The new North-west., 1882-05-19

Like that of Longfellow, the life of Ralph
Waluo Emerson, whs died At Concord, Mass.
April 9th, was uneventful, and the public
interest In both men depends altogether upon
the appreciation by the people of work pre-.
duced in studious retirement. Their lives
presented nonotony, and yet the record If
the most trifing of their dsiags and sayings
Is or value In the eyes Of On Intelligent pub
lie, eager To welcome words Of wisdom and
beauty and sdmiringly grateful toward those
who utter them.
The deceased pset and philosopher posses
sed wide, If net particularly numerous, cir
Gle of readers. Like thoso of Longfellou
his works are read probably as extensively
In Great Britain and the English Cslenies a.
In the United States, and nstians are be-
reaved nov that the gentle and unsssumips
"Ssge of Concord" has passed away. =
Ralph Wslds Emerson wss the son Of .
Unitarian minister. He was bern In Boston,
May 25, 1903. During the four years from
1917 to 1921, be studied at Harvard College,
where he was graduated. 1t 10 told Of him
that he was not a model student, in the
sense of superiority in the matter Of per,
forming set werk, but he was great reader
and followed . decided personal judgment
in his choice of books. Like many other
men, he started life q. teacher, which he
did not follow long, but relinquished for the
study of theoiogy-an' ancestral pursuit, by
the way, for 1t is recorded that there was al
ways . clergyman In the American branch of
the fsnily from the time when CONGO I'd was
founded, back In the seventeenth century.
FOR three years, frsrn 1929 to 1892, he min
istered thought to congregation in Boston,
but resigned when his people and he had
grown hspelessly at variance in their con :
ceptions Of religion. Retiring to Concord,
where hs lived to the end, Mr.. Emerson de-
vsted himself to life of letters, producing a
considerable number Of books in'prose and
poetry and lecturing In this country and
abroad as solicited by demand for his utter
ances. He. never cultivated popularity as q
speaker, but his voice was, at one period Of
his life, heard frequently or the question Of
slavery, woman's rights and other subjects Of
current and particular interest.
Mr.. Emerson made his first address as a
literary man, in 1857, at Harvard, on "Man
Thinking" An address on "Literary Eth
ics," to the Divinity School Of the same Uni
verslty was his next effort, delivered year
after the first. In 1s4o, he started maya
zlne called the Dial, which taught the
"trauscendental philosophy" at that time
greatly exercising the keen wits of New Eng
land. This publication lived four years. In
1s41, Emerson published his sMethsd of
Nature" "Man the Reformer," a volume OF
Essays, and several lectures. His first vol
ume of poems saw the light In 1s46, In which
year two series Of Essays were also pub
lished. Three years after, he visited Eng
land, where be delivered course Of lectures
on Representative Men," In 1852, associa-
ed with w. II. Claiming and j. F. Clarke,
he published q biography Of Margaret Fuller,
whe, with A. Bronson Alcstt, had assisted
him In the conduct of the Dial. "English
Traits, perhaps the most read Of his books,
was published In 1866, and "The Conduct of
Life," In 1850. These are his principal
works.