,,concord ,,days4 ,illustration ,,concord ,,days ,,by ,a4 ,,bronson ,,alcott ,cheerful and various thoughts not always bound ,to counsel1 nor in deep ideas drowned4 ,,james ,,howel4 ,,boston ,,roberts ,,brothers #ahgb4 ,entered1 according to ,act of ,congress1 in the year #ahgb1 ,,by ,a4 ,,bronson ,,alcott1 ,in the ,office of the ,librarian of ,congress1 at ,washington4 ,stereotyped and ,printed by ,,alfred ,,mudge ,,son1 ,,boston4 ,illustration ,,contents4 ,,april4 ,,page ,,diaries #c ,,my ,,house #d ,,outlook #aj ,,thoreau #aa ,,self-,,privacy #ba ,,sunday ,,lectures #bc ,,emerson #be ,,recreation #da ,,genealogies #de ,,scholarship #di ,,may4 ,,rural ,,affairs #ei ,,pastorals #fe ,,channing',s ,,new ,,england #ff ,,conversation #gb ,,margaret ,,fuller #gg ,,crashaws',s ,,ideal ,,woman #gi ,,childhood #hc ,,pythagoras #hh ,,conversation ,,with ,,children #ib ,,plutarch',s ,,letter ,,to ,,his ,,wife #ajh ,,june4 ,,berries #aag ,,channing',s ,,blueberry ,,swamp #aba ,,letters #abc ,,books #acc ,,crashaw',s ,,verses ,,addressed ,,to ,a ,,lady #adj ,,speculative ,,philosophy #adc ,,plotinus #adh ,,ideal ,,culture #aea ,,goethe #aeg ,,carlyle #afj ,,july4 ,,independence ,,day #afg ,,phillips #agb ,,greeley #agf ,,age ,,of ,,iron ,,and ,,bronze #agh ,,conversation ,,on ,,enthusiasm #ahc ,,swedenborg #ahg ,,hawthorne #aic ,,landor #aig ,,sleep ,,and ,,dreams #bja ,,genesis ,,and ,,lapse #bje ,,august4 ,,plato',s ,,letters #bac ,,plato #bag ,,plato',s ,,method #bbb ,,socrates #bcd ,,berkeley #bcf ,,boehme #bcg ,,mr4 ,,walton',s ,,letter #bdj ,,crabbe ,,robinson',s ,,diary #bde ,,coleridge #bdf ,,selden',s ,,table-,,talk #bdi ,,woman #bec ,,september4 ,,walden ,,pond #bei ,,channing',s ,,walden #bei ,,the ,,ideal ,,church #bfe ,,collyer #bfi ,,beecher #bfi ,,ideals #bgj ,,heywood',s ,,search ,,after ,,god #bgc ,illustration ,,april4 #ahfi4 ,now fades the last long streak of snow4 --,tennyson4 ,illustration ,,concord ,,days4 ,,diaries4 ,,thursday1 #a4 ,come again into my study1 having sat some time for greater comfort in the sunnier east room by an open fire1 as needful in our climate1 almost1 as in that of changeable ,england4 ,busy days these last1 with a little something to show for them4 ,after all1 ,i am here most at home1 and myself surrounded by friendly pictures and books1 free to follow the mood of the moment1--read1 write1 recreate4 ,i wish more came of it all4 ,here are these voluminous diaries1 showy seen from without1 with far too little of life transcribed within4 ,was it the accident of being shown1 when a boy1 in the old oaken cabinet1 my mother's little journal1 that set me out in this chase of myself1 continued almost uninterruptedly1 and now fixed by habit as a part of the day1 like the rising and setting of the sun8 ,yet it has educated me into whatever skill ,i possess with the pen1 ,i know not to how much besides2 has made me emulous of attaining the art of portraying my thoughts1 occupations1 surroundings1 friendships2 and could ,i succeed in sketching to the life a single day's doings1 should esteem myself as having accomplished the chiefest feat in literature4 ,yet the nobler the life and the busier1 the less1 perhaps1 gets written1 and that which is1 the less rewards perusal4 ,life's the true poem could it be writ1 ,yet who can live at once and utter it4 ,all is in the flowing moments4 ,but who shall arrest these and fix the features of the passing person behind the pageantry1 and write the diary of one's existence8 ,,my ,,house4 ,,saturday1 #c4 ,my neighbors flatter me in telling me that ,i have one of the best placed and most picturesque houses in our town4 ,i know very well the secret of what they praise4 ',tis simply adapting the color and repairs to the architecture1 and holding these in keeping with the spot4 ,a house1 like a person1 invites by amiable reserves1 as if it loved to be introduced in perspective and reached by courteous approaches4 ,let it show bashfully behind shrubberies1 screen its proportions decorously in plain tints1 not thrust itself rudely1 like an inn1 upon the street at cross-roads4 ,a wide lawn in front1 sloping to the road gracefully1 gives it the stately air and courtly approach4 ,i like the ancient mansions for this reason2 these old ,puritan residences for their unpretending air1 their sober tints1 in strict keeping with ,wordsworth's rule of coloring1 viz4 that of the sod about the grounds4 ,a slight exaltation of this defines best the architecture by distinguishing it from surrounding objects in the landscape4 ,modest tints are always becoming4 ,white and red intolerable4 ,and for some variety in dressing1 the neighboring barks of shrubbery suggest and best characterize the coloring4 ,as for fences and gates1 ,i was told that mine were unlike any other in the world1 yet as good as anybody's1 hereby meaning to praise them1 ,i infer4 ,if less durable than others1 the cost is inconsiderable1 and has the associated pleasure1 besides1 of having come out of such ideal capital as ,i had invested in my own head and hands4 ,a common carpenter would have spent more time in planing and fixing his pickets and set something in straight lines with angular corners to deform the landscape2 then the painter must have followed with some tint mixed neither by nature nor art4 ,now my work delights my eyes whenever ,i step out-of-doors1 adding its ornament to the spot4 ,grotesque it may be with its knotted ornaments1 ,druid supports1 yet in keeping with the woods behind it4 ,besides1 what pleasure the construction has given6 ,form1 color1 ornamentation alike concern builder and occupant1 as they were blossoms of his taste and of the landscape4 ,a good architect is both builder and colorist1 and should be a good man besides1 according to the ancient authorities4 ,roman ,vitruvius claims as much1 if not more1 of him3-- ,it is necessary1 he says1 that an architect should be instructed in the precepts of moral philosophy2 for he ought to have a great soul1 and be bold without arrogance1 just1 faithful1 and totally exempt from avarice4 ,he should have a great docility1 which may hinder him from neglecting the advice that is given him1 not only of the meanest artist1 but also of those that understand nothing of architecture2 for not only architects but all the world must judge his works4 ,houses have their history1 are venerable on account of their age and origin4 ,even our newly-settled country of but a century or two has already crowned homesteads still standing with royal honors4 ,mine1 ,i conjecture1 is not far from one hundred and fifty years' standing4 ,it was a first-class country house in its day1 with its window-seats in parlor and chambers1 ornamental summers and casements1 its ample fireplaces1 and lean-to on the northern side4 ,like most of its period it was open to the road with overshadowing elms still embowering the mansion2 had a lion-headed door-knocker1 and huge chimney-tops surmounting the gables4 ,of learned ancestry1 moreover2 having been the homestead of a brother of ,president ,hoar1 of ,harvard ,college1 and remained in possession of members of that venerable family down to near the beginning of the present century4 ,the site is hardly surpassed by any on the old ,boston road2 the woods behind crowning the range of hills running north almost to the village1 and bordering east on ,wayside1 ,hawthorne's last residence4 ,it must have been chosen by an original settler1 probably coming with the ,rev4 ,peter ,bulkeley from ,england1 in #afce4a ,footnote #a3 ,johnson1 in his ,wonder ,working ,providence ,concerning ,new ,england1 describes the company of settlers on their way from ,cambridge1 under the lead of the ,rev4 ,peter ,bulkeley1 the principal founder of ,concord4 ,the ancient elms before the house1 of a hundred years' standing and more1 are the pride of the yard4 ,it were sacrilege to remove a limb or twig unless decayed1 so luxuriant and far-spreading1 overshadowing the roof and gables1 yet admitting the light into hall and chambers4 ,sunny rooms1 sunny household4 ,build your house1 says a mystic author1 upon a firm foundation1 and let your aspect be towards the east1 where the sun rises1 that so you may enjoy its fruitfulness in your household and orchards4 ,whether the first settler planted these elms1 or whether they are survivors of the primitive forest which was felled to make way and room for the rude shelter of the hardy settlers1 is not ascertained4 ,their roots penetrate primitive soil2 the surrounding grounds have become productive by the industry and skill1 mellowed and meliorated by the humanities of their descendants4 ,they came honestly by their homesteads1 paying their swarthy claimants fair prices for them2 the landscape is still inviting by its prairie aspects1 its brook-sides and meadows where the red men trod4 ,it was these broad meadows beside the ,grass ground ,river that tempted alike the white and red man1--the one for pasturage1 the other for fishing1--and brought the little colony through the wilderness to form the settlement named ,musketaquid1 after the river of that name 7signifying grass ground71 and later taking that of ,concord1 not without note in history4 ,beneath low hills1 in the broad interval ,through which at will our ,indian rivulet ,winds mindful still of sannup and of squaw1 ,whose pipe and arrow oft the plough unburies2 ,here1 in pine houses1 built of new-fallen trees1 ,supplanters of the tribe1 the planters dwelt4 ,the view from the rustic seat overlooking my house commands the amphitheatre in which the house stands1 and through which flows ,mill brook1 bordered on the south and east by the ,lincoln woods4 ,it is a quiet prospect and might be taken for an ,english landscape2 needs but a tower or castle overtopping the trees surrounding it4 ,the willows by the rock bridge over the brook1 the winding lane once the main track of travel before the turnpike branching off from the old ,boston road by ,emerson's door was built1 adds to the illusion1 while on the east stands the pine-clad hill1 ,hawthorne's favorite haunt1 and hiding his last residence from sight4 ,on the southwest is an ancient wood1 ,thoreau's pride1 beyond which is ,walden ,pond1 distant about a mile from my house1 and best reached by the lane opening opposite ,hawthorne's4 ,fringed on all sides by woods1 the interval1 once a mill pond1 is now in meadow and garden land1 the slopes planted in vineyards1 market gardens and orchards lining the road along which stand the farmers' houses visible in the opening4 ,this road has more than a local interest4 ,if any road may claim the originality of being entitled to the name of ,american1 it is this1--since along its dust the ,british regulars retreated from their memorable repulse at the ,old ,north ,bridge1 the ,concord military following fast upon their heels1 and from the hill-tops giving them salutes of musketry till they disappeared beyond ,lexington1 and gave a day to history4 ,an agricultural town from the first1 it is yet such in large measure2 though like others in its neighborhood becoming suburban and commercial4 ,fields once in corn and grass are now in vineyards and orchards1 tillage winding up the slopes from the low lands to the hill-tops4 ,the venerable woods once crowning these are fast falling victims to the axe4 ,the farmsteads are no longer the rural homes they were when every member of the family took part in domestic affairs2 foreign help serves where daughters once served2 they with their brothers having left the housekeeping and farming for school1 factories1 trade1 a profession1 and things are drifting towards an urbane and municipal civilization1 the metropolis extending its boundaries1 and absorbing the townships for many miles round4 ,moreover1 the primitive features of the landscape are being obliterated by the modern facilities for business and travel1 less perhaps than in most places lying so near the metropolis2 the social still less than the natural2 the descendants of the primitive fathers of the settlement cherishing a pride of ancestry not unbecoming in a republic1 less favorable for the perpetuation of family distinctions and manners than in countries under monarchical rule4 ,,outlook4 ,,monday1 #e4 ,one's outlook is a part of his virtue4 ,does it matter nothing to him what objects accost him whenever he glances from his windows1 or steps out-of-doors8 ,he who is so far weaned from the landscape1 or indifferent to it1 as not to derive a sweet and robust habit of character therefrom1 seems out of keeping with nature and himself4 ,i suspect something amiss in him who has no love1 no enthusiasm for his surroundings1 and that his friendships1 if such he profess1 are of a cold and isolate quality at best2 one even questions1 at times1 whether the residents of cities1 where art has thrown around them a world of its own1 are compensated by all this luxury of display1--to say nothing of the social artifices wont to steal into their costly compliments1--for the simple surroundings of the countryman1 which prompt to manliness and true gentility4 ,a country dwelling without shrubbery1 hills near or in the distance1 a forest and water view1 if but a rivulet1 seems so far incomplete as if the occupants themselves were raw and impoverished4 ,wood and water god both1 man loves to traverse the forests1 wade the streams1 and confess his kindred alliance with primeval things4 ,he leaps not from the woods into civility at a single bound1 neither comes from cities and conversations freed from the wildness of his dispositions4 ,something of the forester stirs within him when occasion provokes1 as if men were trees transformed1 and delighted to claim their affinities with their sylvan ancestry4 ,man never tires of ,nature's scene1 ,himself the liveliest evergreen4 ,,thoreau4 ,my friend and neighbor united these qualities of sylvan and human in a more remarkable manner than any whom it has been my happiness to know4 ,lover of the wild1 he lived a borderer on the confines of civilization1 jealous of the least encroachment upon his possessions4 ,society were all but rude ,in his umbrageous solitude4 ,i had never thought of knowing a man so thoroughly of the country1 and so purely a son of nature4 ,i think he had the profoundest passion for it of any one of his time2 and had the human sentiment been as tender and pervading1 would have given us pastorals of which ,virgil and ,theocritus might have envied him the authorship had they chanced to be his contemporaries4 ,as it was1 he came nearer the antique spirit than any of our native poets1 and touched the fields and groves and streams of his native town with a classic interest that shall not fade4 ,some of his verses are suffused with an elegiac tenderness1 as if the woods and brooks bewailed the absence of their ,lycidas1 and murmured their griefs meanwhile to one another1--responsive like idyls4 ,living in close companionship with nature1 his muse breathed the spirit and voice of poetry4 ,for when the heart is once divorced from the senses and all sympathy with common things1 then poetry has fled and the love that sings4 ,the most welcome of companions was this plain countryman4 ,one seldom meets with thoughts like his1 coming so scented of mountain and field breezes and rippling springs1 so like a luxuriant clod from under forest leaves1 moist and mossy with earth-spirits4 ,his presence was tonic1 like ice water in dog-days to the parched citizen pent in chambers and under brazen ceilings4 ,welcome as the gurgle of brooks and dipping of pitchers1--then drink and be cool6 ,he seemed one with things1 of nature's essence and core1 knit of strong timbers1--like a wood and its inhabitants4 ,there was in him sod and shade1 wilds and waters manifold1--the mould and mist of earth and sky4 ,self-poised and sagacious as any denizen of the elements1 he had the key to every animal's brain1 every plant2 and were an ,indian to flower forth and reveal the scents hidden in his cranium1 it would not be more surprising than the speech of our ,sylvanus4 ,he belonged to the ,homeric age1--was older than pastures and gardens1 as if he were of the race of heroes and one with the elements4 ,he of all men seemed to be the native ,new-,englander1 as much so as the oak1 the granite ledge2 our best sample of an indigenous ,american1 untouched by the old country1 unless he came down rather from ,thor1 the ,northman1 whose name he bore4 ,a peripatetic philosopher1 and out-of-doors for the best part of his days and nights1 he had manifold weather and seasons in him2 the manners of an animal of probity and virtue unstained4 ,of all our moralists1 he seemed the wholesomest1 the busiest1 and the best republican citizen in the world2 always at home minding his own affairs4 ,a little over-confident by genius1 and stiffly individual1 dropping society clean out of his theories1 while standing friendly in his strict sense of friendship1 there was in him an integrity and love of justice that made possible and actual the virtues of ,sparta and the ,stoics1--all the more welcome in his time of shuffling and pusillanimity4 ,plutarch would have made him immortal in his pages had he lived before his day4 ,nor have we any so modern withal1 so entirely his own and ours3 too purely so to be appreciated at once4 ,a scholar by birthright1 and an author1 his fame had not1 at his decease1 travelled far from the banks of the rivers he described in his books2 but one hazards only the truth in affirming of his prose1 that in substance and pith1 it surpasses that of any naturalist of his time2 and he is sure of large reading in the future4 ,there are fairer fishes in his pages than any swimming in our streams2 some sleep of his on the banks of the ,merrimack by moonlight that ,egypt never rivalled2 a morning of which ,memnon might have envied the music1 and a greyhound he once had1 meant for ,adonis2 frogs1 better than any of ,aristophanes2 apples wilder than ,adam's4 ,his senses seemed double1 giving him access to secrets not easily read by others2 in sagacity resembling that of the beaver1 the bee1 the dog1 the deer2 an instinct for seeing and judging1 as by some other1 or seventh sense2 dealing with objects as if they were shooting forth from his mind mythologically1 thus completing the world all round to his senses2 a creation of his at the moment4 ,i am sure he knew the animals one by one1 as most else knowable in his town2 the plants1 the geography1 as ,adam did in his ,paradise1 if1 indeed1 he were not that ancestor himself4 ,his works are pieces of exquisite sense1 celebrations of ,nature's virginity exemplified by rare learning1 delicate art1 replete with observations as accurate as original2 contributions of the unique to the natural history of his country1 and without which it were incomplete4 ,seldom has a head circumscribed so much of the sense and core of ,cosmos as this footed intelligence4 ,if one would learn the wealth of wit there was in this plain man1 the information1 the poetry1 the piety1 he should have accompanied him on an afternoon walk to ,walden1 or elsewhere about the skirts of his village residence4 ,pagan as he might outwardly appear1 yet he was the hearty worshipper of whatsoever is sound and wholesome in nature1--a piece of russet probity and strong sense1 that nature delighted to own and honor4 ,his talk was suggestive1 subtle1 sincere1 under as many masks and mimicries as the shows he might pass2 as significant1 substantial1--nature choosing to speak through his mouth-piece1--cynically1 perhaps1 and searching into the marrows of men and times he spoke of1 to his discomfort mostly and avoidance4 ,nature1 poetry1 life1--not politics1 not strict science1 not society as it is1--were his preferred themes4 ,the world was holy1 the things seen symbolizing the things unseen1 and thus worthy of worship1 calling men out-of-doors and under the firmament for health and wholesomeness to be insinuated into their souls1 not as idolators1 but as idealists4 ,his religion was of the most primitive type1 inclusive of all natural creatures and things1 even to the sparrow that falls to the ground1 though never by shot of his1 and for whatsoever was manly in men1 his worship was comparable to that of the priests and heroes of all time4 ,i should say he inspired the sentiment of love1 if1 indeed1 the sentiment did not seem to partake of something purer1 were that possible1 but nameless from its excellency4 ,certainly he was better poised and more nearly self-reliant than other men4 ,the happy man who lived content ,with his own town1 his continent1 ,whose chiding streams its banks did curb ,as ocean circumscribes its orb1 ,round which1 when he his walk did take1 ,thought he performed far more than ,drake2 ,for other lands he took less thought ,than this his muse and mother brought4 ,more primitive and ,homeric than any ,american1 his style of thinking was robust1 racy1 as if ,nature herself had built his sentences and seasoned the sense of his paragraphs with her own vigor and salubrity4 ,nothing can be spared from them2 there is nothing superfluous2 all is compact1 concrete1 as nature is4 ,his politics were of a piece with his individualism4 ,we must admit that he found little in political or religious establishments answering to his wants1 that his attitude was defiant1 if not annihilating1 as if he had said to himself3-- ,the state is man's pantry at most1 and filled at an enormous cost1--a spoliation of the human commonwealth4 ,let it go4 ,heroes can live on nuts1 and freemen sun themselves in the clefts of rocks1 rather than sell their liberty for this pottage of slavery4 ,we1 the few honest neighbors1 can help one another2 and should the state ask any favors of us1 we can take the matter into consideration leisurely1 and at our convenience give a respectful answer4 ,but why require a state to protect one's rights8 the man is all4 ,let him husband himself2 needs he other servant or runner8 ,self-keeping is the best economy4 ,that is a great age when the state is nothing and man is all4 ,he founds himself in freedom1 and maintains his uprightness therein2 founds an empire and maintains states4 ,just retire from those concerns1 and see how soon they must needs go to pieces1 the sooner for the virtue thus withdrawn from them4 ,all the manliness of individuals is sunk in that partnership in trade4 ,not only must ,i come out of institutions1 but come out of myself1 if ,i will be free and independent4 ,shall one be denied the privilege on coming of mature age of choosing whether he will be a citizen of the country he happens to be born in1 or another8 ,and what better title to a spot of ground than being a man1 and having none8 ,is not man superior to state or country8 ,i plead exemption from all interference by men or states with my individual prerogatives4 ,that is mine which none can steal from me1 nor is that yours which ,i or any man can take away4 ,i am too high born to be propertied1 ,to be a secondary at control1 ,or useful serving man and instrument ,to any sovereign state throughout the world4 ,a famous speech is recorded of an old ,norseman thoroughly characteristic of this ,teuton4 ,i believe neither in idols nor demons2 ,i put my sole trust in my own strength of body and soul4 ,the ancient crest of a pick-axe1 with the motto1 ,either ,i will find a way or make one1 characterizes the same sturdy independence and practical materialism which distinguishes the descendants of ,thor1 whose symbol was a hammer4 ,he wrote in his ,journal3-- ,perhaps ,i am descended from the ,northman named ,thorer1 the dog-footed4 ,he was the most powerful man of the ,north4 ,to judge from his name1 ,thorer ,hund belonged to the same family4 ,thorer is one of the most1 if not the most common name in the chronicles of the ,northmen4 ,snrro ,sturleson says1 'from ,thor's name comes ,thorer1 also ,thorarimnn4' ,again1 ',earl ,rognvald was ,king ,harald's dearest friend1 and the king had the greatest regard for him4 ,he was married to ,hilda1 a daughter of ,rolf ,nalfia1 and their sons were ,rolf and ,thorer4 ,rolf became a great ,viking1 and of so stout a growth that no horse could carry him1 and wheresoever he went1 he went on foot1 and therefore he was called ,gange-,rolf4' ,laing says in a note1 what ,sturleson also tells in the text1 ',gange-,rolf1 ,rolf-,ganger1 ,rolf the walker1 was the conqueror of ,normandy4 ,gange-,rolf's son was ,william1 father of ,richard1 who was the father of ,richard ,longspear1 and grandfather of ,william the ,bastard1 from whom the following ,english kings are descended4' ,king ,harald set ,earl ,rognvald's son ,thorer over ,mre1 and gave him his daughter ,alof in marriage4 ,thorer1 called the ,silent1 got the same territory his father ,rognvald had possessed4 ,his brother ,einar going into battle to take vengeance on his father's murderers1 sang a kind of reproach against his brothers1 ,rollang and ,rolf1 for their slowness1 and concludes3-- ',and silent ,thorer sits and dreams ,at home1 beside the mead bowl's streams4' ,of himself it is related1 that 'he cut a spread eagle on the back of his enemy ,halfdan4' ,so it seems that from one branch of the family were descended the kings of ,england1 and from the other1 myself4 ,in his journal ,i find these lines3-- ,light-headed1 thoughtless1 shall ,i take my way ,when ,i to ,thee this being have resigned2 ,well knowing when upon a future day1 ,with usurer's trust1 more than myself to find4 ,,note4 ,thoreau was born in ,concord on the #abth of ,july1 #ahag4 ,the old-fashioned house1 its roof nearly reaching to the ground in the rear1 remains as it was when he first saw the light in the easternmost of its upper chambers4 ,it was the residence of his grandmother1 and a perfect piece of our ,new-,england style of building1 with its gray1 unpainted boards1 its grassy1 unfenced door-yard4 ,the house is somewhat isolate and remote from thoroughfares4 ,the ,virginia road is an old-fashioned1 winding1 at length deserted pathway1 the more smiling for its forked orchards1 tumbling walks1 and mossy banks4 ,about the house are pleasant1 sunny meadows1 deep with their beds of peat1 so cheering with its homely1 heath-like fragrance1 and in its front runs a constant stream through the centre of that great tract sometimes called ',bedford ,levels1'--this brook a source of the ,shawsheen ,river4 ,it was lovely that he should draw his first breath in a pure country air1 out of crowded towns1 amid the pleasant russet fields4 ,his parents were active1 vivacious people2 his grandfather1 by his father's side1 coming from the ,isle of ,jersey1 a ,frenchman and ,catholic1 who married a ,scotch woman named ,jennie ,burns4 ,on his mother's side the descent is from the well-known ,jones family of ,weston1 ,mass41 and the ,rev4 ,charles ,dunbar1 a graduate of ,harvard ,college1 who preached in ,salem1 and at length settled in ,keene1 ,new ,hampshire4 ,as variable an ancestry as can well be afforded1 with marked family characters on both sides4 ,about a year and a half from ,henry's birth1 the family removed to the town of ,chelmsford1 thence to ,boston1 coming back1 however1 to ,concord when he was of a very tender age2 his earliest memory of most of the town was a ride to ,walden ,pond with his grandmother1 when he thought that he should be glad to live there4 ,he retained a peculiar pronunciation of the letter ,r1 with a decided ,french accent4 ,he says1 ',september is the fifth month with a burr in it4' ,his great-grandmother's name was ,marie le ,galais1 and his grandfather1 ,john ,thoreau1 was baptized ,april #bh1 #aged1 and partook of the ,catholic sacrament in the parish of ,st4 ,helier1 ,isle of ,jersey1 in ,may1 #aggc4 ,thus near to old ,france and the church was our ,yankee boy4 ,a moment may be spent on a few traits of ,thoreau1 of a personal kind4 ,in height he was about the average4 ,in his build1 spare1 with limbs that were rather longer than usual1 or of which he made a longer use4 ,his face once seen could not be forgotten2 the features quite marked1 the nose aquiline1 or very ,roman1 like one of the portraits of ,csar 7more like a beak1 as was said71 large overhanging brows above the deepest-set blue eyes that could be seen1--blue in certain lights1 and in others gray1--eyes expressive of all shades of feeling1 but never weak or near-sighted2 the forehead not unusually broad or high1 full of concentrated energy and purpose2 the mouth1 with prominent lips1 pursed up with meaning and thought when shut1 and giving out when open a stream of the most varied and unusual and instructive sayings4 ,his hair was a dark brown1 exceedingly abundant1 fine1 and soft1 and for several years he wore a comely beard4 ,his whole figure had an active earnestness as if he had not a moment to waste4 ,the clenched hand betokened purpose4 ,in walking he made a short cut if he could1 and when sitting in the shade1 or by the wall-side1 seemed merely the clearer to look forward into the next piece of activity4 ,even in the boat he had a wary1 transitory air1 his eyes on the lookout2 perhaps there might be ducks1 or the ,blondin turtle1 or an otter1 or sparrow4 ,he was a plain man in his features and dress1--one who could not be mistaken1 and this kind of plainness is not out of keeping with beauty4 ,he sometimes went as far as homeliness1 which again1 even if there be a prejudice against it1 shines out at times beyond a vulgar beauty4 ,w4 ,,ellery ,,channing4 ,,self-,,privacy4 ,,thursday1 #h4 ,a sweet self-privacy in a right soul ,outruns the earth1 and lines the utmost pole4 ,for a diary1 slight arches will suffice to convey the day's freight across2 the lighter these1 the speedier and more graceful the transit4 ,any current event1 passing thought1 rumor1 were transportable1 if simply dispatched4 ,and the more significant1 as the more familiar and private4 ,life were the less sweet and companionable if cumbered with affairs1 overloaded with thought1 dizzied with anxieties4 ,better the quiet temper that takes the days as they pass1 and as if an eternity were vouchsafed for completing one's task1 the time too short to waste in murmurs or postponements4 ,cares1 like eclipses1 darken our endeavors2 ,our duties are our best gods4 ,a quiet life furnishes little of incident2 dealing with thoughts and things in a meditative manner1 it has the less for those who have a more stirring stake in current affairs4 ,yet one fancies that what interests himself may interest others of like mind1 if not of like pursuits2 and more especially when1 as in a diary1 he writes only of what has some real or imagined relation to what concerns him4 ,his record may be careless1 inconsequent1 like the days it chronicles1 with but the slender thread of sleep connecting its leaves2 or perhaps the newspaper1 once an accident1 and coming irregularly1 links his evening with morning1 morning with evening2 newspaper before breakfast1 before business1 before sleep2 daily bread4 ,one almost defines his culture1 his social standing1 by the journals he takes4 ,observe the difference between persons and neighborhoods familiar with current newspapers and those who are not4 ,very different from the times when a country boy must ride his miles after his ,saturday's work to get some glimmering of what was passing in the great world around him2 before libraries and lectures were established1 steam and lightning were carriers and couriers for all mankind4 ,no life is insular now4 ,every thought resounds throughout the globe4 ,electricity competes with thought in the race4 ,the telegraph1 locomotive1 the press1 render cabinets and colleges almost superfluous4 ,travel makes all men countrymen1 makes people noblemen and kings1 every man tasting of liberty and dominion4 ,and who but the kings themselves can unking themselves8 ,still1 like most things1 our periodical literature is far from being a pure benefit1 and one may quote ,plato's saying as applicable to the superficial culture which this of itself fosters3 ,total ignorance were in no wise a thing so vile and wicked1 nor the greatest of evils2 but multifarious knowledge and learning acquired under bad management1 causes much more harm4 ,rather what is thought and spoken in drawing-rooms1 clubs1 in private assemblies1 best intimates the spirit and tendencies of a community4 ,things are known but at second-hand as represented in public prints1 or spoken on platforms4 ,admitted to private houses1 one may report accurately the census of civility1 and cast the horoscope of the coming time4 ,nor do ,i sympathize with some of my friends in their dislike of reporters4 ,one defends himself from intrusion1 as a general rule2 but where the public have a generous interest in one's thoughts1 his occupations and manners1 the discourtesy is rather in withholding these from any false modesty4 ,besides1 the version is more likely to be nearer the truth than if left to chance curiosity1 which piques itself all the more on getting what was thus withheld1 with any additions the mood favors4 ,,sunday ,,lectures4 ,,sunday1 #aa4 ,the course of ,sunday lectures at ,horticultural ,hall opened in ,january closes to-day4 ,they have proved a brilliant success4 ,each speaker has attracted1 besides the body of steady attendants1 his personal friends1 thus varying the audiences from ,sunday to ,sunday1 and giving an example of varied teaching unprecedented in our time4 ,the reports of these discourses1 imperfect as they are1 deserve preservation4 ,they have relation to the drift of thinking in our ,new-,england community especially1 and are of historical importance4 ,if not accepting all that has been spoken on this platform by the successive speakers1 one may take a hearty interest in these adventures into the world of thought and duty2 nor can any who have attended steadily from ,sunday to ,sunday question their serving a religious need of the time4 ,the views of persons1 distinguished as are most of the speakers1 are not insignificant1 since these are not among the least of the influences secretly1 if not openly1 moulding the manners and institutions of a community in which the thoughts and aims of the humblest individuals have weight1 and the young are so eager to learn of their thoughtful elders4 ,when ,i recollect the ardor with which ,i sought the acquaintance of those whom ,i imagined had ideas to communicate1 and my delight in such when found1 ,i am led to think how very desirable were an institution to which young students might resort during such portion of the year as might be most convenient1 to enjoy the fellowship of some of our most cultivated persons1--scholarships being provided for such as had not the means of defraying the necessary expenses1--thus enabling bright young men and women1 whether college graduates or not1 to complete what colleges do not give4 ,not every student comes into that intellectual sympathy with his professor1 which renders instruction most enjoyable1 yet without which the highest ends of culture are not attained4 ,with a faculty composed of persons whose names a moment's thought will suggest1 opportunities would be given for that sympathetic communion of mind with mind in which all living instruction and influence consist4 ,,emerson4 ,,tuesday1 #ac4 ,emerson has lately completed a course of readings on ,english ,poetry to an appreciative company in ,boston4 ,it is a variation of his method of communicating with his companies1 and not less becoming than even his usual form of lecture4 ,it matters not in his case2 for such is the charm of his manner1 that wherever he appears1 the cultured class will delight in his utterances2 and one may quote ,socrates in ,phdrus1 where ,plato makes him say1 ,for as men lead hungry creatures by holding out a green bough1 or an apple1 so you1 ,phdrus1 it would seem1 might lead me about all ,attica1 and1 indeed1 wherever else you please1 by extending to me discourses out of your books4 ,not less aptly ,goethe describes him1 in his letters to ,schiller1 where he calls the rhapsodist1 ,a wise man1 who1 in calm thoughtfulness1 shows what has happened2 his discourse aiming less to excite than to calm his auditors1 in order that they shall listen to him with contentment and long4 ,he apportions the interest equally1 because it is not in his power to balance a too lively impression4 ,he grasps backwards and forwards at pleasure4 ,he is followed1 because he has only to do with the imagination1 which of itself produces images1 and which1 up to a certain degree1 is indifferent what kind he calls up4 ,he does not appear to his auditors1 but recites1 as it were1 behind a curtain2 so there is a total abstraction from himself1 and it seems to them as though they heard only the voice of the ,muses4 ,see our ,ion standing there1 his audience1 his manuscript before him1 himself also an auditor1 as he reads1 of the ,genius sitting behind him1 and to whom he defers1 eagerly catching the words1--the words1--as if the accents were first reaching his ears too1 and entrancing alike oracle and auditor4 ,we admire the stately sense1 the splendor of diction1 and are charmed as we listen4 ,even his hesitancy between the delivery of his periods1 his perilous passages from paragraph to paragraph of manuscript1 we have almost learned to like1 as if he were but sorting his keys meanwhile for opening his cabinets2 the spring of locks following1 himself seeming as eager as any of us to get sight of his specimens as they come forth from their proper drawers1 and we wait willingly till his gem is out glittering2 admire the setting1 too1 scarcely less than the jewel itself4 ,the magic minstrel and speaker1 whose rhetoric1 voiced as by organ-stops1 delivers the sentiment from his breast in cadences peculiar to himself2 now hurling it forth on the ear1 echoing2 then1 as his mood and matter invite1 dying away1 like ,music of mild lutes1 ,or silver-coated flutes1 ,or the concealing winds that can convey ,never their tone to the rude ear of day4 ,he works his miracles with it1 as ,hermes did1 his voice conducting the sense alike to eye and ear by its lyrical movement and refraining melody4 ,so his compositions affect us1 not as logic linked in syllogisms1 but as voluntaries rather1 as preludes1 in which one is not tied to any design of air1 but may vary his key or note at pleasure1 as if improvised without any particular scope of argument2 each period1 paragraph1 being a perfect note in itself1 however it may chance chime with its accompaniments in the piece1 as a waltz of wandering stars1 a dance of ,hesperus with ,orion4 ,his rhetoric dazzles by its circuits1 contrasts1 antitheses2 imagination1 as in all sprightly minds1 being his wand of ,power4 ,he comes along his own paths1 too1 and in his own fashion4 ,what though he build his piers downwards from the firmament to the tumbling tides1 and so throw his radiant span across the fissures of his argument1 and himself pass over the frolic arches1 ,ariel-wise1--is the skill less admirable1 the masonry the less secure for its singularity8 ,so his books are best read as irregular writings1 in which the sentiment is1 by his enthusiasm1 transfused throughout the piece1 telling on the mind in cadences of a current undersong1 giving the impression of a connected whole1--which it seldom is1--such is the rhapsodist's cunning in its structure and delivery4 ,the highest compliment we can pay the scholar is that of having edified and instructed us1 we know not how1 unless by the pleasure his words have given us4 ,conceive how much the lyceum owes to his presence and teachings2 how great the debt of many to him for their hour's entertainment4 ,his1 if any one's1 let the institution pass into history1 since his art1 more than another's1 has clothed it with beauty1 and made it the place of popular resort1 our purest organ of intellectual entertainment for ,new ,england and the ,western cities4 ,and besides this1 its immediate value to his auditors everywhere1 it has been serviceable in ways they least suspect2 most of his works1 having had their first readings on its platform1 were here fashioned and polished1 in good part1 like ,plutarch's morals1 to become the more acceptable to readers of his published books4 ,does it matter what topic he touches8 ,he adorns all with a severe sententious beauty1 a freshness and sanction next to that of godliness1 if not that in spirit and effect4 ,the princely mind1 that can ,teach man to keep a ,god in man2 ,and when wise poets would search out to see ,good men1 behold them all in thee4 ',tis over thirty years since his first book was printed4 ,then followed volumes of essays1 poems1 orations1 addresses2 and during all the intervening period1 down to the present1 he has read briefs of his lectures through a wide range1 from ,canada to the ,capitol2 in most of the ,free ,states2 in the large cities1 ,east and ,west1 before large audiences2 in the smallest towns1 and to the humblest companies4 ,such has been his appeal to the mind of his countrymen1 such his acceptance by them4 ,he has read lectures in the principal cities of ,england also4 ,a poet1 speaking to individuals as few others can speak1 and to persons in their privileged moments1 he is heard as none others are4 ,the more personal he is1 the more prevailing1 if not the more popular4 ',tis everything to have a true believer in the world1 dealing with men and matters as if they were divine in idea and real in fact2 meeting persons and events at a glance directly1 not at a millionth remove1 and so passing fair and fresh into life and literature4 ,consider how largely our letters have been enriched by his contributions4 ,consider1 too1 the change his views have wrought in our methods of thinking2 how he has won over the bigot1 the unbeliever1 at least to tolerance and moderation1 if not acknowledgment1 by his circumspection and candor of statement4 ,his shining armor1 ,a perfect charmer2 ,even the hornets of divinity ,allow him a brief space1 ,and his thought has a place ,upon the well-bound library's chaste shelves1 ,where man of various wisdom rarely delves4 ,poet and moralist1 he has beauty and truth for all men's edification and delight4 ,his works are studies4 ,and any youth of free senses and fresh affections shall be spared years of tedious toil1 in which wisdom and fair learning are1 for the most part1 held at arm's-length1 planets' width1 from his grasp1 by graduating from this college4 ,his books are surcharged with vigorous thoughts1 a sprightly wit4 ,they abound in strong sense1 happy humor1 keen criticisms1 subtile insights1 noble morals1 clothed in a chaste and manly diction1 fresh with the breath of health and progress4 ,we characterize and class him with the moralists who surprise us with an accidental wisdom1 strokes of wit1 felicities of phrase1--as ,plutarch1 ,seneca1 ,epictetus1 ,marcus ,aurelius1 ,saadi1 ,montaigne1 ,bacon1 ,selden1 ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 ,cowley1 ,coleridge1 ,goethe1--with whose delightful essays1 notwithstanding all the pleasure they give us1 we still plead our disappointment at not having been admitted to the closer intimacy which these loyal leaves had with their owners' mind before torn from his note-books1 jealous1 even1 at not having been taken into his confidence in the editing itself4 ,we read1 never as if he were the dogmatist1 but a fair-speaking mind1 frankly declaring his convictions1 and committing these to our consideration1 hoping we may have thought like things ourselves2 oftenest1 indeed1 taking this for granted as he wrote4 ,there is nothing of the spirit of proselyting1 but the delightful deference ever to our free sense and right of opinion4 ,he might take for his motto the sentiment of ,henry ,more1 where1 speaking of himself1 he says3 ,exquisite disquisition begets diffidence2 diffidence in knowledge1 humility2 humility1 good manners and meek conversation4 ,for my part1 ,i desire no man to take anything ,i write or speak upon trust without canvassing1 and would be thought rather to propound than to assert what ,i have here or elsewhere written or spoken4 ,but continually to have expressed my diffidence in the very tractates and colloquies themselves1 had been languid and ridiculous4 ,then he has chosen proper times and manners for saying his good things2 has spoken to almost every great interest as it rose4 ,nor has he let the good opportunities pass unheeded1 or failed to make them for himself4 ,he has taken discretion along as his constant attendant and ally2 has shown how the gentlest temper ever deals the surest blows4 ,his method is that of the sun against his rival for the cloak1 and so is free from any madness of those1 who1 forgetting the strength of the solar ray1 go blustering against men's prejudices1 as if the wearers would run at once against these winds of opposition into their arms for shelter4 ,what higher praise can we bestow on any one than to say of him1 that he harbors another's prejudices with a hospitality so cordial as to give him for the time the sympathy next best to1 if1 indeed1 it be not edification in1 charity itself8 ,for what disturbs more1 and distracts mankind1 than the uncivil manners that cleave man from man8 ,yet1 for whose amendment letters1 love1 ,christianity1 were all given6 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is a virtuous curiosity felt by readers of remarkable books to learn something more of their author's literary tastes1 habits1 and dispositions1 than these ordinarily furnish4 ,yet to gratify this is a task as difficult as delicate1 requiring a diffidency akin to that with which one would accost the author himself1 and without which graceful armor it were impertinent for a friend even to undertake it4 ,we may venture but a stroke or two here4 ,all men love the country who love mankind with a wholesome love1 and have poetry and company in them4 ,our essayist makes good this preference4 ,if city bred1 he has been for the best part of his life a villager and countryman4 ,only a traveller at times professionally1 he prefers home-keeping2 is a student of the landscape1 of mankind1 of rugged strength wherever found2 liking plain persons1 plain ways1 plain clothes2 prefers earnest people2 shuns egotists1 publicity2 likes solitude1 and knows its uses4 ,courting society as a spectacle not less than a pleasure1 he carries off the spoils4 ,delighting in the broadest views of men and things1 he seeks all accessible displays of both for draping his thoughts and works4 ,and how is his page produced8 ,is it imaginable that he conceives his piece as a whole1 and then sits down to execute his task at a heat8 ,is not this imaginable rather1 and the key to the construction of his works8 ,living for composition as few authors can1 and holding company1 studies1 sleep1 exercise1 affairs1 subservient to thought1 his products are gathered as they ripen1 stored in his commonplaces2 their contents transcribed at intervals1 and classified4 ,it is the order of ideas1 of imagination observed in the arrangement1 not of logical sequence4 ,you may begin at the last paragraph and read backwards4 ',tis ,iris-built4 ,each period is self-poised2 there may be a chasm of years between the opening passage and the last written1 and there is endless time in the composition4 ,jewels all6 ,separate stars4 ,you may have them in a galaxy1 if you like1 or view them separate and apart4 ,but every one finds that1 if he take an essay1 or verses1 however the writer may have pleased himself with the cunning workmanship1 'tis cloud-fashioned1 and a blind pathway for any one else4 ,cross as you can1 or not cross1 it matters not1 you may climb or leap1 move in circles1 turn somersaults2 ,in sympathetic sorrow sweep the ground1 like his swallow in ,hermione4 ,dissolving views1 prospects1 vistas opening wide and far1 yet earth1 sky1--realities all1 not illusions4 ,here is substance1 sod1 sun2 much fair weather in the seer as in his leaves4 ,the whole quaternion of the seasons1 the sidereal year1 has been poured into these periods4 ,afternoon walks furnished their perspectives1 rounded and melodized them4 ,these good things have been talked and slept over1 meditated standing and sitting1 read and polished in the utterance1 submitted to all various tests1 and1 so accepted1 they pass into print4 ,light fancies1 dreams1 moods1 refrains1 were set on foot1 and sent jaunting about the fields1 along wood-paths1 by ,walden shores1 by hill and brook-sides1 to come home and claim their rank and honors too in his pages4 ,composed of surrounding matters1 populous with thoughts1 brisk with images1 these books are wholesome1 homelike1 and could have been written only in ,new ,england1 and by our poet4 ,because ,i was content with these poor fields1 ,low1 open meads1 slender and sluggish streams1 ,and found a home in haunts which others scorned1 ,the partial wood-gods overpaid my love1 ,and granted me the freedom of their state1 ,and in their secret senate have prevailed ,with the dear1 dangerous lords that rule our life1 ,made moon and planets parties to their bond1 ,and through my rock-like1 solitary wont ,shot million rays of thought and tenderness4 ,for me1 in showers1 in sweeping showers1 the spring ,visits the valley2--break away the clouds1-- ,i bathe in the morn's soft and silvered air1 ,and loiter willing by yon loitering stream4 ,sparrows far off1 and nearer1 ,april's bird1 ,blue-coated1 flying before from tree to tree1 ,courageous1 sing a delicate overture ,to lead the tardy concert of the year4 ,onward and nearer rides the sun of ,may2 ,and wide around1 the marriage of the plants ,is sweetly solemnized4 ,then flows amain ,the surge of summer's beauty2 dell and crag1 ,hollow and lake1 hill-side1 and pine arcade1 ,are touched with ,genius4 ,yonder ragged cliff ,has thousand faces in a thousand hours4 444 ,the gentle deities ,showed me the lore of colors and of sounds1 ,the innumerable tenements of beauty1 ,the miracle of generative force1 ,far-reaching concords of astronomy ,felt in the plants and in the punctual birds2 ,better1 the linked purpose of the whole1 ,and1 chiefest prize1 found ,i true liberty ,in the glad home plain-dealing nature gave4 ,the polite found me impolite2 the great ,would mortify me1 but in vain2 for still ,i am a willow of the wilderness1 ,loving the wind that bent me4 ,all my hurts ,my garden spade can heal4 ,a woodland walk1 ,a quest of river-grapes1 a mocking thrush1 ,a wild-rose1 or rock-loving columbine1 ,salve my worst wounds4 ,for thus the wood-gods murmured in my ear3 ',dost love our manners8 ,canst thou silent lie8 ,canst thou1 thy pride forgot1 like nature pass ,into the winter night's extinguished mood8 ,canst thou shine now1 then darkle1 ,and being latent feel thyself no less8 ,as1 when the all-worshipped moon attracts the eye1 ,the river1 hill1 stems1 foliage1 are obscure1 ,yet envies none1 none are unenviable4' ,i know of but one subtraction from the pleasure the reading of his books--shall ,i say his conversation8--gives me1--his pains to be impersonal or discrete1 as if he feared any the least intrusion of himself were an offence offered to self-respect1 the courtesy due to intercourse and authorship2 thus depriving his page1 his company1 of attractions the great masters of both knew how to insinuate into their text and talk without overstepping the bounds of social or literary decorum4 ,what is more delightful than personal magnetism8 ',tis the charm of good fellowship as of good writing4 ,to get and to give the largest measure of satisfaction1 to fill ourselves with the nectar of select experiences1 not without some intertinctures of egotism so charming in a companion1 is what we seek in books of the class of his1 as in their authors4 ,we associate diffidence properly with learning1 frankness with fellowship1 and owe a certain blushing reverence to both4 ,for though our companion be a bashful man1--and he is the worse if wanting this grace1--we yet wish him to be an enthusiast behind all reserves1 and capable of abandonment sometimes in his books4 ,i know how rare this genial humor is1 this frankness of the blood1 and how surpassing are the gifts of good spirits1 especially here in cold ,new ,england1 where1 for the most part1 ,our virtues grow ,beneath our humors1 and at seasons show4 ,and yet1 under our east winds of reserve1 there hides an obscure courtesy in the best natures1 which neither temperament nor breeding can spoil4 ,sometimes manners the most distant are friendly foils for holding eager dispositions subject to the measures of right behavior4 ',tis not every ,new-,englander that dares venture upon the frankness1 the plain speaking1 commended by the ,greek poet4 ,caress me not with words1 while far away ,thy heart is absent1 and thy feelings stray2 ,but if thou love me with a faithful breast1 ,be that pure love with zeal sincere exprest2 ,and if thou hate1 the bold aversion show ,with open face avowed1 and known my foe4 ,fortunate the visitor who is admitted of a morning for the high discourse1 or permitted to join the poet in his afternoon walks to ,walden1 the cliffs1 or elsewhere1--hours likely to be remembered as unlike any others in his calendar of experiences4 ,i may say for me they have made ideas possible by hospitalities given to a fellowship so enjoyable4 ,shall ,i describe them as sallies oftenest into the cloud-lands1 into scenes and intimacies ever new1 none the less novel or remote than when first experienced1 colloquies1 in favored moments1 on themes1 perchance1 ,of ,fate1 free-will1 foreknowledge absolute2 nor yet ,in wand'ring mazes lost1 as in ,milton's page2 ,but pathways plain through starry alcoves high1 ,or thence descending to the level plains4 ,interviews1 however1 bringing their trail of perplexing thoughts1 costing some days' duties1 several nights' sleep oftentimes to restore one to his place and poise for customary employment2 half a dozen annually being full as many as the stoutest heads may well undertake without detriment4 ,certainly safer not to venture without the sure credentials1 unless one will have his pretensions pricked1 his conceits reduced to their vague dimensions4 ,fools have no means to meet ,but by their feet4 ,but to the modest1 the ingenuous1 the gifted1 welcome6 ,nor can any bearing be more poetic and polite than his to all such1 to youth and accomplished women especially4 ,i may not intrude further than to say1 that1 beyond any ,i have known1 his is a faith approaching to superstition concerning admirable persons1 the divinity of friendship come down from childhood1 and surviving yet in memory if not in expectation1 the rumor of excellence of any sort being like the arrival of a new gift to mankind1 and he the first to proffer his recognition and hope4 ,his affection for conversation1 for clubs1 is a lively intimation of this religion of fellowship4 ,he1 shall we say1 if any1 must have taken the census of the admirable people of his time1 perhaps numbering as many among his friends as most living ,americans1 while he is recognized as the representative mind of his country1 to whom distinguished foreigners are especially commended on visiting us4 ,of ,emerson's books ,i am not here designing to speak critically1 rather of his genius and personal influence2 yet1 in passing1 may remark that his ,english ,traits deserves to be honored as one in which ,england1 ,old and ,new1 may alike take national pride as being the liveliest portraiture of ,british genius and accomplishments there is1--a book1 like ,tacitus1 to be quoted as a masterpiece of historical painting1 and perpetuating the ,new-,englander's fame with that of his race4 ',tis a victory of eyes over hands1 a triumph of ideas4 ,nor has there been for some time any criticism of a people so characteristic and complete4 ,it remains for him to do like justice to ,new ,england4 ,not a metaphysician1 and rightly discarding any claims to systematic thinking2 the poet in spirit1 if not always in form2 the consistent idealist1 yet the realist none the less1--he has illustrated the learning and thought of former times on the noblest themes1 coming nearest of any to emancipating the mind of his own from the errors and dreams of past ages4 99 99 99 99 99 ,plutarch tells us that of old they were wont to call men ,greek3 phta1 which imports light1 not only for the vehement desire man has to know1 but to communicate also4 ,and the ,platonists fancied that the gods1 being above men1 had something whereof man did not partake1 pure intellect and knowledge1 and they kept on their way quietly4 ,the beasts1 being below men1 had something whereof man had less1 sense and growth1 so they lived quietly in their way4 ,while man had something in him whereof neither gods nor beasts had any trace1 which gave him all the trouble1 and made all the confusion in the world1--and that was egotism and opinion4 ,a finer discrimination of gifts might show that ,genius ranges through this threefold dominion1 partaking in turn of their essence and degrees4 ,was our poet planted so fast in intellect1 so firmly rooted in the mind1 so dazzled with light1 yet so cleft withal by duplicity of gifts1 that fated thus to traverse the mid-world of contrast and contrariety1 he was ever glancing forth from his coverts at life as reflected through his dividing prism1 the resident never long of the tracts he surveyed1 yet their persistent ,muse nevertheless8 ,and so housed in the ,mind1 and sallying forth from thence in quest of his game1 whether of persons or things1 he was the ,mercury1 the merchantman of ideas to his century4 ,nor was he personally alone in his thinking4 ,beside him stood his townsman1 whose sylvan intelligence1 fast rooted in ,nature1 was yet armed with a sagacity1 a subtlety and strength1 that penetrated while divining the essences of creatures and things he studied1 and of which he seemed ,atlas and ,head4 ,forcible protestants against the materialism of their own1 as of preceding times1 these masterly ,idealists substantiate beyond all question their right to the empires they sway1--the rich estates of an original ,genius4 ,,recreation4 ,,friday1 #af4 ,a-field all summer1 all winter in-doors1 was the ,anglo-,saxon rule1 and holds good for the ,anglo-,american to-day4 ,englishmen still1 here in ,new ,england we borrow1 at some variance with the sun's courses1 our calendar from the old country4 ,ordinarily our seasons fall almost a month later1 our winter hardly opening till ,new-year's1 nor spring till ,all ,fools' ,day1 the date of which can hardly fall amiss1 and with ,all ,saints' may be left indefinite in wit's almanac4 ,doubtless there is a closer sympathy than we suspect between souls and seasons4 ,sensitive to climate within as weather without1 our intelligence dips or rises as the signs range from ,aries to ,pisces in the ideal ephemeris1 measuring to faculty and member in turn the rising or falling tides1 and so determining our solar and lunar periods4 ',tis not every day that ,i ,fitted am to prophesy2 ,no2 but when the spirit fills ,the fantastic pinnacles ,full of fire1 then ,i write ,as the ,godhead doth indite4 ,thus enraged1 my lines are hurled1 ,like the sibyls1 through the world4 ,look1 how next the holy fire ,either slakes1 or doth retire2 ,so the fancy carols1 till when ,that brave spirit comes again4 ,nature is the best dictionary and school of eloquence2 genius the pupil of sun and stars1 wood-lands1 waters1 the fields1 the spectacle of things seen under all aspects1 in all seasons and moods4 ,blot these from his vision1 and the scholar's page were of small account4 ,letters show pale and poor from inside chambers and halls of learning alone2 and whoever will deal directly with ideas1 is often abroad to import the stuff of things into his diction1 and clothe them in a rhetoric robust and racy1 addressing the senses and mind at once4 ,one is surprised at finding how a little exercise1 though taken for the thousandth time1 and along familiar haunts even1 refreshes and strengthens body and mind4 ,a turn about his grounds1 a sally into the woods1 climbing the hill-top1 sauntering by brook-sides1 brings him back with new senses and a new soul4 ,one's handwriting becomes illuminated as he turns his leaves1 the thoughts standing out distinctly1 which before were blurred1 and failed to show their import4 ,then his thought is sprightliest1 and tells its tale firmly to the end4 ,it sets flowing what blood one has in his veins1 quickening wonderfully his circulations2 he is valiant1 humorsome1 the soul prevailing in every part1 and he takes hope of himself and the world around him4 ,an open fire1 too1 that best of friends to greet him within doors for most of the months2 better than councils of friends to settle numerous questions wont to smoulder and fret by an air-tight1 or flash forth in no lovely manner at unexpected moments4 ,and where else is conversation possible8 ,a countryman without an open fire will consider whether he can afford to spend himself and family to spare his wood-lot4 ,it was comforting to see the other day on a bookseller's counter1 tiles of porcelain1 with suggestive devices of the graceful hospitalities of the olden time1 when every mantelpiece had its attractions of fable and verse1 the conversation enhanced by the friendly blaze1 around which the family gathered and paid their devotions to friendships1 human and divine4 ,go where ,i will1 thou lucky ,lar1 stay here ,close by the glittering chimney all the year4 ,then1 a country-seat for summer and a city residence for the winter were desirable4 ,for recreation1 the due allowance taken from business1 leisures as profitable as labors1 alike enjoyable1 and promoting the relish for more4 ,books1 studies1 business1 entertain the light1 ,and sleep as undisturbed as death the night4 ,acquaintance one would have1 but when it depends ,not on the number1 but the choice of friends4 ,his house a cottage more ,than palace1 and should fitting be ,for all his use1 no luxury4 ,one's house should be roomy enough for his thought1 for his family and guests2 honor the ceilings1 and geniality the hearthstone4 ,ample apartments1 a charming landscape and surroundings2 these have their influence on the dispositions1 the tastes1 manners of the inmates1 and are not to be left out of account4 ,yet1 without nobility to grace them1 what were the costly palace1 its parlors and parks1 luxuries and elegancies1 within or without1--the handsome house owing its chief beauty to the occupants1 the company1 one's virtues and accomplishments draw inside of the mansion2 persons being the figures that grace the edifice1 else unfurnished1 and but a showy pile of ostentation and folly1 as desolate within as pretentious without4 ,two things money cannot buy1 ,breeding and integrity4 ,it happens1 says ,plutarch1 that neither rich furniture1 nor moveables1 nor abundance of gold1 nor descent from an illustrious family1 nor greatness of authority1 nor eloquence1 and all the charms of speaking1 can procure so great a serenity of life1 as a mind free from guilt and kept untainted1 not only from actions but from purposes that are wicked4 ,by this means the soul will be not only unpolluted1 but not disturbed2 the fountain will run clear and unsullied1 and the streams that flow from it will be just and honest deeds1 full of satisfaction1 a brisk energy of spirit which makes a man an enthusiast in his joy1 and a tenacious memory sweeter than hope1 which1 as ,pindar says1 'with a virgin warmth cherishes old men4' ,for as shrubs which are cut down with morning dew upon them1 do for a long time after retain their fragrance1 so the good actions of a wise man perfume his mind and leave a rich scent behind them4 ,so that joy is1 as it were1 watered with those essences1 and owes its flourishing to them4 ,,genealogies4 ,,monday1 #ai4 ,one values his chosen place of residence1 whether he be a native or not1 less for its natural history and advantages than for its civil and social privileges4 ,the hills were reared1 the rivers scooped in vain1 ,if learning's altars vanish from the plain4 ,and all the more1 if1 while retaining the ancient manners1 it cherish the family sentiment against the straggling habits which separate members so widely in our times that intercourse is had seldomer than of old2 names of kindred hardly surviving save in the fresh recollections of childhood by the dwellers apart2 far more of life than we know being planted fast in ancestral homes1 the best of it associated with these1 as if there were a geography of the affections that nothing could uproot4 ,a people can hardly have attained to nationality till it knows its ancestor and is not ashamed of its antecedents4 ,if such studies were once deemed beneath the dignity of an ,american1 they are no longer4 ,we are not the less national for honoring our forefathers4 ,blood is a history4 ,blood is a destiny4 ,how persistent it is1 let the institutions of ,england1 ,old and ,new1 bear testimony1 since on this prerogative--call it race1 rank1 family1 nature1 culture1 nationality1 what you will--both peoples stand and pride themselves1 lion and eagle1 an impregnable ,saxondom1 a common speech1 blazoning their descent4 ,ours is the tongue the bards sang in of old1 ,and ,druids their dark knowledge did unfold2 ,merlin in this his prophesies did vent1 ,which through the world of fame bear such extent4 ,thus spake the son of ,mars1 and ,britain bold1 ,who first 'mongst ,christian worthies is enrolled2 ,and many thousand more1 whom but to name ,were but to syllable great ,shakespeare's fame4 ,a strong race1 the blood flows boldly in its veins1 truculent1 if need be1 aggressive1 and holding its own1 as pronounced in the women as in the men1 here in ,new ,england as in ,old1 the dragon couchant and ready to spring in defence of privileges and titles2 magnanimous none the less1 and merciful1 as in the times of ,st4 ,george and ,bonduca4 ,one needs but read ,tacitus on the ,manners of the ,ancient ,germans1 to find the parentage of traits which still constitute the ,englishmen1 ,old and ,new1 showing how persistent1 under every variety of geographical and political conditions1 is the genius of races4 ',tis due to every name that some one or more inheriting it should search out its traits and titles1 as these descend along the stream of generations and reappear in individuals4 ,and we best study the fortunes of families1 of races and peoples1 here at their sources4 ,even heraldries have their significance4 ,and it is accounted the rule that names are entitled to the better qualities of their emblazonries1 each having something admirable and to be honored in its origin4#b ,footnote #b3 ,verstegan1 in his ,restitution of ,decayed ,intelligence1 in ,antiquities concerning the most ,noble and ,renowned ,english ,nation1 #afcd1 treating of the origin of names1 says3-- ,for a general rule1 the reader may please to note1 that our surnames of families1 be they of one or more syllables1 that have either a k or a w1 are all of them of the ancient ,english race1 so that neither the k or w are used in ,latin1 nor in any of the three languages thereon depending1 which sometimes causes confusion in the writing our names 7originally coming from the ,teutonic7 in ,latin1 ,italian1 ,french1 and ,spanish languages4 ,neither the k nor w being in the ,latin nor in the ,french1 they could not be with the ,normans in use1 whose language was ,french1 as also their surnames4 ,as for the surnames in our ,norman catalogue which have in them the letters k and w1 which the ,french do not use1 these are not to be thought to have been ,norman1 but of those gentlemen of ,flanders which ,baldwin1 the ,earl of that country and father-in-law unto the ,conquerer1 did send to aid him4 ,besides these1 sundry other surnames do appear to have been in the ,netherlands and not in ,normandy2 albeit they are without doubt set in the list of the ,normans4 ,and whereas in searching for such as may remain in ,england of the race of the ,danes1 they are not such as1 according to the vulgar opinion1 have their surnames ending in son4 ,in the ,netherlands1 it is often found that very many surnames end in son1 as ,johnson1 ,williamson1 ,phillipson1 and the like2 i4 e4 sons of that name of ,john1 etc4 ,then some have their surnames according to the color of hair or complexion1 as white1 black1 brown1 gray1 and reddish2 and those in whom these names from such causes begin1 do thereby lose their former denomination4 ,some again for their surnames have the names of beasts2 and it should seem for one thing or another wherein they represented some property of theirs2 as lion1 wolf1 fox1 bull1 buck1 hare1 hart1 lamb1 and the like4 ,others of birds2 as cock1 peacock1 swan1 crane1 heron1 partridge1 dove1 sparrow1 and the like4 ,others of fish2 as salmon1 herring1 rock1 pilchard1 and the like4 ,and albeit the ancestors of the bearers of these had in other times other surnames1 yet because almost all these and other like names do belong to our ,english tongue1 ,i do think him to be of the ancient ,english1 and if not all1 yet the most part4 ,and here by occasion of these names1 ,i must note1 and that as it were for a general rule1 that what family soever has their first and chief coat of arms correspondent unto their surname1 it is evident sign that it had that surname before it had those arms4 ,thus the ,cock is alike the herald of the dawn and sentinel of the night2 the emblem of watchfulness and of wisdom2 of vigilance and of perseverance1 and ,semper ,vigilans1 the appropriate motto of family arms bearing the name with its variations4 ,so the poet ,,of ,,the ,,cock4 ,father of ,lights6 what sunny seed1 ,what glance of day1 hast thou confined ,unto this bird8 ,to all the breed ,this busy ray thou hast assigned2 ,their magnetism works all night ,and dreams of paradise and light1 ,it seems their candle howe'er done ,was tin'd and lighted at the sun4 ,,scholarship4 ,,wednesday1 #bh4 ,apart they sit1 the better know1 ,why towns and talk sway men below4 ,freedom from affairs1 and leisure to entertain his thoughts1 is the scholar's paradise4 ,hardly less the delight in comparing notes with another in conversation4 ,it is the chiefest of satisfactions this last1 where sympathy is possible and perfect4 ,one does not see his thought distinctly till it is reflected in the image of another's4 ,personal perspective gives the distance necessary to bring out its significance4 ,there are some1 says ,thoreau1 whose ears help me so much that my things have a rare significance when ,i read to them4 ,it is almost too good a hearing1 so that1 for the time1 ,i regard my writing from too favorable a point of view4 ,yet the criticism of admiration is far more acceptable and the more likely to be just than that of censure4 ,much learning does not make an accomplished critic2 taste1 sensibility1 sympathy1 ideality1 are indispensable4 ,a man of talent may apprehend and judge fairly of works of his class4 ,but genius alone comprehends and appreciates truly the works of genius4 ,nor are all moods equally favorable for criticism4 ,it may be owing to my mood at the time1 says ,goethe1 but it seems to me1 that as well in treating of writings as of actions1 unless one speak with a loving sympathy1 a certain enthusiasm1 the result is so defective as to have little value4 ,pleasure1 delight1 sympathy in things1 is all that is real2 and that reproduces reality in us2 all else is empty and vain4 ,one must seize the traits as they rise with the tender touch1 else they elude and dissolve in the moment2 pass into the obscurity out of which they emerged1 and are lost forever4 ,much depends upon this1 that one make the most of his time1 and miss no propitious moods4 ,rarely does one win a success with either tongue or pen4 ,of the books printed1 scarcely never the volume entire justifies its appearance in type4 ,much is void of deep and permanent significance1 touches nothing in one's experience1 and fails to command attention4 ,even subjects of gravest quality1 unless treated suggestively1 find no place in a permanent literature4 ,it is not enough that the thing is literally defined1 stated logically2 it needs to be complemented ideally1--set forth in lucid imagery to tell the story to the end4 ,style carries weight oftentimes when seemingly light itself4 ,movement is necessary1 while the logic is unapparent1--all the more profound and edifying as it appeals to and speaks from the deeper instincts1 and so makes claims upon the reader's mind4 ,that is good which stands strong in its own strength1 detached from local relations4 ,so a book of thoughts suggests thought1 edifies1 inspires4 ,whatever interests at successive readings has life in it1 and deserves type and paper4 ,my code of composition stands thus1 and this is my advice to whom it may concern3-- ,burn every scrap that stands not the test of all moods of criticism4 ,such lack longevity4 ,what is left gains immensely4 ,such is the law4 ,very little of what is thought admirable at the writing holds good over night4 ,sleep on your writing2 take a walk over it2 scrutinize it of a morning2 review it of an afternoon2 digest it after a meal2 let it sleep in your drawer a twelvemonth2 never venture a whisper about it to your friend1 if he be an author especially4 ,you may read selections to sensible women1--if young the better2 and if it stand these trials1 you may offer it to a publisher1 and think yourself fortunate if he refuse to print it4 ,then you may be sure you have written a book worthy of type1 and wait with assurance for a publisher and reader thirty years hence1--that is1 when you are engaged in authorship that needs neither type nor publisher4 ,learning1 says ,fuller1 hath gained most by those books by which the printers have lost4 ,it must be an enlightened public that asks for works the most enlightened publishers decline printing4 ,a magazine were ruined already if it reflected its fears only4 ,yet one cannot expect the trade to venture reputation or money in spreading unpopular views4 ,ben ,jonson wrote to his bookseller3-- ,thou that mak'st gain thy end1 and wisely well ,call'st a book good or bad1 as it doth sell1 ,use mine so too2 ,i give thee leave1 but crave ,for the luck's sake1 it thus much favor have2-- ,to lie upon thy stall1 till it be sought1 ,not offered as it made suit to be bought2 ,nor have my title page on posts or walls1 ,or in cleft-sticks advanced to make calls ,for termers1 or some clerk-like serving man ,who scarce can spell the hard names1 whose knight less can4 ,if1 without these vile arts it will not sell1 ,send it to ,bucklersbury1 there 't will1 well4 ,time is the best critic1 and the better for his intolerance of any inferiority4 ,and fortunate for literature that he is thus choice and exacting4 ,books1 like character1 are works of time1 and must run the gauntlet of criticism to gain enduring celebrity4 ,the best books may sometimes wait for their half century1 or longer1 for appreciative readers--create their readers2 the few ready to appreciate these at their issue being the most enlightened of their time1 and they diffuse the light to their circle of readers4 ,the torch of truth thus transmitted sheds its light over hemispheres1--the globe at last4 ,hail6 native language1 that with sinews weak ,didst move my first endeavoring tongue to speak1 ,and mad'st imperfect words with childish trips ,half unpronounced slide through my infant lips1 ,driving dull silence from the portal door ,where he had mutely sat two years before-- ,here ,i salute thee1 and thy pardon ask ,that now ,i use thee in my latter task4 ,now haste thee strait to do me once a pleasure1 ,and from thy wardrobe bring thy chiefest treasure1 ,not those new-fangled toys1 and trimming slight1 ,which takes our late fantastics with delight1 ,but cull those richest robes1 and gay'st attire1 ,which deepest spirits and choicest wits admire4 ,thus wrote ,milton at the age of nineteen1 and made his college illustrious and the language afterwards4 ,yet the purest ,english is not always spoken or written by graduates of universities4 ,speech is the fruit of breeding and of character1 and one shall find sometimes in remote rural districts the language spoken in its simplicity and purity1 especially by sprightly boys and girls who have not been vexed with their grammars and school tasks4 ,ours is one of the richest of the spoken tongues2 it may not be the simplest in structure and ease of attainment2 yet this last may be facilitated by simple and natural methods of studying it4 ,taught by masters like ,ascham or ,milton1 students might acquire the art of speaking and of writing the language in its purity and elegance1 as did these great masters in their day4 ,ascham lays down this sensible rule3 ,he that will write well in any tongue1 must follow this advice of ,aristotle3 'to speak as the common people do1 to think as wise men do1 and so should every man understand him1 and the judgment of wise men about him4' ,george ,chapman1 the translator of ,homer1 thus speaks of the scholarly pedantries of his time1 of which ours affords too many examples3-- ,for as great clerks can use no ,english words1 ,because 7alas6 great clerks7 ,english affords1 ,say they1 no height nor copy1--a rude tongue1 ,since 'tis their native1--but1 in ,greek and ,latin ,their wits are rare1 for thence true poesy sprung1 ,through which1 truth knows1 they have but skill to chat in1 ,compared with what they might have in their own4 ,camden said1 that though our tongue may not be as sacred as the ,hebrew1 nor as learned as the ,greek1 yet it is as fluent as the ,latin1 as courteous as the ,spanish1 as court-like as the ,french1 and as amorous as the ,italian2 so that being beautified and enriched out of these tongues1 partly by enfranchising and endenizing foreign words1 partly by implanting new ones with artful composition1 our tongue is as copious1 pithy1 and significative as any in ,europe4 ,if one would learn its riches at sight1 let him glance along the pages of ,richardson's ,dictionary2 and at the same time survey its history from ,gower and ,chaucer down to our time4 ,if there be1 what ,i believe there is1 says ,dr4 ,johnson1 in every nation1 a style which never becomes obsolete1 a certain mode of phraseology so component and congenial to the analogy and principles of its respective language as to remain settled and unaltered2 this style is probably to be sought in the common intercourse of life1 among those who speak only to be understood1 without ambition of eloquence4 ,the polite are always catching modish expressions1 and the learned depart from established forms of speech1 in hope of finding or making it better2 those who wish for distinction forsake the vulgar when the vulgar is right2 but there is a conversation above grossness and below refinement1 where propriety resides1 and where ,shakespeare seems to have gathered his comic dialogues4 ,he is therefore more agreeable to the ears of the present age than any other author equally remote1 and among his other excellences deserves to be studied as one of the original masters of the language4 ,illustration ,,may4 ,sweet country life1 to such unknown ,whose lives are others1 not their own1 ,but serving courts and cities1 be ,less happy1 less enjoying thee4 --,herrick4 ,,rural ,,affairs ,,monday1 #c4 ,fair spring days1 the farmers beginning the planting of the season's crops4 ,one cannot well forego the pleasures which the culture of a garden affords4 ,he must have a little spot upon which to bestow his affections1 and own his affinities with earth and sky4 ,the profits in a pecuniary way may be inconsiderable1 but the pleasures are rewarding4 ,formerly ,i allowed neither hoe1 spade1 nor rake1 not handled by myself1 to approach my plants4 ,but when one has put his garden within covers1 to be handled in a book1 he fancies he has earned the privilege of delegating the tillage thereafter1 in part1 to other hands1 and may please himself with its superintendence2 especially when he is so fortunate as to secure the services of any who can take their orders without debate1 and execute them with dispatch2 and if he care to compare opinions with them1 find they have views of their own1 and respect for his4 ,and the more agreeable if they have a pleasant humor and the piety of lively spirits4 ,in laborer's ballads oft more piety ,god finds than in ,te ,deum's melody4 ,when our ancestors1 says ,cato1 praised a good man1 they called him a good agriculturist and a good husbandman2 he was thought to be greatly honored who was thus praised4 ,without his plot of ground for tillage and ornamentation1 a countryman seems out of place1 its culture and keeping being the best occupation for keeping himself wholesome and sweet4 ,the garden is the tie uniting man and nature4 ,how civic an orchard shows in a clearing1--a garden in a prairie1 as if nature waited for man to arrive and complete her1 by converting the wild into the human1 and thus to marry beauty and utility on the spot6 ,a house1 too1 without garden or orchard1 is unfurnished1 incomplete1 does not fulfil our ideas of the homestead1 but stands isolate1 defiant in its individualism1 with a savage1 slovenly air1 and distance1 that lacks softening and blending with the surrounding landscape4 ,besides1 it were tantalizing to note the natural advantages of one's grounds1 and at the same time be unskilful to complete what nature has sketched for the hand of art to adorn and idealize4 ,with a little skill1 good taste1 and small outlay of time and pains1 one may render any spot a pretty paradise of beauty and comfort1--if these are not one in due combination1 and not for himself only1 but for those who shall inherit when he shall have left it4 ,the rightful ownership in the landscape is born of one's genius1 partakes of his essence thus wrought with the substance of the soil1 the structures which he erects thereon4 ,whoever enriches and adorns the smallest spot1 lives not in vain4 ,for him the poet sings1 the moralist points his choicest periods4 ,i know of nothing better suited to inspire a taste for rural affairs than a ,gardener's ,almanac1 containing matters good to be known by country people4 ,all the more attractive the volume if tastefully illustrated1 and contain reprints of select pastoral verses1 biographies1 with portraits of those who have written on country affairs1 and lists of their works4 ,the old herbals1 too1 with all their absurdities1 are still tempting books1 and contain much information important for the countryman to possess4#c ,footnote #c3 ,to the list of ancient authors1 as ,cato1 ,columella1 ,varro1 ,palladius1 ,virgil1 ,theocritus1 ,tibullus1 selections might be added from ,cowley1 ,marlowe1 ,browne1 ,spenser1 ,tusser1 ,dyer1 ,phillips1 ,shenstone1 ,cowper1 ,thomson1 and others less known4 ,evelyn's works are of great value1 his ,kalendarium ,hortense particularly4 ,and for showing the state of agriculture and of the language in his time1 ,tusser's ,five ,hundred ,points of ,husbandry is full of information1 while his quaint humor adds to his rugged rhymes a primitive charm4 ,then of the old herbals1 ,gerard's is best known4 ,he was the father of ,english herbalists1 and had a garden attached to his house in ,holbern4 ,coles published his ,adam in ,eden1 the ,paradise of ,plants1 in #afei2 ,austin his ,treatise on ,fruit ,trees ten years earlier4 ,dr4 ,holland's translation of the ,school of ,salerne1 or the ,regiment of ,health1 appeared in #afdi4 ,thos4 ,tryon wrote on the virtues of plants1 and on health1 about the same time1 and his works are very suggestive and valuable4 ,miller1 gardener to the ,chelsea ,gardens1 gave the first edition of his ,gardener's ,dictionary to the press in #agca4 ,sir ,william ,temple also wrote sensibly on herbs4 ,cowley's ,six ,books of ,plants was published in ,english in #agjh4 ,phillips' ,history of ,cultivated ,plants1 etc41 published in #ahbb1 is a book of great merit4 ,so is ,culpepper's ,herbal4 ,cowley and ,evelyn are of rural authors the most attractive4 ,cowley's ,essays are delightful reading4 ,nor shall ,i forgive his biographer for destroying the letters of a man of whom ,king ,charles said at his interment in ,westminster ,abbey1 ,mr4 ,cowley has not left a better in ,england4 ,the friend and correspondent of the most distinguished poets1 statesmen1 and gentlemen of his time1 himself the first poet of his day1 his letters must have been most interesting and important1 and but for the unsettled temper of affairs1 would doubtless have been added to our polite literature4 ,had ,king ,charles remembered ,cowley's friend ,evelyn1 the compliment both to the living and dead would have been just4 ,evelyn was the best of citizens and most loyal of subjects4 ,a complete list of his writings shows to what excellent uses he gave himself4 ,the planter of forests in his time1 he might be profitably consulted as regards the replanting of ,new ,england now4 ,respecting his planting1 and the origin of his ,sylva1 he writes to his friend1 ,lady ,sunderland1 ,august1 #afij3-- ,as to the ,kalendar your ladyship mentions1 whatever assistance it may be to some novice gardener1 sure ,i am his lordship will find nothing in it worth his notice1 but an old inclination to an innocent diversion2 and the acceptance it found with my dear1 and while he lived1 worthy friend1 ,mr4 ,cowley2 upon whose reputation only it has survived seven impressions1 and is now entering on the eighth1 with some considerable improvement more agreeable to the present curiosity4 ',tis now1 ,madam1 almost forty years since ,i first writ it1 when horticulture was not much advanced in ,england1 and near thirty years since it was published1 which consideration will1 ,i hope1 excuse its many defects4 ,if in the meantime it deserve the name of no unuseful trifle1 'tis all it is capable of4 ,when1 many years ago1 ,i came from rambling abroad1 and a great deal more since ,i came home than gave me much satisfaction1 and1 as events have proved1 scarce worth one's pursuit1 ,i cast about how ,i should employ the time which hangs on most young men's hands1 to the best advantage2 and1 when books and grave studies grew tedious1 and other impertinence would be pressing1 by what innocent diversions ,i might sometimes relieve myself without compliance to recreations ,i took no felicity in1 because they did not contribute to any improvement of mind4 ,this set me upon planting of trees1 and brought forth my ,sylva1 which book1 infinitely beyond my expectations1 is now also calling for a fourth impression1 and has been the occasion of propagating many millions of useful timber trees throughout this nation1 as ,i may justify without immodesty1 from many letters of acknowledgement received from gentlemen of the first quality1 and others altogether strangers to me4 ,his late ,majesty1 ,charles ,,ii1 was sometimes graciously pleased to take notice of it to me2 and that ,i had by that book alone incited a world of planters to repair their broken estates and woods which the greedy rebels had wasted and made such havoc of4 ,upon encouragement1 ,i was once speaking to a mighty man then in despotic power to mention the great inclination ,i had to serve his majesty in a little office then newly vacant 7the salary ,i think hardly #cjj71 whose province was to inspect the timber trees in his majesty's forests1 etc41 and take care of their culture and improvement2 but this was conferred upon another1 who1 ,i believe1 had seldom been out of the smoke of ,london1 where1 though there was a great deal of timber1 there were not many trees4 ,i confess ,i had an inclination to the employment upon a public account as well as its being suitable to my rural genius1 born as ,i was1 at ,watton1 among woods4 ,soon after this1 happened the direful conflagration of this city1 when1 taking notice of our want of books of architecture in the ,english tongue1 ,i published those most useful directions of ten of the best authors on that subject1 whose works were very rarely to be had1 all written in ,french1 ,latin1 or ,italian1 and so not intelligible to our mechanics4 ,what the fruit of that labor and cost has been1 7for the sculptures1 which are elegant1 were very chargeable17 the great improvement of our workmen and several impressions of the copy since will best testify4 ,in this method ,i thought proper to begin planting trees1 because they would require time for growth1 and be advancing to delight and shade at least1 and were1 therefore1 by no means to be neglected and deferred1 while buildings might be raised and finished in a summer or two1 if the owner pleased4 ,thus1 ,madam1 ,i endeavored to do my countrymen some little service1 in as natural an order as ,i could for the improving and adorning of their estates and dwellings1 and1 if possible1 make them in love with those useful and innocent pleasures1 in exchange for a wasteful and ignoble sloth which ,i had observed so universally corrupted an ingenious education4 ,to these ,i likewise added my little history of ,chalcography1 a treatise of the perfection of painting and of libraries1 medals1 with some other intermesses which might divert within doors as well as altogether without4 ,,pastorals4 ,,saturday1 #h4 ,false were the muse1 did she not bring ,our village poet's offering-- ,haunts1 fields1 and groves1 weaving his rhymes1 ,leaves verse and fame to coming times4 ,is it for the reason that rural life here in ,new ,england furnishes nothing for pastoral verse1 that our poets have as yet produced so little8 ,yet we cannot have had almost three centuries' residence on this side of the ,atlantic1 with old ,england's dialect1 traditions1 and customs still current in our rural districts for perspective1 not to have so adorned life and landscape with poetic associations as to have neither honey nor dew for hiving in sweet and tender verse1 though it should fall short of the antique or ,british models4 ,our fields and rivers1 brooks and groves1 the rural occupations of country-folk1 have not been undeserving of being celebrated in appropriate verse4 ,our forefathers delighted in ,revolutionary lore4 ,we celebrate natural scenery1 legends of foreign climes1 historic events1 but rarely indulge in touches of simple country life4 ,and the idyls of ,new ,england await their poet1 unless the following verses announce his arrival3-- ,,new ,,england4 ,my country1 'tis for thee ,i strike the lyre2 ,my country1 wide as is the free wind's flight1 ,i prize ,new ,england as she lights her fire ,in every ,prairie's midst2 and where the bright ,enchanting stars shine pure through ,southern night1 ,she still is there the guardian on the tower1 ,to open for the world a purer hour4 ,could they but know the wild enchanting thrill ,that in our homely houses fills the heart1 ,to feel how faithfully ,new ,england's will ,beats in each artery1 and each small part ,of this great ,continent1 their blood would start ,in ,georgia1 or where ,spain once sat in state1 ,or ,texas1 with her lone star1 desolate4 ',tis a ,new-,england thought1 to make this land ,the very home of ,freedom1 and the nurse ,of each sublime emotion2 she does stand ,between the sunny ,south1 and the dread curse ,of ,god1 who else should make her hearse ,of condemnation to this ,union's life1-- ,she stands to heal this plague1 and banish strife4 ,i do not sing of this1 but hymn the day ,that gilds our cheerful villages and plains1 ,our hamlets strewn at distance on the way1 ,our forests and the ancient streams' domains2 ,we are a band of brothers1 and our pains ,are freely shared2 no beggar in our roads1 ,content and peace within our fair abodes4 ,in my small cottage on the lonely hill1 ,where like a hermit ,i must bide my time1 ,surrounded by a landscape lying still ,all seasons through as in the winter's prime1 ,rude and as homely as these verses chime1 ,i have a satisfaction which no king ,has often felt1 if ,fortune's happiest thing4 ',tis not my fortune1 which is meanly low1 ',tis not my merit that is nothing worth1 ',tis not that ,i have stores of thought below ,which everywhere should build up heaven on earth2 ,nor was ,i highly favored in my birth2 ,few friends have ,i1 and they are much to me1 ,yet fly above my poor society4 ,but all about me live ,new-,england men1 ,their humble houses meet my daily gaze1-- ,the children of this land where ,life again ,flows like a great stream in sunshiny ways1 ,this is a joy to know them1 and my days ,are filled with love to meditate on them1-- ,these native gentlemen on ,nature's hem4 ,that ,i could take one feature of their life1 ,then on my page a mellow light should shine2 ,their days are holidays1 with labor rife1 ,labor the song of praise that sounds divine1 ,and better1 far1 than any hymn of mine2 ,the patient ,earth sets platters for their food1 ,corn1 milk1 and apples1 and the best of good4 ,see here no shining scenes for artist's eye1 ,this woollen frock shall make no painter's fame2 ,these homely tools all burnishing deny2 ,the beasts are slow and heavy1 still or tame2 ,the sensual eye may think this labor lame2 ',tis in the man where lies the sweetest art1 ,his true endeavor in his earnest part4 ,he meets the year confiding2 no great throws1 ,that suddenly bring riches1 does he use1 ,but like ,thor's hammer vast1 his patient blows ,vanquish his difficult tasks1 he does refuse ,to tread the path1 nor know the way he views2 ,no sad complaining words he uttereth1 ,but draws in peace a free and easy breath4 ,this man takes pleasure o'er the crackling fire1 ,his glittering axe subdued the monarch oak1 ,he earned the cheerful blaze by something higher ,than pensioned blows1--he owned the tree he stroke1 ,and knows the value of the distant smoke ,when he returns at night1 his labor done1 ,matched in his action with the long day's sun4 ,i love these homely mansions1 and to me ,a farmer's house seems better than a king's2 ,the palace boasts its art1 but liberty ,and honest pride and toil are splendid things2 ,they carved this clumsy lintel1 and it brings ,the man upon its front2 ,greece hath her art1-- ,but this rude homestead shows the farmer's heart4 ,i love to meet him on the frozen road1 ,how manly is his eye1 as clear as air2-- ,he cheers his beasts without the brutal goad1 ,his face is ruddy1 and his features fair2 ,his brave good-day sounds like an honest prayer2 ,this man is in his place and feels his trust1-- ',tis not dull plodding through the heavy crust4 ,and when ,i have him at his homely hearth1 ,within his homestead1 where no ornament ,glows on the mantel but his own true worth1 ,i feel as if within an ,arab's tent ,his hospitality is more than meant2 ,i there am welcome1 as the sunlight is1 ,i must feel warm to be a friend of his4 ,how many brave adventures with the cold1 ,built up the cumberous cellar of plain stone2 ,how many summer heats the bricks did mould1 ,that make the ample fireplace1 and the tone ,of twice a thousand winds sing through the zone ,of rustic paling round the modest yard1-- ,these are the verses of this simple bard4 ,who sings the praise of ,woman in our clime8 ,i do not boast her beauty or her grace2 ,some humble duties render her sublime1 ,she the sweet nurse of this ,new-,england race1 ,the flower upon the country's sterile face1 ,the mother of ,new ,england's sons1 the pride ,of every house where these good sons abide4 ,there is a ,roman splendor in her smile1 ,a tenderness that owes its depth to toil2 ,well may she leave the soft voluptuous wile ,that forms the woman of a softer soil2 ,she does pour forth herself a fragrant oil ,upon the dark austerities of ,fate1 ,and make a garden else all desolate4 ,from early morn to fading eve she stands1 ,labor's best offering on the shrine of worth1 ,and ,labor's jewels glitter on her hands1 ,to make a plenty out of partial dearth1 ,to animate the heaviness of earth1 ,to stand and serve serenely through the pain1 ,to nurse a vigorous race and ne'er complain4 ,new-,england women are ,new-,england's pride1 ',tis fitting they should be so1 they are free1-- ,intelligence doth all their acts decide1 ,such deeds more charming than old ancestry4 ,i could not dwell beside them1 and not be ,enamored of them greatly2 they are meant ,to charm the ,poet1 by their pure intent4 ,a natural honest bearing of their lot1 ,cheerful at work1 and happy when 'tis done2 ,they shine like stars within the humblest cot1 ,and speak for freedom centred all in one4 ,from every river's side ,i hear the son ,of some ,new-,england woman answer me1 ',joy to our ,mothers1 who did make us free4' ,and when those wanderers turn to home again1 ,see the familiar village1 and the street ,where they once frolicked1 they are less than men ,if in their eyes the tear-drops do not meet1 ,to feel how soon their mothers they shall greet3 ,sons of ,new ,england have no dearer day1 ,than once again within those arms to lay4 ,these are her men and women2 this the sight ,that greets me daily when ,i pass their homes2 ,it is enough to love1 it throws some light ,over the gloomiest hours2 the fancy roams ,no more to ,italy or ,greece2 the loams ,whereon we tread are sacred by the lives ,of those who till them1 and our comfort thrives4 ,here might one pass his days1 content to be ,the witness of those spectacles alway2 ,bring if you may your treasure from the sea1 ,my pride is in my ,townsmen1 where the day ,rises so fairly on a race who lay ,their hopes on ,heaven after their toil is o'er1 ,upon this rude and bold ,new-,england shore4 ,vainly ye pine woods rising on the height ,should lift your verdant boughs and cones aloft2 ,vainly ye winds should surge around in might1 ,or murmur o'er the meadow stanzas soft2 ,to me should nothing yield or lake or crost1 ,had not the figures of the pleasant scene ,like trees and fields an innocent demean4 ,i feel when ,i am here some pride elate1 ,proud of your presence who do duty here1 ,for ,i am some partaker of your fate1 ,your manly anthem vibrates in my ear2 ,your hearts are heaving unconsumed by fear2 ,your modest deeds are constantly supplied2 ,your simpler truths by which you must abide4 ,therefore ,i love a cold and flinty realm1 ,i love the sky that hangs ,new ,england o'er1 ,and if ,i were embarked1 and at the helm ,i ran my vessel on ,new ,england's shore1 ,and dashed upon her crags1 would live no more1 ,rather than go seek those lands of graves ,where men who tread the fields are cowering slaves4 ,w4 ,,ellery ,,channing4 ,,conversation4 ,,monday1 #ag4 ,if one would learn the views of some of our most thoughtful ,new-,england men and women1 he will find their fullest and freshest expression in the discussions of the ,radical ,club4 ,almost every extreme of ,liberalism is there represented1 and its manners and methods are as various as the several members who take part in the readings and conversations4 ,it is assumed that all subjects proposed for discussion are open to the freest consideration1 and that each is entitled to have the widest scope and hospitality allowed it4 ,truth is spherical1 and seen differently according to the culture1 temperament1 and disposition of those who survey it from their individual standpoint4 ,of two or more sides1 none can be absolutely right1 and conversation fails if it find not the central truth from which all radiate4 ,debate is angular1 conversation circular and radiant of the underlying unity4 ,who speaks deeply excludes all possibility of controversy4 ,his affirmation is self-sufficient3 his assumption final1 absolute4 ,yes1 yes1 ,i see it must be so1 ,the ,yes alone resolves the ,no4 ,thus holding himself above the arena of dispute1 he gracefully settles a question by speaking so home to the core of the matter as to undermine the premise upon which an issue had been taken4 ,for whoso speaks to the ,personality drives beneath the grounds of difference1 and deals face to face with principles and ideas4#d ,footnote #d3 ,dialectics treat of pure thought and of the method of arriving at it4 ,a current misapprehension on the subject of dialectics here presents itself4 ,most people understand it to mean argument1 and they believe that truths may be arrived at and held by such argument placed in due logical form4 ,they demand the proof of an assertion1 and imply something of weakness in the reasoning power in those who fail to give this4 ,it is well to understand what proof means4 ,kant has shown us in his ,critique of ,pure ,reason1 that the course of all such ratiocination is a movement in a circle4 ,one assumes in his premises what he wishes to prove1 and then unfolds it as the result4 ,the assumptions are in all cases mere sides of antinomies or opposite theses1 each of which has validity and may be demonstrated against the other4 ,thus the debater moves round and round and presupposes one-sided premises which must be annulled before he can be in a state to perceive the truth4 ,argument of this kind the accomplished dialectician never engages in2 it is simply egotism when reduced to its lowest terms4 ,the question assumed premises that were utterly inadmissible4 ,the process of true proof does not proceed in the manner of argumentation2 it does not assume its whole result in its premises1 which are propositions of reflection1 and then draw them out syllogistically4 ,speculative truth is never contained analytically in any one or in all of such propositions of reflection4 ,it is rather the negative of them1 and hence is transcendent in its entire procedure4 ,it rises step by step1 synthetically1 through the negation of the principle assumed at the beginning1 until1 finally1 the presupposition of all is reached4 ,it is essentially a going from the part to the whole4 ,whatever is seized by the dialectic is turned on its varied sides1 and careful note is made of its defects1 i4 e4 what it lacks within itself to make it possible4 ,that which it implies is added to it1 as belonging to its totality1 and thus onward progress is made until the entire comprehension of its various phases is attained4 ,the ordinary analytic proof is seen to be shallow after more or less experience in it4 ,the man of insight sees that it is a 'child's play1--a mere placing of the inevitable dogmatism a step or two back--that is all4 ,real speculation proceeds synthetically beyond what it finds inadequate1 until it reaches the adequate4' ,,wm4 ,t4 ,,harris4 ,good discourse sinks differences and seeks agreements4 ,it avoids argument1 by finding a common basis of agreement2 and thus escapes controversy1 by rendering it superfluous4 ,pertinent to the platform1 debate is out of place in the parlor4 ,persuasion is the better weapon in this glittering game4 ,nothing rarer than great conversation1 nothing more difficult to prompt and guide4 ,like magnetism1 it obeys its own hidden laws1 sympathies1 antipathies1 is sensitive to the least breath of criticism4 ,it requires natural tact1 a familiarity with these fine laws1 long experience1 a temperament predisposed to fellowship1 to hold high the discourse by keeping the substance of things distinctly in view throughout the natural windings of the dialogue4 ,many can argue1 not many converse4 ,real humility is rare everywhere and at all times4 ,if women have the larger share1 and venture less in general conversation1 it may be from the less confidence1 not in themselves1 but in those who have hitherto assumed the lead1 even in matters more specially concerning woman4 ,few men are diffident enough to speak beautifully and well on the finest themes4 ,conversation presupposes a common sympathy in the subject1 a great equality in the speakers2 absence of egotism1 a tender criticism of what is spoken4 ',tis this great equality and ingenuousness that renders this game of questions so charming and entertaining1 and the more that it invites the indefinable complement of sex4 ,only where the sexes are brought into sympathy1 is conversation possible4 ,where women are1 men speak best2 for the most part1 below themselves1 where women are not4 ,and the like holds presumably of companies composed solely of women4 ,good discourse wins from the bashful and discreet what they have to speak1 but would not1 without this provocation4 ,the forbidding faces are ,fates to overbear and blemish true fellowship4 ,we give what we are1 not necessarily what we know2 nothing more1 nothing less1 and only to our kind1 those playing best their parts who have the nimblest wits1 taking out the egotism1 the nonsense2 putting wisdom1 information1 in their place4 ,humor to dissolve1 and wit to fledge your theme1 if you will rise out of commonplace2 any amount of erudition1 eloquence of phrase1 scope of comprehension2 figure and symbol sparingly but fitly4 ,who speaks to the eye1 speaks to the whole mind4 ,most people are too exclusively individual for conversing4 ,it costs too great expenditure of magnetism to dissolve them2 who cannot leave himself out of his discourse1 but embarrasses all who take part in it4 ,egotists cannot converse1 they talk to themselves only4 ,conversation with plain people proves more agreeable and profitable1 usually1 than with companies more pretentious and critical4 ,it is wont to run the deeper and stronger without impertinent interruptions1 inevitable where cultivated egotism and self-assurance are present with such4 ,there remains this resource1 of ignoring civilly the interruption1 and proceeding as if the intrusion had not been interposed4 ,oft when the wise ,appears not wise1 he works the greater good4 ,never allow yourself1 said ,goethe1 to be betrayed into a dispute4 ,wise men fall into ignorance if they dispute with ignorant men4 ,persuasion is the finest artillery4 ,it is the unseen guns that do execution without smoke or tumult4 ,if one cannot win by force of wit1 without cannonade of abuse1 flourish of trumpet1 he is out of place in parlors1 ventures where he can neither forward nor grace fellowship4 ,the great themes are feminine1 and to be dealt with delicately4 ,debate is masculine2 conversation is feminine4 ,here is a piece of excellent counsel from ,plotinus3-- ,and this may everywhere be considered1 that he who pursues our form of philosophy1 will1 besides all other graces1 genuinely exhibit simple and venerable manners1 in conjunction with the possession of wisdom1 and will endeavor not to become insolent or proud1 but will possess confidence1 accompanied with reason1 with sincerity and candor1 and great circumspection4 ,,margaret ,,fuller4 ,,thursday1 #bj4 ,horace ,greeley has just issued from the ,tribune office a uniform edition of ,margaret ,fuller's works1 together with her ,memoirs first published twenty years ago4 ,and now1 while woman is the theme of public discussion1 her character and writings may be studied to advantage4 ,the sex has had no abler advocate4 ,her book entitled ,woman in the ,nineteenth ,century anticipated most of the questions now in the air1 and the leaders in the movement for woman's welfare might take its counsels as the text for their action4 ,her methods1 too1 suggest the better modes of influence4 ,that she wrote books is the least of her merits4 ,she was greatest when she dropped her pen4 ,she spoke best what others essayed to say1 and what women speak best4 ,hers was a glancing logic that leaped straight to the sure conclusion2 a sibylline intelligence that divined oracularly2 knew by anticipation2 in the presence always1 the open vision4 ,alas1 that so much should have been lost to us1 and this at the moment when it seemed we most needed and could profit by it6 ,was it some omen of that catastrophe which gave her voice at times the tones of a sadness almost preternatural8 ,what figure were she now here in times and triumphs like ours6 ,she seemed to have divined the significance of woman1 dared where her sex had hesitated hitherto1 was gifted to untie social knots which the genius of a ,plato even failed to disentangle4 ,either sex alone1 he said1 was but half itself4 ,yet he did not complement the two in honorable marriage in his social polity4 ,if a house be rooted in wrong1 says ,euripides1 it will blossom in vice4 ,as the oak is cradled in the acorn's cup1 so the state in the family4 ,domestic licentiousness saps every institution1 the morals of the community at large1--a statement trite enough1 but till it is no longer needful to be made is the commonwealth established on immovable foundations4 ,revere no ,god whom men adore by night4 ,let the sexes be held to like purity of morals1 and equal justice meted to them for any infraction of the laws of social order4 ,women are the natural leaders of society in whatever concerns private morals1 lead where it were safe for men to follow4 ,about the like number as of men1 doubtless1 possess gifts to serve the community at large2 while most women1 as most men1 will remain private citizens1 fulfilling private duties4 ,her vote as such will tell for personal purity1 for honor1 temperance1 justice1 mercy1 peace1--the domestic virtues upon which communities are founded1 and in which they must be firmly rooted to prosper and endure4 ,the unfallen souls are feminine4 ,crashaw's ,ideal ,woman should win the love and admiration of her sex as well as ours4 ,whoe'er she be ,that not impossible she ,that shall command my heart and me2 ,where'er she lie ,lock'd up from mortal eye ,in shady leaves of destiny2 ,till that ripe birth ,of studied fate stand forth1 ,and teach her fair steps to our earth2 ,till that divine ,idea take a shrine ,of crystal flesh1 through which to shine1 ,meet you her my wishes1 ,bespeak her to my blisses1 ,and be ye called my absent kisses4 ,i wish her beauty ,that owes not all its duty ,to gaudy tire1 or glistening shoe-ty4 ,something more than ,taffata or tissue can1 ,or rampant feather1 or rich fan4 ,more than the spoil ,of shop1 or silkworm's toil1 ,or a bought blush1 or a set smile4 ,a face that's best ,by its own beauty drest1 ,and can alone command the rest4 ,a face made up ,out of no other shop ,than what nature's white hand sets ope4 ,a cheek where youth ,and blood1 with pen of truth1 ,write what the reader sweetly rueth4 ,a cheek where grows ,more than a morning rose1 ,which to no box his being owes4 ,lips1 where all day ,a lover's kiss may play1 ,yet carry nothing thence away4 ,looks1 that oppress ,their richest tires1 but dress ,and clothe their simplest nakedness4 ,eyes1 that displaces ,the neighbor diamond and out-faces ,that sunshine by their own sweet graces4 ,tresses1 that wear ,jewels1 but to declare ,how much themselves more precious are4 ,whose native ray ,can tame the wanton day ,of gems that in their bright shades play4 ,each ruby there1 ,or pearl that dare appear1 ,be its own blush1 be its own tear4 ,a well-tamed heart1 ,for whose more noble smart ,love may be long choosing a dart4 ,eyes1 that bestow ,full quivers on ,love's bow1 ,yet pay less arrows than they owe4 ,smiles1 that can warm ,the blood1 yet teach a charm ,that chastity shall take no harm4 ,blushes1 that been ,the burnish of no sin1 ,nor flames of aught too hot within4 ,days1 that need borrow ,no part of their good morrow ,from a fore-spent night of sorrow4 ,days1 that in spite ,of darkness1 by the light ,of a clear mind are day all night4 ,life1 that dares send ,a challenge to his end1 ,and when it comes say1 ',welcome1 friend4' ,sydneian showers ,of sweet discourse1 whose powers ,can crown old ,winter's head with flowers4 ,soft silken hours1 ,open suns1 shady bowers1 ',bove all1 nothing within that lowers4 ,whate'er delight ,can make day's forehead bright1 ,or give down to the wings of night4 ,in her whole frame1 ,have nature all the name1 ,art and ornament the shame4 ,her flattery1 ,picture and poesy1 ,her counsel her own virtue be4 ,i wish her store ,of worth may leave her poor ,of wishes2 and ,i wish--no more4 ,,childhood4 ,,sunday1 #bc4 ,my little grandsons visit me at this becoming season of birds and apple blossoms4 ,they accompany me to the brook1 and are pleased with their willow whistles and sail-boats1--toys delightful to childhood from the first4 ,their manners1 that first of accomplishments1 delight us in return1 showing that the sense of beauty has dawned and their culture fairly begun4 ',tis a culture to watch them through their days' doings4 ,endless their fancies and engagements4 ,what arts1 accomplishments1 graces1 are woven in their playful panorama2 the scene shifting with the mood1 and all in keeping with the laws of thought and of things4 ,verily1 there are invisible players playing their parts through these pretty puppets all day long4 ,to conceive a child's acquirements as originating in nature1 dating from his birth into his body1 seems an atheism that only a shallow metaphysical theology could entertain in a time of such marvellous natural knowledge as ours4 ,i shall never persuade myself1 said ,synesius1 to believe my soul to be of like age with my body4 ,and yet we are wont to date our birth1 as that of the babes we christen1 from the body's advent so duteously inscribed in our family registers1 as if time and space could chronicle the periods of the immortal mind1 and mark its longevity by our chronometers4#e ,only a ,god could inspire a child with the intimations seen in its first pulse-plays2 the sprightly attainments of a single day's doings afford the liveliest proofs of an omniscient ,deity revealing his attributes in the motions of the little one6 ,nor is maternity less a special inspiration throbbing ceaselessly with childhood as a protecting ,providence1 lifelong4 ,comes not the mother to make the ,creator's word sure that all he has made is verily good8 ,for without mother and wife1 what more than a rough outline of divinity were drawn8 ,that man1 says ,euripides1 hath made his fortune who hath married a good wife4 ,for what would some of us have accomplished1 what should we have not done1 misdone1 without her counsels to temper our adventurous idealism8 ,heaven added a new power to creation when it sent woman into it to complete what ,he had designed4 ,footnote #e3 ,infants1 says ,olympiodorus1 are not seen to laugh for some time after birth1 but pass the greater part of their time in sleep2 however1 in their sleep they appear both to smile and cry4 ,but can this any otherwise happen than through the soul agitating the circulations of their animal nature in conformity with the passions it has experienced before birth into the body8 ,besides1 our looking into ourselves when we seek to discover any truth1 shows that we inwardly contain truth1 though concealed in the darkness of oblivion4 ,does atom animate and revive thought1 or thought animate and illuminate atom8 ,and which the elder8 ,he is a parricide to his mother's name1 ,and with an impious hand1 murthers her fame1 ,who wrongs the praise of woman2 that dares write ,libels on saints1 or with foul ink requite ,the milk they lent us4 ,when one becomes indifferent to women1 to children and young people1 he may know that he is superannuated1 and has withdrawn from whatsoever is sweetest and purest in human existence4 ,one of the happiest rewards of age is the enjoyment of children4 ,and when these inherit one's better gifts and graces1 sinking the worse1 or omitting them altogether1 what can be added to fill the cup of parental gratitude and delight8 ,i fail to comprehend how the old and young folks are to enjoy a future heaven together1 unless they have learned to partake in the enjoyments of this4 ,shall we picture future separate heavens for them8 ,sing1 sing1 the immortals1 ,the ancients of days1 ,ever crowding the portals ,of earth's populous ways2 ,the babes ever stealing ,into ,eden's glad feeling2 ,the fore-world revealing ,god's face1 ne'er concealing4 ,sing1 sing1 the child's fancies1 ,its graces and glances1 ,plans1 pastimes1 surprises1 ,slips1 sorrows1 surmises4 ,youth's trials and treasures1 ,its hopes without measures1 ,its labors and leisures2 ,his world all before him1 ,high heaven all o'er him2 ,life's lengthening story1 ,opening glory on glory2 ,by age ne'er o'ertaken1 ,by youth near forsaken4 ,sings none this fair story1 ,but dwellers in its glory2 ,who would the youth see1 ,a youth he must be2 ,heaven's kingdom alone ,to children doth come4 ,the family is the sensitive plant of civility1 the measure of culture4 ,take the census of the homes1 and you have the sum total of character and civilization in any community4 ,sown in the family1 the seeds of holiness are here to be cherished and ripened for immortality4 ,here is the seminary of the virtues1 the graces1 accomplishments1 that adorn and idealize existence4 ,from this college we graduate for better or for worse4 ,this faculty of the affections1 this drinking freshly at the springs of genius and sensibility1 this intimacy with the loveliest and best in life1 is the real schooling1 the truest discipline1 without which neither mind nor heart flourish2 all other advantages being of secondary account2 wealth1 wit1 beauty1 social position1 books1 travel1 fellowships1 are but sounding names1 opportunities of inferior importance1 compared with this endowment of personal influences4 ,here1 in this atmosphere of love and sympathy1 character thrives and ripens4 ,and were the skill for touching its tender sensibilities1 calling forth its budding gifts1 equal to the charms the child has for us1 what noble characters would graduate from our families1--the community receiving its members accomplished in the ,personal graces1 the state its patriots1 the church its saints1 all glorifying the race4 ,one day the highest culture of the choicest gifts will be deemed essential to the heads of families1 and the arts of nurture and of culture honored as the art of arts4 ,boys are dear to divinity1 dear to all mankind4 ,what more charming than to watch the dawning intelligence1 clearing itself from the mists which obscure its vision of the world into which it has but lately entered8 ,the more attractive1 since a fine sentiment then mingles mythically with the freshness of thought1 confuses the sexes1 as if the boy were being transformed into the girl1 first entering her wider world of affection2 and the girl in turn were being metamorphosed into the boy1 first becoming conscious of the newer world of intellect2 each entering1 by instinct1 into the mind of the other4 ,i know not which is the more charming each in their ways1 the coy manners of girls1 or the shy behavior of beautiful boys1--mysteries both to each other1 nor less to their elders4 ',tis the youthful sentiment1 whether feminine or masculine1 that renders friendship delightful1 the world lovely2 this gone1 all is gone that life can enjoy4 ,there are periods in one's life1 says ,pythagoras1 which it is not in the power of any casual person to connect finely1 these being expelled by one another1 unless some sympathetic friend conduct him from birth in a beautiful and upright manner4 ,,pythagoras4 ,of the great educators of antiquity1 ,i esteem ,pythagoras the most eminent and successful4 ,everything of his doctrine and discipline comes commended by its elegance and humanity1 and justifies the name he bore of the golden-souled ,samian1 and founder of the ,greek culture4 ,he seems to have stood in providential nearness to the human sensibility1 as if his were a maternal relation as well1 and he owned the minds whom he nurtured and educated4 ,the first of philosophers1 taking the name for its modesty of pretension1 he justified his claim to it in the attainments and services of his followers2 his school having given us ,socrates1 ,plato1 ,pericles1 ,plutarch1 ,plotinus1 and others of almost equal fame1 founders of states and cultures4 ,he was most fortunate in his biographer4 ,for1 next to the ,gospels1 ,i know of nothing finer of the kind than the mythological portrait drawn of him by ,jamblichus1 his admiring disciple1 and a philosopher worthy of his master4 ,how mellow the coloring1 the drapery disposed so gracefully about the person he paints6 ,i look upon this piece of nature with ever fresh delight1 so reverend1 humane1 so friendly in aspect and ,olympian4 ,nor is the interest less1 but enhanced rather by the interfusion of fable into the personal history1 the charm of a subtle idealism being thus given it1 relating him thereby to the sacred names of all times4 ,there is in him an ,oriental splendor1 as of sunrise1 reflected on statues1 blooming in orchards1 an ambrosial beauty and sweetness1 as of autumnal fruits and of women4 ,in all he did1 ,some picture of the golden times was hid4 ,personally1 he is said to have been the most beautiful and godlike of all those who had been celebrated in history before his time4 ,as a youth1 his aspect was venerable and his habits strictly temperate1 so that he was reverenced and honored by elderly men4 ,he attracted the attention of all who saw him1 and appeared admirable in all eyes4 ,he was adorned by piety and discipline1 by a mode of life transcendently good1 by firmness of soul1 and by a body in due subjection to the mandates of reason4 ,in all his words and actions1 he discovered an inimitable quiet and serenity1 not being subdued at any time by anger1 emulation1 contention1 or any precipitation of conduct4 ,he was reverenced by the multitude as one under the influence of divine inspiration4 ,he abstained from all intoxicating drinks1 and from animal food1 confining himself to a chaste nutriment4 ,hence1 his sleep was short and undisturbed1 his soul vigilant and pure1 his body in a state of perfect and invariable health4 ,he was free from the superstitions of his time1 and pervaded with a deep sense of duty towards ,god1 and veneration for his divine attributes and immanency in things4 ,he fixed his mind so intently on the attainment of wisdom1 that systems and mysteries inaccessible to others were opened to him by his magic genius and sincerity of purpose4 ,the great principle with which he started1 that of being a seeker rather than possessor of truth1 seemed ever to urge him forward with a diligence and an activity unprecedented in the history of the past1 and perhaps unequalled since4 ,he visited every man who could claim any degree of fame for wisdom or learning1 whilst the relics of antiquity and the simplest operations of nature seemed to yield to his researches2 and we moderns are using his eyes in many departments of activity into which pure thought enters1 being indebted to him for important discoveries alike in science and metaphysics4 ,his institution at ,crotona was the most comprehensive and complete of any of which we read4 ,his aim being at once a philosophical school1 a religious brotherhood1 and a political association4 ,and all these characters appear to have been inseparably united in the founder's mind4 ,it must be considered as a proof of upright intentions in ,pythagoras which ought to rescue him from all suspicion of selfish motives1 that he chose for his associates persons whom he deemed capable of grasping the highest truths which he could communicate1 and was not only willing to teach them all he knew1 but regarded the utmost cultivation of the intellectual faculties as a necessary preparation for the work to which he destined them4 ,he instituted a society1 an order1 as one may now call it1 composed of young men1 three hundred in number1 carefully selected from the noblest families1 not only of ,crotona1 but of the other ,italian cities4 ,those who confided themselves to the guidance of his doctrine and discipline1 conducted themselves in the following manner3-- ,they performed their morning walks alone in places where there happened to be an appropriate solitude and quiet1 and where there were temples and groves1 and other things adapted to give delight4 ,for they thought it was not proper to converse with any one till they had rendered their own soul sedate and co-harmonized with the reasoning power4 ,for they apprehended it to be a thing of a turbulent nature to mingle in a crowd as soon as they rose from bed4 ,but after the morning walk1 they associated with each other1 and employed themselves in discussing doctrines and disciplines1 and in the correction of their manners and lives4 ,they employed their time after dinner1 which consisted of bread and honey without wine1 in domestic labors and economies1 and in the hospitalities due to strangers and their guests1 according to the laws4 ,all business of this sort was transacted during these hours of the day4 ,when it was evening1 they again betook themselves to walking1 yet not singly as in the morning walk1 but in parties of two or three1 calling to mind1 as they walked1 the disciplines which they had learned1 and exercising themselves in beautiful studies4 ,after bathing again1 they went to supper2 no more than ten meeting together for this purpose4 ,this meal they finished before the setting of the sun4 ,it was of wine and maize1 bread and salad4 ,they were of opinion that any animal1 not naturally noxious to the human race1 should neither be injured nor slain4 ,after supper1 libations were performed2 and these were succeeded by readings1 the youngest reading1 and the eldest ordering what should be read and after what manner4 ,they wore a white and pure garment1 and slept on beds the coverlets of which were of white linen4 ,,conversation ,,with ,,children4 ,,monday1 #bd4 ,my book of ,conversations1 held with ,children in ,boston near forty years ago1 has found an admiring reader at last4 ,he writes3-- ,i have just found in a second-hand bookstore your two volumes of ,conversations on the ,gospels1 and have read them with benefit and delight4 ,nowhere have ,i seen the ,gospels so spiritualized1 so rationalized1 ,platonized4 ,the navet aside1 it seems the product of a company of idealists4 ,is it possible that common human nature in children1 thrown upon its own resources1 can exhibit such intelligence1 or instinct1 if you please to call it so8 ,were these children taken as they came1 or were they selected1 culled8 ,they came from families occupying various social advantages1 and were a fair average of children thus born and bred4 ,i give a sample of one of the conversations as reported from their lips at the time4 ,their ages were from six to twelve years4 ,,conversation ,,on ,,worship4 ,mr4 ,alcott read 7having previously read the beginning7 the remainder of the ,conversation of ,jesus with the woman of ,samaria 7,john iv4 #af-cj71-- #af4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,go call thy husband1 and come hither4 #ag4 ,the woman answered and said1 ,i have no husband4 ,jesus said unto her1 ,thou hast well said ,i have no husband3 #ah4 ,for thou hast had five husbands1 and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband3 in that saidst thou truly4 #ai4 ,the woman said unto him1 ,sir1 ,i perceive that thou art a prophet4 #bj4 ,our fathers worshipped in this mountain2 and ye say that in ,jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship4 #ba4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,woman1 believe me1 the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain1 nor yet at ,jerusalem1 worship the ,father4 #bb4 ,ye worship ye know not what3 we know what we worship1 for salvation is of the ,jews4 #bc4 ,but the hour cometh1 and now is1 when the true worshippers shall worship the ,father in spirit and in truth3 for the father seeketh such to worship him4 #bd4 ,god is a ,spirit3 and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth4 #be4 ,the woman saith unto him1 ,i know that ,messias cometh1 which is called ,christ2 when he is come1 he will tell us all things4 #bf4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,i that speak unto thee am he4 #bg4 ,and upon this came his disciples1 and marvelled that he talked with the woman3 yet no man said1 ,what seekest thou8 or1 ,why talkest thou with her8 #bh4 ,the woman then left her water-pot1 and went her way into the city1 and saith to the men1 #bi4 ,come1 see a man which told me all things that ever ,i did3 is not this the ,christ8 #cj4 ,then they went out of the city1 and came unto him4 ,before he had time to ask the usual question1-- ,,samuel ,t4 7spoke74 ,i was most interested in this verse3 ,he that drinks of this water shall thirst again1 but he that drinks of the water that ,i shall give him1 shall never thirst4 ,he means by this1 that those who heard what he taught1 and did it1 should live always1 should never die1 their spirits should never die4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,can spirits die8 ,,samuel ,t4 ,for a spirit to die is to leave off being good4 ,,edward ,j4 ,i was interested in the words1 ,for the water ,i shall give him will be in him a well of water4 ,i think it means that when people are good and getting better1 it is like water springing up always4 ,they have more and more goodness4 ,,samuel ,r4 ,water is an emblem of holiness4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,water means spirit1 pure and unsoiled4 ,,edward ,j4 ,it is holy spirit4 ,,ellen4 ,i was most interested in these words3 ,ye worship ye know not what4 ,the ,samaritans worship idols1 and there was no meaning to that4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what do you mean by their worshipping idols8 ,,ellen4 ,they cared about things more than ,god4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what kind of false worship do you think ,jesus was thinking about when he said3 ,woman1 the hour is coming and now is1 when neither in this mountain--8 ,,ellen4 ,oh6 she thought the place of worship was more important than the worship itself4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,well6 how did ,jesus answer that thought8 ,,ellen4 ,he told her what she ought to worship1 which was more important than where4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,some of you1 perhaps1 have made this mistake1 and thought that we only worshipped ,god in churches1 and on ,sundays4 ,how is it1--who has thought so8 7,several held up hands1 smiling47 ,who knew that we could worship ,god anywhere8 7,others held up hands47 ,what other worship is there besides that in the church8 ,,edward ,j4 ,the worship in our hearts4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,how is that carried on8 ,,edward ,j4 ,by being good4 ,,nathan4 ,we worship ,god by growing better4 ,,augustine4 ,we worship ,god when we repent of doing wrong4 ,,josiah4 ,i was most interested in this verse3 ,god is a spirit1 and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth4 ,it means that to feel our prayers is more important than to say the words4 ,,lemuel4 ,and when we pray and pray sincerely4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what is praying sincerely8 ,,lemuel4 ,praying the truth4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what is to be done in praying the truth8 ,when you think of prayer1 do you think of a position of the body--of words8 ,,lemuel 7earnestly74 ,i think of something else1 but ,i cannot express it4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,josiah is holding up his hand2 can he express it8 ,,josiah 7burst out74 ,to pray1 ,mr4 ,alcott1 is to be good1 really2 you know it is better to be bad before people and to be good to ,god alone1 because then we are good for goodness sake1 and not to be seen1 and not for people's sake4 ,well1 so it is about prayer4 ,there must be nothing outward with prayer2 but we must have some words1 sometimes2 sometimes we need not4 ,if we don't feel the prayer1 it is worse than never to say a word of prayer4 ,it is wrong not to pray1 but it is more wrong to speak prayer and not pray4 ,we had better do nothing about it1 ,mr4 ,alcott6 we must say words in a prayer1 and we must feel the words we say1 and we must do what belongs to the words4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,oh6 there must be doing1 must there8 ,,josiah4 ,oh6 yes1 ,mr4 ,alcott6 doing is the most important part4 ,we must ask ,god for help1 and at the same time try to do the thing we are to be helped about4 ,if a boy should be good all day1 and have no temptation1 it would not be very much2 there would be no improvement2 but if he had temptation1 he could pray and feel the prayer1 and try to overcome it1 and would overcome it2 and then there would be a real prayer and a real improvement4 ,that would be something4 ,temptation is always necessary to a real prayer1 ,i think4 ,i don't believe there is ever any real prayer before there is a temptation2 because we may think and feel and say our prayer2 but there cannot be any doing1 without there is something to be done4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,well1 ,josiah1 that will do now4 ,shall some one else speak8 ,,josiah4 ,oh1 ,mr4 ,alcott1 ,i have not half done6 ,,edward ,j4 ,mr4 ,alcott1 what is the use of responding in church8 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,cannot you tell8 ,,edward ,j4 ,no2 ,i never knew4 ,,josiah4 ,oh6 ,mr4 ,alcott6 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,well1 ,josiah1 do you know8 ,,josiah4 ,why1 ,edward6 is it not just like a mother's telling her child the words8 ,the child wants to pray2 it don't know how to express its real thoughts1 as we often say to ,mr4 ,alcott here2 and the mother says words1 and the child repeats after her the words4 ,,edward ,j4 ,yes2 but ,i don't see what good it does4 ,,josiah4 ,what6 if the mother says the words1 and the child repeats them and feels them1--really wants the things that are prayed for1--can't you see that it does some good8 ,,edward ,j4 ,it teaches the word-prayer--it is not the real prayer4 ,,josiah4 ,yet it must be the real prayer1 and the real prayer must have some words4 ,but1 ,mr4 ,alcott1 ,i think it would be a great deal better1 if1 at church1 everybody prayed for themselves4 ,i don't see why one person should pray for all the rest4 ,why could not the minister pray for himself1 and the people pray for themselves8 and why should not all communicate their thoughts8 ,why should only one speak8 ,why should not all be preachers8 ,everybody could say something2 at least1 everybody could say their own prayers1 for they know what they want4 ,every person knows the temptations they have1 and people are tempted to do different things4 ,mr4 ,alcott1 ,i think ,sunday ought to come oftener4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,our hearts can make all time ,sunday4 ,,josiah4 ,why1 then1 nothing could be done6 ,there must be week-days1 ,i know--some week-days2 ,i said1 ,sunday oftener4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,but you wanted the prayers to be doing prayers4 ,now some of the rest may tell me1 how you could pray doing prayers4 ,,george ,k4 ,place is of no consequence4 ,i think prayer is in our hearts4 ,christian prayed in the cave of ,giant ,despair4 ,we can pray anywhere1 because we can have faith anywhere4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,faith1 then1 is necessary8 ,,george ,k4 ,yes2 for it is faith that makes the prayer4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,suppose an instance of prayer in yourself4 ,,george ,k4 ,i can pray going to bed or getting up4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,you are thinking of time1 place1 words4 ,,george ,k4 ,and feelings and thoughts4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,and action8 ,,george ,k4 ,yes2 action comes after4 ,,john ,b4 ,when we have been doing wrong and are sorry1 we pray to ,god to take away the evil4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what evil1 the punishment8 ,,john ,b4 ,no2 we want the forgiveness4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what is for-give-ness8 ,is it anything given8 ,,lemuel4 ,goodness1 holiness4 ,,john ,b4 ,and the evil is taken away4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,is there any action in all this8 ,,john ,b4 ,why1 yes2 there is thought and feeling4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,but it takes the body also to act2 what do the hands do8 ,,john ,b4 ,there is no prayer in the hands4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,you have taken something that belongs to another2 you pray to be forgiven2 you wish not to do so again2 you are sorry4 ,is there anything to do8 ,,john ,b4 ,if you injure anybody1 and can repair it1 you must1 and you will1 if you have prayed sincerely2 but that is not the prayer4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,would the prayer be complete without it8 ,,john ,b4 ,no4 ,,andrew4 ,prayer is in the spirit4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,does the body help the spirit8 ,,andrew4 ,it don't help the prayer4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,don't the lips move8 ,,andrew4 ,but have the lips anything to do with the prayer8 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,yes2 they may4 ,the whole nature may act together2 the body pray2 and ,i want you to tell an instance of a prayer in which are thoughts1 feelings1 action2 which involves the whole nature1 body and all4 ,there may be prayer in the palms of our hands4 ,,andrew4 ,why1 if ,i had hurt anybody1 and was sorry and prayed to be forgiven1 ,i suppose ,i should look round for some medicine and try to make it well4 7,mr4 ,alcott here spoke of the connection of the mind with the body1 in order to make his meaning clearer47 ,,samuel ,r4 ,if ,i had a bad habit1 and should ask ,god for help to break it2 and then should try so as really to break it1 that would be a prayer4 ,,charles4 ,suppose ,i saw a poor beggar boy hurt or sick1 and all bleeding2 and ,i had very nice clothes1 and was afraid to soil them1 or from any such cause should pass him by1 and by and by ,i should look back and see another boy helping him1 and should be really sorry and pray to be forgiven1 that would be a real prayer2 but if ,i had done the kindness at the time of it1 that would have been a deeper prayer4 ,,augustine4 ,when anybody has done wrong1 and does not repent for a good while1 but at last repents and prays to be forgiven1 it may be too late to do anything about it2 yet that might be a real prayer4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,imagine a real doing prayer in your life4 ,,lucia4 ,suppose1 as ,i was going home from school1 some friend of mine should get angry with me1 and throw a stone at me2 ,i could pray not to be tempted to do the same1 to throw a stone at her1 and would not4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,and would the not doing anything in that case be a prayer and an action8 ,keeping your body still would be the body's part of it4 ,,lucia4 ,yes4 ,,ellen4 ,i heard a woman say1 once1 that she could pray best when she was at work2 that when she was scouring the floor she would ask ,god to cleanse her mind4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,i will now vary my question4 ,is there any prayer in ,patience8 ,,all4 ,a great deal4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,in ,impatience8 ,,all4 ,no2 not any4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,in ,doubt8 ,,george ,k4 ,no2 but in ,faith4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,in ,laziness8 ,,all 7but ,josiah74 ,no2 no kind of prayer4 ,,josiah4 ,i should think that ,laziness was the prayer of the body1 ,mr4 ,alcott4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,yes2 it seems so4 ,the body tries to be still more body2 it tries to get down into the clay2 it tries to sink2 but the spirit is always trying to lift it up and make it do something4 ,,edward ,j4 ,lazy people sometimes have passions that make them act4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,yes2 they act downwards4 ,is there any prayer in ,disobedience8 ,,all4 ,no4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,is there any in submission8 ,in forbearing when injured8 ,in suffering for a good object8 ,in self-sacrifice8 ,,all 7eagerly to each question74 ,yes4 ,yes4 ,yes4 ,yes4 7,mr4 ,alcott here made some very interesting remarks on loving ,god with all our heart1 soul1 mind1 etc41 and the ,idea of ,devotion it expressed4 ,josiah wanted to speak constantly1 but ,mr4 ,alcott checked him1 that the others might have opportunity1 though the latter wished to yield to ,josiah47 ,,josiah 7burst out74 ,mr4 ,alcott6 you know ,mrs4 ,barbauld says in her hymns1 everything is prayer2 every action is prayer2 all nature prays2 the bird prays in singing2 the tree prays in growing2 men pray2 men can pray more2 we feel2 we have more--more than nature2 we can know and do right2 ,conscience prays2 all our powers pray2 action prays4 ,once we said here1 that there was a ,christ in the bottom of our spirits when we try to be good2 then we pray in ,christ2 and that is the whole4#f ,footnote #f3 ,this improvisation is preserved in its words4 ,josiah1 it may be named1 was under seven years of age1 and the other children were chiefly between the ages of six and twelve years4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,yes1 ,josiah1 that is the whole4 ,that is ,universal ,prayer--the adoration of the ,universe to its ,author6 ,,charles4 ,i was most interested in this verse--,the day is coming1 and now is1 when men shall worship the ,father1 etc4 ,i think that this means that people are about to learn what to worship1 and where4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,have you learned this to-day8 ,,charles4 ,yes2 ,i have learnt some new things1 ,i believe4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what are you to worship8 ,,charles4 ,goodness4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,where is it8 ,,charles4 ,within4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,within what8 ,,charles4 ,conscience1 or ,god4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,are you to worship ,conscience8 ,,charles4 ,yes4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,is it anywhere but in yourself8 ,,charles4 ,yes2 it is in ,nature4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,is it in other people8 ,,charles4 ,yes2 there is more or less of it in other people1 unless they have taken it out4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,can it be entirely taken out8 ,,charles4 ,goodness always lingers in ,conscience4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,is ,conscience anywhere but in ,human ,nature8 ,,charles4 ,it is in the ,supernatural4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,you said at first that there was something in outward ,nature which we should worship4 ,,charles4 ,no2 ,i don't think we should worship anything but the ,invisible4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what is the ,invisible8 ,,charles4 ,it is the ,supernatural4 ,,john ,b4 ,it is the ,inward--the ,spiritual4 ,but ,i don't see why we should not worship the sun a little as well-- ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,as well as the ,sun-maker8 ,but there are sun-worshippers4 ,,john ,b4 ,yes2 a little2 for the sun gives us light and heat4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,what is the difference between your feeling when you think of the sun1 or the ocean 7he described some grand scenes71 and when you think of ,conscience acting in such cases as--7he gave some striking instances of moral power74 ,is there not a difference8 7,they raised their hands47 ,what is the name of the feeling with which you look at ,nature8 ,,several4 ,admiration4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,but when ,conscience governs our weak body1 is it not a ,supernatural ,force8 ,do you not feel the awe of the inferior before a superior nature8 ,and is not that worship8 ,the sun cannot produce it4 ,,josiah4 ,spirit worships ,spirit4 ,clay worships ,clay4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,wait a moment1 ,josiah4 ,i wish first to talk with the others2 let me ask them this question3 ,do you feel that ,conscience is stronger than the mountain1 deeper and more powerful than the ocean8 ,can you say to yourself1 ,i can remove this mountain8 ,,josiah 7burst out74 ,yes1 ,mr4 ,alcott6 ,i do not mean that with my body ,i can lift up a mountain--with my hand2 but ,i can feel2 and ,i know that my ,conscience is greater than the mountain1 for it can feel and do2 and the mountain cannot4 ,there is the mountain1 there6 ,it was made1 and that is all4 ,but my ,conscience can grow4 ,it is the same kind of ,spirit as made the mountain be1 in the first place4 ,i do not know what it may be and do4 ,the ,body is a mountain1 and the ,spirit says1 be moved1 and it is moved into another place4 ,mr4 ,alcott1 we think too much about clay4 ,we should think of ,spirit4 ,i think we should love ,spirit1 not ,clay4 ,i should think a mother now would love her baby's ,spirit2 and suppose it should die1 that is only the ,spirit bursting away out of the ,body4 ,it is alive2 it is perfectly happy4 ,i really do not know why people mourn when their friends die4 ,i should think it would be matter of rejoicing4 ,for instance3 now1 if we should go out into the street and find a box--an old dusty box--and should put into it some very fine pearls1 and by and by the box should grow old and break1 why1 we should not even think about the box2 but if the pearls were safe1 we should think of them and nothing else4 ,so it is with the ,soul and ,body4 ,i cannot see why people mourn for bodies4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,yes1 ,josiah2 that is all true1 and we are glad to hear it4 ,shall some one else now speak besides you8 ,,josiah4 ,oh1 ,mr4 ,alcott6 then ,i will stay in the recess and talk4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,when a little infant opens its eyes upon this world1 and sees things out of itself1 and has the feeling of admiration1 is there in that feeling the beginning to worship8 ,,josiah4 ,no1 ,mr4 ,alcott2 a little baby does not worship4 ,it opens its eyes on the outward world1 and sees things1 and perhaps wonders what they are2 but it don't know anything about them or itself4 ,it don't know the uses of anything2 there is no worship in it4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,but in this feeling of wonder and admiration which it has1 is there not the beginning of worship that will at last find its object8 ,,josiah4 ,no2 there is not even the beginning of worship4 ,it must have some temptation1 ,i think1 before it can know the thing to worship4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,but is there not a feeling that comes up from within1 to answer to the things that come to the eyes and ears8 ,,josiah4 ,but feeling is not worship1 ,mr4 ,alcott4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,can there be worship without feeling8 ,,josiah4 ,no2 but there can be feeling without worship4 ,for instance1 if ,i prick my hand with a pin1 ,i feel1 to be sure1 but ,i do not worship4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,that is bodily feeling4 ,but may not the little infant find its power to worship in the feeling which is first only admiration of what is without4 ,,josiah4 ,no1 no2 ,i know what surprise is1 and ,i know what admiration is2 and perhaps the little creature feels that4 ,but she does not know enough to know that she has conscience1 or that there is temptation4 ,my little sister feels1 and she knows some things2 but she does not worship4 ,,mr4 ,,alcott4 ,now ,i wish you all to think4 ,what have we been talking about to-day8 ,,charles4 ,spiritual ,worship4#g ,footnote #g3 ,here ,i was obliged to pause1 as ,i was altogether fatigued with keeping my pen in long and uncommonly constant requisition4 ,i was enabled to preserve the words better than usual1 because ,josiah had so much of the conversation1 whose enunciation is slow1 and whose fine choice of language and steadiness of mind1 makes him easy to follow and remember4--,recorder4 ,,plutarch',s ,,letter ,,to ,,his ,,wife4 ,,sunday1 #cj4 ,i sometimes think the funeral rites and cemeteries of a people best characterize its piety4 ,contrast the modern with the primitive grave-yards1--their funeral services so dismal1 doleful1 despairing3 as if their faith in immortality were fittest clad in sables1 and death were a descent of souls1 instead of an ascension4 ,what fairer views of life and of immortality our fresher faith exhibits4 ,verdure1 cheerful marbles1 tasteful avenues1 flowers1 simple epitaphs1 inscriptions celebrating the virtues properly humane4 ,what in the range of ,english lyric verse is comparable to ,wordsworth's ode1 entitled ,intimations of ,immortality in ,childhood1 or his prose ,essay on ,epitaphs4 ,nor is the contrast so disparaging between these and ,pagan moralities4 ,christianity can hardly add to the sweetness and light1 the tenderness1 trust in man's future well-being1 shown in ,plutarch's consolatory ,letter to his ,wife on the death of his little daughter4 ,one becomes more ,christian1 even1 in copying it4 ,,plutarch ,,to ,,his ,,wife--,,all ,,health4 ,as for the messenger you dispatched to tell me of the death of my little daughter1 it seems he missed his way as he was going to ,athens4 ,but when ,i came to ,tanagra ,i heard of it by my niece4 ,i suppose by this time the funeral is over4 ,i wish that whatever happens1 as well now as hereafter1 may create you no dissatisfaction4 ,but if you have designedly let anything alone1 depending upon my judgment1 thinking better to determine the point if ,i were with you1 ,i pray let it be without ceremony or timorous superstition1 which ,i know are far from you4 ,only1 dear wife1 let you and me bear our affliction with patience4 ,i know very well1 and do comprehend what loss we have had2 but if ,i should find you grieve beyond measure1 this would trouble me more than the thing itself2 for ,i had my birth neither from a stock nor stone1 and you know it full well2 ,i having been assistant to you in the education of so many children1 which we brought up at home under our own care4 ,this much-lamented daughter was born after four sons1 which made me call her by your own name2 therefore1 ,i know she was dear to you1 and grief must have a peculiar pungency in a mind tenderly affectionate to children1 when you call to mind how naturally witty and innocent she was1 void of anger1 and not querulous4 ,she was naturally mild and compassionate1 to a miracle4 ,and she showed delight in1 and gave a specimen of1 her humanity and gratitude towards anything that had obliged her1 for she would pray her nurse to give suck1 not only to other children1 but to her very playthings1 as it were courteously inviting them to her table1 and making the best cheer for them she could4 ,now1 my dear wife1 ,i see no reason why these and the like things which delighted us so much when she was alive1 should1 upon remembrance of them1 afflict us when she is dead4 ,but ,i also fear1 lest while we cease from sorrowing1 we should forget her1 as ,clymene said3-- ,i hate the handy horned bow1 ,and banish youthful pastimes now1 because she would not be put in mind of her son1 by the exercises he had been used to4 ,for nature always shuns such things as are troublesome4 ,but since our little daughter afforded all our senses the sweetest and most charming pleasure1 so ought we to cherish her memory1 which will in many ways conduce more to our joy than grief4 ,and it is but just that the same arguments which we have ofttimes used to others should prevail upon ourselves at this so seasonable a time1 and that we should not supinely sit down and overwhelm the joys which we have tasted with a multiplicity of new griefs4 ,moreover1 they who were present at the funeral1 report this with admiration1 that you neither put on mourning1 nor disguised yourself1 or any of your maids2 neither were there any costly preparations1 nor magnificent pomp1 but that all things were managed with prudence and moderation4 ,and it seemed not strange to me1 that you1 who never used richly to dress yourself1 for the theatre or other public solemnities1 esteeming such magnificence vain and useless1 even in matters of delight1 have now practised frugality on this finest occasion4444 ,there is no philosopher of your acquaintance who is not in love with your frugality1 both in apparel and diet2 nor a citizen1 to whom the simplicity and plainness of your dress is not conspicuous1 both at religious sacrifices and public shows in the theatre4 ,formerly1 also1 you discovered on a like occasion1 a great constancy of mind when you lost your eldest son4 ,and again1 when the lovely ,charon left us4 ,for ,i remember when the news was brought me of my son's death1 as ,i was returning home with some friends and guests who accompanied me to my house1 that when they beheld all things in order1 and observed a profound silence everywhere 7as they afterwards declared to others71 they thought no such calamity had happened1 but that the report was false4 ,so discreetly had you settled the affairs of the house at that time1 when no small confusion and disorder might have been expected4 ,and yet you gave this son suck yourself1 and endured the lancing of your breast to prevent the ill effects of a contusion4 ,these are things worthy of a generous woman1 and one that loves her children4444 ,moreover1 ,i would have you endeavor to call often to mind that time when our daughter was not as yet born to us1 then we had no cause to complain of fortune4 ,then1 joining that time with this1 argue thus with yourself1 that we are in the same condition as then4 ,otherwise1 dear wife1 we shall seem discontented at the birth of our little daughter if we own that our circumstances were better before her birth4 ,but the two years of her life are by no means to be forgotten by us1 but to be numbered amongst our blessings1 in that they afforded us an agreeable pleasure4 ,nor must we esteem a small good for a great evil1 nor ungratefully complain of fortune for what she has actually given us1 because she has not added what we wished for4 ,certainly1 to speak reverently of the gods1 and to bear our lot with an even mind1 without accusing fortune1 always brings with it a fair reward4444 ,but if you lament the poor girl because she died unmarried and without offspring1 you have wherewithal to comfort yourself1 in that you are defective in none of these things1 having had your share4 ,and those are not small benefits where they are enjoyed4 ,but so long as she is gone to a place where she feels no pain1 she has no need of our grief4 ,for what harm can befall us from her when she is free from all hurt8 ,and surely1 the loss of great things abates its grief when it is come to this1 that there is no more ground of grief1 or care for them4 ,but thy ,timoxena was deprived but of small matters1 for she had no knowledge but of such1 neither took she delight but in such small things4 ,but for that which she never was sensible of1 nor so much as once did enter her thoughts1 how can you say it is taken from you8 ,as for what you hear others say1 who persuade the vulgar that the soul when once freed from the body1 suffers no inconvenience or evil1 nor is sensible at all1 ,i know that you are better grounded in the doctrines delivered down to us from our ancestors1 as also in the sacred mysteries of ,bacchus1 than to believe such stories1 for the religious symbols are well known to us who are of the fraternity4 ,therefore1 be assured that the soul1 being incapable of death1 suffers in the same manner as birds that are kept in a cage4 ,for if she has been a long time educated and cherished in the body1 and by long custom has been made familiar with most things of this life1 she will 7though separable7 return to it again1 and at length enters the body2 nor ceases it by new birth now and then to be entangled in the chances and events of this life4 ,for do not think that old age is therefore evil spoken of and blamed1 because it is accompanied with wrinkles1 gray hairs1 and weakness of body2 but this is the most troublesome thing in old age1 that it stains and corrupts the soul with the remembrances of things relating to the body1 to which she was too much addicted2 thus it bends and loves1 retaining that form which it took of the body4 ,but that which is taken away in youth1 being more soft and tractable1 soon returns to its native vigor and beauty1 just like fire that is quenched1 which1 if it be forthwith kindled again1 sparkles and burns out immediately4 ,as soon as e'er we take one breath ',t were good to pass the gates of death1 before too great love of bodily and earthly things be engendered in the soul1 and it become soft and tender by being used to the body1 and1 as it were1 by charms and portions incorporated with it4 ,but the truth of this will appear in the laws and traditions1 received from our ancestors2 for when children die1 no libations nor sacrifices are made for them1 nor any other of those ceremonies which are wont to be performed for the dead4 ,for infants have no part of earth or earthly affections1 nor do they hover or tarry about their sepulchres or monuments1 where their dead bodies are exposed4 ,the religion of our country teaches us otherwise1 and it is an impious thing not to believe what our laws and traditions assert1 that the souls of infants pass immediately into a better and more divine state2 therefore1 since it is safer to give credit to our traditions than to call them in question1 let us comply with the custom in outward and public behavior1 and let our interior be more unpolluted1 pure and holy4 ,illustration ,,june4 ,rose leaves and buds1 the season's flowers1 ,scenting afresh the summer hours1 ,the ruddy morn1 the evening's close1 ,day's labors long and night's repose4 ,,berries4 ,,tuesday1 #a4 ,rise with the sun1 if you would keep the commandments4 ,the sleep you get before midnight goes to virtue2 after sunrise1 to vice4 ,it is wise1 says ,aristotle1 to be up before daybreak1 for such habit contributes to health1 wealth1 and wisdom4 ,if this virtue1 commended alike by antiquity and by our sense of self-respect1 has fallen into discredit in modern times1 it was practised by our forefathers and bore its fruits4 ,they ,with much shorter and far sweeter sleep content1 ,vigorous and fresh about their labors went4 ,he that in the morning hath heard the voice of virtue1 says ,confucius1 may die at night4 ,and it were virtuous to rise early during our ,june mornings to breakfast on strawberries with the robins1 or what were as good1 partake of ,leigh ,hunt's delicious ,essay on these berries4 ,one tastes them from his potted pages4 ,and his very quotations are palatable4 ,my ,lord of ,ely1 when ,i was last in ,holburn1 ,i saw good strawberries in your garden there2 ,i pray you send for some of them4 ,an ancient may read ,concord instead of my ,lord of ,ely's gardens1 and enjoy the sight moreover of his grandson's vermilioned fingers while picking them2 the berries in no wise inferior to his ,lordship's in flavor or color1 and far larger in size1--that ,yankee superstition4 ,but one tastes none like the wild ones plucked fresh from the meadows of his native place1 while the dews sparkled in the grasses1 and the bobolink sought to decoy him from her nest there when he approached it4 ,the lay lingers in the ear still3-- ,a single note1 so sweet and low1 ,like a full heart's overflow1 ,forms the prelude1--but the strain ,gives us no sweet tone again2 ,for the wild and saucy song ,leaps and skips the notes among ,with such quick and sportive play1 ,ne'er was merrier1 madder lay4 ,herrick dished his with fresh cream from his little buttery3-- ,you see the cream but naked is1 ,nor dances in the eye ,without a strawberry1 ,or some fine tincture like to this ,which draws the sight thereto4 ,so ,milton's ,eve in ,eden1-- ,from many a berry and from sweet kernels pressed1 ,she tempered dulcet creams4 ,and ,aratus1 whom ,st4 ,paul quotes concerning the gods1 calls the berries in aid in describing the roseate cheek of health3-- ,fair flesh like snow with vermilion mixed1 a line that took ,goethe's fancy when composing his ,theory of ,colors4 ,randolph1 too1 ,ben ,jonson's young friend1 rides out of ,london with worthy ,stafford in quest of some1-- ,come1 spur away1 ,i have no patience for a longer stay2 ,but ,i must go down ,and leave the changeable air of this great town4 ,i will the country see1 ,where old simplicity1 ,though hid in gray1 ,doth look more gay ,than foppery in plush and scarlet clad2 ,farewell ye city wits that are ,almost at city war1-- ',tis time that ,i grew wise when all the world is mad4 ,here from the tree ,we'll cherries pluck1 and pick the strawberry2 ,and every day ,go see the wholesome girls make hay1 ,whose brown hath lovelier grace ,than any painted face ,that ,i do know ,hyde ,park can show4 ,then full1 we'll seek a shade1 ,and hear what music's made2 ,how ,philomel ,her tale doth tell1 ,and how the other birds do fill the choir1 ,the thrush and blackbird lend their throats1 ,warbling melodious notes1 ,we will all sports enjoy that others do desire4 ,the strawberry1 it appears1 was not restored to gardens till within a century or two back4 ,evelyn mentions planting them out of the woods4 ,i do not find it mentioned as a cultivated plant in the ,greek or ,roman rural authors4 ,phillips1 in his ,history of ,fruits1 gives this pleasant account of the origin of its name4 ,that of an ancient practice of children threading the wild berries upon straws of grass1 somewhat as rude country boys thread birds' egg-shells like beads1 as ornaments for their mirrors4 ,he says that this is still a custom in parts of ,england where they abound1 and that so many straws of berries are sold for a penny1--a more picturesque style of marketing than in pottles1 or boxes4 ,evelyn mentions the kinds common in his time3 ,common ,wood1 ,english1 ,american1 or ,virginia1 ,polona1 ,white1 ,ivy ,red1 the ,green1 and ,scarlet4 ,culpepper1 in his ,british ,herbal1 says3 ,this plant is so well known that it needs no description4 ,it grows in woods and is planted in gardens4 ,it flowers in ,may2 the fruit ripens soon after4 ,venus owns the herb4 ,the fruit1 when green1 is cool and dry2 but when ripe1 cool and moist4 ,he gives a list of its medical virtues1 among which1 he says1 the water of the berries1 carefully distilled1 is a remedy and cordial in the panting and beating of the heart4 ,it were almost worth having this trouble to be cured by his strawberry cordials4 ,he describes the raspberry1 also called thimbleberry1 and ascribes to it similar medical virtues4 ,of bilberries1 he says there are two sorts common in ,england1--the black and red4 ,the red bilberry he calls whortleberry1 and says3 ,the black groweth in forests1 on the heath1 and such like barren places4 ,the red grows in the north parts of this land1 as ,lancashire1 ,yorkshire1 etc41 flowers in ,march and ,april1 the fruit ripening in ,july and ,august4 ,both are under the dominion of ,jupiter1 and1 if we may believe him1 are very virtuous1 it being a pity they are used no more in physic than they are4 ,in ,august we gather as good in ,,our ,,blueberry ,,swamp4 ,orange groves mid-tropic lie1 ,festal for the ,spaniard's eye1 ,and the red pomegranate grows ,where the luscious southwest blows2 ,myrrh and spikenard in the ,east ,multiply the ,persian's feast1 ,and our northern wilderness ,boasts its fruits our lips to bless4 ,wouldst enjoy a magic sight1 ,and so heal vexation's spite8 ,hasten to my blueberry swamp1-- ,green o'erhead the wild bird's camp2 ,here in thickets bending low1 ,thickly piled the blueberries grow1 ,freely spent on youth and maid1 ,in the deep swamp's cooling shade1 ,pluck the clusters plump and full1 ,handful after handful pull6 ,choose which path1 the fruitage hangs1-- ,fear no more the griping fangs ,of the garden's spaded stuff1-- ,this is healthy1 done enough4 ,pull away6 the afternoon ,dies beyond the meadow soon4 ,art thou a good citizen8 ,move into a blueberry fen2 ,here are leisure1 wealth1 and ease1 ,sure thy taste and thought to please1 ,drugged with nature's spicy tunes1 ,hummed upon the summer noons4 ,rich is he that asks no more ,than of blueberries a store1 ,who can snatch the clusters off1 ,pleased with himself and them enough4 ,fame8--the chickadee is calling2-- ,love8--the fat pine cones are falling2 ,heaven8--the berries in the air1-- ,eternity--their juice so rare4 ,and if thy sorrows will not fly1 ,then get thee down and softly die4 ,in the eddy of the breeze1 ,leave the world beneath those trees1 ,and the purple runnel's tune ,melodize thy mossy swoon4 ,w4 ,e4 ,,channing4 ,,letters4 ,,thursday1 #c4 ,love is the life of friendship2 letters are ,the life of love1 the loadstones that by rare ,attractions make souls meet and melt1 and mix1 ,as when by fire exalted gold we fix4 ,but for letters the best of our life would hardly survive the mood and the moment4 ,prompted by so lively a sentiment as friendship1 we commit to our leaves what we should not have spoken4 ,to begin with ,dear ,friend is in itself an address which clothes our epistle in a rhetoric the most select and choice4 ,we cannot write it without considering its fitness and taxing our conscience in the matter4 ',tis coming to the confessional1 leaving nothing in reserve that falls gracefully into words4 ,a life-long correspondence were a biography of the correspondents4 ,preserve your letters till time define their value4 ,some secret charm forbids committing them to the flames2 the dews of the morning may sparkle there still1 and remind one of his earlier ,eden4 ,deeds are masculine1 words feminine2 letters are neither1 wrote ,howel4 ,rather say1 letters are both1 and better represent life than any form in literature4 ,women have added the better part1 the most celebrated letters having been written by women4 ,if your morning's letter is not answered and dispatched forthwith1 'tis doubtful if it will ever be written4 ,then there are those to whom one never writes1 much as he may wish to cultivate correspondence4 ,he reserves them for personal intercourse4 ,i hardly know which ,i most enjoy1 the letter ,i send after my visitor1 or the visit itself3 the presence1 the conversation1 the recollection4 ,memory idealizes anticipation2 our visit is made before we make it1 made afterwards1 as if love were a reminiscence of pleasures once partaken in overflowing fulness4 ,the visit that is not all we anticipated is not made2 we meet as idealists1 if we meet at all4 ,my moments are not mine1 thou art in sight ,by days' engagements and the dreams of night1 ,nor dost one instant leave me free ,forgetful of thy world and thee4 ,the popular superstition favors long visits4 ,i confess my experience has not borne out the current creed4 ,compliment1 of course1 is of the other opinion1 if we must take her fine accents of stay1 stay longer4 ,but a week's stay with an angel would hardly bear the epithet angelic after it was over4 ,fewer and farther between4 ,good things are good to keep long by temperate use4 ',tis true a visitor who comes seldom should not fly away forthwith4 ,and 'tis a comfort in these fast times to catch one who has a little leisure on hand1 deaf the while to the engine's whistle4 ,stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary4 ,but if one does not stay while staying1 better let him go where he is gone the while4 ,one enjoys a visitor who has much leisure in him1 in her especially1--likes to take his friends by sips sweetly1 not at hasty draughts1 as they were froth and would effervesce forthwith and subside4 ,who has not come from an interview as from a marriage feast1 feeling the good wine had been kept for him till now8 99 99 99 99 99 ,does it imply a refinement in delicacy that nuptial verses have no place with us in marriage ceremonies2 that the service has lost the mystic associations wont to be thrown around it by our ancestors down almost to our time8 ,once epithalamium verses were esteemed the fairest flowers1 the ornament of the occasion4 ,if the poet sometimes overstepped modern notions of reserve1 the sentiments expressed were not the less natural if more freely dealt with4 ,spenser1 for instance1 suggests the loveliest images1 and with all his wealth of fancy ventures never a glimpse that a bride can blame2 while ,donne delights in every posture of fancy1 as if he were love's attorney putting in his plea for all delights1--yet delicately1 oftentimes1 and on other occasions1 as in these lines entitled ,love ,tokens3-- ,send me some token that my hope may live1 ,or that my ceaseless thoughts may sleep and rest2 ,send me some honey to make sweet my hive1 ,that in my passions ,i may hope the best4 ,i beg no ribbon wrought with thine own hands ,to knit our loves in the fantastic strain ,of new-touched youth2 nor ring to show the stands ,of our affection3--that as that's round and plain1 ,so should our loves meet in simplicity1-- ,no1 nor the corals which thy wrist infold ,laced up together in congruity ,to show our thoughts should rest in the same hold3 ,no1 nor thy picture1 though most gracious1 ,and most desired since 'tis like the best1 ,nor witty lines which are most copious ,within the writings which thou hast addressed3 ,send me not this1 nor that1 to increase my store1 ,but swear thou think'st ,i love thee1 and no more4 ,to the ,lady ,goodyeare he writes3-- ,,madam3--,i am not come out of ,england if ,i remain in the noblest part of it1 your mind4 ,yet ,i confess it is too much diminution to call your mind any part of ,england1 or this world1 since every part of even your body deserves titles to a higher dignity4 ,no ,prince would be loath to die that were assured of so fair a tomb to preserve his memory4 ,but ,i have a greater advantage than this1 for since there is a religion in friendship1 and death in absence1 to make up an entire friend there must needs be a heaven too2 and there can be no heaven so proportional to that religion and that death1 as your favor4 ,and ,i am the gladder that it is a heaven1 than it were a court1 or any other high place of this world1 because ,i am likelier to have a room there1 and better1 cheap4 ,madam1 my best treasure is time1 and my best employment of that 7next my thoughts of thankfulness to my ,redeemer7 is to study good wishes for you1 in which ,i am1 by continual meditation1 so learned that any creature except your own good angel1 when it does you most good1 might be content to come and take instruction from ,your humble and affectionate servant1 ,j4 ,d4 ,amyens1 the #gth of ,february1 year #afaa4 ,what delicacy of compliment1 coupled with nobility of sentiment1 the fresh color of flattery not less1 the rhetoric so graceful4 ,one asks if our ,new-,england reserve has added any graces to the ,elizabethan courtliness1 and if any feel quite at home in its tight costumes4 ,is it a want of taste if one is taken with such courtly compliments1 lofty appreciation of character1 such stately idealism1 extravagant as it may appear1 and bordering on insincerity8 ,i wish my behavior1 my letters1 my address1 may blush becomingly1 court my friends' eyes as well as affections1 by coy diffidences1 win by lively phrase1 telling how lovely presence is4 ,friendship is a plant that loves the sun1--thrives ill under clouds4 ,i know temperaments have their zones1 and can excuse the frigid manner of some in whose breasts there burns a hidden flame4 ,there is a reserve that seems to fear the affections will be frosted by exposure1 if not protected from any wind of acknowledgment4 ,if your humble servant is written seldomer at the end of the letter1 and ,sir and ,madam have dropped the once ,dear and ,my ,dear--used these adjectively for ceremony's sake1--the address has lost so much warmth and all the abandon the words once implied4 ,must ,i withhold expressing all ,i would1 lest ,i should seem to imply more than ,i meant8 ,and has one nothing personal and private to communicate8 ,it were not unbecoming to inquire if our ,puritan culture still held us in check1 life and literature were under eclipse1 and the shadow threatening to become central and total4 99 99 99 99 99 ,of celebrated letters1 ,pliny's are among the most delightful4 ,a perusal of them refreshes and restores the old faith in persons and the possibilities of friendship4 ,alas for an age1 if indifferent to this antique of virtue1 the fair fellowships it celebrates1 in the noble names of which he gives so many illustrious examples in his charming pages4 ,virtue seems something to be sought1 to live and die for1 every accomplishment a part of it1 and a possession4 ,i confess to a feeling1 as ,i read1 so modern and consonant to ideas and designs dear to me1 that for the time ,i seem to recover brothers and friends--if it were not egotism to say it--in the aims and ends which ,i have so long loved and still cherish as life's pursuit and problem4 ,a vein of noble morality pervades these letters which renders them admirable reading for all times and ages4 ,and his allusions to his own life and pursuits1 the glimpses he gives of his friends1 commend his pages to all who seek virtue and wisdom at their sources4 ,to his friend ,paternus he writes with a tenderness and humanity to which the epithet ,christian would add little4 ,the sickness which has lately run through my family1 and carried off several of my domestics1 some of them1 too1 in the prime of their years1 has deeply afflicted me4 ,i have two consolations1 however2 while though they are not adequate to so considerable a loss1 still they are consolations4 ,one is1 that as ,i have always very readily manumized my slaves1 their death does not seem altogether immature1 if they lived long enough to receive their freedom2 the other1 that ,i have allowed them to make a kind of will1 which ,i observe as religiously as if they were legally entitled to that privilege4 ,i receive and obey their last requests as so many absolute commands1 suffering them to dispose of their effects to whom they please2 with this single restriction1 that they leave them to some of the family1 which to persons in their station is to be considered as a sort of commonwealth4 ,but though ,i endeavor to acquiesce under these reflections1 yet the same tenderness which led me to show them these indulgences1 still breaks out and renders me too sensitively affected by their deaths4 ,however1 ,i would not wish to be incapable of these tender impressions of humanity1 though the generality of the world1 ,i know1 look upon losses of this kind in no other view than as a diminution of their property1 and fancy1 by cherishing such an unfeeling temper1 they discover superior fortitude and philosophy4 ,their fortitude and philosophy ,i will not dispute2 but humane1 ,i am sure they are not2 for it is the very criterion of true manhood to feel those impressions of sorrow which it endeavors to resist1 and to admit not to be above the want of consolation4 ,but perhaps ,i have detained you too long upon this subject1 though not so long as ,i would4 ,there is a certain pleasure in giving vent to one's grief1 especially when we pour out our sorrow in the bosom of a friend1 who will approve1 or1 at least1 pardon our tears4 ,farewell4 ,again to ,geminitus3-- ,have you never observed a sort of people who1 though they are themselves the abject slaves of every vice1 show a kind of malicious indignation against the immoral conduct of others1 and are the most severe to those whom they most resemble8 ,yet surely a beauty of disposition1 even in persons who have least occasion for clemency themselves1 is of all virtues the most becoming4 ,the highest of character in my estimation1 is ,his1 who is as ready to pardon the moral errors of mankind as if he were every day guilty of some himself1 and at the same time as cautious of committing a fault as if he never forgave one4 ,it is a rule1 then1 which we should upon all occasions1 both private and public1 most religiously observe1 to be inexorable to our own failings1 while we treat those of the rest of the world with tenderness1 not excepting even those who forgive none but themselves1 remembering always that the humane1 and1 therefore1 as well as upon other accounts1 the great ,thrasea1 used frequently to say1 ',he who hates vice hates mankind4' ,you will ask me1 perhaps1 who it is that has given occasion to these reflections4 ,you must know a certain person lately1--but of that when we meet1--though1 upon second thoughts1 not even then1 lest while ,i condemn and expose his conduct1 ,i should act counter to that maxim ,i particularly recommend4 ,whoever1 therefore1 and whatever he is1 shall remain in silence2 for though there may be some use1 perhaps1 in setting a mark upon the man1 for the sake of example1 there will be more1 however1 in sparing him1 for the sake of humanity4 ,again3-- ,there are1 it seems1 he writes to his friend ,septitius1 certain persons who in your company have blamed me1 as being upon all occasions too lavish in commendation of my friends4 ,i not only acknowledge the charge1 but glory in it2 for1 can there be a nobler error than an overflowing benevolence8 ,but still1 who are these1 let me ask1 that are better acquainted with my friends than ,i am myself8 ,yet1 grant there are such1 why will they deny me the satisfaction of so pleasing an error8 ,for1 supposing my friends deserve not the high encomiums ,i give them1 certainly ,i am happy in believing they do4 ,let them recommend1 then1 this ungenerous discernment to those who imagine 7and their number is not inconsiderable7 that they show their judgment when they indulge their censure4 ,as for myself1 they will never persuade me that ,i can love my friends too well4 99 99 99 99 99 ,how amiable and just are sentiments like these rendering odious the carping censure and ill-natured criticism which finds free currency between those who1 while meeting as acquaintances1 perhaps affecting friendship for each other1 yet speak disparagingly1 and are loath to acknowledge the merit which they see in each other's character and acquirements4 ,it is safer1 and certainly more becoming1 to overpraise than to undervalue and dispraise another4 ,faults are apparent enough1 and1 for the most part1 superficial2 in the atmosphere of affection and respect they fall away presently and disappear altogether1 while virtues may be too deep sometimes and delicate in expression to be recognized readily by those who seek for blemishes rather4 ,modest praise is the freshest and purest atmosphere for modest virtue to thrive in and come to maturity4 ,and the most exalted qualities of character admiration alone brings into the relief that discloses their proportions and reveals their lustre4 ,a certain sentiment of worship insinuates itself into our affections for a near and dear friend2 and while endearing us the more1 yet holds us at the distance of reverence and of self-respect that belongs to the noblest friendships4 ',tis the poverty of life that renders friendship poor and cold4 ,i am drawn to one who1 while ,i approach yet seems distant still2 whose personality has a quality so commanding as to forbid a familiarity not justified by affection and reason alike1 and whom ,i never quite come up to1 but yet is akin to me in the attributes that win my regard and insure my affection4 ,a good man is a bashful man2 he affects all who come within his influence with that grace4 ,do not the gods blush in descending to meet alike our affections and our eyes8 ,the eldest god is still a child4 ,,books4 ,,tuesday1 #h4 ,next to a friend's discourse1 no morsel is more delicious than a ripe book1 a book whose flavor is as refreshing at the thousandth tasting as at the first4 ,books when friends weary1 conversation flags1 or nature fails to inspire4 ,the best books appeal to the deepest in us and answer the demand4 ,a book loses if wanting the personal element1 gains when this is insinuated1 or comes to the front occasionally1 blending history with mythology4 ,my favorite books have a personality and complexion as distinctly drawn as if the author's portrait were framed into the paragraphs and smiled upon me as ,i read his illustrated pages4 ,nor could ,i spare them from my table or shelves1 though ,i should not open the leaves for a twelvemonth2--the sight of them1 the knowledge that they are within reach1 accessible at any moment1 rewards me when ,i invite their company4 ,borrowed books are not mine while in hand4 ,i covet ownership in the contents1 and fancy that he who is conversant with these is the rightful owner1 and moreover1 that the true scholar owes to scholars a catalogue of his chosen volumes1 that they may learn from whence his entertainment during leisure moments4 ,next to a personal introduction1 a list of one's favorite authors were the best admittance to his character and manners4 ,his library were not voluminous4 ,he might specify his favorites on his fingers1 and spare the printer's type4 ,books have many charming qualities to such as know how to choose them4 ,and without ,plutarch1 no library were complete4 ,can we marvel at his fame1 or overestimate the surpassing merits of his writings8 ,it seems as ,i read as if none before1 none since1 had written lives1 as if he alone were entitled to the name of biographer1--such intimacy of insight is his1 laying open the springs of character1 and through his parallels portraying his times as no historian had done before3 not ,plato1 even1 in the livelier way of dialogue with his friends4 ,then his morals are a statement of the virtues for all times4 ,and ,i read the list of his lost writings1 not without a sense of personal wrong done to me1 with emotions akin to what the merchant might feel in perusing the bill of freight after the loss of his vessel4 ,hercules1 ,hesiod1 ,pindar1 ,leonidas1 ,scipio1 ,augustus1 ,claudius1 ,epaminondas1 minds of mark1 all these and other precious pieces gone to the bottom3 his books on the ,academy of ,plato1 ,the ,philosophers1 and many more of this imperial freight1 to be read by none now4 ,still1 there remains so much to be grateful for2 so many names surviving to perpetuate virtue and all that is splendid in fame1 with his own4 ,i for one am his debtor1 not for noble examples alone1 but for portraits of the possibilities of virtue1 and all that is dearest in friendship1 in his attractive pages4 ,it is good exercise1 good medicine1 the reading of his books1--good for to-day1 as in times it was preceding ours1 salutary reading for all times4 ,montaigne also comes in for a large share of the scholar's regard4 ,opened anywhere1 his page is sensible1 marrowy1 quotable4 ,he may be taken up1 too1 and laid aside carelessly without loss1 so inconsequent is his method1 and he so careless of his wealth4 ,professing nature and honesty of speech1 his page has the suggestions of the landscape1 is good for striking out in any direction1 suited to any mood1 sure of yielding variety of information1 wit1 entertainment1--not to be commanded1 to be sure1 without grave abatements1 to be read with good things growing side by side with things not such and tasting of the apple4 ,still1 with every abatement1 his book is one of the ripest and mellowest1 and1 bulky as it is1 we wish there were more of it4 ,he seems almost the only author whose success warrants in every stroke of his pen his right to guide it3 he of the men of letters1 the prince of letters2 since writing of life1 he omits nothing of its substance1 but tells all with a courage unprecedented4 ,his frankness is charming4 ,so his book has indescribable attractions1 being as it were a ,private ,book1--his diary self-edited1 and offered with an honesty that wins his readers1 he never having done bestowing his opulent hospitalities on him1 gossiping sagely1 and casting his wisdom in sport to any who care for it4 ,everywhere his page is alive and rewarding1 and we are disappointed at finding his book comes to an end like other books4 ,lord ,herbert's ,autobiography is a like example of sincerity and naturalness4 ,if he too often play the cavalier1 and is of a temper that brooks not the suspicion of insult1 he is equally eager to defend when friendship or humanity render it a duty4 ,the brothers1 ,edward and ,george1 were most estimable characters4 ,to ,george how largely are we in debt for his sacred verses1 the delight and edification of the saints wherever they are known4 ,add ,vaughan and ,crashaw4 ,and making due allowance for the time when ,herrick's verses were written1 his temptation to suit the tastes of courtiers and kings1 his volumes contain much admirable poetry1 tempered with religious devotion4 ,he wrote sweet and virtuous verse1 with lines here and there that should not have been written4 ,but he is an antidote to the vice in his lines1 and may well have place in the scholar's library with ,donne1 ,daniel1 ,cowley1 ,shakespeare1 and contemporaries4 ,if one would learn the titles and gain insight into the contents of the best books in our literature1 let him track ,coleridge in his readings and notes as these have been collected and published in his ,literary ,remains and ,table ,talk4 ,he explored the wide field of literature and philosophy1 and brought to light richer spoils than any scholar of his time1 or since4 ,his reading was not only choice1 but miscellaneous4 ,nothing of permanent value appears to have escaped his searching glance1 and his criticisms on books are among the most valuable contributions to ,british letters4 ,he knew how to read to get and give the substance of the book in sprightly comment and annotation on the text4 ,his judgments are final and exhaustive4 ,to follow him were an education in itself4 ,one's diary is attractive reading1 and productive1 if he have the art of keeping one4 ,thoreau wrote in his3-- ,i set down such choice experiences that my own writings may inspire me1 and at last ,i may make wholes of parts4 ,certainly it is a distinct profession to rescue from oblivion and to fix the sentiments and thoughts which visit all men1 more or less1 generally1 and that the contemplation of the unfinished picture may suggest its harmonious completion4 ,associate reverently and as much as you can with your loftiest thoughts4 ,each thought that is welcomed and recorded is a nest-egg by the side of which another will be laid4 ,thoughts accidentally thrown together become a frame in which more may be developed and exhibited4 ,perhaps this is the main value of a habit of writing or keeping a journal1--that is1 we remember our best draught1 and stimulate ourselves4 ,my thoughts are my company4 ,they have a certain individuality and separate existence1 large personality4 ,having by chance recorded a few disconnected thoughts and then brought them into juxtaposition1 they suggest a whole new field in which it is possible to labor and think4 ,thought begets thought4 ,i have a commonplace-book for facts1 and another for poetry4 ,but ,i find it difficult always to preserve the vague distinctions which ,i had in my mind1 for the most interesting and beautiful facts are so much the more poetry1--and that is their success4 ,they are translated from earth to heaven4 ,i see that if my facts were sufficiently vital and significant1 perhaps transmuted more into the substance of the human mind1 ,i should need but one book of poetry to contain them all4 ,i do not know but thoughts written down thus in a journal might be printed in the same form with greater advantage than if the related ones were brought together into separate essays4 ,they are allied to life1 and can be seen by the reader not to be far-fetched2 thus1 more simple1 less artful4 ,i feel that in the other case1 ,i should have a proper form for my sketches4 ,here facts and names and dates communicate more than we suspect4 ,whether the flower looks better in the nosegay than in the meadow where it grew1 and we had to wet our feet to get it8 ,is the scholastic air any advantage8 ,perhaps ,i can never find so good a setting for thoughts as ,i shall thus have taken them out of4 ,the crystal never sparkles more brightly than in the cavern4 ,the world have always liked best the fable with the moral4 ,the children could read the fable alone4 ,the grown-up read both4 ,the truth so told has the best advantages of the most abstract statement1 for it is not the less universally applicable4 ,where else will you ever find the true cement for your thoughts8 ,how will you ever rivet them together without leaving the marks of your file8 ,yet ,plutarch did not so4 ,montaigne did not so4 ,men have written travels in this form2 but perhaps no man's daily life has been rich enough to be journalized4 ,yet one's life should be so active and progressive as to be a journey4 ,but ,i am afraid to travel much1 or to famous places1 lest it might completely dissipate the mind4 ,then ,i am sure that what we observe at home1 if we observe anything1 is of more importance than what we observe abroad4 ,the far-fetched is of least value4 ,what we observe in travelling are to some extent the accidents of the body2 but what we observe when sitting at home are in the same proportion phenomena of the mind itself4 ,a wakeful night will yield as much thought as a long journey4 ,if ,i try thoughts by their quality1 not their quantity1 ,i may find that a restless night will yield more than the longest journey4 ,these masterpieces1 ,thoreau's ,diaries1 are a choice mingling of physical and metaphysical elements4 ,they show the art above art which was busied about their composition4 ,they come near fulfilling the highest ends of expression2 the things seen become parts of the describer's mind1 and speak through his ,person4 ,quick with thought1 his sentences are colored and consolidated therein by his plastic genius4 99 99 99 99 99 ,of gifts1 there seems none more becoming to offer a friend than a beautiful book1 books of verse especially4 ,how exquisite these verses of ,crashaw's1 ,addressed to a ,lady with a ,prayer ,book4 ,lo1 here a little volume1 but great book1 ,fear it not1 sweet1 ,it is no hypocrite1 ,much larger in itself1 than in its look4 ,it is1 in one rich handful1 heaven and all ,heaven's royal hosts encamp'd1 thus small1 ,to prove that true schools used to tell ,a thousand angels in one point can dwell4 ',tis ,love's great artillery ,which here contracts itself and comes to lie ,close couched in your white bosom1 and from thence ,as from a snowy fortress of defence ,against the ghostly foe to take your part1 ,and fortify the hold of your chaste heart4 ,it is the armory of light1 ,let constant use but keep it bright1 ,you'll find it yields ,to holy hands and humble hearts1 ,more swords and shields ,than sin hath snares1 or hell hath darts4 ,only be sure ,the hands be pure ,that hold these weapons1 and the eyes ,those of turtles1 chaste and true1 ,wakeful and wise4 ,here is a friend shall fight for you2 ,hold this book before your heart1 ,let prayer alone to play his part4 ,but ,o6 the heart ,that studies this high art1 ,must be a sure housekeeper1 ,and yet no sleeper4 ,dear soul1 be strong1 ,mercy will come ere long1 ,and bring her bosom full of blessings2 ,flowers of never-fading graces ,to make immortal dressings ,for worthy souls1 whose wise embraces ,store up themselves for him1 who is alone ,the spouse of virgins1 and the ,virgin's ,son4 ,but if the noble bridegroom when he come ,shall find the wandering heart from home1 ,leaving her chaste abode ,to gad abroad ,amongst the gay mates of the god of flies1 ,to take her pleasures1 and to play ,and keep the devil's holiday2 ,to dance in the sunshine of some smiling ,but beguiling ,spear of sweet and sugared lies2 ,some slippery pair ,of false1 perhaps as fair1 ,flattering1 but forswearing eyes1 ,doubtless some other heart ,will get the start1 ,and stepping in before1 ,will take possession of the sacred store ,of hidden sweets and holy joys1 ,words which are not heard with ears 7,those tumultuous shops of noise71 ,effectual whispers1 whose still voice ,the soul itself more feels than hears2 ,amorous languishments1 luminous trances1 ,sights which are not seen with eyes2 ,spiritual and soul-piercing glances1 ,whose pure and subtle lightning flies ,home to the heart and sets the house on fire1 ,and melts it down in sweet desire1 ,yet doth not stay ,to ask the window's leave to pass that way4 ,an hundred thousand loves and graces1 ,and many a mystic thing ,which the divine embraces1 ,of the dear spouse of spirits with them will bring1 ,for which it is no shame ,that dull mortality must not know a name4 ,of all this hidden store ,of blessings1 and ten thousand more1 ,if when he come ,he find the heart from home1 ,doubtless he will unload ,himself some otherwhere1 ,and pour abroad ,his precious sweets ,on the fair soul whom first he meets4 ,,speculative ,,philosophy4 ,,thursday1 #aj4 ,the first number of ,volume ,,iii4 of the ,journal of ,speculative ,philosophy comes to hand1 printed in fair type1 with promise of attracting attention from thinkers at home and abroad4 ,and it is a significant fact that the most appreciative notice yet taken of this ,journal comes from ,germany1 and is written by the ,president of the ,berlin ,philosophical ,society4 ,nor less remarkable that this first attempt to popularize ,philosophy1 so far as practicable1 should date from the ,west1 and show an ability in dealing with speculative questions that may well challenge the attainments of thinkers everywhere1--the translations showing a ripe scholarship1 and covering almost the whole range of historic thinking4#h ,footnote #h3 ,nothing is more interesting in the history of the human mind than the tendency of enlightened souls in all ages to gather in clusters1 as in the material world crystallization goes on by the gathering of individual atoms about one axis of formation4 ,thus the schools of ,greek ,philosophy1 the ,pythagorean1 the ,eleatic1 the ,peripatetic1 the ,alexandrian1 were human crystallizations about a central idea1 and generally in a given locality1--as ,samos1 ,athens1 or the ,lucanian city of ,elea1 where ,zeno learned lessons of ,parmenides1 and whence they both journeyed to ,athens in the youth of ,socrates1 and held their ,radical ,club at the house of ,pythodorus in the ,ceramicus4 ,the ,schoolmen and the ,mystics of the middle ages clustered together in the same way about ,abelard4 ,thomas ,aquinas1 ,occam1 ,gerson1 ,giardano ,bruno1 the early ,italian poets1 rally in groups in the same way2 so do the ,elizabethan ,dramatists1 the ,puritan ,politicians1 the ,english ,platonists4 ,coming nearer our own time1 there are the ,lake ,poets of ,england1 the ,weimar circle of genius1 in ,germany1 the ,transcendental ,idealists in ,concord and ,boston1 and finally1 the ,german ,american ,philosophers of ,st4 ,louis1 concerning whom we now speak4 ,in all these ,schools and ,fellowships of the human soul1 a common impulse1 aided by accident of locality and other circumstances1 trivial only in appearance1 has led to the formation of that strictest bond1 the friendship of united aspirations4 ,new ,england has so long been considered the special home of ideas1 that it may surprise one to learn that ,st4 ,louis1 on the ,mississippi1 has become the focus of a metaphysical renaissance2 yet such it has become4 ,a few ,germans1 ,new ,englanders1 and ,western men gathered there1 having found each other out1 began to meet1 expatiate1 and confer about ,kant and ,hegel1 ,fichte1 and ,sir ,william ,hamilton4 ,soon they formed a ,philosophical ,society1 and by and by1 having accumulated many manuscripts1 they began to publish a ,magazine of ,speculative ,philosophy4 ,at first1 this publication came out semi-occasionally1 but finally settled down into a regular ,quarterly1 with contributors on both sides of the ,atlantic1 and from various schools of metaphysical thought4 ,the ,january number is1 indeed1 a remarkable production4 ,every article is good1 and most of them profound2 no such collection of striking varieties of philosophic thought has been made public for a long time as this4 ,the ,journal is edited by ,william ,t4 ,harris1 ,,ll4,d41 ,superintendent of the ,public ,schools of ,st4 ,louis4 ,f4 ,b4 ,,sanborn1 in ,springfield ,republican1 ,march1 #ahfi4 ,england1 too1 has at last found a metaphysician that ,coleridge would have accepted and prized4 ,and the more that he follows himself in introducing philosophy from ,germany into ,britain4 ,james ,hutchison ,stirling's fervor and strength in advocating ,hegel's ideas command the highest respect4 ,having had ,schelling's expositor in ,coleridge1 we now have ,hegel's in ,stirling2 and1 in a spirit of catholicity shown to foreign thought unexpected in an ,englishman1 promising not a little in the way of qualifying favorably the metaphysics of ,britain4 ,nothing profound nor absolute can be expected from minds of the type of ,mill1 ,herbert ,spencer1 and the rest1--if not hostile1 at least indifferent to and incapable of idealism2 naturalists rather than metaphysicians4 ,it will be a most hopeful indication if ,stirling's book1 the ,secret of ,hegel1 find students among his countrymen4 ,cavilling there will be1 of course1 misapprehension1 much nonsense uttered concerning ,hegel's ,prime ,postulates4 ,but what was thought out fairly in ,germany1 must find its way and prompt comprehension in ,england2 if not there1 then here in ,new ,england1 out of whose heart a fresh philosophy should spring forth1 to which the ,german ,hegel shall give impulse and furtherance4 ,the work has already begun1 with ,harris's publishing the thoughts of the world's thinkers1 himself familiar with the best of all thinking4 ,i look for a more flowing1 inspiring type of thought1 ,teutonic as ,greek1 of a mystic coloring transcending ,boehme1 ,swedenborg1 and freed from the biblicisms of the schools of our time4 ,hegel's secret is that of pure thought akin with that of ,parmenides1 ,plato1 ,aristotle1 the ancient masters in philosophy4 ,the ,one is ,one out of whose womb the ,not ,one is born to perish perpetually at its birth4 ,whoso pronounces ,,person apprehensively1 speaks the secret of all things1 and holds the key to all mysteries in nature and spirit4 ,for further encouragement1 moreover1 we are promised a translation of the complete works of ,plotinus1 by a learned contributor to the ,journal1 who has qualifications for that service unsurpassed1 perhaps1 by any on this side of the ,atlantic4 ,he writes from ,st4 ,louis3-- ,i have tried my hand on ,plotinus1 and find it easy to render the text into modern philosophical phraseology4 ,until lately ,i have been unable to procure a good critical edition of the ,greek philosopher4 ,and now1 if my energies are spared1 a translation of his entire works is not very far in the future4#i ,footnote #i3 ,his works are comprised in fifty-four books1 which his disciple ,porphyry divided into six ,enneads1 assigning1 agreeably to the meaning of the word1 nine books to every ,ennead4 ,thomas ,taylor translated parts of these only4 ,it were a good test of one's aptitude for metaphysical studies1 his appreciation of ,plotinus4 ,profound as any predecessor of the ,platonic school of idealism1 he had the remarkable merit of treating ideas in a style at once transparent and subtle1 dealing with these as if they were palpable things1 such was his grasp of thought and felicity in handling4 ,his themes are of universal concernment at all times4 ,promoting a catholic and manly method1 his books were good correctives of any exclusiveness still adhering in our schools of science and divinity1 while the tendencies of his time1 as in ours1 were towards comparative studies4 ,a like tendency appeared1 also1 in ,england in the studies of the ,british ,platonists1 or ,latitudinarians1--,dr4 ,henry ,more1 ,dr4 ,cudworth1 ,dr4 ,rust1 ,norris1 ,glanvil1 ,john ,smith1 whose writings deserve a place in theological libraries1 and the study of divines especially4 ,norris thus praises his friend ,dr4 ,more1 whose works had high repute and were much studied in his day3-- ,others in learning's chorus bear their part1 ,and the great work distinctly share2 ,thou1 our great catholic professor art1 ,all science is annexed to thy unerring chair2 ,some lesser synods of the wise ,the ,muses kept in universities2 ,but never yet till in thy soul ,had they a council oecumenical3 ,an abstract they'd a mind to see ,of all their scattered gifts1 and summed them up in thee4 ,thou hast the arts whole ,zodiac run1 ,and fathom'st all that here is known2 ,strange restless curiosity1 ,adam himself came short of thee1-- ,he tasted of the fruit1 thou bearest away the tree4 ,and ,more writes of ,plotinus3-- ,who such things did see1 ,even in the tumult that few can arrive ,of all are named from philosophy1 ,to that high pitch or to such secrets dive4#aj ,footnote #aj3 ,it would make a most delightful and instructive essay1 says ,coleridge1 to draw up a critical1 and1 where possible1 biographical account of the ,latitudinarian party at ,cambridge1 from the reign of ,james ,i to the latter half of ,charles ,,ii4 ,the greater number were ,platonists1 so called1 at least1 and such they believed themselves to be1 but more truly ,plotinists4 ,thus ,cudworth1 ,dr4 ,jackson 7chaplain of ,charles ,i and ,vicar of ,newcastle upon ,tyne71 ,henry ,more1 ,john ,smith1 and some others 7,norris1 ,glanvil74 ,jeremy ,taylor was a ,gassendist1 and1 as far as ,i know1 he is the only exception4 ,they were alike admirers of ,grotius1 which1 in ,taylor1 was consistent with the tone of all his philosophy4 ,the whole party1 however1 and a more amiable never existed1 were scared and disgusted into this by the catachrestic language and the skeleton half truths of the systematic divines of the synod of ,dort on the one hand1 and by the sickly broodings of the ,pietists and ,solomon's ,song preachers on the other4 ,what they all wanted was a pre-inquisition into the mind1 as part organ1 part constituent1 of all knowledge1--an examination of the scales and weights and measures themselves abstracted from the objects to be weighed or measured by them2 in short1 a transcendental sthetic1 logic1 and noetic4 ,lord ,herbert was at the entrance of1 nay1 already some paces within1 the shaft and adit of the mine2 but he turned abruptly back1 and the honor of establishing a complete ,greek3 propaideia 7,organon7 of philosophy was reserved for ,immanuel ,kant1 a century or more afterwards4--,lit4 ,remains1 iii4 #daf4 ,,plotinus4 ,plotinus was by birth an ,egyptian1 a native of ,sycopolis4 ,he died at the conclusion of the second year of the reign of ,m4 ,aurelius ,flavius ,claudius1 at the age of sixty-six4 ,on his friend ,eustochius coming from a distance and approaching him when dying1 he said3 ,as yet ,i have expected you1 and now ,i endeavor that my divine part may return to that divine nature which flourishes throughout the universe4 ,taylor says of him1 ,he was a philosopher pre-eminently distinguished for the strength and profundity of his intellect1 and the purity and elevation of his life4 ,he was wise without the usual mixture of human darkness1 and great without the general combination of human weakness and imperfection4 ,he seems to have left the orb of light solely for the benefit of mankind1 that he might teach them how to repair the ruin contracted by their exile from good1 and how to return to their true country and legitimate kindred allies4 ,i do not mean that he descended into mortality for unfolding the sublimest truths to the multitude1 for this would have been a vain and ridiculous attempt1 since their eyes1 as ,plato justly observes1 are not strong enough to look at truth4 ,but he came as a guide to the few who are born with a divine destiny1 and are struggling to gain the lost region of light1 but know not how to break the fetters by which they are detained2 who are impatient to leave the obscure cavern of sense1 where all is delusion and shadow1 and to ascend to the realms of intellect1 where all is substance and reality4 ,his biographers speak of him with the truest admiration4 ,he was foreign from all sophistical ostentation and pride1 and conducted himself in the company of disputants with the same freedom and ease as in his familiar discourses2 for true wisdom1 when it is deeply possessed1 gives affability and modesty to the manners1 illumines the countenance with a divine serenity1 and diffuses over the whole external form an air of dignity and ease4 ,nor did he hastily disclose to every one the logical necessities latent in his conversation4 ,he was strenuous in discourse1 and powerful in discovering what was appropriate4 ,while he was speaking1 there was every indication of the predominance of intellect in his conceptions4 ,the light of it diffused itself over his countenance1 which was indeed1 at all times1 lovely1 but was then particularly beautiful2 a certain attenuated and dewy moisture appeared on his face1 and a pleasing mildness shone forth4 ,then1 also1 he exhibited a gentleness in receiving questions1 and demonstrated a vigor uncommonly robust in their solution4 ,he was rapidly filled with what he read1 and having in a few words given the meaning of a profound theory1 he arose4 ,he borrowed nothing from others1 his conceptions being entirely his own1 and his theories original4 ,he could by no means endure to read twice what he had written4 ,such1 indeed1 was the power of his intellect1 that when he had once conceived the whole disposition of his thoughts from the beginning to the end1 and had afterwards committed them to writing1 his composition was so connected1 that he appeared to be merely transcribing a book4 ,hence he would discuss his domestic affairs without departing from the actual intention of his mind1 and at one and the same time transact the necessary negotiations of friendship1 and preserve an uninterrupted survey of the things he had proposed to consider4 ,in consequence of this uncommon power of intellection1 when he returned to writing1 after the departure of the person with whom he had been conversing1 he did not review what he had written2 and yet he so connected the preceding with the subsequent conceptions1 as if his composition had not been interrupted4 ,hence1 he was at the same time present with others and with himself2 so that the self-converted energy of his intellect was never remitted1 except in sleep1 which his admirable temperance in meats and drinks1 and his constant conversion to intellect1 contributed in no small measure to expel4 ,though he was attentive to his pupils and the necessary concerns of life1 the intellectual energy of his soul while he was awake never suffered any interruption from externals1 nor any remission of vigor4 ,he was likewise extremely mild in his manners1 and easy of access to all his friends and adherents4 ,hence1 so great was his philosophic urbanity1 that though he resided at ,rome six and twenty years1 and had been the arbitrator in many litigious causes which he amicably dissolved1 yet he had scarcely an enemy throughout that vast and illustrious city4 ,indeed1 he was so highly esteemed1 not only by the senate and people of ,rome1 that the ,emperor ,galienus and his wife ,salonica honored his person and reverenced his doctrine2 and relying on his benevolence1 requested that a city in ,campania1 which had been formerly destroyed1 might be restored1 and rendered a fit habitation for philosophers1 and besides this1 that it might be governed by the laws of ,plato1 and called ,platonopolis4 ,,ideal ,,culture4 ,,thursday1 #ag4 ,the new courses of lectures at ,harvard ,university are advertised by the new ,president4 ,they are a novelty in our college culture4 ,a marked peculiarity is the announcement of a course to be given by ,emerson1 on the ,natural ,history of ,intellect2 by ,dr4 ,hedge1 on ,theism1 ,atheism1 and ,pantheism2 and by ,j4 ,eliot ,cabot1 on ,kant4 ,the course1 or any part of it1 is open to graduates1 teachers1 and other competent persons1 men or women4 ,it is hoped1 also1 that ,hutchison ,stirling may be added to the list of lecturers1--an acquisition certainly that ,harvard should be proud to secure1 both for its own and the credit of metaphysical studies on this side of the ,atlantic4 ,the ,english mind seems to have held aloof from pure metaphysics1--from ,german ,idealism1 especially4 ,berkeley1 its finest thinker since ,bacon1 was for a long time misapprehended1 if1 indeed1 he is fairly appreciated as yet4 ,boehme1 ,kant1 ,schelling1 were unknown till ,coleridge introduced their ideas to the notice of his contemporaries--,carlyle those of ,goethe1 and the great scholars of ,germany4 99 99 99 99 99 ,great1 indeed1 says ,coleridge1 are the obstacles which an ,english metaphysician has to encounter4 ,amongst his most respectable and intelligent judges1 there will be many who have devoted their attention exclusively to the concerns and interests of human life1 and who bring with them to the perusal of philosophical systems1 an habitual aversion to all speculations1 the utility and application of which are not evident and immediate4 ,there are others whose prejudices are still more formidable1 inasmuch as they are grounded in their moral feelings and religious principles1 which had been alarmed and shocked by the injurious and pernicious tenets defended by ,hume1 ,priestley1 and the ,french ,fatalists1 or ,necessitarians1 some of whom had perverted metaphysical reasonings to the denial of the mysteries1 and1 indeed1 of all the peculiar doctrines of ,christianity2 and others1 to the subversion of all distinctions between right and wrong4 ,a third class profess themselves friendly to metaphysics1 and believe that they are themselves metaphysicians4 ,they have no objection to system and terminology provided it be the method and nomenclature to which they have been familiarized in the writings of ,locke1 ,hume1 ,hartley1 ,condillac1 or1 perhaps1 ,dr4 ,reid and ,professor ,stewart4 ,but the worst and widest impediment remains4 ,it is the predominance of a popular philosophy1 at once the counterfeit and mortal enemy of all true and manly metaphysical research4 ,it is that corruption introduced by certain immethodical aphorisming ,eclectics1 who1 dismissing1 not only all system1 but all logical consequence1 pick and choose whatever is most plausible and showy2 who select whatever words can have semblance of sense attached to them1 without the least expenditure of thought2 in short1 whatever may enable men to talk of what they do not understand1 with a careful avoidance of everything that might awaken them to a moment's suspicion of their ignorance4 99 99 99 99 99 ,fifty years and more have passed since this criticism was written2 and1 with slight change of names for similar things1 it still holds for the popular estimate put upon metaphysics by too many scholars of our time4 ,if ,coleridge1 ,schelling1 ,hegel1 and the rest1 are still held in disregard by persons in chairs of philosophy1 we may infer the kind of culture which the universities favor4 ,what he also said of intellectual culture in his country and time1 holds scarcely less true as regards ours2 and this in a republic1 too1 which in theory educates all its citizens4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i am greatly deceived if one preliminary to an efficient popular education be not the recurrence to a more manly discipline of the intellect on the part of the learned themselves2 in short1 a thorough recasting of the moulds in which the minds of our gentry1 the characters of our future landowners1 magistrates1 and senators1 are to receive their shape and fashion4 ,what treasures of practical wisdom would be once more brought to open day by the solution of the problem4 ,suffice it for the present to hint the master thought4 ,the first man on whom the light of an ,idea dawned1 did in that same moment receive the spirit and credentials of a lawgiver4 ,and as long as man shall exist1 so long will the possession of that antecedent--the maker and master of all profitable experience1 which exists in the power of an idea--be the one lawful qualification for all dominion in the world of the senses4 ,without this1 experience itself is but a ,cyclops walking backwards under the fascinations of the past2 and we are indebted to a lucky coincidence of outward circumstances and contingencies1 least of all to be calculated on in a time like the present1 if this one-eyed experience does not seduce its worshippers into practical anachronisms4 ,but1 alas6 the halls of the old philosophers have been so long deserted1 that we circle them at shy distance1 as the haunt of phantoms and chimeras4 ,the sacred grave of ,academus is held in like regard with the unfruitful trees in the shadowy world of ,maro1 that had a dream attached to every leaf4 ,the very terms of ancient wisdom are worn out2 or1 far worse1 stamped as baser metal2 and whoever should have the hardihood to re-proclaim its solemn truths1 must commence with a glossary4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,dialectic1 or ,method of the ,mind1 constitutes the basis of all culture4 ,without a thorough discipline in this1 our schools and universities give but a showy and superficial training4 ,the knowledge of mind is the beginning of all knowledge2 without this a theology is baseless1 the knowledge of ,god impossible4 ,modern education has not dealt with these deeper questions of life and being4 ,it has the future in which to prove its power of conducting a ,cultus1 answering to the discipline of the ,greek thinkers1 ,pythagoras1 ,plato1 ,aristotle4 ,as yet we deal with mind with far less certainty than with matter2 the realm of intellect having been less explored than the world of the senses1 and both are treated conjecturally rather than absolutely4 ,when we come to perceive that ,intuition is the primary postulate of all intelligence1 most questions now perplexing and obscure will become transparent2 the lower imperfect methods then take rank where they belong and are available4 ,the soul leads the senses2 the reason the understanding2 imagination the memory2 instinct and intuition include and prompt the ,personality entire4 ,the categories of imagination are the poet's tools2 those of the reason1 the implements of the naturalist4 ,the dialectic philosopher is master of both4 ,the tools to those only who can handle them skilfully4 ,all others but gash themselves and their subject1 at best4 ,ask not a man of understanding to solve a problem in metaphysics4 ,he has neither wit1 weights1 nor scales for the task4 ,but a man of reason or of imagination solves readily the problems of understanding the moment these are fairly stated4 ,ideas are solvents of all mysteries1 whether in matter or mind4 ',tis clear ,mind's sphere ,is not here2 ,the ,ideal guest ,in ceaseless quest ,pursues the ,best3 ,the very ,better ,the while her fetter1 ,her desire ,higher1 still higher2 ,ever is fleeing ,past ,seeming to ,being2 ,nor doth the sight content itself with seeing1 ,as forms emerge they fast from sense are fleeing1 ,things but appear to vanish into ,being4 ,so the ,greeks represented thought in their winged god1 ,hermes1 as the father of speech and messenger of intelligence2 they conceiving the visible world as a globe of forms1 whereby objects of thought were pictured to sense1 and held forth to fancy1--a geometry of ideas1 a rhetoric of images4 ,sallying forth into nature1 the mind clothes its ideas in fitting images1 and thus reflects itself upon the understanding4 ,things are symbols of thoughts1 and nature the mind's dictionary4 ,mind omnipresent is1 ,all round about us lies1 ,to fashion forth itself ,in thought and ecstacy1 ,in fancy and surprise1 ,things with ideas fraught1 ,and nature our dissolving thought4 ,,goethe4 ,,wednesday1 #bc4 ,as good ,not write as not be understood4 ,yet the deepest truths are best read between the lines1 and1 for the most part1 refuse to be written4 ,who tells all tells falsely4 ,there are untold subtleties in things seen as unseen4 ,only the idealist touches the core of their secret tenderly1 and extracts the mystery2 ,nature1 like the coy ,isis1 disclosing these to none else4 ,most edifying is the author who suggests1 and leaves to his reader the pleasure and profit of following his thought into its various relations with the whole of things1 thus stimulating him to explore matters to their issues4 ,the great masters have observed this fine law1 and of modern scholars especially ,goethe4 ,for whether considered as poet or naturalist1 he is our finest example of the reverent faith in nature and tenderness of treatment that becomes her student and devotees4 ,and hence the rich spoils and prime suggestions with which he charms and rewards in his books4 ,wooed in this spirit1 nature vouchsafed him the privilege of reading her secrets4 ,an eye-witness of the facts1 he had the magic pen to portray them as they rose midway between matter and mind1 there caught them lovingly and held them forth in intertwisted myths and gay marriages to the sense and sentiment of his reader4 ,writing faithfully to the form of things1 he yet had a finer moral than these could deliver2 the vein of quiet mysticism in which he delighted1 giving a graceful charm to the writing4 ,how finely his senses symbolized his thought1 and his eye how ,olympian6 ,what subtle perception of the contraries in character6 ,he has treated the strife of the ,worst for the ,best1 the problem of evil1 more cunningly than any2 than ,moses2 than the author of ,job of ,uz2 than ,milton1 the ,puritan1 fitted as he was alike by birth and culture to deal with this world fable1--his faith in nature being so entire1 his rare gifts at instant command for rendering perfect copies of what he saw1 and loved to represent in its truthfulness to sense and soul alike4 ,a seer of ,spirit1 the draughtsman of guile2 to him sat the demons gladly1 and he sketched their likenesses1--portraits of the dualities he knew so well2 the same with which most are too familiar2 the drama of the temptation being coeval with man1 the catastrophe thus far repeated disastrously1 the striving of the ,many against the ,one1 the world-spirit bribing the will1 proffering the present delights for the future pains4 ,ah6 could he but have found himself in the ,one1 whom1 with such surpassing skill he individualized1 but failed to impersonate4 ,his aloofness from life1 his residence in the ,many1 his inability to identify himself with the whole of things1--this duplicity of genius denied him free admittance to unity4 ,cunning he was1 not wise in the simplicity of wisdom4 ,as the ,fates conceived1 so they slew him1 yet by subtleties so siren1 as to persuade him of an immortality not theirs to bestow4 ,all he was1 his ,faust celebrates--admitted to heaven1 as ,goethe to glory1 without the fee that opens honestly its gates4 ,oh1 artist of beauty6 ,couldst thou but have been equal to portray the ,spirit of spirits as cunningly as of ,matter6 ,but it was the temper of that age of transition1 and thou wast its priest and poet4 ,but whatever his deficiencies1 he has been one of the world's teachers1 and is to be for some time to come4 ,the spirit and movement of an age are embodied in his books1 and one reads with a growing reverence at every perusal of the mind that saw and has portrayed the world-spirit so well4 ,if not the man complete that in our admiration of his genius we could desire1 he yet was faithful to the law of his pen1 and therewith justifies his existence to mankind4 ,nor do ,i find any of his contemporaries who made as much of this human life during his century4 ,light1 more light6 ,with this request he passed behind the clouds into the fullest radiance4 ,,carlyle4 ,the ancients accepted in good faith the sway of ,fate1 or ,temperament1 in their doctrine of ,destinies1 hereby signifying that duplicity or polarity of forces operative in man's ,will by which his personal freedom is abridged1 if not overridden4 ,nor does it appear that they conceived deliverance possible from this dread ,nemesis of existence2 it was wrought into the substance of their tragedies1 binding matter and mind alike in chains4 ,if the modern thought professes to be freed from this ,old ,fatalism1 it practically admits it1 nevertheless2 man's will being still bound in fetters by inexorable powers1 which his ,choice can neither propitiate nor overcome4 ,if ,goethe treats the matter more forcibly1 sharply1 his dealing differs but in form from the ,pagan2 man is the spoil of the demons still4 ,satan is suppressed for the moment to be victorious in the end4 ,carlyle only renders it the more inexorable and dismaying by all his wealth of thought1 force of illustration1 his formidable historical figures1 dramatic genius4 ,it is force pitted against force that he celebrates throughout his embattled pages2 a victim himself with his heroes1 yet like them never the victor2 all irritants1 but not quellers of the demon2 fixed forces in transition times4 ,only seen from this1 his habitual standpoint and outlook1 is he justified as the consistent realist1 holding fast his faith in the actual facts of the world1 their rigorous following to the remotest issues1--the most heroic of thinkers4 ,what if1 with these dread convictions and insights of his1 he paint out of all keeping with the actual facts2 he is following logically his persuasions of the destinies that sway human concerns1 abating not an iota of the letter of the text of the dread decalogue1 whether for the wicked or the weak2 defending his view of the right at all costs whatsoever4 ,justice first1 mercy afterwards4 ,his books opened anywhere show him berating the wrong he sees1 but seldom the means of removing4 ,there is ever the same melancholy advocacy of work to be done under the dread master3 force of strokes1 the right to rule and be ruled1 the dismal burden4 ,he rides his ,leviathan as fiercely as did his countryman1 ,hobbes2 can be as truculent and abusive4 ,were he not thus fatally in earnest1 we should take him for the harlequin he often seems1 not seeing the sorrowing sadness thus playing off its load in this grotesque mirth1 this scornful irony of his2 he painting in spite of himself his portraits in the warmth of admiration1 the blaze of wrath1 giving us mythology for history mostly4 ,yet with what breadth of perspective he paints these6 strength of outline1 the realism appalling1 the egotism enormous1--all history showing in the background of his one figure1 ,carlyle1--,burns1 ,goethe1 ,richter1 ,mirabeau1 ,luther1 ,cromwell1 ,frederick1--all dashed from his flashing pen1--heads of himself alike in their unlikeness1 prodigiously individual1 wilful1 some of them monstrous2 all ,englishmen1 too1 with their egregious prejudices1 prides2 no patience1 no repose in any4 ,he brandishes his truncheon through his pages with an adroitness that renders it unsafe for any1 save the few wielding weapons of celestial temper1 to do battle against ,abaddon4 ,nor will he be silenced2 talking terribly against all talking but his own2 agreeing1 disagreeing1 all the same1 he the ,jove permitting none1 none1 to mount ,olympus till the god deign silence and invite4 ,curious to see him monologizing1 his chin aloft1 the pent thunders rolling1 lightnings darting from under his bold brows1 words that tell of the wail within1 accents not meant for music1 yet made lyrical in the cadences of his ,caledonian refrain1 his mirth mad as ,lear's1 his humor wilful as the winds4 ,not himself then is approachable by himself even4 ,a lovable man1 nevertheless1 with a great heart in his breast1 sympathies the kindliest1 deepest1 nor indifferent to the ills the flesh is heir to4 ,why1 oh ye powers1 this wretchedness amidst the means superabounding for relieving and preventing it8 ,why this taking up reform forever from the beggar and felon side1 as if these were sole credentials to sympathy1 essential elements of the social state8 ,rather let force1 persistent yet beneficent1 be brought to bear upon mankind1 giving alike to prince and people the dutiful drill that alone equips for the tasks of life1--this were the ,state's duty1 the province of rulers2 a thing to set about at once with the vigor of righteousness that justice demands for the rule of the world4 ,the way of ,imperialism this1 and playing ,providence harshly4 ,he mistakes in commending absolutism to republicans1 especially in times like ours4 ,england1 even1 imperial as she is1 is too intelligent and free to accept it4 ,america certainly cannot4 ,if he would but believe in the people1 divide his faith in hero-worship with masses1 also4 ,but it is not easy for a ,briton to comprehend properly republican institutions like ours4 ,nothing short of success against large odds can convince him of the feasibility1 the safety of a popular government4 ,success1 success2 to thee1 to thee1 ,as to a god1 he bends the knee4 ,not one of his heroes would serve our turn4 ,frederick were perhaps a fit captain to dominate over a brute multitude2 ,cromwell might serve in a state of revolution1 but must fail altogether at reconstruction4 ,even ,milton1 the republican1 would hardly avail with republicans freed from the old ,british love of sway4 ,it is not safe for any to dwell long on ,sinai1 leaving the multitudes meanwhile to their idolatries below4 ,in rigors thus austere the humanities perish4 ,justice and mercy must alike conspire in the fulfilment of the decalogue1 lest vengeance break the tables and shatter the divine image also4 ,when heaven would save a man1 it encircles him with compassion4 ,illustration ,,july4 ,o tenderly the haughty day ,fills his blue urn with fire2 ,one morn is in the mighty heaven1 ,and one in our desire4 --,emerson4 ,illustration ,,independence ,,day4 ,,sunday1 #d4 ,and the republic now begins to look sweet and beautiful again1 as if men and patriotic citizens might walk upright without shame or apologies of any sort4 ,having managed for a century or more to keep the black man under foot1 provoked a war to this end1 and1 in our straits1 availed of his life to spare ours1 let us cherish the faith that we are bent honestly now on securing him the rights which his courage and loyalty have won for him and his while the republic stands4 ,was this slaughter of men and expenditure of treasure1 with the possible woes to come1 necessary to make us just8 ,and shall we not be careful hereafter that political parties play not false as before the war2 the cry for union and reconstruction but a specious phrase for reinstating the old issues under new names8 ,admitted into the ,union1 the once rebellious ,states may break out into new atrocities for recovering their fallen fortunes4 ,it behooves the friends of freedom and human rights to know their friends1 and trust those1 and only those1 who have proved themselves faithful in the dire struggle1-- ,who faithful in insane sedition keep1 ,with silver and with ruddy gold may vie4 ,in democratic times like ours1 when ,power is stealing the world over from the few to the many1 and with an impetus unprecedented in the world's history1 the rightful depositories of ,power1 the ,people1 should make sure that their representatives are fitted alike and disposed to administer affairs honorably2 the rule being that of the ,best by the ,best1--an aristocracy in essence as in name2 since no calamity can befall a people like the want of good heads to give it stability and self-respect in its own1 or consideration in the eyes of foreign beholders4 ,ideas are the royal ,presidents2 ,states and peoples intelligent and prosperous as they are loyal to these ,potentates4 ,liberty is the highest of trusts committed to man by his ,creator1 and in the enjoyment of which man becomes himself a creator1--a trust at once the most sacred and most difficult to hold inviolate4 ,power is a fillet that presses so hard the temples that few can take it up safely4 ,right is the royal ruler alone1 and he who rules with least restraint comes nearest to empire4 ,and one of the most hopeful aspects of our national affairs is the coming into importance and power of plain1 sensible men1 like ,grant and ,boutwell1--men owing their places to their honesty and useful services1--the one in the field1 the other in the state4 ,our village1 also1 is honored by the elevation of one of its distinguished citizens for his eminent legal attainments and personal integrity4 ,this change for the better in our politics1 it seems1 came in with ,president ,lincoln1 himself the plainest of the plain1 one of the most ,american of ,american men2 is 7after his successor's lamentable career7 now reinstated in our present chief magistrate1 whose popularity is scarcely secondary to any of his predecessors in the ,presidential ,chair4 ,our national politics have obviously improved in these respects upon later administrations1 and we may reasonably hope for the prevalence of peace and prosperity1 such as the country has not enjoyed since the times of ,washington and ,franklin4 ,the reign of principle appears to have returned into the administration of affairs1 honorable men taking the lead1 softening1 in large measure1 the asperities and feuds of parties4 ,great questions affecting the welfare of the community1 and for the solution of which the ablest heads are requisite1 are coming into discussion1 and are to be settled for the benefit1 we trust1 of all concerned4 ,reform in capital and labor1 temperance1 woman's social and political condition1 popular education1 powers of corporations1 international communication1--these and the new issues which their settlement will effect1 must interest and occupy the active forces of the country to plant the republic1 upon stable foundations4 ,an early1 good education1 says ,gray1 in his notes on ,plato's ,republic1 is the best means of turning the eyes of the mind from the darkness and uncertainty of popular opinion1 to the clear light of truth4 ,it is the interest of the public neither to suffer unlettered and unphilosophical minds to meddle with government1 nor to allow men of knowledge to give themselves up for the whole of life to contemplation2 as the first will lack principle to guide them1 and others want practice and inclination to business4 ,one might also commend to senators and representatives this sentence from ,tacitus3 ,i speak1 he says1 of popular eloquence1 the genuine offspring of that licentiousness to which fools and designing men have given the name of liberty4 ,i speak of that bold and turbulent oratory1 that inflamer of the people1 and constant companion of sedition1 that fierce incendiary that knows no compliance1 and scorns to temporize1--busy1 rash1 and arrogant1 but1 in quiet and well-regulated governments1 utterly unknown4 ,yet ,i cannot say that ,i should have written1 with my present notion of political or religious obligation1 what follows3 ,upon the whole1 since no man can enjoy a state of calm tranquillity1 and1 at the same time1 raise a great and splendid reputation2 to be content with the benefits of the age in which we live1 without detracting from our ancestors1 is the virtue that best becomes us4 ,the sentiment has a patriotic sound1 but conceals the cardinal truth1 dear to a patriot1 certainly in our times and republic1 that a calm tranquillity is hardly compatible with a life of heroic action1 and that true progress1 so far from detracting from the glory of our ancestors1 carries forward that for which they battled and bled1 to clothe them and their descendants with a fresher and more enduring fame4 ,not in imitation of such inflamers of the people1 but in the spirit of liberty and loyalty1 have ,sumner and ,phillips won great and splendid reputations1 if not silenced the fools and designing men whose bold and turbulent oratory1 the genuine offspring of licentiousness1 once sounded in our national halls1 and came near the separation of our ,union4 ,whom did the people trust8 ,not those1 the false confederates of ,state1 ,who laid their country's fortunes desolate2 ,plucked her fair ensigns down to seal the black man's fate2 ,not these secured their trust4 ,but they1 the generous and the just1 ,who1 nobly free and truly great1 ,served steadfast still the servant race ,as masters in the menial's place2 ,by their dark brothers strove to stand ,till owners these of mind and hand1 ,and freedom's banners waved o'er an enfranchised land4 ,these were the nation's trust1-- ,the patriots brave and just4 ,,phillips4 ,some men such rare parts have that they can swim ,if favor nor occasion help not them4 ,phillips stands conspicuous above most of his time1 as the advocate of human rights1 the defender of the oppressed4 ,by happy fortune1 he enjoys the privilege denied to senators1 of speaking unencumbered by convention or caucus4 ,his speeches have the highest qualities of an orator4 ,in range of thought1 clearness of statement1 keen satire1 brilliant wit1 personal anecdote1 wholesome moral sentiment1 the ,puritan spirit1 they are unmatched by any of the great orators of his time4 ,they have1 besides1 the rare merit1 and one in which our public men have been painfully deficient1 of straightforwardness and truth to the hour4 ,they are addressed to the conscience of the country1 are spoken in the interest of humanity4 ,many a soldier in the field during the late war1 many a citizen owes his loyalty to hearing his eloquent words4 ,above party1 unless it be the honorable and ancient party of mankind1 they embody the temper and drift of the times4 ,how many public men are here to survive in the pillory of his indignant invectives6 ,the history of the last thirty years cannot be accurately written without his facts and anecdotes4 ,there is no great interest of philanthropy in which he has not been1 and still is1 active4 ,his words are to be taken as those of an earnest mind intent on furthering the ends of justice1 interpreted not by their rhetoric1 but strict adherence to principle4 ,certainly the country has at times hung in the balance of his argument2 cabinets and councils hesitating to do or undo without some regard to his words1 well knowing the better constituency which he better represents and speaks for1--the people1 namely1 whose breath can unmake as it has made4 ,an earnest1 truthful man1 he has not shared with other statesmen of his time in their indifferency nor their despair2 and if by some esteemed a demagogue and disorganizer1 such is not his estimate of the part taken by him in the great issues of the past1 political and social4 ,the friend of progress1 he early threw himself into the conflict1 addressed himself to the issues as they rose1 rose with them and rode the wave bravely2 sometimes hastening1 oftentimes provoking the crisis4 ,what ,states would not adventure upon as policy1 he espoused as policy and humanity both4 ,addressing himself from the first to the great middle class1 whose principles are less corrupted by party politics1 in whom the free destiny of peoples is lodged1 he is gathering the elements of power and authority which1 becoming formidable in ability if not in numbers1 must secure the country's confidence1 and in due time have political dictation and rule4 ,then1 of the new instrumentalities for agitation and reform1 the free ,platform derives largely its popularity and efficiency from his genius4 ,consider the freedom of speech it invites and maintains1 free as the freest can make it1 a stand whereon every one who will gains a hearing2 every opinion its widest scope of entertainment1--the widest hospitality consistent with the decorum of debate4 ,hither comes any one breathing a sentiment of progress1 any daring to dissent against dissent1 against progress itself4 ,here the sexes meet on fair terms4 ,here1 as not elsewhere1 is intimated1 if not spoken fittingly1 the popular spirit and tendency4 ,here come the most effective speakers by preference to address a free constituency1 a constituency to be theirs1 if not already1 their words leaping into type from their lips1 to be spread forthwith to the four winds by the reporting press4 ',tis a school of debate1 for oratory1 for thought1 for practice2 has the remarkable merit of freshness1 originality2 questions affecting the public welfare being here anticipated1 first deliberated upon by the people themselves2 systems of agitation organized and set on foot for creating a wholesome popular sentiment2 in short1 for giving inspiration1 a culture1 to the country1 which the universities cannot2 training the reason and moral sense by direct dealing with principles and persons as occasion requires2 a school from whence have graduated not a few of our popular speakers1--the ,orator himself1 whose speeches furnish passages for collegiate declamation1 from which politicians plume their rhetoric to win a borrowed fame4 ,cato said1 ,an orator was a good man skilled in the art of speaking4 ,more than any lecturer1 unless it be ,emerson1 he has made the lecture a ,new-,england1 if not an ,american institution2 is always heard with profit and pleasure by the unprejudiced auditor1--any course in the cities and towns being thought incomplete without his4 ,nor is it easy to estimate the debt of the free ,states to his speeches before associations1 conventions1 in pulpits1 the humblest places where his words could be secured4 ,he has already taken his place beside ,garrison1 has linked his name with the ,liberator's1 to be on men's lips while the word slave has significance4 ,if there be any one to whom the country is more largely indebted than another for eminent services in his day1 it must be ,garrison2 unless a doubt may arise in the minds of some1 if the hero of ,harper's ,ferry be not entitled to like honors1 since to these illustrious men must be attributed the merit of having struck the most effective blows for the overthrow of slavery1 the one inaugurating the era of emancipation1 and the other consummating it4 ,the just man's like a rock1 that turns the wroth ,of all the raging waters into a froth4 ,the agitation and outside pressure which they were chiefly instrumental in furthering to its rightful issues1 were the most powerful auxiliaries1 if not the power itself1 which emancipated the mind of the country from its subserviency to the slave dominion4 ,they were the creators of the sentiment that freed the negro at last from his bonds and cleared the way for a true ,republican ,state4 ,some power superior to the ,constitution was required to revise it1 and free the whole people from this ,arachne's coil that had bound them so long2 was especially needed to extricate the rulers themselves from its meshes1 and to rescue the rights thus imperilled by unscrupulous placemen who shrunk from the task4 ,these could not help them1 caught in the same snare that bound the nation4 ,neither the law1 nor the ,constitution1 nor the whole system of ,american institutions1 they were told1 ever had contemplated a case as likely to arise under our system in which a resort would be necessary to provide outside of the law and ,constitution for amending the ,constitution4 ,the case arose1 nevertheless1 and was provided for by these powerful agitators1 and by the progress of events4 ,the late civil outbreak compelled the necessary amendments1 sweeping the compromises1 the slave ,congress and territory from the statute books and the country itself4 ,principles like fountains flow round forever1 ,being in a state of perpetual agitation4 ,to all new truths1 all renovations of old truths1 says ,coleridge1 it must be as in the ark between the destroyed and the about-to-be-renovated world4 ,the raven must be sent out before the dove1 and ominous controversy must precede peace and the olive wreath4 ,,greeley4 ,of political editors1 next to ,garrison1 perhaps ,horace ,greeley was the most efficient in furthering this national result2 and by his eminent services in various departments of activity comes nearest to being the people's man1 the best representative of character indigenous to ,new ,england1 or more properly ,america--like ,beecher and ,phillips4 ,his power appears to lie in his strong understanding1 abundant information1 plain statement of his facts1 freed from all rhetorical embellishment4 ,a rustic ,franklin in his direct way of putting his things before his auditor1 he makes plain his meaning in spite of his utter want of all graces of person1 or of oratory1 handling his subject as a rude farmer his axe and crowbar4 ,there is about him a homely charm of good-nature1 a child-like candor1 that have all the effect of eloquence1 elevating him for the time into the subject he treats4 ,in the statistics of things1 practical and political1 he is a kind of living encyclopedia of information1 and as his chief distinction has made the newspaper a power it had not been before4 ,may we not credit ,new ,england with giving the country these new ,instrumentalities for ,progress1 viz43-- ,greeley1 the ,newspaper2 ,garrison1 a free ,platform2 ,phillips1 a free ,convention2 ,beecher1 a free ,pulpit2 ,emerson1 the ,lecture8 ,the ,conversation awaits being added to the list4 ,,age ,,of ,,iron ,,and ,,bronze4 ,,friday1 #i4 ,ours can hardly claim to be the ,golden ,age1 but of ,bronze and ,iron rather4 ,if ideas are in the ascendant1 still mind is fettered by mechanism4 ,we scale the heavens to grade the spaces4 ,messrs4 ,capital ,co4 transact our business for us the globe over4 ,was it in the ,empire ,news that ,i read the company's advertisement for supplying mankind with gas at a penny per diem annually8 ,and then1 proceeding to say1 that considering the old-time monopoly in the heavenly luminary1 the corporation has constructed at fabulous cost their ,brazen ,cope to shut down upon the horizon at day-break punctually1 and so graduate to each customer's tube his just allowance1 else darkness for delinquents the year round4 ,certainly a splendid conception for distributing sunbeams by the ,globe ,corporation if the solar partner consent to the speculation4 ,had ,hesiod the enterprise in mind when he sung1-- ,seek virtue first1 and after virtue1 coin8 ,or ,st4 ,paul1 when writing concerning labor and capital3 ,for ,i would not1 he says1 that other men should be eased and you burdened1 but by an equality that now at the time your abundance may be a supply for their want1 that their abundance may also be a supply for your want1 that there may be an equality1 as it is written1 ,he that had gathered much1 had nothing over1 and he that had gathered little1 had no lack4 ,if any man will not work1 neither should he eat4 ,any attempt to simplify and supply one's wants by abstinence and self-help is in the most hopeful direction1 and serviceable to the individual whether his experiment succeed or not1 the practice of most1 from the beginning1 having been to multiply rather than diminish one's natural wants1 and thus to become poor at the cost of becoming rich4 ,who has the fewest wants1 said ,socrates1 is most like ,god4 ,who wishes1 wants1 and whoso wants is poor4 ,our ,fruitlands was an adventure undertaken in good faith for planting a ,family ,order here in ,new ,england1 in hopes of enjoying a pastoral life with a few devoted men and women1 smitten with sentiments of the old heroism and love of holiness and of humanity4 ,but none of us were prepared to actualize practically the ideal life of which we dreamed4 ,so we fell apart1 some returning to the established ways1 some soured by the trial1 others postponing the fulfilment of his dream to a more propitious future4#aa ,footnote #aa3 ,,fruitlands4 ,we have received a communication from ,messrs4 ,alcott and ,lane1 dated from their farm1 ,fruitlands1 in ,harvard1 ,massachusetts1 from which we make the following extract3-- ',we have made an arrangement with the proprietor of an estate of about a hundred acres1 which liberates this tract from human ownership4 ,for picturesque beauty1 both in the near and the distant landscape1 the spot has few rivals4 ,a semicircle of undulating hills stretches from south to west1 among which the ,wachusett and ,monadnock are conspicuous4 ,the vale1 through which flows a tributary to the ,nashua1 is esteemed for its fertility and ease of cultivation1 is adorned with groves of nut trees1 maples1 and pines1 and watered by small streams4 ,distant not thirty miles from the metropolis of ,new ,england1 this reserve lies in a serene and sequestered dell4 ,no public thoroughfare invades it1 but it is entered by a private road4 ,the nearest hamlet is that of ,stillriver1 a field's walk of twenty minutes1 and the village of ,harvard is reached by circuitous and hilly roads of nearly three miles4 ',here we prosecute our effort to initiate a ,family in harmony with the primitive instincts in man4 ,the present buildings being ill placed and unsightly as well as inconvenient1 are to be temporarily used1 until suitable and tasteful buildings in harmony with the natural scene can be completed4 ,an excellent site offers itself on the skirts of the nearest wood1 affording shade and shelter1 and commanding a view of the lands of the estate1 nearly all of which are capable of spade culture4 ,it is intended to adorn the pastures with orchards1 and to supersede ultimately the labor of the plough and cattle1 by the spade and the pruning-knife4 ',our planting and other works1 both without and within doors1 are already in active progress4 ,the present ,family numbers ten individuals1 five being children of the founders4 ,ordinary secular farming is not our object4 ,fruit1 grain1 pulse1 garden plants and herbs1 flax and other vegetable products for food1 raiment1 and domestic uses1 receiving assiduous attention1 afford at once ample manual occupation1 and chaste supplies for the bodily needs4 ,consecrated to human freedom1 the land awaits the sober culture of devout men4 ',beginning with small pecuniary means1 this enterprise must be rooted in a reliance on the succors of an ever-bounteous ,providence1 whose vital affinities being secured by this union with uncorrupted fields and unworldly persons1 the cares and injuries of a life of gain are avoided4 ',the inner nature of every member of the ,family is at no time neglected4 ,a constant leaning on the living spirit within the soul should consecrate every talent to holy uses1 cherishing the widest charities4 ,the choice ,library 7of which a partial catalogue was given in ,dial ,no4 ,,xii7 is accessible to all who are desirous of perusing these records of piety and wisdom4 ,our plan contemplates all such disciplines1 cultures1 and habits as evidently conduce to the purifying and edifying of the inmates4 ,pledged to the ,spirit alone1 the founders can anticipate no hasty or numerous accession to their numbers4 ,the kingdom of peace is entered only through the gates of self-denial and abandonment2 and blessedness is the test and the reward of obedience to the unswerving law of ,love4--,the ,dial4 ',,june #aj1 #ahdc4' ,i certainly esteem it an inestimable privilege to have been bred to outdoor labors1 the use of tools1 and to find myself the owner of a garden1 with the advantage of laboring sometimes besides my faithful ,irishman1 and compare views of men and things with him4 ,i think myself the greater gainer of the two by this intercourse4 ,unbiassed by books1 and looking at things as they stand related to his senses and simple needs1 ,i learn naturally what otherwise ,i should not have known so well1 if at all4 ,the sympathy and sincerity are the best part of it4 ,one sees the more clearly his social relations and duties2 sees the need of beneficent reforms in the economics of labor and capital by which the working classes shall have their just claims allowed1 the products of hand and brain be more equitably distributed1 a finer sympathy and wiser humanity prevail in the disposition of affairs4 ,no true man can be indifferent to that great productive multitude1 without whose industry capitalists would have nothing in which to invest2 the callings and the professions lack bread and occupation alike4 ,head and hands best co-operate in this interplay of services4 ,every gift1 besides enriching its owner1 should enrich the whole community1 opportunities be opened for the free exercise of all1 the golden rule stand for something besides an idle text4 ,every one is entitled to a competence1 provided he employs his gifts for the common good4 ,it seems but right that the gifted should return to the common treasury in the ratio of their endowments2 be taxed at a higher rate than those to whom like advantages have been denied4 ,indeed1 it is questionable whether the man who is poor by no fault of his1 should be taxed at all2 give him citizenship rather as an inborn right1 as a man1 not as a mere producer4 ,men are loyal from other considerations than self-interest4 ,one would not check the spirit of accumulation1 but the monopoly of the gift for the sole benefit of the oppressor4 ,a competence1 including every comfort1 and even harmless luxuries1 is what all men need1 all desire1 all might have1 were there a fair distribution of the avails of labor1 opportunities for labor of head or hand for all1--the right to be educated and virtuous included1 as the most important4 ,the poor man cannot compete1 practically1 successfully1 with the rich man1 the laborer with the capitalist1 the ignorant with the instructed1--all are placed at unequal odds1 the victims of circumstances which they did not create1 and which those who do may use to their injury if they choose4 ,the laborer is broken on the wheel his necessities compel him to drive1 feeling the while the wrong done him by those whom he has enriched by his toil4 ,no tradition assigns a beginning to justice1 but only to injustice4 ,before the ,silver1 the ,brazen1 the ,iron1 comes the ,golden ,age1 when virtue is current1 and man at his highest value4 ,it is when man is degraded that virtue and justice are dishonored1 and labor deemed disreputable4 ,poverty may be the philosopher's ornament4 ,too rich to need1 and self-respecting to receive benefits1 save upon terms which render the receiver the nobler giver1 he revenges upon fortune by possessing a kingdom superior to mischance and incumbrance4 ,the gold alone but gold can buy1 ,wisdom's the sterling currency4 ,,conversation ,,on ,,enthusiasm4#ab ,footnote #ab3 ,printed from notes taken by a lady 7,miss ,ariana ,walker7 at the time4 ,the conversation was held in ,boston in ,december1 #ahdi4 ,,wednesday1 #ad4 ,mr4 ,alcott began the conversation by referring to that of ,monday before1 on the subject of ,temperament and ,complexion1 and added other fine thoughts about it4 ,he said1 perhaps he had dwelt too much on the symbol of color1 but conceived himself borne out in all he had said4 ,the ,greeks held that a brown complexion betokened courage1 and those who had fair skins were called children of light and favorites of the gods4 ,and the gods themselves were demonic or divine1 as tempered by darkness or light1--the gods ,infernal1 the ,midgods1 the ,celestials4 ,so ,christian art has painted ,satan dark1 the ,christ fair4 ,and late experiments on the sunbeam showed that dark substances imprison the rays1--these absorbing more and delivering less4 ,the more of sun1 so much the more of soul2 the less of sun1 of passion more1 and the strange fire4 ,he fancied black eyes were of ,oriental descent1 were tinged less or more with fairer hues in crossing ,west4 ,people of sandy hair and florid complexions were of ,northern ancestry4 ,the fusion of the various races was now taking place1 blending all1 doubtless1 into a more harmonious and beautiful type4 ,he asked if there did not lurk in the fancy1 if not in our atoms1 a persuasion that complexion1 like features1 voice1 gait1 typified and emblazoned personal traits of their possessors1 if the rhetoric of morals and religion did not revel in like distinctions4 ,handsome is that handsome does4 ,beauty was the birthright of all1 if not their inheritance4 ,it was shame that brought deformity into the world4 ,every child accused1 he knew not whom1 for any blemish of his4 ,why not mine the happy star1 too8 ,still some trait was insinuated into the least favored1 and stamped upon the embryonic clay4 ,ebony1 alabaster1 indigo1 vermilion1 the pigments were all mingled as purity or passion decreed4 ,types were persistent1 family features standing strong for centuries and perpetuating themselves from generation to generation4 ,place the portraits of a long line of ancestors on the walls1 one's features were all there1 with the slight variations arising from intermarriage1 degrees of culture1 calling1 climate4 ,our faces were our coats of arms4 ,eyes were most characteristic4 ,these played the prime parts in life1--eyes and voice4 ,eyes were a civility and a kingdom3 voice a fortune4 ,there was a culture1 a fate in them1 direful1 divine4 ,and he quoted1 without naming the author3-- ,black eyes1 in your dark orbs doth lie ,my ill or happy destiny2 ,if with clear looks you me behold1 ,you give me wine and mounts of gold2 ,if you dart forth disdainful rays1 ,to your own dye you turn my days2 ,black eyes1 in your dark orbs doth dwell ,my bane or bliss1 my heaven or hell4 ,then added1 significantly3-- ,ask you my preference1 what their hue8 ,surely the safe1 celestial blue4 ,he said3 ,voice classified us4 ,the harmonious voice tells of the harmonious soul4 ,millions of fiends are evoked in a breath by an irritated one4 ,a gentle voice converts the ,furies into ,muses4 ,the highest saint is not he who strives the most violently1 but he upon whom goodness sits gracefully1 whose strength is gentleness1 duty loved1 because spontaneous1 and who wastes none of his power in effort2 his will being one and above temptation4 ,true love says1 ',come to my embrace1 you are safer with me than you were with yourself1 since ,i am wise above knowledge1 and tasting of the apple4' ,the sequel is bliss and peace4 ,but after fascination comes sorrow1 remorse4 ,the touch of the demonized soul is poison4 ,read ,swedenborg's ,hells1 he added1 and beware of demonized eyes6 ,i never saw any one who seemed to purify words as ,mr4 ,alcott does2 with him nothing is common or unclean4 ,he then spoke of temperance in its widest sense1 as being that which contributed to health of the whole being1 body and soul alike4 ,he said1 ,we should breakfast on sunrise and sup on sunset4 ,and he read passages from ,pythagoras1 recommending music as a diet4 ,pythagoras composed melodies for the night and morning1 to purify the brain4 ,he forbade his disciples the using of flesh meats1 or drinks which heated and disturbed the brain1 or hindered the music of dreams4 ,at this point of the conversation1 ,miss ,bremer and ,mr4 ,benzon1 the ,swedish consul1 came in1 and there was a slight pause4 ,mr4 ,alcott then resumed the subject1 and read ,emerson's ,bacchus1 to which he gave new significance4 ,when he had finished1 he said1 ,this is the wine we want4 ,he then spoke of the subject proposed for the evening's conversation1 which was ,enthusiasm1 defining it as an abandonment to the instincts4 ,the seer1 he said1 was one in whom memory predominated1 and many of his visions were recollections rather of a former than revelations of a future state4 ,this state of clairvoyance he named thought a-bed1 or philosophy recumbent2 and in this view he spoke of ,swedenborg1 who was an enthusiast in the latter sense1 and revealed remarkable things4 ,he quoted a passage from ,swedenborg's diary1 wherein he speaks of his being created with the power of breathing inwardly1 suspending his outward breathing1 and in this way conversed with angels and spirits4 ,miss ,bremer asked ,mr4 ,alcott if he called ,swedenborg an enthusiast4 ,mr4 ,alcott said1 ,swedenborg was in such fine relations with nature and spirit1 that many things seemed revealed to him beyond the apprehension of ordinary men4 ,he was a seer rather of supernatural than of spiritual things2 a preternaturalist1 rather than spiritualist4 ,he had wonderful insights into nature1 also1 which science was almost every day confirming4 ,his followers claimed that he anticipated important discoveries1 both in natural as in spiritual science1 and that his merits were enhanced by his claim to supernatural illumination4 ,and whatever his gifts1 how assisted1 whether by agencies supernatural or preternatural1 their operations were of wonderful sweep1 his insights surpassing1 transcending the comprehension of any successor2 of a kind that have led some to suspect that he staggered down under the weight of his endowments4 ,certainly1 he stands1 like ,boehme1 an exceptional mind1 in the order of nature1 and awaits an interpreter to determine his place in the world of thought4 ,he is the most eminent example furnished in modern biography of the possibilities of the metempsychosis1 as if we saw in him an ability to translate himself at will1 personally1 wheresoever he would1 taking his residence for the while in plant1 animal1 mineral1 atom1 with the superadded faculty of ravishing its secret4 ,nor content with this1 he ransacks the primeval elements1 the limbos of chaos and night4 ,what burglaries he perpetrates6 picking of locks1 slitting of mysteries1 opening rents into things sacred and profane1--of these no end4 ,then such edifices rising from regions of vagary and shadow1 a goblin world1 grand1 grotesque1 seldom lighted from above1 or tipped with azure4 ,his heavens had no prospects2 no perspective2 his hells were lurid2 the pit bottomless1 a ,stygian realm throughout4 ,his genius plunges1 seldom soars2 is not fledged1 but footed2 his heaven but the cope of the abyss in plain sight of the doomed4 ,his angels are spectral1 unwholesome2 his celestials too knowing to be innocent4 ,it were a fruitless task to follow him from starting-point to goal1 if goal there be1 in his restless racing throughout nature4 ,the ghost-seer of shadow-land1 whereinto he smuggled all natural things as spiritual phantoms2 he needs be studied with due drawback of doubt1 as to the veracity of his claim to divine illumination4 ,still with every abatement1 here is a body of truth none can gainsay nor resist2 abysses not yet fathomed by any successor1 naturalist1 or spiritualist4 ,after this surprising statement of his views of ,swedenborg1 ,miss ,bremer asked more questions about ,mr4 ,alcott's definition of an ,enthusiast1 adding3 ,christ1 then1 if we speak of him as a man1 was an enthusiast4 ,mr4 ,alcott1 smiling1 said1 ,yes1 the divinest of enthusiasts1 surrendering himself entirely to the instincts of the ,spirit2 might safely do so1 being holy1 whole1 inspired throughout all his gifts1 his whole ,personality1--the divine fire pervaded every part2 therefore he was the celestial man4 ,the conversation here turned upon ,nature1 in some way which ,i do not now recollect1 and ,mr4 ,alcott spoke of the great mission of the prophet of nature4 ,the public child of earth and sky4 ,nature1 he said1 was more to some persons than others2 they standing in closer relations to it4 ,but nature1 said ,miss ,bremer1 is not wholly good4 ,no1 said ,mr4 ,alcott2 there is something of ,fate in her1 too1 as in some persons4 ,she1 too1 is a little bitten4 ,the expression seemed to amuse her1 for she repeated it several times1 laughing4 ,mr4 ,alcott then said1 that nature was not wholly sane4 ,it was given to the celestial man alone to take from it only what was salutary1 as it was the ,nemesis of the demonic man to take what was hurtful4 ,bees gathered honey from all flowers4 ,james ,russell ,lowell asked if bees did not sometimes secrete poisonous honey8 ,mr4 ,alcott said he believed they did1 but only when wholesome flowers were denied them4 ,miss ,littlehale suggested that honey was not poisonous to the bees1 but to men only1 and ,mr4 ,lowell allowed that it was not4 ,miss ,bremer now returned to the word ,enthusiast4 ,she said ,mr4 ,alcott had defined it well as divine intoxication4 ,i do not follow the order of time in what follows1 but record some scattered sayings of the conversation4 ,mr4 ,alcott spoke of the celestial1 or unfallen man1 as not making choice of good2 he was chosen rather2 elected1 deliberation presupposed a mixed will1 a temptation and a lapse4 ,then1 opening ,plotinus1 he read this beautiful passage3-- ,every soul is a ,venus4 ,and this1 the nativity of ,venus1 and ,love who was born at the same time with her1 obscurely signify4 ,the soul1 therefore1 when in a condition conformable to nature1 loves ,god1 wishing to be united to him1 being1 as it were1 the desire of a beautiful virgin to be conjoined with a beautiful love4 ,when1 however1 the soul descends into generation1 then being1 as it were1 deceived by spurious nuptials1 and associating herself with another and mortal love1 she becomes petulant and insolent1 through being absent from her father4 ,but when she again hates wantonness and injustice1 and becomes purified from the defilements which are here1 and again returns to her father1 she is affected in the most felicitous manner4 ,and those1 indeed1 who are ignorant of this affection1 may from worldly love form some conjecture of divine love1 by considering how great a felicity the possession of a most beloved object is conceived to be2 and also1 by considering that those earthly objects of love are mortal and noxious2 that the love of them is nothing more than the love of images1 and that they lose their attractive power because they are not truly desirable1 nor our real good1 nor that which we investigate4 ,in the ideal world1 however1 the object of love is to be found1 with which we may be conjoined1 which we may participate and truly possess1 and which is not externally enveloped with flesh4 ,he1 however1 who knows this1 well knew what ,i say1 and will be convinced that the soul has another life4 ,miss ,bremer seemed puzzled by this reading as questioning in her mind a distinction between virtue and innocence1 or holiness1 which ,mr4 ,alcott had discriminated clearly4 ,some one inquired1 ,how can we trust our instincts since these have been so differently educated8 ,mr4 ,alcott said they had rather been overborne by the appetites and passions4 ,it was the tragedy of life that these were obscured so soon1 and the mind left in confusion4 ,the child was more of an enthusiast than the man ordinarily4 ,and then so many were born old2 even in the babe one sometimes sees some ancient sinner4 ,youth is so attractive because still under the sway of instinct4 ,the highest duty is musical and sings itself4 ,business1 lusts1 draw men downwards4 ,yet were life earnest and true to the instincts1 it would be music and song4 ,life was too much for most4 ,no one was always an enthusiast4 ,it was in the golden moments that he was filled with the overflowing divinity4 ,the blissful moments were those when one abandons himself to the ,spirit1 letting it do what it will with him4 ,true1 most persons were divided1 there were two or more of them1--a ,deuce distracting them and they in conflict with evils1 or devils4 ,but what is the bad but lapse from the good1--the good blindfolded8 ,ah6 ,mr4 ,alcott1 said ,miss ,bremer1 laughing1 ,i am desperately afraid there is a little bit of a devil1 after all4 ,one's foes are of his own household1 said ,mr4 ,alcott4 ,if his house is haunted it is by himself only4 ,our ,choices were our ,saviours or ,satans4 ,speaking of the temperaments1 ,mr4 ,alcott discriminated these in their different elements4 ,the celestial man was composed more largely of light and ether4 ,the demonic man combined more of fire and vapor4 ,the animal man more of embers and dust4#ac ,footnote #ac3 ,,the ,,temperaments ,,and ,,complexions4 ,the ,sanguine or ,aeriform is ,fair2 ,the ,choleric or ,fiery is ,florid2 ,the ,lymphatic or ,aqueous is ,olive2 ,the ,melancholic or ,earthy is ,dark4 ,the four are mostly blended in life1 the fusion being frequently indeterminable4 ,the sacraments might be considered symbolically1 as ,baptism1 or purification by water4 ,fasting1 or temperance in outward delights4 ,continence1 or chastity in personal indulgences4 ,prayer1 or aspiring aims4 ,labor1 or prayer in act or pursuits4 ,these he considered the regimen of inspiration and thought4 ,mr4 ,alcott closed the conversation by reading from the ,paradise ,regained a description of the banquet spread by ,satan for ,christ2 also1 the lines in praise of ,chastity1 from the ,comus1 whose clear statue-like beauty always affects one powerfully4 ,,hawthorne4 ,,monday1 #ai4 ,hawthorne was of the darker temperament and tendencies4 ,his sensitiveness and sadness were native1 and he cultivated them apparently alike by solitude1 the pursuits and studies in which he indulged1 till he became almost fated to know gayer hours only by stealth4 ,by disposition friendly1 he seemed the victim of his temperament1 as if he sought distance1 if not his pen1 to put himself in communication1 and possible sympathy with others1--with his nearest friends1 even4 ,his reserve and imprisonment were more distant and close1 while the desire for conversation was livelier1 than any one ,i have known4 ,there was something of strangeness even in his cherished intimacies1 as if he set himself afar from all and from himself with the rest2 the most diffident of men1 as coy as a maiden1 he could only be won by some cunning artifice1 his reserve was so habitual1 his isolation so entire1 the solitude so vast4 ,how distant people were from him1 the world they lived in1 how he came to know so much about them1 by what stratagem he got into his own house or left it1 was a marvel4 ,fancy fixed1 he was not to be jostled from himself for a moment1 his mood was so persistent4 ,there he was in the twilight1 there he stayed4 ,was he some damsel imprisoned in that manly form pleading alway for release1 sighing for the freedom and companionships denied her8 ,or was he some ,assyrian ill at ease afar from the olives and the ,east8 ,had he strayed over with ,william the ,conqueror1 and true to his ,norman nature1 was the baron still in republican ,america1 secure in his castle1 secure in his tower1 whence he could defy all invasion of curious eyes8 ,what neighbor of his ever caught him on the highway1 or ventured to approach his threshold8 ,his bolted ,castle gates1 what man should ope1 ,unless the ,lord did will ,to prove his skill1 ,and tempt the fates hid in his horoscope8 ,yet if by chance admitted1 welcome in a voice that a woman might own for its hesitancy and tenderness2 his eyes telling the rest4 ,for such the noble language of his eye1 ,that when of words his lips were destitute1 ,kind eyebeams spake while yet his tongue was mute4 ,your intrusion was worth the courage it cost2 it emboldened to future assaults to carry this fort of bashfulness4 ,during all the time he lived near me1 our estates being separated only by a gate and shaded avenue1 ,i seldom caught sight of him2 and when ,i did it was but to lose it the moment he suspected he was visible2 oftenest seen on his hill-top screened behind the shrubbery and disappearing like a hare into the bush when surprised4 ,i remember of his being in my house but twice1 and then he was so ill at ease that he found excuse for leaving politely forthwith1--the stove was so hot1 the clock ticked so loud4 ,yet he once complained to me of his wish to meet oftener1 and dwelt on the delights of fellowship1 regretting he had so little4 ,i think he seldom dined from home2 nor did he often entertain any one1--once1 an ,englishman1 when ,i was also his guest2 but he preserved his shrinking taciturnity1 and left to us the conversation4 ,another time ,i dined with a ,southern guest at his table4 ,the conversation turning on the war after dinner1 he hid himself in the corner1 as if a distant spectator1 and fearing there was danger even there4 ,it was due to his guest to hear the human side of the question of slavery1 since she had heard only the best the ,south had to plead in its favor4 ,i never deemed ,hawthorne an advocate of ,southern ideas and institutions4 ,he professed democracy1 not in the party1 but large sense of equality4 ,perhaps he loved ,england too well to be quite just to his native land1--was more the ,old ,englishman than the ,new4 ,he seemed to regret the transplanting1 as if reluctant to fix his roots in our soil4 ,his book on ,england1 entitled ,our ,old ,home1 intimates his filial affection for that and its institutions4 ,if his themes were ,american1 his treatment of them was foreign1 rather4 ,he stood apart as having no stake in home affairs4 ,while calling himself a democrat1 he sympathized apparently with the absolutism of the old countries4 ,he had not full faith in the people2 perhaps feared republicanism because it had4 ,of our literary men1 he least sympathized with the ,north1 and was tremulously disturbed1 ,i remember1 at the time of the ,new-,york mob4 ,it is doubtful if he ever attended a political meeting or voted on any occasion throughout the long struggle with slavery4 ,he stood aloof1 hesitating to take a responsible part1 true to his convictions1 doubtless1 strictly honest1 if not patriotic4 ,he strove by disposition to be sunny and genial1 traits not native to him4 ,constitutionally shy1 recluse1 melancholy1 only by shafts of wit and flow of humor could he deliver himself4 ,there was a soft sadness in his smile1 a reserve in his glance1 telling how isolate he was4 ,was he ever one of his company while in it8 ,there was an aloofness1 a besides1 that refused to affiliate himself with himself1 even4 ,his readers must feel this1 while unable to account for it1 perhaps1 or express it adequately4 ,a believer in transmitted traits needs but read his pedigree to find the genesis of what characterized him distinctly1 and made him and his writings their inevitable sequel4 ,everywhere you will find persons of his type and complexion similar in cast of character and opinions4 ,his associates mostly confirm the observation4 ,,landor4 ,landor's ,biography1 edited by ,james ,forster1 and lately published here1 well repays perusal4 ,landor seems to have been the victim of his temperament all his life long4 ,i know not when ,i have read a commentary so appalling on the fate that breaks a noble mind on the wheel of its passions1 precipitating it into the dungeons but to brighten its lights4 ,of impetuous wing1 his genius was yet sure of its boldest flights1 and to him1 if any modern1 may be applied ,coleridge's epithet of myriad mindedness1 so salient1 varied1 so daring the sweep of his thought4 ,more than any he reminds of ,shakespeare in dramatic power2 of ,plato1 in his mastery of dialogue2 in epic force1 of schylus4 ,he seems to have been one of the demigods1 cast down1 out of place1 out of his time1 restless ever1 and indignant at his destiny1-- ,heaven's exile straying from the orb of light4 ,his stormful1 wayward career exemplifies in a remarkable manner the recoiling ,fate pervading human affairs4 ,a sharp dogmatic man1 says ,emerson1 who met him when abroad1 with a great deal of knowledge1 a great deal of worth and a great deal of pride1 with a profound contempt for all that he does not understand1 a master of elegant learning and capable of the utmost delicacy of sentiment1 and yet prone to indulge a sort of ostentation of coarse imagery and language4 ,he has capital enough to have furnished the brain of fifty stock authors1 yet has written no good book4 ,in these busy days of avarice and ambition1 when there is so little disposition to profound thought1 or to any but the most superficial intellectual entertainments1 a faithful scholar1 receiving from past ages the treasures of wit1 and enlarging them by his own lore1 is a friend and consoler of mankind4 ,whoever writes for the love of mirth and beauty1 and not with ulterior ends1 belongs to this sacred class1 and among these1 few men of the present age have a better claim to be numbered than ,mr4 ,landor4 ,wherever genius and taste have existed1 wherever freedom and justice are threatened 7which he values as the element in which genius may work71 his interest is here to be commanded4 ,nay1 when we remember his rich and ample page1 wherein we are always sure to find free and sustained thought1 a keen and precise understanding1 an affluent and ready memory familiar with all chosen books1 an industrious observation in every department of life1 an experience to which nothing has occurred in vain1 honor for every just sentiment1 and a scourge like that of the ,furies for every oppressor1 whether public or private1 we feel how dignified is this perpetual censor in his cerule chair1 and we wish to thank a benefactor of the reading world4 ,no writer of our time in the difficult species of composition1 the dialogue1 has attained a success upon so high a plane as ,landor in his ,conversations1 wherein he has treated almost every human interest1 brought his characters together1 like ,plato's interlocutors1 from different ages and of differing opinions1 using these as representatives of the world's best literature4 ,and besides these his masterpieces1 his verses have the chaste and exquisite quality of the best ,greek poetry4 ,his dialogues number1 says his biographer1 not fewer than a hundred and fifty4 ,different as these were in themselves1 it was not the less the distinguishing mark of their genius to be1 both in their conformation and in their mass1 almost strangely alike2 and it is this unity in their astonishing variety1 the fire of an inexpressible genius running through the whole1 that gives to his books containing them their place among the books not likely to pass away2 there is scarcely a form or function of the human mind1 sincere or sprightly1 cogitative or imaginative1 historical1 fanciful1 or real1 which has not been exercised or brought into play in this extraordinary series of writings4 ,the world1 past and present1 is reproduced in them1 with its variety and uniformity1 its continuity and change4 ,what ,landor says of written dialogue1 holds in still wider latitude1 even1 in conversation4 ,when a man writes a dialogue1 he has it all to himself1 the pro and the con1 the argument and the reply4 ,within the shortest given space of time1 he may indulge in every possible variety of mood4 ,he may contradict himself every minute4 ,in the same page1 without any sort of violence1 the most different shades of sentiment may find expression4 ,extravagance of statement1 which in other forms could not be admitted1 may be fully put forth4 ,dogmas of every description may be dealt in1 audaciously propounded1 or passionately opposed1 with a result all the livelier in proportion to the mere vehemence expended on them4 ,in no other style of composition is a writer so free from ordinary restraints upon opinion1 or so absolved from self-control4 ,better far than any other1 it adapts itself to eagerness and impatience4 ,dispensing with preliminaries1 the jump in medias res may at once be taken safely4 ,that one thing should be unexpectedly laid aside1 and another as capriciously taken up1 is quite natural to it2 the subjects being few that may not permissively branch off into all the kindred topics connected with them1 when the formalities held ordinarily necessary in the higher order of prose composition have disappeared in the freedom of conversation4 ,,sleep ,,and ,,dreams4 ,,thursday1 #bb4 ,when sleep hath closed our eyes the mind sees well1 ,for ,fate by daylight is invisible4 ,things admirable for the admirable hours4 ,the morning for thought1 the afternoon for recreation1 the evening for company1 the night for rest4 ,having drank of immortality all night1 the genius enters eagerly upon the day's task1 impatient of any impertinences jogging the full glass4 ,the best comes when we are at our best2 and who so buoyant as to be always rider of the wave8 ,sleep1 and see2 wake1 and report the nocturnal spectacle4 ,sleep1 like travel1 enriches1 refreshes1 by varying the day's perspective1 showing us the night side of the globe we traverse day by day4 ,we make transits too swift for our wakeful senses to follow2 pass from solar to lunar consciousness in a twinkling1 lapse from forehead and face to occupy our lower parts1 and recover1 as far as permitted1 the keys of genesis and of the foreworlds4 ,all truth1 says ,porphyry1 is latent2 but this the soul sometimes beholds when she is a little liberated by sleep from the employments of the body4 ,and sometimes she extends her sight1 but never perfectly reaches the objects of her vision4 ,hence1 when she beholds1 she does not see it with a free and direct light1 but through an intervening veil1 which the folds of darkening nature draw over her eye4 ,this veil1 when in sleep it admits the light to extend as far as truth1 is said to be of horn1 whose nature is such1 from its tenuity1 that it is pervious to the light4 ,but when it dulls the sight and repels its vision of truth1 it is said to be of ivory1 which is a body so naturally dense1 that1 however thin it may be scraped1 it cannot be penetrated by the visual rays4 ,homer says1-- ,our dreams descend from ,jove4 ,that is1 from the seat of intellect1 and declare their import when our will sleeps4 ,then are they of weighty and reliable import1 yet require the like suppression of our will to make plain their significance4 ,only so is the oracle made reliable4 ,the good alone dream divinely4 ,our dreams are characteristic of our waking thoughts and states2 we are never out of character2 never quite another1 even when fancy seeks to metamorphose us entirely4 ,the ,person is ,one in all the manifold phases of the ,many through which we transmigrate1 and we find ourself perpetually1 because we cannot lose ourself personally in the mazes of the many4 ',tis the one soul in manifold shapes1 ever the old friend of the mirror in other face1 old and new1 yet one in endless revolution and metamorphosis1 suggesting a common relationship of forms at their base1 with divergent types as these range wider and farther from their central archetype1 including all concrete forms in nature1 each returning into other1 and departing therefrom in endless revolution4#ad ,footnote #ad3 ,the seeming miracle and mystery of the mesmeric1 or clairvoyant vivacity1 is best explained by conceiving the instreaming force of the operator driving the magnetic current from cerebrum to the cerebellum of his victim1 and there1 while under the pressure1 reporting the operator's sensations and thoughts through the common brain of both4 ,and this view is confirmed by the further fact that under this dominating force the domain of memory is the more deeply searched1 and things revealed which1 separate and alone1 left unaided by such agencies1 neither could have divined4 ,it is like one's adding a double brain to his own1 and subsidizing it the while to serve his particular ends4 ,i catch myself philosophizing most eloquently1 wrote ,thoreau1 when first returning to consciousness in the night or morning4 ,i make the truest observations and distinctions then when the will is yet wholly asleep1 and mind works like a machine without friction4 ,i was conscious of having in my sleep transcended the limits of the individual1 and made observations and carried on conversations which in my waking hours ,i can neither recall nor appreciate4 ,as if1 in sleep1 our individual fell into the infinite mind1 and at the moment of awakening we found ourselves on the confines of the latter4 ,on awakening1 we resume our enterprise1 take up our bodies1 and become limited minds again4 ,we meet and converse with those bodies which we have previously animated4 ,there is a moment in the dawn when the darkness of the night is dissipated1 and before the exhalations of the day begin to rise1 when we see all things more truly than at any other time4 ,the light is more trustworthy1 since our senses are pure and the atmosphere is less gross4 ,by afternoon1 all objects are seen in mirage4 ,all men are spiritualists in finer or coarser manners1 as temperament and teaching dictate and determine1--the spiritual world revealing itself accordingly4 ,speculation has in all ages delighted itself in this preternatural realm from whence have risen the ghosts of realties too unsubstantial and fugitive for ordinary senses to apprehend4 ,whatever the facts1 they receive interpretation according to the spirit and intelligence of the believer4 ,the past is full of such prodigies and phenomena1 for whose solution all learning1 sacred and profane1 is revived in its turn4 ,it appears that like opinions have their rounds to run1 like theories with their disciples1 reappearing in all great crises of thought1 and reaching a fuller solution at each succeeding period4 ,a faith1 were such possible1 destitute of an element of preternaturalism1 or of mysticism1 pure or mixed1 could not gain general acceptance4 ,some hold on the invisible connects the known with unknown1 yet leaving the copula to be divined4 ,we define it on our lips when we pronounce the word ,person1 and so approach1 as near as we may1 to the ,i ,am of things4 ,unseen our spirits move1 are such1 ,so eager they to clasp1 they feel1 they touch ,while yet our bodies linger1 cannot speed ,the distance that divides1 confines their need4 ,,genesis ,,and ,,lapse4 ,,sunday1 #be4 ,before the ,revolution of #afhh1 says ,coleridge1 metaphysics ruled without experimental philosophy4 ,since the ,revolution1 experimental psychology has in like manner prevailed1 and we now feel the result4 ,in like manner1 from ,plotinus to ,proclus1 that is1 from ,a4 ,d4 #bej to ,a4 ,d4 #dej1 philosophy was set up as a substitute for religion2 during the dark ages1 religion superseded philosophy1 and the consequences are equally instructive4 ,the great maxim in legislation1 intellectual or physical1 is subordinate1 not exclude4 ,nature1 in her ascent1 leaves nothing behind2 but at each step subordinates and glorifies1--mass1 crystal1 organ1 sensation1 sentience1 reflection4 ,taken in reverse order of descent1 ,spirit puts itself before1 at each step protrudes faculty in feature1 function1 organ1 limb1 subordinating to glorify also1--person1 volition1 thought1 sensibility1 sense1 body1--animating thus and rounding creation to soul and sense alike4 ,the naturalist cannot urge too strongly the claims of physical1 nor the plea of the idealist be too vigorously pressed for metaphysical studies4 ,one body in one soul4 ,nature and spirit are inseparable1 and are best studied as a unit4 ,either without the other1 as ,plato said of sex1 is but half itself4 ,nature ends where spirit begins4 ,the idealist's point of view is the obverse of the naturalist's1 and each must accost his side with a first love1 before use has worn off the bloom and seduced their vision4 ,goethe said of ,aristotle that he had better observed nature than any modern1 but was too rash in his inferences and conclusions2 and he adds1 we must go to work slowly1 and more indulgently with ,nature1 if we would get anything from her4 ,inspired by his example of dealing thus reverently and lovingly with nature1 the great naturalists of our time are reading secrets hitherto hidden from less careful and pious observers4 ,if the results thus far have not satisfied the idealist1 it becomes him to consider that his methods are the reverse of theirs1 and that when they shall have tracked ,life in its manifold shapes and modes of working in nature up to ,spirit1 their office is fulfilled1 their work complete1 and their discoveries are passed over to him for a higher generalization and genesis4 ,a physical delineation of nature1 says ,humboldt1 terminates at the point where the sphere of intellect begins1 and a new world is opened to our view2 it marks the limit1 but does not pass it4 ,whether man be the successor or predecessor of his inferiors in nature1 is to be determined by exploring faithfully the realms of matter and of spirit alike1 and complementing the former in the latter4 ,whether surveyed in order descending or ascending1 in genesis or process1 from the side of the idealist or of the naturalist1 the keystone of the arch in either case is an ideal1 underpropped by matter or upheld by mind4 ,if men be worlds1 there is in every one ,something to answer in fit proportion ,all the world's riches1 and in substance this1-- ,,person his form's form1 and soul's soul1 is4 ,man1 the sum total of animals1 transcends all in being a ,person1 a responsible creature4 ,the distinguishing mark1 says ,aristotle1 between man and the lower animals is this3 that he alone is endowed with the power of knowing good and evil1 justice and injustice1 and it is a participation in this that constitutes a family and a city4 ,man is man in virtue of being a ,person1 a self-determining will1 held accountable to a spiritual ,ideal4 ,to affirm that brute creatures are endowed with freedom and choice1 the sense of responsibility1 were to exalt them into a spiritual existence and personality2 whereas1 it is plain enough that they are not above deliberation and choice1 but below it1 under the sway of ,fate1 as men are when running counter to reason and conscience4 ,the will bridges the chasm between man and brute1 and frees the fated creature he were else4 ,solitary1 not himself1 the victim of appetite1 inmate of the den1 is man till freed from individualism1 and delivered into his free ,personality4 ,ye must be born again4 ,the conflict between man's desires and satisfactions declares his defection from ,personal holiness4 ,while at one personally with himself1 life suffices1 his wants are seconded as they rise1 and his self-respect preserved inviolate4 ,but lapsed from personal rectitude1 fallen out of and below himself1 he is at variance with things around as within1 his senses deceive1 his will is divided1 and he becomes the victim of duplicities1 discontents1 the prey of remorse4 ',tis a miserable thing1 says ,glanvil1 to have been happy2 and a self-contented wretchedness is a double one4 ,had felicity always been a stranger to humanity1 our present misery had not been4 ,and had not ourselves been the authors of our ruin1 less4 ,we might have been made unhappy2 but since we are miserable1 we chose it4 ,he that gave our outward enjoyments might have taken them from us1 but none could have robbed us of innocence but ourselves4 ,while man knows no sin1 he is ignorant of nothing that it imports humanity to know2 but when he has sinned1 the same transgression that opens his eyes to see his own shame1 shuts them against most things else but that1 and the newly-purchased misery4 ,with the nakedness of his body1 he sees that of his soul1 and the blindness and disarray of his faculties to which his former innocence was a stranger2 and that which shows them to him makes them4 ,no longer the creature he was made1 he loses not only his ,maker's image1 but his own4 ,and does not much more transcend the creatures placed at his feet1 than he comes short of his ancient self4 ,whose the decree ,souls ,magdalens must be ,to know felicity1 ,the path to it ,through pleasure's pit1 ,soft sin undress ,them of their holiness1-- ,hath heaven so writ8 ,happier the fate ,that opes heaven's gate ,with crystal key ,of purity1 ,and thus fulfils life's destiny4 ,illustration ,,august4 444 ,the milder sun ,does through a fragrant zodiac run1 ,and as it works the industrious bee ,computes its time as well as we3 ,how can such sweet and wholesome hours ,be reckoned but with fruits and flowers8 --,marvell4 ,illustration ,,plato',s ,,letters4 ,,tuesday1 #c4 ,days like these give dignity and loveliness to the landscape2 the scene enhanced by imperial tints of gold and purple1 the orchards bending with their ruddy burdens4 ,it is the season of nectar and ambrosia1 and suggests the ,platonic bees1 the literature and conversation of the ,academy and ,lyceum4 ,very interesting reading these letters of ,plato1 and a goodly volume to hold in one's hand1 in antique type and binding4 ,whether a reprint would reward the publisher1 ,i cannot say4 ,his seventh letter is an affecting piece of autobiography1 and1 taken with ,plutarch's ,dion1 gives the best picture of his journeys to ,syracuse that history affords4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for it is a thing1 he writes to the ,kindred and ,friends of ,dion1 altogether correct and honorable for him who aspires after things the most honorable1 both to himself and his country1 to suffer whatever he may suffer2 for not one of us is naturally immortal2 nor if this should happen to any one would he become happy1 as it seems he would to the multitude4 ,for in things inanimate there is nothing either good or evil worthy of mention1 but good or ill will happen to each soul1 either existing with the body1 or separated from it4 ,but it is ever requisite to trust really to the sacred accounts of the olden times1 which inform us that the soul is immortal1 and has judges of its conduct1 and suffers the greatest punishments when liberated from the body4 ,hence1 it is requisite to think it is a lesser evil to suffer1 than to commit the greatest sins and injuries4 ,and ,i should have felt more justly against those who murdered ,dion1 an anger1 in a certain manner1 almost as great as against ,dionysius2 for both had injured myself and all the rest1 so to say1 in the highest degree4 ,for the former had destroyed a man who was willing to make use of justice2 while the latter was unwilling to make use of it through the whole of his dominions1 although possessing the highest power4 ,in which dominions had philosophy and power existed really1 as it were1 in the same dwelling1 they would have set up amongst men1 both ,greeks and barbarians1 an opinion not vainly shining1 and in every respect the true one1 that neither a state nor a man can ever be happy unless by leading a life with prudence in subjection to justice1 whether possessing those things themselves1 or by being brought up in the habits of holy persons1 their rulers1 or instructed in justice4 ,this injury did ,dionysius inflict4 ,but the rest would have been a trifling wrong as compared to these4 ,but he who murdered ,dion did not know that he had done the same deed as ,dionysius4 ,for ,i clearly know1 as far as possible for one man to speak confidently of another1 that if ,dion had attained power1 he would never have changed it to any other form of government than to that by which he first caused ,syracuse1 his own country1 after he had delivered it from slavery1 to look joyous1 and had put it into the garb of freedom2 and after all this1 he would by every contrivance have adorned the citizens with laws both befitting and best2 and he would have been ready to do what followed in due order after this1 and have colonized the whole of ,sicily1 and have freed it from the barbarians1 by expelling some and subduing others1 more easily than ,hiero did4 ,but if these things had taken place through a man just1 brave1 and temperate1 and who was a philosopher1 the same opinion of virtue would have been produced amongst the multitude1 as would have been amongst all men1 so to say1 and have saved ,dionysius1 had he been persuaded by me4 ,but now some dmon1 surely1 or some evil spirit1 falling upon with iniquity and impiety1 and what is the greatest matter1 with the audacity of ignorance1 in which all evils are rooted1 and from which they spring up1 and afterwards produce fruit the most bitter to those who have begotten it1--this has a second time subverted and destroyed everything4 ,however1 let us1 for the sake of a good augury1 keep for the third time a well-omened silence4#ae ,footnote #ae3 ,the great interest is not in the present city of ,syracuse 7writes a traveller1 ,feb4 #i1 #ahfi71 but in its vicinity1 where we inspect the doings of ,greeks twenty-five to three thousand years ago1 and of the ,romans at a later date4 ,their works are constructed out of the solid rock1 and have withstood the terrible earthquakes which have completely destroyed all traces of other works4 ,among the interesting objects in the city is the cathedral1 formerly the temple of ,minerva1 which is a magnificent specimen of ,doric architecture1 and has continued to be a place of worship through all the changes of idolatry and ,christianity1 for twenty-five hundred years2 the church of ,st4 ,marcian here puts in its claim to have been the first church in ,europe in which ,christian worship was celebrated4 ,full of interest are the catacombs and the ancient prisons in the quarries from which the materials of ,syracuse were taken2 here is the ,ear of ,dionysius1 the tyrant of ,syracuse1 a prison so arranged that every word spoken within it was re-echoed into his chamber1 where it is said he passed entire days listening to the complaints of his victims4 ,here1 too1 is the famous fountain of ,arethusa1 one of the ,nereads1 and whom ,virgil reckons among the ,sicilian nymphs1 as the divinity who inspired pastoral poetry4 ,syracuse was at different periods the residence of ,plato1 ,simonides1 ,zeno1 and ,cicero2 it was the place where ,hicetus first propounded the true revolution of the earth2 it was the birthplace of the poets ,theocritus and ,moschus1 and the philosopher ,archimedes1 who lost his life at the capture of the city by the ,romans4 ,one sees the noble spirit of ,plato in these passages1 and feels how the death of his friend and pupil1 ,dion1 at the moment when he had won the freedom of his country1 and a sphere for proving his master's ideas in its rule1 must have affected ,plato1 and the friends of ,dion4 ,if doubts have been entertained as to the genuineness of these letters1 it is plain they were written by some intimate friend of his1 or of ,dion1 and have the merit1 at least1 of historical accuracy and evidence4 ,,plato4#af ,footnote #af3 ,born ,b4,c4 #dbi2 died #cdh4 ,it was a common speech among the ,athenians1 that ,apollo begat sculapius and ,plato1--the one to cure bodies1 the other1 souls4 ,certainly the last was of divine extraction2 his life and thoughts fruitful in genius and immortality4 ,like other superior persons1 his birth is traced to a divine ancestry1 and dignified with fables4 ,his mother1 ,perictione1 was a descendant of ,solon1 and a woman of extraordinary beauty4 ,aristo1 his father1 was of an eminent family4 ,to him ,apollo appeared in a dream1 enjoining upon him respect for his wife's maternity2 and1 in accordance with the vision1 it was affirmed1-- ,he did not issue from a mortal bed2 ,a god his sire1 a godlike life he led4 ,whilst he was yet an infant1 carried in his mother's arms1 ,aristo went to ,hymettus to sacrifice to the ,muses1 taking his wife and child with him4 ,as they were busied in the divine rites1 she laid the babe in a thicket of myrtles hard by1 to whom1 as he slept1 came a swarm of bees1 artists of ,hymettian honey1 flying and buzzing about him1 and 7so runs the myth7 made a honeycomb in his mouth1--this being a presage of the singular sweetness of his future eloquence foreseen in infancy4 ,as things fall out1 not by chance1 but by divine ordination1 and are intimated in advance1 for the most part1 so ,socrates1 who was to win the noblest of the ,athenian youths for his pupil and disciple1 dreamed1 the night before ,plato was commended to him1 that a young swan fled from ,cupid's altar in the ,academy1 and sat upon his lap1 thence flew up to heaven1 delighting both gods and men with its music4 ,next day1 as he was relating this to some of his friends1 ,aristo came to him1 and presented his son ,plato to be his pupil4 ,as soon as ,socrates saw him1 reading in his looks his ingenuity1 ,friends1 said he1 this is the swan of ,cupid's ,academy4 ,whilst a child1 he was remarkable for his sharpness of apprehension1 and the admirable modesty of his disposition2 the beginnings of his youth being seasoned with labor and love of study1 which virtues increased and harmonized with all others when he came to man's estate4 ,he early learned the art of wrestling1 and became so great a proficient that he took part in the ,isthmian and ,pythian games4 ,as in years and virtue1 so likewise he increased extraordinarily in bodily proportion and shape1 insomuch that ,aristo named him ,plato1 which implies breadth of shoulders and bold eloquence4 ,he also studied painting and poetry1 writing epics after the manner of ,homer2 but1 finding how far he fell short of him1 he committed them to the flames4 ,intending to contest for the palm at the ,olympic ,theatre1 he wrote some dramatic pieces1 and gave them to the players1 to be performed at the festivals4 ,but the day before these were to have been presented1 chancing to hear ,socrates discourse in the theatre before the ,bacchanals1 he was so taken with him that he not only forbore to contest at the time1 but wholly gave over all tragic poetry1 and burned his verses4 ,from that time1 being then in his twentieth year1 he became a follower of ,socrates1 and studied philosophy4 ,he studied eight years with ,socrates1 committing1 as was the custom with his scholars1 the substance of his master's discourses to writing4 ,of these were some of his ,dialogues afterwards composed1 with such additions of argument and ornament that ,socrates1 hearing him recite his ,lysis1 exclaimed1 ,o ,hercules6 how many things this young man fables of me6 ,he was one of the youngest of the ,senate at the time of ,socrates' arraignment4 ,the judges being much displeased with ,socrates1 ,plato took the orator's chair1 intending to plead in his master's defence1 beginning1 ,though ,i1 ,athenians1 am the youngest of those that come to this place1--but1 as all the ,senate were against his speaking1 he was constrained to leave the chair4 ,socrates being condemned1 ,plato offered to obtain the money for purchasing his liberty1 which ,socrates refused4 ,upon the death of ,socrates1 ,plato1--whose excessive grief is mentioned by ,plutarch1--with others of his disciples1 fearing the tyranny of those who put their master to death1 fled to ,euclid at ,megara1 who befriended and entertained them till the storm was blown over4 ,he afterwards travelled in ,italy1 where he addicted himself to the discipline of ,pythagoras1 which1 though he saw it replenished with curious and high reason1 yet he chiefly affected the continence and chastity1 along with the knowledge of nature1 possessed by that school4 ,desiring to add to the knowledge of the ,pythagoreans the benefits of other disciplines1 he went to ,cyrene to learn geometry of ,theodorus1 the mathematician2 thence into ,egypt1 under pretence of selling oil1--the scope of his journey thither being to bring the knowledge of astrology from thence1 and to be instructed in the rites of the prophets and the mysteries4 ,having taken a full survey of the country1 he settled himself at ,sais1 learning of the school of wise men there the doctrines of the universe1 the immortality of the soul1 and its transmigrations4 ,from ,egypt he returned to ,tarentum in ,italy1 where he conversed with ,archytas the elder1 and other ,pythagoreans1 adding to the learning of ,socrates that of ,pythagoras4 ,he would have gone also to ,india to study with the ,magi2 but the wars then raging in ,asia prevented4 ,while in ,egypt he probably became familiar with the opinions of ,hermes ,trismegistus4 ,that he also received some light from ,moses is probable1 since his laws were translated into ,greek before ,alexander's time1 and ,josephus1 the ,jew1 affirms1 that he chiefly followed our ,lawgiver4 ,and ,numenius asks1 ,of philosophers1 what is ,plato but ,moses speaking ,greek8 ,it is known that he brought from ,sicily1 where he went thrice1 at the invitation of ,dionysius the younger1 the three books of ,philolaus1 the ,pythagorean1 on natural philosophy1 the first that were published out of that school4 ,these he appears to have woven into his dialogue entitled ,timeus4 ,timeon accuses him of this appropriation4 ,you ,plato with the same affection caught ,with a great sum1 a little treatise bought1 ,where all the knowledge which you own was taught1-- alluding to his having received of ,dionysius above eighty talents1 and being flush with his money4 ,he is said to owe much to ,protagoras1 and wrote a dialogue under that title4 ,in politics1 as in morals1 he drew largely from the opinions of his master1 ,socrates2 and it is related that he was indebted to the books of ,sophron1 which1 having been long neglected1 were by him first brought to ,athens1 and found under his pillow at his death4 ,certainly he1 of all scholars1 had the best right to borrow1 since none could recognize his own in his pages1 and any author might glory in being esteemed worthy of lending a syllable to so consummate a creator4 ,on returning to ,athens from his ,egyptian travels1 he settled himself in the ,academy1 a gymnasium1 or place of exercise1 in the suburbs of the city1 surrounded by woods1 and taking its name from ,academus1 one of the heroes4 ,the fluent1 sweet-tongued sage first led the way1 ,who writes as smoothly as from some green spray ,of ,academe grasshoppers chirp their lay4 ,the occasion of his living here was that he owned an orchard adjoining the ,academy4 ,in process of time1 this orchard was much enlarged by good-will1 studious persons bequeathing of their riches to the professors of philosophy1 to maintain the quiet and tranquillity of a philosophical life4 ,here he first taught philosophy2 afterwards in the ,gardens of ,colonus4 ,at the entrance of his school was written1-- ,let none ignorant of geometry enter here2 signifying1 by this inscription1 not only the proportion and harmony of lines1 but also of inward affections and ideas4 ,his school took the name of the ,academy4 ,he thought it was a great matter1 in the education of youth1 to accustom them to take delight in good things2 otherwise1 he affirmed1 pleasures were the bait of evil4 ,education should be conducted with a serene sweetness1 never by force or violence1 but by gentleness1 accompanied with persuasion and every kind of invitation4 ,his teaching was conducted by conversation or dialogue4 ,his method of discourse was threefold1--first1 to declare what that is which is taught2 then1 for what reason it is asserted1 whether as a principal cause1 or as a comparison1 and whether to defend the tenet1 or controvert it2 thirdly1 whether it be rightly said4 ,he expounded the things which he conceived to be true2 confuted those which were false2 suspended his opinions on those which were doubtful4 ,his philosophy comprised the elements of the school of ,heraclitus1 ,pythagoras1 and ,socrates1 combined in a system which he distributed into three parts1--moral1 consisting of action2 natural1 in contemplation2 rational1 in distinction of true and false1 which1 though useful in all1 yet belongs to pure thought4 ,as of old1 in a tragedy the chorus acted alone2 then ,thespis1 making some intermissions of the chorus1 introduced one actor1 schylus a second1 ,sophocles a third2 in like manner1 philosophy was at first but of one kind1--physic2 then ,socrates added ethic2 thirdly1 ,plato1 inventing dialectic1 made it perfect4 ,this third part1 dialectic1 consisting in reason and dissertation1 he treated thus3 ,though judgments arise from the sense1 yet the judgment of truth is not in the senses4 ,the mind alone is the judge of things1 and only fit to be credited1 because the mind alone sees that which is simple1 uniform1 and certain1 which is named ,idea4 ,all sense he conceived to be obtuse and slow1 and nowise able to perceive those things which seem subject to sense2 those things being so minute that they cannot fall under sense2 so movable and various1 that nothing is one1 constant and the same2 all are in continual alteration and movement1 and subjects of opinion only4 ,science he affirmed to be nowhere but in the reasons and thoughts of the mind1 whose objects are ideas1 whence he approved definitions of things1 and applied these to whatsoever subject he discussed1 discriminating things and naming them etymologically4 ,in this consisted the discipline of dialectic2 that is1 of speech concluded by reason4 ,though ,socrates practised conversation by way of question and answer1 or dialogue1 yet ,plato so much refined the form1 both in speech and composition1 that he deserves to be preferred before others1 as well for invention as reformation4 ,the analytical method1 which reduces the thing sought into its principle1 is his invention4#ag ,footnote #ag3 ,plato1 says ,grote1 appreciated dialogue1 not only as the road to a conclusion1 but for the mental discipline and suggestive influences of the tentative and verifying process4 ,it was his purpose to create in his hearers a disposition to prosecute philosophical researches of their own1 and at the same time to strengthen their ability of doing this with effect4 ,this remark is especially confirmed in the two dialogues1 the ,sophisticus and ,politicus1 wherein he defends himself against reproaches seemingly made at the time4 ,to what does all this tend8 ,why do you stray so widely from your professed topic8 ,could you not have reached the point by a shorter road8 ,he replies by distinctly proclaiming--that the process1 with its improving influence on the mind1 stands first in his thoughts1 the direct conclusion of the inquiry only second2 that the special topic which he discusses1 though in itself important1 is nevertheless chosen primarily with a view to its effect in communicating general method and dialectical aptitude1 just as a schoolmaster1 when he gives out to his pupils a word to be spelt1 looks mainly1 not to the exactness in spelling the particular word1 but to their command of good spelling generally4 ,to form inquisitive testing minds1 fond of philosophical debate as a pursuit1 and looking at opinions on the negative as on the positive side1 is the first object of most of ,plato's dialogues3 to teach positive truth1 is only a secondary object4--,grote's ,plato1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cii4 ,several words were also introduced by him in philosophy4 ,of these are element1 which before his time was confounded with principle4 ,he distinguished them thus3 ,principle is that which has nothing before it whereof it might be generated2 elements are compounded4 ,the word poem was first used by him4 ,so were superficies and antipodes4 ,divine providence1 words since appropriated by ,christian theologians1 was first an expression of ,plato's4 ,he1 too1 first considered the force and efficacy of grammar as the organ of pure thought4 ,his school was the pride of ,athens1 and drew into it its most gifted youth1 as well as scholars from abroad4 ,his most distinguished disciples were ,speusippus1 his nephew1 whom he reformed by his example and teachings1 and who became eminent as a philosopher1 succeeding him in the ,academy2 ,xenocrates1 whom he much loved2 ,aristotle1 the ,stagirite1 whom ,plato used to call a wild colt1 foreseeing that he would oppose him in his philosophy1 as a colt1 having sucked1 kicks its dam4 ,xenocrates was slow1 ,aristotle quick1 in extremity2 whence ,plato said of them1 ,see what an unequal team this of mine4 ,what an ass and horse to yoke together6 ,isocrates the orator1 and ,demosthenes1 were among his auditors2 ,dion of ,syracuse was an intimate friend of his1 and by his persuasions he made two journeys to ,syracuse1 at one of which he was sold into slavery by the tyranny of ,dionysius1 and being redeemed by his friend1 returned to ,athens1 as is related by ,plutarch4 ,xenophon was his contemporary4 ,at home he lived quietly in the ,academy1 not taking part in public affairs1 the laws and customs of the ,athenians not being in harmony with his ideas of republican institutions4 ,princes1 he said1 had no better possessions than the familiarity of such men as could not flatter1 wisdom being as necessary to a prince as the soul to the body2 and that kingdoms would be most happy if either philosophers ruled1 or the rulers were inspired with philosophy1 since nothing is more pernicious than power and arrogance accompanied with ignorance4 ,subjects should be such as princes seem to be4 ,and he held that a philosopher might retire from the commonwealth if its affairs were unjustly administered4 ,a just man was a perpetual magistrate4 ,he affirmed that philosophy was the true helper of the soul1 all else but ornamental2 that nothing is more pleasing to a sound mind than to speak and hear the truth spoken1 than which nothing is better or more lasting4 ,the study of philosophy1 if it made him select in the choice of his associates1 did not sour his temper1 nor render him exclusive in his intercourse and fellowship with mankind4 ,at the ,olympian games1 he once fell into company with some strangers who did not know him1 upon whose affections he gained greatly by his affable conversation1 dining and spending the day with them1 never mentioning either the ,academy or ,socrates1 only saying his name was ,plato4 ,when they came to ,athens1 he entertained them courteously4 ,come1 ,plato1 said the strangers1 now show us your namesake1 ,socrates' disciple4 ,take us to the ,academy3 recommend us to him1 that we may know him4 ,he1 smiling a little1 as he used1 said1 ,i am the man4 ,whereat they were greatly amazed1 having conversed so familiarly with a person of that eminence1 who used no boasting or ostentation1 and showed that1 besides his philosophical discourse1 his ordinary conversation was extremely winning4 ,he lived single1 yet soberly and chastely4 ,so constant was he in his composure and gravity1 that a youth brought up under him1 returning to his parents1 and hearing his father speak vehemently and loudly1 said1 ,i never found this in ,plato4 ,he ate but once a day1 or1 if the second time1 very sparingly1 abstaining mostly from animal food4 ,he slept alone1 and much discommended the contrary practice4 ,of his prudence1 patience1 moderation1 and magnanimity1 and other virtues1 there are many instances recorded4 ,when he left his school1 he was wont to say1 ,see1 youths1 that you employ your idle hours usefully4 ,prefer labor before idleness1 unless you esteem rust above brightness4 ,to ,philedonus1 who blamed him that he was as studious to learn as teach1 and asked him how long he meant to be a disciple1 he replied1 ,as long as ,i am not ashamed of growing better and wiser4 ,being asked what difference there was between a learned man and unlearned1--,the same as betwixt a physician and patient4 ,to ,antisthenes1 making a long oration1--,you forget that discourse is to be measured by the hearer1 not the speaker4 ,hearing a vicious person speak in defence of another1--,this man1 said he1 carries his heart in his tongue4 ,he blamed having musicians at feasts1 to hinder discourse4 ,seeing the ,agregentines so magnificent in building1 and luxurious in feasting1--,these people1 said he1 build as if they were immortal1 and eat as if they were to die instantly4 ,he advised drunken and angry men to look in the glass if they would refrain from those vices1 and ,xenocrates1 by reason of his severe countenance1 to sacrifice to the ,graces4 ,being desirous to wean ,timotheus1 the son of ,canon1 the ,athenian general1 from sumptuous military feasts1 he invited him into the ,academy to a plain moderate supper1 such as pleasing sleep succeeds in a good temper of body4 ,the next day1 ,timotheus1 observing the difference1 said1 ,they who feasted with ,plato never complained the next morning4 ,his servant having displeased him for some offence1 he said to him1 ,were ,i not angry1 ,i should chastise you for it4 ,at another time1 his servant being found faulty1 he had him lay off his coat2 and1 while he stood with his hand raised1 a friend coming in asked him what he was doing4 ,punishing an angry man1 said he4 ,it was a saying of his1 that no wise man punishes in respect of past faults1 but for preventing future ones4 ,on being told that some one spoke ill of him1 he answered1 ,no matter3 ,i will live so that none shall believe him4 ,when asked whether there should be any record left to posterity of his actions or sayings1--,first1 said he1 we must get a name1 then many things follow4 ,continuing a single life to his end1 and not having any heirs of his own1 he bequeathed his estate to his nephew1 young ,adimantus1 the son of ,adimantus1 his second brother4 ,besides his orchard and grounds inherited or added by purchase1 he left to him three mina of silver1 a golden cup1 and a finger and ear-rings of gold4 ,the gold ear-ring was one he wore when a boy1 as a badge of his nobility2 and the golden cup was one of sacrifice4 ,he left to his servants1 ,ticho1 ,bictus1 and ,apolloniades1 ,dionysius' goods4 ,he owed no man anything4 ,he died on his eighty-first birthday1 for which reason the ,magi at ,athens sacrificed to him1 as conceiving him to have been more than man1 and as having fulfilled the most perfect number1 nine multiplied into itself4 ,he died of old age2 which ,seneca ascribes to his temperance and diligence4 ,this1 among other epitaphs1 was inscribed on his tombstone3-- ,earth in her bosom ,plato's body hides3 ,his soul amongst the deathless gods resides4 ,aristo's son1 whose fame to strangers spread1 ,made them admire the sacred life he led4 ,plutarch tells that ,solon began the story of the ,atlantides1 which he had learned of the priests of ,sais1 but gave it over on account of his old age and the largeness of the work4 ,he adds that ,plato1 taking the same argument as a waste piece of fertile ground fallen to him by hereditary right1 manured1 refined1 and inclosed it with large walls1 porches1 and galleries1 such as never any fable had before2 but he too1 undertaking it late1 died before completing it4 ',the more things written delight us1 the more they disappoint us1' he remarks1 'when not finished4' ,for as the ,athenian city left the temple of ,jupiter1 so ,plato's wisdom1 amongst many writings1 left the ,atlantides alone imperfect4 ,the order in which his dialogues were written is yet a question of dispute with scholars4 ,it is conceded1 however1 that the ,republic and the ,laws were completed1 if not wholly written1 in his old age4 ,nor is the number of his dialogues accurately determined4 ,some attributed to him are supposed to be spurious1 as are some of the letters4 ,all are contained in ,bohn's edition of the works of ,plato1 and accessible in scholarly translations to the ,english reader4#ah ,footnote #ah3 ,among the works deserving of a wider circulation is ,thomas ,stanley's ,history of ,philosophy4 ,it well repays perusal1 compiled as it was by an enthusiastic student of ancient thought1 from reliable sources1 and embodying1 in an attractive style1 the ,lives1 ,opinions1 ,actions1 and ,discourses of the ,philosophers of every ,sect1 illustrated with ,portraits of many of them4 ,third edition4 ,folio1 pp4 #gej4 ,london1 #agja4 ,the preceding notes are mostly extracted from this history4 ,of the great minds of antiquity1 ,plato stands preeminent in breadth and beauty of speculation4 ,his books are the most suggestive1 sensible1 the friendliest1 and1 one may say1 most modern of books4 ,and it almost atones for any poverty of thought in our time1 this admission to a mind thus opulent in the grandeur and graces of intelligence1 giving one a sense of his debt to genius and letters4 ,his works are a cosmos1 as ,pythagoras named the world4 ,and one rises from their perusal as if returned from a circumnavigation of the globe of knowledge1 human and divine4 ,so capacious was his genius1 so comprehensive1 so inclusive1 so subtile1 and so versatile1 withal1 that he readily absorbed the learning of his time1 moulding this into a body of beauty and harmony compact2 working out1 with the skill and completeness of a creator1 the perfect whole we see4 ,his erudition was commensurate with his genius1 and he the sole master of his tools2 since in him we have an example1 as successful as it was daring1 of an endeavor to animate and give individuality to his age in the persons whose ideas gave birth to the age itself4 ,and fortunate it was for him1 as for his readers1 that he had before him a living illustration of his time in the person of the chief character in his dialogues1 ,socrates himself4 ,of these dialogues1 the ,republic is the most celebrated1 embodying his ripest knowledge4 ,it fables a city planted in the divine ideas of truth and justice as these are symbolized in human forms and natural things4 ,and one reads with emotions of surprise at finding so much of sense and wisdom embodied in a form so fair1 and of such wide application1 as if it were suited to all peoples and times4 ,where in philosophic literature is found a structure of thought so firmly fixed on natural foundations1 and placing beyond cavil or question the supremacy of mind over matter1 portraying so vividly the passage of ideas through the world1 and thus delivering down a divine order of society to mankind8#ai ,footnote #ai3 ,if his ,republic and ,laws hardly justify him against those who accused him of having written a form of government which he could persuade none to practise1 it may be said1 in his favor1 that he gave laws to the ,syracusians and ,cretans1 refusing the like to the ,ayreneans and ,thebans1 saying1 ,it was difficult to prescribe laws to men in prosperity4 ,in reading his works1 one must have the secret of his method4 ,written1 as these are1 in the simplest style of composition1 his reader may sometimes weary of the slow progress of the argument1 and lose himself in the devious windings of the dialogue4 ,but this is the sole subtraction from the pleasure of perusal1--the voluminous sacrifices thus made to method3 so much given to compliment1 to dulness1 in the interlinked threads of the golden colloquy4 ,yet ,plato rewards as none other2 his regal text is everywhere charged with lively sense1 flashing in every line1 every epithet1 episode1 with the rubies and pearls of universal wisdom4 ,and the reading is a coronation4#bj ,footnote #bj3 ,the philosophy of the fourth century1 ,b4 ,c41 says ,grote1 is peculiarly valuable and interesting1 not merely from its intrinsic speculative worth1--from the originality and grandeur of its two principal heroes1 ,plato and ,aristotle1--from its coincidence with the full display of dramatic1 rhetorical1 artistic genius1 but also from a fourth reason not unimportant because it is purely ,hellenic2 preceding the development of ,alexandrian and the amalgamation of ,oriental veins of thought1 with the inspirations of the ,academy and the ,lyceum4 ,the ,orentes and the ,jordan had not yet begun to flow westward1 and to impart their own color to the waters of ,attica and ,latium4 ,not merely the real1 but also the ideal1 world present to the minds of ,plato and ,aristotle1 were purely ,hellenic4 ,even during the century immediately following1 this had ceased to be fully true in respect to the philosophers of ,athens2 and it became less and less true with each succeeding century4 ,new foreign centres of rhetoric and literature1 ,asiatic and ,alexandrian ,hellenism1 were fostered into importance by regal enactments4 ,plato and ,aristotle are thus the special representatives of genuine ,hellenic philosophy4 ,the remarkable intellectual ascendancy acquired by them in their day and maintained over succeeding centuries1 was one main reason why the ,hellenic vein was enabled so long to maintain itself1 though in impoverished condition1 against adverse influences from the ,east1 ever increasing in force4 ,plato and ,aristotle outlasted all their pagan successors1--successors at once less purely ,hellenic and less gifted4 ,and when ,st4 ,jerome1 near seven hundred and fifty years after the decease of ,plato1 commemorated with triumph the victory of unlettered ,christians over the accomplishments and genius of paganism1 he illustrated the magnitude of the victory by singling out ,plato and ,aristotle as the representatives of vanquished philosophy4--,grote's ,preface to ,life of ,plato4 ,plato's views of social life are instructive4 ,his idea of woman1 of her place and function1 should interest women of our time4 ,they might find much to admire1 and less to criticise than they imagine4 ,his opinions were greatly in advance of the practice of his own time1 and1 in some important particulars1 of ours1 and which1 if carried into legislation1 would favorably affect social purity4 ,his proposition to inflict a fine on bachelors1 and deny them political privileges1 is a compliment to marriage1 showing in what estimate he held that relation4 ,so his provision for educating the children1 and giving women a place in the government of the republic1 after they had given citizens to it1 are hints of our modern infant schools and woman's rights movements4 ,his teachings on social reform generally are the best of studies1 in some respects more modern than the views of our time1--anticipating the future legislation of communities4 ,on the matter of race and temperament he thought profoundly1 comprehending as have few of our naturalists the law of descent1 complexions1 physiognomical features and characteristics4 ,,socrates4 ,socrates1 says ,grote1 disclaimed all pretensions to wisdom4 ,he announced himself as a philosopher1 that is1 as ignorant1 yet as painfully conscious of his ignorance and anxiously searching for wisdom as a correction to it1 while most men were equally ignorant1 but unconscious of their ignorance1 believed themselves to be already wise1 and delivered confident opinions without ever having analyzed the matters on which they spoke4 ,the conversation of ,socrates was intended1 not to teach wisdom1 but to raise men out of this false persuasion of wisdom1 which he believed to be the natural state of the human mind1 into that mental condition which he called philosophy4 ,his ',elenchus' made them conscious of their ignorance1 and anxious to escape from it1 and prepared for mental efforts in search of knowledge2 in which search ,socrates assisted them1 but without declaring1 and even professing inability to declare1 where the truth lay in which this search was to end4 ,he considered this change itself a great and serious improvement1 converting what was evil1 radical1 ingrained1 into evil superficial and moveable1 which was a preliminary condition to any positive acquirement4 ,the first thing to be done was to create searchers after truth1 men who look at the subject for themselves1 with earnest attention1 and make up their own individual convictions4 ,even if nothing ulterior were achieved1 that alone would be a great deal4 ,such was the scope of the ,socratic ,conversation1 and such the conception of philosophy 7the peculiarity which ,plato borrowed from ,socrates71 which is briefly noted in the passage of the ,lysis and developed in the ,platonic dialogues1 especially in the ,symposeum4 ,observe how confidently the great master of ,dialectic went into the discussion1 dealing directly all the while with the ,personality of his auditors1 and driving straight through the seeming windings of the discourse at the seats of thought and of sensibility1 by his searching humor1 his delightful irony1 thus making the mind the mind's guest and querist in his suggestive colloquy4 ,affecting perhaps to know less than any1 he yet showed those with whom he conversed how little they knew1 while professing to know so much1 convicting them of being ignorant of their own ignorance1 real wisdom beginning in humility and openness to instruction4 ,if he puzzled and perplexed1 it was but to reduce their egotism and ignorance1 and prepare them for receiving the truths he had to lay open in themselves4 ,plato1 ,aristotle1 the ,german ,methodists1 but define and deliver the steps of his method4 ,,berkeley4 ,of modern philosophic writers1 ,berkeley has given the best example of the ,platonic ,dialogue1 in his ,minute ,philosopher1 a book to be read with profit1 for its clearness of thought and method4 ,his claim to the name of metaphysician transcends those of most of his countrymen4 ,he1 first of his nation1 dealt face to face with ideas as distinguished from scholastic fancies and common notions1 and thus gave them their place in the order of mind2 and this to exhaustive issues1 as his ,english predecessors in thought had failed to do4 ,his idealism is the purest which the ,british ,isles have produced4 ,platonic as were ,cudworth1 ,norris1 ,henry ,more1 in cast of thought less scholastic than ,taylor of ,norwich1--who was an exotic1 rather1 transplanted from ,alexandrian gardens1--,berkeley's thinking is indigenous1 strong in native sense and active manliness4 ,his works are magazines of rare and admirable learning1 subtleties of speculation1 noble philanthropies4 ,they deserve a place in every scholar's library1 were it but to mark the fortunes of thought1 and accredit the poet's admiring line3-- ,to ,berkeley every virtue under heaven4 ,,boehme4 ,,monday1 #i4 ,write to ,walton1 the ,british ,boehmist1 whose letters interest by the information they contain of himself and of his literary ventures4 ,any disciple of the distinguished ,mystic and student of his works1 living in foggy ,london in these times1 is as significant and noteworthy as are students of ,hegel in ,st4 ,louis4#ba ,mysticism is the sacred spark that has lighted the piety and illuminated the philosophy of all places and times4 ,it has kindled especially and kept alive the profoundest thinking of ,germany and of the continent since ,boehme's first work1 ,the ,aurora1 appeared4 ,some of the deepest thinkers since then have openly acknowledged their debt to ,boehme1 or secretly borrowed without acknowledgment their best illustrations from his writings4 ,it is conceded that his was one of the most original and subtlest of minds1 and that he has exercised a deeper influence on the progress of thought than any one since ,plotinus4 ,before ,bacon1 before ,newton1 ,swedenborg1 ,goethe1 he gave theories of nature1 of the signatures of colors and forms1 of the temperaments1 the genesis of sex1 the lapse of souls1 and of the elementary worlds4 ,he stripped life of its husk1 and delivered its innermost essence4 ,instead of mythology1 he gave1 if not science1 the germs1 if nothing more4 ,and when the depths of his thinking have been fathomed by modern observers it will be soon enough to speak of new revelations and arcana4 ,his teeming genius is the genuine mother of numberless theories since delivered1 from whose trunk the natural sciences have branched forth and cropped out in scientific systems4 ,and like ,swedenborg1 it has borne a theology1 cosmology1 illustrious theosophists and naturalists1--,law1 ,leibnitz1 ,oken1 ,schelling1 ,goethe1 ,baader1 and other philosophers of ,germany4 ,footnote #ba3 ,a mystic book entitled ,quinquenergia1 or ,proposals for a new ,practical ,theology1 by ,henry ,s4 ,sutton1 was published in ,london in #ahed4 ,mr4 ,sutton is plainly tinctured with ,boehme's theosophy1 if not a disciple of his as appears from his book4 ,it is a volume of singular originality1 and the latest modern attempt at a ,genesis from ,first ,principles that ,i have met with4 ,it seems to have attracted few readers in ,england or in this country4 ,his learned ,english disciple and translator1 ,rev4 ,william ,law1 an author once highly esteemed and much read by a former generation of pietists1 says of him in his ,introduction to ,boehme's ,works3-- ,whatsoever the great ,hermes delivered in oracles1 or ,pythagoras spoke by authority1 or ,socrates or ,aristotle affirmed1 whatever divine ,plato prophesied1 or ,plotinus proved1--this and all this1 or a far higher and profounder philosophy1 is contained in ,boehme's writings4 ,and if there be any friendly medium that can possibly reconcile these ancient differences between the divine ,wisdom that has fixed her place in ,holy ,writ and her stubborn handmaid1 natural ,reason1--this happy marriage of the ,spirit of ,god and the soul1 this wonderful consent of discords in harmony1--we shall find it in great measure in ,boehme's books2 only let not the non or misunderstanding of the most rational reader 7if not a little sublimed above the sphere of common reason7 be imputed as a fault to this elevated philosopher1 no more than it was to the divine ,plotinus1 whose scholars1 even after much study1 failed to comprehend many of his doctrines4 ,dr4 ,henry ,more1 with a qualifying discrimination of ,law's estimate1 writes3-- ,jacob ,boehme1 ,i conceive1 is to be reckoned in the number of those whose imaginative faculty has the preeminence above the rational1 and though he was a holy and good man1 his natural complexion1 notwithstanding1 was not destroyed but retained its property still1 and therefore his imagination being very busy about divine things1 he could not without a miracle fail of becoming an enthusiast1 and of receiving divine truths upon the account of the strength and vigor of his fancy1 which being so well qualified with holiness and sanctity1 proved not unsuccessful in sundry apprehensions1 but in others it fared with him after the manner of men1 the sagacity of his imagination failing him1 as well as the anxiety of reason1 does others of like integrity with himself4#bb ,footnote #bb3 ,students of ,boehme have been few and far between4 ,edward ,taylor appears to have been ,boehme's most distinguished disciple in ,england before ,william ,law4 ,he published ,a ,compendious ,view of the ,teutonic ,philosophy4 ,london1 #afgj4 ,also ,jacob ,boehme's ,philosophy ,unfolded in divers ,considerations and ,demonstrations1 and a ,short ,account of his ,life4 ,london1 #afij4 ,john ,sparrow published ,boehme's ,tracts and ,epistles4 ,london1 #affb4 ,john ,pordage's ,theologia ,mystica1 or the ,mystic ,divinity of the ,eternal ,invisibles1 ,london1 #afhc1 is a rare volume4 ,,mr4 ,,walton',s ,,letter4 ,by ,theosophy ,i understand the true science of ,deity1 ,nature1 and ,creature4 ,there are two classes of theosophists1 or true mystic philosophers4 ,the one such as ,gichtel1 the editor of the first ,german edition of ,jacob ,boehme 7whose letters and life in seven volumes are now being translated into ,english1 and if the necessary funds can be raised they will be printed47 ,gichtel truly experimented the regenerated life of ,christianity according to the science thereof contained in ,boehme's writings2 ,bramwell fathomed ,christianity according to the simple prima facie representation thereof in the ,gospel2 in like manner in another form ,terstegan was also a high proficient therein1 as were also some of the ancient mystics and ascetics of ,france1 ,spain1 and ,germany1 as referred to in the ,cyclopedia4 ,in the path of ,gichtel there have been few and remote followers4 ,the other class is composed of those who have intellectually fathomed the scope of ,boehme's philosophy1 such as ,freher1 ,law1 ,lee1 ,pordage1 and others4 ,as to the pretended independent 'seers1' outsiders of ,boehme's revelations1--whose names need not be mentioned1--these are of course not to be admitted into the category of the standard theologists1 being mere phantasmatists or visionaries1 and who1 though uttering a great many good1 and to some recondite minds1 surprising things1 say in effect nothing but what is to be found in a much more solid and edifying form in the writings of ancient classic divines and philosophers4 ,as you will see by the accompanying printed papers1 ,i assert that for theosophy to have its true efficiency in the world1 there must not only be an intellectual acquaintance with all nature1 magical1 mental1 and physical1--all which is present in every point of sense and mental essence as revealed in ,boehme1--but there must be the actual realization of the translocated principles of man's threefold being into their original co-relative positions1 and this in high confirmed reality2 which is only another expression for the theological and alchymical term1 'regeneration4' ,and further1 ,i say1 there must therewith be a profound knowledge of the science and manifestation of animal magnetism4 ,as to spiritism1 of course at present theosophy has nothing to do with it1 except to contemplate the workings of the magia of the fantasy of the grounds of nature1 as shown in it4 ,i may just observe1 that1 if you are not acquainted with the facts1 you will find in ,v4 ,schubert1 a ,german ,professor1 some most interesting interpretations of and deductions from ,boehme's philosophy4 ,he is a truly ingenious elucidator of many of nature's secrets purely from his conception of ,boehme1 and for general reading in theosophy1 is much more interesting than ,baader1 who is very technical4 ,but1 as for myself1 ,i cannot derive from these or any other authors1 what my understanding requires that is beyond the manuscripts and printed authors in my sole possession4 ,those ,i have1 contain the philosophy of nature and creation far more lucidly and classically opened than is found in any modern publication1 for it is fundamentally demonstrated therein2 whereas in ,hamburger and others1 ,boehme is merely systematized1 leaving his profundities in their original abyss1 like ore in the mine2 whereas my authors work it all out as far as they could in their day4 ,i am and have been long engaged in preparing a compendium of the true principles of all ,being1 and setting forth all its stages up to the present time3 all which is a great mystery both to philosophy and science1 as you are doubtless aware4 ,it has never yet been done1 and is indeed the grand desideratum4 ,we have never yet been able to reconcile the seeming or allowed declaration of ,scripture concerning the creation1 with the ,newtonian philosophy1 and the disclosures of modern chymic1 electric1 and other sciences1 so as to present a solid1 united1 and convincing chain of the history of nature from the first point of mental essence1 to the present state of physical things4 ,and yet there must be such a history and knowledge thereof1 latent in the human mind1 and in the present daylight of theosophy and physical science1 capable of being educed thereout1 in a manner commending itself on the sight of it1 with almost the force of self-evidence1 though in some points appearing to clash with the seeming sense of ,scripture4 ,my labors are in the preparation of a series of symbolic illustrations 7like ,quarle's ,emblems71 whereby1 with the accompanying text1 to produce this kind of self-evident conviction4 ,of course ,i only open the procedure to the present time4 ,you may conceive the time and labor and expense entailed by such an effort4 ,also the fierce daily long discussions with an avowed and actual rationalist opponent1 whom ,i have for the purpose1 without which the truth or science cannot be made to rise up apprehensively in the mind1 and then only in a mind in which theosophical and modern scientific knowledge is1 as it were1 all in living activity1 like a magic looking-glass1 wherein the images are all living1 and can be called forth instantly into visibility1 as required by the formula of each successive consideration arising in the discussion1 or during private meditation and reading of ,boehme1 having an object in view4 ,the science of all things lies in the ,mind4 ,in ,newton this plant of ,jacob ,boehme was largely cultivated for his day2 but now1 by means of modern science1 the true history of all being can be brought forth as a complete logical tree4 ,and this is what the world wants1 a perfect philosophy and a perfect theology1 as one only sound of the word of nature4 ,this was the divine object in giving the last dispensation through ,boehme1 though this was such a chaos yet unavoidable4 ,from which revelation of the ground and mystery of all things have ensued all the grand regenerating discoveries of modern science1 as ,i have shown1 and can now more fully demonstrate4 ,all date from that new opened puncture of divine light in ,boehme4 ,i may just mention that ,i have a collection of all the chief editions of ,boehme1 in ,german1 ,dutch1 ,english1 and ,french1 together with other elucidations whereby to produce a new and most harmonious edition of ,boehme4 ,indeed such a thing cannot be accomplished without the means in my possession4 ,i also have at command with me the literary and critical knowledge requisite to produce a correct translation4 ,for there are numerous errors of sense in the ,german as in the ,english copies4 ,indeed in some cases the sense of the passage is not apprehensible4 ,i trust the world will call for this work before ,i die1 in order that ,i may have the pleasure of preparing1 or rather directing1 its accomplishment4 ,if ,i can procure a copy of the ,cyclopedia you write about1 ,i shall be happy to present it to you4#bc ,footnote #bc3 ,the ,cyclopedia of ,pure ,christian ,theology and ,theosophic ,science1 is to contain the works of ,boehme and his distinguished followers1 ,freher1 ,gechtel1 ,pordage1 ,lee1 ,law1 and others4 ,the first volume is already printed for private circulation1 and deposited in the chief libraries of ,europe and ,america4 ,it contains six hundred and eighty-eight closely printed pages1 chiefly of exposition and comment on ,boehme1 with biographical accounts of ,boehmists and of their works interspersed in voluminous notes4 ,i am1 dear ,sir1 ,yours very truly1 ,,christopher ,,walton4 ,,london1 #aeth ,february1 #ahfh4 ,the object of these publications1 says ,mr4 ,walton1 in his ,prospectus1 and of their distribution in the libraries of ,great ,britain and the ,united ,states1 is to induce and promote in a general manner1 the study of pure metaphysical science1 commencing at its root and ground in ,deity1 thence through all those principles of nature1 eternal and temporal1 of mind1 spirit1 and body1 which develop and concentre themselves in the form1 constitution1 and support of man1 as such1 with a view to render it subservient to its true end and design1 namely1 the radical purification of theology throughout the earth1 and the final resolution of it into a fixed and progressive science1 and art in its kind1 as contemplated and provided for by ,christianity4 ,for those interested in the history of ,mysticism1 ,vaughan's ,hours with the ,mystics1 published in ,london1 #ahef1 is an interesting volume1 full of information communicated by way of conversation1 and in an attractive style4 ,,crabbe ,,robinson',s ,,diary4 ,,thursday1 #ai4 ,crabbe ,robinson's ,diary is interesting2 all he tells us of ,landor1 ,wordsworth1 ,coleridge1 is especially so4 ,the book gives1 perhaps1 the best personal and literary picture of the times in which he lived4 ,few men had a wider circle of literary acquaintances than the author4 ,his book is a real addition to contemporary literature1 and shows the value of the ,diary for preserving in an attractive form what would otherwise have been lost to the world4 ,robinson is no ,boswell2 he knew what to omit1 what to commit to writing1 gave fair transcripts of what he saw1 without prepossession or prejudice4 ,,coleridge4 ,what ,robinson tells of ,coleridge is especially noticeable4 ,i used1 he says1 to compare him as a disputant to a serpent1--easy to kill if you assume the offensive2 but if you attack him1 his bite is mortal4 ,some time after writing this1 when ,i saw ,madame ,de ,stael1 in ,london1 ,i asked her what she thought of him4 ,she replied1 ',he is very great in monologue1 but he has no idea of dialogue4' ,perhaps not4 ,yet with his equal1 he would not have been found wanting in this respect4 ,less ,english than ,german in genius1 he would have been on terms of equality with thinkers of all times4 ,but for his introduction of ,german ideas into ,english literature1 we had waited a generation or more4 ,he comprehended and interpreted the ideas and methods of its great thinkers4 ,better than most1 he fulfilled ,plato's canon1 that only the gods discriminate and define4 ,i find him the most stimulating of modern ,british thinkers4 ,he had wider sympathies with pure thought1 and cast more piercing glances into its essence and laws than any contemporary4 ,i must repeat my sense of obligation to him for the quickening influence which the perusal of his pages always awakens1 at every paragraph making me his debtor for a thought1 an image1 which it were worth while to have lived for1 so stimulating is his phrase to imagination and reason alike2 scarcely less to understanding and memory4 ,if his mysticism tinge his speculations with its shifting hues1 and one threads the labyrinth into which he conducts with wonder and amazement1 he yet surrenders unreservedly to his guide1 sure of coming to the light1 with memorable experiences to reward him for the adventure4 ,his appreciation of the ,greek1 as of the ,teutonic genius1 is the more remarkable when we consider how rarely his countrymen have comprehended foreign ideas2 and that ,shakespeare even found in him his first interpreter4 ,in his ,literary ,remains1 we find these remarkable notes on the ,greek drama3-- ,it is truly singular that ,plato--whose philosophy and religion were both exotic at home1 and a mere opposition to the finite in all things1 genuine prophet and anticipator of the protestant era--should have given in his dialogue of the ,banquet a justification of our ,shakespeare4 ,for he relates that1 when all the other guests had either dispersed or fallen asleep1 ,socrates only1 together with ,aristophanes and ,agathon1 remained awake2 and that1 while he continued to drink with them out of a large goblet1 he compelled them1 though most reluctantly1 to admit that it was the business of one and the same genius to excel in tragic and comic poetry2 or1 that the tragic poet ought1 at the same time1 to contain within himself the powers of comedy4 ,now1 as this was certainly repugnant to the entire theory of the ancient critics1 and contrary to all their experience1 it is evident that ,plato must have fixed the eye of his contemplation on the innermost essentials of the drama1 abstracted from conditions of age and country4 ,in another passage he even adds the reason1 namely3 that opposites illustrate each other's nature1 and in their struggle draw forth the strength of the combatants1 and display the conquered as sovereign even in the territories of the rival power4 ,again3 ,the tragic poet idealizes his characters by giving to the spiritual part of our nature a more decided preponderance over animal cravings and impulses than is met with in real life2 the comic poet idealizes his characters by making the animal the governing power1 and the intellectual the mere instrument4 ,but as tragedy is not a collection of virtues and perfections1 but takes care only that the vices and imperfections shall spring from the passions1 errors1 and prejudices which arise of the soul2 so neither is comedy a mere crowd of vices and follies1 but whatever qualities it represents1 even though they are in a certain sense amiable1 it still displays them as having their origin in some dependence on our lower nature1 accompanied with a defect in true freedom of spirit and self-subsistence1 and subject to that unconnection by contradiction of inward being1 to which all folly is owing4 ,coleridge1 while writing this masterly analysis of the seats of the tragic and comic in man's inner being1 and with the text of ,plato and of ,shakespeare before him1 must have been contemplating the springs of his own defects1 the strength twinned with his weaknesses1 which ever made him the helpless demigod he was2 aspiring ever1 yet drawn downward by the leash of his frailties1 as tragic a character as any that ,shakespeare himself has drawn4 ,,selden',s ,,table ,,talk4 ,,tuesday1 #bd4 ,learned ,selden1 learned in civil and political wisdom as were few of his great contemporaries4 ,if his book of ,table ,talk has less repute than ,bacon's famous ,essays1 like that1 opened anywhere1 it displays the author's eminent discretion1 his comprehensive understanding1 apposite illustration of his theme4 ,his homely1 familiar manner1 has its attractions as well for the scholar as for the common reader2 pregnant as are his sentences with his great good sense1 rare learning1 bringing abstruse subjects home to the affairs of life in a style at once perspicuous and agreeable4 ,he was a person1 says ,lord ,clarendon1 whom no character can flatter1 or transmit in any expressions equal to his merit4 ,he was of such stupendous learning in all kinds of languages that a man would have thought he had been entirely conversant among books1 and had never spent an hour but in reading and writing4 ,yet his humanity1 courtesy1 and affability were such1 that he would have been thought to have been bred in the best courts1 but that his good-nature1 charity1 and delight in doing good1 and in communicating all he knew1 exceeded his breeding4 ,his style in all his writings seems harsh1 and sometimes obscure1 which is not wholly to be imputed to the abstruse subjects of which he commonly treated1 but to a little undervaluing of style1 and too much propensity to the language of antiquity2 but in his conversation he was the most clear discourser1 and had the best faculty of making hard things easy1 and of presenting them to the understanding1 of any man that hath been known4 ,coleridge1 who never let any person of eminence1 in thought or erudition1 escape his attention1 says3 ,there is more weighty bullion sense in this book 7,the ,table ,talk7 than ,i ever found in the same number of pages of any uninspired writer4 ,ben ,jonson addressed him thus3-- 444 ,you that have been ,ever at home1 yet have all countries seen1 ,and like a compass keeping one foot still ,upon your centre1 do your circle fill ,of general knowledge4444 ,i wondered at the richness1 but am lost ,to see the workmanship so excel the cost6 ,to mark the excellent seasoning of your style1 ,and manly elocution6 not one while ,with horror rough1 then rioting with wit1 ,but to the subject still the colors fit1 ,in sharpness of all search1 wisdom choice1 ,newness of sense1 antiquity of voice6 ,i yield1 ,i yield4 ,the matter of your praise ,floods in upon me1 and ,i cannot raise ,a bank against it2 nothing but the round ,large clasp of nature such a wit can bound4 ,one's pen cannot be better drawn across paper1 than in transcribing some of his wise and pithy sayings3-- ,books4 ',tis good to have translators1 because they serve as a comment1 so far as the judgment of the man goes4 ,quoting of authors is most for matter of fact2 and then ,i cite them as ,i would produce a witness1 sometimes for a free expression2 and then ,i give the author his due1 and gain myself praise for reading him4 ,henry the ,eighth made a law that all men might read the ,scripture1 except servants2 but no woman except ladies and gentlewomen who had leisure and might ask somebody the meaning4 ,the law was repealed in ,edward ,sixth's days4 ,laymen have best interpreted the hard places in the ,bible1 such as ,scaliger1 ,grotius1 ,salmasius1 etc4 ,the text serves only to guess by2 we must satisfy ourselves fully out of the authors that lived about those times4 ,ceremony4 ,ceremony keeps up all things4 ',tis like a penny glass to a rich spirit1 or some excellent water2 without it the water were spilt1 the spirit lost4 ,damnation4 ,to preach long1 loud1 and damnation1 is the way to be cried up4 ,we love a man that damns us1 and we run after him to save us4 ,friends4 ,old friends are best4 ,king ,james used to call for his old shoes1 they were easiest to his feet4 ,language4 ,words must be fitted to a man's mouth4 ',twas well said of the fellow that was to make a speech for my ,lord ,mayor3 he desired to take measure of his lordship's mouth4 ,learning4 ,no man is wiser for his learning2 it may administer matter to work in1 or objects to work upon2 but wit and wisdom are born with a man4 ,power4 ,syllables govern the world4 ,reason4 ,the reason of a thing is not to be inquired after till you are sure the thing itself is so4 ,we commonly are at ',what's the reason of it8' before we are sure of the thing4 ',twas an excellent question of my ,lady ,cotton1 when ,sir ,robert ,cotton was magnifying of a shoe which was ,moses' or ,noah's1 and wondering at the strange shape and fashion of it1--',but1 ,mr4 ,cotton1' says she1 'are you sure it is a shoe8' ,religion4 ,religion is like the fashion2 one man wears his doublet slashed1 another laced1 another plain2 but every man has a doublet4 ,so every man has his religion4 ,we differ about trimming4 ,we look after religion as the butcher did after his knife1 when he had it in his mouth4 ,,woman4 ,,sunday1 #bi4 ,ever the feminine fades into mystery1 ,pales undistinguished into the powers of nature1 ,there working with earnest force in silence1 ,bashful and beautiful in its reserves4 ,divination seems heightened and raised to its highest power in woman1 like mercury1 the more sensitive to the breath of its atmosphere2--the most delicate metre of character1 as if in the finest persons1 the sex predominated to give the salient graces and gifts peculiar to woman4 ,the difference appears to be of bias1 not of positive power1 of thought and feeling differently disposed1 and where the extremes merge towards unity1 not easily discriminated4 ,still1 each preserves its distinctive traits under all differences1 neither being mistaken for the other4 ,a woman's thought is not taken for a man's1 nor the contrary2 though the outward expression were the same1 each preserves its sexual tone and color4 ,any seeming exceptions are counterfeits1 and confirm the law that sentiment is feminine1 thought masculine1 by whomsoever expressed2 neither can blend fully and confound the other under any metamorphosis1 sex being a constant factor individualizing the personality of souls4 ,the ancient philosophers had so good an opinion of the sex1 that they ascribed all sciences to the ,muses1 all sweetness and morality to the ,graces1 and prophetic inspiration to the ,sibyls4 ,women have been subject alike to the admiration and contempt of men4 ,it were handsomer to quote the poet's praises than blame1 the ,greek poets schylus1 ,sophocles1 and ,euripides especially4 ,i like to enrich my pages with some of their fine lines1 and not less for the new interest taken in the sex4 schylus4 ,wedlock is a state preordained of ,destiny1 and its ,obligations are more binding than an oath4 ,bite thy lips or ever thou speak words of impurity4 ,can heaven's fair beams show a fond wife a sight ,more welcome than her husband from his wars ,returned with glory1 when she opes the gate ,and springs to welcome him4 ,euripides4 ,men need not try where women fail4 ,to a father waxing old ,nothing is dearer than a daughter2 sons ,have spirits of a higher pitch1 but less inclined ,to sweet endearing tenderness4 ,happy is it so to place ,a daughter2 yet it pains a father's heart ,when he delivers to another's house ,a child1 the object of his tender care4 ,a wise man in his house should find a wife ,gentle and courteous1 or no wife at all4 ,with silence of the tongue ,and cheerfulness of look ,i entertained ,my husband2 where my province to command ,i knew1 and where to yield obedience to him4 ,when the wife endures ,the ungentle converse of a husband rude ,in manners1 in his person rude1 to die ,were rather to be wished4 ,if well accorded1 the connubial state ,from all its strings speaks perfect harmony2 ,if ill at home1 abroad the harsh notes jar1 ,and with rude discord wound the ear of peace4 ,for women are by nature formed ,to feel some consolation when their tongue ,gives utterance to the afflictions they endure4 ,o trebly blest the placid lot of those1 ,whose hearth-foundations are in pure love laid1 ,where husband's breast with tempered ardor glows1 ,and wife1 oft mother1 is in heart a maid4 ,sophocles4 ,note well a house that is prosperous among men1 and you ,will find virtue among its women folk4 ,seek not thy fellow-citizens to guide ,till thou canst order well thine own fireside4 ,,september4 ,while slowly o'er the hills ,the unnerved day piles his prodigious sunshine4 ,here be gardens of ,hesperian mould1 ,recesses rare1 temples of birch and fern1 ,perfumes of light-green sumac1 ivy thick1 ,and old stone fences tottering to their fall1 ,and gleaming lakes that cool invite the bath1 ,and most aerial mountains for the ,west4 --,channing4 ,illustration ,,walden ,,pond4 ,,monday1 #f4 ,to ,walden with ,may1 who takes a pencil sketch for her collection4 ,thoreau's hermitage has disappeared1 and the grounds are overgrown with pines and sumac1 leaving the site hardly traceable4 ,the shores of ,walden are as sylvan as ever near ,thoreau's haunt1 but have been shorn of wood on the southern side4 ,no spot of water in these parts has a more interesting history4 ,it well deserved the poet's praises while ,thoreau dwelt on its shores4 ,it is not far beyond the village church1 ,after we pass the wood that skirts the road1 ,a lake1--the blue-eyed ,walden1--that doth smile ,most tenderly upon its neighbor pines1 ,and they as if to recompense this love1 ,in double beauty spread their branches forth4 ,this lake has tranquil loveliness and breadth1 ,and of late years has added to its charms1 ,for one attracted to its pleasant edge ,has built himself a little hermitage1 ,where with much piety he passes life4 ,more fitting place ,i cannot fancy now1 ,for such a man to let the line run off ,the mortal reel1 such patience hath the lake1 ,such gratitude and cheer are in the pines4 ,but more than either lake or forest's depths ,this man has in himself3 a tranquil man1 ,with sunny sides where well the fruit is ripe1 ,good front1 and resolute bearing to this life1 ,and some serener virtues1 which control ,this rich exterior prudence1 virtues high1 ,that in the principles of things are set1 ,great by their nature and consigned to him1 ,who1 like a faithful merchant1 does account ,to ,god for what he spends1 and in what way4 ,thrice happy art thou1 ,walden6 in thyself1 ,such purity is in thy limpid springs2 ,in those green shores which do reflect in thee1 ,and in this man who dwells upon thy edge1 ,a holy man within a hermitage4 ,may all good showers fall gently into thee2 ,may thy surrounding forests long be spared1 ,and may the dweller on thy tranquil shores ,here lead a life of deep tranquillity1 ,pure as thy waters1 handsome as thy shores1 ,and with those virtues which are like the stars4 ,when ,i first paddled a boat on ,walden1 wrote ,thoreau1 it was completely surrounded by thick and lofty pine and oak woods1 and in some spots1 coves of grape vines had run over the trees and formed bowers under which a boat could pass4 ,the hills which form its shore are so steep1 and the woods on them so high1 that as you looked down the pond from the west end1 it had the appearance of an amphitheatre4 ,for some kind of sylvan spectacle1 ,i have spent many an hour when ,i was younger1 floating over its surface as the zephyr willed1 having paddled my boat to the middle1 and lying on my back across the seats in a summer forenoon1 and looking into the sky1 dreaming awake until ,i was aroused by my boat touching the sand1 and ,i arose to see what shore my fates had impelled me to4 ,in these days1 when idleness was the most attractive and productive industry1 many a forenoon have ,i stolen away1 preferring to spend thus the most valued part of the day4 ,for ,i was rich1 if not in money1 in sunny hours and summer days1 and spent them lavishly4 ,nor do ,i regret that ,i did not waste more of them behind a counter1 or in a workshop1 or at the teacher's desk1 in which last two places ,i have spent many of them4 ,i must say that ,i do not know what made me leave the pond4 ,i left it as unaccountably as ,i went to it4 ,to speak sincerely1 ,i went there because ,i had got ready to go4 ,i left it for the same reason4 ,these woods6 why do ,i not feel their being cut more freely8 ,does it not affect me nearly8 ,the axe can deprive me of much4 ,concord is sheared of its pride4 ,i am certain by the loss attached to my native town in consequence1 one and a main link is broken4 ,i shall go to ,walden less frequently4 ,look out what window ,i will1 my eyes rest in the distance on a forest4 ,is this circumstance of no value8 ,why such pains in old countries to plant gardens and parks8 ,a certain sample of wild nature1 a certain primitiveness8 ,the towns thus bordered with a fringe and tasselled border1 each has its preservers4 ,methinks the town should have more supervisors to control its parks than it has4 ,it concerns us all whether these proprietors choose to cut down all the woods this winter or not4 ,i love to look at ,ebby ,hubbard's oaks and pines on the hillside from ,brister's ,hill1 and am thankful that there is one old miser who will not sell or cut his woods1 though it is said that they are wasting4 ',it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good4' ,walk round ,walden ,pond these warm winter days4 ,the wood-chopper finds that the wood cuts easier than when it had the frost in it1 though it does not split so readily4 ,thus every change in the weather has its influence on him1 and is appreciated by him in a peculiar way4 ,the wood-cutter and his practices and experiences are more to be attended to2 his accidents1 perhaps1 more than any others1 should mark the epochs in a winter's day4 ,now that the ,indian is gone1 he stands nearest to nature4 ,who has written the history of his day8 ,how far still is the writer of books from the man1 his old playmate1 it may be1 who chops in the woods8 ,there are ages between them4 ,homer refers to the progress of the wood-cutter's work to mark the time of day on the plains of ,troy4 ,and the inference from such premises commonly is1 that he lived in a more primitive state of society than the present4 ,but ,i think this is a mistake4 ,like proves like in all ages1 and the fact that ,i myself should take pleasure in preferring the simple and peaceful labors which are always proceeding2 that the contrast itself always attracts the civilized poet to what is rudest and most primitive in his contemporaries2--all this rather proves a certain interval between the poet and the wood-chopper1 whose labor he refers to1 than an unusual nearness to him1 on the principle that familiarity breeds contempt4 ,homer is to be subjected to a very different kind of criticism from any he has received4 ,that reader who most fully appreciates the poet1 and derives the greater pleasure from his work1 lives in circumstances most like those of the poet himself4 ,this afternoon ,i throw off my outside coat1 a mild spring day4 ,i must hie me to the meadows4 ,the air is full of bluebirds4 ,the ground is almost entirely bare4 ,the villagers are out in the sun1 and every man is happy whose work takes him out-of-doors4 ,i go by ,sleepy ,hollow towards the great fields4 ,i lean over a rail to hear what is in the air1 liquid with the bluebird's warble4 ,my life partakes of infinity4 ,the air is deep as our natures4 ,is the drawing in of this vital air attended with no more glorious results than ,i witness8 ,the air is a velvet cushion against which ,i press my ear4 ,i go forth to make new demands on life4 ,i wish to begin this summer well4 ,to do something in it worthy and wise4 ,to transcend my daily routine and that of my townsmen1 to have my immortality now1--that it be in the quality of my daily life1--to pay the greatest price1 the greatest tax of any man in ,concord1 and enjoy the most6 ,i will give all ,i am for my nobility4 ,i will pay all my days for my success4 ,i pray that the life of this spring and summer may be fair in my memory4 ,may ,i dare as ,i have never done4 ,may ,i purify myself anew as with fire and water1 soul and body4 ,may my melody not be wanting to the season4 ,may ,i gird myself to be a hunter of the beautiful1 that nought escape me4 ,may ,i attain to a youth never attained4 ,i am eager to report the glory of the universe3 may ,i be worthy to do it2 to have got through regarding human values1 so as not to be distracted from regarding divine values4 ,it is reasonable that a man should be something worthier at the end of the year than he was at the beginning4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a delightful volume might be compiled from ,thoreau's ,journals by selecting what he wrote at a certain date annually1 thus giving a calendar of his thoughts on that day from year to year4 ,such a book would be instructive in many ways1--to the naturalist1 the farmer1 woodman1 scholar2 and as he was wont to weave a sensible moral into his writings1 it would prove a suggestive treatise on morals and religion also4 ,not every preacher takes his text from his time1 his own eyes1 ears1 and feet1 in his sensible1 superior manner4 ,,the ,,ideal ,,church4 ,,monday1 #ac4 ,the divinity students come according to appointment and pass the day4 ,it is gratifying to be sought by thoughtful young persons1 especially by young divines1 and a hopeful sign when graduates of our schools set themselves to examining the foundations of their faith2 the ceilings alike with underpinnings of the world's religious ideas and institutions1 their genesis and history4 ,plainly1 the drift of thinking here in ,new ,england1 if not elsewhere1 is towards a ,personal ,theism1 inclusive of the faiths of all races1 embodying the substance of their ,sacred ,books1 with added forms and instrumentalities suited to the needs of our time4 ,the least curious observer 7,i tell my visitors7 cannot fail to see that at no previous period in our religious history1 had so profound and anxious inquiries been made into the springs and foundations of spiritual truths4 ,the signs of our time indicate that we are on the eve of a recasting of the old forms4 ,always there had been two divisions in the theological as in the political and social spheres1--the conservative and the radically progressive4 ,this division marks itself at the present1 so sweeping is the wave of religious speculation1 not only among professed ,christians1 but among the thoughtful outside of churches4 ,wherever we look1 earnest men are pondering in what manner they can best serve ,god and man4 ,let us discriminate religious truth from mere opinions4 ,the fruit of temperament1 culture1 individuality1 these are wont to be local1 narrow1 exclusive4 ,the planting of a church to which all men can subscribe1 demands a common bond of sympathy1 the feeling of brotherhood1 mutual respect1 peculiarities1 culture1 respect for old and young4 ,such is the bond of union for the ,new ,church4 ,the essence of all creeds is ,god1 ,personal1 ,incarnate1 without whom a church and divine worship were impossible4 ,not to enter into the metaphysics of creeds and philosophy of systems1 let us sketch an outline of our ,ideal ,church4 ,our forms are of the past1 not ,american4 ,times modify forms4 ,the world of thought moves fast2 what is good for one time may ill suit another4 ,the culture of past ages is stealing into our present thought1 deepening1 widening it4 ,sects are provincial1 geographical2 the coming church is to speak to every need1 every power of humanity4 ,a revelation is not a full revelation which fails to touch the whole man1 quicken all his powers into beauty and strength of exercise4 ,first1 of the architecture4 ,let this represent the essential needs of the soul4 ,our dwelling-houses best typify the tender domesticities of life2 let the church edifice embody more of this familiar love4 ,in the ordering of the congregation1 let age have precedence2 give the front seats to the eldest members2 let families sit together1 so that the element of family affection be incorporated in the worship4 ,an arrangement of the pews in semicircles will bring all more nearly at equal gradation of distance from the speaker1 whose position is best slightly elevated above the congregation4 ,pictures and statues1 representing to the senses the grand events of the religious history of the past1 may be an essential part of the church furniture2 the statues embodying the great leaders of religious thought of all races4 ,these are not many2 the world owes its progress to a few persons4 ,the divine order gives one typical soul to a race4 ,let us respect all races and creeds1 as well as our own2 read and expound their sacred books like our ,scriptures4 ,constituting a body of comparative divinity1 each is a contribution to the revelation made to mankind from time to time4 ,could any one well remain exclusive or local in his thought from such studies and teachings8 ,christianity1 as the religion of the most advanced nations1 is fast absorbing the beauty1 the thought1 the truth of other religions1 and this fact should find expression also4 ,let there be frequent interchange of preachers and teachers1 since few can speak freshly to the same congregation for every ,sunday in the year2 only the freshest thought1 the purest sentiments1 were their due4 ,let the services be left to the speaker's selection4 ,let the music be set to the best lyrical poetry of all ages1 poems sometimes read or recited as part of the services4 ,as for prayer1 it may be spoken from an overflowing heart1 may be silent1 or omitted at the option of the minister4 ,let the children have a larger share in the religious services than hitherto2 one half of the day be appropriated to them4 ,who can speak to children can address angels2 true worship is childlike4 ,all nations1 said ,luther1 the ,jews especially1 school their children more faithfully than ,christians4 ,and this is one reason why religion is so fallen4 ,for till its hopes of strength and potency are ever committed to the generation that is coming on to the stage4 ,and if this is neglected in its youth1 it fares with ,christianity as with a garden that is neglected in the spring-time4 ,there is no greater obstacle in the way of piety than neglect in the training of the young4 ,if we would reinstate religion in its former glory1 we must improve and elevate the children1 as it was done in days of old4#bd ,footnote #bd3 ,it appears from ,letchford's ,plain ,dealings concerning ,new ,england1 that the church in ,concord was the first in the colony that adopted the practice of catechising the children on ,sundays4 ,the unmarried people1 he says1 were also required to answer questions1 after which ,mr4 ,bulkeley gave expositions and made applications to the whole congregation4 ,and this practice soon found its way into all the churches1 became a part of the ,sunday service in the church1 in the family at last4 ,from these it passed1 subsequently1 into the schools1 a part of ,saturday forenoon being devoted to recitations1 and where the parents were of different persuasions1 the teachers heard these from the ,westminster1 or ,church of ,england catechisms1 accordingly4 ,some of us remember committing both to memory1 and having the benefit of so much comparative divinity as these furnished at that early age4 ,,collyer4 ,our young divines may study ,beecher and ,collyer1 if they will learn the types of preaching which the people most enjoy and flock to hear4 ,collyer1 without pretension to eloquence1 is most eloquent in his plain1 homely1 human way4 ,he meets his audience as the iron he once smote1 and his words have the ring of true steel4 ,he speaks from crown to toe1 and with a delightful humor that gives his rhetoric almost a classic charm1 his ,yorkshire accent adding to the humane quality of his thought4 ,there is as little of scholarly pretence as of priestly assumption in his address1 and he makes his way by his placid strength1 clear intelligence1 breadth of sympathy1 putting the rhetoric of the schools to the blush4 ,,beecher4 ,i once entered ,beecher's church with a friend who was not often seen in such sanctuaries4 ,aisles1 body1 galleries1 every slip1 every chair1 all were occupied1 many left standing4 ,the praise1 the prayer1 the christening1--there were a dozen babes presented for baptism1--all were devout1 touching1 even to tears at times4 ,i know ,i wept1 while my friend was restive1 fancying himself1 as he declared1 in some ,pagan fane4 ,the services all seemed becoming1 however4 ,here was no realm of ,drowsy ,head4 ,the preaching was the more effective for its playfulness1 point1 strength1 pertinency4 ,coming from the heart1 the doctrine found the hearts of its hearers4 ,the preacher showed his good sense1 too1 in omitting the trite phrases and traditions1 speaking straight to his points in plain1 homely speech1 that carried the moral home to its mark4 ,it was refreshing to get a touch of human nature1 the preaching so often failing in this respect4 ,the speaker took his audience along with him by his impetuosity1 force of momentum1 his wit playing about his argument1 gathering power of persuasion1 force of statement as he passed4 ,his strong sense1 broad humanity1 abounding animal spirits1 humor1 anecdote1 perhaps explain the secret of his power and popularity4 ,,ideals4 ,,sunday1 #ai4 ,our instincts are idealists4 ,contradicting impressions of the senses1 they prompt us forth to the noblest aims and endeavors4 ,aspirants for the best1 they prick us forward to its attainment1 the more successfully as our theories of life lift us above the planes of precedent and routine1 whereon the senses confine us1 to the mount of vision and of renovating ideas4 ,nor are these too lofty or too beautiful to be unattainable4 ',tis when practice strays wide and falls below that they appear visionary and fall into disrepute4 ,only those who mount the summits command the valleys at their base4 ,when we ourselves from our own selves do quit1 ,and each thing else1 then an all-spreading love ,to the vast universe our soul doth fit1 ,makes us half equal to all-seeing ,jove2 ,our mighty wings1 high-stretched1 then clapping light1 ,we brush the stars1 and make them seem more bright4 ,enthusiasm is essential to the successful attainment of any high endeavor2 without which incentive one is not sure of his equality to the humblest undertaking even4 ,and he attempts little worth living for if he expects completing his task in an ordinary life-time4 ,his translation is for the continuance of his work here begun1 but for whose completion time and opportunity were all too narrow and brief4 ,himself is the success or failure4 ,step by step one climbs the pinnacles of excellence2 life itself is but the stretch for that mountain of holiness4 ,opening here with humanity1 'tis the aiming at divinity in ever-ascending circles of aspiration and endeavor4 ,who ceases to aspire1 dies4 ,our pursuits are our prayers2 our ideals our gods4 ,and the more persistent our endeavors to realize these1 the less distant they seem4 ,they were not gods could we approach them at once4 ,we were the atheists of our senses without them4 ,all of beauty and of beatitude we conceive and strive for1 ourselves are to be sometime4 ,man becomes godlike as he strives for divinity1 and divinity ever stoops to put on humanity and deify mankind4 ,character is mythical4 ,the excellent are unapproachable save by like excellence4 ,a person every way intelligible falls short of our conception of greatness2 he ceases to be great in our eyes4 ,god is not ,god in virtue of attributes1 but of the mystery surrounding these4 ,could we see through the cloud that envelopes our apprehensions1 he were here1 and ourselves apparent in his likeness4 ,god1 says ,plato1 is ineffable1 hard to be defined1 and having been discovered1 to make fully known4 ,he is above the sphere of our esteem1 ,and is best known in not defining him4 ,any attempted definition would include whatsoever is embraced within our notion of ,personality1--would exhaust our knowledge of nature and of ourselves4 ,only as we become ,one ,personally with ,him do we know ,him and partake of his attributes4 ,in the soul of man1 says ,berkeley1 prior and superior to intellect1 there is a somewhat of a higher nature1 by virtue of which we are one1 and by means of which we are most clearly joined to the ,deity4 ,and as by our intellect we touch the divine intellect1 even so by our oneness1 'the very flower of our essence1' as ,proclus expresses it1 we touch the ,first ,one4 ,existence and ,one are the same4 ,and consequently1 our minds participate so far of existence as they do of unity4 ,but it should seem the personality is the indivisible centre of the soul1 or mind1 which is a monad1 so far forth as she is a person4 ,therefore ,person is really that which exists1 inasmuch as it partakes of the divine unity4 ,number is no object of sense1 but an act of the mind4 ,the same thing in a different conception is one or many4 ,comprehending ,god and the creatures in one general notion1 we may say that all things together make one universe4 ,but if we should say that all things make one ,god1 this would indeed be an erroneous notion of ,god1 but would not amount to atheism1 so long as mind1 or intellect1 was admitted to be the governing part4 ,it is1 nevertheless1 more respectful1 and consequently the truer notion of ,god1 to suppose ,him neither made up of parts1 nor himself to be a part of any whole whatsoever4 ,,the ,,search ,,after ,,god4#be ,footnote #be3 ,by ,thomas ,heywood1 #aeij4 ,i sought ,thee round about1 ,o thou my ,god6 ,in thine abode1 ,i said unto the earth1 ',speak1 art thou ,he8' ,she answered me1 ',i am not4' ,i inquired of creatures all ,in general ,contained therein2 they with one voice proclaim ,that none amongst them challenged such a name4 ,i asked the seas and all the deeps below1 ,my ,god to know2 ,i asked the reptiles and whatever is ,in the abyss2 ,even from the shrimp to the leviathan ,inquiry ran1-- ,but in those deserts which no line can sound1 ,the ,god ,i sought for was not to be found4 ,i asked the air if that were ,he8 but1 lo1 ,it told me1 ,no4 ,i from the towering eagle to the wren ,demanded then ,if any feathered fowl 'mongst them were such8 ,but they all1 much ,offended with my question1 in full choir ,answered1 ',to find thy ,god thou must look higher4' ,i asked the heavens1 sun1 moon and stars2 but they ,said1 ',we obey ,the ,god thou seek'st4' ,i asked what eye or ear ,could see or hear2 ,what in the world ,i might descry or know ,above1 below8 ,with an unanimous voice1 all these things said1 ',we are not ,god1 but we by ,him were made4' ,i asked the world's great universal mass ,if that ,god was8 ,which with a mighty and strong voice replied ,as stupefied1 ',i am not ,he1 ,o man6 for know that ,i ,by ,him on high ,was fashioned first of nothing1 thus inflated1 ,and swayed by ,him by whom ,i was created4' ,i sought the court1 but smooth-tongued flattery there ,deceived each ear3 ,in the thronged city there was selling1 buying1 ,swearing and lying1-- ,in the country1 craft in simpleness arrayed2 ,and then ,i said1 ',vain is my search1 although my pains be great1 ,where my ,god is there can be no deceit4' ,a scrutiny within myself ,i then ,even thus began3 ',o man1 what art thou8' ,what more could ,i say1 ,than dust and clay8 ,frail mortal1 fading1 a mere puff1 a blast ,that cannot last1-- ,enthroned to-day1 to-morrow in an urn1 ,formed from that earth to which ,i must return4 ,i asked myself1 what this great ,god might be ,that fashioned me8 ,i answered1 the all-potent1 solely immense1 ,surpassing sense1 ,unspeakable1 inscrutable1 eternal1 ,lord over all2 ,the only terrible1 strong1 just and true1 ,who hath no end1 and no beginning knew4 ,he is the well of life1 for ,he doth give ,to all that live ,both breath and being2 he is the ,creator ,both of the water1 ,earth1 air and fire2 of all things that subsist1 ,he hath the list2 ,of all the heavenly host1 or what earth claims1 ,he keeps the scroll1 and calls them by their names4 ,and now1 my ,god1 by thine illumining grace1 ,thy glorious face 7,so far forth as it may discovered be7 ,methinks ,i see2 ,and though invisible and infinite ,to human sight1 ,thou in thy mercy1 justice1 truth1 appearest1 ,in which to our weak senses thou com'st nearest4 ,o1 make us apt to seek and quick to find ,thou ,god most kind6 ,give us love1 hope1 and faith in thee to trust1 ,thou ,god most just6 ,remit all our offences1 we entreat1 ,most ,good1 most ,great6 ,grant that our willing1 though unworthy quest1 ,may through thy grace admit us 'mongst the blest4 ,illustration ,,messrs4 ,,roberts ,,brothers' ,,publications4 ,,tablets4 ,by ,a4 ,,bronson ,,alcott4 ,,contents4 ,,book ,i4--,,practical4--,the ,garden4 ,recreation4 ,fellowship4 ,friendship4 ,culture4 ,books4 ,counsels4 ,,book ,,ii4--,,speculative4--,instrumentalitie s4 ,mind4 ,genesis4 ,metamorphoses4 ,this book of practical and speculative essays invites us to the sunshine1 the delightful atmosphere1 'the cool retreats1' and the quiet of the country4--,cincinnati ,chronicle4 ,like ',walden1' it will be bought and read1 year by year1 by the select few for whom it was written4--,hartford ,courant4 ,this book addresses us in a tone of remarkable serenity and repose1 strangely contrasting with the lively bustle of the age and land we live in4--,new ,york ,times4 ,the moral qualities of ,mr4 ,alcott have probably more to do with the secret of his influence than his peculiar mental endowments4 ,every page of his writings evinces a singularly pure and unworldly character4 ,they appear more like leaves torn from some fragrant antique volume1 than the products of this competitive1 rapacious age4 ,they transport us to some peaceful island beyond the reach of the ambitions and rivalries of the day4 ,he lives in a serene atmosphere1 free from all secular perturbations4 ,no earthly stain discolors the spotless whiteness of his soul4 ,it is no wonder that he is listened to in speechless reverence by an esoteric circle1 and that his words are clothed with an authority beyond the power of gaudy rhetoric or purely intellectual demonstration4--,new ,york ,tribune4 #a vol4 #afmo4 ,cloth1 gilt top1 #a4ej2 with photographic title and portrait1 #b4jj2 same1 gilt edges1 #b4ej4 ,sold everywhere4 ,mailed1 postpaid1 by the ,publishers1 ,,roberts ,,brothers1 ,,boston4 ,,make ,,their ,,acquaintance2 ,,for ,,amy ,,will ,,be ,,found ,,delightful1 ,,beth ,,very ,,lovely1 ,,meg ,,beautiful1 ,,and ,,jo ,,splendid6--,the ,catholic ,world4 ,,little ,,women4 ,by ,,louisa ,m4 ,,alcott4 ,in ,two ,parts4 ,price of each #a4ej4 ,simply one of the most charming little books that have fallen into our hands for many a day4 ,there is just enough of sadness in it to make it true to life1 while it is so full of honest work and whole-souled fun1 paints so lively a picture of a home in which contentment1 energy1 high spirits1 and real goodness make up for the lack of money1 that it will do good wherever it finds its way4 ,few will read it without lasting profit4--,hartford ,courant4 ,,little ,,women4 ,by ,louisa ,m4 ,alcott4 ,we regard these volumes as two of the most fascinating that ever came into a household4 ,old and young read them with the same eagerness4 ,lifelike in all their delineations of time1 place1 and character1 they are not only intensely interesting1 but full of a cheerful morality1 that makes them healthy reading for both fireside and the ,sunday school4 ,we think we love ,jo a little better than all the rest1 her genius is so happy tempered with affection4--,the ,guiding ,star4 ,the following verbatim copy of a letter from a little woman is a specimen of many which enthusiasm for her book has dictated to the author of ,little ,women3-- ----,march #ab1 #ahgj4 ,,dear ,,jo1 ,,or ,,miss ,,alcott1--,we have all been reading ,little ,women1 and we liked it so much ,i could not help wanting to write to you4 ,we think you are perfectly splendid2 ,i like you better every time ,i read it4 ,we were all so disappointed about your not marrying ,laurie2 ,i cried over that part1--,i could not help it4 ,we all liked ,laurie ever so much1 and almost killed ourselves laughing over the funny things you and he said4 ,we are six sisters and two brothers2 and there were so many things in ,little ,women that seemed so natural1 especially selling the rags4 ,eddie is the oldest2 then there is ,annie 7our ,meg71 then ,nelly 7that's me71 ,may and ,milly 7our ,beths71 ,rosie1 ,rollie1 and dear little ,carrie 7the baby74 ,eddie goes away to school1 and when he comes home for the holidays we have lots of fun1 playing cricket1 croquet1 base ball1 and every thing4 ,if you ever want to play any of those games1 just come to our house1 and you will find plenty children to play with you4 ,if you ever come to ----1 ,i do wish you would come and see us1--we would like it so much4 ,i have named my doll after you1 and ,i hope she will try and deserve it4 ,i do wish you would send me a picture of you4 ,i hope your health is better1 and you are having a nice time4 ,if you write to me1 please direct ---- ,ill4 ,all the children send their love4 ,with ever so much love1 from your affectionate friend1 ,,nelly4 ,mailed to any address1 postpaid1 on receipt of the advertised price4 ,,roberts ,,brothers1 ,,publishers1 ,boston ,,an ,,old-,,fashioned ,,girl4 ,,by ,,louisa ,m4 ,,alcott4 ,with ,illustrations4 ,price #a4ej4 ,miss ,alcott has a faculty of entering into the lives and feelings of children that is conspicuously wanting in most writers who address them2 and to this cause1 to the consciousness among her readers that they are hearing about people like themselves1 instead of abstract qualities labelled with names1 the popularity of her books is due4 ,meg1 ,jo1 ,beth1 and ,amy are friends in every nursery and schoolroom1 and even in the parlor and office they are not unknown2 for a good story is interesting to older folks as well1 and ,miss ,alcott carries on her children to manhood and womanhood1 and leaves them only on the wedding-day4--,mrs4 ,sarah ,j4 ,hale in ,godey's ,ladies' ,book4 ,we are glad to see that ,miss ,alcott is becoming naturalized among us as a writer1 and cannot help congratulating ourselves on having done something to bring about the result4 ,the author of ',little ,women' is so manifestly on the side of all that is 'lovely1 pure1 and of good report' in the life of women1 and writes with such genuine power and humor1 and with such a tender charity and sympathy1 that we hail her books with no common pleasure4 ',an ,old-,fashioned ,girl' is a protest from the other side of the ,atlantic against the manners of the creature which we know on this by the name of 'the ,girl of the ,period2' but the attack is delivered with delicacy as well as force4--,the ,london ,spectator4 ,a charming little book1 brimful of the good qualities of intellect and heart which made ',little ,women' so successful4 ,the ',old-,fashioned ,girl' carries with it a teaching specially needed at the present day1 and we are glad to know it is even already a decided and great success4--,new ,york ,independent4 ,miss ,alcott's new story deserves quite as great a success as her famous ,little ,women1 and we dare say will secure it4 ,she has written a book which child and parent alike ought to read1 for it is neither above the comprehension of the one1 nor below the taste of the other4 ,her boys and girls are so fresh1 hearty1 and natural1 the incidents of her story are so true to life1 and the tone is so thoroughly healthy1 that a chapter of the ',old-,fashioned ,girl' wakes up the unartificial better life within us almost as effectually as an hour spent in the company of good1 honest1 sprightly children4 ,the ,old-,fashioned ,girl1 ,polly ,milton1 is a delightful creature6--,new ,york ,tribune4 ,gladly we welcome the ',old-,fashioned ,girl' to heart and home6 ,joyfully we herald her progress over the land6 ,hopefully we look forward to the time when our young people1 following her example1 will also be old-fashioned in purity of heart and simplicity of life1 thus brightening like a sunbeam the atmosphere around them4--,providence ,journal4 ,mailed1 postpaid1 on receipt of the advertised price1 by the ,publishers1 ,,roberts ,,brothers1 ,boston ,,miss ,,alcott ,,is ,,really ,a ,,benefactor ,,of ,,households4--,h4 ,h4 ,,little ,,men3 ,life at ,plumfield with ,jo's ,boys4 ,by ,,louisa ,m4 ,,alcott4 ,with ,illustrations4 ,price #a4ej4 ,the gods are to be congratulated upon the success of the ,alcott experiment1 as well as all childhood1 young and old1 upon the singular charm of the little men and little women who have run forth from the ,alcott cottage1 children of a maiden whose genius is beautiful motherhood4--,the ,examiner4 ,no true-hearted boy or girl can read this book without deriving benefit from the perusal2 nor1 for that matter1 will it the least injure children of a larger growth to endeavor to profit by the examples of gentleness and honesty set before them in its pages4 ,what a delightful school ',jo' did keep6 ,why1 it makes us want to live our childhood's days over again1 in the hope that we might induce some kind-hearted female to establish just such a school1 and might prevail upon our parents to send us1 'because it was cheap4'444 ,we wish the genial authoress a long life in which to enjoy the fruits of her labor1 and cordially thank her1 in the name of our young people1 for her efforts in their behalf4--,waterbury ,american4 ,miss ,alcott1 whose name has already become a household word among little people1 will gain a new hold upon their love and admiration by this little book4 ,it forms a fitting sequel to ',little ,women1' and contains the same elements of popularity4444 ,we expect to see it even more popular than its predecessor1 and shall heartily rejoice at the success of an author whose works afford so much hearty and innocent enjoyment to the family circle1 and teach such pleasant and wholesome lessons to old and young4--,n4 ,y4 ,times4 ,suggestive1 truthful1 amusing1 and racy1 in a certain simplicity of style which very few are capable of producing4 ,it is the history of only six months' school-life of a dozen boys1 but is full of variety and vitality1 and the having girls with the boys is a charming novelty1 too4 ,to be very candid1 this book is so thoroughly good that we hope ,miss ,alcott will give us another in the same genial vein1 for she understands children and their ways4--,phil4 ,press4 ,a specimen letter from a little woman to the author of ,little ,men4 ,june #ag1 #ahga4 ,,dear ,,miss ,,alcott1--,we have just finished ,little ,men1 and like it so much that we thought we would write and ask you to write another book sequel to ,little ,men1 and have more about ,laurie and ,amy1 as we like them the best4 ,we are the ,literary ,club1 and we got the idea from ,little ,women4 ,we have a paper two sheets of foolscap and a half4 ,there are four of us1 two cousins and my sister and myself4 ,our assumed names are3 ,horace ,greeley1 ,president2 ,susan ,b4 ,anthony1 ,editor2 ,harriet ,b4 ,stowe1 ,vice-,president2 and myself1 ,anna ,c4 ,ritchie1 ,secretary4 ,we call our paper the ,saturday ,night1 and we all write stories and have reports of sermons and of our meetings1 and write about the queens of ,england4 ,we did not know but you would like to hear this1 as the idea sprang from your book2 and we thought we would write1 as we liked your book so much4 ,and now1 if it is not too much to ask of you1 ,i wish you would answer this1 as we are very impatient to know if you will write another book2 and please answer soon1 as ,miss ,anthony is going away1 and she wishes very much to hear from you before she does4 ,if you write1 please direct to ---- ,street1 ,brooklyn1 ,n4,y4 ,yours truly1 ,,alice ----4 ,mailed to any address1 postpaid1 on receipt of the advertised price1 by the ,publishers1 ,,roberts ,,brothers1 ,,boston ,transcriber's ,note -,italic text displayed as text4 -,silently changed mismatched single_/double quotes4 -,the typesetter varied usage of ',t is and ',tis4 ,i have changed all occurrences to the latter4 -,the typesetter indicated elliptical breaks between paragraphs and stanzas with a row of dots4 ,i have indicated these with a row of five mid-line dots4 -,change the ligature oe to oe4 -,page #aib3 ,for the paragraph starting ,one's foes4441 ,i moved the final quote to the end of the paragraph4 ,i found this quoted in two other sources3 ,an ,oracle of our ,day1 ,the ,century3 ,a ,popular ,quarterly1 ,vol4 #e1 #ahgc1 p4 #eag1 and ,franklin ,benjamin ,sandborn and ,william ,torrey ,harris1 ,a4 ,bronson ,alcott3 ,his ,life and ,philosophy1 ,vol4 #b1 #ahic1 p4 #daa4 -,spelling and word usage retained as they appear in the original publication1 except as follows3 ,,page ,,from ,,to v ,crashaws's ,ideal ,woman ,crashaw's ,ideal ,woman #fg winters' prime winter's prime #acf he is an antedote he is an antidote #add metaphysical renasissance metaphysical renaissance #aec system and termology system and terminology #afc commending absoluteism commending absolutism #afd conspire in the fulfiment conspire in the fulfilment #ahd indigo1 vermillion indigo1 vermilion #aij she becomes petulent she becomes petulant #bjc returning to consciousnsss returning to consciousness #bch revelations and arcanas revelations and arcana