The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-05-04
RALPH WALDO EMERsoN.


The iutriligvnec of the dga'h Of Etu-
er-oa inspires ,lIr q shnut the world Of
letters feeling "f s,.dn, IS ,.lm 81 ~
Profound ms that c,usgh nv the urparl-
nrt &c L. psf,ilos, lay bosr oprI grave
The subject OF This noiice stDnd tut a
few short days agq. @Few men have
leit such nindelibie iinpress upon the
literature OF AInericl as The man who,
for wears, has b, en- The eensrai figure of
The social q TRANSFER dental movement
OF 81 which isye. gr"nn manly "f the
liigip 8 iuteNecsnaa rvolaiions or this
Prosres,ive'eIs. White his philosophy
was In" sublimSt-d i"r the mas - Of
the pe'4dr, iieswrifings Of Emerson have
exercised Il most potent fl, CT IN break
ing up Oil iucruHaiions. and by lib
eralizing the theology If the
- have asserted Iheir iflnuencc upon
ali classes and conditions of men through
those who mold public thought from The
sacred desk. With view To entering
the ministry, Emerson. shortly after his
graduaffon, applied himself To the study
Of theology. but the prescribed forms of
the chnrch proved irksnme To man
whose iBdepepdenceo OF thought rebelled
against The restraIats of crceds and
sects, and he curly leii The pulpit for the
rostfum, from which lie ueilverrd
thoughts that made AN enduring i'm
preston upon the enlightened world.
While Emerson was not u religionlst in Il
sectarian sense, BE sympathized with the
aims ANT purposes Of lhe Christian
church, nnd no man ever lived
in higher spiritual ar
mosphrrr. Ills intense dIstas,e for con
ventionaI ooserrances probably tended
To strengthen the impression among
many people, who were not diligent
studeats of his books, that he inclined
to pan,heism; but while nature to him
was a divine revelation, he never forgot
the Great Desig in HE outward form
of His manifestations.
Ia his closing years, according To- his
friend Aicost, hs wanted 10 be CALLED
"a Christian ILcist," adding, You must
Tot leave out the word Christian, for to
leave that unt is 10 leave out every
thing" Onc oi lis sons, however, has
denied that His views Mere essentially
changed from first to last. If this j.
true, The charge of paniheism is unjust.
In his breaches h says "Unloyeiy, nay
frightful, Is me seli;ude Of ihe soul
which is without God ia lie world
This chill, housrless, fttherless, aimless
Cain, the man MI" hears only Tie s",G.Ai
ofhis OWN footsteps ia Gods resplentent
creationr'
Emerson's literary carcerdate6 aitnHsl
from the time 81 LIS graduation from
Harvard. at the age Of elgAieen ye7us
His lirs; marked prod Was work
entrtlcd NATURE whick was fol-
lowed in order by e ssay = Poems"
"Misceiian,es,' "Represr ri alive Men =
"M,mrirs of hMargarG, Fuller"
English Traits,'' +" Couduct of LIE"
"Miiday. Society aud soliiude,"
Letters nad Social Aims ~
His lifswas y ~fe,ired and scholarly
one, huehisdelving in nIysteriss did not
aIa,e his injeres in Ordinary affairs.
He WIS an aboliti1nist before the ab6li
ton mnvenent.had gaineGls Strength,
and he ndhcrrd to the unpopular cause
in days whtn ii required courage and
self saerlfice-t6 doyso,7 He has passed
away at seventy-hh.e with d.erespcct-of
cyaf thf,S.. VIII, .t,Ca a, ON, 30 IN, &. t,.s,r-
full h"r,tic, rsA, his memory will ever
remaih green, though fewer disciples
will sit unquestioning ut ms feet than
in the days when ,ransccndcntal theories
were believed 10 be the great intellect
nal aud spiritual solvent