New-York tribune., 1909-03-14
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
London. February &c.

He asked me one DAY II WOOIu ike 10
know his uncle. I answered that his uncle was
she ,ne man whom most wished TO meet, and,
9Th 2 word Of surprise at my fervour. he Of
sersd TO arrange it.
In these days his surprise may not readily be
understood. Emerson has long since taken his
Mace among the Immortals. But at that time his
mace was still uncertain. The number Of his
followers was limited; Carlyle said. four
ten years earlier. Not the great reading public
hut only the small thinking public have any
7nestions TO ask concerning him" The growth
Of the thinking mind toward Emerson had, dur
ing those fourteen years. been considerable but
., was still in Matthew Arnold's phrase. only
,bs remnant 10 whom Emerson was prophet
NJ an inspiration. To the majority ne a
riddle and there were not few Of the solid
men Of Boston who thought him a child OF the
psyii The Whigsm Of Massachusetts had its
religious side. To be q good Whig and one or
the elect you must be an orthodox Unitarian
The davs when Irnitarianism was to be fash
ionahle religion in Boston We're still distant
Emerson was not even q Unitarian; he was an
F,nersonian. He not only thought for himself
hui announced his thought from the housetops;
and 10 think for ones self was. in those con-
servative DAYS. a dangerous pastime. He came
or 2 race Of preachers on both sides: an aca-
deraic race six generations OF them. For some
three years he vas himself a preacher but pres
entity found he could no longer administer the
Holy communion to his congregation, and there
FORE resumed his place layman- The plat
- form superseded the pulpit. His sermons De
came lectures and essays He said himself. My
,,rlrit Is the lyceum platform He became
rrsnscendentalist as his enemies said; name
he -epudiated. preferring 10 call the transcen-
dental Journal he edited. The Dial" 1t was
20 less an offence to Boston when Emerson's
Had sT1ro he NJ
rznv Of the Ai,olitionists though he never
wholly identified himself with that rebelious
hand His first series Of Essays" had been
pablisl1ed as long ago as 1871, in America: ana
In the same year in England with 4 rather
pat-onizing Preface by Carlyle The second
series appeared in 1910. and the Poems IN
1886
IN the f1fties therefore, Emerson : ideas hao
had time to become known TO those VINO hkeu
them least. ] fell into deep disgrace Win d
yaston uncle. a lawyer whose office after"ard
entered FIRST as student and then as pEac-
,itioner when he heard that had read tmer-
son There was moreover. an accomplished
,olng lad,- who asked me II il was true that
believed in Emerson. and she asked me what IN |
fact Emerson believed and taught;-one OF those
srraIlinx questions which women sometimes
rnJt uEhtheartedly. ! answered as briefly rs
,ouId and she retorted 4 think il perfectly hoT-
rihp.' Ana Il mat AfltitNt-Ap OAN ~ N'1'-~ -
sn end. IL grew cool: which I then thought
misfortune. and perhaps still do. But society
vas then irtolerant Of anything which menaced
its foundations or was thought to Rightly. L
suppose Since ali societies in all ages have
wished 10 live and not die.
In the Law School did not discuss Emer-
son: We ignored him. I can think Of no student
~ that time who had come under his influence
They were busy with the law; what was a
their reading to themselves The nephew him
self was more q nephew than a disciple. He told
me I should find his. uncle delightful TO know.
Presently 10 my delight. he brought me an in
ritaticn 10 Concord for Saturday to Monday. We
walked the thirteen miles from Cambridge to
Frne-son's home arriving in the middle Of
saturday afternoon. Photographs have long
since made the house familiar: whether in its
original state or after the fire in 1872, and the
restoration Of II by his fellow townsmen OF Con
cord and their honourabIe gift Of it to him
broad gateway led TO il from the road pine
trees standing sentinel either side. Square.
with a sloping roof, q porch in the centre, two
windows on either side. two stories in height;
simple almost to baroness; devoid of architect
U-al pretence but well proportioned. Their was
! think an eli which ran back from the main
building Inside your first impression of
spsciousness: the hall and rooms Of good size;
rot very high, and furnished with an eye main
ly 20 comfort.
We were taken first into parlour IN rear Of
the library which flied one side OF the house.
Fmersons greeting was something more than
Kindly. friendly, with a little element OF sur
prise: for though he had long been used 10
pilgrirnages and visits from admiring strangers,
20 whom his house was a Mecca there was,
perhaps, novelty in the coming of law stu
cent. 4 pleasant light and strong light, in
ms fine hlue eyes yet they looked at you in an
inqu;ring penetrating way as if 1t was their
Guty 10 give an account Of you: impartial but
sympathetic. You could perceive ne was pre-
disposed TO think we'll Of people. ! had seen
Emerson on the platform. but there mis- attitude
VAS Hebraic: inspired and apostolic. This was
the private Emerson. the citizen Of Concord,
and first OF all the host intent before all things
on hospitality The tall, twisted figure bent
toward us, the grasp Of the hand vel
come; the strong face hsd in II the sunshine Of
kindness: the firm lips relaxing into a smile.
Delicscy went with his strength; and with the
manliness Of the was blended something
can only call feminine: because it was exquisite
Distinction in every line and tone: a apart
from other men, Free from all pretence; Of
pretence he had no need; he was absolutely him
self and that all you wanted There was
something in his manner you might call shy
ness or uncertainty; as OF a nature which might
be embarrassed In unfamiliar company but
would go geyiy 10 the stake.
suppose I collecting the impressions of
this and many later meetings with Emerson,
out cannot distinguish between them, and IL
S"es not matter What WAS, however, peculiar
10 this visit was Emerson's almost anxious
sense of his duties as host; which seemed not
duties but the inevitable expression of a loving
nature When he heard that had walked