He was involved in the city affairs of Boston and state government, serving on the Boston school committee and as chaplain of the state senate. He was involved in several philanthropic movements, either giving of his own funds or assisting in fund-raising. He early opened his church to antislavery champions although he himself did not speak publicly on the subject. Emerson seemed destined to remain in the calling for the remainder of his life. However, a year after his first wife's death he resigned his pastorate. Whether his withdrawal was the result of his wife's death or Emerson's spiritual and philosophical growth is unclear. However, it appears that after this period his life began to take on the shape it was to follow for his remaining years.
He went to Europe in 1832, visiting France, Italy, Sicily, London, and Edinburgh. Emerson preached extensively in the last two places and met William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, and Thomas Carlyle. His friendship with Carlyle lasted for thirty-five years, and their correspondence was published in 1883 under the editorship of Charles Eliot Norton. Following his return from Europe, Emerson began to preach and lecture, but it was not until the following year that his writings began to take on a distinctly literary flavor.
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