. American lands and letters. hat other sort that comes by soul - right, or birth - right, or Wordsworthian memories — Trailing clouds of glory ! 13ut, if whimsically critical, and odd-whiles brand-ishing his scalpel in threatening gladiatorial style,tis certain that in all essentials he was at one withbroad-minded Christian teachers everywhere ; nordo I find it easy to forecast any worthy vision of a Celestial country where the alert little Doctorand his good Calvinistic father should not bejoined again — hand and heart. The Autocrat was followed in succeeding years— by the Professor, and aga
. American lands and letters. hat other sort that comes by soul - right, or birth - right, or Wordsworthian memories — Trailing clouds of glory ! 13ut, if whimsically critical, and odd-whiles brand-ishing his scalpel in threatening gladiatorial style,tis certain that in all essentials he was at one withbroad-minded Christian teachers everywhere ; nordo I find it easy to forecast any worthy vision of a Celestial country where the alert little Doctorand his good Calvinistic father should not bejoined again — hand and heart. The Autocrat was followed in succeeding years— by the Professor, and again the Poet — at thewell-used Breakfast-Table. But the delightful in-consequence of the Autocrats talk did not admitof duplication. There are gems scattered up anddown throughout the series; all will be cherishedwhile inspiriting books are thought worth read-ing ; but this will not forbid our saying that thefirst are best. There are woods which in the burning give outbalsamic scents—regaling, stimulative ; and there. THE AUTOCRAT. 349 are books which, iu the reading, give out the aro-mas of the fine spirit which went to the kindlingof the text — the spirit that flows out and iu —transfusing the type — illuminating the crevices— past all offices of the black and white illus-trators. And it is this buoyant, rollicking, wittyAriel of a spirit, that we recognize and love, all upand down the pages of the Autocrat. We cannot lay our finger on the special phrasewhich informs us — beyond all informing proc-esses of other masters; we cannot dissect andlay bare the nerve-centres, which set the massa-throb ; but none the less we know they arethere. If I were challenged to name the arch qualityin this brilliant entertainer, I should be temptedto put his New England gumption (as the nativescall it) at the very top. He can indeed be elo-quent — this witty Doctor — and bring all therhythmic beats and pauses of the schools intoplay ; he can do fine writing — with the
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