Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-11-04
RALPH WALDO EMERSON.
Something About His Home, His Family.
His Personal Habits and His Popularity
Among His NeighbOrs.

Something About His Home, His Family,
His Personal Habits and His Popularity
Among His NeighbOrs.
We clip the following from Concord
letter to the Chicago .Inter-O Ocean:
There is atconstan procession of WIS.,
itors to Concord. The carriage horses
have been the rounds so often that they
instinctively stop whenever they pass
distinguished spot. Give Concord
horse his head and he will go direct to {.
point where the old Boston road inter-
sects the Lexington road.
Here, retreating modestly from the not
too crowded thoroughfare. stands a large
frame house, actually new and white,
but SO densely shaded that it looks old
and dingy. A simple paling, Of a soft
gray tint, surrounds the grounds, which
are sufficiently but not extravagantly
extensive. In these, no flowers grow,
no fancy shrubbery betrays the garden
er's art-nothing but the cool green
grass, a pair of majestic elms and a
grove of grim and sombre hemlocks,
sentinels of what seems more like a
hiding place than an abode. Opposite
there is triangular orchard, where APP
Piles grow very much as they do every
where else; a one side rather "slack"
looking barn, and beyond more apple
trees, elms and hemlocks. A broad
white tagging leads to the front door,
always open, and you enter from the
outside chill and silence and shadow to
g sweetness and light The genius of
that little study at the right of the hall,
with its dark furniture and shelves of
well-worn books, is Ralph Waldo Emer-
son, the master of the philosophy of
transcendentalsm
When Mr. EmersOn's house caught
fire two years ago every man and boy III
the town came to the rescue-they were
Just as interested in saving his library
as he could be. He had book all
ready for the printer lying on his table,
but after the fire no trace OF sign of it
could be found. A farmer who lives
near by said he remembered carrying it
out, but he could not remember what
he had done with it. It was given up as
destroyed, but some months after,
when the winter hay was almost gone,
the farmer found the precious manu-
script bundled up safely in a blanket in
his hay-loft, where he had thrown it in
the excitement. Even the insurance
company fastened to offer substantial
comfort to the philosopher. It rebuilt
his house, and some of his rich friends
contributed $4,000 beside. Mr.. Emer-
son is a poor man by the ordinary stand
ard, but judged by the truer test Of
simple tastes easily gratifed he is
among the richest.
According to the desire of the fami-
", the house was rebuilt exactly on it's
original place, so that it looks old. It
has a stately simplicity about its inte-
rior that is captivating. There are huge
fre-places and brazen andirons and fen
ders there are quaint wainscots and
panels; everything is real, everything
has an ancient dignity around it far be-
yond it's price Nothing in it is more
charming than portrait Of Mr.. Emer
sons married daughter, whose husband
fell In love with her while she sat for
this picture in friends studio.
Mr.. Emerson's ancestors were Con-
cordians; his grandfather figured In
Revolutionary days as minister and sol
der. Ralph Waldo himself preached
to Unitarian congregation for little
while after leaving Harvard. but he
SOOn OIOhO 1COoO 4IOII U1lS UIGlunlOIS Cl
creed, leaving only seven ministers in
his family About 1886 he delivered
his first course of lectures in Boston.
Boston, ever on the quj ujue for new
"ism," was taken by storm by this
young philosopher. Some older people
obiected-said it might be very fine if
they could tell what it was about. Jared
Sparks called him "demented, but the
flame fed from such pure spirit was
unquenchable.
Mr.. Emerson is about "a years old;
he is tall and thin; his figure gives an
idea of age that his face denies. This
is pale, with short gray whiskers; the
features are strongly marked; his nose
is large; there is an expression keen and
brave about the eyes, firm and gentle
about the mouth. Indeed, he is the
most kindly and quiet Of men IN his
manners; he is the least obtrusive III
every assemblage, and nothing pleases
him more than frank, unaffected
greeting; people are afraid of him. He
is passlonately fond of children; they
are not afraid of the great philosopher,
and he thoroughly hates to feel people
are usually. He used to be great
walker, but lately he seems to be less
active; you might have met him almost
every fair afternoon, two or three years
ago, IN any of the unfrequented wood