What's with Emerson, anyway? In "Self-Reliance" comes out with the admonition,

"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string."

Iron? Brass perhaps, yes, or steel, which is more ductile, but iron is brittle; this is one of the main reasons steel was developed, to make hard swords which would hold a wicked edge.

And a side benefit is that steel has a much nicer ring, or vibration, in other words, and makes excellent guitar, fiddle or banjo strings.

Hit iron with a hammer repeatedly and watch it crack, an unlikely substance to resonate with a heart, unless one likes the militaristic overtones

of hardness, tough guys all.

"And now we are men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not for minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almightly effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark."

Can this guy's ideas be trusted? He almost sounds like an articulate GWB, or rather the other way around - but that's giving GWB far too much credit.

Of course I was shocked and saddened when I found out Walt Whitman wanted to annex the Yucatan peninsula for the good of the inhabitants and to bring them freedom and democracy.

Emerson's suspect. It's that perfect man business, or maybe he's simply a product of his time, but I remain suspicious for now.