the course of spiritual advance is traced with difficulty and hesitation4 ,it is the most obscure phase of the general problem of progress1 which is almost insoluble4 ,there are so many currents and counter-currents2 so many tributaries2 so many swift torrents and still bays2 so many times the stream seems moving in the opposite direction--it is not surprising if some have concluded that there was no progress at all1 that we only moved in a circle1 went over the same ground again and again1 and even marched backwards2 what some counted gain others counted loss4 ,a keen examination suggests that on the whole advance has been made1 allowance being conceded for many a turn and variation4 ,the law of evolution may be considered established1 but the method of evolution is hidden4 ,the law of hereditary descent may be admitted1 and yet the lines of hereditary descent are by no means obvious4 ,tendencies may even run in parallel lines1 may aid each other1 may confuse each other1 may neutralize each other1 may go very far or lie close at hand1 and in any individual instance it is almost impossible to find how they work4 ,in my own case the inferences of temperament followed each other4 ,during the first fifty years of my life ,i was mainly under the influence of my father's temperament4 ,i sang1 wrote hymns and poems1 sent pieces to the papers1 was sanguine1 inclined to take a happy view of all experiences2 but at the same time ,i was conscious of another train of thought which struggled fitfully with the first1 acquiring more and more power until at last it gained the ascendency1 and ,i found myself more inclined to conservatism1 as it is called1 to a grave1 sober1 serious regard for existing institutions and modes of opinion4 ,it is said that this might have been the effect of years1 inasmuch as after middle life one is very apt to experience a change of sentiment4 ,but in my own case time will hardly explain the phenomenon1 for long before ,i came to middle age ,i was aware of this less hopeful tendency in my constitution4 ,it was my mother's influence succeeding my father's4 ,and though it never entirely prevailed1 ,i can see how it may have shadowed my visions of the future4 ,and it makes me somewhat distrustful of the entire sanity of my criticism4 ,i am afraid of not being hopeful enough4 ,i have sometimes suspected myself of a too critical disposition1 a propensity to discover defects in men and opinion1 to look at the dark side of systems that were repudiated2 and in the effort to correct the aberrations of a literal estimate ,i may have gone too far in the opposite direction1 rendering more than justice to antagonistic doctrines4 ,but this1 if it was an error1 was certainly not an error to be ashamed of4 ,for say what we will1 the partial man is not the whole man1 nor is cold perception true perception4 ,there must be sympathy in every act of judgment1 as ,dr4 ,diman wisely wrote 7,the ,theistic ,argument1 p4 #cb73 ,in the pursuit of the highest truth not one faculty but all faculties need to be enlisted4 ,every system1 however formal or dogmatical it may have become1 had in the beginning its spiritual aspect2 it was piously1 if not humanely1 meant2 and in order to be rightly comprehended1 should be surveyed from the inside4 ,the most repulsive doctrine has something to urge in its favor1 and it is the duty of the true rationalist to find out what it may be4 ,if the inclination to take a common-sense view of opinions was derived from my mother's side1 a strong democratic bent was primarily due to her4 ,my grandfather was a poor boy who earned his fortune by the simple qualities of industry1 integrity1 perseverance1 independence1 faithfulness1 honesty1--virtues which he bequeathed to his children4 ,these inherited dispositions were encouraged by the social influences of the public school1 which1 in spite of its laborious method of imparting a knowledge of ,latin and ,greek1 threw the lads together1 thus breaking down artificial distinctions2 and also by my experience at ,harvard ,college1 where scholarship was associated with mere manhood1 and was cultivated by youth of all conditions4 ,the anti-slavery agitation was a practical instructor in humanity1 indicating as it did the widest sympathy of race4 ,an assumption of the essential identity of all sorts of mind was a cardinal principle of transcendentalism1 while my later experiences confirmed these early tendencies4 ,my societies in ,jersey ,city and ,new ,york were popular in their composition4 ,the ,free ,religious ,association was based on universal sentiments4 ,the clerical profession was1 in my day1 broadly human1 so that aristocratic proclivities had small hope of prevailing4 ,in fact1 the lessons which ,i learned from ,r4 ,w4 ,emerson and ,wendell ,phillips sank deeply in1 and became clearer as years went on4 ,one can hardly say that learning is retrogressive when one thinks of ,dr4 ,doellinger1 of ,germany2 ,ernest ,renan1 of ,france2 ,benjamin ,jowett1 ,arthur ,p4 ,stanley1 ,james ,martineau1 of ,england2 but erudition must1 as a rule1 be conservative2 for it associates the mind directly with the past1 binds one down to facts of history1 and lays great stress on the testimony of evidence4 ,it still is true that abundance of luggage is a sign that one is far from home4 ,and they who can move quickly with all this weight upon them must have extraordinary genius4 ,an indifference to dogma is also characteristic of a speculative reformer2 and ,i cannot recollect the time when ,i cared much for doctrinal differences4 ,all questions were to me open questions4 ,i had doubts about everything1 and never suffered acute pain from such doubts4 ,the influence of ,jesus1 the immortality of the soul1 the existence of ,god1 were always exposed to misgivings4 ,everything active was interesting to me1 whether it looked toward radicalism or not4 ,this was an advantage1 not merely because it saved me from suffering1 but because it enabled me to face all emergencies4 ,but some one will say3 ,does not the love of truth count for anything8 ,yes1 undoubtedly it does4 ,but lovers of truth do not by any means belong to the same school1 or look for light from the same quarter2 some are ,romanists1 some ,protestants2 some have no religion at all4 ,lovers of truth are found in all denominations1 from ,calvinist to ,unitarian1 from ,christian to ,buddhist4 ,truth exists for us in layers4 ,there are truths of the letter and truths of the spirit2 there is truth to fact1 and truth to fancy2 there is truth to the individual soul1 and truth to the public conscience2 there is truth to the heart1 to the moral sense1 to the spiritual intuition3 but it will not do to charge lack of truthfulness upon anybody simply because he does not hold the same opinion with ourselves4 ,m4 ,renan somewhere says that in order to judge a system one must have been in it as a disciple1 and outside of it as a critic4 ,but then only a very extraordinary person can do this4 ,as a disciple he must be earnest1 intelligent1 devoted2 as a critic he must be without prejudice1 without animosity1 and without guile4 ,thus the point of view must of necessity be individual4 ,there can be no general or absolute standard of judgment4 ,one thing only is certain3 the fact of spiritual progress2 but what constitutes this progress nobody can tell4 ,since #ahbb till now the change in ,unitarianism has been immense1 and it has consisted in the gradual supremacy of reason over tradition1 but it has been almost too sudden and too swift4 ,progress had better be slow1 in order that it may be sure4 ,one step at a time1 for the reason that only one step at a time can be taken safely4 ,we must not jump at conclusions4 ,there must be unbounded catholicity of thought1 but it must not be made up of indifference1 concession1 and idle compliance4 ,experience has taught me many things--this among others1 that there is no final criterion of truth1 not criticism1 or science1 or philosophy1 or liberty4 ,there is no question any more of destructive and constructive4 ,the ,supreme ,power is always constructive1 and the ,supreme ,power is sure at last to prevail4 ,there is an old ,greek fable1 that ,apollo once challenged ,jupiter to shoot4 ,the sun-god shot an arrow to the very confines of the earth2 then ,jupiter1 at one stride1 reached the limits of creation1 and said1 ,where shall ,i shoot8 ,we are not ,jupiters2 we are not ,apollos2 but we can take our stand and shoot our arrows a little way into the dark4 ,the utmost we can do is to be steadfast in our own places2 be faithful to our own calling2 draw our own shaft to the head4 ,father ,hecker said a brave thing to me when1 on declining my request that he would speak before the ,free ,religious ,association1 he took the ground that in a few weeks ,catholicism would enter ,boston in triumph4 ,i honored the ,broad ,churchman1 who said to me once that he always preached ,christ as an historical person1 and wished he had a church big enough to hold all humanity2 and ,i admired the ,presbyterian clergyman who commended the sincerity of ,dr4 ,briggs1 whom some regarded as a heretic4 ,fidelity to one's own word and gift is the one thing needful here4 ,whether it be the tendency of modern thought1 or whether it be not1 to abandon the ,christian religion and cast discredit on every kind of faith held by the churches and professors throughout the world1 cannot1 in this generation1 be decided4 ,in any event1 we shall not be left desolate4 ,for nature will remain1 with its unfathomable resources of use and beauty4 ,the mind will remain1 with its infinite faculties of reason and imagination4 ,the heart will remain1 with its insatiable affections and desires4 ,conscience will remain1 with its sense of duty4 ,the sentiments of awe1 wonder1 admiration1 worship1 will not expire4 ,the reconstructive powers will still be active1 and every creative quality will continue in full operation4 ,knowledge1 literature1 art1 will live and flourish in new manifestations2 and no original capacity will lie unemployed4 ,we should have learned by this time that nothing dies before its hour has come2 that processes of recuperation keep even pace with processes of decay2 that forms alone perish while principles endure2 that living things become more mighty and glorious as they throw off encumbrances2 that strength always in the end accompanies simplicity4 ,the idea of ,god has passed through several phases1 and each new phase has been a gain4 ,the deity who was an individual has become a person2 the attributes of personality1 as commonly understood1 have disappeared1 so that pantheism has succeeded to a mechanical theism2 ,god has become a name for our most exalted feelings1 so that instead of saying ,god is ,spirit1 some read ,spirit is ,god2 yet the ancient reverence more than persists1 is on the increase4 ,and if the course of disintegration of the old clumsy conception should go on1 there need be no apprehension that loving veneration will decline4 ,the future life is no longer associated with retribution1 and immortality means opportunity instead of doom4 ,should the doctrine of moral influence follow upon the doctrine of spiritual progression1 the essential significance of the tenet would be preserved1 for that is ethical not individual4 ,prayer1 too1 is no more a begging for favors1 or an act of intercession4 ,supplication for outward benefits has given place to petition for spiritual gifts1 and this to pure aspiration1 the desire for excellence2 still the soul's passion is as deep as ever1 perhaps deeper4 ,if ,mr4 ,tyndall's prophecy should be fulfilled1 and we should come to discover in that matter which we1 in our ignorance1 and notwithstanding our professed reverence for its ,creator1 have hitherto covered with opprobrium1 the promise and potency of every form and quality of life1 then what we call matter would simply assume new properties commensurate with novel tasks4 ,the properties themselves will remain as they were1 and will in nowise change their peculiarity4 ,the ancient attributes of mind will persist1 whatever theory of their origin be adopted4 ,the old sanctities will endure1 and the burden of responsibility will fall upon another pair of shoulders4 ,thus every virtue will be maintained in complete vigor1--reverence1 aspiration1 trust1 submission1 confidence1 serenity1 patience1 fortitude1--and nothing will be lost4 ,then there is the social world1 in which we live and move and have our being4 ,this encompasses us behind and before1 and lays its hand upon us4 ,there is not an hour in the day1 hardly a moment of the hour1 when the call of duty is not made upon us4 ,none but the rarest spirits discharge the claims of mercy and brotherhood2 people generally do not know what they are2 repudiate them when presented4 ,the preachers have more than they can do to induce practice of even the commonest virtues of good will4 ,humanity1 in its grand aspects1 is left to the writers of ,utopias4 ,not a day passes that conscience is not over-worked1 even when it is not perplexed by misgivings in regard to the amount or the kind of service it ought to render4 ,some have sought an escape in the immortal life from the demands of this2 and some have denied the doctrine of another world because it drew attention away from this1 and made the ills of the present seem light in view of some coming beatitude4 ,in truth1 the friends of that great hope will do well to remember that it is identical with moral attainment2 that it is for great souls2 that ,the life of heaven above1 ,springs from the life below4 ,it is1 to say the least1 doubtful whether any future life can do more than ripen seeds that are sowed here1 or whether spiritual perfection will owe anything essential to other events of time1 while it is certain that nothing is sure to abide but what is born of love4 ,unless the doctrine of a future life can be used to reinforce the doctrine of moral attainment in the present state of existence1 its power must depart4 ,the cords of personal affection are not strong enough to hold the belief4 ,the true inference from disbelief is not expressed in the words1 ,let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die2 but in these1 ,i must work while it is day4 ,this idea is a very old one4 ,the air was full of it when ,i was a youth4 ,it was the soul of all liberal faith4 ,the ,westminster ,review1 which was in full force in my early manhood1 having begun in #ahbd1 two years after my birth1 was animated by it4 ,the ,prospective ,review1 the organ of the spiritual ,unitarians1 and edited by such men as ,james ,martineau1 ,john ,james ,taylor1 ,john ,hamilton ,thom1 and ,charles ,wicksteed1 a magazine aiming to interpret and represent ,spiritual ,christianity in its character of the ,universal ,religion1 was started about #ahde4 ,in its pages spirituality was intimately associated with humanity4 ,the books of ,f4 ,w4 ,newman1 ,the ,soul 7#ahdi72 ,phases of ,faith 7#ahej72 ,catholic ,union 7#ahed71 teemed with this conception4 ,the charming verses of ,william ,blake1 published in his ,songs of ,innocence1 had somehow came to my knowledge4 ,to mercy1 pity1 peace1 and love1 ,all pray in their distress2 ,and to these virtues of delight ,return their thankfulness4 ,for mercy1 pity1 peace1 and love ,is ,god1 our ,father dear2 ,and mercy1 pity1 peace1 and love ,is man1 ,his child and care4 ,for mercy has a human heart2 ,pity1 a human face2 ,and love1 the human form divine ,and peace1 the human dress4 ,then every man of every clime ,that prays1 in his distress1 ,prays to the human form divine ,love1 ,mercy1 ,pity1 ,peace4 ,and all must love the human form ,in ,heathen1 ,turk1 or ,jew2 ,where mercy1 love1 and pity dwell1 ,there ,god is dwelling too4 ,in this country the same idea prevailed in the early period of transcendentalism1 and gradually worked its way into the common heart4 ,channing lent it an impulse4 ,his brilliant nephew1 ,william ,henry ,channing1 exemplified it4 ,the transcendental preachers all insisted on it4 ,the ,dial was charged with it4 ,the most kindling literature of my growing days drew inspiration from it4 ,brook ,farm1 ,fruitlands1 and every other attempt at association was built upon it4 ,modern socialism owes to it the fascination it has for the heart2 and we cannot listen to a sermon now that does not throb with the emotion it excites4 ,for myself ,i must confess that ,i have no interest in another life1 save as it encourages the endeavor after this human excellence4 ,my mental constitution makes me insensible to sentimental considerations1 to arguments addressed to private affections4 ,as my first sermon was about the brotherhood of man1 so my present hope is that love may increase1 and that the reign of theology may be succeeded by that of charity4 ,this was the dream of ,abbot ,joachim1 in the twelfth century1 the ,cistercian monk1 founder of the monastery of ,floris1 author of ,the ,everlasting ,gospel4 ,it was his notion that the existing era of ,christianity was passing away4 ,according to him1 there were three dispensations1 corresponding to the three persons in the ,trinity--that of the ,father1 that of the ,son1 that of the ,spirit1--the dispensation of ,awe1 the dispensation of ,wisdom1 and the dispensation of ,love4 ,the first was represented by ,peter1 the organizer1 the patron saint of ,romanism2 the second1 by ,paul1 the preacher of the ,word1 the bulwark of ,protestantism2 the third by ,john1 the seer1 the beloved disciple1 the apostle of love4 ,how much the pious man meant by this we cannot tell4 ,his own contemporaries were divided in opinion2 but a pretty fair commentary is furnished1 in the fact that his writing was condemned by two ,councils--that of the ,lateran in #abae1 and of ,arles in #abfj1--;and that he has ever since been classed among the mystics--that is1 the unintelligible and the unbalanced in mind4 ,true the prophecy has not been literally fulfilled1 inasmuch as the first two dispositions are still in force1 and are likely to be for many a day1 but the essence of it has come to pass4 ,romanism has been deprived of its temporal authority1 and is reduced to a picturesque form of faith2 its disciples easily throw off its bondage1 while its new professors never put it on4 ,protestantism is decomposing under the influence of doubt and criticism4 ,the thought of brotherhood is extending4 ,i have small faith that the time will ever come when all people will worship under one form1 or will accept the same mode of believing4 ,i cannot think that at the name of ,jesus every knee will bow1 or that every tongue will make confession of his ,lordship2 but ,i do believe that the reign of justice and good-will shall be established4 ,it is a great deal to hope for a time when the many will submit to the law of reason1 becoming strong enough to withstand the force of authority in church or creed1 and content with charity4 ,we have gained much since ,joachim's day4 ,we have acquired knowledge1 industry1 civilization1 freedom1 enterprise1 intelligence1 the sense of mutual dependence4 ,the bars of prejudice are being taken down4 ,class distinctions are being abolished4 ,newly discovered arts are bringing men nearer together1 and weaving the ties of fraternity4 ,all this is opportunity--opportunity that immediately precedes performance4 ,when we see the road prepared for the ,spirit1 we may be sure that the ,spirit itself is not far off4 ,,index4 ,a ,abbot1 ,f4 ,e41 #aag1 #bhb ,abbott1 ,e4 ,a41 #bef ,abolitionists1 #de1 #ahc ,adler1 ,felix1 quoted1 #bfh ,alcott1 ,a4 ,b41 #eb ,anti-slavery1 #dd1 #df1 #di ,arminians1 #a ,arnold1 ,m41 #ac ,b ,barnard1 ,f4 ,a4 ,p41 #bbf ,barnard1 ,t41 #dc ,bartol1 ,c4 ,a41 #aai ,baur1 ,f4 ,c41 #eg ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 #bef ,bellows1 ,h4 ,w41 #fc1 #gd1 #gf1 #aae1 #aaf1 #aah1 #ahd ,blake1 ,wm41 quoted1 #bii ,boston1 #ag ,brace1 ,c4 ,l41 #bbf ,brazer1 ,john1 #dc ,broad ,church1 #ga1 #beg1 etc4 ,brook ,farm1 #acf1 #bbg1 #bce1 #bcf1 #bci1 #bdj1 #bda1 #bdd ,brown1 ,john1 #ajd ,browning1 ,r41 #d1 #af1 #ade1 #bja ,brownson1 ,orestes1 #bjc ,c ,calvinism1 #a ,carlyle1 #g1 #abd ,carter1 ,r41 #bbf ,cary1 ,alice1 #bbe ,cary1 ,phoebe1 #bbe ,chadwick1 ,j4 ,w41 #ahg ,channing1 ,w4 ,e41 #dg1 #ahc1 #ahf1 #bce1 #cjj ,channing1 ,w4 ,h41 #bcf1 #cjj ,clarke1 ,j4 ,f41 #dd1 #abd ,clerical ,profession1 ,the1 #adf1 etc4 ,colonization1 #aha ,communion ,service1 #ff1 etc4 ,comte1 ,a41 #bag ,conference1 ,unitarian1 #aae-aag ,curtis1 ,g4 ,w41 #db ,d ,darwin1 ,c41 #bei ,deists1 #fa1 #fb ,dewey1 ,mary1 #agf ,dewey1 ,orville1 #agf1 etc4 ,dillaway1 ,c4 ,k41 #bj ,diman1 ,j4 ,l41 quoted1 #bia ,divinity ,hall1 #bf ,divinity ,school1 #be-cd ,dixwell1 ,e4 ,s41 #bj ,dwight1 ,j4 ,s41 #bcf ,e ,eliot1 ,george1 #ach ,emerson1 ,r4 ,w41 #ba1 #cd1 #db1 #dh1 #fh1 #ge1 #abb1 #acd1 #ace1 #ade1 #aff1 etc41 #aif1 #bji1 #bde1 #bgj1 #bib ,endicott1 ,john1 #cf ,ethical ,religion1 #bfg1 etc4 ,europe1 #aca ,evolution1 #ade1 #aid1 #bag ,f ,field1 ,h4 ,m41 #bbg ,fourier1 ,c41 #bdj ,francis1 ,convers1 #bg ,fraternity ,club1 #abh1 #abi ,free ,religious ,association1 #aai1 etc41 #abd-abf1 #bji1 #bib ,free ,thought in ,america1 #acc1 etc4 ,frothingham1 ,ann ,g41 #ad-ag ,frothingham1 ,n4 ,l41 #b-ad ,g ,gardner1 ,f41 #bj ,garrison1 ,w4 ,l41 #dd ,greeley1 ,h41 #aji1 #bbf1 #bbg ,goethe1 ,j4 ,w4 von1 quoted1 #bhj ,h ,haeckel1 ,e41 #bag ,harvard ,college1 #ba ,hawthorne1 ,n41 #db1 #bcf1 #bdf ,heath1 #aca ,hecker1 ,i4 ,t41 #bbf1 #bie ,hedge1 ,f4 ,h41 #beg ,higginson1 ,t4 ,w41 #ce1 #abb ,hillard1 ,g4 ,s41 #ba ,hitchcock1 ,r4 ,d41 #bbf ,holland1 ,j4 ,g41 #bbg ,i ,independent ,society1 #abf-aca1 #acb1 #ach1 #aci ,ingersoll1 ,r4 ,g41 #bbg1 #bec1 etc4 ,j ,james1 ,h41 quoted1 #aee ,jersey ,city1 #fc1 #fe ,jewett1 ,sarah ,o41 quoted1 #bee ,joachim 7,abbot71 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#bhd1 quoted ,westminster ,review1 #bii ,white1 ,r4 ,g4 #bbf ,williams1 ,r41 #cf ,winthrop1 ,t41 #aaj ,wise1 ,h4 ,a4 7,gov471 #ajd ,woman1 ,rights of1 #bba ,y ,youmans1 ,e4 ,l41 #bbf ,z ,zeller1 ,e41 #eh ,,works ,,by ,,octavius ,,brooks ,,frothingham4 ,,the ,,religion ,,of ,,humanity4 #dth edition1 #abmo1 pp4 #cch4 #a4ej ,a profoundly sincere book1 the work of one who has read largely1 studied thoroughly1 reflected patiently4--,boston ,globe4 ,,stories ,,from ,,the ,,lips ,,of ,,the ,,teacher4 ,retold by a ,disciple4 ,sixth edition1 #afmo1 pp4 #aic4 #a4jj ,it is in style and thought a superior book1 that will interest young and old4--,zion ,herald 7,methodist74 ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,patriarchs4 #c;d edition4 #afmo1 pp4 #bcb4 #a4jj ,the sublimest lessons of manhood in the simple language of a child4--,springfield ,republican4 ,,the ,,child',s ,,book ,,of ,,religion4 ,for ,sunday-,schools and ,homes4 ,new edition1 revised4 #afmo1 pp4 xii4 #bgc4 #a4jj ,,transcendentalism ,,in ,,new ,,england4 ,a ,history4 ,second edition4 #hvo1 pp4 iv4 #cid4 #a4ge ,the book is masterly and satisfying4--,appleton's ,journal4 ,,the ,,cradle ,,of ,,the ,,christ4 ,a ,study in ,primitive ,christianity4 #hvo1 pp4 x4 #bcd4 #a4ej ,scholarly1 acute1 and vigorous4--,n4 ,y4 ,tribune4 ,,theodore ,,parker4 ,a ,biography4 #hvo1 pp4 viii4 #ehh4 #b4jj ,,gerrit ,,smith4 ,a ,biography4 #hvo1 pp4 #cga4 #b4jj ,a good biography1 it is faithful1 sufficiently full1 written with vigor1 grace1 and good taste4--,n4 ,y4 ,evening ,post4 ,,belief ,,of ,,the ,,unbelievers4 #abmo1 sewed #j4be ,speaking of ,mr4 ,frothingham's ,sermons1 the ,springfield ,republican says3 ,no one of serious intellectual character can fail to be interested and taught by these most thoughtful discourses4 ,,boston ,,unitarianism4 #ahbj-ahdj4 ,a ,study of the ,life and ,work of ,nathaniel ,langdon ,frothingham4 #hvo1 pp4 #bgb4 #a4ge ,the book1 to a thoughtful reader1 cannot fail to be elevating and suggestive of high ideals1 high thinking1 and noble living4--,newark ,advertiser4 ,,recollections ,,and ,,impressions4 #ahbb-ahij4 #hvo4 #a4ej ,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons1 ,,new ,,york ,,and ,,london