Ruschenberger.] [May 15, 



which ultimately resulted in the organization of the Union League of 

 Philadelphia, December 27, 1862, the members of which were pledged to 

 " unqualified loyalty to the government of the United States and unwaver- 

 ing support of its efforts for the suppression of Rebellion." * 



Dr. Emerson, who was elected a member February 16, 1863, daily visited 

 the Union League and participated in its proceedings till the end of his life. 



Dr. Emerson did not devote his time and thought exclusively to the 

 practice of medicine and agriculture. He was interested in questions of 

 political economy, social science. He translated the second edition of Le 

 Play's "Organization of Labor," a learned and valuable contribution to 

 the literature of the subject. This work, the last from his pen, was pub- 

 lished in 1872. 



He died very suddenly in his office, July 2, 1874, near the end of the 79th 

 year of age. His grave is next to that of Thomas Godfrey, Laurel Hill 

 Cemetery. 



He bequeathed his ample estate, including several farms, which together 

 contain more than a thousand acres of arable land in Delaware, to his 

 kinsmen. 



His long life was virtuously spent, and so far he was above the bulk of 

 mankind. Seemingly always under the influence of his early Quaker 

 training by his mother, never manifesting the least pretension to piety, or 

 solicitude about his future existence, his daily conduct was shaped in 

 obedience to the precepts of the Decalogue and of Christianity. Natur- 

 ally modest and considerate of the rights of others, he was never aggres- 

 sive. A dignified and courteous demeanor, varied attainments and the 

 easy flow of his conversation made him a welcome and frequent guest in 

 the society of good and cultivated people. 



A genius for persistent labor never permitted his talents, which were 

 far above the average, to be idle. His career was marked by habitual in- 

 dustry and useful work rather than by special achievement in any of his 

 pursuits. Though not a discoverer, or a great leader in science, his ex- 

 emplary conduct and benevolent labors entitle him to general approba- 

 tion, and his memory to our kindly respect. 



APPENDIX. 

 A list of Dr. Gouverneur Emerson's publications : 



"A Biographical Memoir of Dr. James Sykes, February, 1823." "Chap- 

 man's Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences." 



"Biographical Memoir of Dr. Samuel Powel Griffitts, 1827." "The 

 North American Medical and Surgical Journal." 



"Medical Statistics, being a Series of Tables showing the Mortality in 



* Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Organization of the Union League of Philadelphia, 

 December 27, 1887. Press of J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1888. 



