Columbine with horn of honey, Wiser far than human seer, The titmouse taught Emerson not merely inward contentment when outside storms are raging, but positive gayety of mind. It is not the Stoic "grin and bear it," who usually succeeds in doing neither, but the determination to turn the obstacle into a source of amusement, so that instead of crushing us, it actually ministers to our health and happiness. He was out walking in a blizzard, and became not only perplexed as to his path, but alarmed at the thought that he might be lost. Suddenly he saw a titmouse, a "scrap of valor," who was not only not troubled by the raging elements, but was lit erally having the time of his life, doing setting-up exercises in the snow. In The Mountain and the Squirrel, he showed by a pleasantry the folly of all quantitative measurements; all things are equal in the divine scheme. Not all of Emerson's poems are inspired, but there is only one that sounds insincere, only one that shows more pose than poise. That's the piece beginning Goodbye, proud world, I'm going home, which, as might be expected, was written in his youth. He recovered quickly from that adolescent cynicism. The poem, Two Rivers, of which two stanzas should be quoted, illustrates his philosophy of thought, aroused by the contemplation of the quiet Few poems anywhere show more beauty stream. than the opening two lines: TWO RIVERS Thy summer voice, Musketaquit, But sweeter rivers pulsing flit Through thee, as thou through Concord Plain. Thou in thy narrow banks art pent: The stream I love unbounded goes Through flood and sea and firmament; Through light, through life, it forward flows. Essential to an understanding of his thought is The Problem, two lines from which are on his tomb. This expresses fittingly his idea of the OverSoul, the Divine Flux; that men are more passive than active, and men of genius most passive of all, being open to the Divine Influence. It is perhaps strange that this philosophical doctrine of Passivity should be held so tenaciously by one who was forever calling upon man to be independent, active, alert, and progressive. But it is vain to hope for consistency in any philosophy or in any philosopher. Emerson's own favourite among his poems is Daughters of Time. An author's choice is always interesting, and seldom ratified by his readers. I would not exchange The Humble-Bee for a hundred Daughters of Time. Although Emerson was an ardent American, and called upon America to have a scholarship and a philosophy of her own, his influence is steadily widening in Europe and in Asia. Maeterlinck has been profoundly affected by him, and contributed an essay upon him as an Introduction to a French translation. German works on Emerson have multiplied rapidly, and it is curious to see how strong an effect he had upon Nietzsche, whose Superman is a sinister reproduction of the Emersonian hero, a kind of devil's portrait. Apart from the thrilling beauty of isolated passages in Emerson's verse and prose, it is his spiritual leadership that has placed him among the Lights of the world. Who cares whether Arnold was right or wrong in his famous lecture? What difference does it make whether Emerson was a great writer or a great man who wrote? He inspires us under either classification. We love and honour him for what he has taught us, and his teaching has sunk so deeply into humanity that if every one of his books should be destroyed, his influence would go on its fructifying course through many generations. We have taken in Emerson with our mothers' milk. He has had a profounder effect on humanity than on schools of thought; he has more deeply affected individual lives than literary art. Mr. Woodberry says, "His is the only great mind that America has produced in literature." This is a hard saying, and one that was probably meant to be a challenge. But it is certain that his works expressed only a part of his mighty personality. He saw and felt things that could not be written. Mr. Woodberry also says, "He is the priest of those who have gone out of the church." Well, I have not gone out of the church, nor shall I until I am convinced that I am greater than the church. Why not rather call Emerson the great Ally of the church? He was surely not far from the kingdom of God. The best thing Matthew Arnold said of him was this: he is the friend of all those who would live in the spirit. VI THE AMERICAN HUMORIST WHE MARK TWAIN HEN I was a schoolboy in Hartford, I frequently saw Mark Twain on the street. He was so conspicuous that the jest of G. K. Chesterton will apply perfectly. Some admirer said to the Englishman, "It must be wonderful just to take a walk and have everybody know who you are." "Yes," replied Chesterton, "and if they don't know, they ask." The Englishman had been made noticeable by nature; the American by his own deliberate intention. Apparently he never had his hair cut; it fell in dark masses around his neck, and received his daily personal attention; in cold weather he wore a short coat of sealskin, with the fur side outside; in walking, he rolled widely to right and left, in the manner of a sailor in musical comedy. He was distinguishable one hundred yards away, and people who happened to turn around, waited for him to pass, then remained as if hypnotised, staring after his slowly diminishing figure. Those who had seen him before found him well worth seeing again; those who had never seen him asked the nearest by-stander who he was, and their already awakened curiosity received a tremendous lift by the answer. He was too much of a humorist to be conceited. |