Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-21
Ralph Waldo Emerson ON the Late Theo-
doro Parkcr-E Eloquent and Chnracteris.

Exercises in commemoration of the deatl
Of the late Rev. Theodore Parker. were he'll
oy the Twenty-eighth Congregational So
ciety, In Music Hail. in Boston, on SUNDAY
morning: The capacious hall was crowded
10 repietion IN every part, aud hundreds O
men and women remained standing through
the entire services, lasting upward of two
hours Charles NJ. Ellis, Wendell Phillip,
and Ralph Waldo Emerson, delivered inter.
esting addresses, and in regard to the last
we annex these extracts from the Boston
iAtlds and Bee.
THEODORE PARKRRs CHARAoTERIsr1cs.
Theodore Parker was a son of the soil
charged with the energy of New England
strong, eager, inquisitive of knowledge, of a
diligence that never tired, uprighf' of .
naughty Independence, yet the gentlest Of
companions man of study, fit for a man OF
the world; with decided opinions and plenty
OF power to state them; rapidly pushing his
studies so far as to leave few men qualified In
sit as critics. He elected his part of duty, OF
accepted nobly that assigned him in his rare
constitution, Wonderful acquisition OF
knowledge, a rapid wit that heard all, and
welGomed all that came, by seeing its bearing.
such was the largeness of his reception of
facts and his skill to employ them. that Il
looked as if he were some President of Coun-
cli, to whom score of telegraphs were ever
bringing in reports; and his information
would have been excessive, but for the noble
use he made of it ever in the interest of hu-
manity. He had a strong understanding a
logical method, love for facts, rapid eve
for their historic relations, and a skill in
stripping them of traditional lusters. He
had atsprightly fancy, and often amused him
self with throwing his meaning into pretty
apologies; yet we can hardly ascribe to bis
MIND the poetic element, though his scholar
ship had made him reader and quoter of
verses. A little more feeling of the poetic
significance of his facts would have Sisuuali-
lied him for some of his severer Offices to his
generation.
HIS RUGGED EARNEsTNEss.
The old religions have a charm for most
minds which it is q little uncanny to dis
turb. Tis sometimes question shall we
not leave them TO decay without rude
shocksF remember that l found some
harshness in bis treatment both of Greek
and of Hebrew antiquity, and sympathiSed
with the pain Of many good people in his
auditory, while l acquitted him. of course
OF any wish to be fippant. He came at n
time when TO the irresistible march of opin-
ion the forms still retained by the most ad
vvanced sects, showed loose and lifeless. and
he,. with something less of affectionate at
tachment to the old, or with more vigorous
logic, rejected them. 'Tis objected to him
that he scattered too many illusions. Perhaps
more tenderness would have been more
graceful; but it is vain to charge him with
perverting the opinions of the new genera
ton. The opinions of men are organic.
simply, those came to him who found them
selves expressed by him. And had they NOT
met this enlightened mind, in which they
beheld their own opinions combined with
as zeal in every, cause of love and humanity,
they would have suspected their opinions
and suppressed them, and SO sunk into melan-
choly or malignity-a feeling of Loneliness
and hostility to what was reckoned respecta-
6le: ,Tis plain to me that he has achieved
historic immortality here that he has 40
woven himself in these few years into the
history of Boston, that he can never be left
out Of your annals.
HIS SINCERITY AND HIS FAULT.
The vice charged against America ia the
want Of sincerity in leading men. Il does
not lie at his door. He never kept back the
truth, for fear to make an enemy. But, on
the other hand, it was complained that he
was bitter and harsh, that his zeal burnt with
too hot o fame, II is so difficult, in evil
times, to escape this charge, for the faithful
preacher most Of all 1t was his merit like
Luther, Knox, and Latimer, and John Bap-
tist TO speak tart truth, when that was per- |
II.
But his sympathy for goodness was not less
energetic. One fault he had,-he overesti-
mated his friends,-I may well say it, and |
sometimes vexed them with the importunjtv |
u his good opinion, while they knew better |
me eDb which follows unfounded praise. He |
vas capable, it must be said, of the most nm |
measured eulogies on those he esteemed, es- |
'ecialiy If he had any jealousy that they did
lot stand with the Boston public as highly |
Is they ought. ~
HIS IDEA OF THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY.
/, His commanding merit as a reformer is
ms, that he insisted beyond all men in pull |
,its-I can not think of one riyal-that the
ssence of Christianity is its practical morals:
IS there for use, 1t is nothing; and if you
ombine it with sharp trading, or with Or
hnsry city ambitions to gloze over munici-
'al corruptions, or private intemperapce. or
uccessful fraud, or immoral politics, or un.
ust wars, or the cheating of Indians or the
onoery OF frontier nations, or leaving your
at home to follow on the high seas
r in Europe, a supple compIaisance to ty-
ants--it is q hypocrisy, and the truth is not
n you and no love of religious music, or of
reams of Swedenborg, or praise of John
esley, or Of Jeremy Taylor, can save you
rom the Satan which you are.
aIu HIS POLITICAL OPINIONS.
MS ministry tell on political crisis also. |
the years when Southern slavery broke
yer its old banks, made new and vast pre-
'nsions, and wrung FROM the weakness or
'eachery OF Northern people, fatal conoes-
ons in the Fugitive-slave Bill and the re-
cal OF the Missouri Compromise. Two days
tier In the memory of Boston, the days ofJ
re rendition of Sims and of Burns, made the
session of his most remarkable discourses.
o kept nothing back. In terrible earnest
, denounced the public crime, and rneted
1t TO every official, high and low. his dine
,rtion.l BY the ,incessantr power of his
atement, he made and held party. II was
s great service to freedom, He took away
70 reproach of silent consent that would |
herwise have lain against the indignant
inority, by uttering in the hour and place
,otest. .-
HIS IRFLUEscE-HIs MEMORY.
II is we'll known that his great hospitable
art was the sanctuary to which every soll
nscious OF au earnest opinion came for
mPathy- alike the brave Shareholder and /
Q brave slaye-rescuer. These met In the I
'use OF TINS honest man-for every sound
art loves o. responsible person, one who |
es not IN generous company say generous 4
ings, and IN mean company base things, 1
y says one thing--now cheerfnlly, now In i
gnantly--hut always because he must, and | Q
cause he sees, that whether he speak or i !
tfain from speech this is said over him; and b
story, nature and all souls testify to the
me- .n1M jan az ilsiW OiiW liG 'hGsA
Ah, my brave brotherl II seems as IT, In a q
vologs age, our loss were immense, and v