New-York tribune., 1869-04-17
RELIGIOUS.
AN ADDRESS ON NATURAL RELIGION By RALPH
WALDO EMERSON AT HORTICULTURAL HALL,
pOSTON.
I'hN" NOh oThNlAL OOhhhoTONbhNi'
.Axy Anil In.rna

tons the past Winter In Boston, and yesterday Hortcu
tural Hall ned TO over1owing to hear discourse
upon Religion from the foremost representative OF
American thought and letters-Ralph Waldo Emerson.
The times have changed and have changed with them
since Mr. Emerson preached himself out Of his pulpit
in Freemanpace Chapel; was placed under the ban OF
the church, thundered at in The Norh American Rerier
and in The Dial later in The Fable for Critics;
good naturedly quzzed by his true friend Theodore
Parker the hand and James Russell Lowell on the
other Fighting out meantime on the Same line III
the easy victory OF sweetness and ght can be called
fghtng-with the purpose Of Grant, and good nature
without example, he stands to-day first in American
letters and first in the hearts Of his constituency And
this latter has become multitude which man can
number His prose and are not only the best
prose and verse-a double triumph, and O rare
one but they every where read. In hps cabins on
every sea- the Essays the Conduct Of Life are found
the best tonic against and travellers carry to
the peaks Of the Nevada the Alps and so do soldiers
and settlers TO their camps and huts the Woodnos and
the Problem, the Hisnblebes, and the Rhodora
At the time Mr. Emerson is nowhere so priced as
at home; ard the Of his public appear
ance Is the signal of conoourse Of Wit and
Wisdom, and Youth and Beauty, such as no
other American can assemble studiously avoiding
declamation-or never dreaming of it-appeallng
i'm the most contentious phrase he holds an attention
which hangs upon his lips till the all unwshedfor close
camation and popcock that against which the first and
best tribute after all paid TO Ideas, clothed In Smpci-
di:cOuTSs was part Of the series Of
in Horticultural Hail. which have had speakers Mrs
Julia Ward Hove Mrs Edna 10 Cheney IL nEpaR gg
Francis +. Abbott Qaely enioned from preaching IN
Unitarian Church at Dover n H. and others % Oh less
note. They have excited much interest, which cumi-
Shortly after O'clock Mr.. Emerson came upon the
platform in his well-known dhdent manner, ana pro-
ceeded TO read the following DISCOURSE:
MR. EMERsoss ADDRESS.
IT an opinion that is very often heard hroughout our
society that certain temperance mlddle course-to
pitch your voice on key that you can hold topch your
ree RI Teiy on common sense-is the wisdom OF the
world II is wonderful how rich every mans experience
Tbe common lot IA 10 be preferred. Give me neither
poverty riches IL great happiness TO be born IN
The one yigor that delights clean powerin AN en-
gineer in sailor, In workman, IN seholar-unpro-
fesslopa skill We look away from the boy who does or
SAYS good thing for fear he may neglect instead OF say
Ing doing another as good TO DC relieved OF tne task
ances Now have TO say that think this temperance,
this modest measure, this common sense rule
sppiighs sd the common arts and Sciences OF life.
re gion OF the simplest clements the 1rst duties that
every where exist commanded by the primal sentiments
mat need no magnificent enunciation by ancient
phecy special messengers attended by angels from the
need to be obeyed in order speak with clearer voice.
and deliver the whole code of moral and spiritual me-
like 10 be invited aud like 10 invite 10 Realism; TO the
simple truth which yet hurt anybody TO the riches
OF the poor; to the hight OF lowliness 70 the ee,
ents OF water and bread and to the hghest heavens
through this universal path The first position make s
that natural religion supplies st all the facts which are
have Observation-Disclosures assurance that all is well even
when things look the worst We beleyea great deal
etate 10 our secret conviction to be able 20 define
or state IT. but It duses an atmosphere OF tranquility
through the days and animates our acton as the IN
dian hreathes the air as the chemist though per-
haps no never heard OF the mir nor Thought OF as an
element much less knows Its composition Inc Deneu'
cent ineyitabtes always sappiEg every seeming
proprety built on wrong The greatest g9od OF the
greatest number is coarse expression OF the valid
law. No matter how you seem TO fa,ten on on
crime, that can never bc good Tor WIN tbe
matter how many slaves the planter has II every one is
an enemy What matter how rich, II the man is afraid
What matter how well tho sngar grows. II the children
are rotten before they ripe II he Is feared by day u
he fears by night Not thus sublime confidence Is fed
al the bottom OF the heart that in spite OF appearances
in spite Of magnity and blind selntorest living for the
moment, eternal benefcent necessity always bring
(which do for duty requires us TO DO the
very hands Of @ Sdangh 6 e y he
opposition Of nature 70 everything huriu to another
every where delights is the plain doctrine OF integrity
IL is easy to pick out brilliant men, generous men, mar
tyrs men Of genius heroes Sph saa
socraes "is better than charity The gods HPproye Of
the depth and not of the tumalt OF the soul IL Is
Sej'Hst be just" ~ ''''' .'.-,---,.-.',-..
opinion in the discovery OF Oersed which has so oceu
pied the attention OF physicists; this namely that gal
yaniAIn electricity, were Oily
and the same force aud convertible each INTO the other
that electricity could communicate 10 bar OF steel the
could give the electric spark This doctrine presently
extended by experiments 10 showing that not only mag
netlsm and electricity but light heat gravity muscular
action all DISCUSSES or forms OF one and the samo
force From this identity 10 the step that has already
been taken to assert ana snow UNITY Oh power ana unity
the last statement OF Huxley But these attempts
broad and older assertor OF philosophers that each
fact only variety under the same Od law, when
Newton expressed when he said, "The world was msde
Mt cast." IL Is only particular instance OF UNITY
that Button and the physioogIsts taught, when they
showed that Mature In the eTea'i9n % ol al m her animal
mails and man. has worked on one plan, from which she
has never swerved As this unity exists IN the organize &
from the lower types OF man to the highest 80 does
not less declare itself In the spirit or intelligence OF the
yannt the human superiority by undertaking
the Instinct OF other animals; Better diseernmeEt
finds that the only difference is OF less and more Expert
ment shows the dog 70 the hunter does and all
animals show the same good sense In Their humble
walk that man. who is their enemy or friend does aud
II It be IN smaller measure, yet II Is not damaged as his
Is often, by freak and folly 81 Pierre says Of animals
that moral sentiment seems TO have Determined thelr
steal organizations This unity OF design IN the crea
Snthis unity Of hogghtns the Key I 70 % AL n science SST
man. but IN every partcle-that conyertiDty which we
SEQ in plants whereby the same Pnd becomes eh
made, and when one part Is wounded the deficiency Is
supplied by another. This selfhelp and selicreation
proceed from the same power which works IN
the feeblest and meanest structures by the
Same design in lobster or In a worm, ms wise man
would IL imprisoned In that poor form IL IL the effort OF
God the supreme Intellect In EXTREMIST boundary Of
his universe and long before Newton broader phoso
ply asserted the perfect agreement between matter and
mind and affirmed that there Is nothing on earth which
is not In the heavens IN heavenly FORM and nothing
In the heavens which is not In the earth IN an earthly
form-their expression OF that mystery IN which all po
etry and all language Is founded that we are able to md
symbols OF our sentiments and thoughts i'm the objects
OF nature that the whole Of nature agrees with the
whole OF thought.
Swedenborg affirmed this through al his scientific writ
ngs and then attempted II again In HIS religious works.
that Nature Is no other than Philosophy and Theology
embodied in mechanics. As We say sometimes, " the ak
IONS OF geometry translate the laws OF ethics"
remember when talking with whose picture OF the
Rewards ofthe Future" appeared TO me fancul He said
IL not in your experience but II IS so In the other
world" was prompted 70 reply, "Other world DO