EMERSON
EMERSON
on commencement day. His mother had re-
moved to Cambridge in his sophomore year, and
his brother William, who had graduated from
Harvard in 1818, opened a preparatory school in
their home, where he was assisted by Waldo. In
1821 William opened a school for young ladies on
Federal street, Bos-
ton, and Waldo again
became his assistant.
In 1823 he began the
study of theology, at-
tending many of the
lectures at Harvard
divinity school, but
not pursuing the reg-
ular course. He ac-
cepted the theology
of Channing, under
whose direction he
studied, and in 1826
was approbated to
preach by the Middle •
sex association of ministers, but his health failing
he was obliged to spend the following winter in
the south. He retui-ned in the spring of 1827 and
supplied for brief periods various pulpits imtil
Jan. 11, 1829, wlien he was invited to become the
colleague of the Rev. Henry Ware, Jr. , pastor of
the Second church (Unitarian) in Boston. He
was ordained March 11, and almost immediately
Mr. Ware was forced to go to Europe for the bene-
fit of his health. After eighteen months' absence
Mr. Ware returned only to resign his pastorate,
and Mr. Emerson succeeded to the pulpit. He was
interested in all public affairs, serving on the
school committee and as chaplain of the state
senate. His church was open to all reformers,
and in 1831 and 1832 several anti-slaverj' agita-
tors spoke from his pulpit. In September, 1829,
he was married to Ellen Louisa Tucker, who
died in February, 1832. In September, 1832, he
resigned his position as a minister in the Unita-
rian church after announcing to the society his
conscientious scruples against administering the
commvinion as provided in the offices of the
church. Soon after this his health failed and he
was obliged to seek a change of climate and in
the spring of 1833 he sailed for Europe, visiting
Sicily, Italy, France and England. He visited
Walter Savage Landor in Italy, and Coleridge,
Wordsworth and Carlyle in England. From this
time dated his life-long friendship Avith Carlyle.
He preached in London and elsewhere and on his
return to Boston several months later his health
was fully restored. During the winter of 1833-
34 he delivered lectures in Boston upon the sub-
jects: "Water," "The Relation of Man to the
Globe," and "Travels in Europe." Early in
1884 he was invited to become pastor of the
Unitarian church in New Bedford, Mass., but his
opinions regarding the communion service pre-
vented his accepting. In the summer of 1834 he
removed to Concord, Mass., and made his home
in the " Old Manse " with the Rev. Dr. Ezra
Riplej' who in 1780 had married the widow of
Emerson's grandfather, William Emerson. In
February, 1835, he began a course of biographical
lectures in Boston, choosing as his subjects
Luther, Milton, Burke, Michael Angelo and
George Fox. In August, 1835, he delivered
before the American Institute of instruction a
lecture entitled " The Means of Inspiring a Taste
for English Literature." In September, 1835, he
was married to Lydia, daughter of Charles Jack-
son, sister of Dr. Charles Thomas Jackson, the
discoverer of anajsthetics, and a descendant of
the Rev. John Cotton. He continued to lecture
in Boston during several successive winters: in
1835 on English literature; in 1836 on the Pliil-
osopy of History; and in 1837 on Human Culture.
In 1838 he was called to the Unitarian churcli at
East Lexington, but though he continued to
preach there for several montlis he declined a
formal settlement, saying, " M}' pulpit is the
lyceum platform." His course of lectures in the
winter of 1838-39 was on " The Resources of the
Present Ages," and in 1839^0 on " Human Life."
On June 15, 1838, he delivered the address before
the graduating class of Harvard divinity school
in which he made his first explicit statement of
his faith. Much controversy was aroused, with
the result that he was entirely separated from
the Unitarians. Meanwhile the movement known
as transcendentalism was forming in Boston
and in 1839 an organization known as the Trans-
cendental club was started by Dr. Chamiing,
including among its members, Margaret Fuller,
A. Bronson Alcott, George Ripley, Theodore Par-
ker and William Henry Channing. In July,
1840, the organ of the club, a quai'terly journal
called The Dial was established under the editor-
ship of Margaret Fuller, assisted by Emerson and
George Ripley. In 1842 Emerson became sole
editor of The Dial and remained as such until
April, 1844. when its publication was discontin-
ued. In 1841 the Brook Farm experiment was
organized, and while Emerson did not sympa-
thize fully with its purposes he made frequent
visits to the farm, whose founders and leaders
were among his intimate friends. In 1841 his
first volume of essays was published and in the
same year it was republished in England. These
essays won for him a wide reputation as a jihilos-
opher, especially in England, and his second
series published in 1844 was received with enthu-
siasm. In October, 1847, he lectured before a
series of mechanics' institutes in England. He
gave in many places a course of lectures on
