Emerson’s essay “Boston,” is the closing lecture in the Life and Literature series delivered in Boston, spring, 1861 and printed in the Atlantic Monthly in January, 1892. In it Emerson, who was born and raised in Boston, outlines why Boston is such a great city. I have never been to Boston so I can’t say whether Emerson is right or not. Only, it seems like what he says about Boston almost anyone could find things equally as praiseworthy for their city of choice.
The essay begins with an epigram:
“We are citizens of two fair cities,” said the Genoese gentleman to the Florentine artist, “and if I were not a Genoese, I should wish to be Florentine.” “And I,” replied the artist, “if I were not a Florentine–” “You would wish to be Genoese,” said the other. “No,” replied the artist, “I should wish to be Florentine.”
Of course Emerson means for us to substitute Florence for Boston.
Emerson is certain that climate influences thought and, well, pretty much everything else. He notes that one can experience in Boston during the course of a year all the climates of the world. The climate of Boston is not a luxurious climate, but “wisdom is not found with those who dwell at their ease.” If Emerson thinks Boston has a character building climate, he should have lived a year in Minneapolis where it can get to -25 degrees F in winter (and sometimes colder) and as hot as 100 degrees in summer (but not often, usually mid to upper 90s with high humidity). The arctic and the tropics all in one place and how we love to talk about the weather here. If you are ever visiting Minnesota or have a Minnesotan visiting you and are at a loss for conversational topics, make a comment about weather. You will be hard-pressed to get the normally taciturn Minnesotan to let you get a word in edgewise.
But back to Emerson who moves from Boston climate to Boston history, emphasizing the city’s religious roots as well as its freedom-loving roots. Then he takes off on the city’s intellectual roots, citing the establishment of the Boston colony in 1620 and the founding of Harvard in 1638. And he stresses that it is the intellectual coupled with the religious that has made the city great. The two act to balance each other out so that the city’s population have a congenial mix of both elements.
Boston is peopled with the industrious and thrifty who have heart and soul and stand by each other through all hazards. It is also a lively place that encourages the creative and new, agitating the masses and “afflicting the conservative class” thereby providing another kind of balance in the city. And as long as Boston stays true to its roots, it will continue to be one of the greatest cities in the United States.
Those of you who have been to, or live in, Boston, do Emerson’s words about the city ring true?
Next week’s Emerson: Michael Angelo
There are a lot of great things about Boston, but the phrase, “encourages the creative and new” embodies everything, in my experience, that contemporary Boston is not. Remote, rural New England has a reputation for being especially provincial and insular, but the metro districts aren’t greatly different. Consensus among the non-native residents says this is why it’s such an unusually difficult place to be an outsider. (I was in the area for just under six years. Again, there’s lots to like about it, but the region’s characteristic resistance to change makes the culture impenetrable, which most of the transplants I know find frustrating and isolating.)
My last trip to Boston I enjoyed immensely but it was years ago. Decades, in fact. The layout of streets seemed a bit random but then again, I’m a CA suburban dweller. But the cemetaries and the buildings and the streets! Fabulous.
-25F? Negative? I am NEVER going to Minnesota in the winter. I think 25F is unbearably cold. In fact, 45F is about the cut off limit for human endurance.
I lived for a year in Finland (Northern Finland, at that!) and the winter was BRUTAL (I think the coldest I experienced was -35 ). I grew up in Oregon so I knew about wet, but the cold and the snow and the ice was a little difficult to get around in. On bicycle, at that. Actually, I rather like ‘weather’ and miss it here in California. Boooring. Sunny and nice, practically every day. Yawn. (no, really, I sound like I’m joking but I’m serious)
I’ve never been to Boston but I would LOVE to go. I love American history and it just sounds like a wonderful place to go wandering, both city and countryside.
Talking about the weather is a very British thing too. We’d never be short of conversation with that and books!
Mella, very interesting. Emerson would be disappointed I’m sure. Nice place to visit but if you aren’t from there maybe not the best place to live?
Carrie, Minneapolis is laid out on an almost perfect grid with streets that are numbered or in alphabetical order. Getting around is a snap. St Paul on the other hand, I think must take after Boston!
Daphne, Northern Finland, very impressive. Did you take lots of saunas? I grew up in southern California, I know exactly what you mean when you say the weather is boring. That’s one reason why I love MN so much!
BooksPlease, sounds like we’d get on wonderfully!
I live in a small knollish town in the quiet corner of Connecticut nestled somewhere betweeen Mark Twain and Edwin Teale. It has the luxury of proximity to Emerson and Deidrich Knickerbocker so when I get my gardens in order I like to venture forth into the Great Cities. I went by train this past June because it afforded me time to finish reading Shakespeare’s Kitchen. As the train lulled into South Station I put my book away. One must never lose the opportunity to garnish perspective for one’s own thoughts. Unlike Grand Central South Station was open and modern. For a sunny day in June this was perfect. I took to Atlantic avenue going northward along the bays headed to the North End. This city was bright, clean, modern. It was refreshing and invigorating. Perhaps nothing like Emerson’s Boston. But for today, this was my Boston and I was loving it. I met up with some friends in from Faulkner. We hugged and laughed, but they needed some Emerson. So we strolled along into the North End along the Freedom Trail. There we found Emerson amongst the gardens, amongst the gravestones, and inside the little Italian eatery. We enjoyed some pastries and settled for a scenic vista on our way to Bunker Hill. We talked about politics, we talked about religion, we talked about raising our children, and we talked about the books we were reading. Yes. We found Emerson . Yes. Boston is still one of the greatest cities in the world. I left my friends to venture back along the path I had taken. Enriched, enlivened, satisfied. Back to South Station, back to the book I was reading, and back to my lovely little corner of Connecticut.
The Florentine quote made me laugh. I find the talk about climate as influencing thought and everything else disturbing, though — I mean, surely the climate does have some effect on people and their brains, but couldn’t it at the same time to used to dismiss people who live in supposedly bad climates? It could lead to stereotypes like the lazy people from the tropics or whatever.
Hey,
have you seen this?
I did take lots of saunas! Nearly every night. Actually, I loved the weather (when I wasn’t trying to bike in it). It was pretty magical sometimes.
Stefanie, that’s exactly how I’d describe it in a sentence. That is, it’s a good place to visit if you’re not driving. The streets are definitely crazy and a lot of them don’t have any signs – presumably because the locals already know where they’re going. Fortunately, it’s also physically small (around 1/2 million in population) and very walkable.
Bill, Good to know Emerson can still be found in Boston!
Dorothy, I loved the Florentine quote too. The idea of climate influencing thought is a bit worrisome and you are right that it can be used to dismiss people. Emerson doesn’t do it in this essay but he has mentioned in past essays about climate and thought and pretty much said that’s why there are no brilliant thinkers from the tropics.
Daphne, I suspected you might have. There is a large contingent of people in MN who are of Finnish heritage and taking saunas especially during the winter where you can dive into a snowbank afterwards is much talked about.
Mella, good to know as I have wondered about maybe moving to Boston someday. Something to think twice about now
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