The St. Louis Republic., 1900-06-17

Ralph waldo Emerson. poet and philoso-
pher, was born in Boston. Mass. May %.
aSH. and died In Concord. April z, lss2.
6even clergymen were among the American
ancestors Of Emerson. A biographer says
that It was strictly In accordance with the
laws of heredity that In their eminent de-
scendant were blended their patience ana
uelf-control, moral sensibility, love or truth
and honesty, and devoutness Of life; but by
no law Of heredity did he inherit power OF
imagination and q philosophic Insight such
as have been possessed by very Few minds
of the Angio-Saxon race He is classed as
both poet and philosopher. and here is his
pwn definition OF the terms: While the poet
antaates nature with his thoughts. he diff
eers from the philosopher only herein, that
pne proposes beauty as his main end. the
othsr truth. and q truth which Is beauty is
the aim OF both"
caught for Eve years thereafter. studying
divinity under Doctor w. E. Claiming. and
became a preacher of the Unitarian Church
In 1876. In 169 he was ordained as colleague
of Henry Ware. Jr., pastor OF the foremost
Unitarian Church of Boston In a years
dime Emerson was left in sole charge OF the
CONGREGATION. About this time he married
Ellen Louisa Tucker, who died in 1881. He
resigned his pastorate in the following year
and went to Europe in search OF health. He
met Wordsworth. Coleridge and Thomas
(yarlyle with the latter Of whom he formed
= friendship which lasted throughout their
lives. Their correspondents has been pub
lshed. In 1885 he married Lidian Jackson,
sister OF the scientist. Charles 7. jackson.
He removed to Concord. Mass, to "a plain,
square white house." with ample grounds.
which was his homo for the rest Of his life.
Concord became q shrine to which resort
cd many pilgrims who came TO sit at the
feet of the philosopher. He Lived quiet
life. broken by two visits to Europe and
several lecturing tours. He was In SYM
pathy with the group Of writer's known as
the 'Transcendentalists," but never Joined
that body. Hawthorne, Acott, Channins.
Margaret Fuller, Ossou. Thoreau and many
others OF the New England group were his
friends.
His Mature" appeared in 1886, a volume OF
essays in 1S41, and in 1SA a second series.
A volume of poems came out in 1886 In
lSf7 he visited England and Scotland. where
he lectured to large and enthusiastic audi
! ences. His Representative Men" appeared
In 1850 In 1856 English Traits came out.
It has been called perhaps the best book
Of its kind in any language. No American
writer, not even Hawthorne, had TO wait
% long for audience as Emerson. His
Mature had been before the public thir-
teen years before 500 copies OF it had been
sold. and not until 1860, when Mature"
had been published twenty-seven years. did
his Conduct of Life meet a demand that
was at all :femunerative. And not only did
Emerson receive neglect, he was subject to
Iidicule and opprobrum. BY those who had
not read, or did not understand his writ
ings. he was styled deist and a pantheist,
and even that friend OF his father, John
Quincy Adams. said of him as late as 1910:
-After failing In the everyday vocations of
> Unitarian preacher and schoolmaster. he
uenrtS q new doctrine of transcendentalism,
: 4eeihres all the old revelations superannuat-