Character and civilization

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), famed essayist and a personification of the New England character

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), famed essayist and a personification of the New England character

“New England likes to think it has a civilization based on character. The South likes to think it has a character based on civilization. A big difference.”

— Henry Allen, in “The Character of Summer,’’ in the July 14, 1991 Washington Post