the complete writings-3-第12章

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him　for　idleness。　　When　the　appreciative　tourist　arrived；　Phelps　was　ready；　as　guide；　to　open　to　him　all　the　wonders　of　his　possessions；　he；　for　the　first　time；　found　an　outlet　for　his　enthusiasm；　and　a　response　to　his　own　passion。　　It　then　became　known　what　manner　of　man　this　was　who　had　grown　up　here　in　the　companionship　of　forests；　mountains；　and　wild　animals；　that　these　scenes　had　highly　developed　in　him　the　love　of　beauty；　the　aesthetic　sense；　delicacy　of　appreciation；　refinement　of　feeling；　and　that；　in　his　solitary　wanderings　and　musings；　the　primitive　man；　self…taught；　had　evolved　for　himself　a　philosophy　and　a　system　of　things。　　And　it　was　a　sufficient　system；　so　long　as　it　was　not　disturbed　by　external　skepticism。　　When　the　outer　world　came　to　him；　perhaps　he　had　about　as　much　to　give　to　it　as　to　receive　from　it；　probably　more；　in　his　own　estimation；　for　there　is　no　conceit　like　that　of　isolation。

Phelps　loved　his　mountains。　　He　was　the　discoverer　of　Marcy；　and　caused　the　first　trail　to　be　cut　to　its　summit；　so　that　others　could　enjoy　the　noble　views　from　its　round　and　rocky　top。　　To　him　it　was；　in　noble　symmetry　and　beauty；　the　chief　mountain　of　the　globe。　　To　stand　on　it　gave　him；　as　he　said；　〃a　feeling　of　heaven　up…h'isted…　ness。〃　　He　heard　with　impatience　that　Mount　Washington　was　a　thousand　feet　higher；　and　he　had　a　childlike　incredulity　about　the　surpassing　sublimity　of　the　Alps。　　Praise　of　any　other　elevation　he　seemed　to　consider　a　slight　to　Mount　Marcy；　and　did　not　willingly　hear　it；　any　more　than　a　lover　hears　the　laudation　of　the　beauty　of　another　woman　than　the　one　he　loves。　　When　he　showed　us　scenery　he　loved；　it　made　him　melancholy　to　have　us　speak　of　scenery　elsewhere　that　was　finer。　And　yet　there　was　this　delicacy　about　him；　that　he　never　over…praised　what　he　brought　us　to　see；　any　more　than　one　would　over…praise　a　friend　of　whom　he　was　fond。　　I　remember　that　when　for　the　first　time；　after　a　toilsome　journey　through　the　forest；　the　splendors　of　the　Lower　Au　Sable　Pond　broke　upon　our　vision；that　low…lying　silver　lake；　imprisoned　by　the　precipices　which　it　reflected　in　its　bosom；　he　made　no　outward　response　to　our　burst　of　admiration：　only　a　quiet　gleam　of　the　eye　showed　the　pleasure　our　appreciation　gave　him。　　As　some　one　said；　it　was　as　if　his　friend　had　been　admireda　friend　about　whom　he　was　unwilling　to　say　much　himself；　but　well　pleased　to　have　others　praise。

Thus　far；　we　have　considered　Old　Phelps　as　simply　the　product　of　the　Adirondacks；　not　so　much　a　self…made　man　（as　the　doubtful　phrase　has　it）　as　a　natural　growth　amid　primal　forces。　　But　our　study　is　interrupted　by　another　influence；　which　complicates　the　problem；　but　increases　its　interest。　　No　scientific　observer；　so　far　as　we　know；　has　ever　been　able　to　watch　the　development　of　the　primitive　man；　played　upon　and　fashioned　by　the　hebdomadal　iteration　of　〃Greeley's　Weekly　Tri…bune。〃　　Old　Phelps　educated　by　the　woods　is　a　fascinating　study；　educated　by　the　woods　and　the　Tri…bune；　he　is　a　phenomenon。　No　one　at　this　day　can　reasonably　conceive　exactly　what　this　newspaper　was　to　such　a　mountain　valley　as　Keene。　　If　it　was　not　a　Providence；　it　was　a　Bible。　　It　was　no　doubt　owing　to　it　that　Democrats　became　as　scarce　as　moose　in　the　Adirondacks。　　But　it　is　not　of　its　political　aspect　that　I　speak。　　I　suppose　that　the　most　cultivated　and　best　informed　portion　of　the　earth's　surfacethe　Western　Reserve　of　Ohio；　as　free　from　conceit　as　it　is　from　a　suspicion　that　it　lacks　anything　owes　its　pre…eminence　solely　to　this　comprehensive　journal。　　It　received　from　it　everything　except　a　collegiate　and　a　classical　education；things　not　to　be　desired；　since　they　interfere　with　the　self…manufacture　of　man。　　If　Greek　had　been　in　this　curriculum；　its　best　known　dictum　would　have　been　translated；　〃Make　thyself。〃　　This　journal　carried　to　the　community　that　fed　on　it　not　only　a　complete　education　in　all　departments　of　human　practice　and　theorizing；　but　the　more　valuable　and　satisfying　assurance　that　there　was　nothing　more　to　be　gleaned　in　the　universe　worth　the　attention　of　man。　　This　panoplied　its　readers　in　completeness。　　Politics；　literature；　arts；　sciences；　universal　brotherhood　and　sisterhood；　nothing　was　omitted；　neither　the　poetry　of　Tennyson；　nor　the　philosophy　of　Margaret　Fuller；　neither　the　virtues　of　association；　nor　of　unbolted　wheat。　　The　laws　of　political　economy　and　trade　were　laid　down　as　positively　and　clearly　as　the　best　way　to　bake　beans；　and　the　saving　truth　that　the　millennium　would　come；　and　come　only　when　every　foot　of　the　earth　was　subsoiled。

I　do　not　say　that　Orson　Phelps　was　the　product　of　nature　and　the　Tri…　bune：　but　he　cannot　be　explained　without　considering　these　two　factors。　　To　him　Greeley　was　the　Tri…bune；　and　the　Tri…bune　was　Greeley；　and　yet　I　think　he　conceived　of　Horace　Greeley　as　something　greater　than　his　newspaper；　and　perhaps　capable　of　producing　another　journal　equal　to　it　in　another　part　of　the　universe。　　At　any　rate；　so　completely　did　Phelps　absorb　this　paper　and　this　personality　that　he　was　popularly　known　as　〃Greeley〃　in　the　region　where　he　lived。　Perhaps　a　fancied　resemblance　of　the　two　men　in　the　popular　mind　had　something　to　do　with　this　transfer　of　name。　　There　is　no　doubt　that　Horace　Greeley　owed　his　vast　influence　in　the　country　to　his　genius；　nor　much　doubt　that　he　owed　his　popularity　in　the　rural　districts　to　James　Gordon　Bennett；　that　is；　to　the　personality　of　the　man　which　the　ingenious　Bennett　impressed　upon　the　country。　　That　he　despised　the　conventionalities　of　society；　and　was　a　sloven　in　his　toilet；　was　firmly　believed；　and　the　belief　endeared　him　to　the　hearts　of　the　people。　　To　them　〃the　old　white　coat〃an　antique　garment　of　unrenewed　immortalitywas　as　much　a　subject　of　idolatry　as　the　redingote　grise　to　the　soldiers　of　the　first　Napoleon；　who　had　seen　it　by　the　campfires　on　the　Po　and　on　the　Borysthenes；　and　believed　that　he　would　come　again　in　it　to　lead　them　against　the　enemies　of　France。　　The　Greeley　of　the　popular　heart　was　clad　as　Bennett　said　he　was　clad。　　It　was　in　vain；　even　pathetically　in　vain；　that　he　published　in　his　newspaper　the　full　bill　of　his　fashionable　tailor　（the　fact　that　it　was　receipted　may　have　excited　the　animosity　of　some　of　his　contemporaries）　to　show　that　he　wore　the　best　broadcloth；　and　that　the　folds　of　his　trousers　followed　the　city　fashion　of　falling　outside　his　boots。　　If　this　revelation　was　believed；　it　made　no　sort　of　impression　in　the　country。　　The　rural　readers　were　not　to　be　wheedled　out　of　their　cherished　conception　of　the　personal　appearance　of　the　philosopher　of　the　Tri…bune。

That　the　Tri…bune　taught　Old　Phelps　to　be　more　Phelps　than　he　would　have　been　without　it　was　part　of　the　independence…teaching　mission　of　Greeley's　paper。　　The　subscribers　were　an　army；　in　which　every　man　was　a　general。　　And　I　am　not　surprised　to　find　Old　Phelps　lately　rising　to　the　audacity　of　criticising　his　exemplar。　　In　some　recently…published　observations　by　Phelps　upon　the　philosophy　of　reading　is　laid　down　this　definition：　〃If　I　understand　the　necessity　or　use　of　reading；　it　is　to　reproduce　again　what　has　been　said　or　proclaimed　before。　　Hence；　letters；　characters；　&c。；　are　arranged　in　all　the　perfection　they　possibly　can　be；　to　show　how　certain　language　has　been　spoken　by　the；　original　author。　　Now；　to　reproduce　by　reading；　the　reading　should　be　so　perfectly　like　the　original　that　no　one　standing　out　of　sight　could　tell　the　reading　from　the　first　time　the　language　was　spoken。〃

This　is　illustrated　by　the　highest　authority　at　hand：　I　have　heard　as　good　readers　read；　and　as　poor　readers；　as　almost　any　one　in　this　region。　　If　I　have　not　heard　as　many；　I　have　had　a　chance　to　hear　nearly　the　extreme　in　variety。　　Horace　Greeley　ought　to　have　been　a　good　reader。　　Certainly　but　few；　if　any；　ever　knew　every　word　of　the　English　language　at　a　glance　more　readily　than　he　did；　or　knew　the　meaning　of　every　mark　of　punctuation　more　clearly；　but　he　could　not　read　proper。　　'But　how　do　you　know？'　says　one。　　From　the　fact　I　heard　him　in　the　same　lecture　deliver　or　produce　remarks　in　his　own　particular　way；　that；　if　they　had　been　published　properly　in　print；　a　proper　reader　would　have　reproduced　them