News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-11-25
EMERSON'S MOTHER.
Some Facts About the Life of an Interesting
Woman.
TFrom the Boston Record. Oct. II.

From the Boston Record, Oct III
The mother of Ralph Waldo Emerson
was an interesting woman, and she be
! longed to rather interesting family
| Her maiden name was Haskins, and the
| Rev. DR., Haskins, whose father was heI
brother, has lately given in pamphlet
| form some heretofore unpublished bits
of her biography, together with that oil
| other aternal ancestors of Emerson.
Ruth Haskins had an Episcopal father
and a Congregationlist mother. She
was the tenth of family of IS children,
| all of whom were taken to church from
the time they were babies. Her father
used to say, There are many ways to
heaven, but the Episcopal Church is the
! turnpike road" lie allowed his wife to
worship according to the Puritan forms
under which she had been educated, and
made liberal provision for her doing so.
| When small Ruth and her brothers and
| sisters went to church, sometimes with
their father to Kings Chapel, sometimes
| with their mother to the New South ;
but when old enough they were reqai ed
by their father to decide for themselves
which service they preferred to attend,
and to give him the reasons for their
choice in writing. Ruth was one of the
children who chose to go to the Episco-
pal Church. A characteristic incident
of Mr.. Haskins is related as illustrative
of the sort of discipline under which
Emerson's mother was brought up. One
day Just as the family were sitting down
to dinner, fire broke out in the distii-
lerv which Mr.. Haskins owned, and
which was separated from the house only
by a 30-foot passageway. The large
group of children started at once and
eagerly from their places, but were in
stantly checked by their father, who,
rapping upon the table to command at
tention, reverently but briefly returned
thanks for the meal, saying, as was his
wont: 'The Lord be praised for this and
all his mercies." Then, after a short
pause, he added: "NOw, boys, run"
Mr.. Haskins died when his grandson
Waldo was II years old, and a poem
written by the boy at that time is pre-
served. The marriage of Ruth Haskins
and the Rev William Emerson took
place when the bride was % years of
age. A letter written by an aged lady
in Cambridge, widow of Mr.. Charles
Bradford of Boston, gives some person
al "reminiscences of Mrs. Emerson. Mrs.
Bradford was ward of Mr.. Emerson in
her early girlhood, and lived in the
family for several years while the chill
dren were very young. She says: Mrs
Emerson was q lovely woman, very
superior, very religious. l do not re-
ever to have seen her impatient
or to have he I'd her express dissatisfac-
ton at any time. The daily duties and
ca es of domestic life never seemed to
annoy her. She certainly must have ex-
ercised great self control. She was very
and in order to save time
kept her knitting in a table drawer in
the parlor, and would take it out when
receiving friendly calls. l remember |
Mrs. Emerson taking her infants for
baptism. She would leave her pew, and |
alone would take the infant in her arms
and go to the altar Mr.. Emerson would
take the bsBy on his arm and baprrzc II,
giving it back t, the mother, who re-
turned to her seatIcalm and undisturbed. "