Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-30
WEST SIDE SHAKESPEARE CLUB

The West Side Shakespeare club met
with Mrs. Fenion at her residence on
West Broadway last TIL sday evening
and listened to an interesting paper on
Emerson by Miss Ida Crossman. The
Boston Hymn was given by Mrs. May
lngle and in the absence of Mrs Stevens
Miss TURNKEY read Threnody. Mrs. Fen
ton favored the club With some music
and a lengthy discussion on Emerson
| vas participated in by all members of
the club.
Under the head of current events,
Mrs. Gcsnlan read an article from the
Review of Reviews on General DeWet.
the BOer leader. This brought out a
lengthy discussion in rela ton TO DeWets
work as general and the manner in
which he had kept out of the hands of
the English. A number of the ladies
favored this country expressing it's SYM
pathy with the Eoers While others show
ing that the struggle of tine Beers differ
ed greatly from Americas struggle for
Independence, We're in favor of letting
them work out their own destiny With
out any intervention on the part of
America.
Next week the club y, i'll meet with Mrs
Woodbury., Gl1 Henry avenue, and
Hamlet will be the study.
The paper of Miss Crossman was rs
! follows:
Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in
bcston. Mass, May %, 1903. He sprang
on both sides from clerical stock For
eight generations there had been no time
" hen one or more of his forefathers on
the paternal or maternal side was not a
minister OF the gospel. He was fitted for
college at the public schools of Boston,
and graduated at Harvard college in 1921
He was not among the very highest
{ scholars of his class. but in his Junior
year won Bowdoin prize for a disserta-
ton on the 'chara cter of Socrates" and
another in the senior year for an ESSAY
on The Presen, State of Ethical Phil
csophy.' He also Won Boylston prize
tor defamation. and he was class poet.
( For five years after leaving college he
taught school, chiefly in Boston. where
he assisted his elder brother William in
| CT nducting successful school for girls.
He looked forward to the Christian
ministry as his vocation in life and set
|. about the study of theology, without.
! however, entering the Cambridge Divin-
ity School. the recognized avenue of ap-
preach to the Unitarian ministry. Not
.withstanding this. he was in 1862 "appro-
Gated to preach by the Middlesex asso-
r citation. But his health having become
! IMPAIRED he passed a winter in the south
Returning to New England, his charac-
ter and attachments must have come to
he appreciated, for. in -S29. he was called
! to the important position of colleague
To Henry Ware in the pastorate of the
Second church Cnitarian) of Boston. A
year after this Mr. Ware resigned in or
der to become professor of pulpit
eoquence and pastor of Harvard college
and Emerson became sole minister of
| the Second church of Boston. In 1880
he married Ellen Louisa Tucker, of Bos-
| ton. who died within a year after their
marriage.
! EnerSonS career as clergyman la sted
about four years. That his duties We're
| faithfully and acceptably performed is
abundantly evinced by the circumstances
which occasioned his resignation of the
| laStorate, and his virtual abandonment
| OF the sacred Office. OF his sermons only
| che as far as is known, has ever been
| published. 1t being his farewell dis.
course to his charge. Having decided
| that the use of the elements in the COM
| niunion was mistaken formality-the
| true communion he thought being
| purely spiritual-he refused to make the
! compromise proposed, that he should put
| MS own construction on the LORD s sup
| per. leaving his congregation to retain
I their view. And thus for conscience
sake. early in September, 1892 Emerson
at the age of %. virtually shut himself
| cut from continuing in that career of
| life upon which he had so lately entered
with such brilliant prospects of success.
His resignation of the pastOrate was
accepted but the "proprietors'' voted
that his salary should be continued:
probably in the hope that the difficulty
would be got over, and he would resume
his work. But he was broken in health
! and depressed in spirits. and meditated
| a trip to Europe. So. near the close of
december s. he re!inquished his emolr-
ments, and addressed tender farewell
| letter to his congregation. Immediately
| after sending this letter Mr. Emerson Set
| out upon his first visit to Europe, where
he spent nearly year mainly in Italy
! and Great Britain. OF this first visit to
Europe Mr.. Emerson has given only a
Very brief account. extracted many years
| after from his note books. combining him.
self wholly to reports Of interviews with
! a few notable men. He went first to
I Iiaiy. At Florence. where he made the
| longest stay. he was intimate with