New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-15
EMERSON ON "ARIsTOCRACY.v


sCHonL-wHAr MAKES THE ARIsrooRAT-THE
! USES OF ARTIST OCRACY.
IRON An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRfBUSEl
| CONCORD Mass. Aug. 1.-THE Summer School
! of Philosophy closes this morning with an address
| by the Rev. Dr. A. +. Peabody, of Harvard UnIvcr-
! slty.
! Last night it met in the Town Hail. with con-
| siderable accession Of the general public, TO hear
| Ralph Waldo Emerson road an essay ArstOcracy.
The essay was short, occupying less than forty
minutes IN delivery. The platform was richly
| adorned with flowers for the occasion.
! There was no announcement of the subject of the
| lecture and Mr.. Emerson began in 90 low voice
that il was impossible for those at little distance
to catch the opening sentences The following Win
a few unavoidable omissions. is the su bstanco OF
what be said and in the main is literal report:
Aristocracy is sacred IN very country and among
all men, IL IS important that there should be model
| men We want true instead of spurious pictures
/ These are In brief. gentlemen. The first thing re-
oured IN a Gentleman is the spirit of honor and the
! wish to he a gentleman To b. an arlstocrat Is not
! 10 be a man of rank but OF honor, setomp ished III
! arts and manners. Social cultivation. let them
hold pOsscsslous they viii, Is the possession Tor
! winch people viii most willingly pay. Social rank
! does not pay any tax.
racv7 Certainly not The very name IS
/ verdict. Noble eDnObles thai IS IFS use. C0ud
! thare be- any grearrf The ancients were iona
/ Of ascrihng 10 their mob es gigantic propoT-
! tions and strength. h.rO must have the force o.
| ten men, The chef Is taller by hedd IMAM any oI
! ms tribe Alexander the Great could BE- heard Ior
! sixty miles. Since the body - the pipe tbrough
winch we tap all the suckers and roots OF tle mare
RAJ world. must be the representative OF excel,
! lence IN manners and actions, strong suO0e anu
free When Nature goes t0 create ic fuIal man.
! she makes symmetry between physical ana lntel-
lectual powers. she mOulds large Dralh ana JOINS
| to 1t "A great trunk To supply IT,
That man who Is rich bY nature cannot be too
late or too early. Let him not hurry or hesitate
asra al la fK-aG
/ served. Though millions attain their ends, tley
ONLY multiply his need. IL never troubles the cena-
! tor what mui tItudes crack the benches ana Dehu
the galleries TO near ne Who uuufi'1 D1o 1i
of war 0eckons the hostile battio-gods.
Aristocracy s,yle OF men who constitute What
! Il called style or mode ana whenever thry appear
they are always IN fashion. Blood royal never pay
for service. Ii takes gifts supplies tavOr5 81
/ ali kinds and leaves joy 20 those
who supply iis need Dy the service they render,
speaking OF the universal prestige OF pafrlcians
MIR Emerson alluded 10 comedy OF Beauma-
| chais, ID winch uocle was described a. enc Who
has ken the trouble % be born n was very obg
ing OF him 10 exist, be conunued.l Ihls seems To-
NE % contain more SENSE ihan SATIRE. Even tAe
/ WhIm3caiIlcs Ot fashion C0np-c-td WIN rlhh are
secret uomag' thf love that ought 20 be- d. every
man. After the I l.v OF such ASSOCIATION. we must
come back 10 the homes oil seli-VeDeraon anu trust
STURDY CHARACTER NECESSARY.
Mr. Emerson then spike OF the isyrace.ul defer
cnce to public opinion, the insane supordiuatl'n OF
ends 10 means. 10 This counryL The verdict of
battles VIII Jest iANff li' ='4'Atii' A''AN'i "
ture TO put any nan where his post will involve
trust we select n son. nephew. partisan, and not
a craftsmen of the particular craft
II is curious how ignorant the public Il of the es-
seufial qualifications of It's representatives, They
ask II a man Z Republican. Democrat Yes. j.
he a man OF talentf les. - ne non, non
linn by accamatI ton. 20 home aud tell
their wives with great satisfaction about good
thing they have done. But they forget Tie fourth
/ question. not less important without which the
Z 49, t.o r.tf IT, b.
poipts against opposition Probably n0t-more th9n
taste ana Talent 20 10 the VIII. That ma ais" De-
| a OF nature / should say # Do Is NOT IN you
Won bad better not puf yourself 80 places where not
10 nave 10 Is 10 be public enemy. 10 noI pitF the
/ misery OF any man under place; but ply the man
Real aristocracy is the class eminent by personal
ouaDrle~. and DO goes without ASSERTION accor ing
10 the pr0Verb. that certain quantity OF power D.
! longs to a certain quanury ~ faculty. NhOeVer
wants more power tnan the legitimate attraction 81
| his faculty Is politician. ana AUST trucNe for lt.
II Is the whole of society On the po les oI the
world lie VIII always conirYe 10 seem wlth1ut
/ the trouble of beng. The man OF character mas
no taste for attention. none Tor con-
/ test Of talents. BE Is wholly real; he can
moi be battered he cannot be insulted. Only HIM
! self can measute TO praise him. Ills words are
things He does not add TO his dental the sanction
of an oath. lie says to the juror You add your
oath put my OATH into MY ain tll0n.'
With the abolition OF k'ngshIp ana arls-
tocracy, equality ana humanity oegln' mus
IN the fears it brings. Still distinctions
! II
Young adyenturer hnds the domination 81 society.
! The distinctions of classes lrk and annoy him, ana
he allies himself TO each malignant party that
assalls what Is eminent. lie VIII one day know
rhat this has not removed them. They are III the
nature of things. No Congress nor moo, nor
guillotine fire, nor all together; can
avail 70 cut out, burn or destroy
the offence of superiority IN persons The SUPERIOR
itv IN him ~ inteTiOritV IN me. / never leeI tnat
ANY man occupies my place. The reason why DO
| not have what want Is that L want the faculty.
which entities superior power Some men dare much,
but IT is because they III their place. As long as
| am in my place am safe Inc best Hghthing-rou
| for your own protection II your own SPINE
WHAT Is REQUIRED OF a MAN
Weare fallen on times so acquiescent and ira
dit;onary that We are in danger of forgetting that
the best of all eminence, | might say of all ars-
| tocracy must be truth aud reality. We already.
! however. begin to INSIST that what Is pretended
! shall be done What we perform Is always known
! the pretender il always seen The farmers go to
| the university and say Mr. Professor OF B0tany,
| can Won tell us the cause OF the potdt-iou
| the canse and the cure Of the yellOwsf what
| IL the meaning of this pear-bhgntf Can
YOU tell Us why the button"ood t h , ue
| GAYS all over the country III the last
twenty years, Mr. Professor Of Entomology can
YOU tell ms how to stop the pagne or the weeVII
| How shall we deal with the canker-wOrm ana TIE
rose-hngf In rs very dangerous carry this SIMPLE
| test INTO our own departments As soon as young
people look around, they say, ms man oesnPe.
my place. That is. a. sOOn as they discover thAt
they can do that any better than he, revolution Is
near. go -
| The law of aristOcracy should be that every man
| must contribute something real This Is the re-.
establishment of privilege sure foundations. the
defence of IL against all malignity. Democracy and
even philanthropy are said IN be clOaks Tor spite
Tle Only defence against the invidiOusn Of SUI
| perlor position - that you exert your facultY:
find the caste IN the man. Slavery had one Naine,
that of appraIsng a man. IL SAID this man, IN his
! snocs il worth ~ 800. and that man 5000. And
in ancient England the State appraised every suD-
| ject and said; :" II you hurt him you shall De
| tho nu ~
| shonld ike to see that appraisal applied To every
| man: every citizen numbered at his true value In
the absence of this, have confidence III natural
| iaws II obstructive laws usages are
removed, the community will be the, best
| measure and the justest Judge or the
cit,zen Th, IL better than any formula on the race
S.s...... rai.Inn any family hereditary dlsilnc-