Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-08-19
Emerson's Home.

Abo1t twenty miles eastward Of the
great city of Boston stan IS the pretty
little idyiian town Of Corcofa, as
Fretlerika Bremen happily de sciibed 1t.
A hundred years ago history set the
seal of immortality upon IL, ana 10 Gay
1t stands lllustrious IN literature ~ the
site of an intellectual system of winch
Il doh Waldo f nerson l. the central
eun AMI the H4wthornes, Alcot's.
Tnoreau, and eleven others Tie rlbu-
tary planets. j..
There is a constant procession of
visitors t. Concord. Inc Carriage
horses have been the rounds 50 often,
tney lnstInctively stop whichever they
pass di,,il gulshei spot. Give a
Concord horse his head ana he will go
direct to point where tn" Old Boston
road iu,ersect. the L -x!pgtoh road.
Here, retr-atlng m1drstly from the
Lot too crowded thoroughfare, stands a
large frame house actually new an:
white. bat so denseiy shaded that II
looks dingy and "l'i. a simple paiing
! Of soft gray tint, Hnrr"nuds the
grounds, which are sufficiently but not
extravagantlv exten>lve. Ia ttesr, no
| h,wers grow, no fancy shrIbbery be-
rays the gardener ) art-ro!hlu& but
the cool green grass, palr OF mbI-stIc
elms and grove Of grim an somher
! hemlocks, sentiuei5 o! what SEEM.
more like hiding place than an abb e
Opposite there is u triangular orchard
where apples grow very much as they
h. 81 sIHtA "a!
slack looking barn, and beynn
more apple trees. elms and hemi"cks.
\ broad white tagging leads to the
| front door, always open, anc you enter
from the outside chill and silence eud
shadow, t." sweetness and light The
genius of that little stuiy. at the right
OF the hall, with its dark furniture and
shelves of we'll worn books, is Rtlph
| Waldo Emerson, the master OF the
philosophy of characterization.
When Mr.. Emersons house caught
fire few years ago, every man and
boy in the town came to the Rescue
they were just as intereste IN saving
bis library as he could be. be had II
book all ready for the printer lying on
bis table, but after the ire no trace or
sign Of it could be- found. A farmer
who lives near by said he remembered
carrying 1t cut. but he could not re
member what he had done with it. Ii
was given up as destroyed, but s0mt
months after. when the winter hay war
almost gone, the farmer found the
precious munusc' ipt bnndlei up safely
IN blanket in his hay loft, where lat
| - Eu.,t
the insurance company hastened tt
eff r substantial camfort to the philos
opher II rebuilt his house and some
of his rich friends contributed $40 OUt
besides Mr.. E ntrson Is IA poor NAL
by the ordinary staudar'i, bat judged
10y the truer test of simple tastes easily
gratitird he is among the richest.
According to the desire of the family,
the house was rebuilt exactly on It's
original place, SO that ii looks old. II
has q stately simplicity about its in
terror that is Captivating. There are
huge fre-places and braz.n andirons
and tenders; there are quaint waInscots
and panels; everything Is real, every
thing has an ancient dignity around 1t
far beyond its price.
While the house was berg rebuilt,
Mr.. Emerson and his family went
abroad, and his progress over the earth
WAS u triumphal march. Honor awaited
him every where. even in Egypt, whose
viceroy sent n squadron OF cavalry forty
miles out of Caro- to escort him to the
city. A witty Boston lady says that the
traveller and the Sphinx had very
pleasant interview. There was re-
cIprocal gaze; then the Sphinx turned
on her heel aud said: You're an
other" When he came home Concord
gave him welcome which hrs said
pleased him more than the homage OF
s,vereigns. Everybody--farmers. art
lists, authors, women-even the chill
dren-trooped ont to greet him, and
bore him to his house in true royalty,
for it was the expression of sincere
affection.