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shrine of many a pilgrim from afar, drawn thither by his fine influence.

As old age crept on, the sage showed decay of his fine powers. Of this Emerson was conscious, and some months before his death he made the sad, sweet utterance, "When one's wits begin to leave him, it is time the heavens opened and took him to themselves." And so it was they opened for him in a spring morning of 1882, when he was laid away by the side of loved ones in the little churchyard of Concord.

In person Emerson was tall and slender, with the mien and bearing of the scholar," the scholar beloved of earth and heaven." His fine, clean-cut countenance clearly revealed the dual nature of the man, — his poetic temperament and his practical acuteness. In the fine art of manners he was the ideal of high courtesy. No one who ever saw him can forget his gracious and dignified presence, his pensive smile that bespoke a heart always open to pity, or the charm of his winning voice so charged with subtile meaning and subtile music.

Intellectually he may best be characterized as a poetphilosopher, standing as he did on the height where poetry and philosophy meet. He felt it no part of his calling to build up an intellectual system or creed; and paid little heed to literal consistency, believing that man's spirit should be ever open to new influx from the upper sphere of thought. Insight, not reasoning, was his process; and his mission was to inspire rather than to indoctrinate. In a word, he belonged to the priesthood of the seers, having what Wordsworth calls

"the eye made gentle by the power of harmony," which could "see into the life of things."

It should be remarked, that though Emerson's habits were those of a scholar and a man of letters, he had a sympathy with humanity: every earnest movement for the welfare of mankind had his heartfelt support.

With the exception of one work, English Traits, which may be called the note-book of a philosophic observer, Emerson's prose productions belong to but two classes,

the lecture or oration, and the essay; and, as has already been said, the books themselves were but lectures and essays reduced to volume form. His first publication was a small volume entitled Nature (1836), which by its depth of thought and beauty of expression allured many readers into becoming disciples. Subsequent prose writings were his two series of essays (1841-1844), containing his papers on Compensation, Heroism, The Over-Soul, and other lofty themes; Representative Men (1850), a gallery of masterly mental portraits; with The Conduct of Life (1860), and Society and Solitude (1870).

His poetry is much less in quantity than his prose. Originally appearing in two small volumes (the first in 1847, the next twenty years later), it was by himself finally sifted into one small collection.

Emerson's style is as unique as his thought, of which it is the clear, transparent mirror. The aphoristic cast of his ideas finds expression in short and pithy sentences wrought with extremest economy of words, and perfect finish of form. His best sentences are indeed "apples of gold in pictures of silver;" and his prose

and poetry both abound in sentiments that have the luster of the diamond. It has sometimes been objected, that the extreme condensation of his thought results in obscurity of expression. But this can only trouble heedless readers, for his phraseology itself is as simple as Bunyan's or DeFoe's. Says Lowell, "A diction at once so rich and so homely as his, I know not where to match in these days of writing by the page; it is like home-spun cloth of gold. The many can not miss its meaning, and only the few can find it. It is the open secret of all true genius."

1. NATURE.

[The following is an extract from the little book called Nature, the first clear exhibition of Emerson's genius. On its receipt Carlyle wrote: "Nature gave me true satisfaction. It is the foundation and ground-plan on which you may build whatsoever of great and true has been given you to build. I rejoice much in the glad serenity of soul with which you look out on this wondrous dwelling-place of yours and mine."]

THERE are days1 which occur in this climate,2 at almost any season of the year, wherein the world reaches its perfection; when the air, the heavenly bodies, and the earth, make a harmony, as if nature would indulge her offspring; when, in these bleak

1 There are days... thoughts. | tence? Emerson's style is specially Note that the first paragraph con- characterized by the use of shortsists of but one sentence. To which sentences; but this, it will be seen, type does this sentence belong, - is an exception.

simple, complex, or compound? 2 this climate: that of Concord, Rhetorically, period or loose sen- | Mass.

upper sides of the planet,1 nothing is to desire2 that we have heard of the happiest latitudes, and we bask in the shining hours of Florida and Cuba; 3 when every thing that has life gives signs of satisfaction, and the cattle that lie on the ground seem to have great and tranquil thoughts.

6

These halcyons may be looked for with a little more assurance in that pure October weather, which we distinguish by the name of the Indian summer. The day, immeasurably long, sleeps over the broad hills and warm wide fields. To have lived through all its sunny hours, seems longevity enough. The solitary places do not seem quite lonely.8 At the gates of the forest, the surprised man of the world is forced to leave his city estimates of great and small, wise and foolish. The knapsack of custom falls off his back with the first step he makes into these precincts. Here is sanctity 10 which shames our religions, and reality

1 bleak upper sides of the planet, an oblique expression to denote the somewhat high northern latitude of New England, with its rough winters, etc.

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4 halcyons, for halcyon days, the calm weather before and after the solstice. (See Webster for the very curious derivation of this word.) 5 immeasurably long. What is

2 is to desire is to be desired: the figure of speech? (See Def. 9.) a French construction.

6 sleeps, etc. What is the figure of speech?

7 longevity, long life, length of days.

3 of Florida and Cuba. A specific instance is always more effective than a general statement. Thus, "Consider the lilies of the 8 solitary. . . lonely. Discrimfield" is much more impressive than inate between these synonyms. "Consider the flowers of the field." 9 knapsack of custom. Point So the expression Florida and out the application of the metaCuba" is more striking than "trop-phor. ical countries" would have been.

10 sanctity. See Glossary.

which discredits our heroes.1 Here we find Nature to be the circumstance which dwarfs every other circumstance, and judges like a god all men that come to her.

We have crept out of our close and crowded houses into the night and morning, and we see what majestic beauties daily wrap us in their bosom. How willingly we would escape the barriers which render them comparatively impotent, escape the sophistication2 and second thought, and suffer nature to entrance us! The tempered light of the woods is like a perpetual morning, and is stimulating and heroic. The anciently reported spells of these places creep on us. The stems of pines, hemlocks, and oaks, almost gleam like iron on the excited eye. The incommunicable trees begin to persuade us to live with them, and quit our life of solemn trifles.

3

Here no history, or church, or state, is interpolated on the divine sky and the immortal year. How easily we might walk onward into the opening landscape, absorbed by new pictures, and by thoughts fast succeeding each other, until by degrees the recollection of home was crowded out of the mind, all memory obliterated by the tyranny of the present, and we were led in triumph by nature.

These enchantments are medicinal, they sober 5 and heal us. These are plain pleasures, kindly and native We come to our own and make friends with

to us.

1 discredits our heroes: that is, makes their deeds seem less heroic than they had appeared.

2 sophistication, false views.

3 spells, magical charms.

4 incommunicable. Explain the meaning of the word as here used. 5 sober, give us serious thoughts.

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