Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1913-06-06
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Emerson and Bancroft as
They Neared the End
By Holland

Ralph Waldo Emerson. who died in
1882, and George Bancroft, the his
torian, who died nine years later,
were of about the same age, Mr.. EN-
erson being the younger by a little
over two years. Although the friend
ship established between them was
not very intimate. yet each had the
highest admiration for the other.
Mr.. Bancroft's long service in pub
lie life as a cabinet officer and foreign
minister tended somewhat to sepa-
rate him from Mr.. Emerson, who was
solely occupied with lecturing which
was his means of livelihood; with his
writings and in contemplative study
In his attractive place in Concord.
AS Mr. Emerson grew older he
gradually abandoned much Of his lit
erary work, and some fifteen years
before his death gave up the habit
which he had followed from his early
mani Jod of writing not so much a
diary as a daily commonplace book
in which he set down thoughts that
might be available for his lectures or
his books
chat with Bancroft when he was we'll
past 80 years of age. He took me
through his beautiful rose garden in
Washington and described his roses,
not so much with the scientific en-
thusiasm of a horticulturist as with
the passionate admiration for the
beauty and the different phases Of
beauty which the flowers revealed TO
him.
Mr.. Bancroft said to me, as we
walked through his garden, that In
his roses and in his daily horseback
rides he built up his mental and
physical strength so that he was
able to do each day with ease what
he found necessary to do for the COM
pletion Of his monumental history OF
the United States.
A year or two after Mr.. Bancroft's
death, in 1891, ] happened to men
ton when in the company of several
gentlemen what my delightful ex-
perience with the historian had been
and I spoke of the fact that he had
outliyed MIR. Emerson by nine years
and that his mental and physical
vigor were not greatly impaired un
til just before his death, while tbs
case was different with Emerson.
There was an extraordinary sim
ilarity between Mr. Bancroft anC
Mr.. Emerson in one respect in the
last years Of their lives" said on'
Of those present.
You probably remember that i
was said at the time of the funera
Of Henry W. Longfellow, with whom
for many years Emerson's relation
had been very intimate, that Emer
h. d
lent face of Longfellow, upon whicl
death had left a most beautiful ex
preston Of peace, and at last said u
one who was near him: What wa
the gentleman's nameg So greatl
had age impaired Emerson's faculty
+. He knew that he was witnessing las
ceremonies of some one with whor
= he had been intimate, but the nam
and personality of the man upo
I whose face he looked he could nc
, recall.
Il think it was United States Ser
ator boar, Of Massachusetts,, VIII,
went to call upon Mr.. Bancroft onl
a short time before the latter's dealt
He had a delightful chat with th
venerable man. Bancrofts recolleC
lions went back wildly to the earl
years of his life. He narrated man
things about men who had gaine
fame and who had passed away, II
i seemed to enjoy the presence OF th
I Senator and talked with him upo
terms of familiarity,
/ 'But when the time to part cam,
Mr.. Bancroft seized the extende
hand and then peered closely into tn
Ia Senator's face. At last he said, =
seems to me as though I knew yol
but l can't recall your name. Neithe
do l recollect your face
1T was pathetic. II was the mon
ton of rapidly approaching decay
Emerson could not recall the nam
L or identify the face Of his lifelon
friend. Bancroft could not recall th
name or Identity of the person Of
distinguished Senator with whom &c
many years he had been in intimal
personal relations"
Copyright, 1913, by E. ]. Edward
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards Will to