New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-26

of being sc0thed and strengthened hl0r oeing
wounded by the sharp tongue Of slut In her
house. Here Is the stage-driver, who has the
jsundice, and cannot get we'll. Here is B.. who
failed last week, and he looking up. o, speak
things. then. or hold thy tongue
He took constant interest In the town meet
ings. in them he saw the safety and strength
OF New-England' He seldom tpok part in the
debate. but he would 20 home and write passages
like this AT the town-mceting one is impressed
with the accumulated virility Of the four or five
men who speak we'll TO the point and so easily
handle the affairs Of the town, only four last
night, and all so good that they would have
satisfied me haG I been in Boston or Washington.
The speech of was perfect, and 10 that hand
full Of people, who heartily appauded IT. And
again: .The most hardfisted, disagreeabE rest
less thought, paralyzing companion sometimes
turns out In the town-meeting to he huent,
various and effective orator. Now hnd what
all that excess Of power which chafcd and frctted
me 80 much in - was for The rise OF Aosoiutism
found him ready to take the side OF freedom ana
iustice. and Garrison and Phillips could always
count upon his presence. Or II need be, his voice
mon the platform. When the Fugitive Slave
act was passed he took occasion TO speak OF II
publicly ms "a law which every one OF You VIII
break on the earliest occasion; law which no
man can obey or ab.t without loss OF s'lfrcspect
and forfeiture OF the name OF Gentleman
When his children told him that the subject
for their next school composition was The Build
ing Of House, he said. You must be sure
70 say that no house nowadays is perfect without
having q nook where fugitive slave can be
safely hidden away"
1t is O curious fact that Emerson could not
appreciate Hawthorne's writings. His Son says
.sn1vo fafh
his fine personality, but the gloomy and uncanny
twilight atmo, sphere Of his book was one in which
Mr.. Emerson could not breathe, and he never
could read far. But he believed that the man
was better than his books, and Hawthorne
death cut Of hopes which he had cherished OF
future friendship His garden drew and faS.
cinated him. but he soon found 1t too burdensomr.
with brow bent, with firm intent, 60 muslng
in the garden walk I stoop to pull UP weed
that is choking the corn, and find there are
two; close behind is third, and l reach out
my arm to fourth behind that there are 4,O0l
l am heated and untuned, and, by-and-by, wake
up from my idiot dream Of chick.weed and red
root TO find that l. with adamantinc purposes, am
chick-weed and pipergrass myself And again
he says: The devotion TO these vines and trees
and corn hills I find narrowing and poisoning
/ delight in long, free walks. These free nv
brain and serve my body. Long marches would
be no hardship TO me- My frame is fit for them
l think / compose easily But these stooplngs
and scrapings and fngerings in few square yards
OF garden are dspiriting, dwelling, and seem
to have eaten lotus, to be robbed of all energy,
and have a sort Of catacrsy unwilngncss
to move, and have grown previSh and poor
spirited" His friends sometimes took the charge
Of the garden from him-Thorcau, George Brad
ford and others-but finally he had to employ
regular help, and then he WAS relieved ard az
case. There is humorous sketch OF Alcot and
Thoreau building Emo rson n summer house from
gnarled limbs OF pine. oak with knotty eNcrrs.
cences and straight trunks OF cedar" II was
intended for a study, but though a fantastic
but pleasing structure" the draught and the
mosquitoes made it untenantuhlc. and 1t was
never used
Emerson was fond OF talking with his Concord
neighbors, and never ccosed admlrng their capaci-
ties and practical qualities Thus hc says We
cannot quite pull down and degrade life
and divest it OF its poetry Tho day aborcr
10 popularity rpckoned as standing At the foot Of
the sociel scale; yet talk with him, he is sat
urated with the beautiful laws Of the world.
His measures are the hours the morning and
night the solstce and the geometry, the
astronomy and all the lovely accidents Of
nature play through his mind continual music
One who lived next to him gave him tn" charac-
ter Of @ irst-rate ncghbor and one who always
kept his fences up and there n firm symIa-
thy between the philosopher and his farmer
friends throughout Concord. OF the " Social Cir
Gle" he thought grea. deal writing TO a friend:
much the best society have ever known IA
@ club in Concord called the Social Circle, con-
sisting always OF mechanics. etc, sodcst Of
men, who yield the solidcst gossip. Harvard
University is O wafer omparcd 10 the sohd land
which my friends represent do not like 70
he absent from home Tuesday evenings in
winter How his ncighbors esteemed HIM may
be gathered from amusing anrcdotc: Mrs
Storer relates that her mother Madam 'loar, see
ing Maam Bemis, ncghbor who came in to
work for her, drying her hands and rolling down
her sleeves one afternoon somcwhat earlier than
usual asked her il she was going so soon: ies
I've got to 60 now, I'm going to Mr.. Enersons
lecture DO you understand Mr. Emerson
Not q word, but like to go and see him stand
M there and look as II he thought every one
was as good as he was
Once when the only bad ncighbor he over
had sought to blackmail Emerson by moving
an ugly old building onto the lot before his
house, q number Of the Concord lads procured
hooks, ropes and ladders disguised themselves,
and marching at night 70 the spot pulled the
obnoxious old frame down with a crash, - and
withdrew with some speed, vainly pursued by
the enragcd owner" lie was independent and
self-sscrifcng in his personal habits; built his
own fires. carried his own valsc TO and from
the trains, went to the woodward for his
fuel, day and night, caught and harnessed his
horse, always keeping one or two ears Of corn
in hi. pocket for that purpose. In eating and
drinking he WAS almost too simple, for he took
BOT litn haalth
| tne, but hardly knowing asking what IL
might be- Few cooks appreciate Indifference
| carried to that length When he WINS over
| run with philosophers reformers and cranks Of
all kinds he WA often willing to test their queer
| a.a4eheta and when hik QueSts were zone he