180 BIRDS AND POETS 



thy. The world makes no inroads upon him through 

 this channel. He is not distracted by the throng 

 or mayhe the mob of emotions that find entrance 

 here. He shines like a star undimmed by current 

 events. He speaks as from out the interstellar 

 spaces. 'T is vulgar sympathy makes mortals of us 

 all, and I think Emerson's poetry finally lacks just 

 that human coloring and tone, that flesh tint of the 

 heart that vulgar sympathy with human life as such 

 imparts. 



But after we have made all possible deductions 

 from Emerson, there remains the fact that he is a 

 living force, and, tried by home standards, a mas- 

 ter. Wherein does the secret of his power lie? 

 He ie the prophet and philosopher of young men. 

 The old man and the man of the world make little 

 of him, but of the youth who is ripe for him he 

 takes almost an unfair advantage. One secret of his 

 charm I take to be the instant success with which 

 he transfers our interest in the romantic, the chival- 

 rous, the heroic, to the sphere of morals and the 

 intellect. We are let into another realm unlooked 

 for, where daring and imagination also lead. The 

 secret and suppressed heart finds a champion. To 

 the young man fed upon the penny precepts and 

 staple Johnsonianism of English literature, and of 

 what is generally doled out in the schools and col- 

 leges, it is a surprise; it is a revelation. A new 

 world opens before him. The nebulas of his spirit 

 are resolved or shown to be irresolvable. The fixed 

 stars of his inner firmament are brought immeasur- 



