The complete works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Miscellanies [Vol. 11]

with a uniform good sense. I find no ridiculous laws, no eavesdropping legislators, no hanging of witches, no ghosts, no whipping of Quakers, no unnatural crimes. The tone of the Records rises with the dignity of the event. These soiled and musty books are luminous and electric within. The old town clerks did not spell very correctly, but they contrive to make pretty intelligible the will of a free and just community. Frugal our fathers were,—very frugal,—though, for the most part, they deal generously by their minister, and provide well for the schools and the poor. If, at any time, in common with most of our towns, they have carried this economy to the verge of a vice, it is to be remembered that a town is, in many respects, a financial corporation. They economize, that they may sacrifice. They stint and higgle on the price of a pew, that they may send 200 soldiers to General Washington to keep Great Britain at bay. For splendor, there must somewhere be rigid economy. That the head of the house may go brave, the members must be plainly clad, and the town must save that the State may spend. Of late years, the growth of Concord has been slow. Without navigable waters, without mineral riches, without any considerable mill privileges, the natural increase

Pages

About this Item

Title: The complete works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Miscellanies [Vol. 11]
Author: Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882.
Canvas: Page 84
Publication: Boston ; New York :: Houghton, Mifflin,; [1903-1904].

Technical Details

Collection: The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/4957107.0011.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/emerson/4957107.0011.001/104:7

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are believed to be in the public domain; however, if you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission. If you have questions about the collection, please contact Digital Collections Help at [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact Library Information Technology at [email protected].

DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

IIIF

Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/emerson:4957107.0011.001

Cite this Item

Full citation: "The complete works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Miscellanies [Vol. 11]." In the digital collection The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/4957107.0011.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 13, 2025.

The complete works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Miscellanies [Vol. 11]

Annotations Tools

Actions

About this Item

Technical Details

Rights and Permissions

Related Links

IIIF

Cite this Item