Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1889-06-13

The breadth and sw .etne,s Of Enc r,on's :
life are rev called again in the new memoir.
Emerson in Concord, D." written with a sym
pathy that j. almost ycncratlnn by his son,
Edward Waldo Emerson. SO much has
been said and published Of the great Con
cord thinker that ouc might believe that
the story Of hi, .fc had been all told.
But the freshness and new insight of his
sons Characterization prove that life of
more than ordinary fulncss presents
themes OF an unusual duration Of interest
and influence No trau~cendental halo l.
placed about the serene fi1ure ~ Emerson
by one " TO knew him completely. In the
simple manner which j. truly in accordance
with EmrrSOn> character such incidents
are told, such extracts from journals are
given, that the real man. with III >orfow> ;
and anXictieS. a. well As his pleasures.
may " studied with renewed satisfaction.
Several salient points Of character are
brought ont clearly Emerson was not
the ">hrcwd Yankee 50 often noticed,
nor the man blessed with the Iirm health
and untroublcd worldly conditions as has
been supposed He was the lover OF ma
turc the devoted believer IN freedom, the
tender husband and father, the more than
sympathetic and Kind neighbor and friend,
the constant worker. Speaking upon the
common report of Emer>on's ''shrewdness
and pro- >perity," his biographer says lie
began life burdened with rc>pohs bllltlee
and with debts from which, by hard work
and the closest economy, he freed MIN
self" He lived simply, served himself
and went without things that he could not
afford, only however, to give freely Tor
whatever public or private end seemed de-
sirable or commanding on another anu bet
ter day" To the writers OF books, II VIII
be small comfort to hear that 'on lcctur-
ine Mr. Emerson mainly depended for his
livelihood for his books brought him little
until the last years of his life. Mr. En-
erson was always devoted to the lyceum
once a powerful centre of instruction and
influence, and was for forty three years
member Of literary club, the Social Cir
Gle, of Concord
Some of the most inspiring parts of the
book are records from his journal relating
to the duties of citizenship and to person
al aud religious freedom tie SAID
Those " ho stay away from election think
that one vote will do no good. lis but
one step more to think that one vote vii
| do no harm. But if they should become
interested in themselves, in their career
| they would no more stay away from the
| election than from honesty o from aiiec
| ton" On the vicious practice of pair
| Ing" he exclaimed; Suppose the three
| hundred heroes at Thermopyla had pairet
| of with three hundred Persians, would il
have been all the same to Greece and te
history"
| 1t is the Emerson of freedom and of ma
! ture that appears most distinctly in thest
new pages. His son writes: strangers
wish to see his study; the woods were MI
best study during the years of his creates
| activity, and the study, so-called, at home
rather his library and writing room" Ont
anecdote will illustrate his sincerity ant
love for freedom: While preaching a
East Lexington he was reading one of hi
old sermons; suddenly he stopped, ant
said quietly: The passage which hav'
Just read do not beliere, but it wa
wrongly placed"