September 1, 2015
Dear Active Souls,
"Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst."
Yes, that’s Emerson, said to be the most quotable epigramist (definition of epigram: quip) in the English language. As I read, I certainly saw this. I underlined lots of his short, astute, quotable quips. I also saw why Emerson’s influence over us has declined. For all his individualism and Americanism and pushing of the envelope and reformer reputation, he’s undeniably and traditionally religious. Without reading him I grew up thinking he was at bit off—"transcendentalist" and all. He does tend to exaggerate and go too far, off into the ether, sometimes. I can see why he was a leader, albeit not of a church, and people glommed onto him. What a way with words!
For the most part, I was pleased to find that he hits morality, the presence of absolutes, and God right on the button. I will read him again.
I had a bit of difficulty finding the suggested selected writings in The Lifetime Reading Plan all in one place. I started out reading this and that here and there and then liked him so much I wanted one volume I could underline and make notes in. Couldn’t find anything I wanted online so Steve and I made a maiden voyage to the new location for Pioneer Book in Provo. They have really fixed up their musty old used book store. It’s all the rage to place books on shelves in rows according to colors, which is fun to look at but doesn’t make much sense otherwise. They have shelves like that in the front window, blues and reds and whites, and the monstrous main check-out desk is actually made of miscellaneous stacked books which is great. There are nice leather chairs and tables in hidden little reading corners and lots of space on two levels. I was pleased to find a very quaint, old (no date) volume of Emerson for $7.95, hardback, unmarked, smallish, red fabric cover, with a little gold embossed Ralph Waldo Emerson front and center and fleur-de-lis on the binding. Perfect. Most everything was there out of the eight writings suggested. The only things I didn’t read are his essay on Thoreau and English Traits, which I may search out online some time. So I read Nature, The American Scholar, and essays History, Self-Reliance, on Plato, Goethe, and Montaigne. I enjoyed them all very much. He understood the important things. I liked his original-sounding thoughts on the responsibility of self, truth, traveling, writing, prayer, good and evil, God, and childhood.
I thought this idea, relative to the pervasive technology of today was prophetic: "The arts and inventions of each period are only its costume, and do not invigorate men. The harm of the improved machinery may compensate its good."
More tidbits:
"Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment."
"The one thing in the world of value is the active soul . . . the soul active sees absolute truth and utters truth, or creates . . . In this action is . . . the sound estate of every man." Isn’t our soul the only thing we can take with us?
My little slogan for my little library, Blue Hill Books, is “What we read matters.” I think Emerson would approve. He talks about books being unthinkingly read just because they exist, "Hence, instead of Man Thinking we have the bookworm . . . hence the bibliomanics of all degrees." Sorry to say, this is what happened with Oprah’s bookclub. Yes, she got people reading like crazy, but what and why? Most of the popular literature of today is worthless and nihilistic, I’m afraid. And what does have worth is made over to justify and shore up our unthinking times. Emerson was right: There is creative reading as well as creative writing.
Here is a great one: "Let [man] learn that he is here, not to work, but to be worked upon . . ."
I found a lovely quote for my current writing project, I Learned to Swim in the Ocean, which I may never finish. I want it to be short but I keep adding to it from all these great readings. I often think of my childhood, and am so grateful to my parents for making it such an innocent, secure, and precious time full of experiences and memories I keep learning from:
Emerson: "The actions and events of our childhood and youth are now matters of calmest observation. They lie like fair pictures in the air."
Thanks Mom and Dad,
Janice
