The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-24

In Concord the visitor finds himself "a
closer touch with the past than almost any.
where else about Boston. for changed to e
certain extent az the village Of to-day is,
with Its large population Of well-to-do sub
urbanites. 1t still presents not a little Of the
charm OF Concord In the '4Os and '5os; and
above all it retains the historic structures
made famous by Emerson. Thoreau. the
Alcotts aud Hawthorne.
These regularly attract a large numbe OF
sightseers annually. but the thronss in
Concord during this anniversary time rath-
er suggest that Thoreau was right in be.
lieving-as Bronson Alcott once said he did
that he lived in the center OF the universe
and purposed to annex the planet to Con-
cord.
Apparently the annexation Of the planet Is
complete. 1t might also beaded that most
OF the sightseers after a few hours Of wan
deftng about the historic town from the
Old Nanss to Walden Pond and back again.
and Of observing the quiet beauty Of the
Meadow, field and woods. come better to
appreciate the meaning in Thoreau's With
cism when lie was asked II he had Travelled
extensively in, Europe.
mo, indeed" he replied. but I have trav-
eled extensively y Concord"
Perhaps no better general estimate OF
Emerson's place among the worlds liter
airy men has been brought forward during
this present revival than that written by
the editor of the Christian Register. the
leading paper Of the denomination to when
the philosopher belonged in the days OK
his formal ministry: The inffS OF En-
erson Ia steadily Increasing. and VIII grow
from more to more. certainly for a genera
ton to come. Whether his writings ~iIl
have such lasting influence as those OF thas
kindred spirit. Marcus Aurelius. cannot be
certainly known. But, because they have In
item a modern element, the humane spirie
of American democracy at its best. they
will be likely to endure.
POEMS MAY OUTLINE
HIS ESSAYS.
His poems may outlast his essays. as
some Of them have the matchless beauty Of
the statues which come from the hands Of
Phldias and his contemporaries.
Through this beauty Of form shines that
light Of wisdom, the unquenchable candle OF
the Lord in the soul Of man"
OF the strong impression the adorable
sage of Concord village makes upon the
younger generation OF, poets one can give
no more vivid example than the striking
tribute rendered by Mr.. Bliss Carman. ths
young Canadian poet. in the Literary
World.
"In the bewildering maze" says Mr.. Car.
man, "of q breathlesst commercial ~civiliza-
ton. 1t Is well to have something tonic and
unfinching to refer to. We never needed
Emerson's radical faith in ideas and ideals
more than We do to-day. and such a faith
never seemed further from our thoughts.
He is a deep well. and we may go to him
often for r~efreshment. with no fear of his
failing. And II any of us have not yet made
his acquaintance. let US hurry to repaia
that misfortune as quickly as may be.
ITO tell the truth. we need the Philip
pines much less than we need another Ems
erson; but. since we have got the PHILIPPE
pines. we need an original Emerson all ths.
more.
He will help US to add honesty and rel
hnement, taste and beauty and modest sim.
certify to our sturdy self-aesurance: so that
our civilization may stand for something's
noble and truthful as well as something d.
gantic."