over the teacups-第49章

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orators；　of　the　worn…out　races　which　have　preceded　the　great　American

people。



The　material　traces　of　the　first　American　nobleman's　existence　have

nearly　disappeared。　　The　house　is　still　standing；　but　the　statues；

the　minarets；　the　arches；　and　the　memory　of　the　great　Lord　Timothy

Dexter　live　chiefly　in　tradition；　and　in　the　work　which　be　bequeathed

to　posterity；　and　of　which　I　shall　say　a　few　words。　　It　is

unquestionably　a　thoroughly　original　production；　and　I　fear　that　some

readers　may　think　I　am　trifling　with　them　when　I　am　quoting　it

literally。　　I　am　going　to　make　a　strong　claim　for　Lord　Timothy　as

against　other　candidates　for　a　certain　elevated　position。



Thomas　Jefferson　is　commonly　recognized　as　the　first　to　proclaim

before　the　world　the　political　independence　of　America。　　It　is　not　so

generally　agreed　upon　as　to　who　was　the　first　to　announce　the

literary　emancipation　of　our　country。



One　of　Mr。　Emerson's　biographers　has　claimed　that　his　Phi　Beta　Kappa

Oration　was　our　Declaration　of　Literary　Independence。　　But　Mr。

Emerson　did　not　cut　himself　loose　from　all　the　traditions　of　Old

World　scholarship。　　He　spelled　his　words　correctly；　he　constructed

his　sentences　grammatically。　　He　adhered　to　the　slavish　rules　of

propriety；　and　observed　the　reticences　which　a　traditional　delicacy

has　considered　inviolable　in　decent　society；　European　and　Oriental

alike。　　When　he　wrote　poetry；　he　commonly　selected　subjects　which

seemed　adapted　to　poetical　treatment；apparently　thinking　that　all

things　were　not　equally　calculated　to　inspire　the　true　poet's　genius。

Once；　indeed；　he　ventured　to　refer　to　〃the　meal　in　the　firkin；　the

milk　in　the　pan；〃　but　he　chiefly　restricted　himself　to　subjects　such

as　a　fastidious　conventionalism　would　approve　as　having　a　certain

fitness　for　poetical　treatment。　　He　was　not　always　so　careful　as　he

might　have　been　in　the　rhythm　and　rhyme　of　his　verse；　but　in　the　main

he　recognized　the　old　established　laws　which　have　been　accepted　as

regulating　both。　　In　short；　with　all　his　originality；　he　worked　in

Old　World　harness；　and　cannot　be　considered　as　the　creator　of　a　truly

American；　self…governed；　self…centred；　absolutely　independent　style

of　thinking　and　writing；　knowing　no　law　but　its　own　sovereign　will

and　pleasure。



A　stronger　claim　might　be　urged　for　Mr。　Whitman。　　He　takes　into　his

hospitable　vocabulary　words　which　no　English　dictionary　recognizes　as

belonging　to　the　language；words　which　will　be　looked　for　in　vain

outside　of　his　own　pages。　　He　accepts　as　poetical　subjects　all　things

alike；　common　and　unclean；　without　discrimination；　miscellaneous　as

the　contents　of　the　great　sheet　which　Peter　saw　let　down　from　heaven。

He　carries　the　principle　of　republicanism　through　the　whole　world　of

created　objects。　　He　will　〃thread　a　thread　through　＇his＇　poems；〃　he

tells　us；　〃that　no　one　thing　in　the　universe　is　inferior　to　another

thing。〃　　No　man　has　ever　asserted　the　surpassing　dignity　and

importance　of　the　American　citizen　so　boldly　and　freely　as　Mr。

Whitman。　　He　calls　himself　〃teacher　of　the　unquenchable　creed；

namely；　egotism。〃　　He　begins　one　of　his　chants；　〃I　celebrate　myself；〃

but　he　takes　us　all　in　as　partners　in　his　self…glorification。　　He

believes　in　America　as　the　new　Eden。



〃A　world　primal　again；vistas　of　glory　incessant　and　branching；

A　new　race　dominating　previous　ones　and　grander　far；

New　politicsnew　literature　and　religionsnew　inventions　and　arts。〃



Of　the　new　literature　be　himself　has　furnished　specimens　which

certainly　have　all　the　originality　he　can　claim　for　them。　　So　far　as

egotism　is　concerned；　he　was　clearly　anticipated　by　the　titled

personage　to　whom　I　have　referred；　who　says　of　himself；　〃I　am　the

first　in　the　East；　the　first　in　the　West；　and　the　greatest

philosopher　in　the　Western　world。〃　But　while　Mr。　Whitman　divests

himself　of　a　part　of　his　baptismal　name；　the　distinguished　New

Englander　thus　announces　his　proud　position：　〃Ime　the　first　Lord　in

the　younited　States　of　A　mercary　Now　of　Newburyport。　　it　is　the　voice

of　the　peopel　and　I　cant　Help　it。〃　　This　extract　is　from　his　famous

little　book　called　〃A　Pickle　for　the　Knowing　Ones。〃　　As　an　inventor

of　a　new　American　style　he　goes　far　beyond　Mr。　Whitman；　who；　to　be

sure；　cares　little　for　the　dictionary；　and　makes　his　own　rules　of

rhythm；　so　far　as　there　is　any　rhythm　in　his　sentences。　　But　Lord

Timothy　spells　to　suit　himself；　and　in　place　of　employing　punctuation

as　it　is　commonly　used；　prints　a　separate　page　of　periods；　colons；

semicolons；　commas；　notes　of　interrogation　and　of　admiration；　with

which　the　reader　is　requested　to　〃peper　and　soolt〃　the　book　as　he

pleases。



I　am　afraid　that　Mr。　Emerson　and　Mr。　Whitman　must　yield　the　claim　of

declaring　American　literary　independence　to　Lord　Timothy　Dexter；　who

not　only　taught　his　countrymen　that　they　need　not　go　to　the　Heralds'

College　to　authenticate　their　titles　of　nobility；　but　also　that　they

were　at　perfect　liberty　to　spell　just　as　they　liked；　and　to　write

without　troubling　themselves　about　stops　of　any　kind。　　In　writing

what　I　suppose　he　intended　for　poetry；　he　did　not　even　take　the　pains

to　break　up　his　lines　into　lengths　to　make　them　look　like　verse；　as

may　be　seen　by　the　following　specimen：



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　WONDER　OF　WONDERS！



How　great　the　soul　is！　　Do　not　you　all　wonder　and　admire　to　see　and

behold　and　hear？　　Can　you　all　believe　half　the　truth；　and　admire　to

hear　the　wonders　how　great　the　soul　isonly　beholdpast　finding

out！　Only　see　how　large　the　soul　is！　　that　if　a　man　is　drowned　in　the

sea　what　a　great　bubble　comes　up　out　of　the　top　of　the　water。。。　　The

bubble　is　the　soul。



I　confess　that　I　am　not　in　sympathy　with　some　of　the　movements　that

accompany　the　manifestations　of　American　social　and　literary

independence。　　I　do　not　like　the　assumption　of　titles　of　Lords　and

Knights　by　plain　citizens　of　a　country　which　prides　itself　on

recognizing　simple　manhood　and　womanhood　as　sufficiently　entitled　to

respect　without　these　unnecessary　additions。　　I　do　not　like　any

better　the　familiar；　and　as　it　seems　to　me　rude；　way　of　speaking　of

our　fellow…citizens　who　are　entitled　to　the　common　courtesies　of

civilized　society。　　I　never　thought　it　dignified　or　even　proper　for　a

President　of　the　United　States　to　call　himself；　or　to　be　called　by

others；　〃Frank〃　Pierce。　　In　the　first　place　I　had　to　look　in　a

biographical　dictionary　to　find　out　whether　his　baptismal　name　was

Franklin；　or　Francis；　or　simply　Frank；　for　I　think　children　are

sometimes　christened　with　this　abbreviated　name。　　But　it　is　too　much

in　the　style　of　Cowper's　unpleasant　acquaintance　：



　　　　　　　　　〃The　man　who　hails　you　Tom　or　Jack；

　　　　　　　　　　And　proves　by　thumping　on　your　back

　　　　　　　　　　How　he　esteems　your　merit。〃



I　should　not　like　to　hear　our　past　chief　magistrates　spoken　of　as

Jack　Adams　or　Jim　Madison；　and　it　would　have　been　only　as　a　political

partisan　that　I　should　have　reconciled　myself　to　〃Tom〃　Jefferson。

So；　in　spite　of　〃Ben〃　Jonson；　〃Tom〃　Moore；　and　〃Jack〃　Sheppard；　I

prefer　to　speak　of　a　fellow…citizen　already　venerable　by　his　years；

entitled　to　respect　by　useful　services　to　his　country；　and　recognized

by　many　as　the　prophet　of　a　new　poetical　dispensation；　with　the

customary　title　of　adults　rather　than　by　the　free　and　easy　school…boy

abbreviation　with　which　he　introduced　himself　many　years　ago　to　the

public。　　As　for　his　rhapsodies；　Number　Seven；　our　〃cracked　Teacup；〃

says　they　sound　to　him　like　〃fugues　played　on　a　big　organ　which　has

been　struck　by　lightning。〃　　So　far　as　concerns　literary　independence；

if　we　understand　by　that　term　the　getting　rid　of　our　subjection　to

British　criticism；　such　as　it　was　in　the　days　when　the　question　was

asked；　〃Who　reads　an　American　book？〃　we　may　consider　it　pretty　well

established。　　If　it　means　dispensing　with　punctuation；　coining　words

at　will；　self…revelation　unrestrained　by　a　sense　of　what　is　decorous；

declamations　in