Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-26
TO MEMORY OF EMERSON
Notable Speechtn Made at Celebration
of Centennial Anniverssry OF
-a. His Birthdsy.

NEW YORK, May ga dinner in COM
memoration OF the one hundred anniver.
sary OF the birth OF Ralph Waldo Emerson
was given by the Society Of American
Authors at the Waldorf-Astoria tonight. A
collection of books. portraits, manuscripts
and other papers, including rare editions OF
Ernerson's books and a large group Of
English reprints, including the first small
Frazer octave of 1s41 with Carlisle's s
eulosistio preface, were on exhibition.
Former Surrogate Erastus q. Ransom
was toabtmaster. Among those at the
guests table were Edwin Markham,
Colonel Henry Watterson, Chancellor Mac.
Craoken Of the University Of New York,
President J. @. schurman of Cornell, DR..
William NJ. Leipzinger and DR.. William t.
Harris, United States commissioner of edu.
cation.
Mrs. Julia Ward Howe. who was ex.
pected to be present, sent a letter In which
she said:
word4 will hardly express my regret a,
tion OF the one hundredth anniversary OF
the birth OF Ralph Waldo Emerson. The
Widespread enthusiasm awakened today by
the remembrance of this man makes evl-
fection with which he has been regarded
q the isS s II vns s"x Who PaSss Sss enabled f fs
recall him as a personal friend. -
The following cablegram was read:
Edward Arnold offers humble tribute.
love and gratitude to Emerson, immortal
A poem OF commemoration was. read by
Edwin Markham.
Chancellor MacCracken, in responding to
the toast "The Fame of Emerson" said
in part:
The fame OF Emerson is the fame OF q
pioneer, II reminds me of the fame OF John
Hancocks is the fame fame" OF Il a fTSssts man Who was
the first to sign with his big handwriting
tho Declaration of our independence in
manner, is the fame Of a man who was the
nrst TO publish in his books of sixty years
ago the declaration Of our Independence In
letters. Indeed, II is three-score and six
years since in his address on the American
scholar he said: Our day of dependence,
Ohr adsP Grsws to To- h' Tss TSsSFGiGF ST
published poem of Emerson, written when
he was only $ begins with these two lines,
Right upward on the road OF fame,
With sounding steps the poet came"
Thie describes the progress Of Emerson
But when we seek an explanation of this
siderable degree to the time when he ap-
peared. He is a literary father of America
Colonel watterson said in part, in re-
sponse to the toast, THE Ideal in Public
Life."
There is no such thing as the ideal in pub
lie lie, constituting public life to refer to
political transactions. The ideal may exist
in art and letters, and sometimes very
young men imagine that II exists in very
young women. But here we must draw the
line. As society is constituted the ideal has
no place, not even standing room, in the
arena OF ciyics. II we would make place
for 1t we must begin by realizing this. The
painter, like the lover. is a law unto him
self-with his little pIcture-the poet also
with hLs little poemI,his etelier, his uai-
verse his barnyard, his field of bettle-hls
weapons the utensils of his craft-he him
self, his own Providence. II is not 30 in the
world Of action, where the conditions are
directly reyersed-where the one player con-
tends against many players, seen and un-
seen-vhere each move is met by some
counter move--where the finest touches are
often unnoted Of men, or rpdely blotted out
BY q mysterious hand stretched forth from
the darkness II wish I could be as sure
of anything" said Melbourne, 'as Tom
hacauley is of everything" Melbourne was
a man OF AFFAIRS, MaeauIey a man of books;
and 80 throughout the catalogue, the men
Of action have been ofata talistst9 rom Caesar
TO Napoleon and Bismarck, nothing certain
except the invisible player behind the