American scholar

 In this metamorphosis of the ideal Man into different capacities the Scholar is the delegated intellect. "In the right  state he is Man thinking. In the degenerate state, as a victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or still worse, the part of other men's thinking.” Nature appeals to him with all her beauties; the past instructs him and the future welcomes him with open arms. Hence Emerson wonders whether or not the true scholar is the only true master.

Among the various aspects of life which affect the s foremost. The sun, the moon and the stars enchant him and his own spirit, Gradually, he finds that apparently contrary  and remote things are linked together by a unifying factor which by its own laws bring all things together. This undercurrent of unity helps him to discover that nature 'proceed from one is  print.” Since its beauties, the beauties of his mind and the knowledge of nature, is much the  same as the knowledge of his own mind, we find that old concept ‘Know thyself’ and the new 'study nature' become at last one maxim.

The next great impact on the spirit of the Scholar is the 'mind of the past either in the form of literature and art or institutions. Books stand as the best type of influence of the past and hence Emerson devotes some attention to analyse the value of the books. The scholar of the first age turned life into truth. Actions and experience though temporal, after passing through the great mind of the scholar emerge as immortal truth in books. Since none can be perfect, there will be some element of perishableness in the product but its degree depends on the process of distillation of truth from like. "In proportion to the completeness of the distillation, so will the purity and imperishableness of the product be." Impurities due to the local and the conventional are often inevitable. 

The danger arises when the sacredness of the act of creation is transferred to the record of it. The significance that the author justly deserves is given to his writings. And this leads to too much dependence on and an exaggerated estimate of books. Blind acceptance and imitations of the past are possible in thinkers but not by Man thinking. "Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing in their duty to accept the views which Cicero, which Locke which Bacon, have given; forgetful that Cicero, Locke and Bacon were only young men in libraries when they wrote these books." This habit breeds a class of book works, a book learned sect which values books as such apart from their relation to life and the human constitution. Therefore we find people like emendators and bibliomaniacs forming sort of Third Estate with the world and the soul. 

Books are best as a source of inspiration. "Books are the best of things well used, abused among the worst." Books are the records of absolute truths as captured by the active, creative soul of a genius. These books being the past utterance of genius, by their virtue may force the readers to look backward at the past and not forward into the future.  "But genius look forward: the eyes of man are set in his forehead, not in his hindhead: man hopes; genius creates". If the mind of an individual, instead of seeing the truth itself, receive it from another, a "fatal disservice is done". In this manner, a great mind spoils another great mind by over influence. Every literature including the English bears testimony to this fact. This means that the genius of Shakespeare has done much harm to the originality of the succeeding dramatists since they indulged in mere imitation of his greatness for two hundred years. 

Reading books for inspiration   should be subordinated to reading God and truth directly through one's own experience. "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 transcript of their readings." The pleasure, that we derive from the best books which are timeless, is mixed with awe and wonder. This is owing to the fact that what expressed some hundreds year ago seem to echo the most modern sentiments which lie close to our own souls.

The value of books should in no sense be underrated. Because human mind can feed of any knowledge. "And great and heroic men have existed who had almost no other information than by the printed page." The inventive mind through a creative approach to reading receives enlightenment and with all the implications and comparisons a reading suggests "every sentence is doubly significant, and the sense of our author is as broad as the world." The discerning will take in the essential truth and reject the rest even if it is to be. Plato or Plato's Shakespeare’s. 

A serious learning of subjects such as history and science is a must for every wise man. But colleges should not merely drill the young minds in these subjects but create in them a new awareness and set their hearts on flame by gathering from far and wide "every ray of genius." Compared to sincere thoughts and true knowledge, the exterior appliances and prestigious degrees avail nothing.

Emerson here goes on to emphasize the need for the speculative and the perceiving scholar to be practical and active too. "Action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is essential. Without it he is not yet man. Without it thought can never ripen into truth." Action precedes thought and assists in transforming the unconscious into conscious truths. Life enriches the mind, "Only so much do I know, as I have lived. Instantly, we know whose words are loaded with life, and whose not." The outside world helps us to know ourselves better; through experience, we conquer the widerness of the mind and extend our dominion. Hardships and bitter experience contribute a great deal. "Drudgery, calamity, exasperation, want are instructors in eloquence and wisdom." Every action missed is a loss of power to the true scholar. Action accelerates the process of converting experience into thought- a process as strange as that or transforming mulberry leaf into satin.

Actions and events of one part of life mature after some time, like a ripe fruit, into thoughts of the mind and acquire beauty and immortality. Therefore the man who has "put forth his total strength in fit action has the richest return of wisdom." The scholar would covet action at least for the sake of vocabulary and according to Emerson "life is Our dictionary." Years well spent in town and country and with labours, trades and manufacturers in frank inter-course with science and art shall bestow on a mastery over languages which can illustrate and "embody our perceptions." Colleges and books only give us what has been lived and experienced in fields and work-yards.

But the ultimate worth of action, like the books, is that of resource. Thinking and acting react mutually. When the artist finds his materials exhausted and fancy to longer works and books become wearisome, "he has always the resource to live." Emerson emphasizes character to be higher than intellect. That is why he asserts that thinking is the function and living, the functionary. Living is the total act whereas thinking is only a partial act. And a greater soul can live strongly and think strongly. "Time shall teach him that the scholar loses no hour which the man lives. The world has witnessed that great changes are brought about not by the educated along but by the 'unhandselled savage nature" too, since 'out of terrible druids and berserkers come at last Alfred and Shakespeare" Emerson believes that all labour is dignified and delights in the dignity and necessity of labour to every citizen. Labour is always welcome on one condition "that a man shall not for the sake of wider activity sacrifice any opinion to the popular judgements and modes of action."

Having spoken at length on the education and influences on the Scholar, Emerson proceeds to say something about his duties. The term 'self-trust' describes everything in a nutshell, the essential calling of the Scholar is "to cheer, to raise and to guide men by showing them facts amidst appearances." With patient observation and search for facts, he might have to toil and suffer sometimes due to poverty, solitude, self-accusation and uncertainty, nevertheless he shall find "consolation in exercising the highest function of human nature." Rising above private concerns' he nurtures public and illustratious thoughts. He, being the world's eye and heart, must resist cheap, worldly prosperity and preserve and express heroic sentiments. Whatever judgement is pronounced by Reason, he should receive and impart to the world.

To execute this noble function, he should have confidence in himself and never succumb to popular cry. Despite clamour and outcry from outsides, he should preserve in observing and answering the demands of his mind. Success is assured on every right step since instinct does not fail him in any way. By knowing himself, he knows the world's secrets and by recording his inner thoughts, he records all true thoughts outside him. District and lack of knowledge of the people he faces may cause hesitation in the beginning but soon he will find to his surprise that his "privatest, secretest presentiments" prove to be "most acceptable, most public, and universally true," "The people delight in it, better part of every man feels, This is my music; this is myself.’

Self-trust demands freedom too. The scholar needs to be brave and free. Fear is the child of ignorance. He should not flee from politics or vexed questions in fear and himself in solitary pursuit of knowledge. He should confront any danger or question bravely in the face, analyse its customs persists due to our indulgence. Once we detect their true colours and perceive them to be no more lies, this perception itself is a death-blow to such things.

It is foolish to presume that we have come late into nature and that the world was finished a long time ago. But the truth is that the world is his who can adapt himself to it. lgnorance and sin can do nothing to it. Altering matter is nothing compared to altering one’s mind. Hence, he is great who can persuade man to be validity and desirability of the tri #h that he has discovered. "The great man makes the great thing. Wherever Mac donald sits there is the head of the table. " The fluctuating estimates of other man do not touch at all.

Emerson finds that it is not quite easy to reason out his belief in self-trust. To a certain extent, this belief is due to old doctrine, cited earlier, of Man being one. But men to longer realize and exercise the dignity of their individual selves; they are just content to glorify their heroes whether poets to leaders and themselves dwindle into insignificant are become of no account. Men in history, men in the world of today,are bugs, are spawn, and are called 'the mass' and the herd'. Sacrificing their self-dignity they strive to shower more dignity and life to their chiefs. “They cast the dignity of man from their downtrod the shoulders of a hero, and Will perish to add one drop of blood to make that great heart beat, those giant sinews combat and conquer. He lives for us and we live in him." This statement affirms Emerson's transcendental belief in the importance of the individual.