He makes everything serve. The
stress of expression is so great that he bends the most obdurate
element to his purpose; as the bird, under her keen necessity,
weaves the most contrary and diverse materials into her nest. He
seems to like best material that is a little refractory; it makes
his page more piquant and stimulating. Within certain limits he
loves roughness, but not at the expense of harmony. He has
wonderful hardiness and push. Where else in literature is there a
mind, moving in so rare a medium, that gives one such a sense of
tangible resistance and force? It is a principle in mechanics that
velocity is twice as great as mass: double your speed and you
double your heat, though you halve your weight. In like manner this
body we are considering is not the largest, but its speed is great,
and the intensity of its impact with objects and experience is
almost without parallel. Everything about a man like Emerson is
important. I find his phrenology and physiognomy more than
ordinarily typical and suggestive. Look at his picture there,--
large, strong features on a small face and head,--no blank spaces;
all given up to expression; a high predaceous nose, a sinewy brow,
a massive, benevolent chin. In most men there is more face than
feature, but here is a vast deal more feature than face, and a
corresponding alertness and emphasis of character. Indeed, the man
is made after this fashion. He is all type; his expression is
transcendent.
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