USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts. 1630-1880, Vol. IV > Part 42
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From this episode of associated endeavor we turn to trace the influence of the new philosophical thought and tendency in other fields. It was
1 In the Phalanstery was a hall intended for meetings of the company, and to be used for reli- gious services by those who might so wish.
2 In the list of writers given in the first number we find the names of Albert Brisbane, W. H. Channing, C. P. Cranch, G. W. Curtis, C.
A. Dana, Parke Godwin, Horace Greeley, T. W. Higginson, G. Ripley, J. R. Lowell, F. G. Shaw, William W. Story, and J. G. Whittier. The trans- lations of George Sand's Consuelo and Countess of Rudolstadt, by F. G. Shaw, were printed first in this journal.
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PHILOSOPHIC THOUGHT IN BOSTON.
naturally felt in an especial manner in the Divinity School at Cambridge, although among its professors Mr. Norton was decidedly opposed, and oth- ers were by no means favorable, to it; but the students, as belonging to a younger generation, and moreover by their studies particularly occupied with questions of philosophy, were more open to its influence. Various circumstances, which brought the philosophy and literature of Germany to their acquaintance, served further to awaken interest. The coming of Dr. Follen as teacher of German, about 1826-27, had already given an impulse to the study of that language, and Dr. Hedge, then a student of the school, helped to spread it among his personal friends. The writings of Carlyle, in so far as they illustrated German literature and its distinguished representa- tives, also contributed much to stimulate taste and diffuse knowledge in this direction. Dr. Hedge's book of translations, Prose Writers of Germany, was another indication of this tendency. It is proper to connect the interest in the language, literature, and philosophy of Germany with the Transcendental tendency, as they were associated together in the popular mind, and looked upon alike with a vague dislike, suspicion, or dread, as closely connected with infidelity, or at best with mysticism, obscurity, absurdity, and nonsense, and tending to pernicious radicalism; so that the word German came to carry with it all sorts of ridiculous and extravagant associations,1- and to this some color was lent by the specimens from which the popular, but very slight and imperfect, notion had been derived. Such were the trans- lations of Schiller's Robbers, a work belonging to a very crude period of his life, and Goethe's Sorrows of Werther, which in itself, in some respects rather remote from the New England style of thought and sentiment, had the fur- ther disadvantage of being known from a poor and sickly French version, probably still further disfigured by its translation into English.
The books most in vogue at any period, and especially those which are favorites with the active and influential minds whose mission is to give character and direction to the prevalent thought, may be taken as indications of the tendencies of the time; and so we may fitly notice here some of those which were so regarded at that time.
Besides the taste for German literature and philosophy, the writings of Coleridge excited much interest and awakened a taste for profound and ab- stract thought on literary and philosophical subjects. First, his Biographia Literaria, and then, more exclusively philosophical, his Aids to Reflection, with the valuable introductory essay by President J. Marsh.2 This is more particularly addressed to those interested in questions of theology; but as it is written from the ground of the Transcendental philosophy, and pervaded by its spirit, it was not a small element in the influence in that direction. In this work the very important distinction of the Understanding and the Reason is much emphasized and insisted on; and this is of the very essence of that
1 The prevailing misapprehension was also many of the popular literary notions were de- aggravated by the unfavorable representations rived. of English Reviews, from which, at that time, 2 Published in Burlington, Vt., 1840.
VOL. IV. - 41.
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THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
philosophy, and the whole spirit of the work is very strong and decided in opposition to the sensuous system.
The works of Cousin also were favorite books, - the Introduction to Phi- losophy, translated by Professor C. Henry, and the Comparative View of the Different Philosophical Systems. His able and lucid criticism of Locke and his system, and of the philosophy of sensation and experience, was read and valued as pointing out the defects and tendencies of that system.
Besides the writings of Carlyle relating to German literature, other works of his awakened still greater interest, and had a still more inspiring influ- ence; among these, several articles in the Edinburgh Review,1 and the Sartor Resartus.2 It is hardly possible for those not contemporary with the first appearance in this country of Carlyle's earlier works to understand or appreciate the extent and vividness of this excitement. It was an era in the thought, experience, and culture of many, provoking in the same person the most opposite feelings, -'delight, admiration, sympathy, at the same time dissent, questioning, and opposition; and stimulating thought by the opposition thus aroused. There was also the charm of his style, then a nov- elty, so rich and strong, so picturesque and poetical, and at times marked by touching strains of tender humanity. We connect the taste for the writings of Carlyle with the history of thought in Boston, since they nowhere else found so early and cordial recognition ; 3 and this, we may presume, be- cause their tone was so much in harmony, in some respects, with the growing tendency among us. At the same time, like those of Mr. Emer- son, his writings aroused dislike and ridicule, so that with some of his younger admirers the reading of them was a sort of stolen pleasure. It was one of the jests of the day, ridiculing the tastes and enthusiasm of the young people, that in a group of school-girls the talk would be not of balls and beaux, but of Emerson and Carlyle.
Among the interesting features of this period was the Transcendental Club, of which Dr. Hedge, Mr. Emerson, Mr. Alcott, Mr. George Ripley, Théodore Parker, and some others were the founders. It was instituted with the object of bringing together those who agreed in general tendency of philosophical thought, or rather with the broader object of free and untram- melled discussion of questions of high moment then abroad in the com- munity. The meetings of this club, the character and arrangements of which were quite informal, usually took place at the time of the religious anniversaries, or of the Harvard Commencement. They were held at
1 " Characteristics," "Signs of the Times," " Burns," etc., -the first-named especially.
2 ['This first appeared serially in Fraser's Mag-
3 [Carlyle's will, but recently made public
says, in connection with a bequest of books which he makes to Harvard University : -
" Having with good reason, ever since my first appear-
azine, and was published for the first time in a. ance in literature, a variety of kind feelings, obligations, collected form in Boston, in 1836, at the instance of Dr. Le Baron Russell, and Rev. Wm. Silsbee, with an introduction by R. W. Emerson. - En.] and regards toward New England, and indeed long before that a hearty good will, real and steady, which still con- tinues, to America at large, and recognizing with gratitude how much of friendliness, of actually credible human love, 1 have had from that country," etc. -- ED.]
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PHILOSOPHIC THOUGHT IN BOSTON.
various residences of persons interested,- as of Mr. Parker in West Rox- bury, Caleb Stetson in Medford, Mr. Emerson at Concord, Dr. Francis at Watertown, or at Mr. Ripley's, Mr. Alcott's, and Dr. Bartol's, in Boston.1 The talk took a wide range, and was at times of a very inspiring character, relating to topics of religion, philosophy, morals, etc.2
There were few who occupied a more prominent position, or one of wider influence in the period of which we write, than Theodore Parker. His in- dependence of mind, his devotion to the cause of freedom and humanity in every aspect, and unshrinking courage in advocating and upholding their claims, and his interest in all knowledge and thought, with his warm, genial, and tender affection, made him a very noteworthy and efficient influence in these causes. His strong feeling against what he deemed errors of doc- trine, and his own ardent and uncompromising spirit, led him into the ranks of controversy ; and his language toward those whom he considered as faith- less or hostile to freedom of thought, or to the relief of humanity from its wrongs and burdens, was harsh and unsparing: but this did no justice to his really kind, tender, and loving nature. His biography has been amply given in various forms; to this paper it belongs to say something of his influence on the thought of his period. This was chiefly in the direction of theology and of moral and social reform. He made it his mission to ex- pose and attack the iniquities and falsehood that, in his view, are embodied in the present constitution of society; to assail the evils that oppress hu- manity and impede its progress, and more especially to expose and combat the errors that are mingled in the religious notions and institutions of the day, especially those which to him seemed to darken and disfigure our con- ceptions of the Divine Nature, and, though clothed in the garb of reverence and worship, to deface the pure, free, and beneficent character of Christi-
1 Besides those already mentioned, Miss Margaret Fuller, Miss Elizabeth Peabody, Mrs. Ripley of Waltham, the Rev. James Freeman Clarke, John S. Dwight, and others were some- times present.
2 One of these meetings, held in Boston, was rendered memorable by one of the remarkable and impressive outbursts of Father Taylor's elo- quence. The subject of discussion was, we think, something relating to the influence of preaching and of the administration of religion, and how they might be rendered more effective. Father Taylor, who was present by invitation, was re- quested to give his views and experience. He had been sitting silent while the others talked, knitting his brows, with his green spectacles thrown up on his forehead, leaning forward or shifting about on his chair, in the attitudes so familiar to those who remember him. When he began to speak he soon rose to his feet, and warming as he went on, in a sort of indignant or sorrowful eloquence, by-and-by took his hearers
off their feet, and they were carried away as by a flood. He rebuked the shortcomings of the various religious sects, not sparing his own, the Methodists; characterizing the faults or pe- culiarites of each with sarcastic wit, and a sort of grim but fervent satire. The points he made were commonplace enough perhaps, - namely, that all that is needed to move men is simple earnest- ness and living faith, and that this will conquer coldness and indifference in the hearers ; so that what he said was not so remarkable as the per- vading, fervent power of his utterance. When he got through, the company were so deeply im- pressed that they were for the most part disposed to entire silence, and though some desultory at- tempts were made to renew and continue the discussion, all other speech seemed so cold and hard after the glowing words they had heard, and so out of harmony with their mood, that the company soon broke up. [See Incidents and Anecdotes of the Rev. Edward T. Taylor, by G. Haven and T. Russell. Boston, 1872. - ED.]
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anity and its founder. Settled at first over a small parish in West Roxbury, he drew a number of hearers from abroad, many coming out from Boston to listen to his earnest and eloquent speech. What attracted these hearers was not, we think, any very remarkable original intellectual power, but a strong common-sense, entire freedom in exploring and judging of questions of religion, perfect fearlessness in uttering his thoughts, and above all an earnest spirit of humanity and a high moral purpose, united with a pro- foundly reverent spirit.
His sermon on the "Transient and Permanent in Christianity," at an ordination in South Boston (May 19, 1841), was the occasion of a strong outbreak of feeling against him. The doctrine which was the subject of this discourse was a favorite topic with him, - namely, the distinction on the one hand between the permanent and immortal element in Christianity, which is the true religion, suited to all times and all men, and destined to imper- ishable life, and which was taught by Jesus himself; and, on the other hand, the transient, consisting of the opinions of men, the dogmas and forms, the ecclesiastical arrangements, creeds, etc., which embody the notions of men about the absolute and eternal, and are destined to change from age to age. What most caused the commotion in the community and the churches was the freedom with which he spoke of the inspiration of the Scriptures and of the miracles there recorded. Many were shocked, many offended and irri- tated; and a sort of dismay, arising from various causes, pervaded the religious denomination with which he was connected, and, with few excep- tions, their ministers withdrew from ministerial intercourse with him. A warm and excited controversy followed; his opinions and utterances were denounced and opposed in various forms, and journals and pamphlets car- ried on the war. A few came out in the pulpit and elsewhere in his defence, and without assenting to his opinions declared themselves in favor of free and independent speech, and opposed his being excluded from the old in- tercourse merely on the ground of free utterance of opinions discordant with their own.
His views naturally spread in the train of the discussion, as this became more and more widely remarked and followed. A gift of clear and strong. statement helped their acceptance, so that they found ready access to many minds. The inspiration of the freedom with which he spoke, and assailed the opinions and dogmas which oppressed and hampered the minds of so many, attracted not a few. His ardent interest in the great questions of humanity then agitating society, especially that of slavery,1 commended to the ardent partisans in these matters his opinions on more abstract ques- tions. He was naturally connected with the Transcendental party, and gener- ally attended the meetings of the club before mentioned ; was connected with the publication of the Dial, for which he wrote much, and was associated in social intercourse and intimacy, as he was in the public mind, with many of the prominent members of that party.
1 [See James Freeman Clarke's chapter on " The Antislavery Movement." - ED.]
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PHILOSOPHIC THOUGHT IN BOSTON.
About the end of 1845 he was invited to preach to a congregation in Boston, to afford him the opportunity of teaching freely in a wider sphere, and where more could hear him, the views and doctrines now of so wide interest. He entered on this new position early in 1846. This society, which became known as the Twenty-eighth Congregational Society, met first in the Melodeon, afterward in the Music Hall, where for many years he preached to large multitudes with strong and stirring eloquence. Here he gave his views on religion and morals, and on the exciting topics of politics, especially slavery and the fugitive-slave law. On these occasions he at- tacked unsparingly some of the prominent and distinguished characters of the day, whom he considered treacherous to the cause of humanity.
These practical questions did not, however, draw him away from his theological studies ; and in the midst of the warfare he published several editions of his Discourse of Religion, the object of which was to present to the community the grounds of belief in the doctrines of what are called Natural and Revealed Religion.1 This, and other works in the like tone and direction, were widely read and accepted. Many hailed them as a new light to their minds, and found satisfaction in the clear and earnest statement of grounds of belief in what specially concerned their highest nature, and which seemed to afford a more stable and satisfactory foundation than they had before known. Mr. Parker's position in the theological and antislavery controversies engaged him in a very extensive acquaintance and correspond- ence. Persons from near and far, whom his words had reached, were eager for closer intercourse with one to whom they felt themselves so much in- debted. Many came to his house to see and talk with him; and notwith- standing his overwhelming occupations, and the varied and complicated network of his engagements, he rarely denied himself to such, however trifling or unprofitable their demands.
The Sunday services at the Music Hall became a very notable and con- spicuous institution of our city. Here he sometimes treated the great problems of religion and life, assailing moral abuses or dogmatic errors; or from week to week, as any great event or occasion bearing on the claims, rights, or duties of humanity came along, - any exciting questions or incidents, legislative injustice, or popular violence, - in that most electric period of fierce excitement he " fulmined " over Boston from his pulpit, or pleaded with gentler appeals in behalf of the elevation and relief of the suffering and distressed in every form. Mr. Parker maintained all this
1 He thus states the primitive ground of our belief, or rather of our knowledge, of the ex- istence of God. "It may be called," he says, " in the language of philosophy, an intuition of the reason. . . . Our belief in God's existence does not depend on the à posteriori argument, on considerations drawn from the order, fitness, or beauty discovered by observations made on the material world. It depends primarily on no ar- gument whatever ; on no reasoning, but on Rea-
son. .. . The intuitive perception of God is af- terward fundamentally and logically established by the à priori, and beautifully confirmed by the à posteriori, argument ; but we are not left without the idea of God till we become meta- physicians and naturalists, and so till we can discover it by much thinking."
It may also be mentioned, that, in 1847-50, Mr. Parker shared with others the editorship of the Massachusetts Quarterly.
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THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
varied existence, in spite of failing health, until he was finally obliged to give up his work and go abroad for his health. He died not long after in Florence.1
In 1835 Mr. A. Bronson Alcott opened a school for young children at the Masonic Temple in Boston. This was a remarkable and noteworthy experiment, and claims some notice, since marked philosophical thought and a high ideal were embodied in its conception, and in the novel and peculiar way in which it was conducted. Whatever we may think of the success of the experiment, we may say at least, if he failed, Magnis tamen excidit ausis. It was founded on the principle of the Platonic philosophy, that all abstract truth exists in the soul of man; and its aim was not to im- part knowledge from without, but to educe both truth and knowledge from the mind of the child, where it lies, unrecognized and unknown perhaps, but still existing in a purer form, or less encumbered by errors, than in later life.2
The famous ode of Wordsworth on Immortality may almost be taken as Mr. Alcott's creed in this matter. His thought, as shown in this and in various other manifestations, placed him, in the public estimation, very de- cidedly among the Transcendentalists, and in the category which we pre- sume he himself would choose, if any, of Platonism. The thought, idea, method, and genius of Plato were the especial objects of his admiration and sympathy; and he may, with as much justice as any modern man, be reckoned among his disciples, and has ever reproduced, expounded, and preached his doctrines. He has always most persistently followed in prac- tice the Platonic or Socratic method of teaching or developing truth, - by conversation ; having a profound and unfailing confidence in its value, its power, and its efficacy, and laying the greatest stress on these. For many years he has, when favorable opportunities have offered, embraced them to practise his favorite mode of instruction, and to impart the views he holds so important (of the spiritual nature and destiny of man, and his close relation to the divine), at the same time always manifesting a warm sympathy with whatever in literature and religious history he found cognate with his fervent and unwavering faith in man's divine origin and immortal being. These conversations have at times had very impressive and inspiring effects, and have met with a warm response from large numbers, - of late years particularly at the West, where he has found many to welcome his
1 [See John T. Sargent's Theodore Parker, the Reform Pulpit, and the Influences that Oppose it. Boston, 1852 ; and other references in the note to Parker's portrait in Vol. III. - ED.]
2 A few extracts from the preface to the Con- versations on the Gospels, which is a sort of record of the course pursued, will show something of the aim and methods of this attempt to educe moral and spiritual thought from the minds of children. " It is," he says, " an attempt to un-
fold the idea of spirit from the consciousness of childhood, and to trace its intellectual and cor- poreal relations, its struggles and conquests, while in the flesh. . .. Assuming as a fact the spiritual integrity of the young mind, he [Mr. Alcott] was desirous to place under the inspection of chil- dren a character so much in conformity with their own as that of Jesus of Nazareth. . .. It [the record of these conversations] is a revela- tion of the divinity in the soul of childhood."
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PHILOSOPHIC THOUGHT IN BOSTON.
presentation of high and spiritual truth. He generally attended the meet- ings of the Transcendental Club, of which he was an early and zealous mem- ber, and contributed some papers to the Dial, with the title of " Orphic Sayings." What most deserves our interest and respect in his course and position is his unwavering and unfailing loyalty to the principles of thought of which we have spoken, and his persistent devotion to the highest con- ception of the soul and the spiritual life.
The position of Miss Margaret Fuller, as producing a marked influence on the mind of a large circle both of the young and of her contemporaries in age, demands some notice. Her conversations, held in Boston with an audience of thoughtful and cultivated women, seem to have been her oppor- tunity. They were continued for several successive winters. It is sufficient to mention some of the topics discussed to show something of their character, or at least their aim, - namely, Greek Mythology, Fine Arts, Faith, Creeds, Woman, Culture, Prudence, etc. She was also at one time editor of the Dial. Her influence on the circle she drew around her, especially on her intimate friends, was remarkable, being both intellectual and moral; par- ticularly on women, to whose hearts and minds she seems to have had a peculiar and most direct access. In exciting them to thought and aspira- tion for higher culture, or perhaps more especially in leading them to disregard some conventional trammels, and in assisting their endeavors to a higher, more religious, and self-sustained life, she found her mission.1
Of course this new phase of thought called Transcendentalism had many opponents. Persons of conservative opinions in religion, morals, politics, and literature were disturbed, offended, or disgusted at what seemed to them its pernicious influences on the great interests of society. Some were amused at what appeared to be its extravagances or absurdities; and some attacked its arguments and its doctrines, or criticised what they deemed to be its inconsistencies and false pretensions, in elaborate counter statements and arguments, or they deplored with sincere dislike and apprehension what seemed to them its disastrous tendencies. Others used freely the weapons of ridicule and sarcasm, for which the novelty, to say the least, of some of the utterances of its adherents and organs appeared to offer fair oppor- tunity.2
1 [See Mrs. Cheney's chapter in this volume. nity to oppose the obnoxious system, in an ad- -ED.]
2 Among the more decided and declared an- tagonists of this philosophy, besides Professor Norton, was Mr. Bowen, professor of moral and metaphysical science in Harvard University. Mr. Emerson's Nature, which appeared in 1836, gave occasion for a review of the work in the Christian Examiner, January, 1837, by Mr. Bowen. As that little book was looked upon as a sort of condensed essence of the spirit of Transcendentalism, and open to all the charges brought against it, Mr. Bowen took the opportu-
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