Page:The Cambridge History of American Literature, v2.djvu/273

Lowell's Influence 257 to reform a changing but evil world, characterizes English literature of the years 1 830-1 880, and American Hterature of the same epoch. Literature in those years has preached many creeds and many reforms, and it has lost something in sim- plicity and certainty because it has been so much in earnest. So Lowell's writing loses in certainty of art and unity of effect from its very responsiveness to the shifting opportunities for usefulness. But its contribution to civilization is not lessened, for it has done its best to teach a new people to guide their steps by the great men and great ideas of the past. In the address on Democracy, Lowell held forth as argu- ments in favour of our national institutions two of their products, Lincoln and Emerson. We surely need not despair of our democracy so long as it can produce men of letters like Lowell and utilize them in the service of the common weal. VOL. II — 17.