, 1860-11-10
EMERSON on DOMESTIC LIFE.

Ralph Waldo EmerEon's essay on "Domes~
tic Life" is so full Of wise sayings that wc
know our readers will thank us for copying .
part Of it:
What art csn paint or gild any object in NJ
ter life with the glow which nature gives to
tho first baubles Of childhood! st. Peters
cannot have the magical power over lis that
the red covers Of our first picture book pos
warm glorie8 OF tllat tinsel cvcn now! What
entertainments make every day bright and
short for him. The street is old as nature;
tie persons all have their sacrcdncss, His i'm
agfnativc life dresses nil things In their best.
His fears adorn the dark parts with poetry. He
has heard Of wild horses and Of bad boys, and
with pleasing terror he watches ut his gate
for the pausing Of those varieties Of each spe-
cIcs The 1irst ride into the country, the first
bath in running water, the first time the skates
are put on, the first game out Of doors in
moonlight. the books III tho nursery, *re new
chapters Of joy. The "Arabian Nights En-
tcrtainmcuts,'' <'Robfnson Crusoc," aud the
"PiI.rim's Progress mines of Thought
and emotion, what a wardrobe to dress tho
Whole world withal, is In this encyclopedia Of
young thinking. :.
And SO, By beautiful traits which, without
art, yet seem the masterpiece Of wisdom,
provokiu. the love that watches and educates
him, tho little pilgrim prosecutes the journey
through nature which he Aas thus gaily be-
gun. uegrows up the ornament aud Joy OF
1hc house, which Einga to his glce, to rosy boy
hood.
Let Us come out of the public square, md
enter the domestic precinct. LIT us go to the
sitting-room, the table-ta:k aud the expcndl-
| t1rc Of our contemporaries. An Increased con-
scionsncss Of the soul, you say, chn1acterizcs
/ tile period. Let US see II It has not only or-
| ranged the atoms at the circunlfcEcncc,b but the
n+ Al. n hc1.
| IN idea. Do you SEQ the man-hls form, &c
! MUS aud aspiration, In his economy Is that
! translucent, thorough-ligh There should
| be nothing confoundinS and conventional In
| economy, but the genius and love Of the man
30 conspicuously seen in all Lis estate that the
| eye that knew him should sec his character in
his property, in his grounds, In Ills ornamc cnts,
| in eyery expense. A 1nau's money should not
| follow the direction Of his neighbos's mon-
| cy, but should represent to him The things he
| would willinglitst DO with it, ! aln not one
thing and my expenditure another: ny e.
our character are tTain, is the vice Of society.
| We ask tho price Of many things in shops
and stalls, bnt some things each Inun buys
| without hesitation, if it were only letters at
| the post Office, conveyance In carriages md
boats, tools for his work, books that arc writ
ten to his condition, etc. Let him nsvcr buy
anything else than what be Wants; never sub-
scribe 1t others instance; never girc unwil-
lfngly. Thus a scholar il a literary Foundation.
| All biz expense is for Aristotle. Fabricns,
Erasmus and Pctrarch DO not ask him to
help with his savings young diapers or gro
| GERS to stock their shops or eager agents to
lobby In legislatures. Or join = company to
build factory OF fishing craft. These things
arc also to be done, but not by such rs he.
How could sucll 4 book u P1ato's Dialogues
have come down, but for tho sacred savings Of
scholars and their fantasuc appropriation Of
them!
In like manner another nan IL . mechanical
genius, an inventor Of looms, q builder Of ships
"a shipbuildinc foundation, and could achieve
nothing, II he should dissipatc himself on
books Or on horses. Another Is farmcr-an
agricultural foundation; another Is . chemist
not make believe with our money, but spend
heartily, aud buy up AID rot down.
! l am afraid thai, SO considered, our domestic
life will not bear looking into. fear that
cur houses will not be found to have unity,
and express the best thought. The household,
The calling, the friendships Of tue citizen, arc
not homogeneous. His house ought TO show
US his honest opinion Of what his well-being
consists In which llc rests among his kindred,
and forgcts nil a1Icctatiou, all compliance. and
eycp all c1crtion Of will he brings homo
thither wnate>er ecmn2dities and ornaments
have for years allurcd Ills pursuit., ana hi3 char
actcr must lie seen in them. But what idea
| prcdominatcs In our houses! Take off all the
roofs from the stre2t to street. md ~ shall
seldom find the temple Of any higher god than
| Prudence. The progress OF domestic living
has been in cleanliness in ventilation, In health
comfort, in tho concentration Of all tho utili
ties Of every cline In each house They arc
| a1anged for low benefits. The houses Of the
rich are confcctioncrs' shops where wc gel
awcctmcats and wine; the 1ousee g c. Tic POO,
are limitations Of these to the extent Of theI,
40 l. -. T..
beautiful It cheers and raises ne!thcr the hus
band, the wife nor the child; neither the hos'
nor the guest; it opprcsses woman. A houss
kept to The end Of prudence Is lahorious with
ont Joy; house kept to Tho end Of display il
impossible to NIL but few women, mud thei,
success is dearly bought
1t is sufficient accusation Of our wuys O.
living, and certainly ought to open our ear te
every good minded Fetormer, that our idea d
| domestic well being now needs wealth TO exc
cute It. Give me the means, says the wife
md your house shall not annoy your taste nol
! waste your time On hearing this, VIC under
stand Lux these means have come to be SC
wealth seems to grow chiefly out Of the. roo
: Of the love for the beautiful. The desire O.
gold il not for gold, It ia not the love ofmucl
wheat and wool and household stuiE 1t Is ths
! means OF freedom aud benefit We scor1
shifts. We desire the clcgancy Of munidcencc
|
our parents, relatives, guests or dependents
We desire to play the benefactos and the prince
!. with our townsincn, with the stranger at tlt
gate, With the barl, OF tha beauty, with thE
| man or woman Of worth, who allghts At on
| door. How can We do this, u the wants o
each day imprison us In lucrative lnbors, mt
| constrnIn US to continual vigilance lest we bs
, | bctrayed into IN expense? l homo
that man whose ambition It il, not to wip tau
rela in the state or the army, not to hc ajnris
or naturalist, not to be poet or command
| er, but to be master Of living well, and Il
administer ths offices Of master or sefSant,
husband, father and friend. Bat 1t requires n
| much breadth Of power for this rs for thos'
other {unctions-hs much, or more-and th'
rcason for the failure is the sa1nc. think th'
> vice Of our housekeeping il, that 1t docs no
bold MN sacred. The vice Of government, til
Tice Of education, the rico Of rallslon, u ON
with thnt Of private life. Thercis yet no house
5 because there is yet no housekeeper. Al tn
, tenant, such will be the abode
In the old fables, We used to read Of a e1oa2
brought from fairy Land as gift for the flares
j. and p4sest In Ffiuce Arthutss court. 1t va
- to be her prize whom 1t would 1T Every on
!. was eager totry 1t on, but It would ut nobody
dragged on the ground, and for that it shrunl
to scaf They, Of course, said that the dcvi
/, was In tho mantlc, for really the truth WIS II
the mantle, md was exposing the uGliues
+. which each would faln conceal. Al drew bacl
It with terror fsom tue garment. The funoccn
every man is provided in his thought with
j measure Of man which he applies to every pat
:. senger. Unhappily, not Que in thousands an'
!. thousands comes up to the stature nnd pre-
portions Of the model Neither does the mcs
) turcr himself neither do the people in tn
!. street, neither DO the selest individuals WHOM
be Admires-tho heroes Of the race. When b
| insuecth them critically he diacnrfrs that fl1ci