The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-06-29
From the New Yorker.
AN EVENING WITH WENDELL
PHILLIPS.

be especially pleasing, yet this species 9
hero worship may be useful in its plac
and is certainly harmless. Of this, how
lever, we are sure that a slight indul
gence in this popular failing, in social in
tercourss with Wendell Phillips, aforde'
us few hours Of unalloyed enjoymen
which will always live in the sunshine o
a very delighted memory. Mr.. Phillips
! manner is kindly in the extreme; he meet
you with a cordiality which marks at one
the supreme gentleman. There is moth
ing of that easy condescension which rob
such an interview of it's charm. w
might say of his. conversation as he sale
of that between Lowell and Holmes: Il
was gold crumbling off from richness.
His gracious words rest in rich profusior
in our memory, but we feel, as we attempt
to transcribe them, that they come chill
ed and stiffened from the mould for the
charm Of the master-speaker, not less
powerful but more gentle in social con
versation than on the rostrum which has
not yet produced his peer, cannot be re-
ported or conveyed. He talked lovingly
of Emerson; called him ga grand fellow, y
and told many things illustrating the
inner-life and personal characteristics of
this modern Plato" It seems that En-
erson has "a wonderful power ofsuction;"
like Parker, he is great sponge in con-
versation, wishing to absorbe all that is
in man, yet never eager to talk himself.
IF you meet him IN the car or in his study
he invariably exercises so skillfullY his
subtle power of questioning, that you are
only conscious at the time of being not
only very well pleased with him but also
with yourself. But as you think of it af-
forwards, you will be little piqued to
remember that you talked a great DEAL
while the great thinker talked very little.
Phillips assures us that Emerson has
more faith and deeper religious conyic
tions than one would suppose from his
writings, and that he is not, as some af-
firm, unhappy and unsettled, but rather q
supremely happy man; neither IS he a
mere dreamer like Alcott, but an emf
nently practical man. He is brave man
too, says Phillips, and among other exam
Piles of his courage he gave this: In
speech delivered soon after John Browns
capture, Emerson said: off John Brown
is hung, it will make the gallows glorious
like the Gross. Soon after this Emerson
was invited to Cincinnati by several men
of wealth and culture, who were intense
ly Emersonian regarding everything ex-
cept Slavery. He was entertained In the
most sumptuous manner, and just before
the dinner-party broke up, one of the
gentleman addressed Mr.. E. desiring his
authority to contradicta "false and absurd
statement that was in circulation to the
effect that if John Brown was hung, 1t
" would make the galloWs glorious like
the Cross" Said Emerson: "That is about
what said, l think" The gentleman
was good deal disconnected, but rallied
and said: '"Well-I-suppose you used it
in fgurative sense-not meaning it. y
Even more mistaken" said Emerson.
ct said just what I meant" "This is.
courage" said Phillips, calmly yet fear
lessly to stand up against the prejudiees
of ones private circle of friends To meet
the great world without, requires far less
courage than manfully to face your own.
little world" Once Emerson was unex
pectedly called upon to speak to large
gathering at Salem. He commenced with
one Of those infinite cycles OF thought, OF
which he is SO fond, and soon lost himself
rhetoric, and could not get down. He
stood silent moment, and then bravely
said: It seemed to me when arose,that
/ had something to say. | see have not
and will sit down." He is slave to his
manuscript, but, says Phillips, he will
hold the most cultured audience the most
evenings of any man IN America, He
told very amusing incident which &C.
Cured in Boston during the stormy times
that followed John Browns death. At
certain meeting boisterous crowd was
gathered, which Phillips and the other
speakers could not control. So they called
1" Waldo to the stand, thinking his pres
ence might sooth the turbulent crowd ).
he quieted them down at once, with his
gentle words, but soon forgot that he was
not talking to scholars, and drltted oil
into some mysterious dreaming about the
" polarity of the UNIVERSE in which he
had occasion to quote beautiful passage
from the poet, Wilson, and he said, "Wil-
son says $50 and So" you all know
Wilson, The crowd thinking he meant
Senator Wilson, cried out ".Y ou lie Will.
son never said that nonsense" The spell
was broken and Emerson took his seat.
The repugnance which Emerson feels
at i'll health in any form is as great as
that of DR.. j Johnson, who thought man
never SO near being rascal as when he
| is sick. You may call to mind what En-
lerson says in his essays regarding sick
ness. Sickness is a cannibal, which eats
lup all the life and youth it can lay hold
lof and absorbs it's own sons and daugh-
tiers figure it as a pale, wailing, dis
i tracted phantom, absolutely selfish, heed
less of what is good and great" @ l
The. sage who speculates so calmly on
1.-THE problem Of the destiny of man, is