Frederic Henry Hedge and the Failure of Transcendentalism

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Frederic Henry Hedge and the failure of transcendentalism

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Citation Myerson, Joel. 1975. Frederic Henry Hedge and the failure of transcendentalism. Harvard Library Bulletin XXIII (4), October 1975: 396-410.

Citable link https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37364267

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~•HE L0KG-RANGE EFFECTS of Nc,v Eng]and Transccndcntal- is1n havc he en n1 any and , v eH-do c.:u r11en tcd. Nu u1 e rou s studies attest to the influence on litcran1re, philosophy, and religion oy the rnoven1cnt itself~ and by such major figures

a~ En1crson~ Thoreau, and Theodore Parker. Ho,Yevcr1 detailed srudie,s have not been n1adcof the in1111cdiatcconsequences of the Tran.i..cen- dental rcbc11ion ~nd ho\v it aff ecccd less ,veH-hn{n,rn n1c1ubers of the group41 Ilct,vccn 1836, ,vhen Etnerson's Nature ,v~s published and the Transcendental Club ,vas founded, and 1844, ,vhen the Dial ceased public~tion, the people kno,vn gs the 1~ranstendcntalists ,vere relatively unified :ind ~h]e to exert great in~ uencc. Of this group, one of the n1ost respected "ras Frederic I]enry I-ledge~,vho had proposed his O\Vll journal for the T ransccndental phi]osophy in 1 8 3 5, gnd ,v ho ,vas pri- 1nari]Jr responsible for the f onnation of the T ransccndcnral CJuh, ,vhich ,vas named ''l1edgc's ClnhJ' h~causc it origina11ymet 1vhenever he \Vasin Boston.~.)r ct by 1844 I-ledge, one of the n1ost pro1nising of the ~r·ranscendent~list n1i11istcrs,l1ad bccon1c the 111ostdis~ppointing - and -arnong the n1ost disappointed .. \~lhy H·edgc fcH f.ro1n fnvor ,vith

1 The bC'5tdiscussions of this period -are jn '''illiam R. Hutchison, Tbc Trnn:n-'Cn- dentaU:rt Afi11htcrs (Ne,v H~nTen: Yale Unh·crsity Press, 1959)~ and Ch:ules Cro\ve, George Riplcj•= Tranrccndentnlist aud lJtopitrll Sociahst (Athens: Univccsjty of Georgia Press, I 967 ), pp. 97~1 i 3. .2 Hiographical infomrntion js f ron1 0. ,:v.1 .. ong, Frederic Henry Hedge: A Car- 'NWJH;liuu1 Scbolar (Porrbnd, J\l:iinc: So nth ,.._•orth-Ar1thuensen Press, r940), and l\1:ilnha Ilona Tuon1j, HDr. Fr.~dcric I-Ienry I-ledge: I-l1s Life and \Yorks to the

End of His Ilangor P~storr-ttc/' i\·f.A~ thc~isj UniYers,ty of i\1aine 1 1935. i\1rs. Il.ar- ba rft Spa Idin g ha~ \Terr g racio u slr pc nnittcrl n1c free access to the 1arge colJec rjon of Poor and Hedge Farnily Paptr~ which she ha5'; her generosity is largely rcs:ponsablc for thi& artjclc, I a.n1 also grc1t~ful to the fullowir1g for pern1issaon to quote fron1 inanu5c.tjpts in their possession: Ando~.1cr-I-farv,1rd '"rheological Library, Ilangor Historic:~l Society ( deposit collcctfon at the Bangor Public Lihrary ), Iloston Puhllc I ,iu1-ary, Houghton I ril)rary of Harv~rd Univc(sity~ l\•1assachusctts Historjc:11 So- cic:ty, and Schlesinger Library of Raddiffe CoJlcgc.

396

the T ranscendcntalist.s., fl nd ,vhy the 1noverncnt itself lost his -approv~.1, is a ,Talu2b]ecase study in rhc history of both American letters and A Lll er ic an i]bcra lisn1. I-ledge ,vas born at c~n1hridgc on 1 2 Dcccn1ber 1 805. I--Iisfather, Levi I-ledge, bccat11c professor at 1--Inrvardand gave his ta]cntcd son the hest education nvail:thle. He ,vas tutored h)r the briHinnt young George Bancroft and p:1sse

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) H nrvard J_...ibrary Bull etiu pointed: Coleridge js obscure onl r tu those readers '\v ho have no depths ,vithin thc1nseives corresponding to his depths.'"' 6 Since those ,vho Jacked this depth controlled the major periodicals of the day, Hedge proposed in February 1 8 35 a nc"r journal '' devoted to a .spiritual philosophy, and mainly dependent upon translations~ to be conducted 1 by + • 1e3ders in th~t school of thought.'"' u To be called ' Tbe Transcendentalis, or T be Spiritual l11quirer'l Ji it ,vas to have an1ong its tditors Hedge, En1crson~-and Ripley.1 Other follo,vers of c;ern1an literature, jnc]uding 1\-1argaretFul1crt protniscd their aid,S -and the Ilcvcrcnd ':\'il1ian1 Eller.r Channing~,vho had lain a\vakc ,vjrh anticipa- tion aH night after hearing of the project, ,vas asked for his assistance by E111erson.!1) 7 ct in j\Jay r 83 5 Hedge left Cambridge to becornc che tninister to the Unitarian society at Bangor, Alaine, and the project coHapse

.:it'Colcridge's Liternry Cbarrttter," x1,r ( j\1arch 183 3), n 8. 0 \V. H. Channing 1s sraten1ent~ Octavius Brno-k~ Frnth;nghan1J Af e1nolr of lVil-

linni Henry Cb ..111ni11g (Hoston: lioug1nun, i\"liffi tn, 1886) 1 p. 109. En1crsuJJ to Cadyk, 30 A pi:-jl l 83 5, T/_,e Corrt.•spo11deuceuf E·1uersou (md Car-

l)·le, ed. Joseph Shirer (N C\V York~ Co!uruhi~ UniH:rsity P.n~ss~J 964 ) 1 p. 1:2 51 1'1arch., Bron:son A]cott1 uj ournrd fo[ l 835/3 p. I 04~ Houghton LJbrary. Fuller \\-Tot~ to volunteer help, although ,varnjng that she ,vas Hrnercl y 1Ger-

1 manico' and not 'tr~nscendentar ' ( 6 J\-1-archI 83 5, Hongl1ton Lihr:1.ry).

a Eincrson to C41rlylct I z J\,fard1 18351 h'1ucrso11-Carlyle CorresJJondence.,p. J r 9;

1 i? April 1835 1 T/Jc Letters of Ralpb lValdo E111erson.,e{l. R:ilph L. Rusk (Nev..r ·York: ColurnuJa l}aivl~r~lty Pn:!ss1 1939) 1 I, 44 J.

· 10 As a fin~ 1 :}ttempt to secure an ed Jtor for the proposed j our na l, Em en:on asked Carlyle to bcco111cthe head of the JlO\\'-transatlantic periodical, and even promised l1im a s~bricd position should he ;tccept tl1c offer, But Carlylcis reply, \vhiJc ,vmshing

the unhorn journa] success 1 rnade it dear he ,vould not consider c:dlting it 1 ~n

1835.. E1nersnn-Carlyle Corresf1011dence 1 pp. 125, 12g---130)+ u Hedge first bec::tmc acquainrcd \\'ich En1cr5:on in 1828 ,vhen they Ji\'ed jn Divjnity Hall together. He trj~d to jntcr~st Elt•~rson i,~ Gern1:u1 literature ar\d l~ac] been surprfaed by E111cr~on's h.ughing reply that ~1is he v;.-rascnti rely ig11orantof the 51.lhject he should assume that fr "·as not ,vorth kno\Vjng/' 1-Jedge l~cpt after En1cr- son, even to the point of reading the German al1tl1urs to hin1. Although Emerson "'as put off by Hedg~\; u.irid tcmp~r~:uncntt h~ liked hi 111. He recomr:nended Hedge's anicle on Coleridge to C-arJyJe:and vdicn Cady 1c later sent hitn -a fe\v copies of Sartor Retartus before jts Anlerjcan publication, Emerson ga,~e one to Hedge jn accord::.nce ,v.ith Carlyle's ,vish that they be gjvcn to thr.: persons u.rnost in synlpathy

"·ith the 'illlthor>> (Hedge to J :1n1es EJliot Cabot 1 r 4 Scptcrnl,cr 188.1t l-J oughton Li-

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) Frederic H e11ryHedge, Ft1ill1reof Trans-ce11dentalis111399 proached Hedge about the possibility of his moving there, but the in11nensity of this step ,vhich, 2.ftcr havjng been taken, he thought "1nay be itnpossih]e to retracc,n kept I-Iedge fronl giving it scriot1s considcration. 12 I-fo\vever, the next year En1crson \vent to preach in Bangor rtnd ,vrotc a glo\ving letter hack to I-ledge. In it he praised the "shrc\vd liberal men \Yho are sJnguine in their expectation of the great f uturc itnportancc of this placei, and ,vho \Vere so Hvcry anxious to have a 111inister of-ability settled here~' that they sa,v no difliculty in giving hi1n ''an arnplc supporr.u 1~ I-ledge preached in Bangor that fall 2nd agreed ,vith En1crson's high estin1atc of the situation. "'\~rhen the congregation tendered their offer of position at $ 1.,500 a ))""ear~ nearly t,vice I-lcdgcJs C2.111bridgcsa]ary, ht accepted. [Vlargaret Fuller h-a.d prophetically ,varned th~t 1 'this going into n1cntnl solitude is desperately try1ng/ 1 r1ndHedge's n1ovc to Bangor ,vas indeed fraught ,vith difficul ties. 14 He had gone ahead ,vithout his f a1nily· to n1akc suitabJc arrangements for thcn1 but as late faH ap- proached~ Lucy· bccan1e too ill to join hin1 ,vith their children ~nd, cut oil by the heavy snu,vs., 1--Icdgcspent the ,vintcr alone in his nc,v ]ocarion.Jr-tThe loneliness of that \vinter depressed I-ledge - his friend Convers Francis sytnpathcticaliy called it "a 1nisery \Vhich none but the n1~rricd can understandn JG - and he ,vas plagued by ''fccb]e health~ & n sluggish \Vil[]) & the exhaustion of o ody & of 111ind'1 prod uccd by the ,veekly composition of scrinons. 17 The next spring, follo,ving a dispute ,vith the society over rnoncy, lrlcdgc considered tnoving to Cincinnati or to Lexington, f-.,1assachusetts,should off crs n1ateria.lize.18 But the salary problen1 ,-vas settled, Lucy~s health improved, she and the children n1oved · to Bangor, and I-ledge decided to renlainL Also., he had in i\-1::ayvisited Boston and renc\Ycd his connections ,vith the ·---- br:tr}'; 14 DccemlJer r 8!4, 7 J)ccc1nber I 81;, Tbe Journnlx mJd AliJr-ellnucous l•lote- books of Ralph lValdo E1nerron, ed. ,viUiam H. Gilman ct al. rcan1bddge: Har-

vard Uni\·ersity P rcss, 1960--- l I I\\ 36oi ,r, 11 r; :20 No\'cmbcr I 834, E.1nerson- Cnrlyle Correrpondenc.e"! p. II o;. Hedge to C.uoline Da11, 1 February l 877., Dallt Trn11rccndeutalisn1 in New E·ngland [Buston .: Robcns Brother~ 1897 ], p. 16).

j~ l -Iedge to John Gorh~rn Palfrey, 16 June [ 83 3, I-I oughton Library.

1 ~ Ii. July I 834, n~ngor l-Iistoric~l Soci~ty. 1~ r February 1835, Houghton Library~ 1~ Lllcy llcdge to Hcdg~~., 17 December lS 35, St:hksingc:r Library. 10 r 8 January 1836, Bangor l·Iistodcal Society. 17 Fl c d gc tu Emerson, 1 April 1 8 361 Poor-I-I c:d gc; Papers. 1~ Lucy F!edcre to Hcdgcl 1 o J\-larch I 836, Schlesinger LiLrary; Francis to Hedge~ T .z, .. i I i\·tarcl 1 l 8 36, B ango.r 1-1i sto rical Society.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) 1-inrru11r d J..,i b r fl ry 1111/ 1eth, Transcendcnt~]ists, and he \Yas ready to bccorne involved agajn in their 111ovenlent for ref orn1. In early· 1 8 36 the 1'ranscendentalists \Vere beginning. to define clear]y the points of disagrccn1cnt ,vhich they· had ,vith the con- ser,Tativc Unitarians. 1n 1iterature, the 1."'ranscendentalists cha111pioncd English and continental \vritcrs such as C-arlylc nnd Goethe; ju philosophy, they follo,vcd Kant jn believing that tnan had an innate abiIi t) 7 to pcrcei ve th:u h1s existence transcended 1nere sensory· ex- perience, as opposed to the prcYailingJ_.,ockcan sensationalisn1; and in re]i g j on, th cy d cn j cd th c existen cc of 111ira c] es, preferring Chris ti an it y to rest upon the teachings of Christ rather than on his supposed deeds.. In the eyes of his contemporaries, nearly all of Hcdgc~s earlier actions fir1nly pl:=icedhin1 in the Transcc.ndcnta1ist carnp. Etnerson \Va.snot surprised, then, \vhen he received il. proposa] fron1 [-Iedge jn June r 83 6 -;rbout f onning a Hsy1nposiu1n~'to discuss the 19 n1ood of the tin1csr This previously unlocatcd and unpublished lcttcr 1

,vhich jniti:tred the Transcendcnn1l C:lub1 deserves to be quoted at length: I h~n·ea proj-ect to con1n1unicaceto you, jn ,vhich I tr1..1stto h~n•cyour syrn- pathy & cooperation, for, if 1 ren1en1her right~ you once proposed son1cthing of the s:in1c sorta lt \ras suggested to n1e n fc"~ ,vccks since by Geo. Putna1n of Roxbury; Ripley of Iloston, "~ho \Vas pre-sent~concurredt & ;ve three t~lked it over an1ong ourseJ,Tesuntil ,ve brought jr into the best shape ,vc could. The plan is nm11cly this~ to have a Jneeting, annnal or oftener jf possible, of certain likcn1indcd persons of our acqu~i;nt,lncc for the free d1scu5sionof theologic[I] & moral subjects. By Jiken1inded perso11s J n1e::innot such as agree jtl opjnion but such ~s agree in spirit, - n1en ,vho earnestly seek the truth & \Vho, \\'ith p-er- fect frcedon1 in the ~n·o,val of their o,vn opinions1 ho,ve,·cr abhorcnt fron1 the genera] faith., unite perfect to]eration of other rncn~sfrcc

][I Emerson to Hc.dgt, :zo July 1836) Letters, II, 29.

tion of abo]ishing that rite in our churches. 20 AU such difficulties he ,vould bring bcf ore a conf crence :rnade up of such 111aterialsas I h:ave described. ,,, c ran tlp together a catalognc of the 1ncn ,vhom ,ve thought fit, & believed ,vilHng to coop-e1·atein this schen1e. It \\ras thought best to confine the thing, for the

present at ]east 1 \vfrhin our o,vn profession. Your name, of course., suggested

itself at once, [ - ] \\Talker, Frothinghatn~ Francis, Stctson 1 Dcv;,rcy1 furness, Clarke, Bro,vnson & so111eothers ,,·ere n1entioned.n Those ,vho Jive ,vithin a fe\V n1i1esof each other might meet as oftc11as tl1cy chose! occasion ,vould sometimes hdng in one or the other an1ong the n1ore remote-~ & one di:ly in the year~ say [ Harvard,s] Comnu::ntement dny. should, if possiblct asscn1b]c all, froJn

the E~st & from the \Vest. No coJ1stitudon, no officcs 1 no f onne1 debates ,vere d ccn l cd exp edi en t, con vcrs-ati on al one j s con tcn1p lared, ,v hi ch an occ asiona l 1 'ref- erence to the side table' 1 n1ight perhaps render n1ore glib. That! ,vith rnuch else, js to be ]eft for occ~sion to detern11ne. '~'ill you ~t your leisurei i.vhcn you next ,,trite rnc1-say ho,v this thing strHa~syou, & conununicatc ,vhacever may occur to you in the ,vay of -a1ncndn1cnt to our pfan? Putnam builds n~uch on it & says: chis little mouse shall gro,v in time to gna\\' in sLindcr the incshes of sect & rtr~dition &t ,vhich so entangle & drcumstrict us aJL22

En1erson ::igreed ,vith l1_"cdgcand on 8 September 18 3 6 the t,vo 1net ,vjth Purnan1 and Ripley after the Harvard Bicentennial Celebration to discuss '(the st~tc of current opinion in theology an

:!LI Enu~r.son had resigned frnn1 the n1inistry in 18> i partly Lcnrnse of his refusal to p(!rti ci patc Jn the Lo rd 's Suppcr sc r v j cc, 1' Of those n1cnti oncd ,vho lat-er attended C~ub meeting5, PL1tnam \\·'tlS the nlin- ister at Roxbury, Ripkr at Purdi~sc Street in Bostnn, Francis at ,,, atcrto\vn, Caleb

Stetson at 1\1edford 1 and James Freeman Clark~ :i.t Louisville; Orestes A. Brownson ,,·as -a reforn1er who \\'ould u~gin the Uoston. QuarurlJ' Rfiifo,u.., jn 18 38T Others

n1entirrned who did not attend Club n1cctings \\Terc James "\:\ralker 1 editor of the

C i:Jris,ian EJ..·m11h,er, 0 r \' j lle D e·wcyI n n1ini.ster in N e,v York, :ind ,,;_riU i arn Henry- Furn cssi a n1in.ister in Pnil~dt!lph•a. ::.::J 4 June 18J6, Poor-Hedge Papers. "'.!,?; J-Jedge to J. E. Cl bot, n.d., C11.uotiA j,1en1ofr of Ralph TVal do E111ers-011(Bos- . ton: J-Io11ghton, ~1iffiin1 1B84), l, 244, ~ 1 Sec 1\,f\'Crson~ 1'A Calendat of 1·r8.nsccndental Club i\-1ccdngst Au1erican

Litcraturet :XLJ\T ( J\1ay 197~) 1 197-207. fur .i n1ore comp1ete dj~cuss;on of the Club and :a list of its meetings.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) 40 2 J-/ar·vard l~ibrary 1111/letin

better kno,vn to such icnpnrtant figure~ as E.n1erson1 Ripley, ~Vlargarct F,1 Ucr,~:) 11ronson Alcott,~ ...nnd Theodore Parker ."-~7 '''hen the id ca for the Din! ,vns hrough t up ~lt the 1 8 Septcn1bcr 1839 n1ccting of the Club, jt ,vns assuincd that 1-Icdgc \vould ,vant to

be a Jcadcr of the n1ngnzine. En1crso111 FuHer~ and I--lcdgc:1ll expressed confidence in it and Parker proposed I-ledge as one of its cditors.~ 5 I~Jcdge, ho\vever, probab]y· rcnlizcd thnt fr \vou]d 110\v be i111possiblc for htrn to place nHthe varjous Tn1nscendcntalists together under his cditorjal reins. Abo~ Hedge \Vas bccon1ing estranged f ron 1 the jdeas of the ...r ranscendentalists and the focus \Yas shifting f ron1 bis journal to tbeir j ournjl. Consequently, ,v hen be soon returned to Bangor for the ,vintcr n1onths, he gave the rnatter little thought. Others, correctly assessing I-ledge-isposition, dropped hin1 froin consideration for n 1najor role on the Dini and in Nove1nber Fuller \Vas narned to he editor. 1-lcavy sno,vs kept f-1edge in Bangor -and not until J:n1u:1r_,7 did he hear agjin of the pfonned journal~ ,vhen Fullcr "·rote to ask for his 1 hclpTShe ,vishcd hirn ''all happiness ~ for the con1ing year and said she anticipntcd \\7ith c 'greatest p]e-J.surc" the prospect of ,vorking ,vith hin1. The .first nurnbcr of the Dial ,vas supposed to conic out in 1\pril and she asked for ~'solid bulliont' frorn his pen~ ,vishing to kno,v di~ reedy ,vhcthcr he ,vould contribute 'cpocn1s or philosophy or crjt- icisn1,'? and hu\v n1uch, sjncc they ,verc planning the first nun1 her ('by· the- n ~9 ~-v;1rd.

I-l rdgc J1nd fl l'Si" 1nct [r lil~cr 111r 8:qT 1-Je v:as Hsimply astonished') by her jn. tdkctual pon·crs and jn 1 S-34 brought her to En1erson 1s attcntlon ( 1 F cbruary r 86s~ J\-lyerson, cLC-aro1ineD~ll 1s Rcn1iniscences of i,·Iargaret Fulll!r,'~ liAli\'Ali-:ll ] .1sL~A1i,- Iluf.LET!t-,,T1 XX11 LOctobrr 1974],. 427; Fuller to 1\ ln1int Jhduw, 6 Oc..:l"ohcr1 S 34, copy in 'LFu1ier1s \Vorkst I, 17t I-1oughton L1Lrary). Even though he oftt:n found hes o,,·n Socratic ideas of education 1t odds ,vith Hedgeis inclination lo\vrird~ '\:chobstic jnstrucdon/~ Alcott liked H~clgc. 1-Ie ·wllS therefore disappo111tcc1 ,vhen T-Jedge failed to rc\Tic,v hi::.;Con~•crstttions 'l.1Jit!J Children

on tbr? Guspdr for the Cbristim1 E::nrlniuer =1~ he hacl prornist.:cJ to do. ·ro A kott 1 Hedge ancl En1erson sho,ved more pron]i~c "than othCni ~rnurigst u~'1 (1Vee1~s X\ 7111, xxn, Alcott, ,i.Journal fo.r I 83 7/' pp. 3 191 409! Houghton L-rbrary). :.:i ,vhen P:nker begnn an intcnsi.,·e rc:.Jdcngprognw t in Gcrmao philo~ophy, he \\'rote to Ht>dge for ~dvice becau5e) as he told b1n1, 1-Iedge J.:nc,·vJ11orc rlrnn ~ny man of h,s ~cquafnUncc about the sulij carefully hid into Park~t\; "Journ~lt I, Lenvcen 2 3 and z 4, .A.ndoYer-J-Ja n·ar d Libr.iry) . .::-:-19 September 18391 Parker, "Jourrn:il, n l1 z 3 i.~i 3 J, N I January 1 R10~Hough ton Libra ty.

I ledge expressed surprise at l 1~uHcr's ~1suddcn nnnouncernent,'' for he cnnf es~e

all the G cni t, lVIuses~ Pcga~us., [and] 1\ pollo,.t) to send '~son1cth1ng good for this journal before the 1st 1\1{ay."1 She syrnpath1zed ,vith his in- ability to \\·rite but irnpressed upon hirn the necessity of havjng a succcs~ful first nurnbcr. =n Fin ding hin1self t1nahle to get ont by dip] o- 1nadc n1cnns,1-Iedgc \Vrolc bnck -undfrankly conf cssed rhnt b)7 identify- ing hitnself publicly ,vith the Transccndcnt:;tlists he f cared he ,vould stnnd forth as t'an atheist in disguise.. ,, And he clearly expressed his

,N,rG January 1S401 1-Joughton Library. ::! FuHer, ' 1Notebook for the Dfo.1,'1Houghtotl Library . 7 .z2 1 o j\-1c1. rch J 8401 Thornas \ \ en rwort h Hi ggi nso n, 1lJar gar et Fu 11er Osso! i (Bos-

t on: Houghton 1 l\1jfflini I S84) t p, l SD+

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) fl ar1.,1ardLibrary Rrilletin

disagrcen1cnt ,vith the ideas of E.merson and Alcott. 0i His position ,vas at last clear~ and E1ncrson and Fuller ,vere disappointed not only by hi$ stance, but by his f :1ilure to say so at the start. Erncrson told her that he ,vas c'sorry' 1 for Hedge and that I-ledge's reply ,vould n1ake a sad page in his hiogra phy. He VlToteFuller not to ,vorry; 'il t j~ n1uch for hin1t but it js not itnportant to the book. The hook ,vould be gl2d of his aid, but it ,viH do as \\rell Yvithout.n J 1 And so the first nutnber of the Dialappenred in July \vjtl1out anything f ron1 I-ledge. Hedge did n1an-agcto con tr ibutc an article on ''The .Lt\.rtof 1.-ife~ - The Schula.(s Calling/' to the October Dhd. l ..his essay, containing n1any striking ~in1ilaritiesto En1eiso11'slater 'tSelf-Reliance,', proposed "self-culture~' as the ultitnatc goal of the schol-Jr, a goal to \Yhich he n1ust consccr~tc his 1ifc~ even if it iso]atcs hitn f ron1 111orc\Vorid]y and less devoted f rjcnds. 3~ Although at least one reader scoff cd at I cho\v the \l/or]d ,vould laugh at a flock of students seeking out .solitary places, and dotting our forests ,vith her111itages/' the essay \Vas \veH-rec-cived and reprinted t,vicc. ::Hi I ledgcls only other origjnal contribution to the Dial ,vas the pocn1 "Questionings' 1 in the January 1841 issue. l-Icdge1s lack of cnthusiasn1 for the Dini ,vns in part d nc to his gro\v- iug dissatisfaction ,vi th the general ideas of the Trnnsccndcntalists. 1'"his,vas cvjdent at n,·o 1 'ransccndent~ 1 Club meeting~ in Septen1ber 1840. On 2 September~ it n1ct at Parker's house to discuss c (the org~n- ization of a ne,v church." I-ledge, Francis~ 8nd Caleb Stetson supported the American Unitarian .i\.ssociation \Vith ,Tigor, en.using Parker to coinphiin that they ,vcrc '\vedded to the past.', No,v he lo·ved the past, Parker continued'.!hut he H\vou]d as soon ,ved l his] grandn1other ,yhon1 [he) loved equally ,vcll.~' ~7 Opposed to I-ledge's vjc\\'S ,vcrc Parker and Ripley~ ,vho supported "a nc,v church but -a Christian Church,'' 2nd Emerson and Fuller~ \vho proposed t.ia universal church and creed~tl The church ,vas again discussed,vhcn the Club n1ct three Hedge to FuHeri 14 J\farch 1840:t descrHled in Cal.Jot, L-1.NotcLook/ Houghton 1 Library. I-I edge ,s fears proved \~'eH-grou nde d for I a.s Fnmd s ,\Tote him, even ' Uni- 11 t a rfan ism j s talked of as another piece of tran sccndcnta 1 lnsani ty ( 3 D cccmb er I 840, Ban gar Historical Society )r ~L 30 j\·forch 1640, En1crson1 Letters., n, .,_70-z71. I (October I 840 )~ 17 5-18:L

ti~ l(cat::. to J, 11•• Clarke~ 2 5 November l 8401 J\1adclcinc B. Stcrn 1 "l~our Letters i ro1n George Keats/' I'u bli cation r of the A1 od en1 l~angzurge A sxociat ion, L \~ I ( 1'\.·1arch 1941 ), .211; Dartntot~t/J, II (October l 840 ), 75-77, and "f\Tc..i.i. 1-Y orker.,X ( 14 October I 840), 83~84. ll-;- 1-2 Soptc:mber 1840, Parker, '1ournaL/3 I, 441.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) Frederic 1-/enry fledge~ Frrilureof Tra11sce11deut.alisu1 405 ,veeks later. Ripley· st-arted the n1eeting h)Tproposing that the 111inisters :ind the church are upheld so]cly to support na society vicious in its foundations/'J foundations built upon the desire of the multitudes that the church ''should continue in its present conditions.'' Hedge de- f ended the church by po.inting to its past ~cconlplislnncnts but llipley finally made hi111confess that ccthe Social Prjnciple'.lt had 0 yct to be educatcd,"t and therefore the ~cchurch of Humanityn has "yet to gro\v. ,, as The n1eeting broke up, as usual, ,vith all sides still far ~part, but also ,vith ever)TOnc clear as to Hedgc~s refusal to join in any divisive movcn1ent ,vhich threatened the Unitarian church~ Hcdgc~s grov~~ingconscrvatisn1 ,vrrs not only the result of his con- \Tictions but also of his inunediatc circun1stances. 1-fis congregation had :al\vaysbeen troub]eso,nc, -a.ndin July 1840 H~dge had threatened to resign if his origina] salary, previously reneged upon, ,vas not pro- duced})~It \Vas1nct and the society- gre\v successfully until r 842, ,vhcn son1c of the c'rdtrn conservative" tnembcrs, "f rightcncd about Tran- scendcntalisn1, ?-.unsucccssf ul1y tried to get him distnisscd. Hedge, ,vho at this point fc1t th~t nothing could ~1con1pensatc for the sacrifice" he had made in coining to Bangor, 2gain al1nostresigned before the society voted do\ vn his dct ra c to rs.40 "f he prohletns \Yith his congregation and a na tura.l reluctance to bc- con1e further involved ,vith the Transcendentalists kept I-ledge a,vay fron1 the lJinl until July 1842~ ,vhcn he sent in a translation from

Eliz::iucth .Pe1hody to John S. U\~·ight1 20 September 1840, Boston PnhEc Li- brsry. In a letter ,vritren to John \Vhitc Chad'i.vickin 1881'.IHedge stated his pulpit co11~crva.tisn1jn thi.s,vay: 1'As a preacher,. my pdnd pie bas been ... ., in rdiltion to 111y beliefs ll~~t J do not sharc 1 to proceed not iconocla~rically'.I lJut to insti! jnto hearers tho sc b roBdi phi Ios o phic, and {und 'J.men t:11 ,Tiews ,vhi ch "\Vil1 enable then1 to outgro,v those bcl icf.i:;;and thus to en1ancipatc then1sebtes. ·For J hold that self- emancipation is 1nuch n1orc effecti,Te than crnancipatio[1 by anothcr~s dcni;i.J'>(Chad- "\l'!ck1Frederic Henry Hedge LBoston: George T-J.Ellis, 1891], pT i8). ro Lucy Hedge to her 1nother, and to her r~ rentst 5 July, ::ind i.6 Jlily [ 840, Poor-Hcllgc .Papers. '" Hedge to Francis, 2.6 January 1841, 1\·lassachusetts Historical Society. Hedge 1s move to Bangor probably had as n1uch to do \.\'!th his attitude to,Yards the Dia1 as did I1 i~ mo re person a.l con victi 011 s. lJ n-J.blc by reason of distance to play a 111a j or role in the running of the Diol, and uuahlc by tcmpcran1ent to shape the j ournal'.s j dcol ngy'! h c retreated j n to h itnsel f. The k no,v ledge that he had had a c h3 n er. fi ,;,e years ca rl1c.r to do exactly ,vhat he had ,van red to, and h~d seen it slip a,,·ay1 ~lso hnrt. And ,vhen same of the very san1e people tvho111 he h~d foft Boston for com- plainc d of his lo oso co t111ectio ns ,v j rh the T ransccn d cnta lists, the sensc of f rust ration and bitterness. nrus.( ha\~~ been grc at.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) H n rvnr d l_,ib Yli r 'V Bn Jlet in ·uhland for that issue. He ,v;-is pron1pted to do so by a ne,v appe~l f ron1 Etncrson, \vho h::l.dreplaced Fuller as editor+ 1n j\:1arch F.merson had so]icjtcd I-1edge for hi~ connnents on the journa 1 and a~ked if he had ~c:any· ,vord to print on these "'T'in1csrf :tct or thought; history, poc;n1, or exhortation?'' 41 T-1edge responded thar ::ilthough he \\~a.sin general disappointed in the ]Jin!, he sa"~ great possihilitics for it under EmcrsonJs leadership. Strongly rcconuncnding Parker as "co- ad juror," I-Icdge pron1ised a translation for the July nun1heT, ·and for a f uturc jssuc he nskcd E1ncrson: "1--Io,v\Vould it suit you to exchange one or t\VO letters ,vith Par kcr or ,vith inc on the subject of llcvclrttion or 1 ..hc Church or The Age?n "'2 I-ledge a1sosent 3long a 1nanuscript copy of hjs 1 84 1 I--Iarvard Phi Beta Kappa oration on "(:onscrvatisn1 and Ilcforni/' E1ncrson had severe n1oral reservations about the piece buti being a dip]on1atic editor, he returned the oration to fledge ,vith the con1n1ent that a separate pub 1ication ld he Hjuster & hetter"i for it. Besides, his O\Vn lecture ,cThe Conscrvativc,J ,,=-astoo si111ilar,and :1long \v.irh a long artic]e by FulJcr took 11p too n1any pages for the

varjed n1ag::1zinehe ,van red. StillJ En1erson rhanl{ed I-ledge for con- sidering the Dini and pron1iscd insread to print a section on Schelling fro1n the pref ::iceto a ne\v edition of Hegel\ ,vorks, ,vhich I-ledge had copied and sent to hi1n.43 Th~ Jatter appeared ~s the final iten1 jn the October '~F,ditor'.r..T ahi e. ,, Hcdge~s ]~st ,vork for the Difll ,vas another transladon. In October., Chftrles Stearns '''heeler had sent to En,cr8on fro1n Gern1any a copy -of Schell i ng1s jntrod.uctory lecture given to his classes in Berlin in J'\Tovcn1bcrr 841, and Erncrson had asked Hedge to translate it. Hedge ,vorkcd stc11dilyjfld in three ,vceks g11vchis con1pletcd translation to E111crson. IL ,vas printed jn the January 1 84 3 Dial, a nun1b er ,vh i ch I-ledge considered deficient in dgood, origjnal 111attcr,,,the only satis- factory articles being En1ersonJs selections fTon1 ~1cnu, 1~horeau's translation of Pro1netheus, and the cata1ognc of the lihrary at Alcott\; l~'ruitlands.

n 23 !\·!arch 1842 Emer~on., Letters, 11113 7. •; 4 April 1 S4i, Poor•H edge Papers. En1crson. of course did not Lcconie JnVolved jn the proposed theo]ogicJ l corrcspond~oce~

f:.' 1 September ,841, En1crson., l.,,.ette1·s1 1H, 84. u ''-i"hcdcr to Eu1c:rson, :o-i 3 Octobr:r 1 B,p, l:luughton Lihn1.ry; En1c-rson to

Hcdg~~ i 1 1\.,.on:mbcr I R4i, LetterJ 1 111, 97---f,)8;J-1 edge to Fuller,. 5, I z J ~nuary 1843, Houghton Libnu:y. A n)orc colnplf:1•c discLJs5jon of Hedge 1s reh1tionship \vith thi: Dial :and it~ contrjbutors is jn l\1ycrson, ~'A History of the Dini,,, Ph.D. drs~ctt:idon, Nordn\'cstctn Univcrsit;7, 1971.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) 1-i'redcric1-i.enry 1-f edge~ F'ailure of Trt111sce,1dentalis'l11 407 Hedge's choice of the "'good'~ pieces f ron1 that nun1ber of the Dial jndircctly points to his overa11 rcscrv~tions about the n1agazinc. 1-lc Yvascsscntia1ly conservative !=!.ndpreferred so1id studies of 1norc csta.b- lishcd literature, or even reprint~ of th~t literature, to the cxpcrjn1cntnl flights of the younger Transcendcnt"rllists~ To ch~Bengcsuch stahv~rts as the Cbristhn1Exa,niucr and the "l'-.lortbA111eticr1n Re-view on their o\vn ground, rather than to brc~k nc,v paths, ,vas Hedge's goal. If his conrcn1porarjes h:1drecognized th1s cadicr~ n1uch of rhc cn1barrassn1e11t surrounding I-ledge's relations ,vith the ninl could have been avoided. In f~ct, indic'1tion~ th:lt Hedge could not ,vholeheartedly endor~e rhe vie\\ 1 S of n1ost of the Tran~ccndcnta]ist.s had hecn evident 1nuch e~rlier. I-ledge had expressed l1is Jcscrvntio11s ~bout Transcendentalisln to J1isfriends as earl;/ as 1 835, soon after his 1·cn1ovalto Bangor. ""fhere, ~nvay f r,0111the tutnult of the Unitarian controversy jn Boston, he re- flected on the issues ~nd hcgan f orn1ula ting ,vhat he \\rouid call '~cn- 1 Jightened Conscr\·-ari~1n.i Ry 1 8 39 .Parker hc1d noticed that Hedge ,vas hecon1ing "gu~rded in his cxpressionsn at the Transcendental Club 1ncctjngs/' 1 and the delivery and sulv~equent publication o{ his 1 '" Conscrvatjs111311d Ref or111'iorntion ,vas definite proof of I-Icdge,sre- fusal to be counted an1ong the Trnnsccndentnl rcfor111ers. H·cdgc\ T 841 oration on ' 1Conscrvatisn1 and R.cforn1/' Yvhjch ,vas repeated t\vo yc~rs hncr at Do,vdoin College and published, is his best statcnicnt during this period of ,vhy Trnnsccndcntalisn1 in the for1n in ,vhich it had developed o,Tcr the past fc,Yyears had becon1c unpalatab]c to hirn.. Hedge begins by adn1itting th:n a strong attachn1cnt to existing forn1~and the resulting distrust of Hall that \vnnts the authority of age and nurnbcrs,, is~ characteristic of the establishedgroup in pov,rcr at any age or in :;1.nycountry. T-lo,vcvcr, he pleads for a recognitjon of that \\' hich js ~{pra1se\vorthyin Conservatisn1 - its

u.a.vio]cnt d i~ru ption ,vhcre timc]y concessions u1ight heal the breach+t, At the same time., present concessions \viHbetter ullo,v for future resis- tance to unjust demands. As to the H.trrruscendenttrlpbilosopl.1y," Hedge s-ays! ''It is not the 'pure spirit of hcalrh' ,vhich its advocates suppose, nor yet the 'goblin darnned) ,vith the dread of ,vhich its ad- versaries have so needlessly nfilicted their Its tnain value h'1s been to furnish "u ne,v in1pu]sc to thought'" ,vhich ,vill sontc day bear f rutt. Until that day con1es, Hedge cautions: '

•~Conren.1atir1n and Ref onn (Boston: Cb~tles. C. Little and J:a.mes Bn)\vn, 1843). t.,.Stetson to H~dge., 18 October I 841, Scl1ks1ngcr Library. 7 "''-'JuUa \\ .i.rd Ho,vc 1 Re1uh~ixcences 1819~1899 (Boston: Houghton 1 ~1iffiin, J 899). p. ?96, Fuller ah,·::i.ysd~sliked Hedge 1s 1nediatory position: in l833 she h~d cnrreared hin1 to ~'bring your opjnions jnto collision ,vith tllosc generally reccjv,cdi' ( 9 j uly, Hough(on Library).

i~ 17 August 1 Emcn::on1 J oitrnttlst V 111,31. ,vhen Francis ,vas appointed tn a professorship at liarvard in 1843, Hedge

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) Frederic 1-Jenry1-lenget J-?nilure of Trrr~1sceudentalis111409 could disagree ,vith En1crson and JJarkcr on an intellectual p]ane, but he feared the consequences of Hthe prncticnl dissent of the ti1ne ,vhich

\vcars so thrcatcnj ng an :lspcct 1 the dissent of that nu rnerons class of pcrsonsi ,vith large ideas & sn1all facu]ty, ,vho hav·c not obtained \vhat they· covet f rorn existing institutions & ,v ho think they sha11find their account in a genera] overturn~'t 61 As the Trnnsccndcntnl ref orn1crs contrasted this picture of l-Icdge ,vjth their rcco1lectjuns of rhe younger 1nnn.,the discipJc of GcrnH111culture and philosophy ,vho had proposed his o\vn journa] five yc3rs before the Dial, 1nnny thought thnt he had betrayed his car1ier convictions and pron1isc. A nurnhcr of the Tr~n- sccndcnra]ists hnd Jcft the 111inistr)r,vhen their o,v·n deep convictions ,vcre jn opposition to t11cprevailing ones; they thought that Hedge had

acconunodatcd hin1sc]f to the Unitarian Association and sa" 1 his devc]- oprnent as rcgressjvc. Recause of this f ec]jng, none of the Transccndcn- taiists associated ,vi~h the Dial really regretted the loss of 1-Icdgc once his true reasons for not \Vanting to participntc bec~n1c knoYvn. In the case of Frederic 1-Icnry I-ledge, then., the Nc,v Eng]and Tran- sccndcntnlists fai]ed to convince hin1 of the ,vorth of their n1overne11t

for pnradoxic::lllythe .san1e.reasons ,vhich attracted so rn:l.11.\7 orhcrs: ~n opposition to existing institutions~ 11 distrust of the past, an intense rc- ]ianc;cupon individual intujrionJ and a non-acceptance of the 111iraclcs of the Nc\v Testan1cnt.ri~ I-ledge ,vas also distrustful of the lack of to1- cr~tion ~ho\vn by 1nany of the active social reforrncrs a1nong the Tran- scendent<1Iisrs. u3 Becauseof J·Jedge\, '~enlig·htcnedConservatisn1,"" Elizn~

\\Tote a cungrat ubtoty Jc::tt~r ir1 ,vhich he reruinlkd Francis drnt his ne,\' posidon 111ustaff cc..:ttlu: Htonc.., of his re1ations ,vJth his old frjends:! and 11cspcdally \\'1th those \\'ho have lncurrtd the stigrn:1 of trn.nscendenrnl & hererica.l tendencies!' ( r 4 Fcbnrnry, !vi Hiscorical Society), 1 ~ Hedge to Fr~ncis, 14 Fehn1~ry r S431 l\1~~s:achuscttsHjstoric~l Society. Or ~s he \\Tote about Fouricds111,the systcn1 partially adopt-cd by the Brook Farn1 con1- munity~ it ,vas '~csscntfallyepicu rcan, jrrcHgjot.Js, grovelling, 1118.kingplc8.surc the only goo(l, and the kingdom of hca\Ten to consi::st ir1 mt!ats and drinksn C1 The Njnc·

teenth Cerltury, t! C!JTistitm ExmnineT, XL \ 1llI li\-1:ir I 850]' 376). In his A11 Addrcrs Dc!ivt.?rt:d Before .•. the Di--vimty Scbool in Cmnbridge (C'Jn1brjdge: John B:1rtletr, 1 849), Hedge st:Jted! ul uccept the n1ir~ck.s record td in the Gospel, h1:c;1u_i,cI find in d1e1n no difficulty so great as 1 encounter if I reJect then1i' ( pp. i 3-24). See a.ko ''i\1irades!! 1n his Retrron iu RdigioJI (Ilos(on~ ,,,a lkeri J•'ullcr1 1865 ), pp. 263-2 So. As Roland v·:llc '\:Velisl1n~ aptly put jti Hedge ,,·as j(too tolermn for the nau- sccndcnrn1ists~ 1n the scosc that he looked dcar1y 11t cYcry systc1n, ref ~•sing to dc- nou nee, accc pt ing th c good pa n:s, rejecting the. bad!! ( T bre(; C In frtinn Tran sc~''JI th'n- t i.llirts [Ncn· York: Co]umbia Uni·n.~rsily Pn.~ss, 194 3 t p. n 4).

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) 410 I-JarvrrrdJ..,ibrnry Bulletin heth Peahody con11nented that he ''rnight have inu·oduced Transccn- dcntalis1n in such a ,vay that it ,vould not have become identified ,vith the extreme Individua]isn1 ivhich is no,v perhaps inde1ibly associated ,vith it in A n1erica.t, 04 i\ s Hedge hitnself Jater described the situ!ltion., he ''secn1ed to discern a po\vcr and n1eaning in the old, \Vhich the 1norc jrnpassioned \vould not allo,v/' and though his c~historicalconscience'' thus kept hin1 '~ccclesiasricallyconservative/ 1 he rernained, to the end'l "inteJIectuall y raclical.,, ~6

(;:L Peabody, Re~uh1iscencesof Rev. JlTu1. Ellery C!Jmming (Boston: Roberts Brothers, 188"0), p. 371. w 'D csti ni es of Eccksfo.sci c~l Religion,,' C IJri r lfo n E :rmui11 er, LA""XXII (January

l867) ! l 2.+

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975) CONTRIBUTORS TO TI-IIS ISSUE

I-Io,vARDl\·1 UJ\lI•'ORD Jo~Est AlJhott L:nvrent.:e Lo\\Tel1 Professor of the Human- itiesi E1neritus, at Harv~rd, "~as Editor of the I·IARVARD L1BRARY Blj"LLETlK, 1966-l 967; the n1ost recent uf hi5" nurnerou~ hool.::s:( edited jn col!~bonnion ,vith his ,vife, Bessie Zuban Jone~) is Th~ A1rcuyT 7 oice-s of Roston - A His- totical A11tholGgy 1630-197 5~ published bf Atlantic/Little, Bro\vn.

JoEL l\1Yr.RSOl\T,A-ssis:tant Profes~or of English Li:lnguage and Literature at the University of South Carolina, is the author of bib]iographics of Jvlclville :ind of !viargarc t Fuller; his other published ,vri rj n gs i ricln de con tri bu ti o ns to th E Ju1y 1973 and October 1974 issues of the 1-IARVARD LIBRARY BuLLETI~~

Cr::cTLlAHcu;:.NA PAYN£-GAPOSCHK1:N is l?hiHips Professor of Astronomy, E1ller- ita.,at I-Iarvnrd; her published books include Stellr,r At1nospbcres ( 192. 5), Tl:ie

Stars of Hig!J L1nninosit-y( 1930 ), 11 ariahle Stars & Galtrctlc Structurer (, 954) I Stars in the A1ttJdn.g( 195 2) Introduction to AHronouiy ( 1954; 2nd ed., 1970)~

and Tbe Gai11cticN 01xre( 1957; :zad cJ ·i r 964).

JoN PF.AKSON PERRY ,von the \VjHian1 I-Iarrfa Arno1d and Gertrude ~' 7c1d Arnold Prize at I-Ia:rvardin 1968 ,vith on e,;;s~yon Je::10 de l~ournes; he has re- centiy con1pleted a Harvard dissertation on Polisce~in~a L-atin humanist con1edy of the c-arl y R cnais.s:an cc.

CAROL 1NF.. RonnINS, Prof es.sor En1eri tu s of I-Iistory at Bryn l\1 a,vr Col lege, hc1s edited a n111nbcr of seventeenth-century texts; her Tbe Eigbteentb-~Ce11tury Co; JnJ1onw enit 1nna-n\v:1 s published by the H ;i rva rd University Press. in 19 59 :u1d a previous attic le on Ho His, '~Library of Li bcrt y - Asscrnbl cd for If~ r n:arJ CoHcge by 'fho1nas I-Iollis of Lincoln~s lnnt appeared in the HARVARDLu3RARY IluLLETJN, \ 1 ( 195 l ), 5-2 J:t 181-J 96.

E~R;A.'fA IN 'fHE ARTICLE by A-iarceJFran\'on, ~'I·]istoric::rlBackground of French Liter· ature in the First Part of the Sixteenth Century/' XXIII: 1 (January 1975)~ 50, line i 71 rec1d Charles \ 1Ill Onstead of Charles \ 1Il); p. 5 2., line i 5, rc~d Clc1nent ,rn (instc-;iJ of Clc1ncnt \ 71); an

468

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXIII, Number 4 (October 1975)