The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-05-17
EMERSON.
| The Home of the Late Concord Philoso-
pher-Emerson and CARLYLE.


OF the quiet home of the man who has
been so generally denominated as the Sage
| of Concord man whose fame ia known
throu ghout the civilized world, a brief de-
scription, says the Boston Herald. is now
peculiarly appropriate. 1t is plain, square
| wooden house, set back in an old-fashioned
yard, and literally surrounded with chest
nuts and pines. A garden fills half an acre
at the back, and has for years been famous
| tor its roses, and also in season has a rare
collection of hollyhOcks, the flowers that
Wordsworth loved, and most of the old
time ANIMALS and shrubs. The sunfower,
it may be stated, does not flourish here
From the road gate, which is always open,
leads over marble fag-stones to the broad
low step before the hOspitable door. A long
hall divides the center of the house, with
two large square rooms each side. A
plain, solid table stands at the right of the
entry. The first door on the right leads to
| the study, plain, square room, lined on
one side with wooden shelves filed with
choice books. A long mahogany table
stands in the middle, covered with books,
and by the morocco writing pad lies the pen
which has had so great an influence for a
quarter of century on the thoughts of two
continents.
A large fireplace, with low CRATE, occu-
pies the lower end. over which hangs fine
copy of Michael Angeles "Fstes," the faces
of the strong-minded women frowning upon
all who would disturb with idle tongues
this haunt of solemn thought. On the man
tel shelf are busts and statuettes of men
prominent in the great reforms of the age,
and quaint rough idol brought from the
Nile. A few choice engravings hang upon
the walls, and the pine trees shade the win
dows. Two doors, one on each side OF the
great fireplace, lead into the large parlor
which fills the southern quarter of the
house. This room is hung with curtains of
crimson and carpeted with warm color
A beautiful portrait of one of the daughters
of the house is hzng in this pleasant
and home-like room, whose home
circle, like the sound of the famous
shot, seems to reach round tie world.
for almost every person of note who has Wis
tied this country had enjoyed its genial
hospitality, and listened with attention to
the words of wisdom from the kindly master
of the house-well called the most modest
and most gifted writer and deepest thinker
of the age. Years ago this chatty little
Frederick Bremen paid long visit here, a
brisk old lady as restless as her tongue and
pen. Here Margaret Fuller and other
bright figures of The Dial met for CONVEX
sation. Thoreau was q daily visiter, and
his "Wood Notes" might have been unQt-
tered but for the kind encouragement he
found here. The Alcotts, father and
daughter, we're near neighbors, and it was
in this room that Mr.. Alcott's earliest "Con.
VIBRATIONS" were held, now so we'll known.
Here, too, old John Brown was often to be
met, q plain, poorly -dressed old farmer,
seeming out of place, and absorbed in his
own plans until some allusion. or chance re-
mark, would fire his soul and light up his
rugged features. But it would take many
columns Of the Herald to detail the many
guests of this and foreign lands who have
been entertained at the house. around
which clusters much sorrow and anxiety
to day.
The publication of the life of Thomas Car
! lyle, continues the Herald, recalls, very
singuarly, an incident in Emerson's early
career, which was of great significance to
the subsequent careers Of both, and which
affords much material for thought as to the
points OF similarity and difference which
they represented. In the year 1888, when
Carlyle was leading lonely but active life
on the isolated Craigenputtock farm, he was
surprised by q visit from Emerson, then
only thirty, but 6 man of mark and promise.
Mr.. Froude says on this episode:
'The Carlyles were sitting alone at din
ner On Sunday afternoon at the end of
August. when Dumfries carriage drove up
to the door, and there stepped out of it a
young American then unknown to fame,
but whose influence in his own country
equals that of Carlyle's in ours, aud whose
name stands connected with his wherever
the English language is spoken. Emerson,
the younger of the two, had just broken his
Unitarian fetters, and was looking out and
around him like a young eagle longing for
light. He had read Carlyle's articles, and
had disc6rned, with the instinct of genius,
that there was voice speaking real and
fiery convictions, and 10 longer echoes
and conventionalsms- He had come to
Europe to study its social and spiritual
phenomena; and to the young Emerson, as
TO the old Goethe the most important of
them appeared to be CARLYLE. He had OBJ
tanned an introduction to him from John
Mill in London, armed with which he had
come off to Scotland. Mill had prepared
Carlyle for his possible appearance not very
favorsbly, and perhaps recognized in after
y ars the fallibility of his judgment Carlyle
made no such mistake. The fact itself of
young American having been so affected by
his writings as to have sought him out in
the Dunscore moors was homage of the