The American Scholar : Emerson's thoughts on who is a true Scholar

After sixty years of Independence , America was still under the influence of Europe. She had nothing of herself – no culture , no identity. Ralph Waldo Emerson was perhaps the first one in the country’s history to provide a philosophical framework vision to give America its own identity. He delivered a speech before Cambridge’s Phi Beta Kappa Society , an honorary society of male college students who scored unusually high grade point averages. The speech was called later – The American Scholar.

(Scholar here means a man who is a university of knowledge. Who believes that he is inspired by a Divine Soul which also inspires all men. Who learns from three things – Nature , ‘the mind of past’ ie. Literature , arts or alike and Action )

Below are the few quotations from the speech –

1. Books are for the scholar’s idle times. When he can read God directly , the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men’s transcripts of their reading.   (On the use of books)
2. The true scholar grudges every opportunity of action pass by , as a loss of power. (Action is important for all as well as for a scholar)
3. Life is our dictionary.
4. Man hopes ; genius creates.
5. The one thing in the world of value , is the active soul.
6. The office of the scholar is to cheer , to raise and to guide men by showing them facts amidst appearances. (The duty of a scholar)
7. In Self trust , all the virtues are comprehended.
8. The near explains the far. The drop is a small ocean.
9. This time , like all times , is a very good one , if we but know what to do with it.

Notes - These were the Emerson's thoughts on Who is a true scholar. Its not only about American people. Its universal and can be applied to all. This lecture was delivered after sixty years of Independence of America and it was a call to American people who were under the influence of European culture to create their own distinct culture and identity. India is also in its sixties and I hope she will soon recover her own rich tradition before it gets too late.