Dr. Ripley was, as said, the leader of the Transcendental coterie and he
had all the vitalizing enthusiasm that a leader must necessarily
possess. He was a solidly built man of medium height with brown hair and
beard and the kindest eyes in the world. He was a Unitarian clergyman, a
scholar learned in all the learning of the Egyptians and all the other
learned peoples of every age and clime, and a gentleman of the most
engagingly courteous address; his good manners rested on bed rock
foundations, too, and could not be corrupted by evil communications. I
saw him more than once in straits harsh enough to try the patience of a
saint, and noted with surprised admiration that his perfect poise was
not in the least disturbed.
It was Dr. Ripley who, having the courage of his convictions, bravely
suggested putting in practice the principles he and his Transcendental
friends advocated in theory. "We talk well," he said, in effect, "why
not try to do the thing which we say?" And he did. With a few of these
friends, like-minded, he went out to West Roxbury; six miles from
Boston, and bought a farm of 200 acres.
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