The Project Gutenberg EBook of Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil

Disobedience, by enry David Thoreau

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Title( Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience
)uthor( enry David Thoreau
Posting Date( *uly +,, ,--. /EBook 0,-12
3elease Date( *anuary, +441
/'ast u%dated( *uly ,4, ,-++2
'anguage( English
Character set encoding( 5T6&.
777 8T)3T O6 T98 P3O*ECT G5TE:BE3G EBOO; W)'DE: 777
Produced by *udith Boss, and David Widger
W)'DE:,
and
O: TE D5T$ O6 C9<9' D98OBED9E:CE
By enry David Thoreau
Contents
=W)'DE:=
Econo"y
Where 9 'ived, and What 9 'ived 6or
3eading
8ounds
8olitude
<isitors
The Bean&6ield
The <illage
The Ponds
Baker 6ar"
igher 'a!s
Brute :eighbors
ouse&War"ing
6or"er 9nhabitants and Winter <isitors
Winter )ni"als
The Pond in Winter
8%ring
Conclusion
=O: TE D5T$ O6 C9<9' D98OBED9E:CE=
W)'DE:
Econo"y
When 9 !rote the follo!ing %ages, or rather the bulk of the", 9 lived
alone, in the !oods, a "ile fro" any neighbor, in a house !hich 9 had
built "yself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, >assachusetts,
and earned "y living by the labor of "y hands only# 9 lived there t!o
years and t!o "onths# )t %resent 9 a" a sojourner in civili?ed life
again#
9 should not obtrude "y affairs so "uch on the notice of "y readers if
very %articular in@uiries had not been "ade by "y to!ns"en concerning
"y "ode of life, !hich so"e !ould call i"%ertinent, though they do not
a%%ear to "e at all i"%ertinent, but, considering the circu"stances,
very natural and %ertinent# 8o"e have asked !hat 9 got to eatA if 9 did
not feel loneso"eA if 9 !as not afraidA and the like# Others have been
curious to learn !hat %ortion of "y inco"e 9 devoted to charitable
%ur%osesA and so"e, !ho have large fa"ilies, ho! "any %oor children
9 "aintained# 9 !ill therefore ask those of "y readers !ho feel no
%articular interest in "e to %ardon "e if 9 undertake to ans!er so"e of
these @uestions in this book# 9n "ost books, the B9B, or first %erson, is
o"ittedA in this it !ill be retainedA that, in res%ect to egotis", is
the "ain difference# We co""only do not re"e"ber that it is, after all,
al!ays the first %erson that is s%eaking# 9 should not talk so
"uch about "yself if there !ere anybody else !ho" 9 kne! as !ell#
5nfortunately, 9 a" confined to this the"e by the narro!ness of "y
eC%erience# >oreover, 9, on "y side, re@uire of every !riter, first or
last, a si"%le and sincere account of his o!n life, and not "erely !hat
he has heard of other "enDs livesA so"e such account as he !ould send to
his kindred fro" a distant landA for if he has lived sincerely, it
"ust have been in a distant land to "e# Perha%s these %ages are "ore
%articularly addressed to %oor students# )s for the rest of "y readers,
they !ill acce%t such %ortions as a%%ly to the"# 9 trust that none !ill
stretch the sea"s in %utting on the coat, for it "ay do good service to
hi" !ho" it fits#
9 !ould fain say so"ething, not so "uch concerning the Chinese and
8and!ich 9slanders as you !ho read these %ages, !ho are said to live
in :e! EnglandA so"ething about your condition, es%ecially your out!ard
condition or circu"stances in this !orld, in this to!n, !hat it is,
!hether it is necessary that it be as bad as it is, !hether it cannot
be i"%roved as !ell as not# 9 have travelled a good deal in ConcordA
and every!here, in sho%s, and offices, and fields, the inhabitants have
a%%eared to "e to be doing %enance in a thousand re"arkable !ays# What
9 have heard of Bra"ins sitting eC%osed to four fires and looking in the
face of the sunA or hanging sus%ended, !ith their heads do!n!ard, over
fla"esA or looking at the heavens over their shoulders Euntil it beco"es
i"%ossible for the" to resu"e their natural %osition, !hile fro" the
t!ist of the neck nothing but li@uids can %ass into the sto"achEA or
d!elling, chained for life, at the foot of a treeA or "easuring !ith
their bodies, like cater%illars, the breadth of vast e"%iresA or
standing on one leg on the to%s of %illars&&even these for"s of
conscious %enance are hardly "ore incredible and astonishing than
the scenes !hich 9 daily !itness# The t!elve labors of ercules !ere
trifling in co"%arison !ith those !hich "y neighbors have undertakenA
for they !ere only t!elve, and had an endA but 9 could never see that
these "en sle! or ca%tured any "onster or finished any labor# They have
no friend 9olaus to burn !ith a hot iron the root of the hydraDs head,
but as soon as one head is crushed, t!o s%ring u%#
9 see young "en, "y to!ns"en, !hose "isfortune it is to have inherited
far"s, houses, barns, cattle, and far"ing toolsA for these are "ore
easily ac@uired than got rid of# Better if they had been born in the
o%en %asture and suckled by a !olf, that they "ight have seen !ith
clearer eyes !hat field they !ere called to labor in# Who "ade the"
serfs of the soilF Why should they eat their siCty acres, !hen "an is
conde"ned to eat only his %eck of dirtF Why should they begin digging
their graves as soon as they are bornF They have got to live a "anDs
life, %ushing all these things before the", and get on as !ell as they
can# o! "any a %oor i""ortal soul have 9 "et !ell&nigh crushed and
s"othered under its load, cree%ing do!n the road of life, %ushing before
it a barn seventy&five feet by forty, its )ugean stables never cleansed,
and one hundred acres of land, tillage, "o!ing, %asture, and !oodlotG
The %ortionless, !ho struggle !ith no such unnecessary inherited
encu"brances, find it labor enough to subdue and cultivate a fe! cubic
feet of flesh#
But "en labor under a "istake# The better %art of the "an is soon %lo!ed
into the soil for co"%ost# By a see"ing fate, co""only called necessity,
they are e"%loyed, as it says in an old book, laying u% treasures !hich
"oth and rust !ill corru%t and thieves break through and steal# 9t is
a foolDs life, as they !ill find !hen they get to the end of it, if not
before# 9t is said that Deucalion and Pyrrha created "en by thro!ing
stones over their heads behind the"(&&
9nde genus duru" su"us, eC%eriens@ue laboru",
Et docu"enta da"us @ua si"us origine nati#
Or, as 3aleigh rhy"es it in his sonorous !ay,&&
E6ro" thence our kind hard&hearted is, enduring %ain and care,
)%%roving that our bodies of a stony nature are#E
8o "uch for a blind obedience to a blundering oracle, thro!ing the
stones over their heads behind the", and not seeing !here they fell#
>ost "en, even in this co"%aratively free country, through "ere
ignorance and "istake, are so occu%ied !ith the factitious cares and
su%erfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be
%lucked by the"# Their fingers, fro" eCcessive toil, are too clu"sy and
tre"ble too "uch for that# )ctually, the laboring "an has not leisure
for a true integrity day by dayA he cannot afford to sustain the
"anliest relations to "enA his labor !ould be de%reciated in the "arket#
e has no ti"e to be anything but a "achine# o! can he re"e"ber !ell
his ignorance&&!hich his gro!th re@uires&&!ho has so often to use his
kno!ledgeF We should feed and clothe hi" gratuitously so"eti"es, and
recruit hi" !ith our cordials, before !e judge of hi"# The finest
@ualities of our nature, like the bloo" on fruits, can be %reserved only
by the "ost delicate handling# $et !e do not treat ourselves nor one
another thus tenderly#
8o"e of you, !e all kno!, are %oor, find it hard to live, are so"eti"es,
as it !ere, gas%ing for breath# 9 have no doubt that so"e of you !ho
read this book are unable to %ay for all the dinners !hich you have
actually eaten, or for the coats and shoes !hich are fast !earing or are
already !orn out, and have co"e to this %age to s%end borro!ed or stolen
ti"e, robbing your creditors of an hour# 9t is very evident !hat "ean
and sneaking lives "any of you live, for "y sight has been !hetted by
eC%erienceA al!ays on the li"its, trying to get into business and trying
to get out of debt, a very ancient slough, called by the 'atins Baes
alienu"B, anotherDs brass, for so"e of their coins !ere "ade of brassA
still living, and dying, and buried by this otherDs brassA al!ays
%ro"ising to %ay, %ro"ising to %ay, to"orro!, and dying today,
insolventA seeking to curry favor, to get custo", by ho! "any "odes,
only not state&%rison offensesA lying, flattering, voting, contracting
yourselves into a nutshell of civility or dilating into an at"os%here of
thin and va%orous generosity, that you "ay %ersuade your neighbor to let
you "ake his shoes, or his hat, or his coat, or his carriage, or i"%ort
his groceries for hi"A "aking yourselves sick, that you "ay lay u%
so"ething against a sick day, so"ething to be tucked a!ay in an old
chest, or in a stocking behind the %lastering, or, "ore safely, in the
brick bankA no "atter !here, no "atter ho! "uch or ho! little#
9 so"eti"es !onder that !e can be so frivolous, 9 "ay al"ost say, as to
attend to the gross but so"e!hat foreign for" of servitude called :egro
8lavery, there are so "any keen and subtle "asters that enslave both
:orth and 8outh# 9t is hard to have a 8outhern overseerA it is !orse to
have a :orthern oneA but !orst of all !hen you are the slave&driver
of yourself# Talk of a divinity in "anG 'ook at the tea"ster on the
high!ay, !ending to "arket by day or nightA does any divinity stir
!ithin hi"F is highest duty to fodder and !ater his horsesG What is his
destiny to hi" co"%ared !ith the shi%%ing interestsF Does not he drive
for 8@uire >ake&a&stirF o! godlike, ho! i""ortal, is heF 8ee ho! he
co!ers and sneaks, ho! vaguely all the day he fears, not being i""ortal
nor divine, but the slave and %risoner of his o!n o%inion of hi"self, a
fa"e !on by his o!n deeds# Public o%inion is a !eak tyrant co"%ared !ith
our o!n %rivate o%inion# What a "an thinks of hi"self, that it is !hich
deter"ines, or rather indicates, his fate# 8elf&e"anci%ation even in the
West 9ndian %rovinces of the fancy and i"agination&&!hat Wilberforce
is there to bring that aboutF Think, also, of the ladies of the land
!eaving toilet cushions against the last day, not to betray too green
an interest in their fatesG )s if you could kill ti"e !ithout injuring
eternity#
The "ass of "en lead lives of @uiet des%eration# What is called
resignation is confir"ed des%eration# 6ro" the des%erate city you
go into the des%erate country, and have to console yourself !ith the
bravery of "inks and "uskrats# ) stereoty%ed but unconscious des%air
is concealed even under !hat are called the ga"es and a"use"ents of
"ankind# There is no %lay in the", for this co"es after !ork# But it is
a characteristic of !isdo" not to do des%erate things#
When !e consider !hat, to use the !ords of the catechis", is the chief
end of "an, and !hat are the true necessaries and "eans of life, it
a%%ears as if "en had deliberately chosen the co""on "ode of living
because they %referred it to any other# $et they honestly think there is
no choice left# But alert and healthy natures re"e"ber that the sun
rose clear# 9t is never too late to give u% our %rejudices# :o !ay of
thinking or doing, ho!ever ancient, can be trusted !ithout %roof# What
everybody echoes or in silence %asses by as true to&day "ay turn out to
be falsehood to&"orro!, "ere s"oke of o%inion, !hich so"e had trusted
for a cloud that !ould s%rinkle fertili?ing rain on their fields# What
old %eo%le say you cannot do, you try and find that you can# Old deeds
for old %eo%le, and ne! deeds for ne!# Old %eo%le did not kno! enough
once, %erchance, to fetch fresh fuel to kee% the fire a&goingA ne!
%eo%le %ut a little dry !ood under a %ot, and are !hirled round the
globe !ith the s%eed of birds, in a !ay to kill old %eo%le, as the
%hrase is# )ge is no better, hardly so !ell, @ualified for an instructor
as youth, for it has not %rofited so "uch as it has lost# One "ay
al"ost doubt if the !isest "an has learned anything of absolute value by
living# Practically, the old have no very i"%ortant advice to give the
young, their o!n eC%erience has been so %artial, and their lives have
been such "iserable failures, for %rivate reasons, as they "ust
believeA and it "ay be that they have so"e faith left !hich belies that
eC%erience, and they are only less young than they !ere# 9 have lived
so"e thirty years on this %lanet, and 9 have yet to hear the first
syllable of valuable or even earnest advice fro" "y seniors# They have
told "e nothing, and %robably cannot tell "e anything to the %ur%ose#
ere is life, an eC%eri"ent to a great eCtent untried by "eA but it does
not avail "e that they have tried it# 9f 9 have any eC%erience !hich 9
think valuable, 9 a" sure to reflect that this "y >entors said nothing
about#
One far"er says to "e, E$ou cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it
furnishes nothing to "ake bones !ithEA and so he religiously devotes a
%art of his day to su%%lying his syste" !ith the ra! "aterial of
bonesA !alking all the !hile he talks behind his oCen, !hich, !ith
vegetable&"ade bones, jerk hi" and his lu"bering %lo! along in s%ite
of every obstacle# 8o"e things are really necessaries of life in so"e
circles, the "ost hel%less and diseased, !hich in others are luCuries
"erely, and in others still are entirely unkno!n#
The !hole ground of hu"an life see"s to so"e to have been gone over by
their %redecessors, both the heights and the valleys, and all things to
have been cared for# )ccording to Evelyn, Ethe !ise 8olo"on %rescribed
ordinances for the very distances of treesA and the 3o"an %rHtors have
decided ho! often you "ay go into your neighborDs land to gather the
acorns !hich fall on it !ithout tres%ass, and !hat share belongs to that
neighbor#E i%%ocrates has even left directions ho! !e should cut our
nailsA that is, even !ith the ends of the fingers, neither shorter nor
longer# 5ndoubtedly the very tediu" and ennui !hich %resu"e to have
eChausted the variety and the joys of life are as old as )da"# But "anDs
ca%acities have never been "easuredA nor are !e to judge of !hat he can
do by any %recedents, so little has been tried# Whatever have been thy
failures hitherto, Ebe not afflicted, "y child, for !ho shall assign to
thee !hat thou hast left undoneFE
We "ight try our lives by a thousand si"%le testsA as, for instance,
that the sa"e sun !hich ri%ens "y beans illu"ines at once a syste" of
earths like ours# 9f 9 had re"e"bered this it !ould have %revented so"e
"istakes# This !as not the light in !hich 9 hoed the"# The stars are the
a%eCes of !hat !onderful trianglesG What distant and different beings in
the various "ansions of the universe are conte"%lating the sa"e one at
the sa"e "o"entG :ature and hu"an life are as various as our several
constitutions# Who shall say !hat %ros%ect life offers to anotherF Could
a greater "iracle take %lace than for us to look through each otherDs
eyes for an instantF We should live in all the ages of the !orld in an
hourA ay, in all the !orlds of the ages# istory, Poetry, >ythologyG&&9
kno! of no reading of anotherDs eC%erience so startling and infor"ing as
this !ould be#
The greater %art of !hat "y neighbors call good 9 believe in "y soul
to be bad, and if 9 re%ent of anything, it is very likely to be "y good
behavior# What de"on %ossessed "e that 9 behaved so !ellF $ou "ay say
the !isest thing you can, old "an&&you !ho have lived seventy years, not
!ithout honor of a kind&&9 hear an irresistible voice !hich invites "e
a!ay fro" all that# One generation abandons the enter%rises of another
like stranded vessels#
9 think that !e "ay safely trust a good deal "ore than !e do# We "ay
!aive just so "uch care of ourselves as !e honestly besto! else!here#
:ature is as !ell ada%ted to our !eakness as to our strength# The
incessant anCiety and strain of so"e is a !ell&nigh incurable for" of
disease# We are "ade to eCaggerate the i"%ortance of !hat !ork !e doA
and yet ho! "uch is not done by usG or, !hat if !e had been taken sickF
o! vigilant !e areG deter"ined not to live by faith if !e can avoid itA
all the day long on the alert, at night !e un!illingly say our %rayers
and co""it ourselves to uncertainties# 8o thoroughly and sincerely are
!e co"%elled to live, reverencing our life, and denying the %ossibility
of change# This is the only !ay, !e sayA but there are as "any !ays as
there can be dra!n radii fro" one centre# )ll change is a "iracle to
conte"%lateA but it is a "iracle !hich is taking %lace every instant#
Confucius said, ETo kno! that !e kno! !hat !e kno!, and that !e do not
kno! !hat !e do not kno!, that is true kno!ledge#E When one "an has
reduced a fact of the i"agination to be a fact to his understanding, 9
foresee that all "en at length establish their lives on that basis#
'et us consider for a "o"ent !hat "ost of the trouble and anCiety !hich
9 have referred to is about, and ho! "uch it is necessary that !e be
troubled, or at least careful# 9t !ould be so"e advantage to live
a %ri"itive and frontier life, though in the "idst of an out!ard
civili?ation, if only to learn !hat are the gross necessaries of life
and !hat "ethods have been taken to obtain the"A or even to look over
the old day&books of the "erchants, to see !hat it !as that "en "ost
co""only bought at the stores, !hat they stored, that is, !hat are the
grossest groceries# 6or the i"%rove"ents of ages have had but little
influence on the essential la!s of "anDs eCistenceA as our skeletons,
%robably, are not to be distinguished fro" those of our ancestors#
By the !ords, Bnecessary of lifeB, 9 "ean !hatever, of all that "an
obtains by his o!n eCertions, has been fro" the first, or fro" long use
has beco"e, so i"%ortant to hu"an life that fe!, if any, !hether fro"
savageness, or %overty, or %hiloso%hy, ever atte"%t to do !ithout it# To
"any creatures there is in this sense but one necessary of life, 6ood#
To the bison of the %rairie it is a fe! inches of %alatable grass,
!ith !ater to drinkA unless he seeks the 8helter of the forest or the
"ountainDs shado!# :one of the brute creation re@uires "ore than 6ood
and 8helter# The necessaries of life for "an in this cli"ate "ay,
accurately enough, be distributed under the several heads of 6ood,
8helter, Clothing, and 6uelA for not till !e have secured these are
!e %re%ared to entertain the true %roble"s of life !ith freedo" and a
%ros%ect of success# >an has invented, not only houses, but clothes and
cooked foodA and %ossibly fro" the accidental discovery of the !ar"th of
fire, and the conse@uent use of it, at first a luCury, arose the %resent
necessity to sit by it# We observe cats and dogs ac@uiring the sa"e
second nature# By %ro%er 8helter and Clothing !e legiti"ately retain
our o!n internal heatA but !ith an eCcess of these, or of 6uel, that
is, !ith an eCternal heat greater than our o!n internal, "ay not
cookery %ro%erly be said to beginF Dar!in, the naturalist, says of the
inhabitants of Tierra del 6uego, that !hile his o!n %arty, !ho !ere !ell
clothed and sitting close to a fire, !ere far fro" too !ar", these naked
savages, !ho !ere farther off, !ere observed, to his great sur%rise, Eto
be strea"ing !ith %ers%iration at undergoing such a roasting#E 8o, !e
are told, the :e! ollander goes naked !ith i"%unity, !hile the Euro%ean
shivers in his clothes# 9s it i"%ossible to co"bine the hardiness of
these savages !ith the intellectualness of the civili?ed "anF )ccording
to 'iebig, "anDs body is a stove, and food the fuel !hich kee%s u% the
internal co"bustion in the lungs# 9n cold !eather !e eat "ore, in !ar"
less# The ani"al heat is the result of a slo! co"bustion, and disease
and death take %lace !hen this is too ra%idA or for !ant of fuel, or
fro" so"e defect in the draught, the fire goes out# Of course the vital
heat is not to be confounded !ith fireA but so "uch for analogy# 9t
a%%ears, therefore, fro" the above list, that the eC%ression, Bani"al
lifeB, is nearly synony"ous !ith the eC%ression, Bani"al heatBA for !hile
6ood "ay be regarded as the 6uel !hich kee%s u% the fire !ithin us&&and
6uel serves only to %re%are that 6ood or to increase the !ar"th of our
bodies by addition fro" !ithout&&8helter and Clothing also serve only to
retain the heat thus generated and absorbed#
The grand necessity, then, for our bodies, is to kee% !ar", to kee%
the vital heat in us# What %ains !e accordingly take, not only !ith
our 6ood, and Clothing, and 8helter, but !ith our beds, !hich are our
night&clothes, robbing the nests and breasts of birds to %re%are this
shelter !ithin a shelter, as the "ole has its bed of grass and leaves at
the end of its burro!G The %oor "an is !ont to co"%lain that this is a
cold !orldA and to cold, no less %hysical than social, !e refer directly
a great %art of our ails# The su""er, in so"e cli"ates, "akes %ossible
to "an a sort of Elysian life# 6uel, eCce%t to cook his 6ood, is
then unnecessaryA the sun is his fire, and "any of the fruits are
sufficiently cooked by its raysA !hile 6ood generally is "ore various,
and "ore easily obtained, and Clothing and 8helter are !holly or half
unnecessary# )t the %resent day, and in this country, as 9 find by
"y o!n eC%erience, a fe! i"%le"ents, a knife, an aCe, a s%ade, a
!heelbarro!, etc#, and for the studious, la"%light, stationery, and
access to a fe! books, rank neCt to necessaries, and can all be obtained
at a trifling cost# $et so"e, not !ise, go to the other side of the
globe, to barbarous and unhealthy regions, and devote the"selves to
trade for ten or t!enty years, in order that they "ay live&&that is,
kee% co"fortably !ar"&&and die in :e! England at last# The luCuriously
rich are not si"%ly ke%t co"fortably !ar", but unnaturally hotA as 9
i"%lied before, they are cooked, of course BI la "odeB#
>ost of the luCuries, and "any of the so&called co"forts of life, are
not only not indis%ensable, but %ositive hindrances to the elevation
of "ankind# With res%ect to luCuries and co"forts, the !isest have
ever lived a "ore si"%le and "eagre life than the %oor# The ancient
%hiloso%hers, Chinese, indoo, Persian, and Greek, !ere a class than
!hich none has been %oorer in out!ard riches, none so rich in in!ard# We
kno! not "uch about the"# 9t is re"arkable that !e kno! so "uch of the"
as !e do# The sa"e is true of the "ore "odern refor"ers and benefactors
of their race# :one can be an i"%artial or !ise observer of hu"an life
but fro" the vantage ground of !hat !e should call voluntary %overty#
Of a life of luCury the fruit is luCury, !hether in agriculture, or
co""erce, or literature, or art# There are no!adays %rofessors of
%hiloso%hy, but not %hiloso%hers# $et it is ad"irable to %rofess because
it !as once ad"irable to live# To be a %hiloso%her is not "erely to have
subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love !isdo" as
to live according to its dictates, a life of si"%licity, inde%endence,
"agnani"ity, and trust# 9t is to solve so"e of the %roble"s of life, not
only theoretically, but %ractically# The success of great scholars and
thinkers is co""only a courtier&like success, not kingly, not "anly#
They "ake shift to live "erely by confor"ity, %ractically as their
fathers did, and are in no sense the %rogenitors of a noble race of "en#
But !hy do "en degenerate everF What "akes fa"ilies run outF What is the
nature of the luCury !hich enervates and destroys nationsF )re !e sure
that there is none of it in our o!n livesF The %hiloso%her is in
advance of his age even in the out!ard for" of his life# e is not fed,
sheltered, clothed, !ar"ed, like his conte"%oraries# o! can a "an be a
%hiloso%her and not "aintain his vital heat by better "ethods than other
"enF
When a "an is !ar"ed by the several "odes !hich 9 have described, !hat
does he !ant neCtF 8urely not "ore !ar"th of the sa"e kind, as "ore and
richer food, larger and "ore s%lendid houses, finer and "ore abundant
clothing, "ore nu"erous, incessant, and hotter fires, and the like#
When he has obtained those things !hich are necessary to life, there is
another alternative than to obtain the su%erfluitiesA and that is, to
adventure on life no!, his vacation fro" hu"bler toil having co""enced#
The soil, it a%%ears, is suited to the seed, for it has sent its radicle
do!n!ard, and it "ay no! send its shoot u%!ard also !ith confidence# Why
has "an rooted hi"self thus fir"ly in the earth, but that he "ay rise in
the sa"e %ro%ortion into the heavens aboveF&&for the nobler %lants are
valued for the fruit they bear at last in the air and light, far fro"
the ground, and are not treated like the hu"bler esculents, !hich,
though they "ay be biennials, are cultivated only till they have
%erfected their root, and often cut do!n at to% for this %ur%ose, so
that "ost !ould not kno! the" in their flo!ering season#
9 do not "ean to %rescribe rules to strong and valiant natures, !ho !ill
"ind their o!n affairs !hether in heaven or hell, and %erchance build
"ore "agnificently and s%end "ore lavishly than the richest, !ithout
ever i"%overishing the"selves, not kno!ing ho! they live&&if, indeed,
there are any such, as has been drea"edA nor to those !ho find their
encourage"ent and ins%iration in %recisely the %resent condition of
things, and cherish it !ith the fondness and enthusias" of lovers&&and,
to so"e eCtent, 9 reckon "yself in this nu"berA 9 do not s%eak to those
!ho are !ell e"%loyed, in !hatever circu"stances, and they kno! !hether
they are !ell e"%loyed or notA&&but "ainly to the "ass of "en !ho are
discontented, and idly co"%laining of the hardness of their lot or of
the ti"es, !hen they "ight i"%rove the"# There are so"e !ho co"%lain
"ost energetically and inconsolably of any, because they are, as they
say, doing their duty# 9 also have in "y "ind that see"ingly !ealthy,
but "ost terribly i"%overished class of all, !ho have accu"ulated dross,
but kno! not ho! to use it, or get rid of it, and thus have forged their
o!n golden or silver fetters#
7 7 7 7 7
9f 9 should atte"%t to tell ho! 9 have desired to s%end "y life in years
%ast, it !ould %robably sur%rise those of "y readers !ho are so"e!hat
ac@uainted !ith its actual historyA it !ould certainly astonish those
!ho kno! nothing about it# 9 !ill only hint at so"e of the enter%rises
!hich 9 have cherished#
9n any !eather, at any hour of the day or night, 9 have been anCious to
i"%rove the nick of ti"e, and notch it on "y stick tooA to stand on the
"eeting of t!o eternities, the %ast and future, !hich is %recisely the
%resent "o"entA to toe that line# $ou !ill %ardon so"e obscurities,
for there are "ore secrets in "y trade than in "ost "enDs, and yet not
voluntarily ke%t, but inse%arable fro" its very nature# 9 !ould gladly
tell all that 9 kno! about it, and never %aint E:o )d"ittanceE on "y
gate#
9 long ago lost a hound, a bay horse, and a turtle dove, and a" still
on their trail# >any are the travellers 9 have s%oken concerning the",
describing their tracks and !hat calls they ans!ered to# 9 have "et one
or t!o !ho had heard the hound, and the tra"% of the horse, and even
seen the dove disa%%ear behind a cloud, and they see"ed as anCious to
recover the" as if they had lost the" the"selves#
To antici%ate, not the sunrise and the da!n "erely, but, if %ossible,
:ature herselfG o! "any "ornings, su""er and !inter, before yet any
neighbor !as stirring about his business, have 9 been about "ineG :o
doubt, "any of "y to!ns"en have "et "e returning fro" this enter%rise,
far"ers starting for Boston in the t!ilight, or !oodcho%%ers going
to their !ork# 9t is true, 9 never assisted the sun "aterially in his
rising, but, doubt not, it !as of the last i"%ortance only to be %resent
at it#
8o "any autu"n, ay, and !inter days, s%ent outside the to!n, trying to
hear !hat !as in the !ind, to hear and carry it eC%ressG 9 !ell&nigh
sunk all "y ca%ital in it, and lost "y o!n breath into the bargain,
running in the face of it# 9f it had concerned either of the %olitical
%arties, de%end u%on it, it !ould have a%%eared in the Ga?ette !ith the
earliest intelligence# )t other ti"es !atching fro" the observatory of
so"e cliff or tree, to telegra%h any ne! arrivalA or !aiting at evening
on the hill&to%s for the sky to fall, that 9 "ight catch so"ething,
though 9 never caught "uch, and that, "anna&!ise, !ould dissolve again
in the sun#
6or a long ti"e 9 !as re%orter to a journal, of no very !ide
circulation, !hose editor has never yet seen fit to %rint the bulk of "y
contributions, and, as is too co""on !ith !riters, 9 got only "y labor
for "y %ains# o!ever, in this case "y %ains !ere their o!n re!ard#
6or "any years 9 !as self&a%%ointed ins%ector of sno!&stor"s and
rain&stor"s, and did "y duty faithfullyA surveyor, if not of high!ays,
then of forest %aths and all across&lot routes, kee%ing the" o%en, and
ravines bridged and %assable at all seasons, !here the %ublic heel had
testified to their utility#
9 have looked after the !ild stock of the to!n, !hich give a faithful
herds"an a good deal of trouble by lea%ing fencesA and 9 have had an
eye to the unfre@uented nooks and corners of the far"A though 9 did
not al!ays kno! !hether *onas or 8olo"on !orked in a %articular
field to&dayA that !as none of "y business# 9 have !atered the red
huckleberry, the sand cherry and the nettle&tree, the red %ine and
the black ash, the !hite gra%e and the yello! violet, !hich "ight have
!ithered else in dry seasons#
9n short, 9 !ent on thus for a long ti"e J9 "ay say it !ithout
boastingK, faithfully "inding "y business, till it beca"e "ore and "ore
evident that "y to!ns"en !ould not after all ad"it "e into the list of
to!n officers, nor "ake "y %lace a sinecure !ith a "oderate allo!ance#
>y accounts, !hich 9 can s!ear to have ke%t faithfully, 9 have, indeed,
never got audited, still less acce%ted, still less %aid and settled#
o!ever, 9 have not set "y heart on that#
:ot long since, a strolling 9ndian !ent to sell baskets at the house
of a !ell&kno!n la!yer in "y neighborhood# EDo you !ish to buy any
basketsFE he asked# E:o, !e do not !ant any,E !as the re%ly# EWhatGE
eCclai"ed the 9ndian as he !ent out the gate, Edo you "ean to starve
usFE aving seen his industrious !hite neighbors so !ell off&&that
the la!yer had only to !eave argu"ents, and, by so"e "agic, !ealth and
standing follo!ed&&he had said to hi"self( 9 !ill go into businessA 9
!ill !eave basketsA it is a thing !hich 9 can do# Thinking that !hen he
had "ade the baskets he !ould have done his %art, and then it !ould be
the !hite "anDs to buy the"# e had not discovered that it !as necessary
for hi" to "ake it !orth the otherDs !hile to buy the", or at least "ake
hi" think that it !as so, or to "ake so"ething else !hich it !ould be
!orth his !hile to buy# 9 too had !oven a kind of basket of a delicate
teCture, but 9 had not "ade it !orth any oneDs !hile to buy the"# $et
not the less, in "y case, did 9 think it !orth "y !hile to !eave the",
and instead of studying ho! to "ake it !orth "enDs !hile to buy "y
baskets, 9 studied rather ho! to avoid the necessity of selling the"#
The life !hich "en %raise and regard as successful is but one kind# Why
should !e eCaggerate any one kind at the eC%ense of the othersF
6inding that "y fello!&citi?ens !ere not likely to offer "e any roo" in
the court house, or any curacy or living any!here else, but 9 "ust shift
for "yself, 9 turned "y face "ore eCclusively than ever to the !oods,
!here 9 !as better kno!n# 9 deter"ined to go into business at once, and
not !ait to ac@uire the usual ca%ital, using such slender "eans as 9 had
already got# >y %ur%ose in going to Walden Pond !as not to live chea%ly
nor to live dearly there, but to transact so"e %rivate business !ith the
fe!est obstaclesA to be hindered fro" acco"%lishing !hich for !ant of a
little co""on sense, a little enter%rise and business talent, a%%eared
not so sad as foolish#
9 have al!ays endeavored to ac@uire strict business habitsA they are
indis%ensable to every "an# 9f your trade is !ith the Celestial E"%ire,
then so"e s"all counting house on the coast, in so"e 8ale" harbor, !ill
be fiCture enough# $ou !ill eC%ort such articles as the country affords,
%urely native %roducts, "uch ice and %ine ti"ber and a little granite,
al!ays in native botto"s# These !ill be good ventures# To oversee all
the details yourself in %ersonA to be at once %ilot and ca%tain, and
o!ner and under!riterA to buy and sell and kee% the accountsA to
read every letter received, and !rite or read every letter sentA to
su%erintend the discharge of i"%orts night and dayA to be u%on "any
%arts of the coast al"ost at the sa"e ti"e&&often the richest freight
!ill be discharged u%on a *ersey shoreA&&to be your o!n telegra%h,
un!eariedly s!ee%ing the hori?on, s%eaking all %assing vessels bound
coast!iseA to kee% u% a steady des%atch of co""odities, for the su%%ly
of such a distant and eCorbitant "arketA to kee% yourself infor"ed of
the state of the "arkets, %ros%ects of !ar and %eace every!here, and
antici%ate the tendencies of trade and civili?ation&&taking advantage
of the results of all eC%loring eC%editions, using ne! %assages and all
i"%rove"ents in navigationA&&charts to be studied, the %osition of reefs
and ne! lights and buoys to be ascertained, and ever, and ever, the
logarith"ic tables to be corrected, for by the error of so"e calculator
the vessel often s%lits u%on a rock that should have reached a friendly
%ier&&there is the untold fate of 'a ProuseA&&universal science to
be ke%t %ace !ith, studying the lives of all great discoverers and
navigators, great adventurers and "erchants, fro" anno and the
Phoenicians do!n to our dayA in fine, account of stock to be taken fro"
ti"e to ti"e, to kno! ho! you stand# 9t is a labor to task the faculties
of a "an&&such %roble"s of %rofit and loss, of interest, of tare and
tret, and gauging of all kinds in it, as de"and a universal kno!ledge#
9 have thought that Walden Pond !ould be a good %lace for business,
not solely on account of the railroad and the ice tradeA it offers
advantages !hich it "ay not be good %olicy to divulgeA it is a good %ort
and a good foundation# :o :eva "arshes to be filledA though you "ust
every!here build on %iles of your o!n driving# 9t is said that a
flood&tide, !ith a !esterly !ind, and ice in the :eva, !ould s!ee% 8t#
Petersburg fro" the face of the earth#
)s this business !as to be entered into !ithout the usual ca%ital, it
"ay not be easy to conjecture !here those "eans, that !ill still be
indis%ensable to every such undertaking, !ere to be obtained# )s for
Clothing, to co"e at once to the %ractical %art of the @uestion, %erha%s
!e are led oftener by the love of novelty and a regard for the o%inions
of "en, in %rocuring it, than by a true utility# 'et hi" !ho has !ork to
do recollect that the object of clothing is, first, to retain the vital
heat, and secondly, in this state of society, to cover nakedness, and
he "ay judge ho! "uch of any necessary or i"%ortant !ork "ay be
acco"%lished !ithout adding to his !ardrobe# ;ings and @ueens !ho !ear
a suit but once, though "ade by so"e tailor or dress"aker to their
"ajesties, cannot kno! the co"fort of !earing a suit that fits# They are
no better than !ooden horses to hang the clean clothes on# Every day our
gar"ents beco"e "ore assi"ilated to ourselves, receiving the i"%ress of
the !earerDs character, until !e hesitate to lay the" aside !ithout such
delay and "edical a%%liances and so"e such sole"nity even as our bodies#
:o "an ever stood the lo!er in "y esti"ation for having a %atch in his
clothesA yet 9 a" sure that there is greater anCiety, co""only, to have
fashionable, or at least clean and un%atched clothes, than to have a
sound conscience# But even if the rent is not "ended, %erha%s the !orst
vice betrayed is i"%rovidence# 9 so"eti"es try "y ac@uaintances by such
tests as this&&Who could !ear a %atch, or t!o eCtra sea"s only, over
the kneeF >ost behave as if they believed that their %ros%ects for life
!ould be ruined if they should do it# 9t !ould be easier for the" to
hobble to to!n !ith a broken leg than !ith a broken %antaloon# Often if
an accident ha%%ens to a gentle"anDs legs, they can be "endedA but if a
si"ilar accident ha%%ens to the legs of his %antaloons, there is no hel%
for itA for he considers, not !hat is truly res%ectable, but !hat is
res%ected# We kno! but fe! "en, a great "any coats and breeches# Dress
a scarecro! in your last shift, you standing shiftless by, !ho !ould not
soonest salute the scarecro!F Passing a cornfield the other day, close
by a hat and coat on a stake, 9 recogni?ed the o!ner of the far"# e !as
only a little "ore !eather&beaten than !hen 9 sa! hi" last# 9 have
heard of a dog that barked at every stranger !ho a%%roached his "asterDs
%re"ises !ith clothes on, but !as easily @uieted by a naked thief# 9t is
an interesting @uestion ho! far "en !ould retain their relative rank
if they !ere divested of their clothes# Could you, in such a case,
tell surely of any co"%any of civili?ed "en !hich belonged to the "ost
res%ected classF When >ada" Pfeiffer, in her adventurous travels round
the !orld, fro" east to !est, had got so near ho"e as )siatic 3ussia,
she says that she felt the necessity of !earing other than a travelling
dress, !hen she !ent to "eet the authorities, for she E!as no! in a
civili?ed country, !here### %eo%le are judged of by their clothes#E Even
in our de"ocratic :e! England to!ns the accidental %ossession of !ealth,
and its "anifestation in dress and e@ui%age alone, obtain for the
%ossessor al"ost universal res%ect# But they yield such res%ect,
nu"erous as they are, are so far heathen, and need to have a "issionary
sent to the"# Beside, clothes introduced se!ing, a kind of !ork !hich
you "ay call endlessA a !o"anDs dress, at least, is never done#
) "an !ho has at length found so"ething to do !ill not need to get a ne!
suit to do it inA for hi" the old !ill do, that has lain dusty in the
garret for an indeter"inate %eriod# Old shoes !ill serve a hero longer
than they have served his valet&&if a hero ever has a valet&&bare feet
are older than shoes, and he can "ake the" do# Only they !ho go to
soirLes and legislative balls "ust have ne! coats, coats to change as
often as the "an changes in the"# But if "y jacket and trousers, "y hat
and shoes, are fit to !orshi% God in, they !ill doA !ill they notF Who
ever sa! his old clothes&&his old coat, actually !orn out, resolved into
its %ri"itive ele"ents, so that it !as not a deed of charity to besto!
it on so"e %oor boy, by hi" %erchance to be besto!ed on so"e %oorer
still, or shall !e say richer, !ho could do !ith lessF 9 say, be!are of
all enter%rises that re@uire ne! clothes, and not rather a ne! !earer of
clothes# 9f there is not a ne! "an, ho! can the ne! clothes be "ade to
fitF 9f you have any enter%rise before you, try it in your old clothes#
)ll "en !ant, not so"ething to Bdo !ithB, but so"ething to BdoB, or rather
so"ething to BbeB# Perha%s !e should never %rocure a ne! suit, ho!ever
ragged or dirty the old, until !e have so conducted, so enter%rised or
sailed in so"e !ay, that !e feel like ne! "en in the old, and that to
retain it !ould be like kee%ing ne! !ine in old bottles# Our "oulting
season, like that of the fo!ls, "ust be a crisis in our lives# The loon
retires to solitary %onds to s%end it# Thus also the snake casts its
slough, and the cater%illar its !or"y coat, by an internal industry
and eC%ansionA for clothes are but our out"ost cuticle and "ortal
coil# Other!ise !e shall be found sailing under false colors, and be
inevitably cashiered at last by our o!n o%inion, as !ell as that of
"ankind#
We don gar"ent after gar"ent, as if !e gre! like eCogenous %lants by
addition !ithout# Our outside and often thin and fanciful clothes are
our e%ider"is, or false skin, !hich %artakes not of our life, and "ay be
stri%%ed off here and there !ithout fatal injuryA our thicker gar"ents,
constantly !orn, are our cellular integu"ent, or corteCA but our shirts
are our liber, or true bark, !hich cannot be re"oved !ithout girdling
and so destroying the "an# 9 believe that all races at so"e seasons !ear
so"ething e@uivalent to the shirt# 9t is desirable that a "an be clad
so si"%ly that he can lay his hands on hi"self in the dark, and that he
live in all res%ects so co"%actly and %re%aredly that, if an ene"y
take the to!n, he can, like the old %hiloso%her, !alk out the gate
e"%ty&handed !ithout anCiety# While one thick gar"ent is, for "ost
%ur%oses, as good as three thin ones, and chea% clothing can be obtained
at %rices really to suit custo"ersA !hile a thick coat can be bought for
five dollars, !hich !ill last as "any years, thick %antaloons for t!o
dollars, co!hide boots for a dollar and a half a %air, a su""er hat for
a @uarter of a dollar, and a !inter ca% for siCty&t!o and a half cents,
or a better be "ade at ho"e at a no"inal cost, !here is he so %oor that,
clad in such a suit, of Bhis o!n earningB, there !ill not be found !ise
"en to do hi" reverenceF
When 9 ask for a gar"ent of a %articular for", "y tailoress tells "e
gravely, EThey do not "ake the" so no!,E not e"%hasi?ing the ETheyE at
all, as if she @uoted an authority as i"%ersonal as the 6ates, and 9
find it difficult to get "ade !hat 9 !ant, si"%ly because she cannot
believe that 9 "ean !hat 9 say, that 9 a" so rash# When 9 hear this
oracular sentence, 9 a" for a "o"ent absorbed in thought, e"%hasi?ing to
"yself each !ord se%arately that 9 "ay co"e at the "eaning of it, that 9
"ay find out by !hat degree of consanguinity BTheyB are related to B"eB,
and !hat authority they "ay have in an affair !hich affects "e so
nearlyA and, finally, 9 a" inclined to ans!er her !ith e@ual "ystery,
and !ithout any "ore e"%hasis of the EtheyE&&E9t is true, they did not
"ake the" so recently, but they do no!#E Of !hat use this "easuring of
"e if she does not "easure "y character, but only the breadth of "y
shoulders, as it !ere a %eg to bang the coat onF We !orshi% not the
Graces, nor the Parcae, but 6ashion# 8he s%ins and !eaves and cuts !ith
full authority# The head "onkey at Paris %uts on a travellerDs ca%, and
all the "onkeys in )"erica do the sa"e# 9 so"eti"es des%air of getting
anything @uite si"%le and honest done in this !orld by the hel% of "en#
They !ould have to be %assed through a %o!erful %ress first, to s@uee?e
their old notions out of the", so that they !ould not soon get u%on
their legs againA and then there !ould be so"e one in the co"%any !ith a
"aggot in his head, hatched fro" an egg de%osited there nobody kno!s
!hen, for not even fire kills these things, and you !ould have lost your
labor# :evertheless, !e !ill not forget that so"e Egy%tian !heat !as
handed do!n to us by a "u""y#
On the !hole, 9 think that it cannot be "aintained that dressing has in
this or any country risen to the dignity of an art# )t %resent "en "ake
shift to !ear !hat they can get# 'ike shi%!recked sailors, they %ut on
!hat they can find on the beach, and at a little distance, !hether of
s%ace or ti"e, laugh at each otherDs "as@uerade# Every generation laughs
at the old fashions, but follo!s religiously the ne!# We are a"used at
beholding the costu"e of enry <999, or Mueen Eli?abeth, as "uch as if
it !as that of the ;ing and Mueen of the Cannibal 9slands# )ll costu"e
off a "an is %itiful or grotes@ue# 9t is only the serious eye %eering
fro" and the sincere life %assed !ithin it !hich restrain laughter and
consecrate the costu"e of any %eo%le# 'et arle@uin be taken !ith a fit
of the colic and his tra%%ings !ill have to serve that "ood too# When
the soldier is hit by a cannonball, rags are as beco"ing as %ur%le#
The childish and savage taste of "en and !o"en for ne! %atterns kee%s
ho! "any shaking and s@uinting through kaleidosco%es that they "ay
discover the %articular figure !hich this generation re@uires today# The
"anufacturers have learned that this taste is "erely !hi"sical# Of t!o
%atterns !hich differ only by a fe! threads "ore or less of a %articular
color, the one !ill be sold readily, the other lie on the shelf, though
it fre@uently ha%%ens that after the la%se of a season the latter
beco"es the "ost fashionable# Co"%aratively, tattooing is not the
hideous custo" !hich it is called# 9t is not barbarous "erely because
the %rinting is skin&dee% and unalterable#
9 cannot believe that our factory syste" is the best "ode by !hich "en
"ay get clothing# The condition of the o%eratives is beco"ing every day
"ore like that of the EnglishA and it cannot be !ondered at, since,
as far as 9 have heard or observed, the %rinci%al object is, not
that "ankind "ay be !ell and honestly clad, but, un@uestionably, that
cor%orations "ay be enriched# 9n the long run "en hit only !hat they ai"
at# Therefore, though they should fail i""ediately, they had better ai"
at so"ething high#
)s for a 8helter, 9 !ill not deny that this is no! a necessary of
life, though there are instances of "en having done !ithout it for
long %eriods in colder countries than this# 8a"uel 'aing says that Ethe
'a%lander in his skin dress, and in a skin bag !hich he %uts over his
head and shoulders, !ill slee% night after night on the sno!### in a
degree of cold !hich !ould eCtinguish the life of one eC%osed to it in
any !oollen clothing#E e had seen the" aslee% thus# $et he adds, EThey
are not hardier than other %eo%le#E But, %robably, "an did not live long
on the earth !ithout discovering the convenience !hich there is in a
house, the do"estic co"forts, !hich %hrase "ay have originally signified
the satisfactions of the house "ore than of the fa"ilyA though these
"ust be eCtre"ely %artial and occasional in those cli"ates !here the
house is associated in our thoughts !ith !inter or the rainy season
chiefly, and t!o thirds of the year, eCce%t for a %arasol, is
unnecessary# 9n our cli"ate, in the su""er, it !as for"erly al"ost
solely a covering at night# 9n the 9ndian ga?ettes a !ig!a" !as the
sy"bol of a dayDs "arch, and a ro! of the" cut or %ainted on the bark of
a tree signified that so "any ti"es they had ca"%ed# >an !as not "ade
so large li"bed and robust but that he "ust seek to narro! his !orld
and !all in a s%ace such as fitted hi"# e !as at first bare and out of
doorsA but though this !as %leasant enough in serene and !ar" !eather,
by daylight, the rainy season and the !inter, to say nothing of the
torrid sun, !ould %erha%s have ni%%ed his race in the bud if he had not
"ade haste to clothe hi"self !ith the shelter of a house# )da" and Eve,
according to the fable, !ore the bo!er before other clothes# >an !anted
a ho"e, a %lace of !ar"th, or co"fort, first of !ar"th, then the !ar"th
of the affections#
We "ay i"agine a ti"e !hen, in the infancy of the hu"an race, so"e
enter%rising "ortal cre%t into a hollo! in a rock for shelter# Every
child begins the !orld again, to so"e eCtent, and loves to stay
outdoors, even in !et and cold# 9t %lays house, as !ell as horse, having
an instinct for it# Who does not re"e"ber the interest !ith !hich, !hen
young, he looked at shelving rocks, or any a%%roach to a caveF 9t !as
the natural yearning of that %ortion, any %ortion of our "ost %ri"itive
ancestor !hich still survived in us# 6ro" the cave !e have advanced to
roofs of %al" leaves, of bark and boughs, of linen !oven and stretched,
of grass and stra!, of boards and shingles, of stones and tiles# )t
last, !e kno! not !hat it is to live in the o%en air, and our lives are
do"estic in "ore senses than !e think# 6ro" the hearth the field is a
great distance# 9t !ould be !ell, %erha%s, if !e !ere to s%end "ore of
our days and nights !ithout any obstruction bet!een us and the celestial
bodies, if the %oet did not s%eak so "uch fro" under a roof, or the
saint d!ell there so long# Birds do not sing in caves, nor do doves
cherish their innocence in dovecots#
o!ever, if one designs to construct a d!elling&house, it behooves hi"
to eCercise a little $ankee shre!dness, lest after all he find hi"self
in a !orkhouse, a labyrinth !ithout a clue, a "useu", an al"shouse, a
%rison, or a s%lendid "ausoleu" instead# Consider first ho! slight a
shelter is absolutely necessary# 9 have seen Penobscot 9ndians, in this
to!n, living in tents of thin cotton cloth, !hile the sno! !as nearly a
foot dee% around the", and 9 thought that they !ould be glad to have
it dee%er to kee% out the !ind# 6or"erly, !hen ho! to get "y living
honestly, !ith freedo" left for "y %ro%er %ursuits, !as a @uestion
!hich veCed "e even "ore than it does no!, for unfortunately 9 a" beco"e
so"e!hat callous, 9 used to see a large boC by the railroad, siC feet
long by three !ide, in !hich the laborers locked u% their tools at
nightA and it suggested to "e that every "an !ho !as hard %ushed "ight
get such a one for a dollar, and, having bored a fe! auger holes in it,
to ad"it the air at least, get into it !hen it rained and at night, and
hook do!n the lid, and so have freedo" in his love, and in his soul
be free# This did not a%%ear the !orst, nor by any "eans a des%icable
alternative# $ou could sit u% as late as you %leased, and, !henever you
got u%, go abroad !ithout any landlord or house&lord dogging you for
rent# >any a "an is harassed to death to %ay the rent of a larger and
"ore luCurious boC !ho !ould not have fro?en to death in such a boC as
this# 9 a" far fro" jesting# Econo"y is a subject !hich ad"its of being
treated !ith levity, but it cannot so be dis%osed of# ) co"fortable
house for a rude and hardy race, that lived "ostly out of doors, !as
once "ade here al"ost entirely of such "aterials as :ature furnished
ready to their hands# Gookin, !ho !as su%erintendent of the 9ndians
subject to the >assachusetts Colony, !riting in +NOP, says, EThe best
of their houses are covered very neatly, tight and !ar", !ith barks of
trees, sli%%ed fro" their bodies at those seasons !hen the sa% is u%,
and "ade into great flakes, !ith %ressure of !eighty ti"ber, !hen they
are green#### The "eaner sort are covered !ith "ats !hich they "ake of
a kind of bulrush, and are also indifferently tight and !ar", but not
so good as the for"er#### 8o"e 9 have seen, siCty or a hundred feet
long and thirty feet broad#### 9 have often lodged in their !ig!a"s, and
found the" as !ar" as the best English houses#E e adds that they !ere
co""only car%eted and lined !ithin !ith !ell&!rought e"broidered "ats,
and !ere furnished !ith various utensils# The 9ndians had advanced so
far as to regulate the effect of the !ind by a "at sus%ended over the
hole in the roof and "oved by a string# 8uch a lodge !as in the first
instance constructed in a day or t!o at "ost, and taken do!n and %ut u%
in a fe! hoursA and every fa"ily o!ned one, or its a%art"ent in one#
9n the savage state every fa"ily o!ns a shelter as good as the best, and
sufficient for its coarser and si"%ler !antsA but 9 think that 9 s%eak
!ithin bounds !hen 9 say that, though the birds of the air have their
nests, and the foCes their holes, and the savages their !ig!a"s, in
"odern civili?ed society not "ore than one half the fa"ilies o!n a
shelter# 9n the large to!ns and cities, !here civili?ation es%ecially
%revails, the nu"ber of those !ho o!n a shelter is a very s"all fraction
of the !hole# The rest %ay an annual taC for this outside gar"ent of
all, beco"e indis%ensable su""er and !inter, !hich !ould buy a village
of 9ndian !ig!a"s, but no! hel%s to kee% the" %oor as long as they live#
9 do not "ean to insist here on the disadvantage of hiring co"%ared !ith
o!ning, but it is evident that the savage o!ns his shelter because it
costs so little, !hile the civili?ed "an hires his co""only because he
cannot afford to o!n itA nor can he, in the long run, any better afford
to hire# But, ans!ers one, by "erely %aying this taC, the %oor civili?ed
"an secures an abode !hich is a %alace co"%ared !ith the savageDs# )n
annual rent of fro" t!enty&five to a hundred dollars Jthese are the
country ratesK entitles hi" to the benefit of the i"%rove"ents
of centuries, s%acious a%art"ents, clean %aint and %a%er, 3u"ford
fire&%lace, back %lastering, <enetian blinds, co%%er %u"%, s%ring lock,
a co""odious cellar, and "any other things# But ho! ha%%ens it that he
!ho is said to enjoy these things is so co""only a %oor civili?ed
"an, !hile the savage, !ho has the" not, is rich as a savageF 9f it
is asserted that civili?ation is a real advance in the condition
of "an&&and 9 think that it is, though only the !ise i"%rove their
advantages&&it "ust be sho!n that it has %roduced better d!ellings
!ithout "aking the" "ore costlyA and the cost of a thing is the a"ount
of !hat 9 !ill call life !hich is re@uired to be eCchanged for it,
i""ediately or in the long run# )n average house in this neighborhood
costs %erha%s eight hundred dollars, and to lay u% this su" !ill take
fro" ten to fifteen years of the laborerDs life, even if he is not
encu"bered !ith a fa"ily&&esti"ating the %ecuniary value of every "anDs
labor at one dollar a day, for if so"e receive "ore, others receive
lessA&&so that he "ust have s%ent "ore than half his life co""only
before his !ig!a" !ill be earned# 9f !e su%%ose hi" to %ay a rent
instead, this is but a doubtful choice of evils# Would the savage have
been !ise to eCchange his !ig!a" for a %alace on these ter"sF
9t "ay be guessed that 9 reduce al"ost the !hole advantage of holding
this su%erfluous %ro%erty as a fund in store against the future, so
far as the individual is concerned, "ainly to the defraying of
funeral eC%enses# But %erha%s a "an is not re@uired to bury hi"self#
:evertheless this %oints to an i"%ortant distinction bet!een the
civili?ed "an and the savageA and, no doubt, they have designs on us for
our benefit, in "aking the life of a civili?ed %eo%le an BinstitutionB, in
!hich the life of the individual is to a great eCtent absorbed, in order
to %reserve and %erfect that of the race# But 9 !ish to sho! at !hat a
sacrifice this advantage is at %resent obtained, and to suggest that !e
"ay %ossibly so live as to secure all the advantage !ithout suffering
any of the disadvantage# What "ean ye by saying that the %oor ye have
al!ays !ith you, or that the fathers have eaten sour gra%es, and the
childrenDs teeth are set on edgeF
E)s 9 live, saith the 'ord God, ye shall not have occasion any "ore to
use this %roverb in 9srael#
EBehold all souls are "ineA as the soul of the father, so also the soul
of the son is "ine( the soul that sinneth, it shall die#E
When 9 consider "y neighbors, the far"ers of Concord, !ho are at least
as !ell off as the other classes, 9 find that for the "ost %art they
have been toiling t!enty, thirty, or forty years, that they "ay beco"e
the real o!ners of their far"s, !hich co""only they have inherited !ith
encu"brances, or else bought !ith hired "oney&&and !e "ay regard one
third of that toil as the cost of their houses&&but co""only they have
not %aid for the" yet# 9t is true, the encu"brances so"eti"es out!eigh
the value of the far", so that the far" itself beco"es one great
encu"brance, and still a "an is found to inherit it, being !ell
ac@uainted !ith it, as he says# On a%%lying to the assessors, 9 a"
sur%rised to learn that they cannot at once na"e a do?en in the to!n !ho
o!n their far"s free and clear# 9f you !ould kno! the history of these
ho"esteads, in@uire at the bank !here they are "ortgaged# The "an !ho
has actually %aid for his far" !ith labor on it is so rare that every
neighbor can %oint to hi"# 9 doubt if there are three such "en in
Concord# What has been said of the "erchants, that a very large
"ajority, even ninety&seven in a hundred, are sure to fail, is e@ually
true of the far"ers# With regard to the "erchants, ho!ever, one of the"
says %ertinently that a great %art of their failures are not genuine
%ecuniary failures, but "erely failures to fulfil their engage"ents,
because it is inconvenientA that is, it is the "oral character that
breaks do!n# But this %uts an infinitely !orse face on the "atter, and
suggests, beside, that %robably not even the other three succeed in
saving their souls, but are %erchance bankru%t in a !orse sense than
they !ho fail honestly# Bankru%tcy and re%udiation are the s%ringboards
fro" !hich "uch of our civili?ation vaults and turns its so"ersets, but
the savage stands on the unelastic %lank of fa"ine# $et the >iddleseC
Cattle 8ho! goes off here !ith BLclatB annually, as if all the joints of
the agricultural "achine !ere suent#
The far"er is endeavoring to solve the %roble" of a livelihood by a
for"ula "ore co"%licated than the %roble" itself# To get his shoestrings
he s%eculates in herds of cattle# With consu""ate skill he has set his
tra% !ith a hair s%ring to catch co"fort and inde%endence, and then, as
he turned a!ay, got his o!n leg into it# This is the reason he is %oorA
and for a si"ilar reason !e are all %oor in res%ect to a thousand savage
co"forts, though surrounded by luCuries# )s Cha%"an sings,
EThe false society of "en&&
&&for earthly greatness
)ll heavenly co"forts rarefies to air#E
)nd !hen the far"er has got his house, he "ay not be the richer but the
%oorer for it, and it be the house that has got hi"# )s 9 understand
it, that !as a valid objection urged by >o"us against the house !hich
>inerva "ade, that she Ehad not "ade it "ovable, by !hich "eans a bad
neighborhood "ight be avoidedEA and it "ay still be urged, for our
houses are such un!ieldy %ro%erty that !e are often i"%risoned rather
than housed in the"A and the bad neighborhood to be avoided is our o!n
scurvy selves# 9 kno! one or t!o fa"ilies, at least, in this to!n, !ho,
for nearly a generation, have been !ishing to sell their houses in
the outskirts and "ove into the village, but have not been able to
acco"%lish it, and only death !ill set the" free#
Granted that the "ajority are able at last either to o!n or hire the
"odern house !ith all its i"%rove"ents# While civili?ation has been
i"%roving our houses, it has not e@ually i"%roved the "en !ho are to
inhabit the"# 9t has created %alaces, but it !as not so easy to create
noble"en and kings# )nd Bif the civili?ed "anDs %ursuits are no !orthier
than the savageDs, if he is e"%loyed the greater %art of his life in
obtaining gross necessaries and co"forts "erely, !hy should he have a
better d!elling than the for"erFB
But ho! do the %oor "inority fareF Perha%s it !ill be found that just in
%ro%ortion as so"e have been %laced in out!ard circu"stances above the
savage, others have been degraded belo! hi"# The luCury of one class
is counterbalanced by the indigence of another# On the one side is the
%alace, on the other are the al"shouse and Esilent %oor#E The "yriads
!ho built the %yra"ids to be the to"bs of the Pharaohs !ere fed on
garlic, and it "ay be !ere not decently buried the"selves# The "ason !ho
finishes the cornice of the %alace returns at night %erchance to a hut
not so good as a !ig!a"# 9t is a "istake to su%%ose that, in a country
!here the usual evidences of civili?ation eCist, the condition of a very
large body of the inhabitants "ay not be as degraded as that of savages#
9 refer to the degraded %oor, not no! to the degraded rich# To kno! this
9 should not need to look farther than to the shanties !hich every!here
border our railroads, that last i"%rove"ent in civili?ationA !here 9 see
in "y daily !alks hu"an beings living in sties, and all !inter !ith an
o%en door, for the sake of light, !ithout any visible, often i"aginable,
!ood&%ile, and the for"s of both old and young are %er"anently
contracted by the long habit of shrinking fro" cold and "isery, and the
develo%"ent of all their li"bs and faculties is checked# 9t certainly
is fair to look at that class by !hose labor the !orks !hich distinguish
this generation are acco"%lished# 8uch too, to a greater or less eCtent,
is the condition of the o%eratives of every deno"ination in England,
!hich is the great !orkhouse of the !orld# Or 9 could refer you to
9reland, !hich is "arked as one of the !hite or enlightened s%ots on the
"a%# Contrast the %hysical condition of the 9rish !ith that of the :orth
)"erican 9ndian, or the 8outh 8ea 9slander, or any other savage race
before it !as degraded by contact !ith the civili?ed "an# $et 9 have no
doubt that that %eo%leDs rulers are as !ise as the average of civili?ed
rulers# Their condition only %roves !hat s@ualidness "ay consist !ith
civili?ation# 9 hardly need refer no! to the laborers in our 8outhern
8tates !ho %roduce the sta%le eC%orts of this country, and are
the"selves a sta%le %roduction of the 8outh# But to confine "yself to
those !ho are said to be in B"oderateB circu"stances#
>ost "en a%%ear never to have considered !hat a house is, and are
actually though needlessly %oor all their lives because they think that
they "ust have such a one as their neighbors have# )s if one !ere
to !ear any sort of coat !hich the tailor "ight cut out for hi", or,
gradually leaving off %al"&leaf hat or ca% of !oodchuck skin, co"%lain
of hard ti"es because he could not afford to buy hi" a cro!nG 9t is
%ossible to invent a house still "ore convenient and luCurious than !e
have, !hich yet all !ould ad"it that "an could not afford to %ay for#
8hall !e al!ays study to obtain "ore of these things, and not so"eti"es
to be content !ith lessF 8hall the res%ectable citi?en thus gravely
teach, by %rece%t and eCa"%le, the necessity of the young "anDs
%roviding a certain nu"ber of su%erfluous glo!&shoes, and u"brellas, and
e"%ty guest cha"bers for e"%ty guests, before he diesF Why should not
our furniture be as si"%le as the )rabDs or the 9ndianDsF When 9 think
of the benefactors of the race, !ho" !e have a%otheosi?ed as "essengers
fro" heaven, bearers of divine gifts to "an, 9 do not see in "y "ind any
retinue at their heels, any carload of fashionable furniture# Or !hat
if 9 !ere to allo!&&!ould it not be a singular allo!anceF&&that our
furniture should be "ore co"%leC than the )rabDs, in %ro%ortion as !e
are "orally and intellectually his su%eriorsG )t %resent our houses are
cluttered and defiled !ith it, and a good house!ife !ould s!ee% out
the greater %art into the dust hole, and not leave her "orningDs !ork
undone# >orning !orkG By the blushes of )urora and the "usic of >e"non,
!hat should be "anDs B"orning !orkB in this !orldF 9 had three %ieces of
li"estone on "y desk, but 9 !as terrified to find that they re@uired to
be dusted daily, !hen the furniture of "y "ind !as all undusted still,
and thre! the" out the !indo! in disgust# o!, then, could 9 have a
furnished houseF 9 !ould rather sit in the o%en air, for no dust gathers
on the grass, unless !here "an has broken ground#
9t is the luCurious and dissi%ated !ho set the fashions !hich the herd
so diligently follo!# The traveller !ho sto%s at the best houses, so
called, soon discovers this, for the %ublicans %resu"e hi" to be a
8ardana%alus, and if he resigned hi"self to their tender "ercies he
!ould soon be co"%letely e"asculated# 9 think that in the railroad car
!e are inclined to s%end "ore on luCury than on safety and convenience,
and it threatens !ithout attaining these to beco"e no better than a
"odern dra!ing&roo", !ith its divans, and otto"ans, and sun&shades,
and a hundred other oriental things, !hich !e are taking !est !ith us,
invented for the ladies of the hare" and the effe"inate natives of the
Celestial E"%ire, !hich *onathan should be asha"ed to kno! the na"es
of# 9 !ould rather sit on a %u"%kin and have it all to "yself than be
cro!ded on a velvet cushion# 9 !ould rather ride on earth in an oC
cart, !ith a free circulation, than go to heaven in the fancy car of an
eCcursion train and breathe a B"alariaB all the !ay#
The very si"%licity and nakedness of "anDs life in the %ri"itive ages
i"%ly this advantage, at least, that they left hi" still but a sojourner
in nature# When he !as refreshed !ith food and slee%, he conte"%lated
his journey again# e d!elt, as it !ere, in a tent in this !orld, and
!as either threading the valleys, or crossing the %lains, or cli"bing
the "ountain&to%s# But loG "en have beco"e the tools of their tools# The
"an !ho inde%endently %lucked the fruits !hen he !as hungry is beco"e a
far"erA and he !ho stood under a tree for shelter, a housekee%er# We
no! no longer ca"% as for a night, but have settled do!n on earth and
forgotten heaven# We have ado%ted Christianity "erely as an i"%roved
"ethod of BagriB&culture# We have built for this !orld a fa"ily "ansion,
and for the neCt a fa"ily to"b# The best !orks of art are the eC%ression
of "anDs struggle to free hi"self fro" this condition, but the effect
of our art is "erely to "ake this lo! state co"fortable and that higher
state to be forgotten# There is actually no %lace in this village for a
!ork of BfineB art, if any had co"e do!n to us, to stand, for our lives,
our houses and streets, furnish no %ro%er %edestal for it# There is not
a nail to hang a %icture on, nor a shelf to receive the bust of a hero
or a saint# When 9 consider ho! our houses are built and %aid for, or
not %aid for, and their internal econo"y "anaged and sustained, 9 !onder
that the floor does not give !ay under the visitor !hile he is ad"iring
the ge!ga!s u%on the "antel%iece, and let hi" through into the cellar,
to so"e solid and honest though earthy foundation# 9 cannot but %erceive
that this so&called rich and refined life is a thing ju"%ed at, and 9
do not get on in the enjoy"ent of the fine arts !hich adorn it, "y
attention being !holly occu%ied !ith the ju"%A for 9 re"e"ber that the
greatest genuine lea%, due to hu"an "uscles alone, on record, is that of
certain !andering )rabs, !ho are said to have cleared t!enty&five feet
on level ground# Without factitious su%%ort, "an is sure to co"e to
earth again beyond that distance# The first @uestion !hich 9 a" te"%ted
to %ut to the %ro%rietor of such great i"%ro%riety is, Who bolsters
youF )re you one of the ninety&seven !ho fail, or the three !ho succeedF
)ns!er "e these @uestions, and then %erha%s 9 "ay look at your ba!bles
and find the" orna"ental# The cart before the horse is neither beautiful
nor useful# Before !e can adorn our houses !ith beautiful objects the
!alls "ust be stri%%ed, and our lives "ust be stri%%ed, and beautiful
housekee%ing and beautiful living be laid for a foundation( no!, a taste
for the beautiful is "ost cultivated out of doors, !here there is no
house and no housekee%er#
Old *ohnson, in his EWonder&Working Providence,E s%eaking of the first
settlers of this to!n, !ith !ho" he !as conte"%orary, tells us that
Ethey burro! the"selves in the earth for their first shelter under so"e
hillside, and, casting the soil aloft u%on ti"ber, they "ake a s"oky
fire against the earth, at the highest side#E They did not E%rovide the"
houses,E says he, Etill the earth, by the 'ordDs blessing, brought forth
bread to feed the",E and the first yearDs cro% !as so light that
Ethey !ere forced to cut their bread very thin for a long season#E The
secretary of the Province of :e! :etherland, !riting in Dutch, in +N1-,
for the infor"ation of those !ho !ished to take u% land there, states
"ore %articularly that Ethose in :e! :etherland, and es%ecially in :e!
England, !ho have no "eans to build far"houses at first according to
their !ishes, dig a s@uare %it in the ground, cellar fashion, siC or
seven feet dee%, as long and as broad as they think %ro%er, case the
earth inside !ith !ood all round the !all, and line the !ood !ith the
bark of trees or so"ething else to %revent the caving in of the earthA
floor this cellar !ith %lank, and !ainscot it overhead for a ceiling,
raise a roof of s%ars clear u%, and cover the s%ars !ith bark or green
sods, so that they can live dry and !ar" in these houses !ith their
entire fa"ilies for t!o, three, and four years, it being understood that
%artitions are run through those cellars !hich are ada%ted to the si?e
of the fa"ily# The !ealthy and %rinci%al "en in :e! England, in the
beginning of the colonies, co""enced their first d!elling&houses in
this fashion for t!o reasons( firstly, in order not to !aste ti"e in
building, and not to !ant food the neCt seasonA secondly, in order not
to discourage %oor laboring %eo%le !ho" they brought over in nu"bers
fro" 6atherland# 9n the course of three or four years, !hen the country
beca"e ada%ted to agriculture, they built the"selves handso"e houses,
s%ending on the" several thousands#E
9n this course !hich our ancestors took there !as a sho! of %rudence
at least, as if their %rinci%le !ere to satisfy the "ore %ressing !ants
first# But are the "ore %ressing !ants satisfied no!F When 9 think of
ac@uiring for "yself one of our luCurious d!ellings, 9 a" deterred, for,
so to s%eak, the country is not yet ada%ted to Bhu"anB culture, and !e are
still forced to cut our Bs%iritualB bread far thinner than our forefathers
did their !heaten# :ot that all architectural orna"ent is to be
neglected even in the rudest %eriodsA but let our houses first be
lined !ith beauty, !here they co"e in contact !ith our lives, like the
tene"ent of the shellfish, and not overlaid !ith it# But, alasG 9 have
been inside one or t!o of the", and kno! !hat they are lined !ith#
Though !e are not so degenerate but that !e "ight %ossibly live in a
cave or a !ig!a" or !ear skins today, it certainly is better to acce%t
the advantages, though so dearly bought, !hich the invention and
industry of "ankind offer# 9n such a neighborhood as this, boards and
shingles, li"e and bricks, are chea%er and "ore easily obtained than
suitable caves, or !hole logs, or bark in sufficient @uantities, or
even !ell&te"%ered clay or flat stones# 9 s%eak understandingly on this
subject, for 9 have "ade "yself ac@uainted !ith it both theoretically
and %ractically# With a little "ore !it !e "ight use these "aterials so
as to beco"e richer than the richest no! are, and "ake our civili?ation
a blessing# The civili?ed "an is a "ore eC%erienced and !iser savage#
But to "ake haste to "y o!n eC%eri"ent#
:ear the end of >arch, +.P1, 9 borro!ed an aCe and !ent do!n to the
!oods by Walden Pond, nearest to !here 9 intended to build "y house, and
began to cut do!n so"e tall, arro!y !hite %ines, still in their youth,
for ti"ber# 9t is difficult to begin !ithout borro!ing, but %erha%s it
is the "ost generous course thus to %er"it your fello!&"en to have an
interest in your enter%rise# The o!ner of the aCe, as he released his
hold on it, said that it !as the a%%le of his eyeA but 9 returned it
shar%er than 9 received it# 9t !as a %leasant hillside !here 9 !orked,
covered !ith %ine !oods, through !hich 9 looked out on the %ond, and a
s"all o%en field in the !oods !here %ines and hickories !ere s%ringing
u%# The ice in the %ond !as not yet dissolved, though there !ere so"e
o%en s%aces, and it !as all dark&colored and saturated !ith !ater# There
!ere so"e slight flurries of sno! during the days that 9 !orked thereA
but for the "ost %art !hen 9 ca"e out on to the railroad, on "y
!ay ho"e, its yello! sand hea% stretched a!ay glea"ing in the ha?y
at"os%here, and the rails shone in the s%ring sun, and 9 heard the lark
and %e!ee and other birds already co"e to co""ence another year !ith us#
They !ere %leasant s%ring days, in !hich the !inter of "anDs discontent
!as tha!ing as !ell as the earth, and the life that had lain tor%id
began to stretch itself# One day, !hen "y aCe had co"e off and 9 had cut
a green hickory for a !edge, driving it !ith a stone, and had %laced the
!hole to soak in a %ond&hole in order to s!ell the !ood, 9 sa! a stri%ed
snake run into the !ater, and he lay on the botto", a%%arently !ithout
inconvenience, as long as 9 stayed there, or "ore than a @uarter of
an hourA %erha%s because he had not yet fairly co"e out of the tor%id
state# 9t a%%eared to "e that for a like reason "en re"ain in their
%resent lo! and %ri"itive conditionA but if they should feel the
influence of the s%ring of s%rings arousing the", they !ould of
necessity rise to a higher and "ore ethereal life# 9 had %reviously seen
the snakes in frosty "ornings in "y %ath !ith %ortions of their bodies
still nu"b and infleCible, !aiting for the sun to tha! the"# On the +st
of )%ril it rained and "elted the ice, and in the early %art of the day,
!hich !as very foggy, 9 heard a stray goose gro%ing about over the %ond
and cackling as if lost, or like the s%irit of the fog#
8o 9 !ent on for so"e days cutting and he!ing ti"ber, and also studs
and rafters, all !ith "y narro! aCe, not having "any co""unicable or
scholar&like thoughts, singing to "yself,&&
>en say they kno! "any thingsA
But loG they have taken !ings&&
The arts and sciences,
)nd a thousand a%%liancesA
The !ind that blo!s
9s all that any body kno!s#
9 he!ed the "ain ti"bers siC inches s@uare, "ost of the studs on t!o
sides only, and the rafters and floor ti"bers on one side, leaving
the rest of the bark on, so that they !ere just as straight and "uch
stronger than sa!ed ones# Each stick !as carefully "ortised or tenoned
by its stu"%, for 9 had borro!ed other tools by this ti"e# >y days in
the !oods !ere not very long onesA yet 9 usually carried "y dinner of
bread and butter, and read the ne!s%a%er in !hich it !as !ra%%ed, at
noon, sitting a"id the green %ine boughs !hich 9 had cut off, and to "y
bread !as i"%arted so"e of their fragrance, for "y hands !ere covered
!ith a thick coat of %itch# Before 9 had done 9 !as "ore the friend than
the foe of the %ine tree, though 9 had cut do!n so"e of the", having
beco"e better ac@uainted !ith it# 8o"eti"es a ra"bler in the !ood !as
attracted by the sound of "y aCe, and !e chatted %leasantly over the
chi%s !hich 9 had "ade#
By the "iddle of )%ril, for 9 "ade no haste in "y !ork, but rather "ade
the "ost of it, "y house !as fra"ed and ready for the raising# 9 had
already bought the shanty of *a"es Collins, an 9rish"an !ho !orked on
the 6itchburg 3ailroad, for boards# *a"es CollinsD shanty !as considered
an unco""only fine one# When 9 called to see it he !as not at ho"e# 9
!alked about the outside, at first unobserved fro" !ithin, the !indo!
!as so dee% and high# 9t !as of s"all di"ensions, !ith a %eaked cottage
roof, and not "uch else to be seen, the dirt being raised five feet all
around as if it !ere a co"%ost hea%# The roof !as the soundest %art,
though a good deal !ar%ed and "ade brittle by the sun# Doorsill there
!as none, but a %erennial %assage for the hens under the door board#
>rs# C# ca"e to the door and asked "e to vie! it fro" the inside# The
hens !ere driven in by "y a%%roach# 9t !as dark, and had a dirt floor
for the "ost %art, dank, cla""y, and aguish, only here a board and there
a board !hich !ould not bear re"oval# 8he lighted a la"% to sho! "e the
inside of the roof and the !alls, and also that the board floor eCtended
under the bed, !arning "e not to ste% into the cellar, a sort of dust
hole t!o feet dee%# 9n her o!n !ords, they !ere Egood boards overhead,
good boards all around, and a good !indo!E&&of t!o !hole s@uares
originally, only the cat had %assed out that !ay lately# There !as a
stove, a bed, and a %lace to sit, an infant in the house !here it
!as born, a silk %arasol, gilt&fra"ed looking&glass, and a %atent ne!
coffee&"ill nailed to an oak sa%ling, all told# The bargain !as soon
concluded, for *a"es had in the "ean!hile returned# 9 to %ay four
dollars and t!enty&five cents tonight, he to vacate at five to"orro!
"orning, selling to nobody else "ean!hile( 9 to take %ossession at
siC# 9t !ere !ell, he said, to be there early, and antici%ate certain
indistinct but !holly unjust clai"s on the score of ground rent and
fuel# This he assured "e !as the only encu"brance# )t siC 9 %assed
hi" and his fa"ily on the road# One large bundle held their all&&bed,
coffee&"ill, looking&glass, hens&&all but the catA she took to the !oods
and beca"e a !ild cat, and, as 9 learned after!ard, trod in a tra% set
for !oodchucks, and so beca"e a dead cat at last#
9 took do!n this d!elling the sa"e "orning, dra!ing the nails, and
re"oved it to the %ond&side by s"all cartloads, s%reading the boards
on the grass there to bleach and !ar% back again in the sun# One early
thrush gave "e a note or t!o as 9 drove along the !oodland %ath# 9
!as infor"ed treacherously by a young Patrick that neighbor 8eeley,
an 9rish"an, in the intervals of the carting, transferred the still
tolerable, straight, and drivable nails, sta%les, and s%ikes to his
%ocket, and then stood !hen 9 ca"e back to %ass the ti"e of day, and
look freshly u%, unconcerned, !ith s%ring thoughts, at the devastationA
there being a dearth of !ork, as he said# e !as there to re%resent
s%ectatordo", and hel% "ake this see"ingly insignificant event one !ith
the re"oval of the gods of Troy#
9 dug "y cellar in the side of a hill slo%ing to the south, !here
a !oodchuck had for"erly dug his burro!, do!n through su"ach and
blackberry roots, and the lo!est stain of vegetation, siC feet s@uare
by seven dee%, to a fine sand !here %otatoes !ould not free?e in any
!inter# The sides !ere left shelving, and not stonedA but the sun having
never shone on the", the sand still kee%s its %lace# 9t !as but t!o
hoursD !ork# 9 took %articular %leasure in this breaking of ground,
for in al"ost all latitudes "en dig into the earth for an e@uable
te"%erature# 5nder the "ost s%lendid house in the city is still to be
found the cellar !here they store their roots as of old, and long after
the su%erstructure has disa%%eared %osterity re"ark its dent in the
earth# The house is still but a sort of %orch at the entrance of a
burro!#
)t length, in the beginning of >ay, !ith the hel% of so"e of "y
ac@uaintances, rather to i"%rove so good an occasion for neighborliness
than fro" any necessity, 9 set u% the fra"e of "y house# :o "an !as ever
"ore honored in the character of his raisers than 9# They are destined,
9 trust, to assist at the raising of loftier structures one day# 9 began
to occu%y "y house on the Pth of *uly, as soon as it !as boarded and
roofed, for the boards !ere carefully feather&edged and la%%ed, so that
it !as %erfectly i"%ervious to rain, but before boarding 9 laid the
foundation of a chi"ney at one end, bringing t!o cartloads of stones u%
the hill fro" the %ond in "y ar"s# 9 built the chi"ney after "y hoeing
in the fall, before a fire beca"e necessary for !ar"th, doing "y cooking
in the "ean!hile out of doors on the ground, early in the "orning( !hich
"ode 9 still think is in so"e res%ects "ore convenient and agreeable
than the usual one# When it stor"ed before "y bread !as baked, 9 fiCed
a fe! boards over the fire, and sat under the" to !atch "y loaf, and
%assed so"e %leasant hours in that !ay# 9n those days, !hen "y hands
!ere "uch e"%loyed, 9 read but little, but the least scra%s of %a%er
!hich lay on the ground, "y holder, or tablecloth, afforded "e as "uch
entertain"ent, in fact ans!ered the sa"e %ur%ose as the 9liad#
7 7 7 7 7
9t !ould be !orth the !hile to build still "ore deliberately than 9 did,
considering, for instance, !hat foundation a door, a !indo!, a cellar,
a garret, have in the nature of "an, and %erchance never raising any
su%erstructure until !e found a better reason for it than our te"%oral
necessities even# There is so"e of the sa"e fitness in a "anDs building
his o!n house that there is in a birdDs building its o!n nest# Who
kno!s but if "en constructed their d!ellings !ith their o!n hands, and
%rovided food for the"selves and fa"ilies si"%ly and honestly enough,
the %oetic faculty !ould be universally develo%ed, as birds universally
sing !hen they are so engagedF But alasG !e do like co!birds and
cuckoos, !hich lay their eggs in nests !hich other birds have built, and
cheer no traveller !ith their chattering and un"usical notes# 8hall !e
forever resign the %leasure of construction to the car%enterF What does
architecture a"ount to in the eC%erience of the "ass of "enF 9 never
in all "y !alks ca"e across a "an engaged in so si"%le and natural an
occu%ation as building his house# We belong to the co""unity# 9t is
not the tailor alone !ho is the ninth %art of a "anA it is as "uch the
%reacher, and the "erchant, and the far"er# Where is this division of
labor to endF and !hat object does it finally serveF :o doubt another
B"ayB also think for "eA but it is not therefore desirable that he should
do so to the eCclusion of "y thinking for "yself#
True, there are architects so called in this country, and 9 have
heard of one at least %ossessed !ith the idea of "aking architectural
orna"ents have a core of truth, a necessity, and hence a beauty, as if
it !ere a revelation to hi"# )ll very !ell %erha%s fro" his %oint
of vie!, but only a little better than the co""on dilettantis"# )
senti"ental refor"er in architecture, he began at the cornice, not
at the foundation# 9t !as only ho! to %ut a core of truth !ithin the
orna"ents, that every sugar%lu", in fact, "ight have an al"ond or
cara!ay seed in it&&though 9 hold that al"onds are "ost !holeso"e
!ithout the sugar&&and not ho! the inhabitant, the ind!eller, "ight
build truly !ithin and !ithout, and let the orna"ents take care of
the"selves# What reasonable "an ever su%%osed that orna"ents !ere
so"ething out!ard and in the skin "erely&&that the tortoise got his
s%otted shell, or the shell&fish its "other&oD&%earl tints, by such a
contract as the inhabitants of Broad!ay their Trinity ChurchF But a "an
has no "ore to do !ith the style of architecture of his house than a
tortoise !ith that of its shell( nor need the soldier be so idle as to
try to %aint the %recise color of his virtue on his standard# The ene"y
!ill find it out# e "ay turn %ale !hen the trial co"es# This "an see"ed
to "e to lean over the cornice, and ti"idly !his%er his half truth
to the rude occu%ants !ho really kne! it better than he# What of
architectural beauty 9 no! see, 9 kno! has gradually gro!n fro" !ithin
out!ard, out of the necessities and character of the ind!eller, !ho is
the only builder&&out of so"e unconscious truthfulness, and nobleness,
!ithout ever a thought for the a%%earance and !hatever additional beauty
of this kind is destined to be %roduced !ill be %receded by a like
unconscious beauty of life# The "ost interesting d!ellings in this
country, as the %ainter kno!s, are the "ost un%retending, hu"ble
log huts and cottages of the %oor co""onlyA it is the life of the
inhabitants !hose shells they are, and not any %eculiarity in their
surfaces "erely, !hich "akes the" %ictures@ueA and e@ually interesting
!ill be the citi?enDs suburban boC, !hen his life shall be as si"%le and
as agreeable to the i"agination, and there is as little straining after
effect in the style of his d!elling# ) great %ro%ortion of architectural
orna"ents are literally hollo!, and a 8e%te"ber gale !ould stri% the"
off, like borro!ed %lu"es, !ithout injury to the substantials# They can
do !ithout architecture !ho have no olives nor !ines in the cellar# What
if an e@ual ado !ere "ade about the orna"ents of style in literature,
and the architects of our bibles s%ent as "uch ti"e about their cornices
as the architects of our churches doF 8o are "ade the Bbelles&lettresB and
the BbeauC&artsB and their %rofessors# >uch it concerns a "an, forsooth,
ho! a fe! sticks are slanted over hi" or under hi", and !hat colors
are daubed u%on his boC# 9t !ould signify so"e!hat, if, in any earnest
sense, he slanted the" and daubed itA but the s%irit having de%arted out
of the tenant, it is of a %iece !ith constructing his o!n coffin&&the
architecture of the grave&&and Ecar%enterE is but another na"e for
Ecoffin&"aker#E One "an says, in his des%air or indifference to life,
take u% a handful of the earth at your feet, and %aint your house that
color# 9s he thinking of his last and narro! houseF Toss u% a co%%er for
it as !ell# What an abundance of leisure he "ust haveG Why do you take
u% a handful of dirtF Better %aint your house your o!n co"%leCionA let
it turn %ale or blush for you# )n enter%rise to i"%rove the style of
cottage architectureG When you have got "y orna"ents ready, 9 !ill !ear
the"#
Before !inter 9 built a chi"ney, and shingled the sides of "y house,
!hich !ere already i"%ervious to rain, !ith i"%erfect and sa%%y shingles
"ade of the first slice of the log, !hose edges 9 !as obliged to
straighten !ith a %lane#
9 have thus a tight shingled and %lastered house, ten feet !ide by
fifteen long, and eight&feet %osts, !ith a garret and a closet, a large
!indo! on each side, t!o tra% doors, one door at the end, and a brick
fire%lace o%%osite# The eCact cost of "y house, %aying the usual %rice
for such "aterials as 9 used, but not counting the !ork, all of !hich
!as done by "yself, !as as follo!sA and 9 give the details because very
fe! are able to tell eCactly !hat their houses cost, and fe!er still, if
any, the se%arate cost of the various "aterials !hich co"%ose the"(&&
Boards########################## Q .#-R&+S,, "ostly shanty boards#
3efuse shingles for roof sides### P#--
'aths############################ +#,1
T!o second&hand !indo!s
!ith glass#################### ,#PR
One thousand old brick########### P#--
T!o casks of li"e################ ,#P- That !as high#
air############################# -#R+ >ore than 9 needed#
>antle&tree iron################# -#+1
:ails############################ R#4-
inges and scre!s################ -#+P
'atch############################ -#+-
Chalk############################ -#-+
Trans%ortation################### +#P- 9 carried a good %art
&&&&&&&& on "y back#
9n all###################### Q,.#+,&+S,
These are all the "aterials, eCce%ting the ti"ber, stones, and sand,
!hich 9 clai"ed by s@uatterDs right# 9 have also a s"all !oodshed
adjoining, "ade chiefly of the stuff !hich !as left after building the
house#
9 intend to build "e a house !hich !ill sur%ass any on the "ain street
in Concord in grandeur and luCury, as soon as it %leases "e as "uch and
!ill cost "e no "ore than "y %resent one#
9 thus found that the student !ho !ishes for a shelter can obtain one
for a lifeti"e at an eC%ense not greater than the rent !hich he no! %ays
annually# 9f 9 see" to boast "ore than is beco"ing, "y eCcuse is that
9 brag for hu"anity rather than for "yselfA and "y shortco"ings and
inconsistencies do not affect the truth of "y state"ent# :ot!ithstanding
"uch cant and hy%ocrisy&&chaff !hich 9 find it difficult to se%arate
fro" "y !heat, but for !hich 9 a" as sorry as any "an&&9 !ill breathe
freely and stretch "yself in this res%ect, it is such a relief to both
the "oral and %hysical syste"A and 9 a" resolved that 9 !ill not through
hu"ility beco"e the devilDs attorney# 9 !ill endeavor to s%eak a good
!ord for the truth# )t Ca"bridge College the "ere rent of a studentDs
roo", !hich is only a little larger than "y o!n, is thirty dollars each
year, though the cor%oration had the advantage of building thirty&t!o
side by side and under one roof, and the occu%ant suffers the
inconvenience of "any and noisy neighbors, and %erha%s a residence in
the fourth story# 9 cannot but think that if !e had "ore true !isdo"
in these res%ects, not only less education !ould be needed, because,
forsooth, "ore !ould already have been ac@uired, but the %ecuniary
eC%ense of getting an education !ould in a great "easure vanish# Those
conveniences !hich the student re@uires at Ca"bridge or else!here cost
hi" or so"ebody else ten ti"es as great a sacrifice of life as they
!ould !ith %ro%er "anage"ent on both sides# Those things for !hich
the "ost "oney is de"anded are never the things !hich the student "ost
!ants# Tuition, for instance, is an i"%ortant ite" in the ter" bill,
!hile for the far "ore valuable education !hich he gets by associating
!ith the "ost cultivated of his conte"%oraries no charge is "ade# The
"ode of founding a college is, co""only, to get u% a subscri%tion of
dollars and cents, and then, follo!ing blindly the %rinci%les of a
division of labor to its eCtre"e&&a %rinci%le !hich should never be
follo!ed but !ith circu"s%ection&&to call in a contractor !ho "akes this
a subject of s%eculation, and he e"%loys 9rish"en or other o%eratives
actually to lay the foundations, !hile the students that are to be
are said to be fitting the"selves for itA and for these oversights
successive generations have to %ay# 9 think that it !ould be better Bthan
thisB, for the students, or those !ho desire to be benefited by it, even
to lay the foundation the"selves# The student !ho secures his coveted
leisure and retire"ent by syste"atically shirking any labor necessary to
"an obtains but an ignoble and un%rofitable leisure, defrauding hi"self
of the eC%erience !hich alone can "ake leisure fruitful# EBut,E says
one, Eyou do not "ean that the students should go to !ork !ith their
hands instead of their headsFE 9 do not "ean that eCactly, but 9 "ean
so"ething !hich he "ight think a good deal like thatA 9 "ean that they
should not B%layB life, or BstudyB it "erely, !hile the co""unity su%%orts
the" at this eC%ensive ga"e, but earnestly live it fro" beginning to
end# o! could youths better learn to live than by at once trying the
eC%eri"ent of livingF >ethinks this !ould eCercise their "inds as "uch
as "athe"atics# 9f 9 !ished a boy to kno! so"ething about the arts and
sciences, for instance, 9 !ould not %ursue the co""on course, !hich
is "erely to send hi" into the neighborhood of so"e %rofessor, !here
anything is %rofessed and %ractised but the art of lifeA&&to survey the
!orld through a telesco%e or a "icrosco%e, and never !ith his natural
eyeA to study che"istry, and not learn ho! his bread is "ade, or
"echanics, and not learn ho! it is earnedA to discover ne! satellites to
:e%tune, and not detect the "otes in his eyes, or to !hat vagabond he
is a satellite hi"selfA or to be devoured by the "onsters that s!ar" all
around hi", !hile conte"%lating the "onsters in a dro% of vinegar# Which
!ould have advanced the "ost at the end of a "onth&&the boy !ho had "ade
his o!n jackknife fro" the ore !hich he had dug and s"elted, reading
as "uch as !ould be necessary for this&&or the boy !ho had attended
the lectures on "etallurgy at the 9nstitute in the "ean!hile, and had
received a 3odgersD %enknife fro" his fatherF Which !ould be "ost likely
to cut his fingersF### To "y astonish"ent 9 !as infor"ed on leaving
college that 9 had studied navigationG&&!hy, if 9 had taken one turn
do!n the harbor 9 should have kno!n "ore about it# Even the %oor student
studies and is taught only B%oliticalB econo"y, !hile that econo"y
of living !hich is synony"ous !ith %hiloso%hy is not even sincerely
%rofessed in our colleges# The conse@uence is, that !hile he is reading
)da" 8"ith, 3icardo, and 8ay, he runs his father in debt irretrievably#
)s !ith our colleges, so !ith a hundred E"odern i"%rove"entsEA there
is an illusion about the"A there is not al!ays a %ositive advance# The
devil goes on eCacting co"%ound interest to the last for his early share
and nu"erous succeeding invest"ents in the"# Our inventions are !ont to
be %retty toys, !hich distract our attention fro" serious things# They
are but i"%roved "eans to an uni"%roved end, an end !hich it !as already
but too easy to arrive atA as railroads lead to Boston or :e! $ork#
We are in great haste to construct a "agnetic telegra%h fro" >aine
to TeCasA but >aine and TeCas, it "ay be, have nothing i"%ortant to
co""unicate# Either is in such a %redica"ent as the "an !ho !as
earnest to be introduced to a distinguished deaf !o"an, but !hen he !as
%resented, and one end of her ear tru"%et !as %ut into his hand, had
nothing to say# )s if the "ain object !ere to talk fast and not to talk
sensibly# We are eager to tunnel under the )tlantic and bring the Old
World so"e !eeks nearer to the :e!A but %erchance the first ne!s that
!ill leak through into the broad, fla%%ing )"erican ear !ill be that the
Princess )delaide has the !hoo%ing cough# )fter all, the "an !hose horse
trots a "ile in a "inute does not carry the "ost i"%ortant "essagesA
he is not an evangelist, nor does he co"e round eating locusts and !ild
honey# 9 doubt if 6lying Childers ever carried a %eck of corn to "ill#
One says to "e, E9 !onder that you do not lay u% "oneyA you love to
travelA you "ight take the cars and go to 6itchburg today and see the
country#E But 9 a" !iser than that# 9 have learned that the s!iftest
traveller is he that goes afoot# 9 say to "y friend, 8u%%ose !e try
!ho !ill get there first# The distance is thirty "ilesA the fare ninety
cents# That is al"ost a dayDs !ages# 9 re"e"ber !hen !ages !ere siCty
cents a day for laborers on this very road# Well, 9 start no! on foot,
and get there before nightA 9 have travelled at that rate by the !eek
together# $ou !ill in the "ean!hile have earned your fare, and arrive
there so"e ti"e to"orro!, or %ossibly this evening, if you are lucky
enough to get a job in season# 9nstead of going to 6itchburg, you !ill
be !orking here the greater %art of the day# )nd so, if the railroad
reached round the !orld, 9 think that 9 should kee% ahead of youA and
as for seeing the country and getting eC%erience of that kind, 9 should
have to cut your ac@uaintance altogether#
8uch is the universal la!, !hich no "an can ever out!it, and !ith regard
to the railroad even !e "ay say it is as broad as it is long# To "ake
a railroad round the !orld available to all "ankind is e@uivalent to
grading the !hole surface of the %lanet# >en have an indistinct notion
that if they kee% u% this activity of joint stocks and s%ades long
enough all !ill at length ride so"e!here, in neCt to no ti"e, and for
nothingA but though a cro!d rushes to the de%ot, and the conductor
shouts E)ll aboardGE !hen the s"oke is blo!n a!ay and the va%or
condensed, it !ill be %erceived that a fe! are riding, but the rest are
run over&&and it !ill be called, and !ill be, E) "elancholy accident#E
:o doubt they can ride at last !ho shall have earned their fare, that
is, if they survive so long, but they !ill %robably have lost their
elasticity and desire to travel by that ti"e# This s%ending of the
best %art of oneDs life earning "oney in order to enjoy a @uestionable
liberty during the least valuable %art of it re"inds "e of the
English"an !ho !ent to 9ndia to "ake a fortune first, in order that he
"ight return to England and live the life of a %oet# e should have gone
u% garret at once# EWhatGE eCclai" a "illion 9rish"en starting u% fro"
all the shanties in the land, Eis not this railroad !hich !e have built
a good thingFE $es, 9 ans!er, co"%aratively good, that is, you "ight
have done !orseA but 9 !ish, as you are brothers of "ine, that you could
have s%ent your ti"e better than digging in this dirt#
7 7 7 7 7
Before 9 finished "y house, !ishing to earn ten or t!elve dollars by
so"e honest and agreeable "ethod, in order to "eet "y unusual eC%enses,
9 %lanted about t!o acres and a half of light and sandy soil near it
chiefly !ith beans, but also a s"all %art !ith %otatoes, corn, %eas, and
turni%s# The !hole lot contains eleven acres, "ostly gro!ing u% to %ines
and hickories, and !as sold the %receding season for eight dollars and
eight cents an acre# One far"er said that it !as Egood for nothing but
to raise chee%ing s@uirrels on#E 9 %ut no "anure !hatever on this
land, not being the o!ner, but "erely a s@uatter, and not eC%ecting to
cultivate so "uch again, and 9 did not @uite hoe it all once# 9 got out
several cords of stu"%s in %lo!ing, !hich su%%lied "e !ith fuel for
a long ti"e, and left s"all circles of virgin "ould, easily
distinguishable through the su""er by the greater luCuriance of the
beans there# The dead and for the "ost %art un"erchantable !ood behind
"y house, and the drift!ood fro" the %ond, have su%%lied the re"ainder
of "y fuel# 9 !as obliged to hire a tea" and a "an for the %lo!ing,
though 9 held the %lo! "yself# >y far" outgoes for the first season
!ere, for i"%le"ents, seed, !ork, etc#, Q+P#O,&+S,# The seed corn !as given
"e# This never costs anything to s%eak of, unless you %lant "ore than
enough# 9 got t!elve bushels of beans, and eighteen bushels of %otatoes,
beside so"e %eas and s!eet corn# The yello! corn and turni%s !ere too
late to co"e to anything# >y !hole inco"e fro" the far" !as
Q ,R#PP
Deducting the outgoes############ +P#O,&+S,
&&&&&&&&
There are left################## Q .#O+&+S,
beside %roduce consu"ed and on hand at the ti"e this esti"ate !as "ade
of the value of QP#1-&&the a"ount on hand "uch "ore than balancing a
little grass !hich 9 did not raise# )ll things considered, that is,
considering the i"%ortance of a "anDs soul and of today, not!ithstanding
the short ti"e occu%ied by "y eC%eri"ent, nay, %artly even because of
its transient character, 9 believe that that !as doing better than any
far"er in Concord did that year#
The neCt year 9 did better still, for 9 s%aded u% all the land !hich 9
re@uired, about a third of an acre, and 9 learned fro" the eC%erience
of both years, not being in the least a!ed by "any celebrated !orks on
husbandry, )rthur $oung a"ong the rest, that if one !ould live si"%ly
and eat only the cro% !hich he raised, and raise no "ore than he ate,
and not eCchange it for an insufficient @uantity of "ore luCurious and
eC%ensive things, he !ould need to cultivate only a fe! rods of ground,
and that it !ould be chea%er to s%ade u% that than to use oCen to %lo!
it, and to select a fresh s%ot fro" ti"e to ti"e than to "anure the old,
and he could do all his necessary far" !ork as it !ere !ith his left
hand at odd hours in the su""erA and thus he !ould not be tied to an oC,
or horse, or co!, or %ig, as at %resent# 9 desire to s%eak i"%artially
on this %oint, and as one not interested in the success or failure of
the %resent econo"ical and social arrange"ents# 9 !as "ore inde%endent
than any far"er in Concord, for 9 !as not anchored to a house or far",
but could follo! the bent of "y genius, !hich is a very crooked one,
every "o"ent# Beside being better off than they already, if "y house had
been burned or "y cro%s had failed, 9 should have been nearly as !ell
off as before#
9 a" !ont to think that "en are not so "uch the kee%ers of herds as
herds are the kee%ers of "en, the for"er are so "uch the freer# >en and
oCen eCchange !orkA but if !e consider necessary !ork only, the oCen
!ill be seen to have greatly the advantage, their far" is so "uch the
larger# >an does so"e of his %art of the eCchange !ork in his siC !eeks
of haying, and it is no boyDs %lay# Certainly no nation that lived
si"%ly in all res%ects, that is, no nation of %hiloso%hers, !ould co""it
so great a blunder as to use the labor of ani"als# True, there never !as
and is not likely soon to be a nation of %hiloso%hers, nor a" 9 certain
it is desirable that there should be# o!ever, B9B should never have
broken a horse or bull and taken hi" to board for any !ork he "ight do
for "e, for fear 9 should beco"e a horse"an or a herds"an "erelyA and if
society see"s to be the gainer by so doing, are !e certain that !hat is
one "anDs gain is not anotherDs loss, and that the stable&boy has e@ual
cause !ith his "aster to be satisfiedF Granted that so"e %ublic !orks
!ould not have been constructed !ithout this aid, and let "an share the
glory of such !ith the oC and horseA does it follo! that he could not
have acco"%lished !orks yet "ore !orthy of hi"self in that caseF When
"en begin to do, not "erely unnecessary or artistic, but luCurious and
idle !ork, !ith their assistance, it is inevitable that a fe! do all the
eCchange !ork !ith the oCen, or, in other !ords, beco"e the slaves of
the strongest# >an thus not only !orks for the ani"al !ithin hi", but,
for a sy"bol of this, he !orks for the ani"al !ithout hi"# Though !e
have "any substantial houses of brick or stone, the %ros%erity of the
far"er is still "easured by the degree to !hich the barn overshado!s the
house# This to!n is said to have the largest houses for oCen, co!s, and
horses hereabouts, and it is not behindhand in its %ublic buildingsA but
there are very fe! halls for free !orshi% or free s%eech in this county#
9t should not be by their architecture, but !hy not even by their %o!er
of abstract thought, that nations should seek to co""e"orate the"selvesF
o! "uch "ore ad"irable the Bhagvat&Geeta than all the ruins of the
EastG To!ers and te"%les are the luCury of %rinces# ) si"%le and
inde%endent "ind does not toil at the bidding of any %rince# Genius is
not a retainer to any e"%eror, nor is its "aterial silver, or gold, or
"arble, eCce%t to a trifling eCtent# To !hat end, %ray, is so "uch stone
ha""eredF 9n )rcadia, !hen 9 !as there, 9 did not see any ha""ering
stone# :ations are %ossessed !ith an insane a"bition to %er%etuate the
"e"ory of the"selves by the a"ount of ha""ered stone they leave# What if
e@ual %ains !ere taken to s"ooth and %olish their "annersF One %iece of
good sense !ould be "ore "e"orable than a "onu"ent as high as the "oon#
9 love better to see stones in %lace# The grandeur of Thebes !as a
vulgar grandeur# >ore sensible is a rod of stone !all that bounds an
honest "anDs field than a hundred&gated Thebes that has !andered farther
fro" the true end of life# The religion and civili?ation !hich are
barbaric and heathenish build s%lendid te"%lesA but !hat you "ight call
Christianity does not# >ost of the stone a nation ha""ers goes to!ard
its to"b only# 9t buries itself alive# )s for the Pyra"ids, there is
nothing to !onder at in the" so "uch as the fact that so "any "en could
be found degraded enough to s%end their lives constructing a to"b for
so"e a"bitious booby, !ho" it !ould have been !iser and "anlier to
have dro!ned in the :ile, and then given his body to the dogs# 9 "ight
%ossibly invent so"e eCcuse for the" and hi", but 9 have no ti"e for it#
)s for the religion and love of art of the builders, it is "uch the sa"e
all the !orld over, !hether the building be an Egy%tian te"%le or the
5nited 8tates Bank# 9t costs "ore than it co"es to# The "ains%ring is
vanity, assisted by the love of garlic and bread and butter# >r# Balco",
a %ro"ising young architect, designs it on the back of his <itruvius,
!ith hard %encil and ruler, and the job is let out to Dobson T 8ons,
stonecutters# When the thirty centuries begin to look do!n on it,
"ankind begin to look u% at it# )s for your high to!ers and "onu"ents,
there !as a cra?y fello! once in this to!n !ho undertook to dig through
to China, and he got so far that, as he said, he heard the Chinese %ots
and kettles rattleA but 9 think that 9 shall not go out of "y !ay to
ad"ire the hole !hich he "ade# >any are concerned about the "onu"ents
of the West and the East&&to kno! !ho built the"# 6or "y %art, 9 should
like to kno! !ho in those days did not build the"&&!ho !ere above such
trifling# But to %roceed !ith "y statistics#
By surveying, car%entry, and day&labor of various other kinds in the
village in the "ean!hile, for 9 have as "any trades as fingers, 9 had
earned Q+R#RP# The eC%ense of food for eight "onths, na"ely, fro" *uly
Pth to >arch +st, the ti"e !hen these esti"ates !ere "ade, though 9
lived there "ore than t!o years&&not counting %otatoes, a little green
corn, and so"e %eas, !hich 9 had raised, nor considering the value of
!hat !as on hand at the last date&&!as
3ice#################### Q +#OR&+S,
>olasses################# +#OR Chea%est for" of the
saccharine#
3ye "eal################# +#-P&RSP
9ndian "eal############## -#44&RSP Chea%er than rye#
Pork##################### -#,,
)ll eC%eri"ents !hich failed(
6lour#################### -#.. Costs "ore than 9ndian "eal,
both "oney and trouble#
8ugar#################### -#.-
'ard##################### -#N1
)%%les################### -#,1
Dried a%%le############## -#,,
8!eet %otatoes########### -#+-
One %u"%kin############## -#-N
One !ater"elon########### -#-,
8alt##################### -#-R
$es, 9 did eat Q.#OP, all toldA but 9 should not thus unblushingly
%ublish "y guilt, if 9 did not kno! that "ost of "y readers !ere e@ually
guilty !ith "yself, and that their deeds !ould look no better in %rint#
The neCt year 9 so"eti"es caught a "ess of fish for "y dinner, and
once 9 !ent so far as to slaughter a !oodchuck !hich ravaged "y
bean&field&&effect his trans"igration, as a Tartar !ould say&&and devour
hi", %artly for eC%eri"entDs sakeA but though it afforded "e a "o"entary
enjoy"ent, not!ithstanding a "usky flavor, 9 sa! that the longest use
!ould not "ake that a good %ractice, ho!ever it "ight see" to have your
!oodchucks ready dressed by the village butcher#
Clothing and so"e incidental eC%enses !ithin the sa"e dates, though
little can be inferred fro" this ite", a"ounted to
Q.#P-&RSP
Oil and so"e household utensils######## ,#--
8o that all the %ecuniary outgoes, eCce%ting for !ashing and "ending,
!hich for the "ost %art !ere done out of the house, and their bills have
not yet been received&&and these are all and "ore than all the !ays by
!hich "oney necessarily goes out in this %art of the !orld&&!ere
ouse################################# Q ,.#+,&+S,
6ar" one year########################### +P#O,&+S,
6ood eight "onths####################### .#OP
Clothing, etc#, eight "onths############ .#P-&RSP
Oil, etc#, eight "onths################# ,#--
&&&&&&&&&&&&
9n all############################ Q N+#44&RSP
9 address "yself no! to those of "y readers !ho have a living to get#
)nd to "eet this 9 have for far" %roduce sold
Q,R#PP
Earned by day&labor#################### +R#RP
&&&&&&&&
9n all############################# QRN#O.,
!hich subtracted fro" the su" of the outgoes leaves a balance of Q,1#,+&RSP
on the one side&&this being very nearly the "eans !ith !hich 9
started, and the "easure of eC%enses to be incurred&&and on the
other, beside the leisure and inde%endence and health thus secured, a
co"fortable house for "e as long as 9 choose to occu%y it#
These statistics, ho!ever accidental and therefore uninstructive they
"ay a%%ear, as they have a certain co"%leteness, have a certain value
also# :othing !as given "e of !hich 9 have not rendered so"e account#
9t a%%ears fro" the above esti"ate, that "y food alone cost "e in "oney
about t!enty&seven cents a !eek# 9t !as, for nearly t!o years after
this, rye and 9ndian "eal !ithout yeast, %otatoes, rice, a very little
salt %ork, "olasses, and saltA and "y drink, !ater# 9t !as fit that 9
should live on rice, "ainly, !ho love so !ell the %hiloso%hy of 9ndia#
To "eet the objections of so"e inveterate cavillers, 9 "ay as !ell
state, that if 9 dined out occasionally, as 9 al!ays had done, and 9
trust shall have o%%ortunities to do again, it !as fre@uently to the
detri"ent of "y do"estic arrange"ents# But the dining out, being, as
9 have stated, a constant ele"ent, does not in the least affect a
co"%arative state"ent like this#
9 learned fro" "y t!o yearsD eC%erience that it !ould cost incredibly
little trouble to obtain oneDs necessary food, even in this latitudeA
that a "an "ay use as si"%le a diet as the ani"als, and yet retain
health and strength# 9 have "ade a satisfactory dinner, satisfactory
on several accounts, si"%ly off a dish of %urslane JBPortulaca oleraceaBK
!hich 9 gathered in "y cornfield, boiled and salted# 9 give the 'atin on
account of the savoriness of the trivial na"e# )nd %ray !hat "ore can
a reasonable "an desire, in %eaceful ti"es, in ordinary noons, than a
sufficient nu"ber of ears of green s!eet corn boiled, !ith the addition
of saltF Even the little variety !hich 9 used !as a yielding to the
de"ands of a%%etite, and not of health# $et "en have co"e to such a %ass
that they fre@uently starve, not for !ant of necessaries, but for !ant
of luCuriesA and 9 kno! a good !o"an !ho thinks that her son lost his
life because he took to drinking !ater only#
The reader !ill %erceive that 9 a" treating the subject rather fro" an
econo"ic than a dietetic %oint of vie!, and he !ill not venture to %ut
"y abste"iousness to the test unless he has a !ell&stocked larder#
Bread 9 at first "ade of %ure 9ndian "eal and salt, genuine hoe&cakes,
!hich 9 baked before "y fire out of doors on a shingle or the end of a
stick of ti"ber sa!ed off in building "y houseA but it !as !ont to get
s"oked and to have a %iny flavor# 9 tried flour alsoA but have at last
found a "iCture of rye and 9ndian "eal "ost convenient and agreeable# 9n
cold !eather it !as no little a"use"ent to bake several s"all loaves of
this in succession, tending and turning the" as carefully as an Egy%tian
his hatching eggs# They !ere a real cereal fruit !hich 9 ri%ened, and
they had to "y senses a fragrance like that of other noble fruits, !hich
9 ke%t in as long as %ossible by !ra%%ing the" in cloths# 9 "ade a study
of the ancient and indis%ensable art of bread&"aking, consulting such
authorities as offered, going back to the %ri"itive days and first
invention of the unleavened kind, !hen fro" the !ildness of nuts and
"eats "en first reached the "ildness and refine"ent of this diet, and
travelling gradually do!n in "y studies through that accidental souring
of the dough !hich, it is su%%osed, taught the leavening %rocess, and
through the various fer"entations thereafter, till 9 ca"e to Egood,
s!eet, !holeso"e bread,E the staff of life# 'eaven, !hich so"e dee" the
soul of bread, the Bs%iritusB !hich fills its cellular tissue, !hich is
religiously %reserved like the vestal fire&&so"e %recious bottleful,
9 su%%ose, first brought over in the >ayflo!er, did the business for
)"erica, and its influence is still rising, s!elling, s%reading, in
cerealian billo!s over the land&&this seed 9 regularly and faithfully
%rocured fro" the village, till at length one "orning 9 forgot the
rules, and scalded "y yeastA by !hich accident 9 discovered that even
this !as not indis%ensable&&for "y discoveries !ere not by the synthetic
but analytic %rocess&&and 9 have gladly o"itted it since, though "ost
house!ives earnestly assured "e that safe and !holeso"e bread !ithout
yeast "ight not be, and elderly %eo%le %ro%hesied a s%eedy decay of the
vital forces# $et 9 find it not to be an essential ingredient, and after
going !ithout it for a year a" still in the land of the livingA and 9
a" glad to esca%e the trivialness of carrying a bottleful in "y %ocket,
!hich !ould so"eti"es %o% and discharge its contents to "y disco"fiture#
9t is si"%ler and "ore res%ectable to o"it it# >an is an ani"al !ho
"ore than any other can ada%t hi"self to all cli"ates and circu"stances#
:either did 9 %ut any sal&soda, or other acid or alkali, into "y bread#
9t !ould see" that 9 "ade it according to the reci%e !hich >arcus
Porcius Cato gave about t!o centuries before Christ# EPane" de%sticiu"
sic facito# >anus "ortariu"@ue bene lavato# 6arina" in "ortariu"
indito, a@uae %aulati" addito, subigito@ue %ulchre# 5bi bene subegeris,
defingito, co@uito@ue sub testu#E Which 9 take to "ean,&&E>ake kneaded
bread thus# Wash your hands and trough !ell# Put the "eal into the
trough, add !ater gradually, and knead it thoroughly# When you have
kneaded it !ell, "ould it, and bake it under a cover,E that is, in a
baking kettle# :ot a !ord about leaven# But 9 did not al!ays use this
staff of life# )t one ti"e, o!ing to the e"%tiness of "y %urse, 9 sa!
none of it for "ore than a "onth#
Every :e! Englander "ight easily raise all his o!n breadstuffs in this
land of rye and 9ndian corn, and not de%end on distant and fluctuating
"arkets for the"# $et so far are !e fro" si"%licity and inde%endence
that, in Concord, fresh and s!eet "eal is rarely sold in the sho%s, and
ho"iny and corn in a still coarser for" are hardly used by any# 6or the
"ost %art the far"er gives to his cattle and hogs the grain of his o!n
%roducing, and buys flour, !hich is at least no "ore !holeso"e, at a
greater cost, at the store# 9 sa! that 9 could easily raise "y bushel
or t!o of rye and 9ndian corn, for the for"er !ill gro! on the %oorest
land, and the latter does not re@uire the best, and grind the" in a
hand&"ill, and so do !ithout rice and %orkA and if 9 "ust have so"e
concentrated s!eet, 9 found by eC%eri"ent that 9 could "ake a very good
"olasses either of %u"%kins or beets, and 9 kne! that 9 needed only to
set out a fe! "a%les to obtain it "ore easily still, and !hile these
!ere gro!ing 9 could use various substitutes beside those !hich 9 have
na"ed# E6or,E as the 6orefathers sang,&&
E!e can "ake li@uor to s!eeten our li%s
Of %u"%kins and %arsni%s and !alnut&tree chi%s#E
6inally, as for salt, that grossest of groceries, to obtain this "ight
be a fit occasion for a visit to the seashore, or, if 9 did !ithout it
altogether, 9 should %robably drink the less !ater# 9 do not learn that
the 9ndians ever troubled the"selves to go after it#
Thus 9 could avoid all trade and barter, so far as "y food !as
concerned, and having a shelter already, it !ould only re"ain to get
clothing and fuel# The %antaloons !hich 9 no! !ear !ere !oven in a
far"erDs fa"ily&&thank eaven there is so "uch virtue still in "anA for
9 think the fall fro" the far"er to the o%erative as great and "e"orable
as that fro" the "an to the far"erA&&and in a ne! country, fuel is an
encu"brance# )s for a habitat, if 9 !ere not %er"itted still to s@uat,
9 "ight %urchase one acre at the sa"e %rice for !hich the land 9
cultivated !as sold&&na"ely, eight dollars and eight cents# But as it
!as, 9 considered that 9 enhanced the value of the land by s@uatting on
it#
There is a certain class of unbelievers !ho so"eti"es ask "e such
@uestions as, if 9 think that 9 can live on vegetable food aloneA and
to strike at the root of the "atter at once&&for the root is faith&&9
a" accusto"ed to ans!er such, that 9 can live on board nails# 9f they
cannot understand that, they cannot understand "uch that 9 have to say#
6or "y %art, 9 a" glad to hear of eC%eri"ents of this kind being triedA
as that a young "an tried for a fortnight to live on hard, ra! corn on
the ear, using his teeth for all "ortar# The s@uirrel tribe tried the
sa"e and succeeded# The hu"an race is interested in these eC%eri"ents,
though a fe! old !o"en !ho are inca%acitated for the", or !ho o!n their
thirds in "ills, "ay be alar"ed#
7 7 7 7 7
>y furniture, %art of !hich 9 "ade "yself&&and the rest cost "e nothing
of !hich 9 have not rendered an account&&consisted of a bed, a table, a
desk, three chairs, a looking&glass three inches in dia"eter, a %air of
tongs and andirons, a kettle, a skillet, and a frying&%an, a di%%er, a
!ash&bo!l, t!o knives and forks, three %lates, one cu%, one s%oon, a jug
for oil, a jug for "olasses, and a ja%anned la"%# :one is so %oor that
he need sit on a %u"%kin# That is shiftlessness# There is a %lenty of
such chairs as 9 like best in the village garrets to be had for taking
the" a!ay# 6urnitureG Thank God, 9 can sit and 9 can stand !ithout the
aid of a furniture !arehouse# What "an but a %hiloso%her !ould not
be asha"ed to see his furniture %acked in a cart and going u% country
eC%osed to the light of heaven and the eyes of "en, a beggarly account
of e"%ty boCesF That is 8%auldingDs furniture# 9 could never tell fro"
ins%ecting such a load !hether it belonged to a so&called rich "an or a
%oor oneA the o!ner al!ays see"ed %overty&stricken# 9ndeed, the "ore
you have of such things the %oorer you are# Each load looks as if it
contained the contents of a do?en shantiesA and if one shanty is %oor,
this is a do?en ti"es as %oor# Pray, for !hat do !e B"oveB ever but to
get rid of our furniture, our BeCuviHB( at last to go fro" this !orld to
another ne!ly furnished, and leave this to be burnedF 9t is the sa"e as
if all these tra%s !ere buckled to a "anDs belt, and he could not
"ove over the rough country !here our lines are cast !ithout dragging
the"&&dragging his tra%# e !as a lucky foC that left his tail in the
tra%# The "uskrat !ill gna! his third leg off to be free# :o !onder "an
has lost his elasticity# o! often he is at a dead setG E8ir, if 9 "ay
be so bold, !hat do you "ean by a dead setFE 9f you are a seer, !henever
you "eet a "an you !ill see all that he o!ns, ay, and "uch that he
%retends to diso!n, behind hi", even to his kitchen furniture and all
the tru"%ery !hich he saves and !ill not burn, and he !ill a%%ear to be
harnessed to it and "aking !hat head!ay he can# 9 think that the "an
is at a dead set !ho has got through a knot&hole or gate!ay !here his
sledge load of furniture cannot follo! hi"# 9 cannot but feel co"%assion
!hen 9 hear so"e trig, co"%act&looking "an, see"ingly free, all girded
and ready, s%eak of his Efurniture,E as !hether it is insured or not#
EBut !hat shall 9 do !ith "y furnitureFE&&>y gay butterfly is entangled
in a s%iderDs !eb then# Even those !ho see" for a long !hile not to
have any, if you in@uire "ore narro!ly you !ill find have so"e stored
in so"ebodyDs barn# 9 look u%on England today as an old gentle"an !ho is
travelling !ith a great deal of baggage, tru"%ery !hich has accu"ulated
fro" long housekee%ing, !hich he has not the courage to burnA great
trunk, little trunk, bandboC, and bundle# Thro! a!ay the first three at
least# 9t !ould sur%ass the %o!ers of a !ell "an no!adays to take u% his
bed and !alk, and 9 should certainly advise a sick one to lay do!n his
bed and run# When 9 have "et an i""igrant tottering under a bundle !hich
contained his all&&looking like an enor"ous !en !hich had gro!n out of
the na%e of his neck&&9 have %itied hi", not because that !as his all,
but because he had all BthatB to carry# 9f 9 have got to drag "y tra%, 9
!ill take care that it be a light one and do not ni% "e in a vital %art#
But %erchance it !ould be !isest never to %ut oneDs %a! into it#
9 !ould observe, by the !ay, that it costs "e nothing for curtains, for
9 have no ga?ers to shut out but the sun and "oon, and 9 a" !illing that
they should look in# The "oon !ill not sour "ilk nor taint "eat of "ine,
nor !ill the sun injure "y furniture or fade "y car%etA and if he is
so"eti"es too !ar" a friend, 9 find it still better econo"y to retreat
behind so"e curtain !hich nature has %rovided, than to add a single ite"
to the details of housekee%ing# ) lady once offered "e a "at, but as
9 had no roo" to s%are !ithin the house, nor ti"e to s%are !ithin or
!ithout to shake it, 9 declined it, %referring to !i%e "y feet on the
sod before "y door# 9t is best to avoid the beginnings of evil#
:ot long since 9 !as %resent at the auction of a deaconDs effects, for
his life had not been ineffectual(&&
EThe evil that "en do lives after the"#E
)s usual, a great %ro%ortion !as tru"%ery !hich had begun to accu"ulate
in his fatherDs day# )"ong the rest !as a dried ta%e!or"# )nd no!, after
lying half a century in his garret and other dust holes, these things
!ere not burnedA instead of a BbonfireB, or %urifying destruction of
the", there !as an BauctionB, or increasing of the"# The neighbors eagerly
collected to vie! the", bought the" all, and carefully trans%orted the"
to their garrets and dust holes, to lie there till their estates are
settled, !hen they !ill start again# When a "an dies he kicks the dust#
The custo"s of so"e savage nations "ight, %erchance, be %rofitably
i"itated by us, for they at least go through the se"blance of casting
their slough annuallyA they have the idea of the thing, !hether they
have the reality or not# Would it not be !ell if !e !ere to celebrate
such a Ebusk,E or Efeast of first fruits,E as Bartra" describes to have
been the custo" of the >ucclasse 9ndiansF EWhen a to!n celebrates the
busk,E says he, Ehaving %reviously %rovided the"selves !ith ne! clothes,
ne! %ots, %ans, and other household utensils and furniture, they collect
all their !orn out clothes and other des%icable things, s!ee% and
cleanse their houses, s@uares, and the !hole to!n of their filth, !hich
!ith all the re"aining grain and other old %rovisions they cast together
into one co""on hea%, and consu"e it !ith fire# )fter having taken
"edicine, and fasted for three days, all the fire in the to!n is
eCtinguished# During this fast they abstain fro" the gratification of
every a%%etite and %assion !hatever# ) general a"nesty is %roclai"edA
all "alefactors "ay return to their to!n#E
EOn the fourth "orning, the high %riest, by rubbing dry !ood together,
%roduces ne! fire in the %ublic s@uare, fro" !hence every habitation in
the to!n is su%%lied !ith the ne! and %ure fla"e#E
They then feast on the ne! corn and fruits, and dance and sing for three
days, Eand the four follo!ing days they receive visits and rejoice !ith
their friends fro" neighboring to!ns !ho have in like "anner %urified
and %re%ared the"selves#E
The >eCicans also %ractised a si"ilar %urification at the end of every
fifty&t!o years, in the belief that it !as ti"e for the !orld to co"e to
an end#
9 have scarcely heard of a truer sacra"ent, that is, as the dictionary
defines it, Eout!ard and visible sign of an in!ard and s%iritual grace,E
than this, and 9 have no doubt that they !ere originally ins%ired
directly fro" eaven to do thus, though they have no Biblical record of
the revelation#
7 7 7 7 7
6or "ore than five years 9 "aintained "yself thus solely by the labor
of "y hands, and 9 found that, by !orking about siC !eeks in a year, 9
could "eet all the eC%enses of living# The !hole of "y !inters, as !ell
as "ost of "y su""ers, 9 had free and clear for study# 9 have thoroughly
tried school&kee%ing, and found that "y eC%enses !ere in %ro%ortion, or
rather out of %ro%ortion, to "y inco"e, for 9 !as obliged to dress and
train, not to say think and believe, accordingly, and 9 lost "y ti"e
into the bargain# )s 9 did not teach for the good of "y fello!&"en, but
si"%ly for a livelihood, this !as a failure# 9 have tried trade but 9
found that it !ould take ten years to get under !ay in that, and that
then 9 should %robably be on "y !ay to the devil# 9 !as actually afraid
that 9 "ight by that ti"e be doing !hat is called a good business# When
for"erly 9 !as looking about to see !hat 9 could do for a living, so"e
sad eC%erience in confor"ing to the !ishes of friends being fresh in
"y "ind to taC "y ingenuity, 9 thought often and seriously of %icking
huckleberriesA that surely 9 could do, and its s"all %rofits "ight
suffice&&for "y greatest skill has been to !ant but little&&so little
ca%ital it re@uired, so little distraction fro" "y !onted "oods, 9
foolishly thought# While "y ac@uaintances !ent unhesitatingly into trade
or the %rofessions, 9 conte"%lated this occu%ation as "ost like theirsA
ranging the hills all su""er to %ick the berries !hich ca"e in "y !ay,
and thereafter carelessly dis%ose of the"A so, to kee% the flocks of
)d"etus# 9 also drea"ed that 9 "ight gather the !ild herbs, or carry
evergreens to such villagers as loved to be re"inded of the !oods, even
to the city, by hay&cart loads# But 9 have since learned that trade
curses everything it handlesA and though you trade in "essages fro"
heaven, the !hole curse of trade attaches to the business#
)s 9 %referred so"e things to others, and es%ecially valued "y freedo",
as 9 could fare hard and yet succeed !ell, 9 did not !ish to s%end
"y ti"e in earning rich car%ets or other fine furniture, or delicate
cookery, or a house in the Grecian or the Gothic style just yet# 9f
there are any to !ho" it is no interru%tion to ac@uire these things,
and !ho kno! ho! to use the" !hen ac@uired, 9 relin@uish to the" the
%ursuit# 8o"e are Eindustrious,E and a%%ear to love labor for its o!n
sake, or %erha%s because it kee%s the" out of !orse "ischiefA to such 9
have at %resent nothing to say# Those !ho !ould not kno! !hat to do !ith
"ore leisure than they no! enjoy, 9 "ight advise to !ork t!ice as
hard as they do&&!ork till they %ay for the"selves, and get their free
%a%ers# 6or "yself 9 found that the occu%ation of a day&laborer !as the
"ost inde%endent of any, es%ecially as it re@uired only thirty or forty
days in a year to su%%ort one# The laborerDs day ends !ith the going
do!n of the sun, and he is then free to devote hi"self to his chosen
%ursuit, inde%endent of his laborA but his e"%loyer, !ho s%eculates fro"
"onth to "onth, has no res%ite fro" one end of the year to the other#
9n short, 9 a" convinced, both by faith and eC%erience, that to "aintain
oneDs self on this earth is not a hardshi% but a %asti"e, if !e !ill
live si"%ly and !iselyA as the %ursuits of the si"%ler nations are still
the s%orts of the "ore artificial# 9t is not necessary that a "an should
earn his living by the s!eat of his bro!, unless he s!eats easier than 9
do#
One young "an of "y ac@uaintance, !ho has inherited so"e acres, told "e
that he thought he should live as 9 did, Bif he had the "eansB# 9 !ould
not have any one ado%t B"yB "ode of living on any accountA for, beside
that before he has fairly learned it 9 "ay have found out another for
"yself, 9 desire that there "ay be as "any different %ersons in the
!orld as %ossibleA but 9 !ould have each one be very careful to find
out and %ursue Bhis o!nB !ay, and not his fatherDs or his "otherDs or his
neighborDs instead# The youth "ay build or %lant or sail, only let hi"
not be hindered fro" doing that !hich he tells "e he !ould like to do#
9t is by a "athe"atical %oint only that !e are !ise, as the sailor or
the fugitive slave kee%s the %olestar in his eyeA but that is sufficient
guidance for all our life# We "ay not arrive at our %ort !ithin a
calculable %eriod, but !e !ould %reserve the true course#
5ndoubtedly, in this case, !hat is true for one is truer still for a
thousand, as a large house is not %ro%ortionally "ore eC%ensive than a
s"all one, since one roof "ay cover, one cellar underlie, and one !all
se%arate several a%art"ents# But for "y %art, 9 %referred the solitary
d!elling# >oreover, it !ill co""only be chea%er to build the !hole
yourself than to convince another of the advantage of the co""on !allA
and !hen you have done this, the co""on %artition, to be "uch chea%er,
"ust be a thin one, and that other "ay %rove a bad neighbor, and also
not kee% his side in re%air# The only co&o%eration !hich is co""only
%ossible is eCceedingly %artial and su%erficialA and !hat little true
co&o%eration there is, is as if it !ere not, being a har"ony inaudible
to "en# 9f a "an has faith, he !ill co&o%erate !ith e@ual faith
every!hereA if he has not faith, he !ill continue to live like the rest
of the !orld, !hatever co"%any he is joined to# To co&o%erate in the
highest as !ell as the lo!est sense, "eans Bto get our living togetherB# 9
heard it %ro%osed lately that t!o young "en should travel together over
the !orld, the one !ithout "oney, earning his "eans as he !ent, before
the "ast and behind the %lo!, the other carrying a bill of eCchange in
his %ocket# 9t !as easy to see that they could not long be co"%anions or
co&o%erate, since one !ould not Bo%erateB at all# They !ould %art at
the first interesting crisis in their adventures# )bove all, as 9 have
i"%lied, the "an !ho goes alone can start todayA but he !ho travels !ith
another "ust !ait till that other is ready, and it "ay be a long ti"e
before they get off#
7 7 7 7 7
But all this is very selfish, 9 have heard so"e of "y to!ns"en say#
9 confess that 9 have hitherto indulged very little in %hilanthro%ic
enter%rises# 9 have "ade so"e sacrifices to a sense of duty, and a"ong
others have sacrificed this %leasure also# There are those !ho have
used all their arts to %ersuade "e to undertake the su%%ort of so"e
%oor fa"ily in the to!nA and if 9 had nothing to do&&for the devil finds
e"%loy"ent for the idle&&9 "ight try "y hand at so"e such %asti"e as
that# o!ever, !hen 9 have thought to indulge "yself in this res%ect,
and lay their eaven under an obligation by "aintaining certain %oor
%ersons in all res%ects as co"fortably as 9 "aintain "yself, and have
even ventured so far as to "ake the" the offer, they have one and all
unhesitatingly %referred to re"ain %oor# While "y to!ns"en and !o"en are
devoted in so "any !ays to the good of their fello!s, 9 trust that one
at least "ay be s%ared to other and less hu"ane %ursuits# $ou "ust have
a genius for charity as !ell as for anything else# )s for Doing&good,
that is one of the %rofessions !hich are full# >oreover, 9 have tried it
fairly, and, strange as it "ay see", a" satisfied that it does not agree
!ith "y constitution# Probably 9 should not consciously and deliberately
forsake "y %articular calling to do the good !hich society de"ands of
"e, to save the universe fro" annihilationA and 9 believe that a like
but infinitely greater steadfastness else!here is all that no! %reserves
it# But 9 !ould not stand bet!een any "an and his geniusA and to hi" !ho
does this !ork, !hich 9 decline, !ith his !hole heart and soul and life,
9 !ould say, Persevere, even if the !orld call it doing evil, as it is
"ost likely they !ill#
9 a" far fro" su%%osing that "y case is a %eculiar oneA no doubt "any of
"y readers !ould "ake a si"ilar defence# )t doing so"ething&&9 !ill not
engage that "y neighbors shall %ronounce it good&&9 do not hesitate to
say that 9 should be a ca%ital fello! to hireA but !hat that is, it is
for "y e"%loyer to find out# What BgoodB 9 do, in the co""on sense of
that !ord, "ust be aside fro" "y "ain %ath, and for the "ost %art !holly
unintended# >en say, %ractically, Begin !here you are and such as you
are, !ithout ai"ing "ainly to beco"e of "ore !orth, and !ith kindness
aforethought go about doing good# 9f 9 !ere to %reach at all in this
strain, 9 should say rather, 8et about being good# )s if the sun should
sto% !hen he had kindled his fires u% to the s%lendor of a "oon or
a star of the siCth "agnitude, and go about like a 3obin Goodfello!,
%ee%ing in at every cottage !indo!, ins%iring lunatics, and tainting
"eats, and "aking darkness visible, instead of steadily increasing his
genial heat and beneficence till he is of such brightness that no "ortal
can look hi" in the face, and then, and in the "ean!hile too, going
about the !orld in his o!n orbit, doing it good, or rather, as a truer
%hiloso%hy has discovered, the !orld going about hi" getting good# When
Phaeton, !ishing to %rove his heavenly birth by his beneficence, had the
sunDs chariot but one day, and drove out of the beaten track, he burned
several blocks of houses in the lo!er streets of heaven, and scorched
the surface of the earth, and dried u% every s%ring, and "ade the great
desert of 8ahara, till at length *u%iter hurled hi" headlong to the
earth !ith a thunderbolt, and the sun, through grief at his death, did
not shine for a year#
There is no odor so bad as that !hich arises fro" goodness tainted# 9t
is hu"an, it is divine, carrion# 9f 9 kne! for a certainty that a "an
!as co"ing to "y house !ith the conscious design of doing "e good,
9 should run for "y life, as fro" that dry and %arching !ind of the
)frican deserts called the si"oo", !hich fills the "outh and nose and
ears and eyes !ith dust till you are suffocated, for fear that 9 should
get so"e of his good done to "e&&so"e of its virus "ingled !ith "y
blood# :o&&in this case 9 !ould rather suffer evil the natural !ay#
) "an is not a good B"anB to "e because he !ill feed "e if 9 should be
starving, or !ar" "e if 9 should be free?ing, or %ull "e out of a ditch
if 9 should ever fall into one# 9 can find you a :e!foundland dog that
!ill do as "uch# Philanthro%y is not love for oneDs fello!&"an in the
broadest sense# o!ard !as no doubt an eCceedingly kind and !orthy "an
in his !ay, and has his re!ardA but, co"%aratively s%eaking, !hat are a
hundred o!ards to BusB, if their %hilanthro%y do not hel% us in our
best estate, !hen !e are "ost !orthy to be hel%edF 9 never heard of a
%hilanthro%ic "eeting in !hich it !as sincerely %ro%osed to do any good
to "e, or the like of "e#
The *esuits !ere @uite balked by those 9ndians !ho, being burned at
the stake, suggested ne! "odes of torture to their tor"entors# Being
su%erior to %hysical suffering, it so"eti"es chanced that they !ere
su%erior to any consolation !hich the "issionaries could offerA and the
la! to do as you !ould be done by fell !ith less %ersuasiveness on the
ears of those !ho, for their %art, did not care ho! they !ere done by,
!ho loved their ene"ies after a ne! fashion, and ca"e very near freely
forgiving the" all they did#
Be sure that you give the %oor the aid they "ost need, though it be your
eCa"%le !hich leaves the" far behind# 9f you give "oney, s%end yourself
!ith it, and do not "erely abandon it to the"# We "ake curious "istakes
so"eti"es# Often the %oor "an is not so cold and hungry as he is
dirty and ragged and gross# 9t is %artly his taste, and not "erely his
"isfortune# 9f you give hi" "oney, he !ill %erha%s buy "ore rags !ith
it# 9 !as !ont to %ity the clu"sy 9rish laborers !ho cut ice on the
%ond, in such "ean and ragged clothes, !hile 9 shivered in "y "ore tidy
and so"e!hat "ore fashionable gar"ents, till, one bitter cold day, one
!ho had sli%%ed into the !ater ca"e to "y house to !ar" hi", and 9 sa!
hi" stri% off three %airs of %ants and t!o %airs of stockings ere he got
do!n to the skin, though they !ere dirty and ragged enough, it is true,
and that he could afford to refuse the BeCtraB gar"ents !hich 9 offered
hi", he had so "any BintraB ones# This ducking !as the very thing he
needed# Then 9 began to %ity "yself, and 9 sa! that it !ould be a
greater charity to besto! on "e a flannel shirt than a !hole slo%&sho%
on hi"# There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one !ho
is striking at the root, and it "ay be that he !ho besto!s the largest
a"ount of ti"e and "oney on the needy is doing the "ost by his "ode of
life to %roduce that "isery !hich he strives in vain to relieve# 9t is
the %ious slave&breeder devoting the %roceeds of every tenth slave to
buy a 8undayDs liberty for the rest# 8o"e sho! their kindness to the
%oor by e"%loying the" in their kitchens# Would they not be kinder if
they e"%loyed the"selves thereF $ou boast of s%ending a tenth %art of
your inco"e in charityA "aybe you should s%end the nine tenths so, and
done !ith it# 8ociety recovers only a tenth %art of the %ro%erty then#
9s this o!ing to the generosity of hi" in !hose %ossession it is found,
or to the re"issness of the officers of justiceF
Philanthro%y is al"ost the only virtue !hich is sufficiently a%%reciated
by "ankind# :ay, it is greatly overratedA and it is our selfishness
!hich overrates it# ) robust %oor "an, one sunny day here in Concord,
%raised a fello!&to!ns"an to "e, because, as he said, he !as kind to the
%oorA "eaning hi"self# The kind uncles and aunts of the race are "ore
estee"ed than its true s%iritual fathers and "others# 9 once heard a
reverend lecturer on England, a "an of learning and intelligence,
after enu"erating her scientific, literary, and %olitical !orthies,
8hakes%eare, Bacon, Cro"!ell, >ilton, :e!ton, and others, s%eak neCt of
her Christian heroes, !ho", as if his %rofession re@uired it of hi",
he elevated to a %lace far above all the rest, as the greatest of the
great# They !ere Penn, o!ard, and >rs# 6ry# Every one "ust feel the
falsehood and cant of this# The last !ere not EnglandDs best "en and
!o"enA only, %erha%s, her best %hilanthro%ists#
9 !ould not subtract anything fro" the %raise that is due to
%hilanthro%y, but "erely de"and justice for all !ho by their lives
and !orks are a blessing to "ankind# 9 do not value chiefly a "anDs
u%rightness and benevolence, !hich are, as it !ere, his ste" and leaves#
Those %lants of !hose greenness !ithered !e "ake herb tea for the sick
serve but a hu"ble use, and are "ost e"%loyed by @uacks# 9 !ant the
flo!er and fruit of a "anA that so"e fragrance be !afted over fro" hi"
to "e, and so"e ri%eness flavor our intercourse# is goodness "ust not
be a %artial and transitory act, but a constant su%erfluity, !hich costs
hi" nothing and of !hich he is unconscious# This is a charity that hides
a "ultitude of sins# The %hilanthro%ist too often surrounds "ankind !ith
the re"e"brance of his o!n castoff griefs as an at"os%here, and calls it
sy"%athy# We should i"%art our courage, and not our des%air, our health
and ease, and not our disease, and take care that this does not s%read
by contagion# 6ro" !hat southern %lains co"es u% the voice of !ailingF
5nder !hat latitudes reside the heathen to !ho" !e !ould send lightF Who
is that inte"%erate and brutal "an !ho" !e !ould redee"F 9f anything ail
a "an, so that he does not %erfor" his functions, if he have a %ain in
his bo!els even&&for that is the seat of sy"%athy&&he forth!ith sets
about refor"ing&&the !orld# Being a "icrocos" hi"self, he discovers&&and
it is a true discovery, and he is the "an to "ake it&&that the !orld has
been eating green a%%lesA to his eyes, in fact, the globe itself is
a great green a%%le, !hich there is danger a!ful to think of that the
children of "en !ill nibble before it is ri%eA and straight!ay his
drastic %hilanthro%y seeks out the Es@ui"au and the Patagonian, and
e"braces the %o%ulous 9ndian and Chinese villagesA and thus, by a fe!
years of %hilanthro%ic activity, the %o!ers in the "ean!hile using hi"
for their o!n ends, no doubt, he cures hi"self of his dys%e%sia, the
globe ac@uires a faint blush on one or both of its cheeks, as if it !ere
beginning to be ri%e, and life loses its crudity and is once "ore s!eet
and !holeso"e to live# 9 never drea"ed of any enor"ity greater than 9
have co""itted# 9 never kne!, and never shall kno!, a !orse "an than
"yself#
9 believe that !hat so saddens the refor"er is not his sy"%athy !ith his
fello!s in distress, but, though he be the holiest son of God, is
his %rivate ail# 'et this be righted, let the s%ring co"e to hi", the
"orning rise over his couch, and he !ill forsake his generous co"%anions
!ithout a%ology# >y eCcuse for not lecturing against the use of
tobacco is, that 9 never che!ed it, that is a %enalty !hich refor"ed
tobacco&che!ers have to %ayA though there are things enough 9 have
che!ed !hich 9 could lecture against# 9f you should ever be betrayed
into any of these %hilanthro%ies, do not let your left hand kno! !hat
your right hand does, for it is not !orth kno!ing# 3escue the dro!ning
and tie your shoestrings# Take your ti"e, and set about so"e free labor#
Our "anners have been corru%ted by co""unication !ith the saints# Our
hy"n&books resound !ith a "elodious cursing of God and enduring i"
forever# One !ould say that even the %ro%hets and redee"ers had rather
consoled the fears than confir"ed the ho%es of "an# There is no!here
recorded a si"%le and irre%ressible satisfaction !ith the gift of
life, any "e"orable %raise of God# )ll health and success does "e good,
ho!ever far off and !ithdra!n it "ay a%%earA all disease and failure
hel%s to "ake "e sad and does "e evil, ho!ever "uch sy"%athy it "ay have
!ith "e or 9 !ith it# 9f, then, !e !ould indeed restore "ankind by truly
9ndian, botanic, "agnetic, or natural "eans, let us first be as si"%le
and !ell as :ature ourselves, dis%el the clouds !hich hang over our o!n
bro!s, and take u% a little life into our %ores# Do not stay to be an
overseer of the %oor, but endeavor to beco"e one of the !orthies of the
!orld#
9 read in the Gulistan, or 6lo!er Garden, of 8heik 8adi of 8hira?, that
Ethey asked a !ise "an, saying( Of the "any celebrated trees !hich the
>ost igh God has created lofty and u"brageous, they call none a?ad, or
free, eCce%ting the cy%ress, !hich bears no fruitA !hat "ystery is there
in thisF e re%lied, Each has its a%%ro%riate %roduce, and a%%ointed
season, during the continuance of !hich it is fresh and bloo"ing, and
during their absence dry and !itheredA to neither of !hich states is the
cy%ress eC%osed, being al!ays flourishingA and of this nature are the
a?ads, or religious inde%endents#&&6iC not thy heart on that !hich is
transitoryA for the Dijlah, or Tigris, !ill continue to flo! through
Bagdad after the race of cali%hs is eCtinct( if thy hand has %lenty, be
liberal as the date treeA but if it affords nothing to give a!ay, be an
a?ad, or free "an, like the cy%ress#E
CO>P'E>E:T)' <E38E8
The Pretensions of Poverty
Thou dost %resu"e too "uch, %oor needy !retch,
To clai" a station in the fir"a"ent
Because thy hu"ble cottage, or thy tub,
:urses so"e la?y or %edantic virtue
9n the chea% sunshine or by shady s%rings,
With roots and %ot&herbsA !here thy right hand,
Tearing those hu"ane %assions fro" the "ind,
5%on !hose stocks fair bloo"ing virtues flourish,
Degradeth nature, and benu"beth sense,
)nd, Gorgon&like, turns active "en to stone#
We not re@uire the dull society
Of your necessitated te"%erance,
Or that unnatural stu%idity
That kno!s nor joy nor sorro!A nor your forcDd
6alsely eCalted %assive fortitude
)bove the active# This lo! abject brood,
That fiC their seats in "ediocrity,
Beco"e your servile "indsA but !e advance
8uch virtues only as ad"it eCcess,
Brave, bounteous acts, regal "agnificence,
)ll&seeing %rudence, "agnani"ity
That kno!s no bound, and that heroic virtue
6or !hich anti@uity hath left no na"e,
But %atterns only, such as ercules,
)chilles, Theseus# Back to thy loathDd cellA
)nd !hen thou seest the ne! enlightened s%here,
8tudy to kno! but !hat those !orthies !ere#
T# C)3EW
Where 9 'ived, and What 9 'ived 6or
)t a certain season of our life !e are accusto"ed to consider every s%ot
as the %ossible site of a house# 9 have thus surveyed the country on
every side !ithin a do?en "iles of !here 9 live# 9n i"agination 9 have
bought all the far"s in succession, for all !ere to be bought, and 9
kne! their %rice# 9 !alked over each far"erDs %re"ises, tasted his !ild
a%%les, discoursed on husbandry !ith hi", took his far" at his %rice, at
any %rice, "ortgaging it to hi" in "y "indA even %ut a higher %rice on
it&&took everything but a deed of it&&took his !ord for his deed, for 9
dearly love to talk&&cultivated it, and hi" too to so"e eCtent, 9 trust,
and !ithdre! !hen 9 had enjoyed it long enough, leaving hi" to carry it
on# This eC%erience entitled "e to be regarded as a sort of real&estate
broker by "y friends# Wherever 9 sat, there 9 "ight live, and the
landsca%e radiated fro" "e accordingly# What is a house but a BsedesB, a
seatF&&better if a country seat# 9 discovered "any a site for a house
not likely to be soon i"%roved, !hich so"e "ight have thought too far
fro" the village, but to "y eyes the village !as too far fro" it# Well,
there 9 "ight live, 9 saidA and there 9 did live, for an hour, a su""er
and a !inter lifeA sa! ho! 9 could let the years run off, buffet the
!inter through, and see the s%ring co"e in# The future inhabitants of
this region, !herever they "ay %lace their houses, "ay be sure that they
have been antici%ated# )n afternoon sufficed to lay out the land into
orchard, !ood&lot, and %asture, and to decide !hat fine oaks or %ines
should be left to stand before the door, and !hence each blasted tree
could be seen to the best advantageA and then 9 let it lie, fallo!,
%erchance, for a "an is rich in %ro%ortion to the nu"ber of things !hich
he can afford to let alone#
>y i"agination carried "e so far that 9 even had the refusal of several
far"s&&the refusal !as all 9 !anted&&but 9 never got "y fingers burned
by actual %ossession# The nearest that 9 ca"e to actual %ossession !as
!hen 9 bought the ollo!ell %lace, and had begun to sort "y seeds, and
collected "aterials !ith !hich to "ake a !heelbarro! to carry it on or
off !ithA but before the o!ner gave "e a deed of it, his !ife&&every "an
has such a !ife&&changed her "ind and !ished to kee% it, and he offered
"e ten dollars to release hi"# :o!, to s%eak the truth, 9 had but ten
cents in the !orld, and it sur%assed "y arith"etic to tell, if 9 !as
that "an !ho had ten cents, or !ho had a far", or ten dollars, or all
together# o!ever, 9 let hi" kee% the ten dollars and the far" too, for
9 had carried it far enoughA or rather, to be generous, 9 sold hi" the
far" for just !hat 9 gave for it, and, as he !as not a rich "an, "ade
hi" a %resent of ten dollars, and still had "y ten cents, and seeds, and
"aterials for a !heelbarro! left# 9 found thus that 9 had been a rich
"an !ithout any da"age to "y %overty# But 9 retained the landsca%e, and
9 have since annually carried off !hat it yielded !ithout a !heelbarro!#
With res%ect to landsca%es,
E9 a" "onarch of all 9 BsurveyB,
>y right there is none to dis%ute#E
9 have fre@uently seen a %oet !ithdra!, having enjoyed the "ost valuable
%art of a far", !hile the crusty far"er su%%osed that he had got a fe!
!ild a%%les only# Why, the o!ner does not kno! it for "any years !hen
a %oet has %ut his far" in rhy"e, the "ost ad"irable kind of invisible
fence, has fairly i"%ounded it, "ilked it, ski""ed it, and got all the
crea", and left the far"er only the ski""ed "ilk#
The real attractions of the ollo!ell far", to "e, !ere( its co"%lete
retire"ent, being, about t!o "iles fro" the village, half a "ile fro"
the nearest neighbor, and se%arated fro" the high!ay by a broad fieldA
its bounding on the river, !hich the o!ner said %rotected it by its fogs
fro" frosts in the s%ring, though that !as nothing to "eA the gray color
and ruinous state of the house and barn, and the dila%idated fences,
!hich %ut such an interval bet!een "e and the last occu%antA the hollo!
and lichen&covered a%%le trees, gna!ed by rabbits, sho!ing !hat kind of
neighbors 9 should haveA but above all, the recollection 9 had of it
fro" "y earliest voyages u% the river, !hen the house !as concealed
behind a dense grove of red "a%les, through !hich 9 heard the house&dog
bark# 9 !as in haste to buy it, before the %ro%rietor finished getting
out so"e rocks, cutting do!n the hollo! a%%le trees, and grubbing u%
so"e young birches !hich had s%rung u% in the %asture, or, in short, had
"ade any "ore of his i"%rove"ents# To enjoy these advantages 9 !as ready
to carry it onA like )tlas, to take the !orld on "y shoulders&&9 never
heard !hat co"%ensation he received for that&&and do all those things
!hich had no other "otive or eCcuse but that 9 "ight %ay for it and
be un"olested in "y %ossession of itA for 9 kne! all the !hile that it
!ould yield the "ost abundant cro% of the kind 9 !anted, if 9 could only
afford to let it alone# But it turned out as 9 have said#
)ll that 9 could say, then, !ith res%ect to far"ing on a large scale&&9
have al!ays cultivated a garden&&!as, that 9 had had "y seeds ready#
>any think that seeds i"%rove !ith age# 9 have no doubt that ti"e
discri"inates bet!een the good and the badA and !hen at last 9 shall
%lant, 9 shall be less likely to be disa%%ointed# But 9 !ould say to "y
fello!s, once for all, )s long as %ossible live free and unco""itted# 9t
"akes but little difference !hether you are co""itted to a far" or the
county jail#
Old Cato, !hose EDe 3e 3usticUE is "y ECultivator,E says&&and the only
translation 9 have seen "akes sheer nonsense of the %assage&&EWhen you
think of getting a far" turn it thus in your "ind, not to buy greedilyA
nor s%are your %ains to look at it, and do not think it enough to go
round it once# The oftener you go there the "ore it !ill %lease you, if
it is good#E 9 think 9 shall not buy greedily, but go round and round it
as long as 9 live, and be buried in it first, that it "ay %lease "e the
"ore at last#
7 7 7 7 7
The %resent !as "y neCt eC%eri"ent of this kind, !hich 9 %ur%ose to
describe "ore at length, for convenience %utting the eC%erience of t!o
years into one# )s 9 have said, 9 do not %ro%ose to !rite an ode
to dejection, but to brag as lustily as chanticleer in the "orning,
standing on his roost, if only to !ake "y neighbors u%#
When first 9 took u% "y abode in the !oods, that is, began to s%end "y
nights as !ell as days there, !hich, by accident, !as on 9nde%endence
Day, or the 6ourth of *uly, +.P1, "y house !as not finished for !inter,
but !as "erely a defence against the rain, !ithout %lastering or
chi"ney, the !alls being of rough, !eather&stained boards, !ith !ide
chinks, !hich "ade it cool at night# The u%right !hite he!n studs and
freshly %laned door and !indo! casings gave it a clean and airy look,
es%ecially in the "orning, !hen its ti"bers !ere saturated !ith de!, so
that 9 fancied that by noon so"e s!eet gu" !ould eCude fro" the"# To "y
i"agination it retained throughout the day "ore or less of this auroral
character, re"inding "e of a certain house on a "ountain !hich 9 had
visited a year before# This !as an airy and un%lastered cabin, fit
to entertain a travelling god, and !here a goddess "ight trail her
gar"ents# The !inds !hich %assed over "y d!elling !ere such as s!ee%
over the ridges of "ountains, bearing the broken strains, or celestial
%arts only, of terrestrial "usic# The "orning !ind forever blo!s, the
%oe" of creation is uninterru%tedA but fe! are the ears that hear it#
Oly"%us is but the outside of the earth every!here#
The only house 9 had been the o!ner of before, if 9 eCce%t a boat, !as
a tent, !hich 9 used occasionally !hen "aking eCcursions in the su""er,
and this is still rolled u% in "y garretA but the boat, after %assing
fro" hand to hand, has gone do!n the strea" of ti"e# With this "ore
substantial shelter about "e, 9 had "ade so"e %rogress to!ard
settling in the !orld# This fra"e, so slightly clad, !as a sort of
crystalli?ation around "e, and reacted on the builder# 9t !as suggestive
so"e!hat as a %icture in outlines# 9 did not need to go outdoors to take
the air, for the at"os%here !ithin had lost none of its freshness# 9t
!as not so "uch !ithin doors as behind a door !here 9 sat, even in the
rainiest !eather# The arivansa says, E)n abode !ithout birds is like
a "eat !ithout seasoning#E 8uch !as not "y abode, for 9 found "yself
suddenly neighbor to the birdsA not by having i"%risoned one, but having
caged "yself near the"# 9 !as not only nearer to so"e of those !hich
co""only fre@uent the garden and the orchard, but to those s"aller and
"ore thrilling songsters of the forest !hich never, or rarely, serenade
a villager&&the !ood thrush, the veery, the scarlet tanager, the field
s%arro!, the !hi%&%oor&!ill, and "any others#
9 !as seated by the shore of a s"all %ond, about a "ile and a half south
of the village of Concord and so"e!hat higher than it, in the "idst of
an eCtensive !ood bet!een that to!n and 'incoln, and about t!o "iles
south of that our only field kno!n to fa"e, Concord Battle GroundA but
9 !as so lo! in the !oods that the o%%osite shore, half a "ile off, like
the rest, covered !ith !ood, !as "y "ost distant hori?on# 6or the first
!eek, !henever 9 looked out on the %ond it i"%ressed "e like a tarn high
u% on the side of a "ountain, its botto" far above the surface of other
lakes, and, as the sun arose, 9 sa! it thro!ing off its nightly clothing
of "ist, and here and there, by degrees, its soft ri%%les or its s"ooth
reflecting surface !as revealed, !hile the "ists, like ghosts, !ere
stealthily !ithdra!ing in every direction into the !oods, as at the
breaking u% of so"e nocturnal conventicle# The very de! see"ed to
hang u%on the trees later into the day than usual, as on the sides of
"ountains#
This s"all lake !as of "ost value as a neighbor in the intervals of a
gentle rain&stor" in )ugust, !hen, both air and !ater being %erfectly
still, but the sky overcast, "id&afternoon had all the serenity of
evening, and the !ood thrush sang around, and !as heard fro" shore to
shore# ) lake like this is never s"oother than at such a ti"eA and the
clear %ortion of the air above it being, shallo! and darkened by clouds,
the !ater, full of light and reflections, beco"es a lo!er heaven itself
so "uch the "ore i"%ortant# 6ro" a hill&to% near by, !here the !ood had
been recently cut off, there !as a %leasing vista south!ard across
the %ond, through a !ide indentation in the hills !hich for" the shore
there, !here their o%%osite sides slo%ing to!ard each other suggested a
strea" flo!ing out in that direction through a !ooded valley, but strea"
there !as none# That !ay 9 looked bet!een and over the near green
hills to so"e distant and higher ones in the hori?on, tinged !ith blue#
9ndeed, by standing on ti%toe 9 could catch a gli"%se of so"e of
the %eaks of the still bluer and "ore distant "ountain ranges in the
north!est, those true&blue coins fro" heavenDs o!n "int, and also of
so"e %ortion of the village# But in other directions, even fro" this
%oint, 9 could not see over or beyond the !oods !hich surrounded "e# 9t
is !ell to have so"e !ater in your neighborhood, to give buoyancy to and
float the earth# One value even of the s"allest !ell is, that !hen you
look into it you see that earth is not continent but insular# This is
as i"%ortant as that it kee%s butter cool# When 9 looked across the
%ond fro" this %eak to!ard the 8udbury "eado!s, !hich in ti"e of flood
9 distinguished elevated %erha%s by a "irage in their seething valley,
like a coin in a basin, all the earth beyond the %ond a%%eared like
a thin crust insulated and floated even by this s"all sheet of
interverting !ater, and 9 !as re"inded that this on !hich 9 d!elt !as
but Bdry landB#
Though the vie! fro" "y door !as still "ore contracted, 9 did not
feel cro!ded or confined in the least# There !as %asture enough for "y
i"agination# The lo! shrub oak %lateau to !hich the o%%osite shore
arose stretched a!ay to!ard the %rairies of the West and the ste%%es of
Tartary, affording a"%le roo" for all the roving fa"ilies of "en#
EThere are none ha%%y in the !orld but beings !ho enjoy freely a
vast hori?onE&&said Da"odara, !hen his herds re@uired ne! and larger
%astures#
Both %lace and ti"e !ere changed, and 9 d!elt nearer to those %arts of
the universe and to those eras in history !hich had "ost attracted
"e# Where 9 lived !as as far off as "any a region vie!ed nightly by
astrono"ers# We are !ont to i"agine rare and delectable %laces in so"e
re"ote and "ore celestial corner of the syste", behind the constellation
of Cassio%eiaDs Chair, far fro" noise and disturbance# 9 discovered that
"y house actually had its site in such a !ithdra!n, but forever ne! and
un%rofaned, %art of the universe# 9f it !ere !orth the !hile to settle
in those %arts near to the Pleiades or the yades, to )ldebaran or
)ltair, then 9 !as really there, or at an e@ual re"oteness fro" the life
!hich 9 had left behind, d!indled and t!inkling !ith as fine a ray to
"y nearest neighbor, and to be seen only in "oonless nights by hi"# 8uch
!as that %art of creation !here 9 had s@uattedA
EThere !as a she%herd that did live,
)nd held his thoughts as high
)s !ere the "ounts !hereon his flocks
Did hourly feed hi" by#E
What should !e think of the she%herdDs life if his flocks al!ays
!andered to higher %astures than his thoughtsF
Every "orning !as a cheerful invitation to "ake "y life of e@ual
si"%licity, and 9 "ay say innocence, !ith :ature herself# 9 have been as
sincere a !orshi%%er of )urora as the Greeks# 9 got u% early and bathed
in the %ondA that !as a religious eCercise, and one of the best things
!hich 9 did# They say that characters !ere engraven on the bathing tub
of ;ing Tchingthang to this effect( E3ene! thyself co"%letely each
dayA do it again, and again, and forever again#E 9 can understand that#
>orning brings back the heroic ages# 9 !as as "uch affected by the faint
hu" of a "os@uito "aking its invisible and uni"aginable tour through
"y a%art"ent at earliest da!n, !hen 9 !as sitting !ith door and !indo!s
o%en, as 9 could be by any tru"%et that ever sang of fa"e# 9t !as
o"erDs re@uie"A itself an 9liad and Odyssey in the air, singing its o!n
!rath and !anderings# There !as so"ething cos"ical about itA a standing
advertise"ent, till forbidden, of the everlasting vigor and fertility of
the !orld# The "orning, !hich is the "ost "e"orable season of the day,
is the a!akening hour# Then there is least so"nolence in usA and for an
hour, at least, so"e %art of us a!akes !hich slu"bers all the rest of
the day and night# 'ittle is to be eC%ected of that day, if it can be
called a day, to !hich !e are not a!akened by our Genius, but by the
"echanical nudgings of so"e servitor, are not a!akened by our o!n
ne!ly ac@uired force and as%irations fro" !ithin, acco"%anied by
the undulations of celestial "usic, instead of factory bells, and a
fragrance filling the air&&to a higher life than !e fell aslee% fro"A
and thus the darkness bear its fruit, and %rove itself to be good,
no less than the light# That "an !ho does not believe that each day
contains an earlier, "ore sacred, and auroral hour than he has yet
%rofaned, has des%aired of life, and is %ursuing a descending and
darkening !ay# )fter a %artial cessation of his sensuous life, the soul
of "an, or its organs rather, are reinvigorated each day, and his Genius
tries again !hat noble life it can "ake# )ll "e"orable events, 9 should
say, trans%ire in "orning ti"e and in a "orning at"os%here# The <edas
say, E)ll intelligences a!ake !ith the "orning#E Poetry and art, and
the fairest and "ost "e"orable of the actions of "en, date fro" such an
hour# )ll %oets and heroes, like >e"non, are the children of )urora, and
e"it their "usic at sunrise# To hi" !hose elastic and vigorous thought
kee%s %ace !ith the sun, the day is a %er%etual "orning# 9t "atters not
!hat the clocks say or the attitudes and labors of "en# >orning is !hen
9 a" a!ake and there is a da!n in "e# >oral refor" is the effort to
thro! off slee%# Why is it that "en give so %oor an account of their day
if they have not been slu"beringF They are not such %oor calculators#
9f they had not been overco"e !ith dro!siness, they !ould have %erfor"ed
so"ething# The "illions are a!ake enough for %hysical laborA but only
one in a "illion is a!ake enough for effective intellectual eCertion,
only one in a hundred "illions to a %oetic or divine life# To be a!ake
is to be alive# 9 have never yet "et a "an !ho !as @uite a!ake# o!
could 9 have looked hi" in the faceF
We "ust learn to rea!aken and kee% ourselves a!ake, not by "echanical
aids, but by an infinite eC%ectation of the da!n, !hich does not forsake
us in our soundest slee%# 9 kno! of no "ore encouraging fact than
the un@uestionable ability of "an to elevate his life by a conscious
endeavor# 9t is so"ething to be able to %aint a %articular %icture, or
to carve a statue, and so to "ake a fe! objects beautifulA but it is far
"ore glorious to carve and %aint the very at"os%here and "ediu" through
!hich !e look, !hich "orally !e can do# To affect the @uality of the
day, that is the highest of arts# Every "an is tasked to "ake his life,
even in its details, !orthy of the conte"%lation of his "ost elevated
and critical hour# 9f !e refused, or rather used u%, such %altry
infor"ation as !e get, the oracles !ould distinctly infor" us ho! this
"ight be done#
9 !ent to the !oods because 9 !ished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if 9 could not learn !hat it had to
teach, and not, !hen 9 ca"e to die, discover that 9 had not lived# 9 did
not !ish to live !hat !as not life, living is so dearA nor did 9 !ish
to %ractise resignation, unless it !as @uite necessary# 9 !anted to
live dee% and suck out all the "arro! of life, to live so sturdily and
8%artan&like as to %ut to rout all that !as not life, to cut a broad
s!ath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its
lo!est ter"s, and, if it %roved to be "ean, !hy then to get the !hole
and genuine "eanness of it, and %ublish its "eanness to the !orldA or
if it !ere subli"e, to kno! it by eC%erience, and be able to give a true
account of it in "y neCt eCcursion# 6or "ost "en, it a%%ears to "e, are
in a strange uncertainty about it, !hether it is of the devil or of God,
and have Bso"e!hat hastilyB concluded that it is the chief end of "an here
to Eglorify God and enjoy hi" forever#E
8till !e live "eanly, like antsA though the fable tells us that !e !ere
long ago changed into "enA like %yg"ies !e fight !ith cranesA it is
error u%on error, and clout u%on clout, and our best virtue has for its
occasion a su%erfluous and evitable !retchedness# Our life is frittered
a!ay by detail# )n honest "an has hardly need to count "ore than his ten
fingers, or in eCtre"e cases he "ay add his ten toes, and lu"% the rest#
8i"%licity, si"%licity, si"%licityG 9 say, let your affairs be as t!o or
three, and not a hundred or a thousandA instead of a "illion count half
a do?en, and kee% your accounts on your thu"b&nail# 9n the "idst of
this cho%%ing sea of civili?ed life, such are the clouds and stor"s and
@uicksands and thousand&and&one ite"s to be allo!ed for, that a "an has
to live, if he !ould not founder and go to the botto" and not "ake his
%ort at all, by dead reckoning, and he "ust be a great calculator indeed
!ho succeeds# 8i"%lify, si"%lify# 9nstead of three "eals a day, if it
be necessary eat but oneA instead of a hundred dishes, fiveA and reduce
other things in %ro%ortion# Our life is like a Ger"an Confederacy, "ade
u% of %etty states, !ith its boundary forever fluctuating, so that even
a Ger"an cannot tell you ho! it is bounded at any "o"ent# The nation
itself, !ith all its so&called internal i"%rove"ents, !hich, by the !ay
are all eCternal and su%erficial, is just such an un!ieldy and overgro!n
establish"ent, cluttered !ith furniture and tri%%ed u% by its o!n tra%s,
ruined by luCury and heedless eC%ense, by !ant of calculation and a
!orthy ai", as the "illion households in the landA and the only cure for
it, as for the", is in a rigid econo"y, a stern and "ore than 8%artan
si"%licity of life and elevation of %ur%ose# 9t lives too fast# >en
think that it is essential that the B:ationB have co""erce, and eC%ort
ice, and talk through a telegra%h, and ride thirty "iles an hour,
!ithout a doubt, !hether BtheyB do or notA but !hether !e should live
like baboons or like "en, is a little uncertain# 9f !e do not get out
slee%ers, and forge rails, and devote days and nights to the !ork,
but go to tinkering u%on our BlivesB to i"%rove Bthe"B, !ho !ill build
railroadsF )nd if railroads are not built, ho! shall !e get to heaven
in seasonF But if !e stay at ho"e and "ind our business, !ho !ill !ant
railroadsF We do not ride on the railroadA it rides u%on us# Did you
ever think !hat those slee%ers are that underlie the railroadF Each one
is a "an, an 9rish"an, or a $ankee "an# The rails are laid on the", and
they are covered !ith sand, and the cars run s"oothly over the"# They
are sound slee%ers, 9 assure you# )nd every fe! years a ne! lot is laid
do!n and run overA so that, if so"e have the %leasure of riding on a
rail, others have the "isfortune to be ridden u%on# )nd !hen they run
over a "an that is !alking in his slee%, a su%ernu"erary slee%er in the
!rong %osition, and !ake hi" u%, they suddenly sto% the cars, and "ake
a hue and cry about it, as if this !ere an eCce%tion# 9 a" glad to kno!
that it takes a gang of "en for every five "iles to kee% the slee%ers
do!n and level in their beds as it is, for this is a sign that they "ay
so"eti"e get u% again#
Why should !e live !ith such hurry and !aste of lifeF We are deter"ined
to be starved before !e are hungry# >en say that a stitch in ti"e saves
nine, and so they take a thousand stitches today to save nine to"orro!#
)s for B!orkB, !e havenDt any of any conse@uence# We have the 8aint <itusD
dance, and cannot %ossibly kee% our heads still# 9f 9 should only give
a fe! %ulls at the %arish bell&ro%e, as for a fire, that is, !ithout
setting the bell, there is hardly a "an on his far" in the outskirts of
Concord, not!ithstanding that %ress of engage"ents !hich !as his eCcuse
so "any ti"es this "orning, nor a boy, nor a !o"an, 9 "ight al"ost say,
but !ould forsake all and follo! that sound, not "ainly to save %ro%erty
fro" the fla"es, but, if !e !ill confess the truth, "uch "ore to see
it burn, since burn it "ust, and !e, be it kno!n, did not set it on
fire&&or to see it %ut out, and have a hand in it, if that is done as
handso"elyA yes, even if it !ere the %arish church itself# ardly a "an
takes a half&hourDs na% after dinner, but !hen he !akes he holds u% his
head and asks, EWhatDs the ne!sFE as if the rest of "ankind had stood
his sentinels# 8o"e give directions to be !aked every half&hour,
doubtless for no other %ur%oseA and then, to %ay for it, they tell !hat
they have drea"ed# )fter a nightDs slee% the ne!s is as indis%ensable
as the breakfast# EPray tell "e anything ne! that has ha%%ened to a "an
any!here on this globeE&&and he reads it over his coffee and rolls, that
a "an has had his eyes gouged out this "orning on the Wachito 3iverA
never drea"ing the !hile that he lives in the dark unfatho"ed "a""oth
cave of this !orld, and has but the rudi"ent of an eye hi"self#
6or "y %art, 9 could easily do !ithout the %ost&office# 9 think that
there are very fe! i"%ortant co""unications "ade through it# To s%eak
critically, 9 never received "ore than one or t!o letters in "y life&&9
!rote this so"e years ago&&that !ere !orth the %ostage# The %enny&%ost
is, co""only, an institution through !hich you seriously offer a "an
that %enny for his thoughts !hich is so often safely offered in jest#
)nd 9 a" sure that 9 never read any "e"orable ne!s in a ne!s%a%er# 9f !e
read of one "an robbed, or "urdered, or killed by accident, or one house
burned, or one vessel !recked, or one stea"boat blo!n u%, or one co!
run over on the Western 3ailroad, or one "ad dog killed, or one lot
of grassho%%ers in the !inter&&!e never need read of another# One is
enough# 9f you are ac@uainted !ith the %rinci%le, !hat do you care for
a "yriad instances and a%%licationsF To a %hiloso%her all Bne!sB, as it
is called, is gossi%, and they !ho edit and read it are old !o"en over
their tea# $et not a fe! are greedy after this gossi%# There !as such
a rush, as 9 hear, the other day at one of the offices to learn the
foreign ne!s by the last arrival, that several large s@uares of %late
glass belonging to the establish"ent !ere broken by the %ressure&&ne!s
!hich 9 seriously think a ready !it "ight !rite a t!elve&"onth, or
t!elve years, beforehand !ith sufficient accuracy# )s for 8%ain, for
instance, if you kno! ho! to thro! in Don Carlos and the 9nfanta,
and Don Pedro and 8eville and Granada, fro" ti"e to ti"e in the right
%ro%ortions&&they "ay have changed the na"es a little since 9 sa! the
%a%ers&&and serve u% a bull&fight !hen other entertain"ents fail, it
!ill be true to the letter, and give us as good an idea of the eCact
state or ruin of things in 8%ain as the "ost succinct and lucid re%orts
under this head in the ne!s%a%ers( and as for England, al"ost the last
significant scra% of ne!s fro" that @uarter !as the revolution of +NP4A
and if you have learned the history of her cro%s for an average year,
you never need attend to that thing again, unless your s%eculations are
of a "erely %ecuniary character# 9f one "ay judge !ho rarely looks into
the ne!s%a%ers, nothing ne! does ever ha%%en in foreign %arts, a 6rench
revolution not eCce%ted#
What ne!sG ho! "uch "ore i"%ortant to kno! !hat that is !hich !as never
oldG E;ieou&he&yu Jgreat dignitary of the state of WeiK sent a "an to
;houng&tseu to kno! his ne!s# ;houng&tseu caused the "essenger to be
seated near hi", and @uestioned hi" in these ter"s( What is your
"aster doingF The "essenger ans!ered !ith res%ect( >y "aster desires
to di"inish the nu"ber of his faults, but he cannot co"e to the end of
the"# The "essenger being gone, the %hiloso%her re"arked( What a !orthy
"essengerG What a !orthy "essengerGE The %reacher, instead of veCing the
ears of dro!sy far"ers on their day of rest at the end of the !eek&&for
8unday is the fit conclusion of an ill&s%ent !eek, and not the fresh
and brave beginning of a ne! one&&!ith this one other draggle&tail of
a ser"on, should shout !ith thundering voice, EPauseG )vastG Why so
see"ing fast, but deadly slo!FE
8ha"s and delusions are estee"ed for soundest truths, !hile reality is
fabulous# 9f "en !ould steadily observe realities only, and not allo!
the"selves to be deluded, life, to co"%are it !ith such things as !e
kno!, !ould be like a fairy tale and the )rabian :ightsD Entertain"ents#
9f !e res%ected only !hat is inevitable and has a right to be, "usic and
%oetry !ould resound along the streets# When !e are unhurried and !ise,
!e %erceive that only great and !orthy things have any %er"anent and
absolute eCistence, that %etty fears and %etty %leasures are but the
shado! of the reality# This is al!ays eChilarating and subli"e# By
closing the eyes and slu"bering, and consenting to be deceived by
sho!s, "en establish and confir" their daily life of routine and
habit every!here, !hich still is built on %urely illusory foundations#
Children, !ho %lay life, discern its true la! and relations "ore clearly
than "en, !ho fail to live it !orthily, but !ho think that they are
!iser by eC%erience, that is, by failure# 9 have read in a indoo book,
that Ethere !as a kingDs son, !ho, being eC%elled in infancy fro" his
native city, !as brought u% by a forester, and, gro!ing u% to "aturity
in that state, i"agined hi"self to belong to the barbarous race !ith
!hich he lived# One of his fatherDs "inisters having discovered hi",
revealed to hi" !hat he !as, and the "isconce%tion of his character !as
re"oved, and he kne! hi"self to be a %rince# 8o soul,E continues the
indoo %hiloso%her, Efro" the circu"stances in !hich it is %laced,
"istakes its o!n character, until the truth is revealed to it by so"e
holy teacher, and then it kno!s itself to be Brah"e#E 9 %erceive that
!e inhabitants of :e! England live this "ean life that !e do because our
vision does not %enetrate the surface of things# We think that that BisB
!hich Ba%%earsB to be# 9f a "an should !alk through this to!n and see only
the reality, !here, think you, !ould the E>ill&da"E go toF 9f he should
give us an account of the realities he beheld there, !e should not
recogni?e the %lace in his descri%tion# 'ook at a "eeting&house, or a
court&house, or a jail, or a sho%, or a d!elling&house, and say !hat
that thing really is before a true ga?e, and they !ould all go to %ieces
in your account of the"# >en estee" truth re"ote, in the outskirts of
the syste", behind the farthest star, before )da" and after the last
"an# 9n eternity there is indeed so"ething true and subli"e# But all
these ti"es and %laces and occasions are no! and here# God hi"self
cul"inates in the %resent "o"ent, and !ill never be "ore divine in the
la%se of all the ages# )nd !e are enabled to a%%rehend at all !hat is
subli"e and noble only by the %er%etual instilling and drenching of
the reality that surrounds us# The universe constantly and obediently
ans!ers to our conce%tionsA !hether !e travel fast or slo!, the track is
laid for us# 'et us s%end our lives in conceiving then# The %oet or
the artist never yet had so fair and noble a design but so"e of his
%osterity at least could acco"%lish it#
'et us s%end one day as deliberately as :ature, and not be thro!n off
the track by every nutshell and "os@uitoDs !ing that falls on the
rails# 'et us rise early and fast, or break fast, gently and !ithout
%erturbationA let co"%any co"e and let co"%any go, let the bells ring
and the children cry&&deter"ined to "ake a day of it# Why should !e
knock under and go !ith the strea"F 'et us not be u%set and over!hel"ed
in that terrible ra%id and !hirl%ool called a dinner, situated in the
"eridian shallo!s# Weather this danger and you are safe, for the rest of
the !ay is do!n hill# With unrelaCed nerves, !ith "orning vigor, sail
by it, looking another !ay, tied to the "ast like 5lysses# 9f the engine
!histles, let it !histle till it is hoarse for its %ains# 9f the bell
rings, !hy should !e runF We !ill consider !hat kind of "usic they are
like# 'et us settle ourselves, and !ork and !edge our feet do!n!ard
through the "ud and slush of o%inion, and %rejudice, and tradition, and
delusion, and a%%earance, that alluvion !hich covers the globe, through
Paris and 'ondon, through :e! $ork and Boston and Concord, through
Church and 8tate, through %oetry and %hiloso%hy and religion, till !e
co"e to a hard botto" and rocks in %lace, !hich !e can call BrealityB, and
say, This is, and no "istakeA and then begin, having a B%oint dDa%%uiB,
belo! freshet and frost and fire, a %lace !here you "ight found a
!all or a state, or set a la"%&%ost safely, or %erha%s a gauge, not
a :ilo"eter, but a 3ealo"eter, that future ages "ight kno! ho! dee% a
freshet of sha"s and a%%earances had gathered fro" ti"e to ti"e# 9f you
stand right fronting and face to face to a fact, you !ill see the sun
gli""er on both its surfaces, as if it !ere a ci"eter, and feel its
s!eet edge dividing you through the heart and "arro!, and so you !ill
ha%%ily conclude your "ortal career# Be it life or death, !e crave only
reality# 9f !e are really dying, let us hear the rattle in our throats
and feel cold in the eCtre"itiesA if !e are alive, let us go about our
business#
Ti"e is but the strea" 9 go a&fishing in# 9 drink at itA but !hile 9
drink 9 see the sandy botto" and detect ho! shallo! it is# 9ts thin
current slides a!ay, but eternity re"ains# 9 !ould drink dee%erA fish in
the sky, !hose botto" is %ebbly !ith stars# 9 cannot count one# 9 kno!
not the first letter of the al%habet# 9 have al!ays been regretting that
9 !as not as !ise as the day 9 !as born# The intellect is a cleaverA it
discerns and rifts its !ay into the secret of things# 9 do not !ish to
be any "ore busy !ith "y hands than is necessary# >y head is hands and
feet# 9 feel all "y best faculties concentrated in it# >y instinct tells
"e that "y head is an organ for burro!ing, as so"e creatures use their
snout and fore %a!s, and !ith it 9 !ould "ine and burro! "y !ay through
these hills# 9 think that the richest vein is so"e!here hereaboutsA
so by the divining&rod and thin rising va%ors 9 judgeA and here 9 !ill
begin to "ine#
3eading
With a little "ore deliberation in the choice of their %ursuits, all "en
!ould %erha%s beco"e essentially students and observers, for certainly
their nature and destiny are interesting to all alike# 9n accu"ulating
%ro%erty for ourselves or our %osterity, in founding a fa"ily or a
state, or ac@uiring fa"e even, !e are "ortalA but in dealing !ith
truth !e are i""ortal, and need fear no change nor accident# The oldest
Egy%tian or indoo %hiloso%her raised a corner of the veil fro" the
statue of the divinityA and still the tre"bling robe re"ains raised, and
9 ga?e u%on as fresh a glory as he did, since it !as 9 in hi" that !as
then so bold, and it is he in "e that no! revie!s the vision# :o dust
has settled on that robeA no ti"e has ela%sed since that divinity !as
revealed# That ti"e !hich !e really i"%rove, or !hich is i"%rovable, is
neither %ast, %resent, nor future#
>y residence !as "ore favorable, not only to thought, but to serious
reading, than a universityA and though 9 !as beyond the range of the
ordinary circulating library, 9 had "ore than ever co"e !ithin the
influence of those books !hich circulate round the !orld, !hose
sentences !ere first !ritten on bark, and are no! "erely co%ied fro"
ti"e to ti"e on to linen %a%er# 8ays the %oet >Vr Ca"ar 5ddVn >ast,
EBeing seated, to run through the region of the s%iritual !orldA 9 have
had this advantage in books# To be intoCicated by a single glass of
!ineA 9 have eC%erienced this %leasure !hen 9 have drunk the li@uor of
the esoteric doctrines#E 9 ke%t o"erDs 9liad on "y table through the
su""er, though 9 looked at his %age only no! and then# 9ncessant labor
!ith "y hands, at first, for 9 had "y house to finish and "y beans to
hoe at the sa"e ti"e, "ade "ore study i"%ossible# $et 9 sustained "yself
by the %ros%ect of such reading in future# 9 read one or t!o shallo!
books of travel in the intervals of "y !ork, till that e"%loy"ent "ade
"e asha"ed of "yself, and 9 asked !here it !as then that B9B lived#
The student "ay read o"er or Wschylus in the Greek !ithout danger of
dissi%ation or luCuriousness, for it i"%lies that he in so"e "easure
e"ulate their heroes, and consecrate "orning hours to their %ages# The
heroic books, even if %rinted in the character of our "other tongue,
!ill al!ays be in a language dead to degenerate ti"esA and !e "ust
laboriously seek the "eaning of each !ord and line, conjecturing a
larger sense than co""on use %er"its out of !hat !isdo" and valor and
generosity !e have# The "odern chea% and fertile %ress, !ith all its
translations, has done little to bring us nearer to the heroic !riters
of anti@uity# They see" as solitary, and the letter in !hich they
are %rinted as rare and curious, as ever# 9t is !orth the eC%ense of
youthful days and costly hours, if you learn only so"e !ords of an
ancient language, !hich are raised out of the trivialness of the street,
to be %er%etual suggestions and %rovocations# 9t is not in vain that the
far"er re"e"bers and re%eats the fe! 'atin !ords !hich he has heard# >en
so"eti"es s%eak as if the study of the classics !ould at length "ake !ay
for "ore "odern and %ractical studiesA but the adventurous student !ill
al!ays study classics, in !hatever language they "ay be !ritten and
ho!ever ancient they "ay be# 6or !hat are the classics but the noblest
recorded thoughts of "anF They are the only oracles !hich are not
decayed, and there are such ans!ers to the "ost "odern in@uiry in the"
as Del%hi and Dodona never gave# We "ight as !ell o"it to study :ature
because she is old# To read !ell, that is, to read true books in a true
s%irit, is a noble eCercise, and one that !ill task the reader "ore than
any eCercise !hich the custo"s of the day estee"# 9t re@uires a training
such as the athletes under!ent, the steady intention al"ost of the !hole
life to this object# Books "ust be read as deliberately and reservedly
as they !ere !ritten# 9t is not enough even to be able to s%eak the
language of that nation by !hich they are !ritten, for there is a
"e"orable interval bet!een the s%oken and the !ritten language, the
language heard and the language read# The one is co""only transitory,
a sound, a tongue, a dialect "erely, al"ost brutish, and !e learn
it unconsciously, like the brutes, of our "others# The other is the
"aturity and eC%erience of thatA if that is our "other tongue, this is
our father tongue, a reserved and select eC%ression, too significant to
be heard by the ear, !hich !e "ust be born again in order to s%eak# The
cro!ds of "en !ho "erely s%oke the Greek and 'atin tongues in the >iddle
)ges !ere not entitled by the accident of birth to read the !orks of
genius !ritten in those languagesA for these !ere not !ritten in
that Greek or 'atin !hich they kne!, but in the select language of
literature# They had not learned the nobler dialects of Greece and 3o"e,
but the very "aterials on !hich they !ere !ritten !ere !aste %a%er to
the", and they %ri?ed instead a chea% conte"%orary literature# But !hen
the several nations of Euro%e had ac@uired distinct though rude !ritten
languages of their o!n, sufficient for the %ur%oses of their rising
literatures, then first learning revived, and scholars !ere enabled to
discern fro" that re"oteness the treasures of anti@uity# What the 3o"an
and Grecian "ultitude could not BhearB, after the la%se of ages a fe!
scholars BreadB, and a fe! scholars only are still reading it#
o!ever "uch !e "ay ad"ire the oratorDs occasional bursts of elo@uence,
the noblest !ritten !ords are co""only as far behind or above the
fleeting s%oken language as the fir"a"ent !ith its stars is behind
the clouds# BThereB are the stars, and they !ho can "ay read the"#
The astrono"ers forever co""ent on and observe the"# They are not
eChalations like our daily collo@uies and va%orous breath# What is
called elo@uence in the foru" is co""only found to be rhetoric in the
study# The orator yields to the ins%iration of a transient occasion, and
s%eaks to the "ob before hi", to those !ho can BhearB hi"A but the !riter,
!hose "ore e@uable life is his occasion, and !ho !ould be distracted
by the event and the cro!d !hich ins%ire the orator, s%eaks to the
intellect and health of "ankind, to all in any age !ho can BunderstandB
hi"#
:o !onder that )leCander carried the 9liad !ith hi" on his eC%editions
in a %recious casket# ) !ritten !ord is the choicest of relics# 9t is
so"ething at once "ore inti"ate !ith us and "ore universal than any
other !ork of art# 9t is the !ork of art nearest to life itself# 9t "ay
be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually
breathed fro" all hu"an li%sA&&not be re%resented on canvas or in "arble
only, but be carved out of the breath of life itself# The sy"bol of
an ancient "anDs thought beco"es a "odern "anDs s%eech# T!o thousand
su""ers have i"%arted to the "onu"ents of Grecian literature, as to her
"arbles, only a "aturer golden and autu"nal tint, for they have carried
their o!n serene and celestial at"os%here into all lands to %rotect the"
against the corrosion of ti"e# Books are the treasured !ealth of the
!orld and the fit inheritance of generations and nations# Books, the
oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of
every cottage# They have no cause of their o!n to %lead, but !hile they
enlighten and sustain the reader his co""on sense !ill not refuse
the"# Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in
every society, and, "ore than kings or e"%erors, eCert an influence on
"ankind# When the illiterate and %erha%s scornful trader has earned by
enter%rise and industry his coveted leisure and inde%endence, and is
ad"itted to the circles of !ealth and fashion, he turns inevitably at
last to those still higher but yet inaccessible circles of intellect and
genius, and is sensible only of the i"%erfection of his culture and the
vanity and insufficiency of all his riches, and further %roves his
good sense by the %ains !hich he takes to secure for his children that
intellectual culture !hose !ant he so keenly feelsA and thus it is that
he beco"es the founder of a fa"ily#
Those !ho have not learned to read the ancient classics in the language
in !hich they !ere !ritten "ust have a very i"%erfect kno!ledge of the
history of the hu"an raceA for it is re"arkable that no transcri%t of
the" has ever been "ade into any "odern tongue, unless our civili?ation
itself "ay be regarded as such a transcri%t# o"er has never yet been
%rinted in English, nor Wschylus, nor <irgil even&&!orks as refined, as
solidly done, and as beautiful al"ost as the "orning itselfA for
later !riters, say !hat !e !ill of their genius, have rarely, if ever,
e@ualled the elaborate beauty and finish and the lifelong and heroic
literary labors of the ancients# They only talk of forgetting the" !ho
never kne! the"# 9t !ill be soon enough to forget the" !hen !e have the
learning and the genius !hich !ill enable us to attend to and a%%reciate
the"# That age !ill be rich indeed !hen those relics !hich !e call
Classics, and the still older and "ore than classic but even less kno!n
8cri%tures of the nations, shall have still further accu"ulated, !hen
the <aticans shall be filled !ith <edas and Xendavestas and Bibles, !ith
o"ers and Dantes and 8hakes%eares, and all the centuries to co"e shall
have successively de%osited their tro%hies in the foru" of the !orld# By
such a %ile !e "ay ho%e to scale heaven at last#
The !orks of the great %oets have never yet been read by "ankind,
for only great %oets can read the"# They have only been read as the
"ultitude read the stars, at "ost astrologically, not astrono"ically#
>ost "en have learned to read to serve a %altry convenience, as they
have learned to ci%her in order to kee% accounts and not be cheated in
tradeA but of reading as a noble intellectual eCercise they kno! little
or nothingA yet this only is reading, in a high sense, not that !hich
lulls us as a luCury and suffers the nobler faculties to slee% the
!hile, but !hat !e have to stand on ti%&toe to read and devote our "ost
alert and !akeful hours to#
9 think that having learned our letters !e should read the best that is
in literature, and not be forever re%eating our a&b&abs, and !ords of
one syllable, in the fourth or fifth classes, sitting on the lo!est and
fore"ost for" all our lives# >ost "en are satisfied if they read or hear
read, and %erchance have been convicted by the !isdo" of one good book,
the Bible, and for the rest of their lives vegetate and dissi%ate their
faculties in !hat is called easy reading# There is a !ork in several
volu"es in our Circulating 'ibrary entitled E'ittle 3eading,E !hich 9
thought referred to a to!n of that na"e !hich 9 had not been to# There
are those !ho, like cor"orants and ostriches, can digest all sorts of
this, even after the fullest dinner of "eats and vegetables, for they
suffer nothing to be !asted# 9f others are the "achines to %rovide
this %rovender, they are the "achines to read it# They read the nine
thousandth tale about Xebulon and 8o%hronia, and ho! they loved as none
had ever loved before, and neither did the course of their true love run
s"ooth&&at any rate, ho! it did run and stu"ble, and get u% again and
go onG ho! so"e %oor unfortunate got u% on to a stee%le, !ho had better
never have gone u% as far as the belfryA and then, having needlessly
got hi" u% there, the ha%%y novelist rings the bell for all the !orld to
co"e together and hear, O dearG ho! he did get do!n againG 6or "y %art,
9 think that they had better "eta"or%hose all such as%iring heroes of
universal noveldo" into "an !eather&cocks, as they used to %ut heroes
a"ong the constellations, and let the" s!ing round there till they are
rusty, and not co"e do!n at all to bother honest "en !ith their %ranks#
The neCt ti"e the novelist rings the bell 9 !ill not stir though the
"eeting&house burn do!n# EThe 8ki% of the Ti%&Toe&o%, a 3o"ance of the
>iddle )ges, by the celebrated author of DTittle&Tol&Tan,D to a%%ear
in "onthly %artsA a great rushA donDt all co"e together#E )ll this
they read !ith saucer eyes, and erect and %ri"itive curiosity, and !ith
un!earied gi??ard, !hose corrugations even yet need no shar%ening, just
as so"e little four&year&old bencher his t!o&cent gilt&covered
edition of Cinderella&&!ithout any i"%rove"ent, that 9 can see, in the
%ronunciation, or accent, or e"%hasis, or any "ore skill in eCtracting
or inserting the "oral# The result is dulness of sight, a stagnation of
the vital circulations, and a general deli@uiu" and sloughing off of all
the intellectual faculties# This sort of gingerbread is baked daily and
"ore sedulously than %ure !heat or rye&and&9ndian in al"ost every oven,
and finds a surer "arket#
The best books are not read even by those !ho are called good readers#
What does our Concord culture a"ount toF There is in this to!n, !ith a
very fe! eCce%tions, no taste for the best or for very good books even
in English literature, !hose !ords all can read and s%ell# Even the
college&bred and so&called liberally educated "en here and else!here
have really little or no ac@uaintance !ith the English classicsA and
as for the recorded !isdo" of "ankind, the ancient classics and Bibles,
!hich are accessible to all !ho !ill kno! of the", there are the
feeblest efforts any!here "ade to beco"e ac@uainted !ith the"# 9 kno! a
!oodcho%%er, of "iddle age, !ho takes a 6rench %a%er, not for ne!s as he
says, for he is above that, but to Ekee% hi"self in %ractice,E he being
a Canadian by birthA and !hen 9 ask hi" !hat he considers the best thing
he can do in this !orld, he says, beside this, to kee% u% and add to
his English# This is about as "uch as the college&bred generally do or
as%ire to do, and they take an English %a%er for the %ur%ose# One !ho
has just co"e fro" reading %erha%s one of the best English books !ill
find ho! "any !ith !ho" he can converse about itF Or su%%ose he co"es
fro" reading a Greek or 'atin classic in the original, !hose %raises are
fa"iliar even to the so&called illiterateA he !ill find nobody at all
to s%eak to, but "ust kee% silence about it# 9ndeed, there is hardly the
%rofessor in our colleges, !ho, if he has "astered the difficulties of
the language, has %ro%ortionally "astered the difficulties of the !it
and %oetry of a Greek %oet, and has any sy"%athy to i"%art to the
alert and heroic readerA and as for the sacred 8cri%tures, or Bibles of
"ankind, !ho in this to!n can tell "e even their titlesF >ost "en do not
kno! that any nation but the ebre!s have had a scri%ture# ) "an, any
"an, !ill go considerably out of his !ay to %ick u% a silver dollarA but
here are golden !ords, !hich the !isest "en of anti@uity have uttered,
and !hose !orth the !ise of every succeeding age have assured us
ofA&&and yet !e learn to read only as far as Easy 3eading, the %ri"ers
and class&books, and !hen !e leave school, the E'ittle 3eading,E and
story&books, !hich are for boys and beginnersA and our reading, our
conversation and thinking, are all on a very lo! level, !orthy only of
%yg"ies and "anikins#
9 as%ire to be ac@uainted !ith !iser "en than this our Concord soil has
%roduced, !hose na"es are hardly kno!n here# Or shall 9 hear the na"e of
Plato and never read his bookF )s if Plato !ere "y to!ns"an and 9 never
sa! hi"&&"y neCt neighbor and 9 never heard hi" s%eak or attended to
the !isdo" of his !ords# But ho! actually is itF is Dialogues, !hich
contain !hat !as i""ortal in hi", lie on the neCt shelf, and yet 9 never
read the"# We are underbred and lo!&lived and illiterateA and in this
res%ect 9 confess 9 do not "ake any very broad distinction bet!een
the illiterateness of "y to!ns"an !ho cannot read at all and the
illiterateness of hi" !ho has learned to read only !hat is for
children and feeble intellects# We should be as good as the !orthies of
anti@uity, but %artly by first kno!ing ho! good they !ere# We are a race
of tit&"en, and soar but little higher in our intellectual flights than
the colu"ns of the daily %a%er#
9t is not all books that are as dull as their readers# There are
%robably !ords addressed to our condition eCactly, !hich, if !e could
really hear and understand, !ould be "ore salutary than the "orning or
the s%ring to our lives, and %ossibly %ut a ne! as%ect on the face of
things for us# o! "any a "an has dated a ne! era in his life fro" the
reading of a bookG The book eCists for us, %erchance, !hich !ill eC%lain
our "iracles and reveal ne! ones# The at %resent unutterable things !e
"ay find so"e!here uttered# These sa"e @uestions that disturb and %u??le
and confound us have in their turn occurred to all the !ise "enA not one
has been o"ittedA and each has ans!ered the", according to his ability,
by his !ords and his life# >oreover, !ith !isdo" !e shall learn
liberality# The solitary hired "an on a far" in the outskirts of
Concord, !ho has had his second birth and %eculiar religious eC%erience,
and is driven as he believes into the silent gravity and eCclusiveness
by his faith, "ay think it is not trueA but Xoroaster, thousands of
years ago, travelled the sa"e road and had the sa"e eC%erienceA but
he, being !ise, kne! it to be universal, and treated his neighbors
accordingly, and is even said to have invented and established !orshi%
a"ong "en# 'et hi" hu"bly co""une !ith Xoroaster then, and through the
liberali?ing influence of all the !orthies, !ith *esus Christ hi"self,
and let Eour churchE go by the board#
We boast that !e belong to the :ineteenth Century and are "aking the
"ost ra%id strides of any nation# But consider ho! little this village
does for its o!n culture# 9 do not !ish to flatter "y to!ns"en, nor to
be flattered by the", for that !ill not advance either of us# We need
to be %rovoked&&goaded like oCen, as !e are, into a trot# We have a
co"%aratively decent syste" of co""on schools, schools for infants onlyA
but eCce%ting the half&starved 'yceu" in the !inter, and latterly
the %uny beginning of a library suggested by the 8tate, no school for
ourselves# We s%end "ore on al"ost any article of bodily ali"ent or
ail"ent than on our "ental ali"ent# 9t is ti"e that !e had unco""on
schools, that !e did not leave off our education !hen !e begin to be "en
and !o"en# 9t is ti"e that villages !ere universities, and their elder
inhabitants the fello!s of universities, !ith leisure&&if they are,
indeed, so !ell off&&to %ursue liberal studies the rest of their lives#
8hall the !orld be confined to one Paris or one OCford foreverF Cannot
students be boarded here and get a liberal education under the skies of
ConcordF Can !e not hire so"e )belard to lecture to usF )lasG !hat !ith
foddering the cattle and tending the store, !e are ke%t fro" school too
long, and our education is sadly neglected# 9n this country, the village
should in so"e res%ects take the %lace of the noble"an of Euro%e# 9t
should be the %atron of the fine arts# 9t is rich enough# 9t !ants only
the "agnani"ity and refine"ent# 9t can s%end "oney enough on such things
as far"ers and traders value, but it is thought 5to%ian to %ro%ose
s%ending "oney for things !hich "ore intelligent "en kno! to be of
far "ore !orth# This to!n has s%ent seventeen thousand dollars on a
to!n&house, thank fortune or %olitics, but %robably it !ill not s%end so
"uch on living !it, the true "eat to %ut into that shell, in a hundred
years# The one hundred and t!enty&five dollars annually subscribed for a
'yceu" in the !inter is better s%ent than any other e@ual su" raised in
the to!n# 9f !e live in the :ineteenth Century, !hy should !e not enjoy
the advantages !hich the :ineteenth Century offersF Why should our life
be in any res%ect %rovincialF 9f !e !ill read ne!s%a%ers, !hy not
ski% the gossi% of Boston and take the best ne!s%a%er in the !orld at
onceF&&not be sucking the %a% of Eneutral fa"ilyE %a%ers, or bro!sing
EOlive BranchesE here in :e! England# 'et the re%orts of all the learned
societies co"e to us, and !e !ill see if they kno! anything# Why
should !e leave it to ar%er T Brothers and 3edding T Co# to select
our readingF )s the noble"an of cultivated taste surrounds hi"self
!ith !hatever conduces to his culture&&genius&&learning&&!it&&books&&
%aintings&&statuary&&"usic&&%hiloso%hical instru"ents, and the likeA so
let the village do&&not sto% short at a %edagogue, a %arson, a seCton, a
%arish library, and three select"en, because our Pilgri" forefathers got
through a cold !inter once on a bleak rock !ith these# To act
collectively is according to the s%irit of our institutionsA and 9 a"
confident that, as our circu"stances are "ore flourishing, our "eans are
greater than the noble"anDs# :e! England can hire all the !ise "en in
the !orld to co"e and teach her, and board the" round the !hile, and not
be %rovincial at all# That is the Bunco""onB school !e !ant# 9nstead of
noble"en, let us have noble villages of "en# 9f it is necessary, o"it
one bridge over the river, go round a little there, and thro! one arch
at least over the darker gulf of ignorance !hich surrounds us#
8ounds
But !hile !e are confined to books, though the "ost select and classic,
and read only %articular !ritten languages, !hich are the"selves but
dialects and %rovincial, !e are in danger of forgetting the language
!hich all things and events s%eak !ithout "eta%hor, !hich alone is
co%ious and standard# >uch is %ublished, but little %rinted# The rays
!hich strea" through the shutter !ill be no longer re"e"bered !hen the
shutter is !holly re"oved# :o "ethod nor disci%line can su%ersede the
necessity of being forever on the alert# What is a course of history or
%hiloso%hy, or %oetry, no "atter ho! !ell selected, or the best society,
or the "ost ad"irable routine of life, co"%ared !ith the disci%line of
looking al!ays at !hat is to be seenF Will you be a reader, a student
"erely, or a seerF 3ead your fate, see !hat is before you, and !alk on
into futurity#
9 did not read books the first su""erA 9 hoed beans# :ay, 9 often did
better than this# There !ere ti"es !hen 9 could not afford to sacrifice
the bloo" of the %resent "o"ent to any !ork, !hether of the head or
hands# 9 love a broad "argin to "y life# 8o"eti"es, in a su""er "orning,
having taken "y accusto"ed bath, 9 sat in "y sunny door!ay fro" sunrise
till noon, ra%t in a revery, a"idst the %ines and hickories and su"achs,
in undisturbed solitude and stillness, !hile the birds sing around or
flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at
"y !est !indo!, or the noise of so"e travellerDs !agon on the distant
high!ay, 9 !as re"inded of the la%se of ti"e# 9 gre! in those seasons
like corn in the night, and they !ere far better than any !ork of the
hands !ould have been# They !ere not ti"e subtracted fro" "y life, but
so "uch over and above "y usual allo!ance# 9 reali?ed !hat the Orientals
"ean by conte"%lation and the forsaking of !orks# 6or the "ost %art, 9
"inded not ho! the hours !ent# The day advanced as if to light so"e
!ork of "ineA it !as "orning, and lo, no! it is evening, and nothing
"e"orable is acco"%lished# 9nstead of singing like the birds, 9 silently
s"iled at "y incessant good fortune# )s the s%arro! had its trill,
sitting on the hickory before "y door, so had 9 "y chuckle or su%%ressed
!arble !hich he "ight hear out of "y nest# >y days !ere not days of the
!eek, bearing the sta"% of any heathen deity, nor !ere they "inced into
hours and fretted by the ticking of a clockA for 9 lived like the Puri
9ndians, of !ho" it is said that Efor yesterday, today, and to"orro!
they have only one !ord, and they eC%ress the variety of "eaning by
%ointing back!ard for yesterday for!ard for to"orro!, and overhead for
the %assing day#E This !as sheer idleness to "y fello!&to!ns"en, no
doubtA but if the birds and flo!ers had tried "e by their standard, 9
should not have been found !anting# ) "an "ust find his occasions in
hi"self, it is true# The natural day is very cal", and !ill hardly
re%rove his indolence#
9 had this advantage, at least, in "y "ode of life, over those !ho !ere
obliged to look abroad for a"use"ent, to society and the theatre, that
"y life itself !as beco"e "y a"use"ent and never ceased to be novel#
9t !as a dra"a of "any scenes and !ithout an end# 9f !e !ere al!ays,
indeed, getting our living, and regulating our lives according to the
last and best "ode !e had learned, !e should never be troubled !ith
ennui# 6ollo! your genius closely enough, and it !ill not fail to sho!
you a fresh %ros%ect every hour# ouse!ork !as a %leasant %asti"e# When
"y floor !as dirty, 9 rose early, and, setting all "y furniture out of
doors on the grass, bed and bedstead "aking but one budget, dashed !ater
on the floor, and s%rinkled !hite sand fro" the %ond on it, and then
!ith a broo" scrubbed it clean and !hiteA and by the ti"e the villagers
had broken their fast the "orning sun had dried "y house sufficiently to
allo! "e to "ove in again, and "y "editations !ere al"ost uninteru%ted#
9t !as %leasant to see "y !hole household effects out on the grass,
"aking a little %ile like a gy%syDs %ack, and "y three&legged table,
fro" !hich 9 did not re"ove the books and %en and ink, standing a"id the
%ines and hickories# They see"ed glad to get out the"selves, and as if
un!illing to be brought in# 9 !as so"eti"es te"%ted to stretch an a!ning
over the" and take "y seat there# 9t !as !orth the !hile to see the sun
shine on these things, and hear the free !ind blo! on the"A so "uch "ore
interesting "ost fa"iliar objects look out of doors than in the house# )
bird sits on the neCt bough, life&everlasting gro!s under the table,
and blackberry vines run round its legsA %ine cones, chestnut burs, and
stra!berry leaves are stre!n about# 9t looked as if this !as the !ay
these for"s ca"e to be transferred to our furniture, to tables, chairs,
and bedsteads&&because they once stood in their "idst#
>y house !as on the side of a hill, i""ediately on the edge of
the larger !ood, in the "idst of a young forest of %itch %ines and
hickories, and half a do?en rods fro" the %ond, to !hich a narro!
foot%ath led do!n the hill# 9n "y front yard gre! the stra!berry,
blackberry, and life&everlasting, johns!ort and goldenrod, shrub oaks
and sand cherry, blueberry and groundnut# :ear the end of >ay, the sand
cherry JBCerasus %u"ilaBK adorned the sides of the %ath !ith its delicate
flo!ers arranged in u"bels cylindrically about its short ste"s, !hich
last, in the fall, !eighed do!n !ith good&si?ed and handso"e cherries,
fell over in !reaths like rays on every side# 9 tasted the" out of
co"%li"ent to :ature, though they !ere scarcely %alatable# The su"ach
JB3hus glabraBK gre! luCuriantly about the house, %ushing u% through the
e"bank"ent !hich 9 had "ade, and gro!ing five or siC feet the first
season# 9ts broad %innate tro%ical leaf !as %leasant though strange to
look on# The large buds, suddenly %ushing out late in the s%ring fro"
dry sticks !hich had see"ed to be dead, develo%ed the"selves as by
"agic into graceful green and tender boughs, an inch in dia"eterA and
so"eti"es, as 9 sat at "y !indo!, so heedlessly did they gro! and taC
their !eak joints, 9 heard a fresh and tender bough suddenly fall like
a fan to the ground, !hen there !as not a breath of air stirring, broken
off by its o!n !eight# 9n )ugust, the large "asses of berries, !hich,
!hen in flo!er, had attracted "any !ild bees, gradually assu"ed their
bright velvety cri"son hue, and by their !eight again bent do!n and
broke the tender li"bs#
7 7 7 7 7
)s 9 sit at "y !indo! this su""er afternoon, ha!ks are circling about "y
clearingA the tantivy of !ild %igeons, flying by t!o and threes ath!art
"y vie!, or %erching restless on the !hite %ine boughs behind "y house,
gives a voice to the airA a fish ha!k di"%les the glassy surface of the
%ond and brings u% a fishA a "ink steals out of the "arsh before "y door
and sei?es a frog by the shoreA the sedge is bending under the !eight of
the reed&birds flitting hither and thitherA and for the last half&hour 9
have heard the rattle of railroad cars, no! dying a!ay and then reviving
like the beat of a %artridge, conveying travellers fro" Boston to the
country# 6or 9 did not live so out of the !orld as that boy !ho, as 9
hear, !as %ut out to a far"er in the east %art of the to!n, but ere long
ran a!ay and ca"e ho"e again, @uite do!n at the heel and ho"esick# e
had never seen such a dull and out&of&the&!ay %laceA the folks !ere all
gone offA !hy, you couldnDt even hear the !histleG 9 doubt if there is
such a %lace in >assachusetts no!(&&
E9n truth, our village has beco"e a butt
6or one of those fleet railroad shafts, and oDer
Our %eaceful %lain its soothing sound is&&Concord#E
The 6itchburg 3ailroad touches the %ond about a hundred rods south of
!here 9 d!ell# 9 usually go to the village along its cause!ay, and a",
as it !ere, related to society by this link# The "en on the freight
trains, !ho go over the !hole length of the road, bo! to "e as to an old
ac@uaintance, they %ass "e so often, and a%%arently they take "e for an
e"%loyeeA and so 9 a"# 9 too !ould fain be a track&re%airer so"e!here in
the orbit of the earth#
The !histle of the loco"otive %enetrates "y !oods su""er and !inter,
sounding like the screa" of a ha!k sailing over so"e far"erDs yard,
infor"ing "e that "any restless city "erchants are arriving !ithin the
circle of the to!n, or adventurous country traders fro" the other side#
)s they co"e under one hori?on, they shout their !arning to get off the
track to the other, heard so"eti"es through the circles of t!o to!ns#
ere co"e your groceries, countryA your rations, country"enG :or is
there any "an so inde%endent on his far" that he can say the" nay# )nd
hereDs your %ay for the"G screa"s the country"anDs !histleA ti"ber like
long battering&ra"s going t!enty "iles an hour against the cityDs !alls,
and chairs enough to seat all the !eary and heavy&laden that d!ell
!ithin the"# With such huge and lu"bering civility the country hands a
chair to the city# )ll the 9ndian huckleberry hills are stri%%ed, all
the cranberry "eado!s are raked into the city# 5% co"es the cotton, do!n
goes the !oven clothA u% co"es the silk, do!n goes the !oollenA u% co"e
the books, but do!n goes the !it that !rites the"#
When 9 "eet the engine !ith its train of cars "oving off !ith %lanetary
"otion&&or, rather, like a co"et, for the beholder kno!s not if !ith
that velocity and !ith that direction it !ill ever revisit this syste",
since its orbit does not look like a returning curve&&!ith its stea"
cloud like a banner strea"ing behind in golden and silver !reaths, like
"any a do!ny cloud !hich 9 have seen, high in the heavens, unfolding its
"asses to the light&&as if this traveling de"igod, this cloud&co"%eller,
!ould ere long take the sunset sky for the livery of his trainA !hen
9 hear the iron horse "ake the hills echo !ith his snort like thunder,
shaking the earth !ith his feet, and breathing fire and s"oke fro" his
nostrils J!hat kind of !inged horse or fiery dragon they !ill %ut into
the ne! >ythology 9 donDt kno!K, it see"s as if the earth had got a
race no! !orthy to inhabit it# 9f all !ere as it see"s, and "en "ade the
ele"ents their servants for noble endsG 9f the cloud that hangs over the
engine !ere the %ers%iration of heroic deeds, or as beneficent as that
!hich floats over the far"erDs fields, then the ele"ents and :ature
herself !ould cheerfully acco"%any "en on their errands and be their
escort#
9 !atch the %assage of the "orning cars !ith the sa"e feeling that 9
do the rising of the sun, !hich is hardly "ore regular# Their train
of clouds stretching far behind and rising higher and higher, going to
heaven !hile the cars are going to Boston, conceals the sun for a "inute
and casts "y distant field into the shade, a celestial train beside
!hich the %etty train of cars !hich hugs the earth is but the barb
of the s%ear# The stabler of the iron horse !as u% early this !inter
"orning by the light of the stars a"id the "ountains, to fodder and
harness his steed# 6ire, too, !as a!akened thus early to %ut the vital
heat in hi" and get hi" off# 9f the enter%rise !ere as innocent as it is
earlyG 9f the sno! lies dee%, they stra% on his sno!shoes, and, !ith the
giant %lo!, %lo! a furro! fro" the "ountains to the seaboard, in !hich
the cars, like a follo!ing drill&barro!, s%rinkle all the restless "en
and floating "erchandise in the country for seed# )ll day the fire&steed
flies over the country, sto%%ing only that his "aster "ay rest, and 9 a"
a!akened by his tra"% and defiant snort at "idnight, !hen in so"e re"ote
glen in the !oods he fronts the ele"ents incased in ice and sno!A and he
!ill reach his stall only !ith the "orning star, to start once "ore on
his travels !ithout rest or slu"ber# Or %erchance, at evening, 9 hear
hi" in his stable blo!ing off the su%erfluous energy of the day, that he
"ay cal" his nerves and cool his liver and brain for a fe! hours of
iron slu"ber# 9f the enter%rise !ere as heroic and co""anding as it is
%rotracted and un!eariedG
6ar through unfre@uented !oods on the confines of to!ns, !here once only
the hunter %enetrated by day, in the darkest night dart these bright
saloons !ithout the kno!ledge of their inhabitantsA this "o"ent sto%%ing
at so"e brilliant station&house in to!n or city, !here a social cro!d
is gathered, the neCt in the Dis"al 8!a"%, scaring the o!l and foC# The
startings and arrivals of the cars are no! the e%ochs in the village
day# They go and co"e !ith such regularity and %recision, and their
!histle can be heard so far, that the far"ers set their clocks by the",
and thus one !ell&conducted institution regulates a !hole country#
ave not "en i"%roved so"e!hat in %unctuality since the railroad !as
inventedF Do they not talk and think faster in the de%ot than they did
in the stage&officeF There is so"ething electrifying in the at"os%here
of the for"er %lace# 9 have been astonished at the "iracles it has
!roughtA that so"e of "y neighbors, !ho, 9 should have %ro%hesied, once
for all, !ould never get to Boston by so %ro"%t a conveyance, are on
hand !hen the bell rings# To do things Erailroad fashionE is no! the
by!ordA and it is !orth the !hile to be !arned so often and so sincerely
by any %o!er to get off its track# There is no sto%%ing to read the
riot act, no firing over the heads of the "ob, in this case# We have
constructed a fate, an B)tro%osB, that never turns aside# J'et that be
the na"e of your engine#K >en are advertised that at a certain hour and
"inute these bolts !ill be shot to!ard %articular %oints of the co"%assA
yet it interferes !ith no "anDs business, and the children go to school
on the other track# We live the steadier for it# We are all educated
thus to be sons of Tell# The air is full of invisible bolts# Every %ath
but your o!n is the %ath of fate# ;ee% on your o!n track, then#
What reco""ends co""erce to "e is its enter%rise and bravery# 9t does
not clas% its hands and %ray to *u%iter# 9 see these "en every day go
about their business !ith "ore or less courage and content, doing "ore
even than they sus%ect, and %erchance better e"%loyed than they could
have consciously devised# 9 a" less affected by their herois" !ho stood
u% for half an hour in the front line at Buena <ista, than by the steady
and cheerful valor of the "en !ho inhabit the sno!%lo! for their !inter
@uartersA !ho have not "erely the three&oD&clock&in&the&"orning courage,
!hich Bona%arte thought !as the rarest, but !hose courage does not go to
rest so early, !ho go to slee% only !hen the stor" slee%s or the sine!s
of their iron steed are fro?en# On this "orning of the Great 8no!,
%erchance, !hich is still raging and chilling "enDs blood, 9 bear the
"uffled tone of their engine bell fro" out the fog bank of their chilled
breath, !hich announces that the cars Bare co"ingB, !ithout long delay,
not!ithstanding the veto of a :e! England northeast sno!&stor", and
9 behold the %lo!"en covered !ith sno! and ri"e, their heads %eering,
above the "ould&board !hich is turning do!n other than daisies and the
nests of field "ice, like bo!lders of the 8ierra :evada, that occu%y an
outside %lace in the universe#
Co""erce is uneC%ectedly confident and serene, alert, adventurous, and
un!earied# 9t is very natural in its "ethods !ithal, far "ore so than
"any fantastic enter%rises and senti"ental eC%eri"ents, and hence its
singular success# 9 a" refreshed and eC%anded !hen the freight train
rattles %ast "e, and 9 s"ell the stores !hich go dis%ensing their odors
all the !ay fro" 'ong Wharf to 'ake Cha"%lain, re"inding "e of foreign
%arts, of coral reefs, and 9ndian oceans, and tro%ical cli"es, and the
eCtent of the globe# 9 feel "ore like a citi?en of the !orld at the
sight of the %al"&leaf !hich !ill cover so "any flaCen :e! England heads
the neCt su""er, the >anilla he"% and cocoanut husks, the old junk,
gunny bags, scra% iron, and rusty nails# This carload of torn sails is
"ore legible and interesting no! than if they should be !rought into
%a%er and %rinted books# Who can !rite so gra%hically the history of
the stor"s they have !eathered as these rents have doneF They are
%roof&sheets !hich need no correction# ere goes lu"ber fro" the >aine
!oods, !hich did not go out to sea in the last freshet, risen four
dollars on the thousand because of !hat did go out or !as s%lit u%A
%ine, s%ruce, cedar&&first, second, third, and fourth @ualities,
so lately all of one @uality, to !ave over the bear, and "oose, and
caribou# :eCt rolls Tho"aston li"e, a %ri"e lot, !hich !ill get far
a"ong the hills before it gets slacked# These rags in bales, of all hues
and @ualities, the lo!est condition to !hich cotton and linen descend,
the final result of dress&&of %atterns !hich are no! no longer cried u%,
unless it be in >il!aukee, as those s%lendid articles, English, 6rench,
or )"erican %rints, gingha"s, "uslins, etc#, gathered fro" all @uarters
both of fashion and %overty, going to beco"e %a%er of one color or a
fe! shades only, on !hich, forsooth, !ill be !ritten tales of real life,
high and lo!, and founded on factG This closed car s"ells of salt fish,
the strong :e! England and co""ercial scent, re"inding "e of the Grand
Banks and the fisheries# Who has not seen a salt fish, thoroughly
cured for this !orld, so that nothing can s%oil it, and %utting the
%erseverance of the saints to the blushF !ith !hich you "ay s!ee% or
%ave the streets, and s%lit your kindlings, and the tea"ster shelter
hi"self and his lading against sun, !ind, and rain behind it&&and the
trader, as a Concord trader once did, hang it u% by his door for a sign
!hen he co""ences business, until at last his oldest custo"er cannot
tell surely !hether it be ani"al, vegetable, or "ineral, and yet it
shall be as %ure as a sno!flake, and if it be %ut into a %ot and boiled,
!ill co"e out an eCcellent dun&fish for a 8aturdayDs dinner# :eCt
8%anish hides, !ith the tails still %reserving their t!ist and the angle
of elevation they had !hen the oCen that !ore the" !ere careering over
the %a"%as of the 8%anish >ain&&a ty%e of all obstinacy, and evincing
ho! al"ost ho%eless and incurable are all constitutional vices# 9
confess, that %ractically s%eaking, !hen 9 have learned a "anDs real
dis%osition, 9 have no ho%es of changing it for the better or !orse
in this state of eCistence# )s the Orientals say, E) curDs tail "ay be
!ar"ed, and %ressed, and bound round !ith ligatures, and after a t!elve
yearsD labor besto!ed u%on it, still it !ill retain its natural for"#E
The only effectual cure for such inveteracies as these tails eChibit is
to "ake glue of the", !hich 9 believe is !hat is usually done !ith the",
and then they !ill stay %ut and stick# ere is a hogshead of "olasses
or of brandy directed to *ohn 8"ith, Cuttingsville, <er"ont, so"e
trader a"ong the Green >ountains, !ho i"%orts for the far"ers near his
clearing, and no! %erchance stands over his bulkhead and thinks of
the last arrivals on the coast, ho! they "ay affect the %rice for hi",
telling his custo"ers this "o"ent, as he has told the" t!enty ti"es
before this "orning, that he eC%ects so"e by the neCt train of %ri"e
@uality# 9t is advertised in the Cuttingsville Ti"es#
While these things go u% other things co"e do!n# Warned by the !hi??ing
sound, 9 look u% fro" "y book and see so"e tall %ine, he!n on far
northern hills, !hich has !inged its !ay over the Green >ountains and
the Connecticut, shot like an arro! through the to!nshi% !ithin ten
"inutes, and scarce another eye beholds itA going
Eto be the "ast
Of so"e great a""iral#E
)nd harkG here co"es the cattle&train bearing the cattle of a thousand
hills, shee%cots, stables, and co!&yards in the air, drovers !ith their
sticks, and she%herd boys in the "idst of their flocks, all but the
"ountain %astures, !hirled along like leaves blo!n fro" the "ountains by
the 8e%te"ber gales# The air is filled !ith the bleating of calves and
shee%, and the hustling of oCen, as if a %astoral valley !ere going by#
When the old bell&!ether at the head rattles his bell, the "ountains
do indeed ski% like ra"s and the little hills like la"bs# ) carload
of drovers, too, in the "idst, on a level !ith their droves no!, their
vocation gone, but still clinging to their useless sticks as their badge
of office# But their dogs, !here are theyF 9t is a sta"%ede to the"A
they are @uite thro!n outA they have lost the scent# >ethinks 9 hear
the" barking behind the PeterboroD ills, or %anting u% the !estern
slo%e of the Green >ountains# They !ill not be in at the death# Their
vocation, too, is gone# Their fidelity and sagacity are belo! %ar no!#
They !ill slink back to their kennels in disgrace, or %erchance run !ild
and strike a league !ith the !olf and the foC# 8o is your %astoral life
!hirled %ast and a!ay# But the bell rings, and 9 "ust get off the track
and let the cars go byA&&
WhatDs the railroad to "eF
9 never go to see
Where it ends#
9t fills a fe! hollo!s,
)nd "akes banks for the s!allo!s,
9t sets the sand a&blo!ing,
)nd the blackberries a&gro!ing,
but 9 cross it like a cart&%ath in the !oods# 9 !ill not have "y eyes
%ut out and "y ears s%oiled by its s"oke and stea" and hissing#
7 7 7 7 7
:o! that the cars are gone by and all the restless !orld !ith the", and
the fishes in the %ond no longer feel their ru"bling, 9 a" "ore alone
than ever# 6or the rest of the long afternoon, %erha%s, "y "editations
are interru%ted only by the faint rattle of a carriage or tea" along the
distant high!ay#
8o"eti"es, on 8undays, 9 heard the bells, the 'incoln, )cton, Bedford,
or Concord bell, !hen the !ind !as favorable, a faint, s!eet, and, as
it !ere, natural "elody, !orth i"%orting into the !ilderness# )t
a sufficient distance over the !oods this sound ac@uires a certain
vibratory hu", as if the %ine needles in the hori?on !ere the strings of
a har% !hich it s!e%t# )ll sound heard at the greatest %ossible distance
%roduces one and the sa"e effect, a vibration of the universal lyre,
just as the intervening at"os%here "akes a distant ridge of earth
interesting to our eyes by the a?ure tint it i"%arts to it# There ca"e
to "e in this case a "elody !hich the air had strained, and !hich had
conversed !ith every leaf and needle of the !ood, that %ortion of the
sound !hich the ele"ents had taken u% and "odulated and echoed fro" vale
to vale# The echo is, to so"e eCtent, an original sound, and therein
is the "agic and char" of it# 9t is not "erely a re%etition of !hat !as
!orth re%eating in the bell, but %artly the voice of the !oodA the sa"e
trivial !ords and notes sung by a !ood&ny"%h#
)t evening, the distant lo!ing of so"e co! in the hori?on beyond the
!oods sounded s!eet and "elodious, and at first 9 !ould "istake it for
the voices of certain "instrels by !ho" 9 !as so"eti"es serenaded, !ho
"ight be straying over hill and daleA but soon 9 !as not un%leasantly
disa%%ointed !hen it !as %rolonged into the chea% and natural "usic of
the co!# 9 do not "ean to be satirical, but to eC%ress "y a%%reciation
of those youthsD singing, !hen 9 state that 9 %erceived clearly that
it !as akin to the "usic of the co!, and they !ere at length one
articulation of :ature#
3egularly at half&%ast seven, in one %art of the su""er, after the
evening train had gone by, the !hi%&%oor&!ills chanted their ves%ers for
half an hour, sitting on a stu"% by "y door, or u%on the ridge&%ole of
the house# They !ould begin to sing al"ost !ith as "uch %recision as a
clock, !ithin five "inutes of a %articular ti"e, referred to the setting
of the sun, every evening# 9 had a rare o%%ortunity to beco"e ac@uainted
!ith their habits# 8o"eti"es 9 heard four or five at once in different
%arts of the !ood, by accident one a bar behind another, and so near "e
that 9 distinguished not only the cluck after each note, but often that
singular bu??ing sound like a fly in a s%iderDs !eb, only %ro%ortionally
louder# 8o"eti"es one !ould circle round and round "e in the !oods a fe!
feet distant as if tethered by a string, !hen %robably 9 !as near its
eggs# They sang at intervals throughout the night, and !ere again as
"usical as ever just before and about da!n#
When other birds are still, the screech o!ls take u% the strain, like
"ourning !o"en their ancient u&lu&lu# Their dis"al screa" is truly Ben
*onsonian# Wise "idnight hagsG 9t is no honest and blunt tu&!hit tu&!ho
of the %oets, but, !ithout jesting, a "ost sole"n graveyard ditty, the
"utual consolations of suicide lovers re"e"bering the %angs and the
delights of su%ernal love in the infernal groves# $et 9 love to hear
their !ailing, their doleful res%onses, trilled along the !oodsideA
re"inding "e so"eti"es of "usic and singing birdsA as if it !ere the
dark and tearful side of "usic, the regrets and sighs that !ould fain be
sung# They are the s%irits, the lo! s%irits and "elancholy forebodings,
of fallen souls that once in hu"an sha%e night&!alked the earth and did
the deeds of darkness, no! eC%iating their sins !ith their !ailing hy"ns
or threnodies in the scenery of their transgressions# They give "e a
ne! sense of the variety and ca%acity of that nature !hich is our co""on
d!elling# BOh&o&o&o&o that 9 never had been bor&r&r&r&nGB sighs one on
this side of the %ond, and circles !ith the restlessness of des%air
to so"e ne! %erch on the gray oaks# Then&&Bthat 9 never had been
bor&r&r&r&nGB echoes another on the farther side !ith tre"ulous
sincerity, and&&Bbor&r&r&r&nGB co"es faintly fro" far in the 'incoln
!oods#
9 !as also serenaded by a hooting o!l# :ear at hand you could fancy
it the "ost "elancholy sound in :ature, as if she "eant by this to
stereoty%e and "ake %er"anent in her choir the dying "oans of a hu"an
being&&so"e %oor !eak relic of "ortality !ho has left ho%e behind, and
ho!ls like an ani"al, yet !ith hu"an sobs, on entering the dark valley,
"ade "ore a!ful by a certain gurgling "elodiousness&&9 find "yself
beginning !ith the letters BglB !hen 9 try to i"itate it&&eC%ressive of
a "ind !hich has reached the gelatinous, "ilde!y stage in the
"ortification of all healthy and courageous thought# 9t re"inded "e
of ghouls and idiots and insane ho!lings# But no! one ans!ers fro" far
!oods in a strain "ade really "elodious by distance&&Boo hoo hoo,
hoorer hooBA and indeed for the "ost %art it suggested only %leasing
associations, !hether heard by day or night, su""er or !inter#
9 rejoice that there are o!ls# 'et the" do the idiotic and "aniacal
hooting for "en# 9t is a sound ad"irably suited to s!a"%s and t!ilight
!oods !hich no day illustrates, suggesting a vast and undevelo%ed nature
!hich "en have not recogni?ed# They re%resent the stark t!ilight and
unsatisfied thoughts !hich all have# )ll day the sun has shone on the
surface of so"e savage s!a"%, !here the single s%ruce stands hung !ith
usnea lichens, and s"all ha!ks circulate above, and the chickadee lis%s
a"id the evergreens, and the %artridge and rabbit skulk beneathA but no!
a "ore dis"al and fitting day da!ns, and a different race of creatures
a!akes to eC%ress the "eaning of :ature there#
'ate in the evening 9 heard the distant ru"bling of !agons over
bridges&&a sound heard farther than al"ost any other at night&&the
baying of dogs, and so"eti"es again the lo!ing of so"e disconsolate co!
in a distant barn&yard# 9n the "ean&!hile all the shore rang !ith the
tru"% of bullfrogs, the sturdy s%irits of ancient !ine&bibbers and
!assailers, still unre%entant, trying to sing a catch in their 8tygian
lake&&if the Walden ny"%hs !ill %ardon the co"%arison, for though there
are al"ost no !eeds, there are frogs there&&!ho !ould fain kee% u% the
hilarious rules of their old festal tables, though their voices have
!aCed hoarse and sole"nly grave, "ocking at "irth, and the !ine has lost
its flavor, and beco"e only li@uor to distend their %aunches, and s!eet
intoCication never co"es to dro!n the "e"ory of the %ast, but "ere
saturation and !aterloggedness and distention# The "ost alder"anic, !ith
his chin u%on a heart&leaf, !hich serves for a na%kin to his drooling
cha%s, under this northern shore @uaffs a dee% draught of the
once scorned !ater, and %asses round the cu% !ith the ejaculation
Btr&r&r&oonk, tr&r&r&&oonk, tr&r&r&oonkGB and straight!ay co"es over the
!ater fro" so"e distant cove the sa"e %ass!ord re%eated, !here the
neCt in seniority and girth has gul%ed do!n to his "arkA and !hen this
observance has "ade the circuit of the shores, then ejaculates the
"aster of cere"onies, !ith satisfaction, Btr&r&r&oonkGB and each in
his turn re%eats the sa"e do!n to the least distended, leakiest, and
flabbiest %aunched, that there be no "istakeA and then the ho!l goes
round again and again, until the sun dis%erses the "orning "ist, and
only the %atriarch is not under the %ond, but vainly bello!ing BtroonkB
fro" ti"e to ti"e, and %ausing for a re%ly#
9 a" not sure that 9 ever heard the sound of cock&cro!ing fro" "y
clearing, and 9 thought that it "ight be !orth the !hile to kee% a
cockerel for his "usic "erely, as a singing bird# The note of this once
!ild 9ndian %heasant is certainly the "ost re"arkable of any birdDs, and
if they could be naturali?ed !ithout being do"esticated, it !ould soon
beco"e the "ost fa"ous sound in our !oods, sur%assing the clangor of the
goose and the hooting of the o!lA and then i"agine the cackling of the
hens to fill the %auses !hen their lordsD clarions restedG :o !onder
that "an added this bird to his ta"e stock&&to say nothing of the eggs
and dru"sticks# To !alk in a !inter "orning in a !ood !here these birds
abounded, their native !oods, and hear the !ild cockerels cro! on the
trees, clear and shrill for "iles over the resounding earth, dro!ning
the feebler notes of other birds&&think of itG 9t !ould %ut nations on
the alert# Who !ould not be early to rise, and rise earlier and earlier
every successive day of his life, till he beca"e uns%eakably healthy,
!ealthy, and !iseF This foreign birdDs note is celebrated by the %oets
of all countries along !ith the notes of their native songsters# )ll
cli"ates agree !ith brave Chanticleer# e is "ore indigenous even than
the natives# is health is ever good, his lungs are sound, his s%irits
never flag# Even the sailor on the )tlantic and Pacific is a!akened by
his voiceA but its shrill sound never roused "e fro" "y slu"bers# 9 ke%t
neither dog, cat, co!, %ig, nor hens, so that you !ould have said
there !as a deficiency of do"estic soundsA neither the churn, nor the
s%inning&!heel, nor even the singing of the kettle, nor the hissing of
the urn, nor children crying, to co"fort one# )n old&fashioned "an !ould
have lost his senses or died of ennui before this# :ot even rats in the
!all, for they !ere starved out, or rather !ere never baited in&&only
s@uirrels on the roof and under the floor, a !hi%&%oor&!ill on the
ridge&%ole, a blue jay screa"ing beneath the !indo!, a hare or !oodchuck
under the house, a screech o!l or a cat o!l behind it, a flock of !ild
geese or a laughing loon on the %ond, and a foC to bark in the night#
:ot even a lark or an oriole, those "ild %lantation birds, ever visited
"y clearing# :o cockerels to cro! nor hens to cackle in the yard# :o
yardG but unfenced nature reaching u% to your very sills# ) young forest
gro!ing u% under your "eado!s, and !ild su"achs and blackberry vines
breaking through into your cellarA sturdy %itch %ines rubbing and
creaking against the shingles for !ant of roo", their roots reaching
@uite under the house# 9nstead of a scuttle or a blind blo!n off in the
gale&&a %ine tree sna%%ed off or torn u% by the roots behind your
house for fuel# 9nstead of no %ath to the front&yard gate in the Great
8no!&&no gate&&no front&yard&&and no %ath to the civili?ed !orld#
8olitude
This is a delicious evening, !hen the !hole body is one sense, and
i"bibes delight through every %ore# 9 go and co"e !ith a strange liberty
in :ature, a %art of herself# )s 9 !alk along the stony shore of the
%ond in "y shirt&sleeves, though it is cool as !ell as cloudy and !indy,
and 9 see nothing s%ecial to attract "e, all the ele"ents are unusually
congenial to "e# The bullfrogs tru"% to usher in the night, and the note
of the !hi%&%oor&!ill is borne on the ri%%ling !ind fro" over the !ater#
8y"%athy !ith the fluttering alder and %o%lar leaves al"ost takes a!ay
"y breathA yet, like the lake, "y serenity is ri%%led but not ruffled#
These s"all !aves raised by the evening !ind are as re"ote fro" stor"
as the s"ooth reflecting surface# Though it is no! dark, the !ind still
blo!s and roars in the !ood, the !aves still dash, and so"e creatures
lull the rest !ith their notes# The re%ose is never co"%lete# The
!ildest ani"als do not re%ose, but seek their %rey no!A the foC, and
skunk, and rabbit, no! roa" the fields and !oods !ithout fear# They are
:atureDs !atch"en&&links !hich connect the days of ani"ated life#
When 9 return to "y house 9 find that visitors have been there and left
their cards, either a bunch of flo!ers, or a !reath of evergreen, or a
na"e in %encil on a yello! !alnut leaf or a chi%# They !ho co"e rarely
to the !oods take so"e little %iece of the forest into their hands
to %lay !ith by the !ay, !hich they leave, either intentionally or
accidentally# One has %eeled a !illo! !and, !oven it into a ring, and
dro%%ed it on "y table# 9 could al!ays tell if visitors had called in
"y absence, either by the bended t!igs or grass, or the %rint of their
shoes, and generally of !hat seC or age or @uality they !ere by so"e
slight trace left, as a flo!er dro%%ed, or a bunch of grass %lucked and
thro!n a!ay, even as far off as the railroad, half a "ile distant, or by
the lingering odor of a cigar or %i%e# :ay, 9 !as fre@uently notified of
the %assage of a traveller along the high!ay siCty rods off by the scent
of his %i%e#
There is co""only sufficient s%ace about us# Our hori?on is never @uite
at our elbo!s# The thick !ood is not just at our door, nor the %ond, but
so"e!hat is al!ays clearing, fa"iliar and !orn by us, a%%ro%riated and
fenced in so"e !ay, and reclai"ed fro" :ature# 6or !hat reason have 9
this vast range and circuit, so"e s@uare "iles of unfre@uented forest,
for "y %rivacy, abandoned to "e by "enF >y nearest neighbor is a "ile
distant, and no house is visible fro" any %lace but the hill&to%s !ithin
half a "ile of "y o!n# 9 have "y hori?on bounded by !oods all to "yselfA
a distant vie! of the railroad !here it touches the %ond on the one
hand, and of the fence !hich skirts the !oodland road on the other# But
for the "ost %art it is as solitary !here 9 live as on the %rairies# 9t
is as "uch )sia or )frica as :e! England# 9 have, as it !ere, "y o!n sun
and "oon and stars, and a little !orld all to "yself# )t night there !as
never a traveller %assed "y house, or knocked at "y door, "ore than if
9 !ere the first or last "anA unless it !ere in the s%ring, !hen at long
intervals so"e ca"e fro" the village to fish for %outs&&they %lainly
fished "uch "ore in the Walden Pond of their o!n natures, and baited
their hooks !ith darkness&&but they soon retreated, usually !ith light
baskets, and left Ethe !orld to darkness and to "e,E and the black
kernel of the night !as never %rofaned by any hu"an neighborhood# 9
believe that "en are generally still a little afraid of the dark,
though the !itches are all hung, and Christianity and candles have been
introduced#
$et 9 eC%erienced so"eti"es that the "ost s!eet and tender, the "ost
innocent and encouraging society "ay be found in any natural object,
even for the %oor "isanthro%e and "ost "elancholy "an# There can be no
very black "elancholy to hi" !ho lives in the "idst of :ature and has
his senses still# There !as never yet such a stor" but it !as Wolian
"usic to a healthy and innocent ear# :othing can rightly co"%el a si"%le
and brave "an to a vulgar sadness# While 9 enjoy the friendshi% of the
seasons 9 trust that nothing can "ake life a burden to "e# The gentle
rain !hich !aters "y beans and kee%s "e in the house today is not drear
and "elancholy, but good for "e too# Though it %revents "y hoeing the",
it is of far "ore !orth than "y hoeing# 9f it should continue so long as
to cause the seeds to rot in the ground and destroy the %otatoes in the
lo! lands, it !ould still be good for the grass on the u%lands, and,
being good for the grass, it !ould be good for "e# 8o"eti"es, !hen 9
co"%are "yself !ith other "en, it see"s as if 9 !ere "ore favored by the
gods than they, beyond any deserts that 9 a" conscious ofA as if 9 had
a !arrant and surety at their hands !hich "y fello!s have not, and !ere
es%ecially guided and guarded# 9 do not flatter "yself, but if it be
%ossible they flatter "e# 9 have never felt loneso"e, or in the least
o%%ressed by a sense of solitude, but once, and that !as a fe! !eeks
after 9 ca"e to the !oods, !hen, for an hour, 9 doubted if the near
neighborhood of "an !as not essential to a serene and healthy life# To
be alone !as so"ething un%leasant# But 9 !as at the sa"e ti"e conscious
of a slight insanity in "y "ood, and see"ed to foresee "y recovery#
9n the "idst of a gentle rain !hile these thoughts %revailed, 9 !as
suddenly sensible of such s!eet and beneficent society in :ature, in
the very %attering of the dro%s, and in every sound and sight around "y
house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once like
an at"os%here sustaining "e, as "ade the fancied advantages of hu"an
neighborhood insignificant, and 9 have never thought of the" since#
Every little %ine needle eC%anded and s!elled !ith sy"%athy and
befriended "e# 9 !as so distinctly "ade a!are of the %resence of
so"ething kindred to "e, even in scenes !hich !e are accusto"ed to call
!ild and dreary, and also that the nearest of blood to "e and hu"anest
!as not a %erson nor a villager, that 9 thought no %lace could ever be
strange to "e again#
E>ourning unti"ely consu"es the sadA
6e! are their days in the land of the living,
Beautiful daughter of Toscar#E
8o"e of "y %leasantest hours !ere during the long rain&stor"s in the
s%ring or fall, !hich confined "e to the house for the afternoon as !ell
as the forenoon, soothed by their ceaseless roar and %eltingA !hen an
early t!ilight ushered in a long evening in !hich "any thoughts had ti"e
to take root and unfold the"selves# 9n those driving northeast rains
!hich tried the village houses so, !hen the "aids stood ready !ith "o%
and %ail in front entries to kee% the deluge out, 9 sat behind "y door
in "y little house, !hich !as all entry, and thoroughly enjoyed its
%rotection# 9n one heavy thunder&sho!er the lightning struck a large
%itch %ine across the %ond, "aking a very cons%icuous and %erfectly
regular s%iral groove fro" to% to botto", an inch or "ore dee%, and four
or five inches !ide, as you !ould groove a !alking&stick# 9 %assed it
again the other day, and !as struck !ith a!e on looking u% and beholding
that "ark, no! "ore distinct than ever, !here a terrific and resistless
bolt ca"e do!n out of the har"less sky eight years ago# >en fre@uently
say to "e, E9 should think you !ould feel loneso"e do!n there, and !ant
to be nearer to folks, rainy and sno!y days and nights es%ecially#E 9
a" te"%ted to re%ly to such&&This !hole earth !hich !e inhabit is but
a %oint in s%ace# o! far a%art, think you, d!ell the t!o "ost distant
inhabitants of yonder star, the breadth of !hose disk cannot be
a%%reciated by our instru"entsF Why should 9 feel lonelyF is not our
%lanet in the >ilky WayF This !hich you %ut see"s to "e not to be the
"ost i"%ortant @uestion# What sort of s%ace is that !hich se%arates
a "an fro" his fello!s and "akes hi" solitaryF 9 have found that no
eCertion of the legs can bring t!o "inds "uch nearer to one another#
What do !e !ant "ost to d!ell near toF :ot to "any "en surely,
the de%ot, the %ost&office, the bar&roo", the "eeting&house, the
school&house, the grocery, Beacon ill, or the 6ive Points, !here "en
"ost congregate, but to the %erennial source of our life, !hence in all
our eC%erience !e have found that to issue, as the !illo! stands near
the !ater and sends out its roots in that direction# This !ill vary !ith
different natures, but this is the %lace !here a !ise "an !ill dig
his cellar#### 9 one evening overtook one of "y to!ns"en, !ho has
accu"ulated !hat is called Ea handso"e %ro%ertyE&&though 9 never got a
BfairB vie! of it&&on the Walden road, driving a %air of cattle to "arket,
!ho in@uired of "e ho! 9 could bring "y "ind to give u% so "any of the
co"forts of life# 9 ans!ered that 9 !as very sure 9 liked it %assably
!ellA 9 !as not joking# )nd so 9 !ent ho"e to "y bed, and left hi"
to %ick his !ay through the darkness and the "ud to Brighton&&or
Bright&to!n&&!hich %lace he !ould reach so"e ti"e in the "orning#
)ny %ros%ect of a!akening or co"ing to life to a dead "an "akes
indifferent all ti"es and %laces# The %lace !here that "ay occur is
al!ays the sa"e, and indescribably %leasant to all our senses# 6or the
"ost %art !e allo! only outlying and transient circu"stances to "ake our
occasions# They are, in fact, the cause of our distraction# :earest
to all things is that %o!er !hich fashions their being# B:eCtB to us the
grandest la!s are continually being eCecuted# B:eCtB to us is not the
!ork"an !ho" !e have hired, !ith !ho" !e love so !ell to talk, but the
!ork"an !hose !ork !e are#
Eo! vast and %rofound is the influence of the subtile %o!ers of eaven
and of EarthGE
EWe seek to %erceive the", and !e do not see the"A !e seek to hear the",
and !e do not hear the"A identified !ith the substance of things, they
cannot be se%arated fro" the"#E
EThey cause that in all the universe "en %urify and sanctify their
hearts, and clothe the"selves in their holiday gar"ents to offer
sacrifices and oblations to their ancestors# 9t is an ocean of subtile
intelligences# They are every!here, above us, on our left, on our rightA
they environ us on all sides#E
We are the subjects of an eC%eri"ent !hich is not a little interesting
to "e# Can !e not do !ithout the society of our gossi%s a little !hile
under these circu"stances&&have our o!n thoughts to cheer usF Confucius
says truly, E<irtue does not re"ain as an abandoned or%hanA it "ust of
necessity have neighbors#E
With thinking !e "ay be beside ourselves in a sane sense# By a
conscious effort of the "ind !e can stand aloof fro" actions and their
conse@uencesA and all things, good and bad, go by us like a torrent# We
are not !holly involved in :ature# 9 "ay be either the drift!ood in the
strea", or 9ndra in the sky looking do!n on it# 9 B"ayB be affected by a
theatrical eChibitionA on the other hand, 9 B"ay notB be affected by an
actual event !hich a%%ears to concern "e "uch "ore# 9 only kno! "yself
as a hu"an entityA the scene, so to s%eak, of thoughts and affectionsA
and a" sensible of a certain doubleness by !hich 9 can stand as re"ote
fro" "yself as fro" another# o!ever intense "y eC%erience, 9 a"
conscious of the %resence and criticis" of a %art of "e, !hich, as it
!ere, is not a %art of "e, but s%ectator, sharing no eC%erience, but
taking note of it, and that is no "ore 9 than it is you# When the %lay,
it "ay be the tragedy, of life is over, the s%ectator goes his !ay# 9t
!as a kind of fiction, a !ork of the i"agination only, so far as he !as
concerned# This doubleness "ay easily "ake us %oor neighbors and friends
so"eti"es#
9 find it !holeso"e to be alone the greater %art of the ti"e# To be in
co"%any, even !ith the best, is soon !eariso"e and dissi%ating# 9 love
to be alone# 9 never found the co"%anion that !as so co"%anionable as
solitude# We are for the "ost %art "ore lonely !hen !e go abroad a"ong
"en than !hen !e stay in our cha"bers# ) "an thinking or !orking is
al!ays alone, let hi" be !here he !ill# 8olitude is not "easured by the
"iles of s%ace that intervene bet!een a "an and his fello!s# The really
diligent student in one of the cro!ded hives of Ca"bridge College is as
solitary as a dervish in the desert# The far"er can !ork alone in the
field or the !oods all day, hoeing or cho%%ing, and not feel loneso"e,
because he is e"%loyedA but !hen he co"es ho"e at night he cannot sit
do!n in a roo" alone, at the "ercy of his thoughts, but "ust be !here he
can Esee the folks,E and recreate, and, as he thinks, re"unerate hi"self
for his dayDs solitudeA and hence he !onders ho! the student can sit
alone in the house all night and "ost of the day !ithout ennui and Ethe
bluesEA but he does not reali?e that the student, though in the house,
is still at !ork in BhisB field, and cho%%ing in BhisB !oods, as the far"er
in his, and in turn seeks the sa"e recreation and society that the
latter does, though it "ay be a "ore condensed for" of it#
8ociety is co""only too chea%# We "eet at very short intervals, not
having had ti"e to ac@uire any ne! value for each other# We "eet at
"eals three ti"es a day, and give each other a ne! taste of that old
"usty cheese that !e are# We have had to agree on a certain set of
rules, called eti@uette and %oliteness, to "ake this fre@uent "eeting
tolerable and that !e need not co"e to o%en !ar# We "eet at the
%ost&office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every nightA
!e live thick and are in each otherDs !ay, and stu"ble over one another,
and 9 think that !e thus lose so"e res%ect for one another#
Certainly less fre@uency !ould suffice for all i"%ortant and hearty
co""unications# Consider the girls in a factory&&never alone, hardly in
their drea"s# 9t !ould be better if there !ere but one inhabitant to
a s@uare "ile, as !here 9 live# The value of a "an is not in his skin,
that !e should touch hi"#
9 have heard of a "an lost in the !oods and dying of fa"ine and
eChaustion at the foot of a tree, !hose loneliness !as relieved by the
grotes@ue visions !ith !hich, o!ing to bodily !eakness, his diseased
i"agination surrounded hi", and !hich he believed to be real# 8o also,
o!ing to bodily and "ental health and strength, !e "ay be continually
cheered by a like but "ore nor"al and natural society, and co"e to kno!
that !e are never alone#
9 have a great deal of co"%any in "y houseA es%ecially in the "orning,
!hen nobody calls# 'et "e suggest a fe! co"%arisons, that so"e one "ay
convey an idea of "y situation# 9 a" no "ore lonely than the loon in the
%ond that laughs so loud, or than Walden Pond itself# What co"%any has
that lonely lake, 9 %rayF )nd yet it has not the blue devils, but the
blue angels in it, in the a?ure tint of its !aters# The sun is alone,
eCce%t in thick !eather, !hen there so"eti"es a%%ear to be t!o, but one
is a "ock sun# God is alone&&but the devil, he is far fro" being aloneA
he sees a great deal of co"%anyA he is legion# 9 a" no "ore lonely than
a single "ullein or dandelion in a %asture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel,
or a horse&fly, or a bu"blebee# 9 a" no "ore lonely than the >ill Brook,
or a !eathercock, or the north star, or the south !ind, or an )%ril
sho!er, or a *anuary tha!, or the first s%ider in a ne! house#
9 have occasional visits in the long !inter evenings, !hen the sno!
falls fast and the !ind ho!ls in the !ood, fro" an old settler and
original %ro%rietor, !ho is re%orted to have dug Walden Pond, and stoned
it, and fringed it !ith %ine !oodsA !ho tells "e stories of old ti"e
and of ne! eternityA and bet!een us !e "anage to %ass a cheerful evening
!ith social "irth and %leasant vie!s of things, even !ithout a%%les
or cider&&a "ost !ise and hu"orous friend, !ho" 9 love "uch, !ho kee%s
hi"self "ore secret than ever did Goffe or WhalleyA and though he is
thought to be dead, none can sho! !here he is buried# )n elderly da"e,
too, d!ells in "y neighborhood, invisible to "ost %ersons, in !hose
odorous herb garden 9 love to stroll so"eti"es, gathering si"%les and
listening to her fablesA for she has a genius of une@ualled fertility,
and her "e"ory runs back farther than "ythology, and she can tell "e the
original of every fable, and on !hat fact every one is founded, for the
incidents occurred !hen she !as young# ) ruddy and lusty old da"e, !ho
delights in all !eathers and seasons, and is likely to outlive all her
children yet#
The indescribable innocence and beneficence of :ature&&of sun and !ind
and rain, of su""er and !inter&&such health, such cheer, they afford
foreverG and such sy"%athy have they ever !ith our race, that all :ature
!ould be affected, and the sunDs brightness fade, and the !inds !ould
sigh hu"anely, and the clouds rain tears, and the !oods shed their
leaves and %ut on "ourning in "idsu""er, if any "an should ever for a
just cause grieve# 8hall 9 not have intelligence !ith the earthF )" 9
not %artly leaves and vegetable "ould "yselfF
What is the %ill !hich !ill kee% us !ell, serene, contentedF :ot "y or
thy great&grandfatherDs, but our great&grand"other :atureDs universal,
vegetable, botanic "edicines, by !hich she has ke%t herself young
al!ays, outlived so "any old Parrs in her day, and fed her health !ith
their decaying fatness# 6or "y %anacea, instead of one of those @uack
vials of a "iCture di%%ed fro" )cheron and the Dead 8ea, !hich co"e out
of those long shallo! black&schooner looking !agons !hich !e so"eti"es
see "ade to carry bottles, let "e have a draught of undiluted "orning
air# >orning airG 9f "en !ill not drink of this at the fountainhead
of the day, !hy, then, !e "ust even bottle u% so"e and sell it in the
sho%s, for the benefit of those !ho have lost their subscri%tion ticket
to "orning ti"e in this !orld# But re"e"ber, it !ill not kee% @uite till
noonday even in the coolest cellar, but drive out the sto%%les long
ere that and follo! !est!ard the ste%s of )urora# 9 a" no !orshi%%er of
ygeia, !ho !as the daughter of that old herb&doctor Wscula%ius, and
!ho is re%resented on "onu"ents holding a ser%ent in one hand, and in
the other a cu% out of !hich the ser%ent so"eti"es drinksA but rather
of ebe, cu%&bearer to *u%iter, !ho !as the daughter of *uno and !ild
lettuce, and !ho had the %o!er of restoring gods and "en to the vigor of
youth# 8he !as %robably the only thoroughly sound&conditioned, healthy,
and robust young lady that ever !alked the globe, and !herever she ca"e
it !as s%ring#
<isitors
9 think that 9 love society as "uch as "ost, and a" ready enough to
fasten "yself like a bloodsucker for the ti"e to any full&blooded "an
that co"es in "y !ay# 9 a" naturally no her"it, but "ight %ossibly sit
out the sturdiest fre@uenter of the bar&roo", if "y business called "e
thither#
9 had three chairs in "y houseA one for solitude, t!o for friendshi%,
three for society# When visitors ca"e in larger and uneC%ected
nu"bers there !as but the third chair for the" all, but they generally
econo"i?ed the roo" by standing u%# 9t is sur%rising ho! "any great "en
and !o"en a s"all house !ill contain# 9 have had t!enty&five or thirty
souls, !ith their bodies, at once under "y roof, and yet !e often %arted
!ithout being a!are that !e had co"e very near to one another# >any
of our houses, both %ublic and %rivate, !ith their al"ost innu"erable
a%art"ents, their huge halls and their cellars for the storage of !ines
and other "unitions of %eace, a%%ear to be eCtravagantly large for their
inhabitants# They are so vast and "agnificent that the latter see" to be
only ver"in !hich infest the"# 9 a" sur%rised !hen the herald blo!s his
su""ons before so"e Tre"ont or )stor or >iddleseC ouse, to see co"e
cree%ing out over the %ia??a for all inhabitants a ridiculous "ouse,
!hich soon again slinks into so"e hole in the %ave"ent#
One inconvenience 9 so"eti"es eC%erienced in so s"all a house, the
difficulty of getting to a sufficient distance fro" "y guest !hen !e
began to utter the big thoughts in big !ords# $ou !ant roo" for your
thoughts to get into sailing tri" and run a course or t!o before they
"ake their %ort# The bullet of your thought "ust have overco"e its
lateral and ricochet "otion and fallen into its last and steady course
before it reaches the ear of the hearer, else it "ay %lo! out again
through the side of his head# )lso, our sentences !anted roo" to unfold
and for" their colu"ns in the interval# 9ndividuals, like nations, "ust
have suitable broad and natural boundaries, even a considerable neutral
ground, bet!een the"# 9 have found it a singular luCury to talk across
the %ond to a co"%anion on the o%%osite side# 9n "y house !e !ere so
near that !e could not begin to hear&&!e could not s%eak lo! enough to
be heardA as !hen you thro! t!o stones into cal" !ater so near that they
break each otherDs undulations# 9f !e are "erely lo@uacious and loud
talkers, then !e can afford to stand very near together, cheek by
jo!l, and feel each otherDs breathA but if !e s%eak reservedly and
thoughtfully, !e !ant to be farther a%art, that all ani"al heat and
"oisture "ay have a chance to eva%orate# 9f !e !ould enjoy the "ost
inti"ate society !ith that in each of us !hich is !ithout, or above,
being s%oken to, !e "ust not only be silent, but co""only so far a%art
bodily that !e cannot %ossibly hear each otherDs voice in any case#
3eferred to this standard, s%eech is for the convenience of those !ho
are hard of hearingA but there are "any fine things !hich !e cannot say
if !e have to shout# )s the conversation began to assu"e a loftier and
grander tone, !e gradually shoved our chairs farther a%art till they
touched the !all in o%%osite corners, and then co""only there !as not
roo" enough#
>y EbestE roo", ho!ever, "y !ithdra!ing roo", al!ays ready for co"%any,
on !hose car%et the sun rarely fell, !as the %ine !ood behind "y house#
Thither in su""er days, !hen distinguished guests ca"e, 9 took the", and
a %riceless do"estic s!e%t the floor and dusted the furniture and ke%t
the things in order#
9f one guest ca"e he so"eti"es %artook of "y frugal "eal, and it !as no
interru%tion to conversation to be stirring a hasty&%udding, or
!atching the rising and "aturing of a loaf of bread in the ashes, in the
"ean!hile# But if t!enty ca"e and sat in "y house there !as nothing said
about dinner, though there "ight be bread enough for t!o, "ore than if
eating !ere a forsaken habitA but !e naturally %ractised abstinenceA and
this !as never felt to be an offence against hos%itality, but the "ost
%ro%er and considerate course# The !aste and decay of %hysical life,
!hich so often needs re%air, see"ed "iraculously retarded in such a
case, and the vital vigor stood its ground# 9 could entertain thus a
thousand as !ell as t!entyA and if any ever !ent a!ay disa%%ointed or
hungry fro" "y house !hen they found "e at ho"e, they "ay de%end u%on
it that 9 sy"%athi?ed !ith the" at least# 8o easy is it, though "any
housekee%ers doubt it, to establish ne! and better custo"s in the %lace
of the old# $ou need not rest your re%utation on the dinners you give#
6or "y o!n %art, 9 !as never so effectually deterred fro" fre@uenting a
"anDs house, by any kind of Cerberus !hatever, as by the %arade one "ade
about dining "e, !hich 9 took to be a very %olite and roundabout hint
never to trouble hi" so again# 9 think 9 shall never revisit those
scenes# 9 should be %roud to have for the "otto of "y cabin those lines
of 8%enser !hich one of "y visitors inscribed on a yello! !alnut leaf
for a card(&&
E)rrivYd there, the little house they fill,
:e looke for entertain"ent !here none !asA
3est is their feast, and all things at their !ill(
The noblest "ind the best content"ent has#E
When Winslo!, after!ard governor of the Ply"outh Colony, !ent !ith a
co"%anion on a visit of cere"ony to >assasoit on foot through the !oods,
and arrived tired and hungry at his lodge, they !ere !ell received by
the king, but nothing !as said about eating that day# When the night
arrived, to @uote their o!n !ords&&Ee laid us on the bed !ith hi"self
and his !ife, they at the one end and !e at the other, it being only
%lanks laid a foot fro" the ground and a thin "at u%on the"# T!o "ore of
his chief "en, for !ant of roo", %ressed by and u%on usA so that !e !ere
!orse !eary of our lodging than of our journey#E )t one oDclock the neCt
day >assasoit Ebrought t!o fishes that he had shot,E about thrice as big
as a brea"# EThese being boiled, there !ere at least forty looked for a
share in the"A the "ost eat of the"# This "eal only !e had in t!o nights
and a dayA and had not one of us bought a %artridge, !e had taken our
journey fasting#E 6earing that they !ould be light&headed for !ant of
food and also slee%, o!ing to Ethe savagesD barbarous singing, Jfor they
use to sing the"selves aslee%,KE and that they "ight get ho"e !hile they
had strength to travel, they de%arted# )s for lodging, it is true they
!ere but %oorly entertained, though !hat they found an inconvenience !as
no doubt intended for an honorA but as far as eating !as concerned, 9 do
not see ho! the 9ndians could have done better# They had nothing to
eat the"selves, and they !ere !iser than to think that a%ologies could
su%%ly the %lace of food to their guestsA so they dre! their belts
tighter and said nothing about it# )nother ti"e !hen Winslo! visited
the", it being a season of %lenty !ith the", there !as no deficiency in
this res%ect#
)s for "en, they !ill hardly fail one any!here# 9 had "ore visitors
!hile 9 lived in the !oods than at any other %eriod in "y lifeA 9 "ean
that 9 had so"e# 9 "et several there under "ore favorable circu"stances
than 9 could any!here else# But fe!er ca"e to see "e on trivial
business# 9n this res%ect, "y co"%any !as !inno!ed by "y "ere distance
fro" to!n# 9 had !ithdra!n so far !ithin the great ocean of solitude,
into !hich the rivers of society e"%ty, that for the "ost %art, so
far as "y needs !ere concerned, only the finest sedi"ent !as de%osited
around "e# Beside, there !ere !afted to "e evidences of uneC%lored and
uncultivated continents on the other side#
Who should co"e to "y lodge this "orning but a true o"eric or
Pa%hlagonian "an&&he had so suitable and %oetic a na"e that 9 a" sorry 9
cannot %rint it here&&a Canadian, a !oodcho%%er and %ost&"aker, !ho can
hole fifty %osts in a day, !ho "ade his last su%%er on a !oodchuck !hich
his dog caught# e, too, has heard of o"er, and, Eif it !ere not for
books,E !ould Enot kno! !hat to do rainy days,E though %erha%s he has
not read one !holly through for "any rainy seasons# 8o"e %riest !ho
could %ronounce the Greek itself taught hi" to read his verse in the
Testa"ent in his native %arish far a!ayA and no! 9 "ust translate to
hi", !hile he holds the book, )chillesD re%roof to Patroclus for his sad
countenance#&&EWhy are you in tears, Patroclus, like a young girlFE&&
EOr have you alone heard so"e ne!s fro" PhthiaF
They say that >enoetius lives yet, son of )ctor,
)nd Peleus lives, son of Wacus, a"ong the >yr"idons,
Either of !ho" having died, !e should greatly grieve#E
e says, EThatDs good#E e has a great bundle of !hite oak bark under
his ar" for a sick "an, gathered this 8unday "orning# E9 su%%ose thereDs
no har" in going after such a thing to&day,E says he# To hi" o"er !as a
great !riter, though !hat his !riting !as about he did not kno!# ) "ore
si"%le and natural "an it !ould be hard to find# <ice and disease, !hich
cast such a so"bre "oral hue over the !orld, see"ed to have hardly any
eCistence for hi"# e !as about t!enty&eight years old, and had left
Canada and his fatherDs house a do?en years before to !ork in the
8tates, and earn "oney to buy a far" !ith at last, %erha%s in his native
country# e !as cast in the coarsest "ouldA a stout but sluggish body,
yet gracefully carried, !ith a thick sunburnt neck, dark bushy hair, and
dull slee%y blue eyes, !hich !ere occasionally lit u% !ith eC%ression#
e !ore a flat gray cloth ca%, a dingy !ool&colored greatcoat, and
co!hide boots# e !as a great consu"er of "eat, usually carrying his
dinner to his !ork a cou%le of "iles %ast "y house&&for he cho%%ed all
su""er&&in a tin %ailA cold "eats, often cold !oodchucks, and coffee in
a stone bottle !hich dangled by a string fro" his beltA and so"eti"es he
offered "e a drink# e ca"e along early, crossing "y bean&field, though
!ithout anCiety or haste to get to his !ork, such as $ankees eChibit#
e !asnDt a&going to hurt hi"self# e didnDt care if he only earned his
board# 6re@uently he !ould leave his dinner in the bushes, !hen his
dog had caught a !oodchuck by the !ay, and go back a "ile and a half to
dress it and leave it in the cellar of the house !here he boarded, after
deliberating first for half an hour !hether he could not sink it in the
%ond safely till nightfall&&loving to d!ell long u%on these the"es# e
!ould say, as he !ent by in the "orning, Eo! thick the %igeons areG 9f
!orking every day !ere not "y trade, 9 could get all the "eat 9 should
!ant by hunting&%igeons, !oodchucks, rabbits, %artridges&&by goshG 9
could get all 9 should !ant for a !eek in one day#E
e !as a skilful cho%%er, and indulged in so"e flourishes and orna"ents
in his art# e cut his trees level and close to the ground, that the
s%routs !hich ca"e u% after!ard "ight be "ore vigorous and a sled "ight
slide over the stu"%sA and instead of leaving a !hole tree to su%%ort
his corded !ood, he !ould %are it a!ay to a slender stake or s%linter
!hich you could break off !ith your hand at last#
e interested "e because he !as so @uiet and solitary and so ha%%y
!ithalA a !ell of good hu"or and content"ent !hich overflo!ed at his
eyes# is "irth !as !ithout alloy# 8o"eti"es 9 sa! hi" at his !ork
in the !oods, felling trees, and he !ould greet "e !ith a laugh of
ineC%ressible satisfaction, and a salutation in Canadian 6rench, though
he s%oke English as !ell# When 9 a%%roached hi" he !ould sus%end his
!ork, and !ith half&su%%ressed "irth lie along the trunk of a %ine !hich
he had felled, and, %eeling off the inner bark, roll it u% into a ball
and che! it !hile he laughed and talked# 8uch an eCuberance of ani"al
s%irits had he that he so"eti"es tu"bled do!n and rolled on the ground
!ith laughter at anything !hich "ade hi" think and tickled hi"# 'ooking
round u%on the trees he !ould eCclai"&&EBy GeorgeG 9 can enjoy "yself
!ell enough here cho%%ingA 9 !ant no better s%ort#E 8o"eti"es, !hen at
leisure, he a"used hi"self all day in the !oods !ith a %ocket %istol,
firing salutes to hi"self at regular intervals as he !alked# 9n the
!inter he had a fire by !hich at noon he !ar"ed his coffee in a kettleA
and as he sat on a log to eat his dinner the chickadees !ould so"eti"es
co"e round and alight on his ar" and %eck at the %otato in his fingersA
and he said that he Eliked to have the little BfellersB about hi"#E
9n hi" the ani"al "an chiefly !as develo%ed# 9n %hysical endurance and
content"ent he !as cousin to the %ine and the rock# 9 asked hi" once
if he !as not so"eti"es tired at night, after !orking all dayA and he
ans!ered, !ith a sincere and serious look, EGorra%%it, 9 never !as tired
in "y life#E But the intellectual and !hat is called s%iritual "an in
hi" !ere slu"bering as in an infant# e had been instructed only in that
innocent and ineffectual !ay in !hich the Catholic %riests teach the
aborigines, by !hich the %u%il is never educated to the degree of
consciousness, but only to the degree of trust and reverence, and a
child is not "ade a "an, but ke%t a child# When :ature "ade hi", she
gave hi" a strong body and content"ent for his %ortion, and %ro%%ed hi"
on every side !ith reverence and reliance, that he "ight live out his
threescore years and ten a child# e !as so genuine and unso%histicated
that no introduction !ould serve to introduce hi", "ore than if you
introduced a !oodchuck to your neighbor# e had got to find hi" out as
you did# e !ould not %lay any %art# >en %aid hi" !ages for !ork, and
so hel%ed to feed and clothe hi"A but he never eCchanged o%inions !ith
the"# e !as so si"%ly and naturally hu"ble&&if he can be called hu"ble
!ho never as%ires&&that hu"ility !as no distinct @uality in hi", nor
could he conceive of it# Wiser "en !ere de"igods to hi"# 9f you told
hi" that such a one !as co"ing, he did as if he thought that anything so
grand !ould eC%ect nothing of hi"self, but take all the res%onsibility
on itself, and let hi" be forgotten still# e never heard the sound of
%raise# e %articularly reverenced the !riter and the %reacher# Their
%erfor"ances !ere "iracles# When 9 told hi" that 9 !rote considerably,
he thought for a long ti"e that it !as "erely the hand!riting !hich 9
"eant, for he could !rite a re"arkably good hand hi"self# 9 so"eti"es
found the na"e of his native %arish handso"ely !ritten in the sno! by
the high!ay, !ith the %ro%er 6rench accent, and kne! that he had %assed#
9 asked hi" if he ever !ished to !rite his thoughts# e said that he had
read and !ritten letters for those !ho could not, but he never tried to
!rite thoughts&&no, he could not, he could not tell !hat to %ut first,
it !ould kill hi", and then there !as s%elling to be attended to at the
sa"e ti"eG
9 heard that a distinguished !ise "an and refor"er asked hi" if he did
not !ant the !orld to be changedA but he ans!ered !ith a chuckle of
sur%rise in his Canadian accent, not kno!ing that the @uestion had ever
been entertained before, E:o, 9 like it !ell enough#E 9t !ould have
suggested "any things to a %hiloso%her to have dealings !ith hi"# To
a stranger he a%%eared to kno! nothing of things in generalA yet 9
so"eti"es sa! in hi" a "an !ho" 9 had not seen before, and 9 did not
kno! !hether he !as as !ise as 8hakes%eare or as si"%ly ignorant as
a child, !hether to sus%ect hi" of a fine %oetic consciousness or of
stu%idity# ) to!ns"an told "e that !hen he "et hi" sauntering through
the village in his s"all close&fitting ca%, and !histling to hi"self, he
re"inded hi" of a %rince in disguise#
is only books !ere an al"anac and an arith"etic, in !hich last he !as
considerably eC%ert# The for"er !as a sort of cyclo%aedia to hi", !hich
he su%%osed to contain an abstract of hu"an kno!ledge, as indeed it does
to a considerable eCtent# 9 loved to sound hi" on the various refor"s
of the day, and he never failed to look at the" in the "ost si"%le and
%ractical light# e had never heard of such things before# Could he do
!ithout factoriesF 9 asked# e had !orn the ho"e&"ade <er"ont gray, he
said, and that !as good# Could he dis%ense !ith tea and coffeeF Did this
country afford any beverage beside !aterF e had soaked he"lock leaves
in !ater and drank it, and thought that !as better than !ater in !ar"
!eather# When 9 asked hi" if he could do !ithout "oney, he sho!ed the
convenience of "oney in such a !ay as to suggest and coincide !ith the
"ost %hiloso%hical accounts of the origin of this institution, and the
very derivation of the !ord B%ecuniaB# 9f an oC !ere his %ro%erty, and he
!ished to get needles and thread at the store, he thought it !ould be
inconvenient and i"%ossible soon to go on "ortgaging so"e %ortion of
the creature each ti"e to that a"ount# e could defend "any institutions
better than any %hiloso%her, because, in describing the" as they
concerned hi", he gave the true reason for their %revalence, and
s%eculation had not suggested to hi" any other# )t another ti"e, hearing
PlatoDs definition of a "an&&a bi%ed !ithout feathers&&and that one
eChibited a cock %lucked and called it PlatoDs "an, he thought it
an i"%ortant difference that the BkneesB bent the !rong !ay# e !ould
so"eti"es eCclai", Eo! 9 love to talkG By George, 9 could talk all
dayGE 9 asked hi" once, !hen 9 had not seen hi" for "any "onths, if he
had got a ne! idea this su""er# EGood 'ordE&&said he, Ea "an that has
to !ork as 9 do, if he does not forget the ideas he has had, he !ill do
!ell# >ay be the "an you hoe !ith is inclined to raceA then, by gorry,
your "ind "ust be thereA you think of !eeds#E e !ould so"eti"es ask "e
first on such occasions, if 9 had "ade any i"%rove"ent# One !inter day 9
asked hi" if he !as al!ays satisfied !ith hi"self, !ishing to suggest a
substitute !ithin hi" for the %riest !ithout, and so"e higher "otive for
living# E8atisfiedGE said heA Eso"e "en are satisfied !ith one thing,
and so"e !ith another# One "an, %erha%s, if he has got enough, !ill be
satisfied to sit all day !ith his back to the fire and his belly to the
table, by GeorgeGE $et 9 never, by any "anoeuvring, could get hi" to
take the s%iritual vie! of thingsA the highest that he a%%eared to
conceive of !as a si"%le eC%ediency, such as you "ight eC%ect an
ani"al to a%%reciateA and this, %ractically, is true of "ost "en# 9f
9 suggested any i"%rove"ent in his "ode of life, he "erely ans!ered,
!ithout eC%ressing any regret, that it !as too late# $et he thoroughly
believed in honesty and the like virtues#
There !as a certain %ositive originality, ho!ever slight, to be detected
in hi", and 9 occasionally observed that he !as thinking for hi"self and
eC%ressing his o!n o%inion, a %heno"enon so rare that 9 !ould any day
!alk ten "iles to observe it, and it a"ounted to the re&origination of
"any of the institutions of society# Though he hesitated, and %erha%s
failed to eC%ress hi"self distinctly, he al!ays had a %resentable
thought behind# $et his thinking !as so %ri"itive and i""ersed in his
ani"al life, that, though "ore %ro"ising than a "erely learned "anDs,
it rarely ri%ened to anything !hich can be re%orted# e suggested that
there "ight be "en of genius in the lo!est grades of life, ho!ever
%er"anently hu"ble and illiterate, !ho take their o!n vie! al!ays, or do
not %retend to see at allA !ho are as botto"less even as Walden Pond !as
thought to be, though they "ay be dark and "uddy#
>any a traveller ca"e out of his !ay to see "e and the inside of "y
house, and, as an eCcuse for calling, asked for a glass of !ater# 9 told
the" that 9 drank at the %ond, and %ointed thither, offering to lend
the" a di%%er# 6ar off as 9 lived, 9 !as not eCe"%ted fro" the annual
visitation !hich occurs, "ethinks, about the first of )%ril, !hen
everybody is on the "oveA and 9 had "y share of good luck, though there
!ere so"e curious s%eci"ens a"ong "y visitors# alf&!itted "en fro" the
al"shouse and else!here ca"e to see "eA but 9 endeavored to "ake the"
eCercise all the !it they had, and "ake their confessions to "eA in such
cases "aking !it the the"e of our conversationA and so !as co"%ensated#
9ndeed, 9 found so"e of the" to be !iser than the so&called BoverseersB
of the %oor and select"en of the to!n, and thought it !as ti"e that the
tables !ere turned# With res%ect to !it, 9 learned that there !as not
"uch difference bet!een the half and the !hole# One day, in %articular,
an inoffensive, si"%le&"inded %au%er, !ho" !ith others 9 had often seen
used as fencing stuff, standing or sitting on a bushel in the fields to
kee% cattle and hi"self fro" straying, visited "e, and eC%ressed a !ish
to live as 9 did# e told "e, !ith the ut"ost si"%licity and truth,
@uite su%erior, or rather BinferiorB, to anything that is called hu"ility,
that he !as Edeficient in intellect#E These !ere his !ords# The 'ord
had "ade hi" so, yet he su%%osed the 'ord cared as "uch for hi" as for
another# E9 have al!ays been so,E said he, Efro" "y childhoodA 9 never
had "uch "indA 9 !as not like other childrenA 9 a" !eak in the head# 9t
!as the 'ordDs !ill, 9 su%%ose#E )nd there he !as to %rove the truth
of his !ords# e !as a "eta%hysical %u??le to "e# 9 have rarely "et a
fello!"an on such %ro"ising ground&&it !as so si"%le and sincere and so
true all that he said# )nd, true enough, in %ro%ortion as he a%%eared
to hu"ble hi"self !as he eCalted# 9 did not kno! at first but it !as the
result of a !ise %olicy# 9t see"ed that fro" such a basis of truth and
frankness as the %oor !eak&headed %au%er had laid, our intercourse "ight
go for!ard to so"ething better than the intercourse of sages#
9 had so"e guests fro" those not reckoned co""only a"ong the to!nDs
%oor, but !ho should beA !ho are a"ong the !orldDs %oor, at any rateA
guests !ho a%%eal, not to your hos%itality, but to your Bhos%italalityBA
!ho earnestly !ish to be hel%ed, and %reface their a%%eal !ith the
infor"ation that they are resolved, for one thing, never to hel%
the"selves# 9 re@uire of a visitor that he be not actually starving,
though he "ay have the very best a%%etite in the !orld, ho!ever he got
it# Objects of charity are not guests# >en !ho did not kno! !hen their
visit had ter"inated, though 9 !ent about "y business again, ans!ering
the" fro" greater and greater re"oteness# >en of al"ost every degree of
!it called on "e in the "igrating season# 8o"e !ho had "ore !its than
they kne! !hat to do !ithA runa!ay slaves !ith %lantation "anners, !ho
listened fro" ti"e to ti"e, like the foC in the fable, as if they heard
the hounds a&baying on their track, and looked at "e beseechingly, as
"uch as to say,&&
EO Christian, !ill you send "e backF
One real runa!ay slave, a"ong the rest, !ho" 9 hel%ed to for!ard to!ard
the north star# >en of one idea, like a hen !ith one chicken, and that
a ducklingA "en of a thousand ideas, and unke"%t heads, like those hens
!hich are "ade to take charge of a hundred chickens, all in %ursuit
of one bug, a score of the" lost in every "orningDs de!&&and beco"e
fri??led and "angy in conse@uenceA "en of ideas instead of legs, a sort
of intellectual centi%ede that "ade you cra!l all over# One "an %ro%osed
a book in !hich visitors should !rite their na"es, as at the White
>ountainsA but, alasG 9 have too good a "e"ory to "ake that necessary#
9 could not but notice so"e of the %eculiarities of "y visitors# Girls
and boys and young !o"en generally see"ed glad to be in the !oods# They
looked in the %ond and at the flo!ers, and i"%roved their ti"e# >en of
business, even far"ers, thought only of solitude and e"%loy"ent, and of
the great distance at !hich 9 d!elt fro" so"ething or otherA and though
they said that they loved a ra"ble in the !oods occasionally, it !as
obvious that they did not# 3estless co""itted "en, !hose ti"e !as an
taken u% in getting a living or kee%ing itA "inisters !ho s%oke of God
as if they enjoyed a "ono%oly of the subject, !ho could not bear all
kinds of o%inionsA doctors, la!yers, uneasy housekee%ers !ho %ried
into "y cu%board and bed !hen 9 !as out&&ho! ca"e >rs#&&to kno! that "y
sheets !ere not as clean as hersF&&young "en !ho had ceased to be young,
and had concluded that it !as safest to follo! the beaten track of the
%rofessions&&all these generally said that it !as not %ossible to do so
"uch good in "y %osition# )yG there !as the rub# The old and infir" and
the ti"id, of !hatever age or seC, thought "ost of sickness, and sudden
accident and deathA to the" life see"ed full of danger&&!hat danger is
there if you donDt think of anyF&&and they thought that a %rudent "an
!ould carefully select the safest %osition, !here Dr# B# "ight be
on hand at a "o"entDs !arning# To the" the village !as literally a
Bco"&"unityB, a league for "utual defence, and you !ould su%%ose that they
!ould not go a&huckleberrying !ithout a "edicine chest# The a"ount of
it is, if a "an is alive, there is al!ays danger that he "ay die,
though the danger "ust be allo!ed to be less in %ro%ortion as he is
dead&and&alive to begin !ith# ) "an sits as "any risks as he runs#
6inally, there !ere the self&styled refor"ers, the greatest bores of
all, !ho thought that 9 !as forever singing,&&
This is the house that 9 builtA
This is the "an that lives in the house that 9 builtA
but they did not kno! that the third line !as,
These are the folks that !orry the "an
That lives in the house that 9 built#
9 did not fear the hen&harriers, for 9 ke%t no chickensA but 9 feared
the "en&harriers rather#
9 had "ore cheering visitors than the last# Children co"e a&berrying,
railroad "en taking a 8unday "orning !alk in clean shirts, fisher"en and
hunters, %oets and %hiloso%hersA in short, all honest %ilgri"s, !ho ca"e
out to the !oods for freedo"Ds sake, and really left the village behind,
9 !as ready to greet !ith&&EWelco"e, English"enG !elco"e, English"enGE
for 9 had had co""unication !ith that race#
The Bean&6ield
>ean!hile "y beans, the length of !hose ro!s, added together, !as seven
"iles already %lanted, !ere i"%atient to be hoed, for the earliest had
gro!n considerably before the latest !ere in the groundA indeed they
!ere not easily to be %ut off# What !as the "eaning of this so steady
and self&res%ecting, this s"all erculean labor, 9 kne! not# 9 ca"e to
love "y ro!s, "y beans, though so "any "ore than 9 !anted# They attached
"e to the earth, and so 9 got strength like )ntaeus# But !hy should 9
raise the"F Only eaven kno!s# This !as "y curious labor all su""er&&to
"ake this %ortion of the earthDs surface, !hich had yielded only
cin@uefoil, blackberries, johns!ort, and the like, before, s!eet !ild
fruits and %leasant flo!ers, %roduce instead this %ulse# What shall 9
learn of beans or beans of "eF 9 cherish the", 9 hoe the", early and
late 9 have an eye to the"A and this is "y dayDs !ork# 9t is a fine
broad leaf to look on# >y auCiliaries are the de!s and rains !hich !ater
this dry soil, and !hat fertility is in the soil itself, !hich for the
"ost %art is lean and effete# >y ene"ies are !or"s, cool days, and "ost
of all !oodchucks# The last have nibbled for "e a @uarter of an acre
clean# But !hat right had 9 to oust johns!ort and the rest, and break
u% their ancient herb gardenF 8oon, ho!ever, the re"aining beans !ill be
too tough for the", and go for!ard to "eet ne! foes#
When 9 !as four years old, as 9 !ell re"e"ber, 9 !as brought fro" Boston
to this "y native to!n, through these very !oods and this field, to
the %ond# 9t is one of the oldest scenes sta"%ed on "y "e"ory# )nd no!
to&night "y flute has !aked the echoes over that very !ater# The %ines
still stand here older than 9A or, if so"e have fallen, 9 have cooked
"y su%%er !ith their stu"%s, and a ne! gro!th is rising all around,
%re%aring another as%ect for ne! infant eyes# )l"ost the sa"e johns!ort
s%rings fro" the sa"e %erennial root in this %asture, and even 9 have at
length hel%ed to clothe that fabulous landsca%e of "y infant drea"s, and
one of the results of "y %resence and influence is seen in these bean
leaves, corn blades, and %otato vines#
9 %lanted about t!o acres and a half of u%landA and as it !as only about
fifteen years since the land !as cleared, and 9 "yself had got out
t!o or three cords of stu"%s, 9 did not give it any "anureA but in the
course of the su""er it a%%eared by the arro!heads !hich 9 turned u% in
hoeing, that an eCtinct nation had anciently d!elt here and %lanted corn
and beans ere !hite "en ca"e to clear the land, and so, to so"e eCtent,
had eChausted the soil for this very cro%#
Before yet any !oodchuck or s@uirrel had run across the road, or the
sun had got above the shrub oaks, !hile all the de! !as on, though the
far"ers !arned "e against it&&9 !ould advise you to do all your !ork
if %ossible !hile the de! is on&&9 began to level the ranks of haughty
!eeds in "y bean&field and thro! dust u%on their heads# Early in the
"orning 9 !orked barefooted, dabbling like a %lastic artist in the de!y
and cru"bling sand, but later in the day the sun blistered "y feet#
There the sun lighted "e to hoe beans, %acing slo!ly back!ard and
for!ard over that yello! gravelly u%land, bet!een the long green ro!s,
fifteen rods, the one end ter"inating in a shrub oak co%se !here 9
could rest in the shade, the other in a blackberry field !here the
green berries dee%ened their tints by the ti"e 9 had "ade another
bout# 3e"oving the !eeds, %utting fresh soil about the bean ste"s, and
encouraging this !eed !hich 9 had so!n, "aking the yello! soil eC%ress
its su""er thought in bean leaves and blosso"s rather than in !or"!ood
and %i%er and "illet grass, "aking the earth say beans instead of
grass&&this !as "y daily !ork# )s 9 had little aid fro" horses or
cattle, or hired "en or boys, or i"%roved i"%le"ents of husbandry, 9 !as
"uch slo!er, and beca"e "uch "ore inti"ate !ith "y beans than usual#
But labor of the hands, even !hen %ursued to the verge of drudgery,
is %erha%s never the !orst for" of idleness# 9t has a constant and
i"%erishable "oral, and to the scholar it yields a classic result# )
very Bagricola laboriosusB !as 9 to travellers bound !est!ard through
'incoln and Wayland to nobody kno!s !hereA they sitting at their ease in
gigs, !ith elbo!s on knees, and reins loosely hanging in festoonsA 9 the
ho"e&staying, laborious native of the soil# But soon "y ho"estead !as
out of their sight and thought# 9t !as the only o%en and cultivated
field for a great distance on either side of the road, so they "ade the
"ost of itA and so"eti"es the "an in the field heard "ore of travellersD
gossi% and co""ent than !as "eant for his ear( EBeans so lateG %eas
so lateGE&&for 9 continued to %lant !hen others had begun to hoe&&the
"inisterial husband"an had not sus%ected it# ECorn, "y boy, for fodderA
corn for fodder#E EDoes he BliveB thereFE asks the black bonnet of the
gray coatA and the hard&featured far"er reins u% his grateful dobbin to
in@uire !hat you are doing !here he sees no "anure in the furro!, and
reco""ends a little chi% dirt, or any little !aste stuff, or it "ay be
ashes or %laster# But here !ere t!o acres and a half of furro!s, and
only a hoe for cart and t!o hands to dra! it&&there being an aversion
to other carts and horses&&and chi% dirt far a!ay# 6ello!&travellers as
they rattled by co"%ared it aloud !ith the fields !hich they had %assed,
so that 9 ca"e to kno! ho! 9 stood in the agricultural !orld# This !as
one field not in >r# Cole"anDs re%ort# )nd, by the !ay, !ho esti"ates
the value of the cro% !hich nature yields in the still !ilder fields
uni"%roved by "anF The cro% of BEnglishB hay is carefully !eighed, the
"oisture calculated, the silicates and the %otashA but in all dells and
%ond&holes in the !oods and %astures and s!a"%s gro!s a rich and various
cro% only unrea%ed by "an# >ine !as, as it !ere, the connecting link
bet!een !ild and cultivated fieldsA as so"e states are civili?ed, and
others half&civili?ed, and others savage or barbarous, so "y field !as,
though not in a bad sense, a half&cultivated field# They !ere
beans cheerfully returning to their !ild and %ri"itive state that 9
cultivated, and "y hoe %layed the B3an? des <achesB for the"#
:ear at hand, u%on the to%"ost s%ray of a birch, sings the bro!n
thrasher&&or red "avis, as so"e love to call hi"&&all the "orning, glad
of your society, that !ould find out another far"erDs field if yours
!ere not here# While you are %lanting the seed, he cries&&EDro% it, dro%
it&&cover it u%, cover it u%&&%ull it u%, %ull it u%, %ull it u%#E But
this !as not corn, and so it !as safe fro" such ene"ies as he# $ou "ay
!onder !hat his rig"arole, his a"ateur Paganini %erfor"ances on one
string or on t!enty, have to do !ith your %lanting, and yet %refer it to
leached ashes or %laster# 9t !as a chea% sort of to% dressing in !hich 9
had entire faith#
)s 9 dre! a still fresher soil about the ro!s !ith "y hoe, 9 disturbed
the ashes of unchronicled nations !ho in %ri"eval years lived under
these heavens, and their s"all i"%le"ents of !ar and hunting !ere
brought to the light of this "odern day# They lay "ingled !ith other
natural stones, so"e of !hich bore the "arks of having been burned by
9ndian fires, and so"e by the sun, and also bits of %ottery and glass
brought hither by the recent cultivators of the soil# When "y hoe
tinkled against the stones, that "usic echoed to the !oods and the
sky, and !as an acco"%ani"ent to "y labor !hich yielded an instant and
i""easurable cro%# 9t !as no longer beans that 9 hoed, nor 9 that hoed
beansA and 9 re"e"bered !ith as "uch %ity as %ride, if 9 re"e"bered at
all, "y ac@uaintances !ho had gone to the city to attend the oratorios#
The nightha!k circled overhead in the sunny afternoons&&for 9 so"eti"es
"ade a day of it&&like a "ote in the eye, or in heavenDs eye, falling
fro" ti"e to ti"e !ith a s!oo% and a sound as if the heavens !ere rent,
torn at last to very rags and tatters, and yet a sea"less co%e re"ainedA
s"all i"%s that fill the air and lay their eggs on the ground on bare
sand or rocks on the to%s of hills, !here fe! have found the"A graceful
and slender like ri%%les caught u% fro" the %ond, as leaves are raised
by the !ind to float in the heavensA such kindredshi% is in nature#
The ha!k is aerial brother of the !ave !hich he sails over and surveys,
those his %erfect air&inflated !ings ans!ering to the ele"ental
unfledged %inions of the sea# Or so"eti"es 9 !atched a %air of
hen&ha!ks circling high in the sky, alternately soaring and descending,
a%%roaching, and leaving one another, as if they !ere the e"bodi"ent of
"y o!n thoughts# Or 9 !as attracted by the %assage of !ild %igeons fro"
this !ood to that, !ith a slight @uivering !inno!ing sound and carrier
hasteA or fro" under a rotten stu"% "y hoe turned u% a sluggish
%ortentous and outlandish s%otted sala"ander, a trace of Egy%t and
the :ile, yet our conte"%orary# When 9 %aused to lean on "y hoe, these
sounds and sights 9 heard and sa! any!here in the ro!, a %art of the
ineChaustible entertain"ent !hich the country offers#
On gala days the to!n fires its great guns, !hich echo like %o%guns to
these !oods, and so"e !aifs of "artial "usic occasionally %enetrate thus
far# To "e, a!ay there in "y bean&field at the other end of the to!n,
the big guns sounded as if a %uffball had burstA and !hen there !as a
"ilitary turnout of !hich 9 !as ignorant, 9 have so"eti"es had a vague
sense all the day of so"e sort of itching and disease in the hori?on,
as if so"e eru%tion !ould break out there soon, either scarlatina or
canker&rash, until at length so"e "ore favorable %uff of !ind, "aking
haste over the fields and u% the Wayland road, brought "e infor"ation of
the Etrainers#E 9t see"ed by the distant hu" as if so"ebodyDs bees had
s!ar"ed, and that the neighbors, according to <irgilDs advice, by a
faint Btintinnabulu"B u%on the "ost sonorous of their do"estic utensils,
!ere endeavoring to call the" do!n into the hive again# )nd !hen the
sound died @uite a!ay, and the hu" had ceased, and the "ost favorable
bree?es told no tale, 9 kne! that they had got the last drone of the"
all safely into the >iddleseC hive, and that no! their "inds !ere bent
on the honey !ith !hich it !as s"eared#
9 felt %roud to kno! that the liberties of >assachusetts and of our
fatherland !ere in such safe kee%ingA and as 9 turned to "y hoeing again
9 !as filled !ith an ineC%ressible confidence, and %ursued "y labor
cheerfully !ith a cal" trust in the future#
When there !ere several bands of "usicians, it sounded as if all the
village !as a vast bello!s and all the buildings eC%anded and colla%sed
alternately !ith a din# But so"eti"es it !as a really noble and
ins%iring strain that reached these !oods, and the tru"%et that sings
of fa"e, and 9 felt as if 9 could s%it a >eCican !ith a good relish&&for
!hy should !e al!ays stand for triflesF&&and looked round for a
!oodchuck or a skunk to eCercise "y chivalry u%on# These "artial strains
see"ed as far a!ay as Palestine, and re"inded "e of a "arch of crusaders
in the hori?on, !ith a slight tantivy and tre"ulous "otion of the el"
tree to%s !hich overhang the village# This !as one of the BgreatB daysA
though the sky had fro" "y clearing only the sa"e everlastingly great
look that it !ears daily, and 9 sa! no difference in it#
9t !as a singular eC%erience that long ac@uaintance !hich 9 cultivated
!ith beans, !hat !ith %lanting, and hoeing, and harvesting, and
threshing, and %icking over and selling the"&&the last !as the hardest
of all&&9 "ight add eating, for 9 did taste# 9 !as deter"ined to kno!
beans# When they !ere gro!ing, 9 used to hoe fro" five oDclock in the
"orning till noon, and co""only s%ent the rest of the day about other
affairs# Consider the inti"ate and curious ac@uaintance one "akes !ith
various kinds of !eeds&&it !ill bear so"e iteration in the account, for
there !as no little iteration in the labor&&disturbing their delicate
organi?ations so ruthlessly, and "aking such invidious distinctions
!ith his hoe, levelling !hole ranks of one s%ecies, and sedulously
cultivating another# ThatDs 3o"an !or"!ood&&thatDs %ig!eed&&thatDs
sorrel&&thatDs %i%er&grass&&have at hi", cho% hi" u%, turn his roots
u%!ard to the sun, donDt let hi" have a fibre in the shade, if you do
heDll turn hi"self tD other side u% and be as green as a leek in t!o
days# ) long !ar, not !ith cranes, but !ith !eeds, those Trojans !ho
had sun and rain and de!s on their side# Daily the beans sa! "e co"e
to their rescue ar"ed !ith a hoe, and thin the ranks of their ene"ies,
filling u% the trenches !ith !eedy dead# >any a lusty crest&&!aving
ector, that to!ered a !hole foot above his cro!ding co"rades, fell
before "y !ea%on and rolled in the dust#
Those su""er days !hich so"e of "y conte"%oraries devoted to the fine
arts in Boston or 3o"e, and others to conte"%lation in 9ndia, and others
to trade in 'ondon or :e! $ork, 9 thus, !ith the other far"ers of :e!
England, devoted to husbandry# :ot that 9 !anted beans to eat, for 9
a" by nature a Pythagorean, so far as beans are concerned, !hether they
"ean %orridge or voting, and eCchanged the" for riceA but, %erchance, as
so"e "ust !ork in fields if only for the sake of tro%es and eC%ression,
to serve a %arable&"aker one day# 9t !as on the !hole a rare a"use"ent,
!hich, continued too long, "ight have beco"e a dissi%ation# Though 9
gave the" no "anure, and did not hoe the" all once, 9 hoed the" unusually
!ell as far as 9 !ent, and !as %aid for it in the end, Ethere being in
truth,E as Evelyn says, Eno co"%ost or laetation !hatsoever co"%arable
to this continual "otion, re%astination, and turning of the "ould !ith
the s%ade#E EThe earth,E he adds else!here, Ees%ecially if fresh, has a
certain "agnetis" in it, by !hich it attracts the salt, %o!er, or virtue
Jcall it eitherK !hich gives it life, and is the logic of all the labor
and stir !e kee% about it, to sustain usA all dungings and other sordid
te"%erings being but the vicars succedaneous to this i"%rove"ent#E
>oreover, this being one of those E!orn&out and eChausted lay fields
!hich enjoy their sabbath,E had %erchance, as 8ir ;enel" Digby thinks
likely, attracted Evital s%iritsE fro" the air# 9 harvested t!elve
bushels of beans#
But to be "ore %articular, for it is co"%lained that >r# Cole"an has
re%orted chiefly the eC%ensive eC%eri"ents of gentle"en far"ers, "y
outgoes !ere,&&
6or a hoe################################### Q -#1P
Plo!ing, harro!ing, and furro!ing############ O#1- Too "uch#
Beans for seed############################### R#+,&+S,
Potatoes for seed############################ +#RR
Peas for seed################################ -#P-
Turni% seed################################## -#-N
White line for cro! fence#################### -#-,
orse cultivator and boy three hours######### +#--
orse and cart to get cro%################### -#O1
&&&&&&&&
9n all################################## Q+P#O,&+S,
>y inco"e !as J%atre" fa"ilias vendace", non e"ace" esse o%ortetK, fro"
:ine bushels and t!elve @uarts of beans sold## Q+N#4P
6ive E large %otatoes##################### ,#1-
:ine E s"all############################## ,#,1
Grass########################################### +#--
8talks########################################## -#O1
&&&&&&&&
9n all#################################### Q,R#PP
'eaving a %ecuniary %rofit,
as 9 have else!here said, of############## Q.#O+&+S,
This is the result of "y eC%erience in raising beans( Plant the co""on
s"all !hite bush bean about the first of *une, in ro!s three feet by
eighteen inches a%art, being careful to select fresh round and un"iCed
seed# 6irst look out for !or"s, and su%%ly vacancies by %lanting ane!#
Then look out for !oodchucks, if it is an eC%osed %lace, for they !ill
nibble off the earliest tender leaves al"ost clean as they goA and
again, !hen the young tendrils "ake their a%%earance, they have notice
of it, and !ill shear the" off !ith both buds and young %ods, sitting
erect like a s@uirrel# But above all harvest as early as %ossible, if
you !ould esca%e frosts and have a fair and salable cro%A you "ay save
"uch loss by this "eans#
This further eC%erience also 9 gained( 9 said to "yself, 9 !ill not
%lant beans and corn !ith so "uch industry another su""er, but such
seeds, if the seed is not lost, as sincerity, truth, si"%licity, faith,
innocence, and the like, and see if they !ill not gro! in this soil,
even !ith less toil and "anurance, and sustain "e, for surely it has
not been eChausted for these cro%s# )lasG 9 said this to "yselfA but no!
another su""er is gone, and another, and another, and 9 a" obliged to
say to you, 3eader, that the seeds !hich 9 %lanted, if indeed they B!ereB
the seeds of those virtues, !ere !or"eaten or had lost their vitality,
and so did not co"e u%# Co""only "en !ill only be brave as their fathers
!ere brave, or ti"id# This generation is very sure to %lant corn and
beans each ne! year %recisely as the 9ndians did centuries ago and
taught the first settlers to do, as if there !ere a fate in it# 9 sa! an
old "an the other day, to "y astonish"ent, "aking the holes !ith a hoe
for the seventieth ti"e at least, and not for hi"self to lie do!n inG
But !hy should not the :e! Englander try ne! adventures, and not lay
so "uch stress on his grain, his %otato and grass cro%, and his
orchards&&raise other cro%s than theseF Why concern ourselves so "uch
about our beans for seed, and not be concerned at all about a ne!
generation of "enF We should really be fed and cheered if !hen !e "et a
"an !e !ere sure to see that so"e of the @ualities !hich 9 have na"ed,
!hich !e all %ri?e "ore than those other %roductions, but !hich are
for the "ost %art broadcast and floating in the air, had taken root
and gro!n in hi"# ere co"es such a subtile and ineffable @uality,
for instance, as truth or justice, though the slightest a"ount or ne!
variety of it, along the road# Our a"bassadors should be instructed to
send ho"e such seeds as these, and Congress hel% to distribute the" over
all the land# We should never stand u%on cere"ony !ith sincerity# We
should never cheat and insult and banish one another by our "eanness, if
there !ere %resent the kernel of !orth and friendliness# We should not
"eet thus in haste# >ost "en 9 do not "eet at all, for they see" not to
have ti"eA they are busy about their beans# We !ould not deal !ith a "an
thus %lodding ever, leaning on a hoe or a s%ade as a staff bet!een his
!ork, not as a "ushroo", but %artially risen out of the earth, so"ething
"ore than erect, like s!allo!s alighted and !alking on the ground(&&
E)nd as he s%ake, his !ings !ould no! and then
8%read, as he "eant to fly, then close again&&E
so that !e should sus%ect that !e "ight be conversing !ith an angel#
Bread "ay not al!ays nourish usA but it al!ays does us good, it even
takes stiffness out of our joints, and "akes us su%%le and buoyant, !hen
!e kne! not !hat ailed us, to recogni?e any generosity in "an or :ature,
to share any un"iCed and heroic joy#
)ncient %oetry and "ythology suggest, at least, that husbandry !as once
a sacred artA but it is %ursued !ith irreverent haste and heedlessness
by us, our object being to have large far"s and large cro%s "erely#
We have no festival, nor %rocession, nor cere"ony, not eCce%ting our
cattle&sho!s and so&called Thanksgivings, by !hich the far"er eC%resses
a sense of the sacredness of his calling, or is re"inded of its sacred
origin# 9t is the %re"iu" and the feast !hich te"%t hi"# e sacrifices
not to Ceres and the Terrestrial *ove, but to the infernal Plutus
rather# By avarice and selfishness, and a grovelling habit, fro" !hich
none of us is free, of regarding the soil as %ro%erty, or the "eans
of ac@uiring %ro%erty chiefly, the landsca%e is defor"ed, husbandry is
degraded !ith us, and the far"er leads the "eanest of lives# e kno!s
:ature but as a robber# Cato says that the %rofits of agriculture are
%articularly %ious or just JB"aCi"e@ue %ius @uaestusBK, and according
to <arro the old 3o"ans Ecalled the sa"e earth >other and Ceres, and
thought that they !ho cultivated it led a %ious and useful life, and
that they alone !ere left of the race of ;ing 8aturn#E
We are !ont to forget that the sun looks on our cultivated fields and
on the %rairies and forests !ithout distinction# They all reflect and
absorb his rays alike, and the for"er "ake but a s"all %art of the
glorious %icture !hich he beholds in his daily course# 9n his vie!
the earth is all e@ually cultivated like a garden# Therefore !e should
receive the benefit of his light and heat !ith a corres%onding trust and
"agnani"ity# What though 9 value the seed of these beans, and harvest
that in the fall of the yearF This broad field !hich 9 have looked at
so long looks not to "e as the %rinci%al cultivator, but a!ay fro" "e to
influences "ore genial to it, !hich !ater and "ake it green# These
beans have results !hich are not harvested by "e# Do they not gro! for
!oodchucks %artlyF The ear of !heat Jin 'atin Bs%icaB, obsoletely Bs%ecaB,
fro" Bs%eB, ho%eK should not be the only ho%e of the husband"anA its
kernel or grain JBgranu"B fro" BgerendoB, bearingK is not all that it
bears# o!, then, can our harvest failF 8hall 9 not rejoice also at
the abundance of the !eeds !hose seeds are the granary of the birdsF 9t
"atters little co"%aratively !hether the fields fill the far"erDs barns#
The true husband"an !ill cease fro" anCiety, as the s@uirrels "anifest
no concern !hether the !oods !ill bear chestnuts this year or not, and
finish his labor !ith every day, relin@uishing all clai" to the %roduce
of his fields, and sacrificing in his "ind not only his first but his
last fruits also#
The <illage
)fter hoeing, or %erha%s reading and !riting, in the forenoon, 9 usually
bathed again in the %ond, s!i""ing across one of its coves for a stint,
and !ashed the dust of labor fro" "y %erson, or s"oothed out the last
!rinkle !hich study had "ade, and for the afternoon !as absolutely free#
Every day or t!o 9 strolled to the village to hear so"e of the gossi%
!hich is incessantly going on there, circulating either fro" "outh to
"outh, or fro" ne!s%a%er to ne!s%a%er, and !hich, taken in ho"oeo%athic
doses, !as really as refreshing in its !ay as the rustle of leaves and
the %ee%ing of frogs# )s 9 !alked in the !oods to see the birds and
s@uirrels, so 9 !alked in the village to see the "en and boysA instead
of the !ind a"ong the %ines 9 heard the carts rattle# 9n one direction
fro" "y house there !as a colony of "uskrats in the river "eado!sA under
the grove of el"s and button!oods in the other hori?on !as a village
of busy "en, as curious to "e as if they had been %rairie&dogs, each
sitting at the "outh of its burro!, or running over to a neighborDs to
gossi%# 9 !ent there fre@uently to observe their habits# The village
a%%eared to "e a great ne!s roo"A and on one side, to su%%ort it, as
once at 3edding T Co"%anyDs on 8tate 8treet, they ke%t nuts and raisins,
or salt and "eal and other groceries# 8o"e have such a vast a%%etite
for the for"er co""odity, that is, the ne!s, and such sound digestive
organs, that they can sit forever in %ublic avenues !ithout stirring,
and let it si""er and !his%er through the" like the Etesian !inds, or
as if inhaling ether, it only %roducing nu"bness and insensibility to
%ain&&other!ise it !ould often be %ainful to bear&&!ithout affecting the
consciousness# 9 hardly ever failed, !hen 9 ra"bled through the village,
to see a ro! of such !orthies, either sitting on a ladder sunning
the"selves, !ith their bodies inclined for!ard and their eyes glancing
along the line this !ay and that, fro" ti"e to ti"e, !ith a volu%tuous
eC%ression, or else leaning against a barn !ith their hands in their
%ockets, like caryatides, as if to %ro% it u%# They, being co""only out
of doors, heard !hatever !as in the !ind# These are the coarsest "ills,
in !hich all gossi% is first rudely digested or cracked u% before it is
e"%tied into finer and "ore delicate ho%%ers !ithin doors# 9 observed
that the vitals of the village !ere the grocery, the bar&roo", the
%ost&office, and the bankA and, as a necessary %art of the "achinery,
they ke%t a bell, a big gun, and a fire&engine, at convenient %lacesA
and the houses !ere so arranged as to "ake the "ost of "ankind, in
lanes and fronting one another, so that every traveller had to run the
gauntlet, and every "an, !o"an, and child "ight get a lick at hi"# Of
course, those !ho !ere stationed nearest to the head of the line, !here
they could "ost see and be seen, and have the first blo! at hi", %aid
the highest %rices for their %lacesA and the fe! straggling inhabitants
in the outskirts, !here long ga%s in the line began to occur, and the
traveller could get over !alls or turn aside into co!&%aths, and so
esca%e, %aid a very slight ground or !indo! taC# 8igns !ere hung out
on all sides to allure hi"A so"e to catch hi" by the a%%etite, as the
tavern and victualling cellarA so"e by the fancy, as the dry goods store
and the je!ellerDsA and others by the hair or the feet or the skirts,
as the barber, the shoe"aker, or the tailor# Besides, there !as a still
"ore terrible standing invitation to call at every one of these houses,
and co"%any eC%ected about these ti"es# 6or the "ost %art 9 esca%ed
!onderfully fro" these dangers, either by %roceeding at once boldly and
!ithout deliberation to the goal, as is reco""ended to those !ho run the
gauntlet, or by kee%ing "y thoughts on high things, like Or%heus, !ho,
Eloudly singing the %raises of the gods to his lyre, dro!ned the voices
of the 8irens, and ke%t out of danger#E 8o"eti"es 9 bolted suddenly,
and nobody could tell "y !hereabouts, for 9 did not stand "uch about
gracefulness, and never hesitated at a ga% in a fence# 9 !as even
accusto"ed to "ake an irru%tion into so"e houses, !here 9 !as !ell
entertained, and after learning the kernels and very last sieveful of
ne!s&&!hat had subsided, the %ros%ects of !ar and %eace, and !hether the
!orld !as likely to hold together "uch longer&&9 !as let out through the
rear avenues, and so esca%ed to the !oods again#
9t !as very %leasant, !hen 9 stayed late in to!n, to launch "yself into
the night, es%ecially if it !as dark and te"%estuous, and set sail fro"
so"e bright village %arlor or lecture roo", !ith a bag of rye or 9ndian
"eal u%on "y shoulder, for "y snug harbor in the !oods, having "ade all
tight !ithout and !ithdra!n under hatches !ith a "erry cre! of thoughts,
leaving only "y outer "an at the hel", or even tying u% the hel" !hen it
!as %lain sailing# 9 had "any a genial thought by the cabin fire Eas 9
sailed#E 9 !as never cast a!ay nor distressed in any !eather, though
9 encountered so"e severe stor"s# 9t is darker in the !oods, even in
co""on nights, than "ost su%%ose# 9 fre@uently had to look u% at the
o%ening bet!een the trees above the %ath in order to learn "y route,
and, !here there !as no cart&%ath, to feel !ith "y feet the faint track
!hich 9 had !orn, or steer by the kno!n relation of %articular trees
!hich 9 felt !ith "y hands, %assing bet!een t!o %ines for instance, not
"ore than eighteen inches a%art, in the "idst of the !oods, invariably,
in the darkest night# 8o"eti"es, after co"ing ho"e thus late in a dark
and "uggy night, !hen "y feet felt the %ath !hich "y eyes could not see,
drea"ing and absent&"inded all the !ay, until 9 !as aroused by having to
raise "y hand to lift the latch, 9 have not been able to recall a single
ste% of "y !alk, and 9 have thought that %erha%s "y body !ould find its
!ay ho"e if its "aster should forsake it, as the hand finds its !ay to
the "outh !ithout assistance# 8everal ti"es, !hen a visitor chanced to
stay into evening, and it %roved a dark night, 9 !as obliged to conduct
hi" to the cart&%ath in the rear of the house, and then %oint out to hi"
the direction he !as to %ursue, and in kee%ing !hich he !as to be guided
rather by his feet than his eyes# One very dark night 9 directed thus
on their !ay t!o young "en !ho had been fishing in the %ond# They lived
about a "ile off through the !oods, and !ere @uite used to the route#
) day or t!o after one of the" told "e that they !andered about the
greater %art of the night, close by their o!n %re"ises, and did not get
ho"e till to!ard "orning, by !hich ti"e, as there had been several
heavy sho!ers in the "ean!hile, and the leaves !ere very !et, they !ere
drenched to their skins# 9 have heard of "any going astray even in the
village streets, !hen the darkness !as so thick that you could cut it
!ith a knife, as the saying is# 8o"e !ho live in the outskirts, having
co"e to to!n a&sho%%ing in their !agons, have been obliged to %ut u% for
the nightA and gentle"en and ladies "aking a call have gone half a "ile
out of their !ay, feeling the side!alk only !ith their feet, and not
kno!ing !hen they turned# 9t is a sur%rising and "e"orable, as !ell
as valuable eC%erience, to be lost in the !oods any ti"e# Often in a
sno!&stor", even by day, one !ill co"e out u%on a !ell&kno!n road and
yet find it i"%ossible to tell !hich !ay leads to the village# Though he
kno!s that he has travelled it a thousand ti"es, he cannot recogni?e
a feature in it, but it is as strange to hi" as if it !ere a road in
8iberia# By night, of course, the %er%leCity is infinitely greater#
9n our "ost trivial !alks, !e are constantly, though unconsciously,
steering like %ilots by certain !ell&kno!n beacons and headlands, and if
!e go beyond our usual course !e still carry in our "inds the bearing
of so"e neighboring ca%eA and not till !e are co"%letely lost, or turned
round&&for a "an needs only to be turned round once !ith his eyes shut
in this !orld to be lost&&do !e a%%reciate the vastness and strangeness
of nature# Every "an has to learn the %oints of co"%ass again as often
as he a!akes, !hether fro" slee% or any abstraction# :ot till !e are
lost, in other !ords not till !e have lost the !orld, do !e begin to
find ourselves, and reali?e !here !e are and the infinite eCtent of our
relations#
One afternoon, near the end of the first su""er, !hen 9 !ent to the
village to get a shoe fro" the cobblerDs, 9 !as sei?ed and %ut into
jail, because, as 9 have else!here related, 9 did not %ay a taC to, or
recogni?e the authority of, the 8tate !hich buys and sells "en, !o"en,
and children, like cattle, at the door of its senate&house# 9 had gone
do!n to the !oods for other %ur%oses# But, !herever a "an goes, "en
!ill %ursue and %a! hi" !ith their dirty institutions, and, if they can,
constrain hi" to belong to their des%erate odd&fello! society# 9t is
true, 9 "ight have resisted forcibly !ith "ore or less effect, "ight
have run Ea"okE against societyA but 9 %referred that society should run
Ea"okE against "e, it being the des%erate %arty# o!ever, 9 !as released
the neCt day, obtained "y "ended shoe, and returned to the !oods in
season to get "y dinner of huckleberries on 6air aven ill# 9 !as never
"olested by any %erson but those !ho re%resented the 8tate# 9 had no
lock nor bolt but for the desk !hich held "y %a%ers, not even a nail
to %ut over "y latch or !indo!s# 9 never fastened "y door night or day,
though 9 !as to be absent several daysA not even !hen the neCt fall
9 s%ent a fortnight in the !oods of >aine# )nd yet "y house !as "ore
res%ected than if it had been surrounded by a file of soldiers# The
tired ra"bler could rest and !ar" hi"self by "y fire, the literary a"use
hi"self !ith the fe! books on "y table, or the curious, by o%ening "y
closet door, see !hat !as left of "y dinner, and !hat %ros%ect 9 had of
a su%%er# $et, though "any %eo%le of every class ca"e this !ay to the
%ond, 9 suffered no serious inconvenience fro" these sources, and 9
never "issed anything but one s"all book, a volu"e of o"er, !hich
%erha%s !as i"%ro%erly gilded, and this 9 trust a soldier of our ca"%
has found by this ti"e# 9 a" convinced, that if all "en !ere to live as
si"%ly as 9 then did, thieving and robbery !ould be unkno!n# These take
%lace only in co""unities !here so"e have got "ore than is sufficient
!hile others have not enough# The Po%eDs o"ers !ould soon get %ro%erly
distributed#
E:ec bella fuerunt,
6aginus astabat du" scy%hus ante da%es#E
E:or !ars did "en "olest,
When only beechen bo!ls !ere in re@uest#E
E$ou !ho govern %ublic affairs, !hat need have you to e"%loy
%unish"entsF 'ove virtue, and the %eo%le !ill be virtuous# The virtues
of a su%erior "an are like the !indA the virtues of a co""on "an are
like the grass&&the grass, !hen the !ind %asses over it, bends#E
The Ponds
8o"eti"es, having had a surfeit of hu"an society and gossi%, and !orn
out all "y village friends, 9 ra"bled still farther !est!ard than 9
habitually d!ell, into yet "ore unfre@uented %arts of the to!n, Eto
fresh !oods and %astures ne!,E or, !hile the sun !as setting, "ade "y
su%%er of huckleberries and blueberries on 6air aven ill, and laid u%
a store for several days# The fruits do not yield their true flavor to
the %urchaser of the", nor to hi" !ho raises the" for the "arket# There
is but one !ay to obtain it, yet fe! take that !ay# 9f you !ould kno!
the flavor of huckleberries, ask the co!boy or the %artridge# 9t is a
vulgar error to su%%ose that you have tasted huckleberries !ho never
%lucked the"# ) huckleberry never reaches BostonA they have not been
kno!n there since they gre! on her three hills# The a"brosial and
essential %art of the fruit is lost !ith the bloo" !hich is rubbed off
in the "arket cart, and they beco"e "ere %rovender# )s long as Eternal
*ustice reigns, not one innocent huckleberry can be trans%orted thither
fro" the countryDs hills#
Occasionally, after "y hoeing !as done for the day, 9 joined so"e
i"%atient co"%anion !ho had been fishing on the %ond since "orning,
as silent and "otionless as a duck or a floating leaf, and, after
%ractising various kinds of %hiloso%hy, had concluded co""only, by the
ti"e 9 arrived, that he belonged to the ancient sect of CHnobites#
There !as one older "an, an eCcellent fisher and skilled in all kinds of
!oodcraft, !ho !as %leased to look u%on "y house as a building erected
for the convenience of fisher"enA and 9 !as e@ually %leased !hen he sat
in "y door!ay to arrange his lines# Once in a !hile !e sat together on
the %ond, he at one end of the boat, and 9 at the otherA but not "any
!ords %assed bet!een us, for he had gro!n deaf in his later years, but
he occasionally hu""ed a %sal", !hich har"oni?ed !ell enough !ith "y
%hiloso%hy# Our intercourse !as thus altogether one of unbroken har"ony,
far "ore %leasing to re"e"ber than if it had been carried on by s%eech#
When, as !as co""only the case, 9 had none to co""une !ith, 9 used
to raise the echoes by striking !ith a %addle on the side of "y boat,
filling the surrounding !oods !ith circling and dilating sound, stirring
the" u% as the kee%er of a "enagerie his !ild beasts, until 9 elicited a
gro!l fro" every !ooded vale and hillside#
9n !ar" evenings 9 fre@uently sat in the boat %laying the flute, and
sa! the %erch, !hich 9 see" to have char"ed, hovering around "e, and
the "oon travelling over the ribbed botto", !hich !as stre!ed !ith the
!recks of the forest# 6or"erly 9 had co"e to this %ond adventurously,
fro" ti"e to ti"e, in dark su""er nights, !ith a co"%anion, and, "aking
a fire close to the !aterDs edge, !hich !e thought attracted the fishes,
!e caught %outs !ith a bunch of !or"s strung on a thread, and !hen !e
had done, far in the night, thre! the burning brands high into the air
like skyrockets, !hich, co"ing do!n into the %ond, !ere @uenched !ith
a loud hissing, and !e !ere suddenly gro%ing in total darkness# Through
this, !histling a tune, !e took our !ay to the haunts of "en again# But
no! 9 had "ade "y ho"e by the shore#
8o"eti"es, after staying in a village %arlor till the fa"ily had all
retired, 9 have returned to the !oods, and, %artly !ith a vie! to the
neCt dayDs dinner, s%ent the hours of "idnight fishing fro" a boat by
"oonlight, serenaded by o!ls and foCes, and hearing, fro" ti"e to ti"e,
the creaking note of so"e unkno!n bird close at hand# These eC%eriences
!ere very "e"orable and valuable to "e&&anchored in forty feet of
!ater, and t!enty or thirty rods fro" the shore, surrounded so"eti"es
by thousands of s"all %erch and shiners, di"%ling the surface !ith their
tails in the "oonlight, and co""unicating by a long flaCen line !ith
"ysterious nocturnal fishes !hich had their d!elling forty feet belo!,
or so"eti"es dragging siCty feet of line about the %ond as 9 drifted in
the gentle night bree?e, no! and then feeling a slight vibration along
it, indicative of so"e life %ro!ling about its eCtre"ity, of dull
uncertain blundering %ur%ose there, and slo! to "ake u% its "ind#
)t length you slo!ly raise, %ulling hand over hand, so"e horned %out
s@ueaking and s@uir"ing to the u%%er air# 9t !as very @ueer, es%ecially
in dark nights, !hen your thoughts had !andered to vast and cos"ogonal
the"es in other s%heres, to feel this faint jerk, !hich ca"e to
interru%t your drea"s and link you to :ature again# 9t see"ed as if 9
"ight neCt cast "y line u%!ard into the air, as !ell as do!n!ard into
this ele"ent, !hich !as scarcely "ore dense# Thus 9 caught t!o fishes as
it !ere !ith one hook#
7 7 7 7 7
The scenery of Walden is on a hu"ble scale, and, though very beautiful,
does not a%%roach to grandeur, nor can it "uch concern one !ho has not
long fre@uented it or lived by its shoreA yet this %ond is so re"arkable
for its de%th and %urity as to "erit a %articular descri%tion# 9t is
a clear and dee% green !ell, half a "ile long and a "ile and three
@uarters in circu"ference, and contains about siCty&one and a half
acresA a %erennial s%ring in the "idst of %ine and oak !oods, !ithout
any visible inlet or outlet eCce%t by the clouds and eva%oration# The
surrounding hills rise abru%tly fro" the !ater to the height of forty to
eighty feet, though on the southeast and east they attain to about one
hundred and one hundred and fifty feet res%ectively, !ithin a @uarter
and a third of a "ile# They are eCclusively !oodland# )ll our Concord
!aters have t!o colors at leastA one !hen vie!ed at a distance, and
another, "ore %ro%er, close at hand# The first de%ends "ore on the
light, and follo!s the sky# 9n clear !eather, in su""er, they a%%ear
blue at a little distance, es%ecially if agitated, and at a great
distance all a%%ear alike# 9n stor"y !eather they are so"eti"es of a
dark slate&color# The sea, ho!ever, is said to be blue one day and green
another !ithout any %erce%tible change in the at"os%here# 9 have seen
our river, !hen, the landsca%e being covered !ith sno!, both !ater and
ice !ere al"ost as green as grass# 8o"e consider blue Eto be the color
of %ure !ater, !hether li@uid or solid#E But, looking directly do!n into
our !aters fro" a boat, they are seen to be of very different colors#
Walden is blue at one ti"e and green at another, even fro" the sa"e
%oint of vie!# 'ying bet!een the earth and the heavens, it %artakes of
the color of both# <ie!ed fro" a hillto% it reflects the color of the
skyA but near at hand it is of a yello!ish tint neCt the shore !here
you can see the sand, then a light green, !hich gradually dee%ens to a
unifor" dark green in the body of the %ond# 9n so"e lights, vie!ed
even fro" a hillto%, it is of a vivid green neCt the shore# 8o"e have
referred this to the reflection of the verdureA but it is e@ually green
there against the railroad sandbank, and in the s%ring, before the
leaves are eC%anded, and it "ay be si"%ly the result of the %revailing
blue "iCed !ith the yello! of the sand# 8uch is the color of its iris#
This is that %ortion, also, !here in the s%ring, the ice being !ar"ed
by the heat of the sun reflected fro" the botto", and also trans"itted
through the earth, "elts first and for"s a narro! canal about the still
fro?en "iddle# 'ike the rest of our !aters, !hen "uch agitated, in clear
!eather, so that the surface of the !aves "ay reflect the sky at the
right angle, or because there is "ore light "iCed !ith it, it a%%ears
at a little distance of a darker blue than the sky itselfA and at such
a ti"e, being on its surface, and looking !ith divided vision, so as to
see the reflection, 9 have discerned a "atchless and indescribable light
blue, such as !atered or changeable silks and s!ord blades suggest, "ore
cerulean than the sky itself, alternating !ith the original dark green
on the o%%osite sides of the !aves, !hich last a%%eared but "uddy in
co"%arison# 9t is a vitreous greenish blue, as 9 re"e"ber it, like those
%atches of the !inter sky seen through cloud vistas in the !est before
sundo!n# $et a single glass of its !ater held u% to the light is as
colorless as an e@ual @uantity of air# 9t is !ell kno!n that a large
%late of glass !ill have a green tint, o!ing, as the "akers say, to its
Ebody,E but a s"all %iece of the sa"e !ill be colorless# o! large a
body of Walden !ater !ould be re@uired to reflect a green tint 9 have
never %roved# The !ater of our river is black or a very dark bro!n to
one looking directly do!n on it, and, like that of "ost %onds, i"%arts
to the body of one bathing in it a yello!ish tingeA but this !ater is
of such crystalline %urity that the body of the bather a%%ears of an
alabaster !hiteness, still "ore unnatural, !hich, as the li"bs are
"agnified and distorted !ithal, %roduces a "onstrous effect, "aking fit
studies for a >ichael )ngelo#
The !ater is so trans%arent that the botto" can easily be discerned at
the de%th of t!enty&five or thirty feet# Paddling over it, you "ay see,
"any feet beneath the surface, the schools of %erch and shiners,
%erha%s only an inch long, yet the for"er easily distinguished by their
transverse bars, and you think that they "ust be ascetic fish that find
a subsistence there# Once, in the !inter, "any years ago, !hen 9 had
been cutting holes through the ice in order to catch %ickerel, as 9
ste%%ed ashore 9 tossed "y aCe back on to the ice, but, as if so"e evil
genius had directed it, it slid four or five rods directly into one of
the holes, !here the !ater !as t!enty&five feet dee%# Out of curiosity,
9 lay do!n on the ice and looked through the hole, until 9 sa! the aCe
a little on one side, standing on its head, !ith its helve erect and
gently s!aying to and fro !ith the %ulse of the %ondA and there it
"ight have stood erect and s!aying till in the course of ti"e the handle
rotted off, if 9 had not disturbed it# >aking another hole directly over
it !ith an ice chisel !hich 9 had, and cutting do!n the longest
birch !hich 9 could find in the neighborhood !ith "y knife, 9 "ade a
sli%&noose, !hich 9 attached to its end, and, letting it do!n carefully,
%assed it over the knob of the handle, and dre! it by a line along the
birch, and so %ulled the aCe out again#
The shore is co"%osed of a belt of s"ooth rounded !hite stones like
%aving&stones, eCce%ting one or t!o short sand beaches, and is so stee%
that in "any %laces a single lea% !ill carry you into !ater over your
headA and !ere it not for its re"arkable trans%arency, that !ould be the
last to be seen of its botto" till it rose on the o%%osite side# 8o"e
think it is botto"less# 9t is no!here "uddy, and a casual observer !ould
say that there !ere no !eeds at all in itA and of noticeable %lants,
eCce%t in the little "eado!s recently overflo!ed, !hich do not %ro%erly
belong to it, a closer scrutiny does not detect a flag nor a bulrush,
nor even a lily, yello! or !hite, but only a fe! s"all heart&leaves and
%ota"ogetons, and %erha%s a !ater&target or t!oA all !hich ho!ever a
bather "ight not %erceiveA and these %lants are clean and bright like
the ele"ent they gro! in# The stones eCtend a rod or t!o into the !ater,
and then the botto" is %ure sand, eCce%t in the dee%est %arts, !here
there is usually a little sedi"ent, %robably fro" the decay of the
leaves !hich have been !afted on to it so "any successive falls, and a
bright green !eed is brought u% on anchors even in "id!inter#
We have one other %ond just like this, White Pond, in :ine )cre Corner,
about t!o and a half "iles !esterlyA but, though 9 a" ac@uainted !ith
"ost of the %onds !ithin a do?en "iles of this centre 9 do not kno! a
third of this %ure and !ell&like character# 8uccessive nations %erchance
have drank at, ad"ired, and fatho"ed it, and %assed a!ay, and still its
!ater is green and %ellucid as ever# :ot an inter"itting s%ringG Perha%s
on that s%ring "orning !hen )da" and Eve !ere driven out of Eden Walden
Pond !as already in eCistence, and even then breaking u% in a gentle
s%ring rain acco"%anied !ith "ist and a southerly !ind, and covered !ith
"yriads of ducks and geese, !hich had not heard of the fall, !hen still
such %ure lakes sufficed the"# Even then it had co""enced to rise and
fall, and had clarified its !aters and colored the" of the hue they no!
!ear, and obtained a %atent of eaven to be the only Walden Pond in
the !orld and distiller of celestial de!s# Who kno!s in ho! "any
unre"e"bered nationsD literatures this has been the Castalian 6ountainF
or !hat ny"%hs %resided over it in the Golden )geF 9t is a ge" of the
first !ater !hich Concord !ears in her coronet#
$et %erchance the first !ho ca"e to this !ell have left so"e trace of
their footste%s# 9 have been sur%rised to detect encircling the %ond,
even !here a thick !ood has just been cut do!n on the shore, a narro!
shelf&like %ath in the stee% hillside, alternately rising and falling,
a%%roaching and receding fro" the !aterDs edge, as old %robably as the
race of "an here, !orn by the feet of aboriginal hunters, and still fro"
ti"e to ti"e un!ittingly trodden by the %resent occu%ants of the land#
This is %articularly distinct to one standing on the "iddle of the %ond
in !inter, just after a light sno! has fallen, a%%earing as a clear
undulating !hite line, unobscured by !eeds and t!igs, and very obvious
a @uarter of a "ile off in "any %laces !here in su""er it is hardly
distinguishable close at hand# The sno! re%rints it, as it !ere, in
clear !hite ty%e alto&relievo# The orna"ented grounds of villas !hich
!ill one day be built here "ay still %reserve so"e trace of this#
The %ond rises and falls, but !hether regularly or not, and !ithin !hat
%eriod, nobody kno!s, though, as usual, "any %retend to kno!# 9t is
co""only higher in the !inter and lo!er in the su""er, though not
corres%onding to the general !et and dryness# 9 can re"e"ber !hen it
!as a foot or t!o lo!er, and also !hen it !as at least five feet higher,
than !hen 9 lived by it# There is a narro! sand&bar running into it,
!ith very dee% !ater on one side, on !hich 9 hel%ed boil a kettle of
cho!der, so"e siC rods fro" the "ain shore, about the year +.,P, !hich
it has not been %ossible to do for t!enty&five yearsA and, on the other
hand, "y friends used to listen !ith incredulity !hen 9 told the", that
a fe! years later 9 !as accusto"ed to fish fro" a boat in a secluded
cove in the !oods, fifteen rods fro" the only shore they kne!, !hich
%lace !as long since converted into a "eado!# But the %ond has risen
steadily for t!o years, and no!, in the su""er of D1,, is just five feet
higher than !hen 9 lived there, or as high as it !as thirty years ago,
and fishing goes on again in the "eado!# This "akes a difference of
level, at the outside, of siC or seven feetA and yet the !ater shed by
the surrounding hills is insignificant in a"ount, and this overflo! "ust
be referred to causes !hich affect the dee% s%rings# This sa"e
su""er the %ond has begun to fall again# 9t is re"arkable that this
fluctuation, !hether %eriodical or not, a%%ears thus to re@uire "any
years for its acco"%lish"ent# 9 have observed one rise and a %art of t!o
falls, and 9 eC%ect that a do?en or fifteen years hence the !ater !ill
again be as lo! as 9 have ever kno!n it# 6lintDs Pond, a "ile east!ard,
allo!ing for the disturbance occasioned by its inlets and outlets,
and the s"aller inter"ediate %onds also, sy"%athi?e !ith Walden, and
recently attained their greatest height at the sa"e ti"e !ith the
latter# The sa"e is true, as far as "y observation goes, of White Pond#
This rise and fall of Walden at long intervals serves this use at leastA
the !ater standing at this great height for a year or "ore, though it
"akes it difficult to !alk round it, kills the shrubs and trees !hich
have s%rung u% about its edge since the last rise&&%itch %ines, birches,
alders, as%ens, and others&&and, falling again, leaves an unobstructed
shoreA for, unlike "any %onds and all !aters !hich are subject to a
daily tide, its shore is cleanest !hen the !ater is lo!est# On the side
of the %ond neCt "y house a ro! of %itch %ines, fifteen feet high, has
been killed and ti%%ed over as if by a lever, and thus a sto% %ut to
their encroach"entsA and their si?e indicates ho! "any years have
ela%sed since the last rise to this height# By this fluctuation the %ond
asserts its title to a shore, and thus the BshoreB is BshornB, and the
trees cannot hold it by right of %ossession# These are the li%s of the
lake, on !hich no beard gro!s# 9t licks its cha%s fro" ti"e to ti"e#
When the !ater is at its height, the alders, !illo!s, and "a%les send
forth a "ass of fibrous red roots several feet long fro" all sides of
their ste"s in the !ater, and to the height of three or four feet fro"
the ground, in the effort to "aintain the"selvesA and 9 have kno!n the
high blueberry bushes about the shore, !hich co""only %roduce no fruit,
bear an abundant cro% under these circu"stances#
8o"e have been %u??led to tell ho! the shore beca"e so regularly %aved#
>y to!ns"en have all heard the tradition&&the oldest %eo%le tell "e that
they heard it in their youth&&that anciently the 9ndians !ere holding
a %o!&!o! u%on a hill here, !hich rose as high into the heavens as the
%ond no! sinks dee% into the earth, and they used "uch %rofanity, as
the story goes, though this vice is one of !hich the 9ndians !ere never
guilty, and !hile they !ere thus engaged the hill shook and suddenly
sank, and only one old s@ua!, na"ed Walden, esca%ed, and fro" her the
%ond !as na"ed# 9t has been conjectured that !hen the hill shook these
stones rolled do!n its side and beca"e the %resent shore# 9t is very
certain, at any rate, that once there !as no %ond here, and no! there
is oneA and this 9ndian fable does not in any res%ect conflict !ith the
account of that ancient settler !ho" 9 have "entioned, !ho re"e"bers
so !ell !hen he first ca"e here !ith his divining&rod, sa! a thin va%or
rising fro" the s!ard, and the ha?el %ointed steadily do!n!ard, and he
concluded to dig a !ell here# )s for the stones, "any still think that
they are hardly to be accounted for by the action of the !aves on these
hillsA but 9 observe that the surrounding hills are re"arkably full of
the sa"e kind of stones, so that they have been obliged to %ile the"
u% in !alls on both sides of the railroad cut nearest the %ondA and,
"oreover, there are "ost stones !here the shore is "ost abru%tA so that,
unfortunately, it is no longer a "ystery to "e# 9 detect the %aver# 9f
the na"e !as not derived fro" that of so"e English locality&&8affron
Walden, for instance&&one "ight su%%ose that it !as called originally
BWalled&inB Pond#
The %ond !as "y !ell ready dug# 6or four "onths in the year its !ater is
as cold as it is %ure at all ti"esA and 9 think that it is then as good
as any, if not the best, in the to!n# 9n the !inter, all !ater !hich is
eC%osed to the air is colder than s%rings and !ells !hich are %rotected
fro" it# The te"%erature of the %ond !ater !hich had stood in the roo"
!here 9 sat fro" five oDclock in the afternoon till noon the neCt day,
the siCth of >arch, +.PN, the ther"o"eter having been u% to N1Z or O-Z
so"e of the ti"e, o!ing %artly to the sun on the roof, !as P,Z, or one
degree colder than the !ater of one of the coldest !ells in the village
just dra!n# The te"%erature of the Boiling 8%ring the sa"e day !as P1Z,
or the !ar"est of any !ater tried, though it is the coldest that 9 kno!
of in su""er, !hen, beside, shallo! and stagnant surface !ater is not
"ingled !ith it# >oreover, in su""er, Walden never beco"es so !ar" as
"ost !ater !hich is eC%osed to the sun, on account of its de%th# 9n the
!ar"est !eather 9 usually %laced a %ailful in "y cellar, !here it
beca"e cool in the night, and re"ained so during the dayA though 9 also
resorted to a s%ring in the neighborhood# 9t !as as good !hen a !eek old
as the day it !as di%%ed, and had no taste of the %u"%# Whoever ca"%s
for a !eek in su""er by the shore of a %ond, needs only bury a %ail of
!ater a fe! feet dee% in the shade of his ca"% to be inde%endent of the
luCury of ice#
There have been caught in Walden %ickerel, one !eighing seven %ounds&&to
say nothing of another !hich carried off a reel !ith great velocity,
!hich the fisher"an safely set do!n at eight %ounds because he did
not see hi"&&%erch and %outs, so"e of each !eighing over t!o %ounds,
shiners, chivins or roach JB'euciscus %ulchellusBK, a very fe! brea"s, and
a cou%le of eels, one !eighing four %ounds&&9 a" thus %articular because
the !eight of a fish is co""only its only title to fa"e, and these are
the only eels 9 have heard of hereA&&also, 9 have a faint recollection
of a little fish so"e five inches long, !ith silvery sides and a
greenish back, so"e!hat dace&like in its character, !hich 9 "ention here
chiefly to link "y facts to fable# :evertheless, this %ond is not very
fertile in fish# 9ts %ickerel, though not abundant, are its chief boast#
9 have seen at one ti"e lying on the ice %ickerel of at least three
different kinds( a long and shallo! one, steel&colored, "ost like those
caught in the riverA a bright golden kind, !ith greenish reflections
and re"arkably dee%, !hich is the "ost co""on hereA and another,
golden&colored, and sha%ed like the last, but %e%%ered on the sides !ith
s"all dark bro!n or black s%ots, inter"iCed !ith a fe! faint blood&red
ones, very "uch like a trout# The s%ecific na"e BreticulatusB !ould not
a%%ly to thisA it should be BguttatusB rather# These are all very fir"
fish, and !eigh "ore than their si?e %ro"ises# The shiners, %outs, and
%erch also, and indeed all the fishes !hich inhabit this %ond, are "uch
cleaner, handso"er, and fir"er&fleshed than those in the river and "ost
other %onds, as the !ater is %urer, and they can easily be distinguished
fro" the"# Probably "any ichthyologists !ould "ake ne! varieties of so"e
of the"# There are also a clean race of frogs and tortoises, and a
fe! "ussels in itA "uskrats and "inks leave their traces about it, and
occasionally a travelling "ud&turtle visits it# 8o"eti"es, !hen 9 %ushed
off "y boat in the "orning, 9 disturbed a great "ud&turtle !hich had
secreted hi"self under the boat in the night# Ducks and geese fre@uent
it in the s%ring and fall, the !hite&bellied s!allo!s JBirundo bicolorBK
ski" over it, and the %eet!eets JBTotanus "aculariusBK EteeterE along its
stony shores all su""er# 9 have so"eti"es disturbed a fish ha!k sitting
on a !hite %ine over the !aterA but 9 doubt if it is ever %rofaned by
the !ind of a gull, like 6air aven# )t "ost, it tolerates one annual
loon# These are all the ani"als of conse@uence !hich fre@uent it no!#
$ou "ay see fro" a boat, in cal" !eather, near the sandy eastern shore,
!here the !ater is eight or ten feet dee%, and also in so"e other %arts
of the %ond, so"e circular hea%s half a do?en feet in dia"eter by a foot
in height, consisting of s"all stones less than a henDs egg in si?e,
!here all around is bare sand# )t first you !onder if the 9ndians
could have for"ed the" on the ice for any %ur%ose, and so, !hen the ice
"elted, they sank to the botto"A but they are too regular and so"e of
the" %lainly too fresh for that# They are si"ilar to those found in
riversA but as there are no suckers nor la"%reys here, 9 kno! not by
!hat fish they could be "ade# Perha%s they are the nests of the chivin#
These lend a %leasing "ystery to the botto"#
The shore is irregular enough not to be "onotonous# 9 have in "y "indDs
eye the !estern, indented !ith dee% bays, the bolder northern, and the
beautifully scallo%ed southern shore, !here successive ca%es overla%
each other and suggest uneC%lored coves bet!een# The forest has never
so good a setting, nor is so distinctly beautiful, as !hen seen fro" the
"iddle of a s"all lake a"id hills !hich rise fro" the !aterDs edgeA for
the !ater in !hich it is reflected not only "akes the best foreground in
such a case, but, !ith its !inding shore, the "ost natural and agreeable
boundary to it# There is no ra!ness nor i"%erfection in its edge there,
as !here the aCe has cleared a %art, or a cultivated field abuts on it#
The trees have a"%le roo" to eC%and on the !ater side, and each sends
forth its "ost vigorous branch in that direction# There :ature has !oven
a natural selvage, and the eye rises by just gradations fro" the lo!
shrubs of the shore to the highest trees# There are fe! traces of "anDs
hand to be seen# The !ater laves the shore as it did a thousand years
ago#
) lake is the landsca%eDs "ost beautiful and eC%ressive feature# 9t is
earthDs eyeA looking into !hich the beholder "easures the de%th of
his o!n nature# The fluviatile trees neCt the shore are the slender
eyelashes !hich fringe it, and the !ooded hills and cliffs around are
its overhanging bro!s#
8tanding on the s"ooth sandy beach at the east end of the %ond, in
a cal" 8e%te"ber afternoon, !hen a slight ha?e "akes the o%%osite
shore&line indistinct, 9 have seen !hence ca"e the eC%ression, Ethe
glassy surface of a lake#E When you invert your head, it looks like
a thread of finest gossa"er stretched across the valley, and glea"ing
against the distant %ine !oods, se%arating one stratu" of the at"os%here
fro" another# $ou !ould think that you could !alk dry under it to the
o%%osite hills, and that the s!allo!s !hich ski" over "ight %erch on it#
9ndeed, they so"eti"es dive belo! this line, as it !ere by "istake, and
are undeceived# )s you look over the %ond !est!ard you are obliged to
e"%loy both your hands to defend your eyes against the reflected as !ell
as the true sun, for they are e@ually brightA and if, bet!een the t!o,
you survey its surface critically, it is literally as s"ooth as glass,
eCce%t !here the skater insects, at e@ual intervals scattered over its
!hole eCtent, by their "otions in the sun %roduce the finest i"aginable
s%arkle on it, or, %erchance, a duck %lu"es itself, or, as 9 have said,
a s!allo! ski"s so lo! as to touch it# 9t "ay be that in the distance a
fish describes an arc of three or four feet in the air, and there is one
bright flash !here it e"erges, and another !here it strikes the !aterA
so"eti"es the !hole silvery arc is revealedA or here and there, %erha%s,
is a thistle&do!n floating on its surface, !hich the fishes dart at and
so di"%le it again# 9t is like "olten glass cooled but not congealed,
and the fe! "otes in it are %ure and beautiful like the i"%erfections in
glass# $ou "ay often detect a yet s"oother and darker !ater, se%arated
fro" the rest as if by an invisible cob!eb, boo" of the !ater ny"%hs,
resting on it# 6ro" a hillto% you can see a fish lea% in al"ost any
%artA for not a %ickerel or shiner %icks an insect fro" this s"ooth
surface but it "anifestly disturbs the e@uilibriu" of the !hole lake#
9t is !onderful !ith !hat elaborateness this si"%le fact is
advertised&&this %iscine "urder !ill out&&and fro" "y distant %erch 9
distinguish the circling undulations !hen they are half a do?en rods
in dia"eter# $ou can even detect a !ater&bug JBGyrinusBK ceaselessly
%rogressing over the s"ooth surface a @uarter of a "ile offA for they
furro! the !ater slightly, "aking a cons%icuous ri%%le bounded by t!o
diverging lines, but the skaters glide over it !ithout ri%%ling it
%erce%tibly# When the surface is considerably agitated there are no
skaters nor !ater&bugs on it, but a%%arently, in cal" days, they leave
their havens and adventurously glide forth fro" the shore by short
i"%ulses till they co"%letely cover it# 9t is a soothing e"%loy"ent,
on one of those fine days in the fall !hen all the !ar"th of the sun
is fully a%%reciated, to sit on a stu"% on such a height as this,
overlooking the %ond, and study the di"%ling circles !hich are
incessantly inscribed on its other!ise invisible surface a"id the
reflected skies and trees# Over this great eC%anse there is no
disturbance but it is thus at once gently s"oothed a!ay and assuaged,
as, !hen a vase of !ater is jarred, the tre"bling circles seek the shore
and all is s"ooth again# :ot a fish can lea% or an insect fall on the
%ond but it is thus re%orted in circling di"%les, in lines of beauty, as
it !ere the constant !elling u% of its fountain, the gentle %ulsing of
its life, the heaving of its breast# The thrills of joy and thrills
of %ain are undistinguishable# o! %eaceful the %heno"ena of the lakeG
)gain the !orks of "an shine as in the s%ring# )y, every leaf and t!ig
and stone and cob!eb s%arkles no! at "id&afternoon as !hen covered !ith
de! in a s%ring "orning# Every "otion of an oar or an insect %roduces a
flash of lightA and if an oar falls, ho! s!eet the echoG
9n such a day, in 8e%te"ber or October, Walden is a %erfect forest
"irror, set round !ith stones as %recious to "y eye as if fe!er or
rarer# :othing so fair, so %ure, and at the sa"e ti"e so large, as a
lake, %erchance, lies on the surface of the earth# 8ky !ater# 9t needs
no fence# :ations co"e and go !ithout defiling it# 9t is a "irror !hich
no stone can crack, !hose @uicksilver !ill never !ear off, !hose gilding
:ature continually re%airsA no stor"s, no dust, can di" its surface ever
freshA&&a "irror in !hich all i"%urity %resented to it sinks, s!e%t and
dusted by the sunDs ha?y brush&&this the light dust&cloth&&!hich retains
no breath that is breathed on it, but sends its o!n to float as clouds
high above its surface, and be reflected in its boso" still#
) field of !ater betrays the s%irit that is in the air# 9t is
continually receiving ne! life and "otion fro" above# 9t is inter"ediate
in its nature bet!een land and sky# On land only the grass and trees
!ave, but the !ater itself is ri%%led by the !ind# 9 see !here the
bree?e dashes across it by the streaks or flakes of light# 9t is
re"arkable that !e can look do!n on its surface# We shall, %erha%s,
look do!n thus on the surface of air at length, and "ark !here a still
subtler s%irit s!ee%s over it#
The skaters and !ater&bugs finally disa%%ear in the latter %art of
October, !hen the severe frosts have co"eA and then and in :ove"ber,
usually, in a cal" day, there is absolutely nothing to ri%%le the
surface# One :ove"ber afternoon, in the cal" at the end of a rain&stor"
of several daysD duration, !hen the sky !as still co"%letely overcast
and the air !as full of "ist, 9 observed that the %ond !as re"arkably
s"ooth, so that it !as difficult to distinguish its surfaceA though it
no longer reflected the bright tints of October, but the so"bre :ove"ber
colors of the surrounding hills# Though 9 %assed over it as gently as
%ossible, the slight undulations %roduced by "y boat eCtended al"ost
as far as 9 could see, and gave a ribbed a%%earance to the reflections#
But, as 9 !as looking over the surface, 9 sa! here and there at a
distance a faint gli""er, as if so"e skater insects !hich had esca%ed
the frosts "ight be collected there, or, %erchance, the surface, being
so s"ooth, betrayed !here a s%ring !elled u% fro" the botto"# Paddling
gently to one of these %laces, 9 !as sur%rised to find "yself surrounded
by "yriads of s"all %erch, about five inches long, of a rich bron?e
color in the green !ater, s%orting there, and constantly rising to
the surface and di"%ling it, so"eti"es leaving bubbles on it# 9n such
trans%arent and see"ingly botto"less !ater, reflecting the clouds,
9 see"ed to be floating through the air as in a balloon, and their
s!i""ing i"%ressed "e as a kind of flight or hovering, as if they !ere
a co"%act flock of birds %assing just beneath "y level on the right or
left, their fins, like sails, set all around the"# There !ere "any such
schools in the %ond, a%%arently i"%roving the short season before !inter
!ould dra! an icy shutter over their broad skylight, so"eti"es giving
to the surface an a%%earance as if a slight bree?e struck it, or a fe!
rain&dro%s fell there# When 9 a%%roached carelessly and alar"ed the",
they "ade a sudden s%lash and ri%%ling !ith their tails, as if one had
struck the !ater !ith a brushy bough, and instantly took refuge in the
de%ths# )t length the !ind rose, the "ist increased, and the !aves began
to run, and the %erch lea%ed "uch higher than before, half out of !ater,
a hundred black %oints, three inches long, at once above the surface#
Even as late as the fifth of Dece"ber, one year, 9 sa! so"e di"%les on
the surface, and thinking it !as going to rain hard i""ediately, the
air being full of "ist, 9 "ade haste to take "y %lace at the oars and ro!
ho"e!ardA already the rain see"ed ra%idly increasing, though 9 felt
none on "y cheek, and 9 antici%ated a thorough soaking# But suddenly the
di"%les ceased, for they !ere %roduced by the %erch, !hich the noise
of "y oars had seared into the de%ths, and 9 sa! their schools di"ly
disa%%earingA so 9 s%ent a dry afternoon after all#
)n old "an !ho used to fre@uent this %ond nearly siCty years ago, !hen
it !as dark !ith surrounding forests, tells "e that in those days he
so"eti"es sa! it all alive !ith ducks and other !ater&fo!l, and that
there !ere "any eagles about it# e ca"e here a&fishing, and used an
old log canoe !hich he found on the shore# 9t !as "ade of t!o !hite %ine
logs dug out and %inned together, and !as cut off s@uare at the ends#
9t !as very clu"sy, but lasted a great "any years before it beca"e
!ater&logged and %erha%s sank to the botto"# e did not kno! !hose it
!asA it belonged to the %ond# e used to "ake a cable for his anchor of
stri%s of hickory bark tied together# )n old "an, a %otter, !ho lived
by the %ond before the 3evolution, told hi" once that there !as an iron
chest at the botto", and that he had seen it# 8o"eti"es it !ould co"e
floating u% to the shoreA but !hen you !ent to!ard it, it !ould go back
into dee% !ater and disa%%ear# 9 !as %leased to hear of the old log
canoe, !hich took the %lace of an 9ndian one of the sa"e "aterial but
"ore graceful construction, !hich %erchance had first been a tree on the
bank, and then, as it !ere, fell into the !ater, to float there for a
generation, the "ost %ro%er vessel for the lake# 9 re"e"ber that !hen 9
first looked into these de%ths there !ere "any large trunks to be seen
indistinctly lying on the botto", !hich had either been blo!n over
for"erly, or left on the ice at the last cutting, !hen !ood !as chea%erA
but no! they have "ostly disa%%eared#
When 9 first %addled a boat on Walden, it !as co"%letely surrounded by
thick and lofty %ine and oak !oods, and in so"e of its coves gra%e&vines
had run over the trees neCt the !ater and for"ed bo!ers under !hich a
boat could %ass# The hills !hich for" its shores are so stee%, and the
!oods on the" !ere then so high, that, as you looked do!n fro" the !est
end, it had the a%%earance of an a"%hitheatre for so"e land of sylvan
s%ectacle# 9 have s%ent "any an hour, !hen 9 !as younger, floating over
its surface as the ?e%hyr !illed, having %addled "y boat to the "iddle,
and lying on "y back across the seats, in a su""er forenoon, drea"ing
a!ake, until 9 !as aroused by the boat touching the sand, and 9 arose to
see !hat shore "y fates had i"%elled "e toA days !hen idleness !as the
"ost attractive and %roductive industry# >any a forenoon have 9 stolen
a!ay, %referring to s%end thus the "ost valued %art of the dayA for 9
!as rich, if not in "oney, in sunny hours and su""er days, and s%ent
the" lavishlyA nor do 9 regret that 9 did not !aste "ore of the" in
the !orksho% or the teacherDs desk# But since 9 left those shores the
!oodcho%%ers have still further laid the" !aste, and no! for "any a
year there !ill be no "ore ra"bling through the aisles of the !ood,
!ith occasional vistas through !hich you see the !ater# >y >use "ay be
eCcused if she is silent henceforth# o! can you eC%ect the birds to
sing !hen their groves are cut do!nF
:o! the trunks of trees on the botto", and the old log canoe, and the
dark surrounding !oods, are gone, and the villagers, !ho scarcely kno!
!here it lies, instead of going to the %ond to bathe or drink, are
thinking to bring its !ater, !hich should be as sacred as the Ganges
at least, to the village in a %i%e, to !ash their dishes !ithG&&to
earn their Walden by the turning of a cock or dra!ing of a %lugG That
devilish 9ron orse, !hose ear&rending neigh is heard throughout the
to!n, has "uddied the Boiling 8%ring !ith his foot, and he it is that
has bro!sed off all the !oods on Walden shore, that Trojan horse, !ith a
thousand "en in his belly, introduced by "ercenary GreeksG Where is the
countryDs cha"%ion, the >oore of >oore ill, to "eet hi" at the Dee% Cut
and thrust an avenging lance bet!een the ribs of the bloated %estF
:evertheless, of all the characters 9 have kno!n, %erha%s Walden !ears
best, and best %reserves its %urity# >any "en have been likened to it,
but fe! deserve that honor# Though the !oodcho%%ers have laid bare first
this shore and then that, and the 9rish have built their sties by it,
and the railroad has infringed on its border, and the ice&"en have
ski""ed it once, it is itself unchanged, the sa"e !ater !hich "y
youthful eyes fell onA all the change is in "e# 9t has not ac@uired one
%er"anent !rinkle after all its ri%%les# 9t is %erennially young, and
9 "ay stand and see a s!allo! di% a%%arently to %ick an insect fro" its
surface as of yore# 9t struck "e again tonight, as if 9 had not seen it
al"ost daily for "ore than t!enty years&&Why, here is Walden, the sa"e
!oodland lake that 9 discovered so "any years agoA !here a forest !as
cut do!n last !inter another is s%ringing u% by its shore as lustily as
everA the sa"e thought is !elling u% to its surface that !as thenA it
is the sa"e li@uid joy and ha%%iness to itself and its >aker, ay, and it
"ay be to "e# 9t is the !ork of a brave "an surely, in !ho" there !as no
guileG e rounded this !ater !ith his hand, dee%ened and clarified it in
his thought, and in his !ill be@ueathed it to Concord# 9 see by its face
that it is visited by the sa"e reflectionA and 9 can al"ost say, Walden,
is it youF
9t is no drea" of "ine,
To orna"ent a lineA
9 cannot co"e nearer to God and eaven
Than 9 live to Walden even#
9 a" its stony shore,
)nd the bree?e that %asses oDerA
9n the hollo! of "y hand
)re its !ater and its sand,
)nd its dee%est resort
'ies high in "y thought#
The cars never %ause to look at itA yet 9 fancy that the engineers and
fire"en and brake"en, and those %assengers !ho have a season ticket and
see it often, are better "en for the sight# The engineer does not forget
at night, or his nature does not, that he has beheld this vision of
serenity and %urity once at least during the day# Though seen but once,
it hel%s to !ash out 8tate 8treet and the engineDs soot# One %ro%oses
that it be called EGodDs Dro%#E
9 have said that Walden has no visible inlet nor outlet, but it is on
the one hand distantly and indirectly related to 6lintDs Pond, !hich is
"ore elevated, by a chain of s"all %onds co"ing fro" that @uarter, and
on the other directly and "anifestly to Concord 3iver, !hich is lo!er,
by a si"ilar chain of %onds through !hich in so"e other geological
%eriod it "ay have flo!ed, and by a little digging, !hich God forbid,
it can be "ade to flo! thither again# 9f by living thus reserved and
austere, like a her"it in the !oods, so long, it has ac@uired such
!onderful %urity, !ho !ould not regret that the co"%aratively i"%ure
!aters of 6lintDs Pond should be "ingled !ith it, or itself should ever
go to !aste its s!eetness in the ocean !aveF
7 7 7 7 7
6lintDs, or 8andy Pond, in 'incoln, our greatest lake and inland sea,
lies about a "ile east of Walden# 9t is "uch larger, being said to
contain one hundred and ninety&seven acres, and is "ore fertile in fishA
but it is co"%aratively shallo!, and not re"arkably %ure# ) !alk through
the !oods thither !as often "y recreation# 9t !as !orth the !hile, if
only to feel the !ind blo! on your cheek freely, and see the !aves run,
and re"e"ber the life of "ariners# 9 !ent a&chestnutting there in the
fall, on !indy days, !hen the nuts !ere dro%%ing into the !ater and !ere
!ashed to "y feetA and one day, as 9 cre%t along its sedgy shore, the
fresh s%ray blo!ing in "y face, 9 ca"e u%on the "ouldering !reck of a
boat, the sides gone, and hardly "ore than the i"%ression of its flat
botto" left a"id the rushesA yet its "odel !as shar%ly defined, as if it
!ere a large decayed %ad, !ith its veins# 9t !as as i"%ressive a !reck
as one could i"agine on the seashore, and had as good a "oral# 9t is by
this ti"e "ere vegetable "ould and undistinguishable %ond shore, through
!hich rushes and flags have %ushed u%# 9 used to ad"ire the ri%%le "arks
on the sandy botto", at the north end of this %ond, "ade fir" and hard
to the feet of the !ader by the %ressure of the !ater, and the rushes
!hich gre! in 9ndian file, in !aving lines, corres%onding to these
"arks, rank behind rank, as if the !aves had %lanted the"# There also
9 have found, in considerable @uantities, curious balls, co"%osed
a%%arently of fine grass or roots, of %i%e!ort %erha%s, fro" half an
inch to four inches in dia"eter, and %erfectly s%herical# These !ash
back and forth in shallo! !ater on a sandy botto", and are so"eti"es
cast on the shore# They are either solid grass, or have a little sand in
the "iddle# )t first you !ould say that they !ere for"ed by the action
of the !aves, like a %ebbleA yet the s"allest are "ade of e@ually coarse
"aterials, half an inch long, and they are %roduced only at one season
of the year# >oreover, the !aves, 9 sus%ect, do not so "uch construct
as !ear do!n a "aterial !hich has already ac@uired consistency# They
%reserve their for" !hen dry for an indefinite %eriod#
B6lintDs PondGB 8uch is the %overty of our no"enclature# What right had
the unclean and stu%id far"er, !hose far" abutted on this sky !ater,
!hose shores he has ruthlessly laid bare, to give his na"e to itF 8o"e
skin&flint, !ho loved better the reflecting surface of a dollar, or a
bright cent, in !hich he could see his o!n bra?en faceA !ho regarded
even the !ild ducks !hich settled in it as tres%assersA his fingers
gro!n into crooked and bony talons fro" the long habit of gras%ing
har%y&likeA&&so it is not na"ed for "e# 9 go not there to see hi" nor to
hear of hi"A !ho never sa! it, !ho never bathed in it, !ho never loved
it, !ho never %rotected it, !ho never s%oke a good !ord for it, nor
thanked God that e had "ade it# 3ather let it be na"ed fro" the fishes
that s!i" in it, the !ild fo!l or @uadru%eds !hich fre@uent it, the !ild
flo!ers !hich gro! by its shores, or so"e !ild "an or child the thread
of !hose history is inter!oven !ith its o!nA not fro" hi" !ho could sho!
no title to it but the deed !hich a like&"inded neighbor or legislature
gave hi"&&hi" !ho thought only of its "oney valueA !hose %resence
%erchance cursed all the shoresA !ho eChausted the land around it, and
!ould fain have eChausted the !aters !ithin itA !ho regretted only that
it !as not English hay or cranberry "eado!&&there !as nothing to redee"
it, forsooth, in his eyes&&and !ould have drained and sold it for the
"ud at its botto"# 9t did not turn his "ill, and it !as no B%rivilegeB to
hi" to behold it# 9 res%ect not his labors, his far" !here everything
has its %rice, !ho !ould carry the landsca%e, !ho !ould carry his God,
to "arket, if he could get anything for hi"A !ho goes to "arket BforB his
god as it isA on !hose far" nothing gro!s free, !hose fields bear no
cro%s, !hose "eado!s no flo!ers, !hose trees no fruits, but dollarsA !ho
loves not the beauty of his fruits, !hose fruits are not ri%e for hi"
till they are turned to dollars# Give "e the %overty that enjoys true
!ealth# 6ar"ers are res%ectable and interesting to "e in %ro%ortion as
they are %oor&&%oor far"ers# ) "odel far"G !here the house stands like a
fungus in a "uckhea%, cha"bers for "en, horses, oCen, and s!ine, cleansed
and uncleansed, all contiguous to one anotherG 8tocked !ith "enG ) great
grease&s%ot, redolent of "anures and butter"ilkG 5nder a high state of
cultivation, being "anured !ith the hearts and brains of "enG )s if you
!ere to raise your %otatoes in the churchyardG 8uch is a "odel far"#
:o, noA if the fairest features of the landsca%e are to be na"ed after
"en, let the" be the noblest and !orthiest "en alone# 'et our lakes
receive as true na"es at least as the 9carian 8ea, !here Estill the
shoreE a Ebrave atte"%t resounds#E
7 7 7 7 7
Goose Pond, of s"all eCtent, is on "y !ay to 6lintDsA 6air aven, an
eC%ansion of Concord 3iver, said to contain so"e seventy acres, is a
"ile south!estA and White Pond, of about forty acres, is a "ile and a
half beyond 6air aven# This is "y lake country# These, !ith Concord
3iver, are "y !ater %rivilegesA and night and day, year in year out,
they grind such grist as 9 carry to the"#
8ince the !ood&cutters, and the railroad, and 9 "yself have %rofaned
Walden, %erha%s the "ost attractive, if not the "ost beautiful, of all
our lakes, the ge" of the !oods, is White PondA&&a %oor na"e fro" its
co""onness, !hether derived fro" the re"arkable %urity of its !aters or
the color of its sands# 9n these as in other res%ects, ho!ever, it is
a lesser t!in of Walden# They are so "uch alike that you !ould say they
"ust be connected under ground# 9t has the sa"e stony shore, and its
!aters are of the sa"e hue# )s at Walden, in sultry dog&day !eather,
looking do!n through the !oods on so"e of its bays !hich are not so dee%
but that the reflection fro" the botto" tinges the", its !aters are of
a "isty bluish&green or glaucous color# >any years since 9 used to go
there to collect the sand by cartloads, to "ake sand%a%er !ith, and 9
have continued to visit it ever since# One !ho fre@uents it %ro%oses to
call it <irid 'ake# Perha%s it "ight be called $ello! Pine 'ake, fro"
the follo!ing circu"stance# )bout fifteen years ago you could see the
to% of a %itch %ine, of the kind called yello! %ine hereabouts, though
it is not a distinct s%ecies, %rojecting above the surface in dee%
!ater, "any rods fro" the shore# 9t !as even su%%osed by so"e that the
%ond had sunk, and this !as one of the %ri"itive forest that for"erly
stood there# 9 find that even so long ago as +O4,, in a ETo%ogra%hical
Descri%tion of the To!n of Concord,E by one of its citi?ens, in the
Collections of the >assachusetts istorical 8ociety, the author, after
s%eaking of Walden and White Ponds, adds, E9n the "iddle of the latter
"ay be seen, !hen the !ater is very lo!, a tree !hich a%%ears as if it
gre! in the %lace !here it no! stands, although the roots are fifty feet
belo! the surface of the !aterA the to% of this tree is broken off, and
at that %lace "easures fourteen inches in dia"eter#E 9n the s%ring of
DP4 9 talked !ith the "an !ho lives nearest the %ond in 8udbury, !ho
told "e that it !as he !ho got out this tree ten or fifteen years
before# )s near as he could re"e"ber, it stood t!elve or fifteen rods
fro" the shore, !here the !ater !as thirty or forty feet dee%# 9t !as
in the !inter, and he had been getting out ice in the forenoon, and had
resolved that in the afternoon, !ith the aid of his neighbors, he !ould
take out the old yello! %ine# e sa!ed a channel in the ice to!ard the
shore, and hauled it over and along and out on to the ice !ith oCenA
but, before he had gone far in his !ork, he !as sur%rised to find that
it !as !rong end u%!ard, !ith the stu"%s of the branches %ointing do!n,
and the s"all end fir"ly fastened in the sandy botto"# 9t !as about
a foot in dia"eter at the big end, and he had eC%ected to get a good
sa!&log, but it !as so rotten as to be fit only for fuel, if for that#
e had so"e of it in his shed then# There !ere "arks of an aCe and of
!ood%eckers on the butt# e thought that it "ight have been a dead tree
on the shore, but !as finally blo!n over into the %ond, and after the
to% had beco"e !ater&logged, !hile the butt&end !as still dry and light,
had drifted out and sunk !rong end u%# is father, eighty years old,
could not re"e"ber !hen it !as not there# 8everal %retty large logs "ay
still be seen lying on the botto", !here, o!ing to the undulation of the
surface, they look like huge !ater snakes in "otion#
This %ond has rarely been %rofaned by a boat, for there is little in it
to te"%t a fisher"an# 9nstead of the !hite lily, !hich re@uires "ud, or
the co""on s!eet flag, the blue flag JB9ris versicolorBK gro!s thinly in
the %ure !ater, rising fro" the stony botto" all around the shore, !here
it is visited by hu""ingbirds in *uneA and the color both of its bluish
blades and its flo!ers and es%ecially their reflections, is in singular
har"ony !ith the glaucous !ater#
White Pond and Walden are great crystals on the surface of the earth,
'akes of 'ight# 9f they !ere %er"anently congealed, and s"all enough
to be clutched, they !ould, %erchance, be carried off by slaves, like
%recious stones, to adorn the heads of e"%erorsA but being li@uid, and
a"%le, and secured to us and our successors forever, !e disregard the",
and run after the dia"ond of ;ohinoor# They are too %ure to have a
"arket valueA they contain no "uck# o! "uch "ore beautiful than our
lives, ho! "uch "ore trans%arent than our characters, are theyG We
never learned "eanness of the"# o! "uch fairer than the %ool before the
far"erDs door, in !hich his ducks s!i"G ither the clean !ild ducks co"e#
:ature has no hu"an inhabitant !ho a%%reciates her# The birds !ith their
%lu"age and their notes are in har"ony !ith the flo!ers, but !hat
youth or "aiden cons%ires !ith the !ild luCuriant beauty of :atureF 8he
flourishes "ost alone, far fro" the to!ns !here they reside# Talk of
heavenG ye disgrace earth#
Baker 6ar"
8o"eti"es 9 ra"bled to %ine groves, standing like te"%les, or like
fleets at sea, full&rigged, !ith !avy boughs, and ri%%ling !ith light,
so soft and green and shady that the Druids !ould have forsaken their
oaks to !orshi% in the"A or to the cedar !ood beyond 6lintDs Pond, !here
the trees, covered !ith hoary blue berries, s%iring higher and higher,
are fit to stand before <alhalla, and the cree%ing juni%er covers the
ground !ith !reaths full of fruitA or to s!a"%s !here the usnea lichen
hangs in festoons fro" the !hite s%ruce trees, and toadstools, round
tables of the s!a"% gods, cover the ground, and "ore beautiful fungi
adorn the stu"%s, like butterflies or shells, vegetable !inklesA !here
the s!a"%&%ink and dog!ood gro!, the red alderberry glo!s like eyes of
i"%s, the !aC!ork grooves and crushes the hardest !oods in its folds,
and the !ild holly berries "ake the beholder forget his ho"e !ith their
beauty, and he is da??led and te"%ted by na"eless other !ild forbidden
fruits, too fair for "ortal taste# 9nstead of calling on so"e scholar,
9 %aid "any a visit to %articular trees, of kinds !hich are rare in this
neighborhood, standing far a!ay in the "iddle of so"e %asture, or in the
de%ths of a !ood or s!a"%, or on a hillto%A such as the black birch, of
!hich !e have so"e handso"e s%eci"ens t!o feet in dia"eterA its cousin,
the yello! birch, !ith its loose golden vest, %erfu"ed like the firstA
the beech, !hich has so neat a bole and beautifully lichen&%ainted,
%erfect in all its details, of !hich, eCce%ting scattered s%eci"ens, 9
kno! but one s"all grove of si?able trees left in the to!nshi%, su%%osed
by so"e to have been %lanted by the %igeons that !ere once baited !ith
beechnuts near byA it is !orth the !hile to see the silver grain
s%arkle !hen you s%lit this !oodA the bassA the hornbea"A the BCeltis
occidentalisB, or false el", of !hich !e have but one !ell&gro!nA so"e
taller "ast of a %ine, a shingle tree, or a "ore %erfect he"lock than
usual, standing like a %agoda in the "idst of the !oodsA and "any
others 9 could "ention# These !ere the shrines 9 visited both su""er and
!inter#
Once it chanced that 9 stood in the very abut"ent of a rainbo!Ds arch,
!hich filled the lo!er stratu" of the at"os%here, tinging the grass and
leaves around, and da??ling "e as if 9 looked through colored crystal#
9t !as a lake of rainbo! light, in !hich, for a short !hile, 9 lived
like a dol%hin# 9f it had lasted longer it "ight have tinged "y
e"%loy"ents and life# )s 9 !alked on the railroad cause!ay, 9 used
to !onder at the halo of light around "y shado!, and !ould fain fancy
"yself one of the elect# One !ho visited "e declared that the shado!s
of so"e 9rish"en before hi" had no halo about the", that it !as only
natives that !ere so distinguished# Benvenuto Cellini tells us in his
"e"oirs, that, after a certain terrible drea" or vision !hich he had
during his confine"ent in the castle of 8t# )ngelo a res%lendent light
a%%eared over the shado! of his head at "orning and evening, !hether
he !as in 9taly or 6rance, and it !as %articularly cons%icuous !hen the
grass !as "oist !ith de!# This !as %robably the sa"e %heno"enon to !hich
9 have referred, !hich is es%ecially observed in the "orning, but also
at other ti"es, and even by "oonlight# Though a constant one, it is
not co""only noticed, and, in the case of an eCcitable i"agination like
CelliniDs, it !ould be basis enough for su%erstition# Beside, he tells
us that he sho!ed it to very fe!# But are they not indeed distinguished
!ho are conscious that they are regarded at allF
7 7 7 7 7
9 set out one afternoon to go a&fishing to 6air aven, through the
!oods, to eke out "y scanty fare of vegetables# >y !ay led through
Pleasant >eado!, an adjunct of the Baker 6ar", that retreat of !hich a
%oet has since sung, beginning,&&
EThy entry is a %leasant field,
Which so"e "ossy fruit trees yield
Partly to a ruddy brook,
By gliding "us@uash undertook,
)nd "ercurial trout,
Darting about#E
9 thought of living there before 9 !ent to Walden# 9 EhookedE the
a%%les, lea%ed the brook, and scared the "us@uash and the trout# 9t
!as one of those afternoons !hich see" indefinitely long before one,
in !hich "any events "ay ha%%en, a large %ortion of our natural life,
though it !as already half s%ent !hen 9 started# By the !ay there ca"e
u% a sho!er, !hich co"%elled "e to stand half an hour under a %ine,
%iling boughs over "y head, and !earing "y handkerchief for a shedA and
!hen at length 9 had "ade one cast over the %ickerel!eed, standing u%
to "y "iddle in !ater, 9 found "yself suddenly in the shado! of a cloud,
and the thunder began to ru"ble !ith such e"%hasis that 9 could do no
"ore than listen to it# The gods "ust be %roud, thought 9, !ith such
forked flashes to rout a %oor unar"ed fisher"an# 8o 9 "ade haste for
shelter to the nearest hut, !hich stood half a "ile fro" any road, but
so "uch the nearer to the %ond, and had long been uninhabited(&&
E)nd here a %oet builded,
9n the co"%leted years,
6or behold a trivial cabin
That to destruction steers#E
8o the >use fables# But therein, as 9 found, d!elt no! *ohn 6ield, an
9rish"an, and his !ife, and several children, fro" the broad&faced boy
!ho assisted his father at his !ork, and no! ca"e running by his
side fro" the bog to esca%e the rain, to the !rinkled, sibyl&like,
cone&headed infant that sat u%on its fatherDs knee as in the %alaces
of nobles, and looked out fro" its ho"e in the "idst of !et and hunger
in@uisitively u%on the stranger, !ith the %rivilege of infancy, not
kno!ing but it !as the last of a noble line, and the ho%e and cynosure
of the !orld, instead of *ohn 6ieldDs %oor starveling brat# There !e sat
together under that %art of the roof !hich leaked the least, !hile it
sho!ered and thundered !ithout# 9 had sat there "any ti"es of old
before the shi% !as built that floated his fa"ily to )"erica# )n honest,
hard&!orking, but shiftless "an %lainly !as *ohn 6ieldA and his !ife,
she too !as brave to cook so "any successive dinners in the recesses of
that lofty stoveA !ith round greasy face and bare breast, still thinking
to i"%rove her condition one dayA !ith the never absent "o% in one hand,
and yet no effects of it visible any!here# The chickens, !hich had also
taken shelter here fro" the rain, stalked about the roo" like "e"bers
of the fa"ily, too hu"ani?ed, "ethought, to roast !ell# They stood and
looked in "y eye or %ecked at "y shoe significantly# >ean!hile "y
host told "e his story, ho! hard he !orked EboggingE for a neighboring
far"er, turning u% a "eado! !ith a s%ade or bog hoe at the rate of ten
dollars an acre and the use of the land !ith "anure for one year, and
his little broad&faced son !orked cheerfully at his fatherDs side the
!hile, not kno!ing ho! %oor a bargain the latter had "ade# 9 tried to
hel% hi" !ith "y eC%erience, telling hi" that he !as one of "y nearest
neighbors, and that 9 too, !ho ca"e a&fishing here, and looked like a
loafer, !as getting "y living like hi"selfA that 9 lived in a tight,
light, and clean house, !hich hardly cost "ore than the annual rent of
such a ruin as his co""only a"ounts toA and ho!, if he chose, he "ight
in a "onth or t!o build hi"self a %alace of his o!nA that 9 did not use
tea, nor coffee, nor butter, nor "ilk, nor fresh "eat, and so did not
have to !ork to get the"A again, as 9 did not !ork hard, 9 did not have
to eat hard, and it cost "e but a trifle for "y foodA but as he began
!ith tea, and coffee, and butter, and "ilk, and beef, he had to !ork
hard to %ay for the", and !hen he had !orked hard he had to eat hard
again to re%air the !aste of his syste"&&and so it !as as broad as
it !as long, indeed it !as broader than it !as long, for he !as
discontented and !asted his life into the bargainA and yet he had rated
it as a gain in co"ing to )"erica, that here you could get tea, and
coffee, and "eat every day# But the only true )"erica is that country
!here you are at liberty to %ursue such a "ode of life as "ay enable you
to do !ithout these, and !here the state does not endeavor to co"%el
you to sustain the slavery and !ar and other su%erfluous eC%enses
!hich directly or indirectly result fro" the use of such things# 6or 9
%ur%osely talked to hi" as if he !ere a %hiloso%her, or desired to be
one# 9 should be glad if all the "eado!s on the earth !ere left in a
!ild state, if that !ere the conse@uence of "enDs beginning to redee"
the"selves# ) "an !ill not need to study history to find out !hat is
best for his o!n culture# But alasG the culture of an 9rish"an is an
enter%rise to be undertaken !ith a sort of "oral bog hoe# 9 told hi",
that as he !orked so hard at bogging, he re@uired thick boots and stout
clothing, !hich yet !ere soon soiled and !orn out, but 9 !ore light
shoes and thin clothing, !hich cost not half so "uch, though he "ight
think that 9 !as dressed like a gentle"an J!hich, ho!ever, !as not the
caseK, and in an hour or t!o, !ithout labor, but as a recreation, 9
could, if 9 !ished, catch as "any fish as 9 should !ant for t!o days, or
earn enough "oney to su%%ort "e a !eek# 9f he and his fa"ily !ould
live si"%ly, they "ight all go a&huckleberrying in the su""er for their
a"use"ent# *ohn heaved a sigh at this, and his !ife stared !ith ar"s
a&ki"bo, and both a%%eared to be !ondering if they had ca%ital enough to
begin such a course !ith, or arith"etic enough to carry it through# 9t
!as sailing by dead reckoning to the", and they sa! not clearly ho! to
"ake their %ort soA therefore 9 su%%ose they still take life bravely,
after their fashion, face to face, giving it tooth and nail, not having
skill to s%lit its "assive colu"ns !ith any fine entering !edge, and
rout it in detailA&&thinking to deal !ith it roughly, as one
should handle a thistle# But they fight at an over!hel"ing
disadvantage&&living, *ohn 6ield, alasG !ithout arith"etic, and failing
so#
EDo you ever fishFE 9 asked# EOh yes, 9 catch a "ess no! and then !hen
9 a" lying byA good %erch 9 catch#E&&EWhatDs your baitFE E9 catch shiners
!ith fish!or"s, and bait the %erch !ith the"#E E$ouDd better go no!,
*ohn,E said his !ife, !ith glistening and ho%eful faceA but *ohn
de"urred#
The sho!er !as no! over, and a rainbo! above the eastern !oods %ro"ised
a fair eveningA so 9 took "y de%arture# When 9 had got !ithout 9 asked
for a drink, ho%ing to get a sight of the !ell botto", to co"%lete "y
survey of the %re"isesA but there, alasG are shallo!s and @uicksands,
and ro%e broken !ithal, and bucket irrecoverable# >ean!hile the right
culinary vessel !as selected, !ater !as see"ingly distilled, and after
consultation and long delay %assed out to the thirsty one&&not yet
suffered to cool, not yet to settle# 8uch gruel sustains life here, 9
thoughtA so, shutting "y eyes, and eCcluding the "otes by a skilfully
directed undercurrent, 9 drank to genuine hos%itality the heartiest
draught 9 could# 9 a" not s@uea"ish in such cases !hen "anners are
concerned#
)s 9 !as leaving the 9rish"anDs roof after the rain, bending "y ste%s
again to the %ond, "y haste to catch %ickerel, !ading in retired
"eado!s, in sloughs and bog&holes, in forlorn and savage %laces,
a%%eared for an instant trivial to "e !ho had been sent to school and
collegeA but as 9 ran do!n the hill to!ard the reddening !est, !ith the
rainbo! over "y shoulder, and so"e faint tinkling sounds borne to "y ear
through the cleansed air, fro" 9 kno! not !hat @uarter, "y Good Genius
see"ed to say&&Go fish and hunt far and !ide day by day&&farther and
!ider&&and rest thee by "any brooks and hearth&sides !ithout "isgiving#
3e"e"ber thy Creator in the days of thy youth# 3ise free fro" care
before the da!n, and seek adventures# 'et the noon find thee by other
lakes, and the night overtake thee every!here at ho"e# There are no
larger fields than these, no !orthier ga"es than "ay here be %layed#
Gro! !ild according to thy nature, like these sedges and brakes, !hich
!ill never beco"e English bay# 'et the thunder ru"bleA !hat if it
threaten ruin to far"ersD cro%sF That is not its errand to thee# Take
shelter under the cloud, !hile they flee to carts and sheds# 'et not
to get a living be thy trade, but thy s%ort# Enjoy the land, but o!n it
not# Through !ant of enter%rise and faith "en are !here they are, buying
and selling, and s%ending their lives like serfs#
O Baker 6ar"G
E'andsca%e !here the richest ele"ent
9s a little sunshine innocent#E###
E:o one runs to revel
On thy rail&fenced lea#E###
EDebate !ith no "an hast thou,
With @uestions art never %er%leCed,
)s ta"e at the first sight as no!,
9n thy %lain russet gabardine dressed#E###
ECo"e ye !ho love,
)nd ye !ho hate,
Children of the oly Dove,
)nd Guy 6auC of the state,
)nd hang cons%iracies
6ro" the tough rafters of the treesGE
>en co"e ta"ely ho"e at night only fro" the neCt field or street, !here
their household echoes haunt, and their life %ines because it breathes
its o!n breath over againA their shado!s, "orning and evening, reach
farther than their daily ste%s# We should co"e ho"e fro" far, fro"
adventures, and %erils, and discoveries every day, !ith ne! eC%erience
and character#
Before 9 had reached the %ond so"e fresh i"%ulse had brought out *ohn
6ield, !ith altered "ind, letting go EboggingE ere this sunset# But he,
%oor "an, disturbed only a cou%le of fins !hile 9 !as catching a fair
string, and he said it !as his luckA but !hen !e changed seats in the
boat luck changed seats too# Poor *ohn 6ieldG&&9 trust he does not read
this, unless he !ill i"%rove by it&&thinking to live by so"e derivative
old&country "ode in this %ri"itive ne! country&&to catch %erch !ith
shiners# 9t is good bait so"eti"es, 9 allo!# With his hori?on all
his o!n, yet he a %oor "an, born to be %oor, !ith his inherited 9rish
%overty or %oor life, his )da"Ds grand"other and boggy !ays, not to
rise in this !orld, he nor his %osterity, till their !ading !ebbed
bog&trotting feet get BtalariaB to their heels#
igher 'a!s
)s 9 ca"e ho"e through the !oods !ith "y string of fish, trailing
"y %ole, it being no! @uite dark, 9 caught a gli"%se of a !oodchuck
stealing across "y %ath, and felt a strange thrill of savage delight,
and !as strongly te"%ted to sei?e and devour hi" ra!A not that 9 !as
hungry then, eCce%t for that !ildness !hich he re%resented# Once or
t!ice, ho!ever, !hile 9 lived at the %ond, 9 found "yself ranging the
!oods, like a half&starved hound, !ith a strange abandon"ent, seeking
so"e kind of venison !hich 9 "ight devour, and no "orsel could have been
too savage for "e# The !ildest scenes had beco"e unaccountably fa"iliar#
9 found in "yself, and still find, an instinct to!ard a higher, or,
as it is na"ed, s%iritual life, as do "ost "en, and another to!ard a
%ri"itive rank and savage one, and 9 reverence the" both# 9 love the
!ild not less than the good# The !ildness and adventure that are in
fishing still reco""ended it to "e# 9 like so"eti"es to take rank hold
on life and s%end "y day "ore as the ani"als do# Perha%s 9 have o!ed
to this e"%loy"ent and to hunting, !hen @uite young, "y closest
ac@uaintance !ith :ature# They early introduce us to and detain us
in scenery !ith !hich other!ise, at that age, !e should have little
ac@uaintance# 6isher"en, hunters, !oodcho%%ers, and others, s%ending
their lives in the fields and !oods, in a %eculiar sense a %art of
:ature the"selves, are often in a "ore favorable "ood for observing her,
in the intervals of their %ursuits, than %hiloso%hers or %oets even, !ho
a%%roach her !ith eC%ectation# 8he is not afraid to eChibit herself to
the"# The traveller on the %rairie is naturally a hunter, on the head
!aters of the >issouri and Colu"bia a tra%%er, and at the 6alls of
8t# >ary a fisher"an# e !ho is only a traveller learns things at
second&hand and by the halves, and is %oor authority# We are "ost
interested !hen science re%orts !hat those "en already kno! %ractically
or instinctively, for that alone is a true Bhu"anityB, or account of hu"an
eC%erience#
They "istake !ho assert that the $ankee has fe! a"use"ents, because he
has not so "any %ublic holidays, and "en and boys do not %lay so "any
ga"es as they do in England, for here the "ore %ri"itive but solitary
a"use"ents of hunting, fishing, and the like have not yet given %lace
to the for"er# )l"ost every :e! England boy a"ong "y conte"%oraries
shouldered a fo!ling&%iece bet!een the ages of ten and fourteenA and his
hunting and fishing grounds !ere not li"ited, like the %reserves of an
English noble"an, but !ere "ore boundless even than those of a savage#
:o !onder, then, that he did not oftener stay to %lay on the co""on# But
already a change is taking %lace, o!ing, not to an increased hu"anity,
but to an increased scarcity of ga"e, for %erha%s the hunter is the
greatest friend of the ani"als hunted, not eCce%ting the u"ane 8ociety#
>oreover, !hen at the %ond, 9 !ished so"eti"es to add fish to "y fare
for variety# 9 have actually fished fro" the sa"e kind of necessity that
the first fishers did# Whatever hu"anity 9 "ight conjure u% against it
!as all factitious, and concerned "y %hiloso%hy "ore than "y feelings#
9 s%eak of fishing only no!, for 9 had long felt differently about
fo!ling, and sold "y gun before 9 !ent to the !oods# :ot that 9 a" less
hu"ane than others, but 9 did not %erceive that "y feelings !ere "uch
affected# 9 did not %ity the fishes nor the !or"s# This !as habit# )s
for fo!ling, during the last years that 9 carried a gun "y eCcuse !as
that 9 !as studying ornithology, and sought only ne! or rare birds# But
9 confess that 9 a" no! inclined to think that there is a finer !ay of
studying ornithology than this# 9t re@uires so "uch closer attention
to the habits of the birds, that, if for that reason only, 9 have been
!illing to o"it the gun# $et not!ithstanding the objection on the score
of hu"anity, 9 a" co"%elled to doubt if e@ually valuable s%orts are
ever substituted for theseA and !hen so"e of "y friends have asked "e
anCiously about their boys, !hether they should let the" hunt, 9 have
ans!ered, yes&&re"e"bering that it !as one of the best %arts of "y
education&&B"akeB the" hunters, though s%orts"en only at first, if
%ossible, "ighty hunters at last, so that they shall not find ga"e large
enough for the" in this or any vegetable !ilderness&&hunters as !ell as
fishers of "en# Thus far 9 a" of the o%inion of ChaucerDs nun, !ho
Eyave not of the teCt a %ulled hen
That saith that hunters ben not holy "en#E
There is a %eriod in the history of the individual, as of the race, !hen
the hunters are the Ebest "en,E as the )lgon@uins called the"# We cannot
but %ity the boy !ho has never fired a gunA he is no "ore hu"ane, !hile
his education has been sadly neglected# This !as "y ans!er !ith res%ect
to those youths !ho !ere bent on this %ursuit, trusting that they !ould
soon outgro! it# :o hu"ane being, %ast the thoughtless age of boyhood,
!ill !antonly "urder any creature !hich holds its life by the sa"e
tenure that he does# The hare in its eCtre"ity cries like a child#
9 !arn you, "others, that "y sy"%athies do not al!ays "ake the usual
%hil&Banthro%icB distinctions#
8uch is oftenest the young "anDs introduction to the forest, and the
"ost original %art of hi"self# e goes thither at first as a hunter and
fisher, until at last, if he has the seeds of a better life in hi", he
distinguishes his %ro%er objects, as a %oet or naturalist it "ay be,
and leaves the gun and fish&%ole behind# The "ass of "en are still and
al!ays young in this res%ect# 9n so"e countries a hunting %arson is no
unco""on sight# 8uch a one "ight "ake a good she%herdDs dog, but is far
fro" being the Good 8he%herd# 9 have been sur%rised to consider that the
only obvious e"%loy"ent, eCce%t !ood&cho%%ing, ice&cutting, or the like
business, !hich ever to "y kno!ledge detained at Walden Pond for a !hole
half&day any of "y fello!&citi?ens, !hether fathers or children of the
to!n, !ith just one eCce%tion, !as fishing# Co""only they did not think
that they !ere lucky, or !ell %aid for their ti"e, unless they got a
long string of fish, though they had the o%%ortunity of seeing the %ond
all the !hile# They "ight go there a thousand ti"es before the sedi"ent
of fishing !ould sink to the botto" and leave their %ur%ose %ureA but
no doubt such a clarifying %rocess !ould be going on all the !hile#
The Governor and his Council faintly re"e"ber the %ond, for they !ent
a&fishing there !hen they !ere boysA but no! they are too old and
dignified to go a&fishing, and so they kno! it no "ore forever# $et even
they eC%ect to go to heaven at last# 9f the legislature regards it, it
is chiefly to regulate the nu"ber of hooks to be used thereA but they
kno! nothing about the hook of hooks !ith !hich to angle for the %ond
itself, i"%aling the legislature for a bait# Thus, even in civili?ed
co""unities, the e"bryo "an %asses through the hunter stage of
develo%"ent#
9 have found re%eatedly, of late years, that 9 cannot fish !ithout
falling a little in self&res%ect# 9 have tried it again and again# 9
have skill at it, and, like "any of "y fello!s, a certain instinct for
it, !hich revives fro" ti"e to ti"e, but al!ays !hen 9 have done 9 feel
that it !ould have been better if 9 had not fished# 9 think that 9 do
not "istake# 9t is a faint inti"ation, yet so are the first streaks of
"orning# There is un@uestionably this instinct in "e !hich belongs to
the lo!er orders of creationA yet !ith every year 9 a" less a fisher"an,
though !ithout "ore hu"anity or even !isdo"A at %resent 9 a" no
fisher"an at all# But 9 see that if 9 !ere to live in a !ilderness
9 should again be te"%ted to beco"e a fisher and hunter in earnest#
Beside, there is so"ething essentially unclean about this diet and all
flesh, and 9 began to see !here house!ork co""ences, and !hence the
endeavor, !hich costs so "uch, to !ear a tidy and res%ectable a%%earance
each day, to kee% the house s!eet and free fro" all ill odors and
sights# aving been "y o!n butcher and scullion and cook, as !ell as
the gentle"an for !ho" the dishes !ere served u%, 9 can s%eak fro" an
unusually co"%lete eC%erience# The %ractical objection to ani"al food in
"y case !as its uncleannessA and besides, !hen 9 had caught and
cleaned and cooked and eaten "y fish, they see"ed not to have fed "e
essentially# 9t !as insignificant and unnecessary, and cost "ore than it
ca"e to# ) little bread or a fe! %otatoes !ould have done as !ell, !ith
less trouble and filth# 'ike "any of "y conte"%oraries, 9 had rarely
for "any years used ani"al food, or tea, or coffee, etc#A not so "uch
because of any ill effects !hich 9 had traced to the", as because they
!ere not agreeable to "y i"agination# The re%ugnance to ani"al food
is not the effect of eC%erience, but is an instinct# 9t a%%eared "ore
beautiful to live lo! and fare hard in "any res%ectsA and though 9 never
did so, 9 !ent far enough to %lease "y i"agination# 9 believe that every
"an !ho has ever been earnest to %reserve his higher or %oetic faculties
in the best condition has been %articularly inclined to abstain fro"
ani"al food, and fro" "uch food of any kind# 9t is a significant fact,
stated by ento"ologists&&9 find it in ;irby and 8%ence&&that Eso"e
insects in their %erfect state, though furnished !ith organs of feeding,
"ake no use of the"EA and they lay it do!n as Ea general rule, that
al"ost all insects in this state eat "uch less than in that of larvH#
The voracious cater%illar !hen transfor"ed into a butterfly### and the
gluttonous "aggot !hen beco"e a flyE content the"selves !ith a dro% or
t!o of honey or so"e other s!eet li@uid# The abdo"en under the !ings
of the butterfly still re%resents the larva# This is the tidbit !hich
te"%ts his insectivorous fate# The gross feeder is a "an in the larva
stateA and there are !hole nations in that condition, nations !ithout
fancy or i"agination, !hose vast abdo"ens betray the"#
9t is hard to %rovide and cook so si"%le and clean a diet as !ill not
offend the i"aginationA but this, 9 think, is to be fed !hen !e feed the
bodyA they should both sit do!n at the sa"e table# $et %erha%s this "ay
be done# The fruits eaten te"%erately need not "ake us asha"ed of
our a%%etites, nor interru%t the !orthiest %ursuits# But %ut an eCtra
condi"ent into your dish, and it !ill %oison you# 9t is not !orth the
!hile to live by rich cookery# >ost "en !ould feel sha"e if caught
%re%aring !ith their o!n hands %recisely such a dinner, !hether of
ani"al or vegetable food, as is every day %re%ared for the" by others#
$et till this is other!ise !e are not civili?ed, and, if gentle"en and
ladies, are not true "en and !o"en# This certainly suggests !hat change
is to be "ade# 9t "ay be vain to ask !hy the i"agination !ill not be
reconciled to flesh and fat# 9 a" satisfied that it is not# 9s it not a
re%roach that "an is a carnivorous ani"alF True, he can and does live,
in a great "easure, by %reying on other ani"alsA but this is a "iserable
!ay&&as any one !ho !ill go to snaring rabbits, or slaughtering la"bs,
"ay learn&&and he !ill be regarded as a benefactor of his race !ho shall
teach "an to confine hi"self to a "ore innocent and !holeso"e diet#
Whatever "y o!n %ractice "ay be, 9 have no doubt that it is a %art of
the destiny of the hu"an race, in its gradual i"%rove"ent, to leave off
eating ani"als, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each
other !hen they ca"e in contact !ith the "ore civili?ed#
9f one listens to the faintest but constant suggestions of his genius,
!hich are certainly true, he sees not to !hat eCtre"es, or even
insanity, it "ay lead hi"A and yet that !ay, as he gro!s "ore resolute
and faithful, his road lies# The faintest assured objection !hich one
healthy "an feels !ill at length %revail over the argu"ents and custo"s
of "ankind# :o "an ever follo!ed his genius till it "isled hi"# Though
the result !ere bodily !eakness, yet %erha%s no one can say that the
conse@uences !ere to be regretted, for these !ere a life in confor"ity
to higher %rinci%les# 9f the day and the night are such that you greet
the" !ith joy, and life e"its a fragrance like flo!ers and s!eet&scented
herbs, is "ore elastic, "ore starry, "ore i""ortal&&that is your
success# )ll nature is your congratulation, and you have cause
"o"entarily to bless yourself# The greatest gains and values are
farthest fro" being a%%reciated# We easily co"e to doubt if they eCist#
We soon forget the"# They are the highest reality# Perha%s the facts
"ost astounding and "ost real are never co""unicated by "an to "an#
The true harvest of "y daily life is so"e!hat as intangible and
indescribable as the tints of "orning or evening# 9t is a little
star&dust caught, a seg"ent of the rainbo! !hich 9 have clutched#
$et, for "y %art, 9 !as never unusually s@uea"ishA 9 could so"eti"es eat
a fried rat !ith a good relish, if it !ere necessary# 9 a" glad to have
drunk !ater so long, for the sa"e reason that 9 %refer the natural sky
to an o%iu"&eaterDs heaven# 9 !ould fain kee% sober al!aysA and there
are infinite degrees of drunkenness# 9 believe that !ater is the only
drink for a !ise "anA !ine is not so noble a li@uorA and think of
dashing the ho%es of a "orning !ith a cu% of !ar" coffee, or of an
evening !ith a dish of teaG )h, ho! lo! 9 fall !hen 9 a" te"%ted by
the"G Even "usic "ay be intoCicating# 8uch a%%arently slight causes
destroyed Greece and 3o"e, and !ill destroy England and )"erica# Of all
ebriosity, !ho does not %refer to be intoCicated by the air he breathesF
9 have found it to be the "ost serious objection to coarse labors long
continued, that they co"%elled "e to eat and drink coarsely also# But
to tell the truth, 9 find "yself at %resent so"e!hat less %articular in
these res%ects# 9 carry less religion to the table, ask no blessingA not
because 9 a" !iser than 9 !as, but, 9 a" obliged to confess, because,
ho!ever "uch it is to be regretted, !ith years 9 have gro!n "ore coarse
and indifferent# Perha%s these @uestions are entertained only in youth,
as "ost believe of %oetry# >y %ractice is Eno!here,E "y o%inion is here#
:evertheless 9 a" far fro" regarding "yself as one of those %rivileged
ones to !ho" the <ed refers !hen it says, that Ehe !ho has true faith in
the O"ni%resent 8u%re"e Being "ay eat all that eCists,E that is, is not
bound to in@uire !hat is his food, or !ho %re%ares itA and even in their
case it is to be observed, as a indoo co""entator has re"arked, that
the <edant li"its this %rivilege to Ethe ti"e of distress#E
Who has not so"eti"es derived an ineC%ressible satisfaction fro" his
food in !hich a%%etite had no shareF 9 have been thrilled to think that
9 o!ed a "ental %erce%tion to the co""only gross sense of taste, that
9 have been ins%ired through the %alate, that so"e berries !hich 9 had
eaten on a hillside had fed "y genius# EThe soul not being "istress
of herself,E says Thseng&tseu, Eone looks, and one does not seeA one
listens, and one does not hearA one eats, and one does not kno! the
savor of food#E e !ho distinguishes the true savor of his food can
never be a gluttonA he !ho does not cannot be other!ise# ) %uritan
"ay go to his bro!n&bread crust !ith as gross an a%%etite as ever an
alder"an to his turtle# :ot that food !hich entereth into the "outh
defileth a "an, but the a%%etite !ith !hich it is eaten# 9t is neither
the @uality nor the @uantity, but the devotion to sensual savorsA !hen
that !hich is eaten is not a viand to sustain our ani"al, or ins%ire our
s%iritual life, but food for the !or"s that %ossess us# 9f the hunter
has a taste for "ud&turtles, "uskrats, and other such savage tidbits,
the fine lady indulges a taste for jelly "ade of a calfDs foot, or for
sardines fro" over the sea, and they are even# e goes to the "ill&%ond,
she to her %reserve&%ot# The !onder is ho! they, ho! you and 9, can live
this sli"y, beastly life, eating and drinking#
Our !hole life is startlingly "oral# There is never an instantDs truce
bet!een virtue and vice# Goodness is the only invest"ent that never
fails# 9n the "usic of the har% !hich tre"bles round the !orld it is the
insisting on this !hich thrills us# The har% is the travelling %atterer
for the 5niverseDs 9nsurance Co"%any, reco""ending its la!s, and our
little goodness is all the assess"ent that !e %ay# Though the youth at
last gro!s indifferent, the la!s of the universe are not indifferent,
but are forever on the side of the "ost sensitive# 'isten to every
?e%hyr for so"e re%roof, for it is surely there, and he is unfortunate
!ho does not hear it# We cannot touch a string or "ove a sto% but the
char"ing "oral transfiCes us# >any an irkso"e noise, go a long !ay off,
is heard as "usic, a %roud, s!eet satire on the "eanness of our lives#
We are conscious of an ani"al in us, !hich a!akens in %ro%ortion as our
higher nature slu"bers# 9t is re%tile and sensual, and %erha%s cannot be
!holly eC%elledA like the !or"s !hich, even in life and health, occu%y
our bodies# Possibly !e "ay !ithdra! fro" it, but never change its
nature# 9 fear that it "ay enjoy a certain health of its o!nA that !e
"ay be !ell, yet not %ure# The other day 9 %icked u% the lo!er ja! of
a hog, !ith !hite and sound teeth and tusks, !hich suggested that
there !as an ani"al health and vigor distinct fro" the s%iritual# This
creature succeeded by other "eans than te"%erance and %urity# EThat
in !hich "en differ fro" brute beasts,E says >encius, Eis a thing very
inconsiderableA the co""on herd lose it very soonA su%erior "en %reserve
it carefully#E Who kno!s !hat sort of life !ould result if !e had
attained to %urityF 9f 9 kne! so !ise a "an as could teach "e %urity 9
!ould go to seek hi" forth!ith# E) co""and over our %assions, and over
the eCternal senses of the body, and good acts, are declared by the <ed
to be indis%ensable in the "indDs a%%roCi"ation to God#E $et the s%irit
can for the ti"e %ervade and control every "e"ber and function of the
body, and trans"ute !hat in for" is the grossest sensuality into
%urity and devotion# The generative energy, !hich, !hen !e are loose,
dissi%ates and "akes us unclean, !hen !e are continent invigorates
and ins%ires us# Chastity is the flo!ering of "anA and !hat are called
Genius, erois", oliness, and the like, are but various fruits !hich
succeed it# >an flo!s at once to God !hen the channel of %urity is
o%en# By turns our %urity ins%ires and our i"%urity casts us do!n# e is
blessed !ho is assured that the ani"al is dying out in hi" day by day,
and the divine being established# Perha%s there is none but has cause
for sha"e on account of the inferior and brutish nature to !hich he
is allied# 9 fear that !e are such gods or de"igods only as fauns and
satyrs, the divine allied to beasts, the creatures of a%%etite, and
that, to so"e eCtent, our very life is our disgrace#&&
Eo! ha%%yDs he !ho hath due %lace assigned
To his beasts and disafforested his "indG
# # # # # # #
Can use this horse, goat, !olf, and evDry beast,
)nd is not ass hi"self to all the restG
Else "an not only is the herd of s!ine,
But heDs those devils too !hich did incline
The" to a headlong rage, and "ade the" !orse#E
)ll sensuality is one, though it takes "any for"sA all %urity is one# 9t
is the sa"e !hether a "an eat, or drink, or cohabit, or slee% sensually#
They are but one a%%etite, and !e only need to see a %erson do any one
of these things to kno! ho! great a sensualist he is# The i"%ure can
neither stand nor sit !ith %urity# When the re%tile is attacked at
one "outh of his burro!, he sho!s hi"self at another# 9f you !ould be
chaste, you "ust be te"%erate# What is chastityF o! shall a "an kno! if
he is chasteF e shall not kno! it# We have heard of this virtue, but
!e kno! not !hat it is# We s%eak confor"ably to the ru"or !hich !e have
heard# 6ro" eCertion co"e !isdo" and %urityA fro" sloth ignorance and
sensuality# 9n the student sensuality is a sluggish habit of "ind# )n
unclean %erson is universally a slothful one, one !ho sits by a stove,
!ho" the sun shines on %rostrate, !ho re%oses !ithout being fatigued# 9f
you !ould avoid uncleanness, and all the sins, !ork earnestly, though it
be at cleaning a stable# :ature is hard to be overco"e, but she "ust be
overco"e# What avails it that you are Christian, if you are not %urer
than the heathen, if you deny yourself no "ore, if you are not "ore
religiousF 9 kno! of "any syste"s of religion estee"ed heathenish !hose
%rece%ts fill the reader !ith sha"e, and %rovoke hi" to ne! endeavors,
though it be to the %erfor"ance of rites "erely#
9 hesitate to say these things, but it is not because of the subject&&9
care not ho! obscene "y B!ordsB are&&but because 9 cannot s%eak of the"
!ithout betraying "y i"%urity# We discourse freely !ithout sha"e of one
for" of sensuality, and are silent about another# We are so degraded
that !e cannot s%eak si"%ly of the necessary functions of hu"an nature#
9n earlier ages, in so"e countries, every function !as reverently
s%oken of and regulated by la!# :othing !as too trivial for the indoo
la!giver, ho!ever offensive it "ay be to "odern taste# e teaches ho! to
eat, drink, cohabit, void eCcre"ent and urine, and the like, elevating
!hat is "ean, and does not falsely eCcuse hi"self by calling these
things trifles#
Every "an is the builder of a te"%le, called his body, to the god he
!orshi%s, after a style %urely his o!n, nor can he get off by ha""ering
"arble instead# We are all scul%tors and %ainters, and our "aterial
is our o!n flesh and blood and bones# )ny nobleness begins at once to
refine a "anDs features, any "eanness or sensuality to i"brute the"#
*ohn 6ar"er sat at his door one 8e%te"ber evening, after a hard dayDs
!ork, his "ind still running on his labor "ore or less# aving bathed,
he sat do!n to re&create his intellectual "an# 9t !as a rather cool
evening, and so"e of his neighbors !ere a%%rehending a frost# e had
not attended to the train of his thoughts long !hen he heard so"e one
%laying on a flute, and that sound har"oni?ed !ith his "ood# 8till he
thought of his !orkA but the burden of his thought !as, that though this
ke%t running in his head, and he found hi"self %lanning and contriving
it against his !ill, yet it concerned hi" very little# 9t !as no "ore
than the scurf of his skin, !hich !as constantly shuffled off# But the
notes of the flute ca"e ho"e to his ears out of a different s%here
fro" that he !orked in, and suggested !ork for certain faculties !hich
slu"bered in hi"# They gently did a!ay !ith the street, and the village,
and the state in !hich he lived# ) voice said to hi"&&Why do you stay
here and live this "ean "oiling life, !hen a glorious eCistence is
%ossible for youF Those sa"e stars t!inkle over other fields than
these#&&But ho! to co"e out of this condition and actually "igrate
thitherF )ll that he could think of !as to %ractise so"e ne! austerity,
to let his "ind descend into his body and redee" it, and treat hi"self
!ith ever increasing res%ect#
Brute :eighbors
8o"eti"es 9 had a co"%anion in "y fishing, !ho ca"e through the village
to "y house fro" the other side of the to!n, and the catching of the
dinner !as as "uch a social eCercise as the eating of it#
Ber"it#B 9 !onder !hat the !orld is doing no!# 9 have not heard so "uch
as a locust over the s!eet&fern these three hours# The %igeons are all
aslee% u%on their roosts&&no flutter fro" the"# Was that a far"erDs noon
horn !hich sounded fro" beyond the !oods just no!F The hands are co"ing
in to boiled salt beef and cider and 9ndian bread# Why !ill "en !orry
the"selves soF e that does not eat need not !ork# 9 !onder ho! "uch
they have rea%ed# Who !ould live there !here a body can never think
for the barking of BoseF )nd oh, the housekee%ingG to kee% bright the
devilDs door&knobs, and scour his tubs this bright dayG Better not
kee% a house# 8ay, so"e hollo! treeA and then for "orning calls and
dinner&%artiesG Only a !ood%ecker ta%%ing# Oh, they s!ar"A the sun is
too !ar" thereA they are born too far into life for "e# 9 have !ater
fro" the s%ring, and a loaf of bro!n bread on the shelf#&&arkG 9 hear a
rustling of the leaves# 9s it so"e ill&fed village hound yielding to
the instinct of the chaseF or the lost %ig !hich is said to be in these
!oods, !hose tracks 9 sa! after the rainF 9t co"es on a%aceA "y su"achs
and s!eetbriers tre"ble#&&Eh, >r# Poet, is it youF o! do you like the
!orld to&dayF
BPoet#B 8ee those cloudsA ho! they hangG ThatDs the greatest thing 9 have
seen to&day# ThereDs nothing like it in old %aintings, nothing like it
in foreign lands&&unless !hen !e !ere off the coast of 8%ain# ThatDs a
true >editerranean sky# 9 thought, as 9 have "y living to get, and have
not eaten to&day, that 9 "ight go a&fishing# ThatDs the true industry
for %oets# 9t is the only trade 9 have learned# Co"e, letDs along#
Ber"it#B 9 cannot resist# >y bro!n bread !ill soon be gone# 9 !ill go
!ith you gladly soon, but 9 a" just concluding a serious "editation# 9
think that 9 a" near the end of it# 'eave "e alone, then, for a !hile#
But that !e "ay not be delayed, you shall be digging the bait "ean!hile#
)ngle!or"s are rarely to be "et !ith in these %arts, !here the soil !as
never fattened !ith "anureA the race is nearly eCtinct# The s%ort of
digging the bait is nearly e@ual to that of catching the fish, !hen
oneDs a%%etite is not too keenA and this you "ay have all to yourself
today# 9 !ould advise you to set in the s%ade do!n yonder a"ong the
ground&nuts, !here you see the johns!ort !aving# 9 think that 9 "ay
!arrant you one !or" to every three sods you turn u%, if you look !ell
in a"ong the roots of the grass, as if you !ere !eeding# Or, if you
choose to go farther, it !ill not be un!ise, for 9 have found the
increase of fair bait to be very nearly as the s@uares of the distances#
Ber"it alone#B 'et "e seeA !here !as 9F >ethinks 9 !as nearly in this
fra"e of "indA the !orld lay about at this angle# 8hall 9 go to heaven
or a&fishingF 9f 9 should soon bring this "editation to an end, !ould
another so s!eet occasion be likely to offerF 9 !as as near being
resolved into the essence of things as ever 9 !as in "y life# 9 fear
"y thoughts !ill not co"e back to "e# 9f it !ould do any good, 9 !ould
!histle for the"# When they "ake us an offer, is it !ise to say, We !ill
think of itF >y thoughts have left no track, and 9 cannot find the %ath
again# What !as it that 9 !as thinking ofF 9t !as a very ha?y day# 9
!ill just try these three sentences of Confut&seeA they "ay fetch that
state about again# 9 kno! not !hether it !as the du"%s or a budding
ecstasy# >e"# There never is but one o%%ortunity of a kind#
BPoet#B o! no!, er"it, is it too soonF 9 have got just thirteen !hole
ones, beside several !hich are i"%erfect or undersi?edA but they !ill
do for the s"aller fryA they do not cover u% the hook so "uch# Those
village !or"s are @uite too largeA a shiner "ay "ake a "eal off one
!ithout finding the ske!er#
Ber"it#B Well, then, letDs be off# 8hall !e to the ConcordF ThereDs good
s%ort there if the !ater be not too high#
7 7 7 7 7
Why do %recisely these objects !hich !e behold "ake a !orldF Why has
"an just these s%ecies of ani"als for his neighborsA as if nothing but
a "ouse could have filled this creviceF 9 sus%ect that Pil%ay T Co# have
%ut ani"als to their best use, for they are all beasts of burden, in a
sense, "ade to carry so"e %ortion of our thoughts#
The "ice !hich haunted "y house !ere not the co""on ones, !hich are said
to have been introduced into the country, but a !ild native kind not
found in the village# 9 sent one to a distinguished naturalist, and
it interested hi" "uch# When 9 !as building, one of these had its nest
underneath the house, and before 9 had laid the second floor, and s!e%t
out the shavings, !ould co"e out regularly at lunch ti"e and %ick u% the
cru"bs at "y feet# 9t %robably had never seen a "an beforeA and it soon
beca"e @uite fa"iliar, and !ould run over "y shoes and u% "y clothes#
9t could readily ascend the sides of the roo" by short i"%ulses, like a
s@uirrel, !hich it rese"bled in its "otions# )t length, as 9 leaned
!ith "y elbo! on the bench one day, it ran u% "y clothes, and along "y
sleeve, and round and round the %a%er !hich held "y dinner, !hile 9 ke%t
the latter close, and dodged and %layed at bo%ee% !ith itA and !hen at
last 9 held still a %iece of cheese bet!een "y thu"b and finger, it ca"e
and nibbled it, sitting in "y hand, and after!ard cleaned its face and
%a!s, like a fly, and !alked a!ay#
) %h[be soon built in "y shed, and a robin for %rotection in a %ine
!hich gre! against the house# 9n *une the %artridge JBTetrao u"bellusBK,
!hich is so shy a bird, led her brood %ast "y !indo!s, fro" the !oods in
the rear to the front of "y house, clucking and calling to the" like a
hen, and in all her behavior %roving herself the hen of the !oods# The
young suddenly dis%erse on your a%%roach, at a signal fro" the "other,
as if a !hirl!ind had s!e%t the" a!ay, and they so eCactly rese"ble the
dried leaves and t!igs that "any a traveler has %laced his foot in the
"idst of a brood, and heard the !hir of the old bird as she fle! off,
and her anCious calls and "e!ing, or seen her trail her !ings to attract
his attention, !ithout sus%ecting their neighborhood# The %arent !ill
so"eti"es roll and s%in round before you in such a dishabille, that you
cannot, for a fe! "o"ents, detect !hat kind of creature it is# The young
s@uat still and flat, often running their heads under a leaf, and "ind
only their "otherDs directions given fro" a distance, nor !ill your
a%%roach "ake the" run again and betray the"selves# $ou "ay even tread
on the", or have your eyes on the" for a "inute, !ithout discovering
the"# 9 have held the" in "y o%en hand at such a ti"e, and still their
only care, obedient to their "other and their instinct, !as to s@uat
there !ithout fear or tre"bling# 8o %erfect is this instinct, that once,
!hen 9 had laid the" on the leaves again, and one accidentally fell on
its side, it !as found !ith the rest in eCactly the sa"e %osition ten
"inutes after!ard# They are not callo! like the young of "ost birds,
but "ore %erfectly develo%ed and %recocious even than chickens# The
re"arkably adult yet innocent eC%ression of their o%en and serene
eyes is very "e"orable# )ll intelligence see"s reflected in the"# They
suggest not "erely the %urity of infancy, but a !isdo" clarified by
eC%erience# 8uch an eye !as not born !hen the bird !as, but is coeval
!ith the sky it reflects# The !oods do not yield another such a ge"# The
traveller does not often look into such a li"%id !ell# The ignorant or
reckless s%orts"an often shoots the %arent at such a ti"e, and leaves
these innocents to fall a %rey to so"e %ro!ling beast or bird, or
gradually "ingle !ith the decaying leaves !hich they so "uch rese"ble#
9t is said that !hen hatched by a hen they !ill directly dis%erse on
so"e alar", and so are lost, for they never hear the "otherDs call !hich
gathers the" again# These !ere "y hens and chickens#
9t is re"arkable ho! "any creatures live !ild and free though secret in
the !oods, and still sustain the"selves in the neighborhood of to!ns,
sus%ected by hunters only# o! retired the otter "anages to live hereG
e gro!s to be four feet long, as big as a s"all boy, %erha%s !ithout
any hu"an being getting a gli"%se of hi"# 9 for"erly sa! the raccoon in
the !oods behind !here "y house is built, and %robably still heard their
!hinnering at night# Co""only 9 rested an hour or t!o in the shade at
noon, after %lanting, and ate "y lunch, and read a little by a s%ring
!hich !as the source of a s!a"% and of a brook, oo?ing fro" under
BristerDs ill, half a "ile fro" "y field# The a%%roach to this !as
through a succession of descending grassy hollo!s, full of young %itch
%ines, into a larger !ood about the s!a"%# There, in a very secluded and
shaded s%ot, under a s%reading !hite %ine, there !as yet a clean, fir"
s!ard to sit on# 9 had dug out the s%ring and "ade a !ell of clear gray
!ater, !here 9 could di% u% a %ailful !ithout roiling it, and thither 9
!ent for this %ur%ose al"ost every day in "idsu""er, !hen the %ond !as
!ar"est# Thither, too, the !oodcock led her brood, to %robe the "ud for
!or"s, flying but a foot above the" do!n the bank, !hile they ran in
a troo% beneathA but at last, s%ying "e, she !ould leave her young and
circle round and round "e, nearer and nearer till !ithin four or five
feet, %retending broken !ings and legs, to attract "y attention, and get
off her young, !ho !ould already have taken u% their "arch, !ith faint,
!iry %ee%, single file through the s!a"%, as she directed# Or 9 heard
the %ee% of the young !hen 9 could not see the %arent bird# There too
the turtle doves sat over the s%ring, or fluttered fro" bough to bough
of the soft !hite %ines over "y headA or the red s@uirrel, coursing do!n
the nearest bough, !as %articularly fa"iliar and in@uisitive# $ou only
need sit still long enough in so"e attractive s%ot in the !oods that all
its inhabitants "ay eChibit the"selves to you by turns#
9 !as !itness to events of a less %eaceful character# One day !hen 9
!ent out to "y !ood&%ile, or rather "y %ile of stu"%s, 9 observed t!o
large ants, the one red, the other "uch larger, nearly half an inch
long, and black, fiercely contending !ith one another# aving once got
hold they never let go, but struggled and !restled and rolled on the
chi%s incessantly# 'ooking farther, 9 !as sur%rised to find that the
chi%s !ere covered !ith such co"batants, that it !as not a Bduellu"B, but
a Bbellu"B, a !ar bet!een t!o races of ants, the red al!ays %itted against
the black, and fre@uently t!o red ones to one black# The legions of
these >yr"idons covered all the hills and vales in "y !ood&yard, and the
ground !as already stre!n !ith the dead and dying, both red and
black# 9t !as the only battle !hich 9 have ever !itnessed, the only
battle&field 9 ever trod !hile the battle !as ragingA internecine !arA
the red re%ublicans on the one hand, and the black i"%erialists on the
other# On every side they !ere engaged in deadly co"bat, yet !ithout any
noise that 9 could hear, and hu"an soldiers never fought so resolutely#
9 !atched a cou%le that !ere fast locked in each otherDs e"braces, in
a little sunny valley a"id the chi%s, no! at noonday %re%ared to fight
till the sun !ent do!n, or life !ent out# The s"aller red cha"%ion had
fastened hi"self like a vice to his adversaryDs front, and through all
the tu"blings on that field never for an instant ceased to gna! at one
of his feelers near the root, having already caused the other to go by
the boardA !hile the stronger black one dashed hi" fro" side to side,
and, as 9 sa! on looking nearer, had already divested hi" of several of
his "e"bers# They fought !ith "ore %ertinacity than bulldogs# :either
"anifested the least dis%osition to retreat# 9t !as evident that their
battle&cry !as ECon@uer or die#E 9n the "ean!hile there ca"e along
a single red ant on the hillside of this valley, evidently full of
eCcite"ent, !ho either had des%atched his foe, or had not yet taken %art
in the battleA %robably the latter, for he had lost none of his li"bsA
!hose "other had charged hi" to return !ith his shield or u%on it# Or
%erchance he !as so"e )chilles, !ho had nourished his !rath a%art, and
had no! co"e to avenge or rescue his Patroclus# e sa! this une@ual
co"bat fro" afar&&for the blacks !ere nearly t!ice the si?e of the
red&&he dre! near !ith ra%id %ace till he stood on his guard !ithin half
an inch of the co"batantsA then, !atching his o%%ortunity, he s%rang
u%on the black !arrior, and co""enced his o%erations near the root of
his right fore leg, leaving the foe to select a"ong his o!n "e"bersA and
so there !ere three united for life, as if a ne! kind of attraction had
been invented !hich %ut all other locks and ce"ents to sha"e# 9 should
not have !ondered by this ti"e to find that they had their res%ective
"usical bands stationed on so"e e"inent chi%, and %laying their national
airs the !hile, to eCcite the slo! and cheer the dying co"batants# 9 !as
"yself eCcited so"e!hat even as if they had been "en# The "ore you think
of it, the less the difference# )nd certainly there is not the fight
recorded in Concord history, at least, if in the history of )"erica,
that !ill bear a "o"entDs co"%arison !ith this, !hether for the nu"bers
engaged in it, or for the %atriotis" and herois" dis%layed# 6or nu"bers
and for carnage it !as an )usterlit? or Dresden# Concord 6ightG T!o
killed on the %atriotsD side, and 'uther Blanchard !oundedG Why here
every ant !as a Buttrick&&E6ireG for GodDs sake fireGE&&and thousands
shared the fate of Davis and os"er# There !as not one hireling there#
9 have no doubt that it !as a %rinci%le they fought for, as "uch as
our ancestors, and not to avoid a three&%enny taC on their teaA and the
results of this battle !ill be as i"%ortant and "e"orable to those !ho"
it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker ill, at least#
9 took u% the chi% on !hich the three 9 have %articularly described !ere
struggling, carried it into "y house, and %laced it under a tu"bler on
"y !indo!&sill, in order to see the issue# olding a "icrosco%e to the
first&"entioned red ant, 9 sa! that, though he !as assiduously gna!ing
at the near fore leg of his ene"y, having severed his re"aining feeler,
his o!n breast !as all torn a!ay, eC%osing !hat vitals he had there
to the ja!s of the black !arrior, !hose breast%late !as a%%arently too
thick for hi" to %ierceA and the dark carbuncles of the suffererDs eyes
shone !ith ferocity such as !ar only could eCcite# They struggled half
an hour longer under the tu"bler, and !hen 9 looked again the black
soldier had severed the heads of his foes fro" their bodies, and the
still living heads !ere hanging on either side of hi" like ghastly
tro%hies at his saddle&bo!, still a%%arently as fir"ly fastened as ever,
and he !as endeavoring !ith feeble struggles, being !ithout feelers and
!ith only the re"nant of a leg, and 9 kno! not ho! "any other !ounds,
to divest hi"self of the"A !hich at length, after half an hour "ore, he
acco"%lished# 9 raised the glass, and he !ent off over the !indo!&sill
in that cri%%led state# Whether he finally survived that co"bat, and
s%ent the re"ainder of his days in so"e otel des 9nvalides, 9 do
not kno!A but 9 thought that his industry !ould not be !orth "uch
thereafter# 9 never learned !hich %arty !as victorious, nor the cause of
the !arA but 9 felt for the rest of that day as if 9 had had "y feelings
eCcited and harro!ed by !itnessing the struggle, the ferocity and
carnage, of a hu"an battle before "y door#
;irby and 8%ence tell us that the battles of ants have long been
celebrated and the date of the" recorded, though they say that uber
is the only "odern author !ho a%%ears to have !itnessed the"# EWneas
8ylvius,E say they, Eafter giving a very circu"stantial account of one
contested !ith great obstinacy by a great and s"all s%ecies on the trunk
of a %ear tree,E adds that Ethis action !as fought in the %ontificate
of Eugenius the 6ourth, in the %resence of :icholas Pistoriensis, an
e"inent la!yer, !ho related the !hole history of the battle !ith the
greatest fidelity#E ) si"ilar engage"ent bet!een great and s"all ants is
recorded by Olaus >agnus, in !hich the s"all ones, being victorious, are
said to have buried the bodies of their o!n soldiers, but left those of
their giant ene"ies a %rey to the birds# This event ha%%ened %revious
to the eC%ulsion of the tyrant Christiern the 8econd fro" 8!eden# The
battle !hich 9 !itnessed took %lace in the Presidency of Polk, five
years before the %assage of WebsterDs 6ugitive&8lave Bill#
>any a village Bose, fit only to course a "ud&turtle in a victualling
cellar, s%orted his heavy @uarters in the !oods, !ithout the kno!ledge
of his "aster, and ineffectually s"elled at old foC burro!s and
!oodchucksD holesA led %erchance by so"e slight cur !hich ni"bly
threaded the !ood, and "ight still ins%ire a natural terror in its
deni?ensA&&no! far behind his guide, barking like a canine bull to!ard
so"e s"all s@uirrel !hich had treed itself for scrutiny, then, cantering
off, bending the bushes !ith his !eight, i"agining that he is on the
track of so"e stray "e"ber of the jerbilla fa"ily# Once 9 !as sur%rised
to see a cat !alking along the stony shore of the %ond, for they rarely
!ander so far fro" ho"e# The sur%rise !as "utual# :evertheless the "ost
do"estic cat, !hich has lain on a rug all her days, a%%ears @uite at
ho"e in the !oods, and, by her sly and stealthy behavior, %roves herself
"ore native there than the regular inhabitants# Once, !hen berrying,
9 "et !ith a cat !ith young kittens in the !oods, @uite !ild, and they
all, like their "other, had their backs u% and !ere fiercely s%itting at
"e# ) fe! years before 9 lived in the !oods there !as !hat !as called a
E!inged catE in one of the far"&houses in 'incoln nearest the %ond, >r#
Gilian BakerDs# When 9 called to see her in *une, +.P,, she !as gone
a&hunting in the !oods, as !as her !ont J9 a" not sure !hether it !as
a "ale or fe"ale, and so use the "ore co""on %ronounK, but her "istress
told "e that she ca"e into the neighborhood a little "ore than a year
before, in )%ril, and !as finally taken into their houseA that she !as
of a dark bro!nish&gray color, !ith a !hite s%ot on her throat, and
!hite feet, and had a large bushy tail like a foCA that in the !inter
the fur gre! thick and flatted out along her sides, for"ing stri%es ten
or t!elve inches long by t!o and a half !ide, and under her chin like
a "uff, the u%%er side loose, the under "atted like felt, and in the
s%ring these a%%endages dro%%ed off# They gave "e a %air of her E!ings,E
!hich 9 kee% still# There is no a%%earance of a "e"brane about the"#
8o"e thought it !as %art flying s@uirrel or so"e other !ild ani"al,
!hich is not i"%ossible, for, according to naturalists, %rolific hybrids
have been %roduced by the union of the "arten and do"estic cat# This
!ould have been the right kind of cat for "e to kee%, if 9 had ke%t anyA
for !hy should not a %oetDs cat be !inged as !ell as his horseF
9n the fall the loon JBColy"bus glacialisBK ca"e, as usual, to "oult and
bathe in the %ond, "aking the !oods ring !ith his !ild laughter before 9
had risen# )t ru"or of his arrival all the >ill&da" s%orts"en are on the
alert, in gigs and on foot, t!o by t!o and three by three, !ith %atent
rifles and conical balls and s%y&glasses# They co"e rustling through
the !oods like autu"n leaves, at least ten "en to one loon# 8o"e station
the"selves on this side of the %ond, so"e on that, for the %oor bird
cannot be o"ni%resentA if he dive here he "ust co"e u% there# But
no! the kind October !ind rises, rustling the leaves and ri%%ling the
surface of the !ater, so that no loon can be heard or seen, though his
foes s!ee% the %ond !ith s%y&glasses, and "ake the !oods resound !ith
their discharges# The !aves generously rise and dash angrily, taking
sides !ith all !ater&fo!l, and our s%orts"en "ust beat a retreat to to!n
and sho% and unfinished jobs# But they !ere too often successful# When
9 !ent to get a %ail of !ater early in the "orning 9 fre@uently sa! this
stately bird sailing out of "y cove !ithin a fe! rods# 9f 9 endeavored
to overtake hi" in a boat, in order to see ho! he !ould "anoeuvre, he
!ould dive and be co"%letely lost, so that 9 did not discover hi" again,
so"eti"es, till the latter %art of the day# But 9 !as "ore than a "atch
for hi" on the surface# e co""only !ent off in a rain#
)s 9 !as %addling along the north shore one very cal" October afternoon,
for such days es%ecially they settle on to the lakes, like the "ilk!eed
do!n, having looked in vain over the %ond for a loon, suddenly one,
sailing out fro" the shore to!ard the "iddle a fe! rods in front of "e,
set u% his !ild laugh and betrayed hi"self# 9 %ursued !ith a %addle and
he dived, but !hen he ca"e u% 9 !as nearer than before# e dived again,
but 9 "iscalculated the direction he !ould take, and !e !ere fifty rods
a%art !hen he ca"e to the surface this ti"e, for 9 had hel%ed to !iden
the intervalA and again he laughed long and loud, and !ith "ore reason
than before# e "anoeuvred so cunningly that 9 could not get !ithin half
a do?en rods of hi"# Each ti"e, !hen he ca"e to the surface, turning his
head this !ay and that, he cooly surveyed the !ater and the land, and
a%%arently chose his course so that he "ight co"e u% !here there !as the
!idest eC%anse of !ater and at the greatest distance fro" the boat# 9t
!as sur%rising ho! @uickly he "ade u% his "ind and %ut his resolve into
eCecution# e led "e at once to the !idest %art of the %ond, and could
not be driven fro" it# While he !as thinking one thing in his brain,
9 !as endeavoring to divine his thought in "ine# 9t !as a %retty ga"e,
%layed on the s"ooth surface of the %ond, a "an against a loon# 8uddenly
your adversaryDs checker disa%%ears beneath the board, and the %roble"
is to %lace yours nearest to !here his !ill a%%ear again# 8o"eti"es he
!ould co"e u% uneC%ectedly on the o%%osite side of "e, having
a%%arently %assed directly under the boat# 8o long&!inded !as he and so
un!eariable, that !hen he had s!u" farthest he !ould i""ediately %lunge
again, neverthelessA and then no !it could divine !here in the dee%
%ond, beneath the s"ooth surface, he "ight be s%eeding his !ay like a
fish, for he had ti"e and ability to visit the botto" of the %ond in
its dee%est %art# 9t is said that loons have been caught in the :e! $ork
lakes eighty feet beneath the surface, !ith hooks set for trout&&though
Walden is dee%er than that# o! sur%rised "ust the fishes be to see
this ungainly visitor fro" another s%here s%eeding his !ay a"id their
schoolsG $et he a%%eared to kno! his course as surely under !ater as on
the surface, and s!a" "uch faster there# Once or t!ice 9 sa! a ri%%le
!here he a%%roached the surface, just %ut his head out to reconnoitre,
and instantly dived again# 9 found that it !as as !ell for "e to rest
on "y oars and !ait his rea%%earing as to endeavor to calculate !here he
!ould riseA for again and again, !hen 9 !as straining "y eyes over the
surface one !ay, 9 !ould suddenly be startled by his unearthly laugh
behind "e# But !hy, after dis%laying so "uch cunning, did he invariably
betray hi"self the "o"ent he ca"e u% by that loud laughF Did not his
!hite breast enough betray hi"F e !as indeed a silly loon, 9 thought# 9
could co""only hear the s%lash of the !ater !hen he ca"e u%, and so also
detected hi"# But after an hour he see"ed as fresh as ever, dived as
!illingly, and s!a" yet farther than at first# 9t !as sur%rising to see
ho! serenely he sailed off !ith unruffled breast !hen he ca"e to the
surface, doing all the !ork !ith his !ebbed feet beneath# is usual note
!as this de"oniac laughter, yet so"e!hat like that of a !ater&fo!lA but
occasionally, !hen he had balked "e "ost successfully and co"e u% a long
!ay off, he uttered a long&dra!n unearthly ho!l, %robably "ore like that
of a !olf than any birdA as !hen a beast %uts his "u??le to the ground
and deliberately ho!ls# This !as his looning&&%erha%s the !ildest sound
that is ever heard here, "aking the !oods ring far and !ide# 9 concluded
that he laughed in derision of "y efforts, confident of his o!n
resources# Though the sky !as by this ti"e overcast, the %ond !as so
s"ooth that 9 could see !here he broke the surface !hen 9 did not hear
hi"# is !hite breast, the stillness of the air, and the s"oothness of
the !ater !ere all against hi"# )t length having co"e u% fifty rods off,
he uttered one of those %rolonged ho!ls, as if calling on the god of
loons to aid hi", and i""ediately there ca"e a !ind fro" the east and
ri%%led the surface, and filled the !hole air !ith "isty rain, and 9 !as
i"%ressed as if it !ere the %rayer of the loon ans!ered, and his god !as
angry !ith "eA and so 9 left hi" disa%%earing far a!ay on the tu"ultuous
surface#
6or hours, in fall days, 9 !atched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and
hold the "iddle of the %ond, far fro" the s%orts"anA tricks !hich they
!ill have less need to %ractise in 'ouisiana bayous# When co"%elled to
rise they !ould so"eti"es circle round and round and over the %ond at a
considerable height, fro" !hich they could easily see to other %onds
and the river, like black "otes in the skyA and, !hen 9 thought they had
gone off thither long since, they !ould settle do!n by a slanting flight
of a @uarter of a "ile on to a distant %art !hich !as left freeA but
!hat beside safety they got by sailing in the "iddle of Walden 9 do not
kno!, unless they love its !ater for the sa"e reason that 9 do#
ouse&War"ing
9n October 9 !ent a&gra%ing to the river "eado!s, and loaded "yself !ith
clusters "ore %recious for their beauty and fragrance than for food#
There, too, 9 ad"ired, though 9 did not gather, the cranberries, s"all
!aCen ge"s, %endants of the "eado! grass, %early and red, !hich the
far"er %lucks !ith an ugly rake, leaving the s"ooth "eado! in a snarl,
heedlessly "easuring the" by the bushel and the dollar only, and sells
the s%oils of the "eads to Boston and :e! $orkA destined to be Bja""edB,
to satisfy the tastes of lovers of :ature there# 8o butchers rake the
tongues of bison out of the %rairie grass, regardless of the torn and
droo%ing %lant# The barberryDs brilliant fruit !as like!ise food for "y
eyes "erelyA but 9 collected a s"all store of !ild a%%les for coddling,
!hich the %ro%rietor and travellers had overlooked# When chestnuts !ere
ri%e 9 laid u% half a bushel for !inter# 9t !as very eCciting at that
season to roa" the then boundless chestnut !oods of 'incoln&&they no!
slee% their long slee% under the railroad&&!ith a bag on "y shoulder,
and a stick to o%en burs !ith in "y hand, for 9 did not al!ays !ait for
the frost, a"id the rustling of leaves and the loud re%roofs of the red
s@uirrels and the jays, !hose half&consu"ed nuts 9 so"eti"es stole,
for the burs !hich they had selected !ere sure to contain sound ones#
Occasionally 9 cli"bed and shook the trees# They gre! also behind "y
house, and one large tree, !hich al"ost overshado!ed it, !as, !hen
in flo!er, a bou@uet !hich scented the !hole neighborhood, but the
s@uirrels and the jays got "ost of its fruitA the last co"ing in flocks
early in the "orning and %icking the nuts out of the burs before they
fell, 9 relin@uished these trees to the" and visited the "ore distant
!oods co"%osed !holly of chestnut# These nuts, as far as they !ent, !ere
a good substitute for bread# >any other substitutes "ight, %erha%s, be
found# Digging one day for fish!or"s, 9 discovered the ground&nut
JB)%ios tuberosaBK on its string, the %otato of the aborigines, a sort of
fabulous fruit, !hich 9 had begun to doubt if 9 had ever dug and eaten
in childhood, as 9 had told, and had not drea"ed it# 9 had often since
seen its cru"%led red velvety blosso" su%%orted by the ste"s of other
%lants !ithout kno!ing it to be the sa"e# Cultivation has !ell&nigh
eCter"inated it# 9t has a s!eetish taste, "uch like that of a
frost&bitten %otato, and 9 found it better boiled than roasted# This
tuber see"ed like a faint %ro"ise of :ature to rear her o!n children
and feed the" si"%ly here at so"e future %eriod# 9n these days of fatted
cattle and !aving grain&fields this hu"ble root, !hich !as once the
Btote"B of an 9ndian tribe, is @uite forgotten, or kno!n only by its
flo!ering vineA but let !ild :ature reign here once "ore, and the tender
and luCurious English grains !ill %robably disa%%ear before a "yriad of
foes, and !ithout the care of "an the cro! "ay carry back even the
last seed of corn to the great cornfield of the 9ndianDs God in the
south!est, !hence he is said to have brought itA but the no! al"ost
eCter"inated ground&nut !ill %erha%s revive and flourish in s%ite of
frosts and !ildness, %rove itself indigenous, and resu"e its ancient
i"%ortance and dignity as the diet of the hunter tribe# 8o"e 9ndian
Ceres or >inerva "ust have been the inventor and besto!er of itA and
!hen the reign of %oetry co""ences here, its leaves and string of nuts
"ay be re%resented on our !orks of art#
)lready, by the first of 8e%te"ber, 9 had seen t!o or three s"all "a%les
turned scarlet across the %ond, beneath !here the !hite ste"s of three
as%ens diverged, at the %oint of a %ro"ontory, neCt the !ater# )h, "any
a tale their color toldG )nd gradually fro" !eek to !eek the character
of each tree ca"e out, and it ad"ired itself reflected in the s"ooth
"irror of the lake# Each "orning the "anager of this gallery substituted
so"e ne! %icture, distinguished by "ore brilliant or har"onious
coloring, for the old u%on the !alls#
The !as%s ca"e by thousands to "y lodge in October, as to !inter
@uarters, and settled on "y !indo!s !ithin and on the !alls overhead,
so"eti"es deterring visitors fro" entering# Each "orning, !hen they !ere
nu"bed !ith cold, 9 s!e%t so"e of the" out, but 9 did not trouble "yself
"uch to get rid of the"A 9 even felt co"%li"ented by their regarding "y
house as a desirable shelter# They never "olested "e seriously, though
they bedded !ith "eA and they gradually disa%%eared, into !hat crevices
9 do not kno!, avoiding !inter and uns%eakable cold#
'ike the !as%s, before 9 finally !ent into !inter @uarters in :ove"ber,
9 used to resort to the northeast side of Walden, !hich the sun,
reflected fro" the %itch %ine !oods and the stony shore, "ade the
fireside of the %ondA it is so "uch %leasanter and !holeso"er to be
!ar"ed by the sun !hile you can be, than by an artificial fire# 9 thus
!ar"ed "yself by the still glo!ing e"bers !hich the su""er, like a
de%arted hunter, had left#
7 7 7 7 7
When 9 ca"e to build "y chi"ney 9 studied "asonry# >y bricks, being
second&hand ones, re@uired to be cleaned !ith a tro!el, so that 9
learned "ore than usual of the @ualities of bricks and tro!els# The
"ortar on the" !as fifty years old, and !as said to be still gro!ing
harderA but this is one of those sayings !hich "en love to re%eat
!hether they are true or not# 8uch sayings the"selves gro! harder and
adhere "ore fir"ly !ith age, and it !ould take "any blo!s !ith a tro!el
to clean an old !iseacre of the"# >any of the villages of >eso%ota"ia
are built of second&hand bricks of a very good @uality, obtained fro"
the ruins of Babylon, and the ce"ent on the" is older and %robably
harder still# o!ever that "ay be, 9 !as struck by the %eculiar
toughness of the steel !hich bore so "any violent blo!s !ithout being
!orn out# )s "y bricks had been in a chi"ney before, though 9 did not
read the na"e of :ebuchadne??ar on the", 9 %icked out as "any fire%lace
bricks as 9 could find, to save !ork and !aste, and 9 filled the s%aces
bet!een the bricks about the fire%lace !ith stones fro" the %ond shore,
and also "ade "y "ortar !ith the !hite sand fro" the sa"e %lace# 9
lingered "ost about the fire%lace, as the "ost vital %art of the house#
9ndeed, 9 !orked so deliberately, that though 9 co""enced at the ground
in the "orning, a course of bricks raised a fe! inches above the floor
served for "y %illo! at nightA yet 9 did not get a stiff neck for it
that 9 re"e"berA "y stiff neck is of older date# 9 took a %oet to board
for a fortnight about those ti"es, !hich caused "e to be %ut to it for
roo"# e brought his o!n knife, though 9 had t!o, and !e used to scour
the" by thrusting the" into the earth# e shared !ith "e the labors
of cooking# 9 !as %leased to see "y !ork rising so s@uare and solid by
degrees, and reflected, that, if it %roceeded slo!ly, it !as calculated
to endure a long ti"e# The chi"ney is to so"e eCtent an inde%endent
structure, standing on the ground, and rising through the house to the
heavensA even after the house is burned it still stands so"eti"es, and
its i"%ortance and inde%endence are a%%arent# This !as to!ard the end of
su""er# 9t !as no! :ove"ber#
7 7 7 7 7
The north !ind had already begun to cool the %ond, though it took "any
!eeks of steady blo!ing to acco"%lish it, it is so dee%# When 9 began to
have a fire at evening, before 9 %lastered "y house, the chi"ney carried
s"oke %articularly !ell, because of the nu"erous chinks bet!een the
boards# $et 9 %assed so"e cheerful evenings in that cool and airy
a%art"ent, surrounded by the rough bro!n boards full of knots, and
rafters !ith the bark on high overhead# >y house never %leased "y eye so
"uch after it !as %lastered, though 9 !as obliged to confess that it
!as "ore co"fortable# 8hould not every a%art"ent in !hich "an d!ells be
lofty enough to create so"e obscurity overhead, !here flickering shado!s
"ay %lay at evening about the raftersF These for"s are "ore agreeable
to the fancy and i"agination than fresco %aintings or other the "ost
eC%ensive furniture# 9 no! first began to inhabit "y house, 9 "ay say,
!hen 9 began to use it for !ar"th as !ell as shelter# 9 had got a cou%le
of old fire&dogs to kee% the !ood fro" the hearth, and it did "e good
to see the soot for" on the back of the chi"ney !hich 9 had built, and
9 %oked the fire !ith "ore right and "ore satisfaction than usual# >y
d!elling !as s"all, and 9 could hardly entertain an echo in itA but it
see"ed larger for being a single a%art"ent and re"ote fro" neighbors#
)ll the attractions of a house !ere concentrated in one roo"A it !as
kitchen, cha"ber, %arlor, and kee%ing&roo"A and !hatever satisfaction
%arent or child, "aster or servant, derive fro" living in a house, 9
enjoyed it all# Cato says, the "aster of a fa"ily JB%atre"fa"iliasBK "ust
have in his rustic villa Ecella" olearia", vinaria", dolia "ulta, uti
lubeat caritate" eC%ectare, et rei, et virtuti, et gloriae erit,E that
is, Ean oil and !ine cellar, "any casks, so that it "ay be %leasant to
eC%ect hard ti"esA it !ill be for his advantage, and virtue, and glory#E
9 had in "y cellar a firkin of %otatoes, about t!o @uarts of %eas !ith
the !eevil in the", and on "y shelf a little rice, a jug of "olasses,
and of rye and 9ndian "eal a %eck each#
9 so"eti"es drea" of a larger and "ore %o%ulous house, standing in a
golden age, of enduring "aterials, and !ithout gingerbread !ork,
!hich shall still consist of only one roo", a vast, rude, substantial,
%ri"itive hall, !ithout ceiling or %lastering, !ith bare rafters and
%urlins su%%orting a sort of lo!er heaven over oneDs head&&useful to
kee% off rain and sno!, !here the king and @ueen %osts stand out to
receive your ho"age, !hen you have done reverence to the %rostrate
8aturn of an older dynasty on ste%%ing over the sillA a cavernous house,
!herein you "ust reach u% a torch u%on a %ole to see the roofA !here
so"e "ay live in the fire%lace, so"e in the recess of a !indo!, and so"e
on settles, so"e at one end of the hall, so"e at another, and so"e aloft
on rafters !ith the s%iders, if they chooseA a house !hich you have got
into !hen you have o%ened the outside door, and the cere"ony is overA
!here the !eary traveller "ay !ash, and eat, and converse, and slee%,
!ithout further journeyA such a shelter as you !ould be glad to reach
in a te"%estuous night, containing all the essentials of a house, and
nothing for house&kee%ingA !here you can see all the treasures of the
house at one vie!, and everything hangs u%on its %eg, that a "an should
useA at once kitchen, %antry, %arlor, cha"ber, storehouse, and garretA
!here you can see so necessary a thing, as a barrel or a ladder, so
convenient a thing as a cu%board, and hear the %ot boil, and %ay your
res%ects to the fire that cooks your dinner, and the oven that bakes
your bread, and the necessary furniture and utensils are the chief
orna"entsA !here the !ashing is not %ut out, nor the fire, nor the
"istress, and %erha%s you are so"eti"es re@uested to "ove fro" off the
tra%&door, !hen the cook !ould descend into the cellar, and so learn
!hether the ground is solid or hollo! beneath you !ithout sta"%ing# )
house !hose inside is as o%en and "anifest as a birdDs nest, and you
cannot go in at the front door and out at the back !ithout seeing so"e
of its inhabitantsA !here to be a guest is to be %resented !ith the
freedo" of the house, and not to be carefully eCcluded fro" seven
eighths of it, shut u% in a %articular cell, and told to "ake yourself
at ho"e there&&in solitary confine"ent# :o!adays the host does not
ad"it you to BhisB hearth, but has got the "ason to build one for yourself
so"e!here in his alley, and hos%itality is the art of Bkee%ingB you at the
greatest distance# There is as "uch secrecy about the cooking as if he
had a design to %oison you# 9 a" a!are that 9 have been on "any a "anDs
%re"ises, and "ight have been legally ordered off, but 9 a" not a!are
that 9 have been in "any "enDs houses# 9 "ight visit in "y old clothes a
king and @ueen !ho lived si"%ly in such a house as 9 have described, if
9 !ere going their !ayA but backing out of a "odern %alace !ill be all
that 9 shall desire to learn, if ever 9 a" caught in one#
9t !ould see" as if the very language of our %arlors !ould lose all
its nerve and degenerate into B%alaverB !holly, our lives %ass at
such re"oteness fro" its sy"bols, and its "eta%hors and tro%es are
necessarily so far fetched, through slides and du"b&!aiters, as it !ereA
in other !ords, the %arlor is so far fro" the kitchen and !orksho%# The
dinner even is only the %arable of a dinner, co""only# )s if only the
savage d!elt near enough to :ature and Truth to borro! a tro%e fro"
the"# o! can the scholar, !ho d!ells a!ay in the :orth West Territory
or the 9sle of >an, tell !hat is %arlia"entary in the kitchenF
o!ever, only one or t!o of "y guests !ere ever bold enough to stay and
eat a hasty&%udding !ith "eA but !hen they sa! that crisis a%%roaching
they beat a hasty retreat rather, as if it !ould shake the house to its
foundations# :evertheless, it stood through a great "any hasty&%uddings#
9 did not %laster till it !as free?ing !eather# 9 brought over so"e
!hiter and cleaner sand for this %ur%ose fro" the o%%osite shore of the
%ond in a boat, a sort of conveyance !hich !ould have te"%ted "e to go
"uch farther if necessary# >y house had in the "ean!hile been shingled
do!n to the ground on every side# 9n lathing 9 !as %leased to be able
to send ho"e each nail !ith a single blo! of the ha""er, and it !as "y
a"bition to transfer the %laster fro" the board to the !all neatly and
ra%idly# 9 re"e"bered the story of a conceited fello!, !ho, in fine
clothes, !as !ont to lounge about the village once, giving advice to
!ork"en# <enturing one day to substitute deeds for !ords, he turned
u% his cuffs, sei?ed a %lastererDs board, and having loaded his tro!el
!ithout "isha%, !ith a co"%lacent look to!ard the lathing overhead,
"ade a bold gesture thither!ardA and straight!ay, to his co"%lete
disco"fiture, received the !hole contents in his ruffled boso"# 9
ad"ired ane! the econo"y and convenience of %lastering, !hich so
effectually shuts out the cold and takes a handso"e finish, and 9
learned the various casualties to !hich the %lasterer is liable# 9 !as
sur%rised to see ho! thirsty the bricks !ere !hich drank u% all the
"oisture in "y %laster before 9 had s"oothed it, and ho! "any %ailfuls
of !ater it takes to christen a ne! hearth# 9 had the %revious !inter
"ade a s"all @uantity of li"e by burning the shells of the B5nio
fluviatilisB, !hich our river affords, for the sake of the eC%eri"entA
so that 9 kne! !here "y "aterials ca"e fro"# 9 "ight have got good
li"estone !ithin a "ile or t!o and burned it "yself, if 9 had cared to
do so#
7 7 7 7 7
The %ond had in the "ean!hile ski""ed over in the shadiest and
shallo!est coves, so"e days or even !eeks before the general free?ing#
The first ice is es%ecially interesting and %erfect, being hard, dark,
and trans%arent, and affords the best o%%ortunity that ever offers for
eCa"ining the botto" !here it is shallo!A for you can lie at your length
on ice only an inch thick, like a skater insect on the surface of the
!ater, and study the botto" at your leisure, only t!o or three inches
distant, like a %icture behind a glass, and the !ater is necessarily
al!ays s"ooth then# There are "any furro!s in the sand !here so"e
creature has travelled about and doubled on its tracksA and, for !recks,
it is stre!n !ith the cases of caddis&!or"s "ade of "inute grains of
!hite @uart?# Perha%s these have creased it, for you find so"e of their
cases in the furro!s, though they are dee% and broad for the" to "ake#
But the ice itself is the object of "ost interest, though you "ust
i"%rove the earliest o%%ortunity to study it# 9f you eCa"ine it closely
the "orning after it free?es, you find that the greater %art of the
bubbles, !hich at first a%%eared to be !ithin it, are against its under
surface, and that "ore are continually rising fro" the botto"A !hile the
ice is as yet co"%aratively solid and dark, that is, you see the !ater
through it# These bubbles are fro" an eightieth to an eighth of an inch
in dia"eter, very clear and beautiful, and you see your face reflected
in the" through the ice# There "ay be thirty or forty of the" to
a s@uare inch# There are also already !ithin the ice narro! oblong
%er%endicular bubbles about half an inch long, shar% cones !ith the a%eC
u%!ardA or oftener, if the ice is @uite fresh, "inute s%herical bubbles
one directly above another, like a string of beads# But these !ithin the
ice are not so nu"erous nor obvious as those beneath# 9 so"eti"es used
to cast on stones to try the strength of the ice, and those !hich
broke through carried in air !ith the", !hich for"ed very large and
cons%icuous !hite bubbles beneath# One day !hen 9 ca"e to the sa"e %lace
forty&eight hours after!ard, 9 found that those large bubbles !ere
still %erfect, though an inch "ore of ice had for"ed, as 9 could see
distinctly by the sea" in the edge of a cake# But as the last t!o
days had been very !ar", like an 9ndian su""er, the ice !as not no!
trans%arent, sho!ing the dark green color of the !ater, and the botto",
but o%a@ue and !hitish or gray, and though t!ice as thick !as hardly
stronger than before, for the air bubbles had greatly eC%anded under
this heat and run together, and lost their regularityA they !ere no
longer one directly over another, but often like silvery coins %oured
fro" a bag, one overla%%ing another, or in thin flakes, as if occu%ying
slight cleavages# The beauty of the ice !as gone, and it !as too late to
study the botto"# Being curious to kno! !hat %osition "y great bubbles
occu%ied !ith regard to the ne! ice, 9 broke out a cake containing a
"iddling si?ed one, and turned it botto" u%!ard# The ne! ice had for"ed
around and under the bubble, so that it !as included bet!een the t!o
ices# 9t !as !holly in the lo!er ice, but close against the u%%er, and
!as flattish, or %erha%s slightly lenticular, !ith a rounded edge, a
@uarter of an inch dee% by four inches in dia"eterA and 9 !as sur%rised
to find that directly under the bubble the ice !as "elted !ith great
regularity in the for" of a saucer reversed, to the height of five
eighths of an inch in the "iddle, leaving a thin %artition there bet!een
the !ater and the bubble, hardly an eighth of an inch thickA and in "any
%laces the s"all bubbles in this %artition had burst out do!n!ard, and
%robably there !as no ice at all under the largest bubbles, !hich !ere a
foot in dia"eter# 9 inferred that the infinite nu"ber of "inute bubbles
!hich 9 had first seen against the under surface of the ice !ere no!
fro?en in like!ise, and that each, in its degree, had o%erated like
a burning&glass on the ice beneath to "elt and rot it# These are the
little air&guns !hich contribute to "ake the ice crack and !hoo%#
7 7 7 7 7
)t length the !inter set in good earnest, just as 9 had finished
%lastering, and the !ind began to ho!l around the house as if it had
not had %er"ission to do so till then# :ight after night the geese ca"e
lu"bering in the dark !ith a clangor and a !histling of !ings, even
after the ground !as covered !ith sno!, so"e to alight in Walden, and
so"e flying lo! over the !oods to!ard 6air aven, bound for >eCico#
8everal ti"es, !hen returning fro" the village at ten or eleven oDclock
at night, 9 heard the tread of a flock of geese, or else ducks, on the
dry leaves in the !oods by a %ond&hole behind "y d!elling, !here they
had co"e u% to feed, and the faint honk or @uack of their leader as they
hurried off# 9n +.P1 Walden fro?e entirely over for the first ti"e on
the night of the ,,d of Dece"ber, 6lintDs and other shallo!er %onds and
the river having been fro?en ten days or "oreA in DPN, the +NthA in DP4,
about the R+stA and in D1-, about the ,Oth of Dece"berA in D1,, the 1th
of *anuaryA in D1R, the R+st of Dece"ber# The sno! had already covered
the ground since the ,1th of :ove"ber, and surrounded "e suddenly
!ith the scenery of !inter# 9 !ithdre! yet farther into "y shell, and
endeavored to kee% a bright fire both !ithin "y house and !ithin "y
breast# >y e"%loy"ent out of doors no! !as to collect the dead !ood in
the forest, bringing it in "y hands or on "y shoulders, or so"eti"es
trailing a dead %ine tree under each ar" to "y shed# )n old forest fence
!hich had seen its best days !as a great haul for "e# 9 sacrificed it
to <ulcan, for it !as %ast serving the god Ter"inus# o! "uch "ore
interesting an event is that "anDs su%%er !ho has just been forth in the
sno! to hunt, nay, you "ight say, steal, the fuel to cook it !ithG is
bread and "eat are s!eet# There are enough fagots and !aste !ood of all
kinds in the forests of "ost of our to!ns to su%%ort "any fires, but
!hich at %resent !ar" none, and, so"e think, hinder the gro!th of the
young !ood# There !as also the drift!ood of the %ond# 9n the course of
the su""er 9 had discovered a raft of %itch %ine logs !ith the bark on,
%inned together by the 9rish !hen the railroad !as built# This 9 hauled
u% %artly on the shore# )fter soaking t!o years and then lying high siC
"onths it !as %erfectly sound, though !aterlogged %ast drying# 9 a"used
"yself one !inter day !ith sliding this %iece"eal across the %ond,
nearly half a "ile, skating behind !ith one end of a log fifteen feet
long on "y shoulder, and the other on the iceA or 9 tied several logs
together !ith a birch !ithe, and then, !ith a longer birch or alder
!hich had a hook at the end, dragged the" across# Though co"%letely
!aterlogged and al"ost as heavy as lead, they not only burned long, but
"ade a very hot fireA nay, 9 thought that they burned better for the
soaking, as if the %itch, being confined by the !ater, burned longer, as
in a la"%#
Gil%in, in his account of the forest borderers of England, says that
Ethe encroach"ents of tres%assers, and the houses and fences thus raised
on the borders of the forest,E !ere Econsidered as great nuisances
by the old forest la!, and !ere severely %unished under the na"e of
B%ur%resturesB, as tending Bad terrore" feraru"&&ad nocu"entu" forestaeB,
etc#,E to the frightening of the ga"e and the detri"ent of the forest#
But 9 !as interested in the %reservation of the venison and the vert
"ore than the hunters or !oodcho%%ers, and as "uch as though 9 had been
the 'ord Warden hi"selfA and if any %art !as burned, though 9 burned it
"yself by accident, 9 grieved !ith a grief that lasted longer and !as
"ore inconsolable than that of the %ro%rietorsA nay, 9 grieved !hen it
!as cut do!n by the %ro%rietors the"selves# 9 !ould that our far"ers
!hen they cut do!n a forest felt so"e of that a!e !hich the old 3o"ans
did !hen they ca"e to thin, or let in the light to, a consecrated grove
JBlucu" conlucareBK, that is, !ould believe that it is sacred to so"e
god# The 3o"an "ade an eC%iatory offering, and %rayed, Whatever god or
goddess thou art to !ho" this grove is sacred, be %ro%itious to "e, "y
fa"ily, and children, etc#
9t is re"arkable !hat a value is still %ut u%on !ood even in this age
and in this ne! country, a value "ore %er"anent and universal than that
of gold# )fter all our discoveries and inventions no "an !ill go by a
%ile of !ood# 9t is as %recious to us as it !as to our 8aCon and :or"an
ancestors# 9f they "ade their bo!s of it, !e "ake our gun&stocks of it#
>ichauC, "ore than thirty years ago, says that the %rice of !ood for
fuel in :e! $ork and Philadel%hia Enearly e@uals, and so"eti"es eCceeds,
that of the best !ood in Paris, though this i""ense ca%ital annually
re@uires "ore than three hundred thousand cords, and is surrounded to
the distance of three hundred "iles by cultivated %lains#E 9n this to!n
the %rice of !ood rises al"ost steadily, and the only @uestion is, ho!
"uch higher it is to be this year than it !as the last# >echanics and
trades"en !ho co"e in %erson to the forest on no other errand, are sure
to attend the !ood auction, and even %ay a high %rice for the %rivilege
of gleaning after the !oodcho%%er# 9t is no! "any years that "en have
resorted to the forest for fuel and the "aterials of the arts( the :e!
Englander and the :e! ollander, the Parisian and the Celt, the far"er
and 3obin ood, Goody Blake and arry GillA in "ost %arts of the !orld
the %rince and the %easant, the scholar and the savage, e@ually re@uire
still a fe! sticks fro" the forest to !ar" the" and cook their food#
:either could 9 do !ithout the"#
Every "an looks at his !ood&%ile !ith a kind of affection# 9 love to
have "ine before "y !indo!, and the "ore chi%s the better to re"ind "e
of "y %leasing !ork# 9 had an old aCe !hich nobody clai"ed, !ith !hich
by s%ells in !inter days, on the sunny side of the house, 9 %layed about
the stu"%s !hich 9 had got out of "y bean&field# )s "y driver %ro%hesied
!hen 9 !as %lo!ing, they !ar"ed "e t!ice&&once !hile 9 !as s%litting
the", and again !hen they !ere on the fire, so that no fuel could
give out "ore heat# )s for the aCe, 9 !as advised to get the village
blacks"ith to Eju"%E itA but 9 ju"%ed hi", and, %utting a hickory helve
fro" the !oods into it, "ade it do# 9f it !as dull, it !as at least hung
true#
) fe! %ieces of fat %ine !ere a great treasure# 9t is interesting to
re"e"ber ho! "uch of this food for fire is still concealed in the bo!els
of the earth# 9n %revious years 9 had often gone %ros%ecting over so"e
bare hillside, !here a %itch %ine !ood had for"erly stood, and got out
the fat %ine roots# They are al"ost indestructible# 8tu"%s thirty or
forty years old, at least, !ill still be sound at the core, though the
sa%!ood has all beco"e vegetable "ould, as a%%ears by the scales of
the thick bark for"ing a ring level !ith the earth four or five inches
distant fro" the heart# With aCe and shovel you eC%lore this "ine, and
follo! the "arro!y store, yello! as beef tallo!, or as if you had struck
on a vein of gold, dee% into the earth# But co""only 9 kindled "y fire
!ith the dry leaves of the forest, !hich 9 had stored u% in "y shed
before the sno! ca"e# Green hickory finely s%lit "akes the !oodcho%%erDs
kindlings, !hen he has a ca"% in the !oods# Once in a !hile 9 got a
little of this# When the villagers !ere lighting their fires beyond the
hori?on, 9 too gave notice to the various !ild inhabitants of Walden
vale, by a s"oky strea"er fro" "y chi"ney, that 9 !as a!ake#&&
'ight&!inged 8"oke, 9carian bird,
>elting thy %inions in thy u%!ard flight,
'ark !ithout song, and "essenger of da!n,
Circling above the ha"lets as thy nestA
Or else, de%arting drea", and shado!y for"
Of "idnight vision, gathering u% thy skirtsA
By night star&veiling, and by day
Darkening the light and blotting out the sunA
Go thou "y incense u%!ard fro" this hearth,
)nd ask the gods to %ardon this clear fla"e#
ard green !ood just cut, though 9 used but little of that, ans!ered "y
%ur%ose better than any other# 9 so"eti"es left a good fire !hen 9 !ent
to take a !alk in a !inter afternoonA and !hen 9 returned, three or four
hours after!ard, it !ould be still alive and glo!ing# >y house !as not
e"%ty though 9 !as gone# 9t !as as if 9 had left a cheerful housekee%er
behind# 9t !as 9 and 6ire that lived thereA and co""only "y housekee%er
%roved trust!orthy# One day, ho!ever, as 9 !as s%litting !ood, 9 thought
that 9 !ould just look in at the !indo! and see if the house !as not on
fireA it !as the only ti"e 9 re"e"ber to have been %articularly anCious
on this scoreA so 9 looked and sa! that a s%ark had caught "y bed, and
9 !ent in and eCtinguished it !hen it had burned a %lace as big as "y
hand# But "y house occu%ied so sunny and sheltered a %osition, and
its roof !as so lo!, that 9 could afford to let the fire go out in the
"iddle of al"ost any !inter day#
The "oles nested in "y cellar, nibbling every third %otato, and "aking
a snug bed even there of so"e hair left after %lastering and of bro!n
%a%erA for even the !ildest ani"als love co"fort and !ar"th as !ell as
"an, and they survive the !inter only because they are so careful to
secure the"# 8o"e of "y friends s%oke as if 9 !as co"ing to the !oods on
%ur%ose to free?e "yself# The ani"al "erely "akes a bed, !hich he !ar"s
!ith his body, in a sheltered %laceA but "an, having discovered fire,
boCes u% so"e air in a s%acious a%art"ent, and !ar"s that, instead of
robbing hi"self, "akes that his bed, in !hich he can "ove about divested
of "ore cu"brous clothing, "aintain a kind of su""er in the "idst of
!inter, and by "eans of !indo!s even ad"it the light, and !ith a la"%
lengthen out the day# Thus he goes a ste% or t!o beyond instinct, and
saves a little ti"e for the fine arts# Though, !hen 9 had been eC%osed
to the rudest blasts a long ti"e, "y !hole body began to gro! tor%id,
!hen 9 reached the genial at"os%here of "y house 9 soon recovered "y
faculties and %rolonged "y life# But the "ost luCuriously housed has
little to boast of in this res%ect, nor need !e trouble ourselves to
s%eculate ho! the hu"an race "ay be at last destroyed# 9t !ould be
easy to cut their threads any ti"e !ith a little shar%er blast fro" the
north# We go on dating fro" Cold 6ridays and Great 8no!sA but a little
colder 6riday, or greater sno! !ould %ut a %eriod to "anDs eCistence on
the globe#
The neCt !inter 9 used a s"all cooking&stove for econo"y, since 9
did not o!n the forestA but it did not kee% fire so !ell as the o%en
fire%lace# Cooking !as then, for the "ost %art, no longer a %oetic, but
"erely a che"ic %rocess# 9t !ill soon be forgotten, in these days of
stoves, that !e used to roast %otatoes in the ashes, after the 9ndian
fashion# The stove not only took u% roo" and scented the house, but it
concealed the fire, and 9 felt as if 9 had lost a co"%anion# $ou can
al!ays see a face in the fire# The laborer, looking into it at evening,
%urifies his thoughts of the dross and earthiness !hich they have
accu"ulated during the day# But 9 could no longer sit and look into
the fire, and the %ertinent !ords of a %oet recurred to "e !ith ne!
force#&&
E:ever, bright fla"e, "ay be denied to "e
Thy dear, life i"aging, close sy"%athy#
What but "y ho%es shot u%!ard eDer so brightF
What but "y fortunes sunk so lo! in nightF
Why art thou banished fro" our hearth and hall,
Thou !ho art !elco"ed and beloved by allF
Was thy eCistence then too fanciful
6or our lifeDs co""on light, !ho are so dullF
Did thy bright glea" "ysterious converse hold
With our congenial soulsF secrets too boldF
Well, !e are safe and strong, for no! !e sit
Beside a hearth !here no di" shado!s flit,
Where nothing cheers nor saddens, but a fire
War"s feet and hands&&nor does to "ore as%ireA
By !hose co"%act utilitarian hea%
The %resent "ay sit do!n and go to slee%,
:or fear the ghosts !ho fro" the di" %ast !alked,
)nd !ith us by the une@ual light of the old !ood fire talked#E
6or"er 9nhabitants and Winter <isitors
9 !eathered so"e "erry sno!&stor"s, and s%ent so"e cheerful !inter
evenings by "y fireside, !hile the sno! !hirled !ildly !ithout, and even
the hooting of the o!l !as hushed# 6or "any !eeks 9 "et no one in "y
!alks but those !ho ca"e occasionally to cut !ood and sled it to the
village# The ele"ents, ho!ever, abetted "e in "aking a %ath through the
dee%est sno! in the !oods, for !hen 9 had once gone through the !ind
ble! the oak leaves into "y tracks, !here they lodged, and by absorbing
the rays of the sun "elted the sno!, and so not only "ade a "y bed
for "y feet, but in the night their dark line !as "y guide# 6or hu"an
society 9 !as obliged to conjure u% the for"er occu%ants of these !oods#
Within the "e"ory of "any of "y to!ns"en the road near !hich "y house
stands resounded !ith the laugh and gossi% of inhabitants, and the !oods
!hich border it !ere notched and dotted here and there !ith their little
gardens and d!ellings, though it !as then "uch "ore shut in by the
forest than no!# 9n so"e %laces, !ithin "y o!n re"e"brance, the %ines
!ould scra%e both sides of a chaise at once, and !o"en and children !ho
!ere co"%elled to go this !ay to 'incoln alone and on foot did it !ith
fear, and often ran a good %art of the distance# Though "ainly but a
hu"ble route to neighboring villages, or for the !ood"anDs tea", it once
a"used the traveller "ore than no! by its variety, and lingered longer
in his "e"ory# Where no! fir" o%en fields stretch fro" the village to
the !oods, it then ran through a "a%le s!a"% on a foundation of logs,
the re"nants of !hich, doubtless, still underlie the %resent dusty
high!ay, fro" the 8tratton, no! the )l"s&ouse 6ar", to BristerDs ill#
East of "y bean&field, across the road, lived Cato 9ngraha", slave of
Duncan 9ngraha", Es@uire, gentle"an, of Concord village, !ho built his
slave a house, and gave hi" %er"ission to live in Walden WoodsA&&Cato,
not 5ticensis, but Concordiensis# 8o"e say that he !as a Guinea :egro#
There are a fe! !ho re"e"ber his little %atch a"ong the !alnuts, !hich
he let gro! u% till he should be old and need the"A but a younger and
!hiter s%eculator got the" at last# e too, ho!ever, occu%ies an e@ually
narro! house at %resent# CatoDs half&obliterated cellar&hole still
re"ains, though kno!n to fe!, being concealed fro" the traveller by a
fringe of %ines# 9t is no! filled !ith the s"ooth su"ach JB3hus glabraBK,
and one of the earliest s%ecies of goldenrod JB8olidago strictaBK gro!s
there luCuriantly#
ere, by the very corner of "y field, still nearer to to!n, Xil%ha,
a colored !o"an, had her little house, !here she s%un linen for the
to!nsfolk, "aking the Walden Woods ring !ith her shrill singing, for
she had a loud and notable voice# )t length, in the !ar of +.+,, her
d!elling !as set on fire by English soldiers, %risoners on %arole, !hen
she !as a!ay, and her cat and dog and hens !ere all burned u% together#
8he led a hard life, and so"e!hat inhu"ane# One old fre@uenter of these
!oods re"e"bers, that as he %assed her house one noon he heard her
"uttering to herself over her gurgling %ot&&E$e are all bones, bonesGE 9
have seen bricks a"id the oak co%se there#
Do!n the road, on the right hand, on BristerDs ill, lived Brister
6ree"an, Ea handy :egro,E slave of 8@uire Cu""ings once&&there !here
gro! still the a%%le trees !hich Brister %lanted and tendedA large old
trees no!, but their fruit still !ild and ciderish to "y taste# :ot long
since 9 read his e%ita%h in the old 'incoln burying&ground, a little on
one side, near the un"arked graves of so"e British grenadiers !ho fell
in the retreat fro" Concord&&!here he is styled E8i%%io BristerE&&8ci%io
)fricanus he had so"e title to be called&&Ea "an of color,E as if he
!ere discolored# 9t also told "e, !ith staring e"%hasis, !hen he diedA
!hich !as but an indirect !ay of infor"ing "e that he ever lived#
With hi" d!elt 6enda, his hos%itable !ife, !ho told fortunes, yet
%leasantly&&large, round, and black, blacker than any of the children of
night, such a dusky orb as never rose on Concord before or since#
6arther do!n the hill, on the left, on the old road in the !oods, are
"arks of so"e ho"estead of the 8tratton fa"ilyA !hose orchard once
covered all the slo%e of BristerDs ill, but !as long since killed out
by %itch %ines, eCce%ting a fe! stu"%s, !hose old roots furnish still
the !ild stocks of "any a thrifty village tree#
:earer yet to to!n, you co"e to BreedDs location, on the other side of
the !ay, just on the edge of the !oodA ground fa"ous for the %ranks of
a de"on not distinctly na"ed in old "ythology, !ho has acted a %ro"inent
and astounding %art in our :e! England life, and deserves, as "uch as
any "ythological character, to have his biogra%hy !ritten one dayA !ho
first co"es in the guise of a friend or hired "an, and then robs and
"urders the !hole fa"ily&&:e!&England 3u"# But history "ust not yet
tell the tragedies enacted hereA let ti"e intervene in so"e "easure to
assuage and lend an a?ure tint to the"# ere the "ost indistinct and
dubious tradition says that once a tavern stoodA the !ell the sa"e,
!hich te"%ered the travellerDs beverage and refreshed his steed# ere
then "en saluted one another, and heard and told the ne!s, and !ent
their !ays again#
BreedDs hut !as standing only a do?en years ago, though it had long
been unoccu%ied# 9t !as about the si?e of "ine# 9t !as set on fire by
"ischievous boys, one Election night, if 9 do not "istake# 9 lived on
the edge of the village then, and had just lost "yself over DavenantDs
EGondibert,E that !inter that 9 labored !ith a lethargy&&!hich, by the
!ay, 9 never kne! !hether to regard as a fa"ily co"%laint, having
an uncle !ho goes to slee% shaving hi"self, and is obliged to s%rout
%otatoes in a cellar 8undays, in order to kee% a!ake and kee% the
8abbath, or as the conse@uence of "y atte"%t to read Chal"ersD
collection of English %oetry !ithout ski%%ing# 9t fairly overca"e "y
:ervii# 9 had just sunk "y head on this !hen the bells rung fire, and in
hot haste the engines rolled that !ay, led by a straggling troo% of
"en and boys, and 9 a"ong the fore"ost, for 9 had lea%ed the brook#
We thought it !as far south over the !oods&&!e !ho had run to fires
before&&barn, sho%, or d!elling&house, or all together# E9tDs BakerDs
barn,E cried one# E9t is the Cod"an %lace,E affir"ed another# )nd then
fresh s%arks !ent u% above the !ood, as if the roof fell in, and !e all
shouted EConcord to the rescueGE Wagons shot %ast !ith furious s%eed
and crushing loads, bearing, %erchance, a"ong the rest, the agent of the
9nsurance Co"%any, !ho !as bound to go ho!ever farA and ever and anon
the engine bell tinkled behind, "ore slo! and sureA and rear"ost of all,
as it !as after!ard !his%ered, ca"e they !ho set the fire and gave the
alar"# Thus !e ke%t on like true idealists, rejecting the evidence
of our senses, until at a turn in the road !e heard the crackling and
actually felt the heat of the fire fro" over the !all, and reali?ed,
alasG that !e !ere there# The very nearness of the fire but cooled our
ardor# )t first !e thought to thro! a frog&%ond on to itA but concluded
to let it burn, it !as so far gone and so !orthless# 8o !e stood round
our engine, jostled one another, eC%ressed our senti"ents through
s%eaking&tru"%ets, or in lo!er tone referred to the great conflagrations
!hich the !orld has !itnessed, including Basco"Ds sho%, and, bet!een
ourselves, !e thought that, !ere !e there in season !ith our Etub,E and
a full frog&%ond by, !e could turn that threatened last and universal
one into another flood# We finally retreated !ithout doing any
"ischief&&returned to slee% and EGondibert#E But as for EGondibert,E
9 !ould eCce%t that %assage in the %reface about !it being the soulDs
%o!der&&Ebut "ost of "ankind are strangers to !it, as 9ndians are to
%o!der#E
9t chanced that 9 !alked that !ay across the fields the follo!ing night,
about the sa"e hour, and hearing a lo! "oaning at this s%ot, 9 dre! near
in the dark, and discovered the only survivor of the fa"ily that 9 kno!,
the heir of both its virtues and its vices, !ho alone !as interested in
this burning, lying on his sto"ach and looking over the cellar !all at
the still s"ouldering cinders beneath, "uttering to hi"self, as is his
!ont# e had been !orking far off in the river "eado!s all day, and had
i"%roved the first "o"ents that he could call his o!n to visit the ho"e
of his fathers and his youth# e ga?ed into the cellar fro" all sides
and %oints of vie! by turns, al!ays lying do!n to it, as if there !as
so"e treasure, !hich he re"e"bered, concealed bet!een the stones, !here
there !as absolutely nothing but a hea% of bricks and ashes# The house
being gone, he looked at !hat there !as left# e !as soothed by the
sy"%athy !hich "y "ere %resence i"%lied, and sho!ed "e, as !ell as the
darkness %er"itted, !here the !ell !as covered u%A !hich, thank eaven,
could never be burnedA and he gro%ed long about the !all to find the
!ell&s!ee% !hich his father had cut and "ounted, feeling for the iron
hook or sta%le by !hich a burden had been fastened to the heavy end&&all
that he could no! cling to&&to convince "e that it !as no co""on
Erider#E 9 felt it, and still re"ark it al"ost daily in "y !alks, for by
it hangs the history of a fa"ily#
Once "ore, on the left, !here are seen the !ell and lilac bushes by the
!all, in the no! o%en field, lived :utting and 'e Grosse# But to return
to!ard 'incoln#
6arther in the !oods than any of these, !here the road a%%roaches
nearest to the %ond, Wy"an the %otter s@uatted, and furnished his
to!ns"en !ith earthen!are, and left descendants to succeed hi"# :either
!ere they rich in !orldly goods, holding the land by sufferance !hile
they livedA and there often the sheriff ca"e in vain to collect the
taCes, and Eattached a chi%,E for for"Ds sake, as 9 have read in his
accounts, there being nothing else that he could lay his hands on# One
day in "idsu""er, !hen 9 !as hoeing, a "an !ho !as carrying a load
of %ottery to "arket sto%%ed his horse against "y field and in@uired
concerning Wy"an the younger# e had long ago bought a %otterDs !heel
of hi", and !ished to kno! !hat had beco"e of hi"# 9 had read of the
%otterDs clay and !heel in 8cri%ture, but it had never occurred to "e
that the %ots !e use !ere not such as had co"e do!n unbroken fro" those
days, or gro!n on trees like gourds so"e!here, and 9 !as %leased to hear
that so fictile an art !as ever %racticed in "y neighborhood#
The last inhabitant of these !oods before "e !as an 9rish"an, ugh
Muoil Jif 9 have s%elt his na"e !ith coil enoughK, !ho occu%ied Wy"anDs
tene"ent&&Col# Muoil, he !as called# 3u"or said that he had been a
soldier at Waterloo# 9f he had lived 9 should have "ade hi" fight his
battles over again# is trade here !as that of a ditcher# :a%oleon !ent
to 8t# elenaA Muoil ca"e to Walden Woods# )ll 9 kno! of hi" is tragic#
e !as a "an of "anners, like one !ho had seen the !orld, and !as
ca%able of "ore civil s%eech than you could !ell attend to# e !ore a
greatcoat in "idsu""er, being affected !ith the tre"bling deliriu", and
his face !as the color of car"ine# e died in the road at the foot of
BristerDs ill shortly after 9 ca"e to the !oods, so that 9 have not
re"e"bered hi" as a neighbor# Before his house !as %ulled do!n, !hen his
co"rades avoided it as Ean unlucky castle,E 9 visited it# There lay his
old clothes curled u% by use, as if they !ere hi"self, u%on his raised
%lank bed# is %i%e lay broken on the hearth, instead of a bo!l broken
at the fountain# The last could never have been the sy"bol of his death,
for he confessed to "e that, though he had heard of BristerDs 8%ring,
he had never seen itA and soiled cards, kings of dia"onds, s%ades,
and hearts, !ere scattered over the floor# One black chicken !hich the
ad"inistrator could not catch, black as night and as silent, not even
croaking, a!aiting 3eynard, still !ent to roost in the neCt a%art"ent#
9n the rear there !as the di" outline of a garden, !hich had been
%lanted but had never received its first hoeing, o!ing to those terrible
shaking fits, though it !as no! harvest ti"e# 9t !as overrun !ith 3o"an
!or"!ood and beggar&ticks, !hich last stuck to "y clothes for all fruit#
The skin of a !oodchuck !as freshly stretched u%on the back of the
house, a tro%hy of his last WaterlooA but no !ar" ca% or "ittens !ould
he !ant "ore#
:o! only a dent in the earth "arks the site of these d!ellings, !ith
buried cellar stones, and stra!berries, ras%berries, thi"ble&berries,
ha?el&bushes, and su"achs gro!ing in the sunny s!ard thereA so"e
%itch %ine or gnarled oak occu%ies !hat !as the chi"ney nook, and a
s!eet&scented black birch, %erha%s, !aves !here the door&stone !as#
8o"eti"es the !ell dent is visible, !here once a s%ring oo?edA no! dry
and tearless grassA or it !as covered dee%&&not to be discovered till
so"e late day&&!ith a flat stone under the sod, !hen the last of the
race de%arted# What a sorro!ful act "ust that be&&the covering u% of
!ellsG coincident !ith the o%ening of !ells of tears# These cellar
dents, like deserted foC burro!s, old holes, are all that is left !here
once !ere the stir and bustle of hu"an life, and Efate, free !ill,
forekno!ledge absolute,E in so"e for" and dialect or other !ere by turns
discussed# But all 9 can learn of their conclusions a"ounts to just
this, that ECato and Brister %ulled !oolEA !hich is about as edifying as
the history of "ore fa"ous schools of %hiloso%hy#
8till gro!s the vivacious lilac a generation after the door and lintel
and the sill are gone, unfolding its s!eet&scented flo!ers each s%ring,
to be %lucked by the "using travellerA %lanted and tended once by
childrenDs hands, in front&yard %lots&&no! standing by !allsides in
retired %astures, and giving %lace to ne!&rising forestsA&&the last of
that stir%, sole survivor of that fa"ily# 'ittle did the dusky children
think that the %uny sli% !ith its t!o eyes only, !hich they stuck in the
ground in the shado! of the house and daily !atered, !ould root itself
so, and outlive the", and house itself in the rear that shaded it, and
gro!n "anDs garden and orchard, and tell their story faintly to the lone
!anderer a half&century after they had gro!n u% and died&&blosso"ing as
fair, and s"elling as s!eet, as in that first s%ring# 9 "ark its still
tender, civil, cheerful lilac colors#
But this s"all village, ger" of so"ething "ore, !hy did it fail !hile
Concord kee%s its groundF Were there no natural advantages&&no !ater
%rivileges, forsoothF )y, the dee% Walden Pond and cool BristerDs
8%ring&&%rivilege to drink long and healthy draughts at these, all
uni"%roved by these "en but to dilute their glass# They !ere universally
a thirsty race# >ight not the basket, stable&broo", "at&"aking,
corn&%arching, linen&s%inning, and %ottery business have thrived here,
"aking the !ilderness to blosso" like the rose, and a nu"erous %osterity
have inherited the land of their fathersF The sterile soil !ould at
least have been %roof against a lo!&land degeneracy# )lasG ho! little
does the "e"ory of these hu"an inhabitants enhance the beauty of the
landsca%eG )gain, %erha%s, :ature !ill try, !ith "e for a first settler,
and "y house raised last s%ring to be the oldest in the ha"let#
9 a" not a!are that any "an has ever built on the s%ot !hich 9 occu%y#
Deliver "e fro" a city built on the site of a "ore ancient city, !hose
"aterials are ruins, !hose gardens ce"eteries# The soil is blanched and
accursed there, and before that beco"es necessary the earth itself !ill
be destroyed# With such re"iniscences 9 re%eo%led the !oods and lulled
"yself aslee%#
7 7 7 7 7
)t this season 9 seldo" had a visitor# When the sno! lay dee%est no
!anderer ventured near "y house for a !eek or fortnight at a ti"e, but
there 9 lived as snug as a "eado! "ouse, or as cattle and %oultry !hich
are said to have survived for a long ti"e buried in drifts, even !ithout
foodA or like that early settlerDs fa"ily in the to!n of 8utton, in this
8tate, !hose cottage !as co"%letely covered by the great sno! of +O+O
!hen he !as absent, and an 9ndian found it only by the hole !hich the
chi"neyDs breath "ade in the drift, and so relieved the fa"ily# But
no friendly 9ndian concerned hi"self about "eA nor needed he, for the
"aster of the house !as at ho"e# The Great 8no!G o! cheerful it is to
hear ofG When the far"ers could not get to the !oods and s!a"%s !ith
their tea"s, and !ere obliged to cut do!n the shade trees before their
houses, and, !hen the crust !as harder, cut off the trees in the s!a"%s,
ten feet fro" the ground, as it a%%eared the neCt s%ring#
9n the dee%est sno!s, the %ath !hich 9 used fro" the high!ay to
"y house, about half a "ile long, "ight have been re%resented by a
"eandering dotted line, !ith !ide intervals bet!een the dots# 6or a !eek
of even !eather 9 took eCactly the sa"e nu"ber of ste%s, and of the sa"e
length, co"ing and going, ste%%ing deliberately and !ith the %recision
of a %air of dividers in "y o!n dee% tracks&&to such routine the !inter
reduces us&&yet often they !ere filled !ith heavenDs o!n blue# But no
!eather interfered fatally !ith "y !alks, or rather "y going abroad, for
9 fre@uently tra"%ed eight or ten "iles through the dee%est sno! to
kee% an a%%oint"ent !ith a beech tree, or a yello! birch, or an old
ac@uaintance a"ong the %inesA !hen the ice and sno! causing their li"bs
to droo%, and so shar%ening their to%s, had changed the %ines into fir
treesA !ading to the to%s of the highest hills !hen the sho! !as nearly
t!o feet dee% on a level, and shaking do!n another sno!&stor" on "y head
at every ste%A or so"eti"es cree%ing and floundering thither on "y hands
and knees, !hen the hunters had gone into !inter @uarters# One afternoon
9 a"used "yself by !atching a barred o!l JB8triC nebulosaBK sitting on one
of the lo!er dead li"bs of a !hite %ine, close to the trunk, in broad
daylight, 9 standing !ithin a rod of hi"# e could hear "e !hen 9 "oved
and cronched the sno! !ith "y feet, but could not %lainly see "e# When
9 "ade "ost noise he !ould stretch out his neck, and erect his neck
feathers, and o%en his eyes !ideA but their lids soon fell again, and he
began to nod# 9 too felt a slu"berous influence after !atching hi" half
an hour, as he sat thus !ith his eyes half o%en, like a cat, !inged
brother of the cat# There !as only a narro! slit left bet!een their
lids, by !hich he %reserved a %eninsular relation to "eA thus, !ith
half&shut eyes, looking out fro" the land of drea"s, and endeavoring
to reali?e "e, vague object or "ote that interru%ted his visions# )t
length, on so"e louder noise or "y nearer a%%roach, he !ould gro! uneasy
and sluggishly turn about on his %erch, as if i"%atient at having his
drea"s disturbedA and !hen he launched hi"self off and fla%%ed through
the %ines, s%reading his !ings to uneC%ected breadth, 9 could not hear
the slightest sound fro" the"# Thus, guided a"id the %ine boughs rather
by a delicate sense of their neighborhood than by sight, feeling his
t!ilight !ay, as it !ere, !ith his sensitive %inions, he found a ne!
%erch, !here he "ight in %eace a!ait the da!ning of his day#
)s 9 !alked over the long cause!ay "ade for the railroad through the
"eado!s, 9 encountered "any a blustering and ni%%ing !ind, for no!here
has it freer %layA and !hen the frost had s"itten "e on one cheek,
heathen as 9 !as, 9 turned to it the other also# :or !as it "uch better
by the carriage road fro" BristerDs ill# 6or 9 ca"e to to!n still, like
a friendly 9ndian, !hen the contents of the broad o%en fields !ere all
%iled u% bet!een the !alls of the Walden road, and half an hour sufficed
to obliterate the tracks of the last traveller# )nd !hen 9 returned ne!
drifts !ould have for"ed, through !hich 9 floundered, !here the busy
north!est !ind had been de%ositing the %o!dery sno! round a shar% angle
in the road, and not a rabbitDs track, nor even the fine %rint, the
s"all ty%e, of a "eado! "ouse !as to be seen# $et 9 rarely failed to
find, even in "id!inter, so"e !ar" and s%ringly s!a"% !here the grass
and the skunk&cabbage still %ut forth !ith %erennial verdure, and so"e
hardier bird occasionally a!aited the return of s%ring#
8o"eti"es, not!ithstanding the sno!, !hen 9 returned fro" "y !alk at
evening 9 crossed the dee% tracks of a !oodcho%%er leading fro" "y door,
and found his %ile of !hittlings on the hearth, and "y house filled !ith
the odor of his %i%e# Or on a 8unday afternoon, if 9 chanced to be
at ho"e, 9 heard the cronching of the sno! "ade by the ste% of a
long&headed far"er, !ho fro" far through the !oods sought "y house, to
have a social EcrackEA one of the fe! of his vocation !ho are E"en on
their far"sEA !ho donned a frock instead of a %rofessorDs go!n, and is
as ready to eCtract the "oral out of church or state as to haul a load
of "anure fro" his barn&yard# We talked of rude and si"%le ti"es, !hen
"en sat about large fires in cold, bracing !eather, !ith clear headsA
and !hen other dessert failed, !e tried our teeth on "any a nut !hich
!ise s@uirrels have long since abandoned, for those !hich have the
thickest shells are co""only e"%ty#
The one !ho ca"e fro" farthest to "y lodge, through dee%est sno!s and
"ost dis"al te"%ests, !as a %oet# ) far"er, a hunter, a soldier, a
re%orter, even a %hiloso%her, "ay be dauntedA but nothing can deter a
%oet, for he is actuated by %ure love# Who can %redict his co"ings
and goingsF is business calls hi" out at all hours, even !hen doctors
slee%# We "ade that s"all house ring !ith boisterous "irth and resound
!ith the "ur"ur of "uch sober talk, "aking a"ends then to Walden vale
for the long silences# Broad!ay !as still and deserted in co"%arison# )t
suitable intervals there !ere regular salutes of laughter, !hich "ight
have been referred indifferently to the last&uttered or the forth&co"ing
jest# We "ade "any a Ebran ne!E theory of life over a thin dish
of gruel, !hich co"bined the advantages of conviviality !ith the
clear&headedness !hich %hiloso%hy re@uires#
9 should not forget that during "y last !inter at the %ond there !as
another !elco"e visitor, !ho at one ti"e ca"e through the village,
through sno! and rain and darkness, till he sa! "y la"% through the
trees, and shared !ith "e so"e long !inter evenings# One of the last of
the %hiloso%hers&&Connecticut gave hi" to the !orld&&he %eddled first
her !ares, after!ards, as he declares, his brains# These he %eddles
still, %ro"%ting God and disgracing "an, bearing for fruit his brain
only, like the nut its kernel# 9 think that he "ust be the "an of the
"ost faith of any alive# is !ords and attitude al!ays su%%ose a better
state of things than other "en are ac@uainted !ith, and he !ill be the
last "an to be disa%%ointed as the ages revolve# e has no venture in
the %resent# But though co"%aratively disregarded no!, !hen his day
co"es, la!s unsus%ected by "ost !ill take effect, and "asters of
fa"ilies and rulers !ill co"e to hi" for advice#
Eo! blind that cannot see serenityGE
) true friend of "anA al"ost the only friend of hu"an %rogress# )n Old
>ortality, say rather an 9""ortality, !ith un!earied %atience and faith
"aking %lain the i"age engraven in "enDs bodies, the God of !ho" they
are but defaced and leaning "onu"ents# With his hos%itable intellect
he e"braces children, beggars, insane, and scholars, and entertains the
thought of all, adding to it co""only so"e breadth and elegance# 9
think that he should kee% a caravansary on the !orldDs high!ay, !here
%hiloso%hers of all nations "ight %ut u%, and on his sign should be
%rinted, EEntertain"ent for "an, but not for his beast# Enter ye that
have leisure and a @uiet "ind, !ho earnestly seek the right road#E e is
%erha%s the sanest "an and has the fe!est crotchets of any 9 chance
to kno!A the sa"e yesterday and to"orro!# Of yore !e had sauntered and
talked, and effectually %ut the !orld behind usA for he !as %ledged to
no institution in it, freeborn, BingenuusB# Whichever !ay !e turned,
it see"ed that the heavens and the earth had "et together, since he
enhanced the beauty of the landsca%e# ) blue&robed "an, !hose fittest
roof is the overarching sky !hich reflects his serenity# 9 do not see
ho! he can ever dieA :ature cannot s%are hi"#
aving each so"e shingles of thought !ell dried, !e sat and !hittled
the", trying our knives, and ad"iring the clear yello!ish grain of the
%u"%kin %ine# We !aded so gently and reverently, or !e %ulled together
so s"oothly, that the fishes of thought !ere not scared fro" the strea",
nor feared any angler on the bank, but ca"e and !ent grandly, like the
clouds !hich float through the !estern sky, and the "other&oD&%earl
flocks !hich so"eti"es for" and dissolve there# There !e !orked,
revising "ythology, rounding a fable here and there, and building
castles in the air for !hich earth offered no !orthy foundation# Great
'ookerG Great EC%ecterG to converse !ith !ho" !as a :e! England :ightDs
Entertain"ent# )hG such discourse !e had, her"it and %hiloso%her, and
the old settler 9 have s%oken of&&!e three&&it eC%anded and racked "y
little houseA 9 should not dare to say ho! "any %oundsD !eight there
!as above the at"os%heric %ressure on every circular inchA it o%ened its
sea"s so that they had to be calked !ith "uch dulness thereafter to sto%
the conse@uent leakA&&but 9 had enough of that kind of oaku" already
%icked#
There !as one other !ith !ho" 9 had Esolid seasons,E long to be
re"e"bered, at his house in the village, and !ho looked in u%on "e fro"
ti"e to ti"eA but 9 had no "ore for society there#
There too, as every!here, 9 so"eti"es eC%ected the <isitor !ho never
co"es# The <ishnu Purana says, EThe house&holder is to re"ain at
eventide in his courtyard as long as it takes to "ilk a co!, or longer
if he %leases, to a!ait the arrival of a guest#E 9 often %erfor"ed this
duty of hos%itality, !aited long enough to "ilk a !hole herd of co!s,
but did not see the "an a%%roaching fro" the to!n#
Winter )ni"als
When the %onds !ere fir"ly fro?en, they afforded not only ne! and
shorter routes to "any %oints, but ne! vie!s fro" their surfaces of the
fa"iliar landsca%e around the"# When 9 crossed 6lintDs Pond, after it
!as covered !ith sno!, though 9 had often %addled about and skated over
it, it !as so uneC%ectedly !ide and so strange that 9 could think of
nothing but BaffinDs Bay# The 'incoln hills rose u% around "e at the
eCtre"ity of a sno!y %lain, in !hich 9 did not re"e"ber to have stood
beforeA and the fisher"en, at an indeter"inable distance over the ice,
"oving slo!ly about !ith their !olfish dogs, %assed for sealers, or
Es@ui"auC, or in "isty !eather loo"ed like fabulous creatures, and 9 did
not kno! !hether they !ere giants or %yg"ies# 9 took this course !hen
9 !ent to lecture in 'incoln in the evening, travelling in no road and
%assing no house bet!een "y o!n hut and the lecture roo"# 9n Goose Pond,
!hich lay in "y !ay, a colony of "uskrats d!elt, and raised their cabins
high above the ice, though none could be seen abroad !hen 9 crossed it#
Walden, being like the rest usually bare of sno!, or !ith only shallo!
and interru%ted drifts on it, !as "y yard !here 9 could !alk freely !hen
the sno! !as nearly t!o feet dee% on a level else!here and the villagers
!ere confined to their streets# There, far fro" the village street, and
eCce%t at very long intervals, fro" the jingle of sleigh&bells, 9 slid
and skated, as in a vast "oose&yard !ell trodden, overhung by oak !oods
and sole"n %ines bent do!n !ith sno! or bristling !ith icicles#
6or sounds in !inter nights, and often in !inter days, 9 heard the
forlorn but "elodious note of a hooting o!l indefinitely farA such
a sound as the fro?en earth !ould yield if struck !ith a suitable
%lectru", the very Blingua vernaculaB of Walden Wood, and @uite fa"iliar
to "e at last, though 9 never sa! the bird !hile it !as "aking it# 9
seldo" o%ened "y door in a !inter evening !ithout hearing itA Boo hoo
hoo, hoorer, hoo,B sounded sonorously, and the first three syllables
accented so"e!hat like Bho! der doBA or so"eti"es Bhoo, hooB only# One
night in the beginning of !inter, before the %ond fro?e over, about nine
oDclock, 9 !as startled by the loud honking of a goose, and, ste%%ing to
the door, heard the sound of their !ings like a te"%est in the !oods
as they fle! lo! over "y house# They %assed over the %ond to!ard 6air
aven, see"ingly deterred fro" settling by "y light, their co""odore
honking all the !hile !ith a regular beat# 8uddenly an un"istakable
cat&o!l fro" very near "e, !ith the "ost harsh and tre"endous voice
9 ever heard fro" any inhabitant of the !oods, res%onded at regular
intervals to the goose, as if deter"ined to eC%ose and disgrace this
intruder fro" udsonDs Bay by eChibiting a greater co"%ass and volu"e of
voice in a native, and Bboo&hooB hi" out of Concord hori?on# What do you
"ean by alar"ing the citadel at this ti"e of night consecrated to "eF Do
you think 9 a" ever caught na%%ing at such an hour, and that 9 have not
got lungs and a larynC as !ell as yourselfF BBoo&hoo, boo&hoo, boo&hooGB
9t !as one of the "ost thrilling discords 9 ever heard# )nd yet, if you
had a discri"inating ear, there !ere in it the ele"ents of a concord
such as these %lains never sa! nor heard#
9 also heard the !hoo%ing of the ice in the %ond, "y great bed&fello! in
that %art of Concord, as if it !ere restless in its bed and !ould fain
turn over, !ere troubled !ith flatulency and had drea"sA or 9 !as !aked
by the cracking of the ground by the frost, as if so"e one had driven a
tea" against "y door, and in the "orning !ould find a crack in the earth
a @uarter of a "ile long and a third of an inch !ide#
8o"eti"es 9 heard the foCes as they ranged over the sno!&crust, in
"oonlight nights, in search of a %artridge or other ga"e, barking
raggedly and de"oniacally like forest dogs, as if laboring !ith so"e
anCiety, or seeking eC%ression, struggling for light and to be dogs
outright and run freely in the streetsA for if !e take the ages into our
account, "ay there not be a civili?ation going on a"ong brutes as
!ell as "enF They see"ed to "e to be rudi"ental, burro!ing "en, still
standing on their defence, a!aiting their transfor"ation# 8o"eti"es one
ca"e near to "y !indo!, attracted by "y light, barked a vul%ine curse at
"e, and then retreated#
5sually the red s@uirrel JB8ciurus udsoniusBK !aked "e in the da!n,
coursing over the roof and u% and do!n the sides of the house, as if
sent out of the !oods for this %ur%ose# 9n the course of the !inter 9
thre! out half a bushel of ears of s!eet corn, !hich had not got ri%e,
on to the sno!&crust by "y door, and !as a"used by !atching the "otions
of the various ani"als !hich !ere baited by it# 9n the t!ilight and the
night the rabbits ca"e regularly and "ade a hearty "eal# )ll day long
the red s@uirrels ca"e and !ent, and afforded "e "uch entertain"ent by
their "anoeuvres# One !ould a%%roach at first !arily through the shrub
oaks, running over the sno!&crust by fits and starts like a leaf blo!n
by the !ind, no! a fe! %aces this !ay, !ith !onderful s%eed and !aste
of energy, "aking inconceivable haste !ith his Etrotters,E as if it !ere
for a !ager, and no! as "any %aces that !ay, but never getting on "ore
than half a rod at a ti"eA and then suddenly %ausing !ith a ludicrous
eC%ression and a gratuitous so"erset, as if all the eyes in the universe
!ere eyed on hi"&&for all the "otions of a s@uirrel, even in the "ost
solitary recesses of the forest, i"%ly s%ectators as "uch as those of a
dancing girl&&!asting "ore ti"e in delay and circu"s%ection than !ould
have sufficed to !alk the !hole distance&&9 never sa! one !alk&&and then
suddenly, before you could say *ack 3obinson, he !ould be in the to%
of a young %itch %ine, !inding u% his clock and chiding all i"aginary
s%ectators, solilo@ui?ing and talking to all the universe at the sa"e
ti"e&&for no reason that 9 could ever detect, or he hi"self !as a!are
of, 9 sus%ect# )t length he !ould reach the corn, and selecting a
suitable ear, frisk about in the sa"e uncertain trigono"etrical !ay to
the to%"ost stick of "y !ood&%ile, before "y !indo!, !here he looked "e
in the face, and there sit for hours, su%%lying hi"self !ith a ne!
ear fro" ti"e to ti"e, nibbling at first voraciously and thro!ing the
half&naked cobs aboutA till at length he gre! "ore dainty still and
%layed !ith his food, tasting only the inside of the kernel, and the
ear, !hich !as held balanced over the stick by one %a!, sli%%ed fro"
his careless gras% and fell to the ground, !hen he !ould look over at it
!ith a ludicrous eC%ression of uncertainty, as if sus%ecting that it had
life, !ith a "ind not "ade u% !hether to get it again, or a ne! one,
or be offA no! thinking of corn, then listening to hear !hat !as in
the !ind# 8o the little i"%udent fello! !ould !aste "any an ear in
a forenoonA till at last, sei?ing so"e longer and %lu"%er one,
considerably bigger than hi"self, and skilfully balancing it, he !ould
set out !ith it to the !oods, like a tiger !ith a buffalo, by the sa"e
?ig&?ag course and fre@uent %auses, scratching along !ith it as if it
!ere too heavy for hi" and falling all the !hile, "aking its fall a
diagonal bet!een a %er%endicular and hori?ontal, being deter"ined to
%ut it through at any rateA&&a singularly frivolous and !hi"sical
fello!A&&and so he !ould get off !ith it to !here he lived, %erha%s
carry it to the to% of a %ine tree forty or fifty rods distant, and
9 !ould after!ards find the cobs stre!n about the !oods in various
directions#
)t length the jays arrive, !hose discordant screa"s !ere heard long
before, as they !ere !arily "aking their a%%roach an eighth of a "ile
off, and in a stealthy and sneaking "anner they flit fro" tree to tree,
nearer and nearer, and %ick u% the kernels !hich the s@uirrels have
dro%%ed# Then, sitting on a %itch %ine bough, they atte"%t to s!allo! in
their haste a kernel !hich is too big for their throats and chokes
the"A and after great labor they disgorge it, and s%end an hour in
the endeavor to crack it by re%eated blo!s !ith their bills# They
!ere "anifestly thieves, and 9 had not "uch res%ect for the"A but the
s@uirrels, though at first shy, !ent to !ork as if they !ere taking !hat
!as their o!n#
>ean!hile also ca"e the chickadees in flocks, !hich, %icking u% the
cru"bs the s@uirrels had dro%%ed, fle! to the nearest t!ig and, %lacing
the" under their cla!s, ha""ered a!ay at the" !ith their little bills,
as if it !ere an insect in the bark, till they !ere sufficiently reduced
for their slender throats# ) little flock of these tit"ice ca"e daily to
%ick a dinner out of "y !ood%ile, or the cru"bs at "y door, !ith faint
flitting lis%ing notes, like the tinkling of icicles in the grass, or
else !ith s%rightly Bday day dayB, or "ore rarely, in s%ring&like days,
a !iry su""ery B%he&beB fro" the !oodside# They !ere so fa"iliar that at
length one alighted on an ar"ful of !ood !hich 9 !as carrying in, and
%ecked at the sticks !ithout fear# 9 once had a s%arro! alight u%on "y
shoulder for a "o"ent !hile 9 !as hoeing in a village garden, and 9 felt
that 9 !as "ore distinguished by that circu"stance than 9 should have
been by any e%aulet 9 could have !orn# The s@uirrels also gre! at last
to be @uite fa"iliar, and occasionally ste%%ed u%on "y shoe, !hen that
!as the nearest !ay#
When the ground !as not yet @uite covered, and again near the end of
!inter, !hen the sno! !as "elted on "y south hillside and about "y
!ood&%ile, the %artridges ca"e out of the !oods "orning and evening to
feed there# Whichever side you !alk in the !oods the %artridge bursts
a!ay on !hirring !ings, jarring the sno! fro" the dry leaves and t!igs
on high, !hich co"es sifting do!n in the sunbea"s like golden dust, for
this brave bird is not to be scared by !inter# 9t is fre@uently covered
u% by drifts, and, it is said, Eso"eti"es %lunges fro" on !ing into the
soft sno!, !here it re"ains concealed for a day or t!o#E 9 used to start
the" in the o%en land also, !here they had co"e out of the !oods at
sunset to EbudE the !ild a%%le trees# They !ill co"e regularly every
evening to %articular trees, !here the cunning s%orts"an lies in !ait
for the", and the distant orchards neCt the !oods suffer thus not
a little# 9 a" glad that the %artridge gets fed, at any rate# 9t is
:atureDs o!n bird !hich lives on buds and diet drink#
9n dark !inter "ornings, or in short !inter afternoons, 9 so"eti"es
heard a %ack of hounds threading all the !oods !ith hounding cry and
yel%, unable to resist the instinct of the chase, and the note of the
hunting&horn at intervals, %roving that "an !as in the rear# The !oods
ring again, and yet no foC bursts forth on to the o%en level of the
%ond, nor follo!ing %ack %ursuing their )ctHon# )nd %erha%s at evening
9 see the hunters returning !ith a single brush trailing fro" their
sleigh for a tro%hy, seeking their inn# They tell "e that if the foC
!ould re"ain in the boso" of the fro?en earth he !ould be safe, or if he
!ould run in a straight line a!ay no foChound could overtake hi"A but,
having left his %ursuers far behind, he sto%s to rest and listen till
they co"e u%, and !hen he runs he circles round to his old haunts, !here
the hunters a!ait hi"# 8o"eti"es, ho!ever, he !ill run u%on a !all "any
rods, and then lea% off far to one side, and he a%%ears to kno! that
!ater !ill not retain his scent# ) hunter told "e that he once sa! a foC
%ursued by hounds burst out on to Walden !hen the ice !as covered !ith
shallo! %uddles, run %art !ay across, and then return to the sa"e shore#
Ere long the hounds arrived, but here they lost the scent# 8o"eti"es
a %ack hunting by the"selves !ould %ass "y door, and circle round "y
house, and yel% and hound !ithout regarding "e, as if afflicted by a
s%ecies of "adness, so that nothing could divert the" fro" the %ursuit#
Thus they circle until they fall u%on the recent trail of a foC, for a
!ise hound !ill forsake everything else for this# One day a "an ca"e
to "y hut fro" 'eCington to in@uire after his hound that "ade a large
track, and had been hunting for a !eek by hi"self# But 9 fear that he
!as not the !iser for all 9 told hi", for every ti"e 9 atte"%ted to
ans!er his @uestions he interru%ted "e by asking, EWhat do you do hereFE
e had lost a dog, but found a "an#
One old hunter !ho has a dry tongue, !ho used to co"e to bathe in Walden
once every year !hen the !ater !as !ar"est, and at such ti"es looked in
u%on "e, told "e that "any years ago he took his gun one afternoon and
!ent out for a cruise in Walden WoodA and as he !alked the Wayland road
he heard the cry of hounds a%%roaching, and ere long a foC lea%ed the
!all into the road, and as @uick as thought lea%ed the other !all out of
the road, and his s!ift bullet had not touched hi"# 8o"e !ay behind ca"e
an old hound and her three %u%s in full %ursuit, hunting on their o!n
account, and disa%%eared again in the !oods# 'ate in the afternoon, as
he !as resting in the thick !oods south of Walden, he heard the voice
of the hounds far over to!ard 6air aven still %ursuing the foCA and
on they ca"e, their hounding cry !hich "ade all the !oods ring sounding
nearer and nearer, no! fro" Well >eado!, no! fro" the Baker 6ar"# 6or
a long ti"e he stood still and listened to their "usic, so s!eet to
a hunterDs ear, !hen suddenly the foC a%%eared, threading the sole"n
aisles !ith an easy coursing %ace, !hose sound !as concealed by a
sy"%athetic rustle of the leaves, s!ift and still, kee%ing the round,
leaving his %ursuers far behindA and, lea%ing u%on a rock a"id the
!oods, he sat erect and listening, !ith his back to the hunter# 6or
a "o"ent co"%assion restrained the latterDs ar"A but that !as a
short&lived "ood, and as @uick as thought can follo! thought his %iece
!as levelled, and B!hangGB&&the foC, rolling over the rock, lay dead on
the ground# The hunter still ke%t his %lace and listened to the hounds#
8till on they ca"e, and no! the near !oods resounded through all their
aisles !ith their de"oniac cry# )t length the old hound burst into vie!
!ith "u??le to the ground, and sna%%ing the air as if %ossessed, and ran
directly to the rockA but, s%ying the dead foC, she suddenly ceased her
hounding as if struck du"b !ith a"a?e"ent, and !alked round and round
hi" in silenceA and one by one her %u%s arrived, and, like their "other,
!ere sobered into silence by the "ystery# Then the hunter ca"e for!ard
and stood in their "idst, and the "ystery !as solved# They !aited in
silence !hile he skinned the foC, then follo!ed the brush a !hile, and
at length turned off into the !oods again# That evening a Weston s@uire
ca"e to the Concord hunterDs cottage to in@uire for his hounds, and told
ho! for a !eek they had been hunting on their o!n account fro" Weston
!oods# The Concord hunter told hi" !hat he kne! and offered hi" the
skinA but the other declined it and de%arted# e did not find his hounds
that night, but the neCt day learned that they had crossed the river and
%ut u% at a far"house for the night, !hence, having been !ell fed, they
took their de%arture early in the "orning#
The hunter !ho told "e this could re"e"ber one 8a" :utting, !ho used
to hunt bears on 6air aven 'edges, and eCchange their skins for ru"
in Concord villageA !ho told hi", even, that he had seen a "oose
there# :utting had a fa"ous foChound na"ed Burgoyne&&he %ronounced it
Bugine&&!hich "y infor"ant used to borro!# 9n the EWast BookE of an
old trader of this to!n, !ho !as also a ca%tain, to!n&clerk, and
re%resentative, 9 find the follo!ing entry# *an# +.th, +OP,&R, E*ohn
>elven Cr# by + Grey 6oC -&&,&&REA they are not no! found hereA and in
his ledger, 6eb, Oth, +OPR, e?ekiah 8tratton has credit Eby +S, a Catt
skin -&&+&&P&+S,EA of course, a !ild&cat, for 8tratton !as a sergeant in
the old 6rench !ar, and !ould not have got credit for hunting less noble
ga"e# Credit is given for deerskins also, and they !ere daily sold# One
"an still %reserves the horns of the last deer that !as killed in this
vicinity, and another has told "e the %articulars of the hunt in !hich
his uncle !as engaged# The hunters !ere for"erly a nu"erous and "erry
cre! here# 9 re"e"ber !ell one gaunt :i"rod !ho !ould catch u% a leaf
by the roadside and %lay a strain on it !ilder and "ore "elodious, if "y
"e"ory serves "e, than any hunting&horn#
)t "idnight, !hen there !as a "oon, 9 so"eti"es "et !ith hounds in "y
%ath %ro!ling about the !oods, !hich !ould skulk out of "y !ay, as if
afraid, and stand silent a"id the bushes till 9 had %assed#
8@uirrels and !ild "ice dis%uted for "y store of nuts# There !ere scores
of %itch %ines around "y house, fro" one to four inches in dia"eter,
!hich had been gna!ed by "ice the %revious !inter&&a :or!egian !inter
for the", for the sno! lay long and dee%, and they !ere obliged to "iC
a large %ro%ortion of %ine bark !ith their other diet# These trees !ere
alive and a%%arently flourishing at "idsu""er, and "any of the" had
gro!n a foot, though co"%letely girdledA but after another !inter such
!ere !ithout eCce%tion dead# 9t is re"arkable that a single "ouse should
thus be allo!ed a !hole %ine tree for its dinner, gna!ing round instead
of u% and do!n itA but %erha%s it is necessary in order to thin these
trees, !hich are !ont to gro! u% densely#
The hares JB'e%us )"ericanusBK !ere very fa"iliar# One had her for" under
"y house all !inter, se%arated fro" "e only by the flooring, and
she startled "e each "orning by her hasty de%arture !hen 9 began to
stir&&thu"%, thu"%, thu"%, striking her head against the floor ti"bers
in her hurry# They used to co"e round "y door at dusk to nibble the
%otato %arings !hich 9 had thro!n out, and !ere so nearly the color of
the ground that they could hardly be distinguished !hen still# 8o"eti"es
in the t!ilight 9 alternately lost and recovered sight of one sitting
"otionless under "y !indo!# When 9 o%ened "y door in the evening, off
they !ould go !ith a s@ueak and a bounce# :ear at hand they only eCcited
"y %ity# One evening one sat by "y door t!o %aces fro" "e, at first
tre"bling !ith fear, yet un!illing to "oveA a %oor !ee thing, lean and
bony, !ith ragged ears and shar% nose, scant tail and slender %a!s# 9t
looked as if :ature no longer contained the breed of nobler bloods, but
stood on her last toes# 9ts large eyes a%%eared young and unhealthy,
al"ost dro%sical# 9 took a ste%, and lo, a!ay it scud !ith an elastic
s%ring over the sno!&crust, straightening its body and its li"bs into
graceful length, and soon %ut the forest bet!een "e and itself&&the !ild
free venison, asserting its vigor and the dignity of :ature# :ot !ithout
reason !as its slenderness# 8uch then !as its nature# JB'e%usB, Blevi%esB,
light&foot, so"e think#K
What is a country !ithout rabbits and %artridgesF They are a"ong the
"ost si"%le and indigenous ani"al %roductsA ancient and venerable
fa"ilies kno!n to anti@uity as to "odern ti"esA of the very hue and
substance of :ature, nearest allied to leaves and to the ground&&and to
one anotherA it is either !inged or it is legged# 9t is hardly as if you
had seen a !ild creature !hen a rabbit or a %artridge bursts a!ay, only
a natural one, as "uch to be eC%ected as rustling leaves# The %artridge
and the rabbit are still sure to thrive, like true natives of the soil,
!hatever revolutions occur# 9f the forest is cut off, the s%routs and
bushes !hich s%ring u% afford the" conceal"ent, and they beco"e "ore
nu"erous than ever# That "ust be a %oor country indeed that does not
su%%ort a hare# Our !oods tee" !ith the" both, and around every s!a"%
"ay be seen the %artridge or rabbit !alk, beset !ith t!iggy fences and
horse&hair snares, !hich so"e co!&boy tends#
The Pond in Winter
)fter a still !inter night 9 a!oke !ith the i"%ression that so"e
@uestion had been %ut to "e, !hich 9 had been endeavoring in vain to
ans!er in "y slee%, as !hat&&ho!&&!hen&&!hereF But there !as da!ning
:ature, in !ho" all creatures live, looking in at "y broad !indo!s !ith
serene and satisfied face, and no @uestion on BherB li%s# 9 a!oke to an
ans!ered @uestion, to :ature and daylight# The sno! lying dee% on the
earth dotted !ith young %ines, and the very slo%e of the hill on !hich
"y house is %laced, see"ed to say, 6or!ardG :ature %uts no @uestion
and ans!ers none !hich !e "ortals ask# 8he has long ago taken her
resolution# EO Prince, our eyes conte"%late !ith ad"iration and trans"it
to the soul the !onderful and varied s%ectacle of this universe# The
night veils !ithout doubt a %art of this glorious creationA but day
co"es to reveal to us this great !ork, !hich eCtends fro" earth even
into the %lains of the ether#E
Then to "y "orning !ork# 6irst 9 take an aCe and %ail and go in search
of !ater, if that be not a drea"# )fter a cold and sno!y night it needed
a divining&rod to find it# Every !inter the li@uid and tre"bling surface
of the %ond, !hich !as so sensitive to every breath, and reflected every
light and shado!, beco"es solid to the de%th of a foot or a foot and a
half, so that it !ill su%%ort the heaviest tea"s, and %erchance the sno!
covers it to an e@ual de%th, and it is not to be distinguished fro" any
level field# 'ike the "ar"ots in the surrounding hills, it closes its
eyelids and beco"es dor"ant for three "onths or "ore# 8tanding on the
sno!&covered %lain, as if in a %asture a"id the hills, 9 cut "y !ay
first through a foot of sno!, and then a foot of ice, and o%en a !indo!
under "y feet, !here, kneeling to drink, 9 look do!n into the @uiet
%arlor of the fishes, %ervaded by a softened light as through a !indo!
of ground glass, !ith its bright sanded floor the sa"e as in su""erA
there a %erennial !aveless serenity reigns as in the a"ber t!ilight
sky, corres%onding to the cool and even te"%era"ent of the inhabitants#
eaven is under our feet is !ell as over our heads#
Early in the "orning, !hile all things are cris% !ith frost, "en co"e
!ith fishing&reels and slender lunch, and let do!n their fine lines
through the sno!y field to take %ickerel and %erchA !ild "en, !ho
instinctively follo! other fashions and trust other authorities than
their to!ns"en, and by their goings and co"ings stitch to!ns together in
%arts !here else they !ould be ri%%ed# They sit and eat their luncheon
in stout fear&naughts on the dry oak leaves on the shore, as !ise in
natural lore as the citi?en is in artificial# They never consulted !ith
books, and kno! and can tell "uch less than they have done# The things
!hich they %ractice are said not yet to be kno!n# ere is one fishing
for %ickerel !ith gro!n %erch for bait# $ou look into his %ail !ith
!onder as into a su""er %ond, as if he ke%t su""er locked u% at ho"e, or
kne! !here she had retreated# o!, %ray, did he get these in "id!interF
Oh, he got !or"s out of rotten logs since the ground fro?e, and so he
caught the"# is life itself %asses dee%er in nature than the studies
of the naturalist %enetrateA hi"self a subject for the naturalist#
The latter raises the "oss and bark gently !ith his knife in search of
insectsA the for"er lays o%en logs to their core !ith his aCe, and "oss
and bark fly far and !ide# e gets his living by barking trees# 8uch a
"an has so"e right to fish, and 9 love to see nature carried out in hi"#
The %erch s!allo!s the grub&!or", the %ickerel s!allo!s the %erch, and
the fisher&"an s!allo!s the %ickerelA and so all the chinks in the scale
of being are filled#
When 9 strolled around the %ond in "isty !eather 9 !as so"eti"es a"used
by the %ri"itive "ode !hich so"e ruder fisher"an had ado%ted# e !ould
%erha%s have %laced alder branches over the narro! holes in the ice,
!hich !ere four or five rods a%art and an e@ual distance fro" the shore,
and having fastened the end of the line to a stick to %revent its being
%ulled through, have %assed the slack line over a t!ig of the alder, a
foot or "ore above the ice, and tied a dry oak leaf to it, !hich, being
%ulled do!n, !ould sho! !hen he had a bite# These alders loo"ed through
the "ist at regular intervals as you !alked half !ay round the %ond#
)h, the %ickerel of WaldenG !hen 9 see the" lying on the ice, or in the
!ell !hich the fisher"an cuts in the ice, "aking a little hole to ad"it
the !ater, 9 a" al!ays sur%rised by their rare beauty, as if they !ere
fabulous fishes, they are so foreign to the streets, even to the !oods,
foreign as )rabia to our Concord life# They %ossess a @uite da??ling
and transcendent beauty !hich se%arates the" by a !ide interval fro" the
cadaverous cod and haddock !hose fa"e is tru"%eted in our streets# They
are not green like the %ines, nor gray like the stones, nor blue like
the skyA but they have, to "y eyes, if %ossible, yet rarer colors, like
flo!ers and %recious stones, as if they !ere the %earls, the ani"ali?ed
nuclei or crystals of the Walden !ater# They, of course, are Walden
all over and all throughA are the"selves s"all Waldens in the ani"al
kingdo", Waldenses# 9t is sur%rising that they are caught here&&that
in this dee% and ca%acious s%ring, far beneath the rattling tea"s and
chaises and tinkling sleighs that travel the Walden road, this great
gold and e"erald fish s!i"s# 9 never chanced to see its kind in any
"arketA it !ould be the cynosure of all eyes there# Easily, !ith a
fe! convulsive @uirks, they give u% their !atery ghosts, like a "ortal
translated before his ti"e to the thin air of heaven#
7 7 7 7 7
)s 9 !as desirous to recover the long lost botto" of Walden Pond, 9
surveyed it carefully, before the ice broke u%, early in DPN, !ith
co"%ass and chain and sounding line# There have been "any stories told
about the botto", or rather no botto", of this %ond, !hich certainly had
no foundation for the"selves# 9t is re"arkable ho! long "en !ill believe
in the botto"lessness of a %ond !ithout taking the trouble to sound
it# 9 have visited t!o such Botto"less Ponds in one !alk in this
neighborhood# >any have believed that Walden reached @uite through to
the other side of the globe# 8o"e !ho have lain flat on the ice for
a long ti"e, looking do!n through the illusive "ediu", %erchance !ith
!atery eyes into the bargain, and driven to hasty conclusions by the
fear of catching cold in their breasts, have seen vast holes Einto !hich
a load of hay "ight be driven,E if there !ere anybody to drive it, the
undoubted source of the 8tyC and entrance to the 9nfernal 3egions fro"
these %arts# Others have gone do!n fro" the village !ith a Efifty&siCE
and a !agon load of inch ro%e, but yet have failed to find any botto"A
for !hile the Efifty&siCE !as resting by the !ay, they !ere %aying out
the ro%e in the vain atte"%t to fatho" their truly i""easurable ca%acity
for "arvellousness# But 9 can assure "y readers that Walden has a
reasonably tight botto" at a not unreasonable, though at an unusual,
de%th# 9 fatho"ed it easily !ith a cod&line and a stone !eighing about
a %ound and a half, and could tell accurately !hen the stone left the
botto", by having to %ull so "uch harder before the !ater got underneath
to hel% "e# The greatest de%th !as eCactly one hundred and t!o feetA to
!hich "ay be added the five feet !hich it has risen since, "aking one
hundred and seven# This is a re"arkable de%th for so s"all an areaA yet
not an inch of it can be s%ared by the i"agination# What if all %onds
!ere shallo!F Would it not react on the "inds of "enF 9 a" thankful that
this %ond !as "ade dee% and %ure for a sy"bol# While "en believe in the
infinite so"e %onds !ill be thought to be botto"less#
) factory&o!ner, hearing !hat de%th 9 had found, thought that it could
not be true, for, judging fro" his ac@uaintance !ith da"s, sand !ould
not lie at so stee% an angle# But the dee%est %onds are not so dee% in
%ro%ortion to their area as "ost su%%ose, and, if drained, !ould not
leave very re"arkable valleys# They are not like cu%s bet!een the hillsA
for this one, !hich is so unusually dee% for its area, a%%ears in a
vertical section through its centre not dee%er than a shallo! %late#
>ost %onds, e"%tied, !ould leave a "eado! no "ore hollo! than !e
fre@uently see# Willia" Gil%in, !ho is so ad"irable in all that relates
to landsca%es, and usually so correct, standing at the head of 'och
6yne, in 8cotland, !hich he describes as Ea bay of salt !ater, siCty
or seventy fatho"s dee%, four "iles in breadth,E and about fifty "iles
long, surrounded by "ountains, observes, E9f !e could have seen it
i""ediately after the diluvian crash, or !hatever convulsion of nature
occasioned it, before the !aters gushed in, !hat a horrid chas" "ust it
have a%%earedG
E8o high as heaved the tu"id hills, so lo!
Do!n sunk a hollo! botto" broad and dee%,
Ca%acious bed of !aters#E
But if, using the shortest dia"eter of 'och 6yne, !e a%%ly these
%ro%ortions to Walden, !hich, as !e have seen, a%%ears already in a
vertical section only like a shallo! %late, it !ill a%%ear four ti"es
as shallo!# 8o "uch for the increased horrors of the chas" of 'och
6yne !hen e"%tied# :o doubt "any a s"iling valley !ith its stretching
cornfields occu%ies eCactly such a Ehorrid chas",E fro" !hich the !aters
have receded, though it re@uires the insight and the far sight of the
geologist to convince the unsus%ecting inhabitants of this fact# Often
an in@uisitive eye "ay detect the shores of a %ri"itive lake in the
lo! hori?on hills, and no subse@uent elevation of the %lain have been
necessary to conceal their history# But it is easiest, as they !ho !ork
on the high!ays kno!, to find the hollo!s by the %uddles after a sho!er#
The a"ount of it is, the i"agination give it the least license, dives
dee%er and soars higher than :ature goes# 8o, %robably, the de%th of the
ocean !ill be found to be very inconsiderable co"%ared !ith its breadth#
)s 9 sounded through the ice 9 could deter"ine the sha%e of the botto"
!ith greater accuracy than is %ossible in surveying harbors !hich do
not free?e over, and 9 !as sur%rised at its general regularity# 9n the
dee%est %art there are several acres "ore level than al"ost any field
!hich is eC%osed to the sun, !ind, and %lo!# 9n one instance, on a line
arbitrarily chosen, the de%th did not vary "ore than one foot in thirty
rodsA and generally, near the "iddle, 9 could calculate the variation
for each one hundred feet in any direction beforehand !ithin three or
four inches# 8o"e are accusto"ed to s%eak of dee% and dangerous holes
even in @uiet sandy %onds like this, but the effect of !ater under these
circu"stances is to level all ine@ualities# The regularity of the botto"
and its confor"ity to the shores and the range of the neighboring
hills !ere so %erfect that a distant %ro"ontory betrayed itself in the
soundings @uite across the %ond, and its direction could be deter"ined
by observing the o%%osite shore# Ca%e beco"es bar, and %lain shoal, and
valley and gorge dee% !ater and channel#
When 9 had "a%%ed the %ond by the scale of ten rods to an inch, and
%ut do!n the soundings, "ore than a hundred in all, 9 observed this
re"arkable coincidence# aving noticed that the nu"ber indicating the
greatest de%th !as a%%arently in the centre of the "a%, 9 laid a rule
on the "a% length!ise, and then breadth!ise, and found, to "y sur%rise,
that the line of greatest length intersected the line of greatest
breadth BeCactlyB at the %oint of greatest de%th, not!ithstanding that the
"iddle is so nearly level, the outline of the %ond far fro" regular, and
the eCtre"e length and breadth !ere got by "easuring into the covesA and
9 said to "yself, Who kno!s but this hint !ould conduct to the dee%est
%art of the ocean as !ell as of a %ond or %uddleF 9s not this the rule
also for the height of "ountains, regarded as the o%%osite of valleysF
We kno! that a hill is not highest at its narro!est %art#
Of five coves, three, or all !hich had been sounded, !ere observed to
have a bar @uite across their "ouths and dee%er !ater !ithin, so that
the bay tended to be an eC%ansion of !ater !ithin the land not only
hori?ontally but vertically, and to for" a basin or inde%endent %ond,
the direction of the t!o ca%es sho!ing the course of the bar# Every
harbor on the sea&coast, also, has its bar at its entrance# 9n
%ro%ortion as the "outh of the cove !as !ider co"%ared !ith its length,
the !ater over the bar !as dee%er co"%ared !ith that in the basin#
Given, then, the length and breadth of the cove, and the character of
the surrounding shore, and you have al"ost ele"ents enough to "ake out a
for"ula for all cases#
9n order to see ho! nearly 9 could guess, !ith this eC%erience, at the
dee%est %oint in a %ond, by observing the outlines of a surface and
the character of its shores alone, 9 "ade a %lan of White Pond, !hich
contains about forty&one acres, and, like this, has no island in it, nor
any visible inlet or outletA and as the line of greatest breadth fell
very near the line of least breadth, !here t!o o%%osite ca%es a%%roached
each other and t!o o%%osite bays receded, 9 ventured to "ark a %oint a
short distance fro" the latter line, but still on the line of greatest
length, as the dee%est# The dee%est %art !as found to be !ithin one
hundred feet of this, still farther in the direction to !hich 9 had
inclined, and !as only one foot dee%er, na"ely, siCty feet# Of course, a
strea" running through, or an island in the %ond, !ould "ake the %roble"
"uch "ore co"%licated#
9f !e kne! all the la!s of :ature, !e should need only one fact, or
the descri%tion of one actual %heno"enon, to infer all the %articular
results at that %oint# :o! !e kno! only a fe! la!s, and our result is
vitiated, not, of course, by any confusion or irregularity in :ature,
but by our ignorance of essential ele"ents in the calculation# Our
notions of la! and har"ony are co""only confined to those instances
!hich !e detectA but the har"ony !hich results fro" a far greater nu"ber
of see"ingly conflicting, but really concurring, la!s, !hich !e have not
detected, is still "ore !onderful# The %articular la!s are as our %oints
of vie!, as, to the traveller, a "ountain outline varies !ith every
ste%, and it has an infinite nu"ber of %rofiles, though absolutely but
one for"# Even !hen cleft or bored through it is not co"%rehended in its
entireness#
What 9 have observed of the %ond is no less true in ethics# 9t is the
la! of average# 8uch a rule of the t!o dia"eters not only guides us
to!ard the sun in the syste" and the heart in "an, but dra!s lines
through the length and breadth of the aggregate of a "anDs %articular
daily behaviors and !aves of life into his coves and inlets, and !here
they intersect !ill be the height or de%th of his character# Perha%s
!e need only to kno! ho! his shores trend and his adjacent country
or circu"stances, to infer his de%th and concealed botto"# 9f he is
surrounded by "ountainous circu"stances, an )chillean shore, !hose %eaks
overshado! and are reflected in his boso", they suggest a corres%onding
de%th in hi"# But a lo! and s"ooth shore %roves hi" shallo! on that
side# 9n our bodies, a bold %rojecting bro! falls off to and indicates a
corres%onding de%th of thought# )lso there is a bar across the entrance
of our every cove, or %articular inclinationA each is our harbor for
a season, in !hich !e are detained and %artially land&locked# These
inclinations are not !hi"sical usually, but their for", si?e, and
direction are deter"ined by the %ro"ontories of the shore, the ancient
aCes of elevation# When this bar is gradually increased by stor"s,
tides, or currents, or there is a subsidence of the !aters, so that it
reaches to the surface, that !hich !as at first but an inclination in
the shore in !hich a thought !as harbored beco"es an individual
lake, cut off fro" the ocean, !herein the thought secures its o!n
conditions&&changes, %erha%s, fro" salt to fresh, beco"es a s!eet sea,
dead sea, or a "arsh# )t the advent of each individual into this life,
"ay !e not su%%ose that such a bar has risen to the surface so"e!hereF
9t is true, !e are such %oor navigators that our thoughts, for the "ost
%art, stand off and on u%on a harborless coast, are conversant only !ith
the bights of the bays of %oesy, or steer for the %ublic %orts of entry,
and go into the dry docks of science, !here they "erely refit for this
!orld, and no natural currents concur to individuali?e the"#
)s for the inlet or outlet of Walden, 9 have not discovered any but rain
and sno! and eva%oration, though %erha%s, !ith a ther"o"eter and a line,
such %laces "ay be found, for !here the !ater flo!s into the %ond it
!ill %robably be coldest in su""er and !ar"est in !inter# When the
ice&"en !ere at !ork here in DPN&O, the cakes sent to the shore !ere one
day rejected by those !ho !ere stacking the" u% there, not being
thick enough to lie side by side !ith the restA and the cutters thus
discovered that the ice over a s"all s%ace !as t!o or three inches
thinner than else!here, !hich "ade the" think that there !as an inlet
there# They also sho!ed "e in another %lace !hat they thought !as a
Eleach&hole,E through !hich the %ond leaked out under a hill into a
neighboring "eado!, %ushing "e out on a cake of ice to see it# 9t !as a
s"all cavity under ten feet of !aterA but 9 think that 9 can !arrant the
%ond not to need soldering till they find a !orse leak than that#
One has suggested, that if such a Eleach&holeE should be found, its
connection !ith the "eado!, if any eCisted, "ight be %roved by conveying
so"e colored %o!der or sa!dust to the "outh of the hole, and then
%utting a strainer over the s%ring in the "eado!, !hich !ould catch so"e
of the %articles carried through by the current#
While 9 !as surveying, the ice, !hich !as siCteen inches thick,
undulated under a slight !ind like !ater# 9t is !ell kno!n that a
level cannot be used on ice# )t one rod fro" the shore its greatest
fluctuation, !hen observed by "eans of a level on land directed to!ard
a graduated staff on the ice, !as three @uarters of an inch, though the
ice a%%eared fir"ly attached to the shore# 9t !as %robably greater in
the "iddle# Who kno!s but if our instru"ents !ere delicate enough !e
"ight detect an undulation in the crust of the earthF When t!o legs of
"y level !ere on the shore and the third on the ice, and the sights
!ere directed over the latter, a rise or fall of the ice of an al"ost
infinitesi"al a"ount "ade a difference of several feet on a tree across
the %ond# When 9 began to cut holes for sounding there !ere three or
four inches of !ater on the ice under a dee% sno! !hich had sunk it
thus farA but the !ater began i""ediately to run into these holes, and
continued to run for t!o days in dee% strea"s, !hich !ore a!ay the ice
on every side, and contributed essentially, if not "ainly, to dry the
surface of the %ondA for, as the !ater ran in, it raised and floated the
ice# This !as so"e!hat like cutting a hole in the botto" of a shi% to
let the !ater out# When such holes free?e, and a rain succeeds,
and finally a ne! free?ing for"s a fresh s"ooth ice over all, it is
beautifully "ottled internally by dark figures, sha%ed so"e!hat like a
s%iderDs !eb, !hat you "ay call ice rosettes, %roduced by the channels
!orn by the !ater flo!ing fro" all sides to a centre# 8o"eti"es, also,
!hen the ice !as covered !ith shallo! %uddles, 9 sa! a double shado! of
"yself, one standing on the head of the other, one on the ice, the other
on the trees or hillside#
7 7 7 7 7
While yet it is cold *anuary, and sno! and ice are thick and solid, the
%rudent landlord co"es fro" the village to get ice to cool his su""er
drinkA i"%ressively, even %athetically, !ise, to foresee the heat and
thirst of *uly no! in *anuary&&!earing a thick coat and "ittensG !hen so
"any things are not %rovided for# 9t "ay be that he lays u% no treasures
in this !orld !hich !ill cool his su""er drink in the neCt# e cuts and
sa!s the solid %ond, unroofs the house of fishes, and carts off their
very ele"ent and air, held fast by chains and stakes like corded !ood,
through the favoring !inter air, to !intry cellars, to underlie the
su""er there# 9t looks like solidified a?ure, as, far off, it is dra!n
through the streets# These ice&cutters are a "erry race, full of jest
and s%ort, and !hen 9 !ent a"ong the" they !ere !ont to invite "e to sa!
%it&fashion !ith the", 9 standing underneath#
9n the !inter of DPN&O there ca"e a hundred "en of y%erborean
eCtraction s!oo% do!n on to our %ond one "orning, !ith "any carloads
of ungainly&looking far"ing tools&&sleds, %lo!s, drill&barro!s,
turf&knives, s%ades, sa!s, rakes, and each "an !as ar"ed !ith a
double&%ointed %ike&staff, such as is not described in the :e!&England
6ar"er or the Cultivator# 9 did not kno! !hether they had co"e to so! a
cro% of !inter rye, or so"e other kind of grain recently introduced fro"
9celand# )s 9 sa! no "anure, 9 judged that they "eant to ski" the land,
as 9 had done, thinking the soil !as dee% and had lain fallo! long
enough# They said that a gentle"an far"er, !ho !as behind the scenes,
!anted to double his "oney, !hich, as 9 understood, a"ounted to half
a "illion alreadyA but in order to cover each one of his dollars !ith
another, he took off the only coat, ay, the skin itself, of Walden
Pond in the "idst of a hard !inter# They !ent to !ork at once, %lo!ing,
barro!ing, rolling, furro!ing, in ad"irable order, as if they !ere bent
on "aking this a "odel far"A but !hen 9 !as looking shar% to see !hat
kind of seed they dro%%ed into the furro!, a gang of fello!s by "y side
suddenly began to hook u% the virgin "ould itself, !ith a %eculiar jerk,
clean do!n to the sand, or rather the !ater&&for it !as a very s%ringy
soil&&indeed all the Bterra fir"aB there !as&&and haul it a!ay on sleds,
and then 9 guessed that they "ust be cutting %eat in a bog# 8o they ca"e
and !ent every day, !ith a %eculiar shriek fro" the loco"otive, fro" and
to so"e %oint of the %olar regions, as it see"ed to "e, like a flock
of arctic sno!&birds# But so"eti"es 8@ua! Walden had her revenge, and
a hired "an, !alking behind his tea", sli%%ed through a crack in the
ground do!n to!ard Tartarus, and he !ho !as so brave before suddenly
beca"e but the ninth %art of a "an, al"ost gave u% his ani"al heat, and
!as glad to take refuge in "y house, and ackno!ledged that there !as
so"e virtue in a stoveA or so"eti"es the fro?en soil took a %iece of
steel out of a %lo!share, or a %lo! got set in the furro! and had to be
cut out#
To s%eak literally, a hundred 9rish"en, !ith $ankee overseers, ca"e fro"
Ca"bridge every day to get out the ice# They divided it into cakes by
"ethods too !ell kno!n to re@uire descri%tion, and these, being sledded
to the shore, !ere ra%idly hauled off on to an ice %latfor", and raised
by gra%%ling irons and block and tackle, !orked by horses, on to a
stack, as surely as so "any barrels of flour, and there %laced evenly
side by side, and ro! u%on ro!, as if they for"ed the solid base of an
obelisk designed to %ierce the clouds# They told "e that in a good day
they could get out a thousand tons, !hich !as the yield of about one
acre# Dee% ruts and Ecradle&holesE !ere !orn in the ice, as on Bterra
fir"aB, by the %assage of the sleds over the sa"e track, and the horses
invariably ate their oats out of cakes of ice hollo!ed out like buckets#
They stacked u% the cakes thus in the o%en air in a %ile thirty&five
feet high on one side and siC or seven rods s@uare, %utting hay bet!een
the outside layers to eCclude the airA for !hen the !ind, though never
so cold, finds a %assage through, it !ill !ear large cavities, leaving
slight su%%orts or studs only here and there, and finally to%%le it
do!n# )t first it looked like a vast blue fort or <alhallaA but !hen
they began to tuck the coarse "eado! hay into the crevices, and this
beca"e covered !ith ri"e and icicles, it looked like a venerable
"oss&gro!n and hoary ruin, built of a?ure&tinted "arble, the abode of
Winter, that old "an !e see in the al"anac&&his shanty, as if he had
a design to estivate !ith us# They calculated that not t!enty&five %er
cent of this !ould reach its destination, and that t!o or three %er cent
!ould be !asted in the cars# o!ever, a still greater %art of this hea%
had a different destiny fro" !hat !as intendedA for, either because the
ice !as found not to kee% so !ell as !as eC%ected, containing "ore air
than usual, or for so"e other reason, it never got to "arket# This hea%,
"ade in the !inter of DPN&O and esti"ated to contain ten thousand tons,
!as finally covered !ith hay and boardsA and though it !as unroofed the
follo!ing *uly, and a %art of it carried off, the rest re"aining eC%osed
to the sun, it stood over that su""er and the neCt !inter, and !as not
@uite "elted till 8e%te"ber, +.P.# Thus the %ond recovered the greater
%art#
'ike the !ater, the Walden ice, seen near at hand, has a green tint, but
at a distance is beautifully blue, and you can easily tell it fro" the
!hite ice of the river, or the "erely greenish ice of so"e %onds, a
@uarter of a "ile off# 8o"eti"es one of those great cakes sli%s fro" the
ice&"anDs sled into the village street, and lies there for a !eek like a
great e"erald, an object of interest to all %assers# 9 have noticed that
a %ortion of Walden !hich in the state of !ater !as green !ill often,
!hen fro?en, a%%ear fro" the sa"e %oint of vie! blue# 8o the hollo!s
about this %ond !ill, so"eti"es, in the !inter, be filled !ith a
greenish !ater so"e!hat like its o!n, but the neCt day !ill have fro?en
blue# Perha%s the blue color of !ater and ice is due to the light and
air they contain, and the "ost trans%arent is the bluest# 9ce is an
interesting subject for conte"%lation# They told "e that they had so"e
in the ice&houses at 6resh Pond five years old !hich !as as good as
ever# Why is it that a bucket of !ater soon beco"es %utrid, but fro?en
re"ains s!eet foreverF 9t is co""only said that this is the difference
bet!een the affections and the intellect#
Thus for siCteen days 9 sa! fro" "y !indo! a hundred "en at !ork like
busy husband"en, !ith tea"s and horses and a%%arently all the i"%le"ents
of far"ing, such a %icture as !e see on the first %age of the al"anacA
and as often as 9 looked out 9 !as re"inded of the fable of the lark and
the rea%ers, or the %arable of the so!er, and the likeA and no! they are
all gone, and in thirty days "ore, %robably, 9 shall look fro" the sa"e
!indo! on the %ure sea&green Walden !ater there, reflecting the clouds
and the trees, and sending u% its eva%orations in solitude, and no
traces !ill a%%ear that a "an has ever stood there# Perha%s 9 shall hear
a solitary loon laugh as he dives and %lu"es hi"self, or shall see a
lonely fisher in his boat, like a floating leaf, beholding his for"
reflected in the !aves, !here lately a hundred "en securely labored#
Thus it a%%ears that the s!eltering inhabitants of Charleston and :e!
Orleans, of >adras and Bo"bay and Calcutta, drink at "y !ell# 9n the
"orning 9 bathe "y intellect in the stu%endous and cos"ogonal %hiloso%hy
of the Bhagvat&Geeta, since !hose co"%osition years of the gods
have ela%sed, and in co"%arison !ith !hich our "odern !orld and its
literature see" %uny and trivialA and 9 doubt if that %hiloso%hy is
not to be referred to a %revious state of eCistence, so re"ote is its
subli"ity fro" our conce%tions# 9 lay do!n the book and go to "y !ell
for !ater, and loG there 9 "eet the servant of the Bra"in, %riest of
Brah"a and <ishnu and 9ndra, !ho still sits in his te"%le on the Ganges
reading the <edas, or d!ells at the root of a tree !ith his crust and
!ater jug# 9 "eet his servant co"e to dra! !ater for his "aster, and
our buckets as it !ere grate together in the sa"e !ell# The %ure Walden
!ater is "ingled !ith the sacred !ater of the Ganges# With favoring
!inds it is !afted %ast the site of the fabulous islands of )tlantis and
the es%erides, "akes the %eri%lus of anno, and, floating by Ternate
and Tidore and the "outh of the Persian Gulf, "elts in the tro%ic gales
of the 9ndian seas, and is landed in %orts of !hich )leCander only heard
the na"es#
8%ring
The o%ening of large tracts by the ice&cutters co""only causes a %ond
to break u% earlierA for the !ater, agitated by the !ind, even in cold
!eather, !ears a!ay the surrounding ice# But such !as not the effect on
Walden that year, for she had soon got a thick ne! gar"ent to take the
%lace of the old# This %ond never breaks u% so soon as the others in
this neighborhood, on account both of its greater de%th and its having
no strea" %assing through it to "elt or !ear a!ay the ice# 9 never kne!
it to o%en in the course of a !inter, not eCce%ting that of D1,&R, !hich
gave the %onds so severe a trial# 9t co""only o%ens about the first
of )%ril, a !eek or ten days later than 6lintDs Pond and 6air aven,
beginning to "elt on the north side and in the shallo!er %arts !here
it began to free?e# 9t indicates better than any !ater hereabouts the
absolute %rogress of the season, being least affected by transient
changes of te"%erature# ) severe cold of a fe! daysD duration in
>arch "ay very "uch retard the o%ening of the for"er %onds, !hile the
te"%erature of Walden increases al"ost uninterru%tedly# ) ther"o"eter
thrust into the "iddle of Walden on the Nth of >arch, +.PO, stood at
R,Z, or free?ing %ointA near the shore at RRZA in the "iddle of 6lintDs
Pond, the sa"e day, at R,ZA at a do?en rods fro" the shore, in shallo!
!ater, under ice a foot thick, at RNZ# This difference of three and a
half degrees bet!een the te"%erature of the dee% !ater and the shallo!
in the latter %ond, and the fact that a great %ro%ortion of it is
co"%aratively shallo!, sho! !hy it should break u% so "uch sooner than
Walden# The ice in the shallo!est %art !as at this ti"e several inches
thinner than in the "iddle# 9n "id!inter the "iddle had been the !ar"est
and the ice thinnest there# 8o, also, every one !ho has !aded about the
shores of the %ond in su""er "ust have %erceived ho! "uch !ar"er the
!ater is close to the shore, !here only three or four inches dee%, than
a little distance out, and on the surface !here it is dee%, than near
the botto"# 9n s%ring the sun not only eCerts an influence through the
increased te"%erature of the air and earth, but its heat %asses through
ice a foot or "ore thick, and is reflected fro" the botto" in shallo!
!ater, and so also !ar"s the !ater and "elts the under side of the ice,
at the sa"e ti"e that it is "elting it "ore directly above, "aking
it uneven, and causing the air bubbles !hich it contains to eCtend
the"selves u%!ard and do!n!ard until it is co"%letely honeyco"bed, and
at last disa%%ears suddenly in a single s%ring rain# 9ce has its grain
as !ell as !ood, and !hen a cake begins to rot or Eco"b,E that is,
assu"e the a%%earance of honeyco"b, !hatever "ay be its %osition, the
air cells are at right angles !ith !hat !as the !ater surface# Where
there is a rock or a log rising near to the surface the ice over it is
"uch thinner, and is fre@uently @uite dissolved by this reflected heatA
and 9 have been told that in the eC%eri"ent at Ca"bridge to free?e !ater
in a shallo! !ooden %ond, though the cold air circulated underneath, and
so had access to both sides, the reflection of the sun fro" the botto"
"ore than counterbalanced this advantage# When a !ar" rain in the "iddle
of the !inter "elts off the sno!&ice fro" Walden, and leaves a hard dark
or trans%arent ice on the "iddle, there !ill be a stri% of rotten though
thicker !hite ice, a rod or "ore !ide, about the shores, created by this
reflected heat# )lso, as 9 have said, the bubbles the"selves !ithin the
ice o%erate as burning&glasses to "elt the ice beneath#
The %heno"ena of the year take %lace every day in a %ond on a s"all
scale# Every "orning, generally s%eaking, the shallo! !ater is being
!ar"ed "ore ra%idly than the dee%, though it "ay not be "ade so !ar"
after all, and every evening it is being cooled "ore ra%idly until the
"orning# The day is an e%ito"e of the year# The night is the !inter, the
"orning and evening are the s%ring and fall, and the noon is the su""er#
The cracking and boo"ing of the ice indicate a change of te"%erature#
One %leasant "orning after a cold night, 6ebruary ,Pth, +.1-, having
gone to 6lintDs Pond to s%end the day, 9 noticed !ith sur%rise, that
!hen 9 struck the ice !ith the head of "y aCe, it resounded like a gong
for "any rods around, or as if 9 had struck on a tight dru"&head#
The %ond began to boo" about an hour after sunrise, !hen it felt the
influence of the sunDs rays slanted u%on it fro" over the hillsA
it stretched itself and ya!ned like a !aking "an !ith a gradually
increasing tu"ult, !hich !as ke%t u% three or four hours# 9t took a
short siesta at noon, and boo"ed once "ore to!ard night, as the sun
!as !ithdra!ing his influence# 9n the right stage of the !eather a %ond
fires its evening gun !ith great regularity# But in the "iddle of the
day, being full of cracks, and the air also being less elastic, it had
co"%letely lost its resonance, and %robably fishes and "uskrats could
not then have been stunned by a blo! on it# The fisher"en say that the
Ethundering of the %ondE scares the fishes and %revents their biting#
The %ond does not thunder every evening, and 9 cannot tell surely !hen
to eC%ect its thunderingA but though 9 "ay %erceive no difference in
the !eather, it does# Who !ould have sus%ected so large and cold and
thick&skinned a thing to be so sensitiveF $et it has its la! to !hich
it thunders obedience !hen it should as surely as the buds eC%and in the
s%ring# The earth is all alive and covered !ith %a%illae# The largest
%ond is as sensitive to at"os%heric changes as the globule of "ercury in
its tube#
One attraction in co"ing to the !oods to live !as that 9 should have
leisure and o%%ortunity to see the 8%ring co"e in# The ice in the %ond
at length begins to be honeyco"bed, and 9 can set "y heel in it as 9
!alk# 6ogs and rains and !ar"er suns are gradually "elting the sno!A the
days have gro!n sensibly longerA and 9 see ho! 9 shall get through the
!inter !ithout adding to "y !ood&%ile, for large fires are no longer
necessary# 9 a" on the alert for the first signs of s%ring, to hear the
chance note of so"e arriving bird, or the stri%ed s@uirrelDs chir%, for
his stores "ust be no! nearly eChausted, or see the !oodchuck venture
out of his !inter @uarters# On the +Rth of >arch, after 9 had heard the
bluebird, song s%arro!, and red&!ing, the ice !as still nearly a foot
thick# )s the !eather gre! !ar"er it !as not sensibly !orn a!ay by the
!ater, nor broken u% and floated off as in rivers, but, though it !as
co"%letely "elted for half a rod in !idth about the shore, the "iddle
!as "erely honeyco"bed and saturated !ith !ater, so that you could %ut
your foot through it !hen siC inches thickA but by the neCt day evening,
%erha%s, after a !ar" rain follo!ed by fog, it !ould have !holly
disa%%eared, all gone off !ith the fog, s%irited a!ay# One year 9 !ent
across the "iddle only five days before it disa%%eared entirely# 9n +.P1
Walden !as first co"%letely o%en on the +st of )%rilA in DPN, the ,1th
of >archA in DPO, the .th of )%rilA in D1+, the ,.th of >archA in D1,,
the +.th of )%rilA in D1R, the ,Rd of >archA in D1P, about the Oth of
)%ril#
Every incident connected !ith the breaking u% of the rivers and %onds
and the settling of the !eather is %articularly interesting to us !ho
live in a cli"ate of so great eCtre"es# When the !ar"er days co"e, they
!ho d!ell near the river hear the ice crack at night !ith a startling
!hoo% as loud as artillery, as if its icy fetters !ere rent fro" end to
end, and !ithin a fe! days see it ra%idly going out# 8o the alligator
co"es out of the "ud !ith @uakings of the earth# One old "an, !ho has
been a close observer of :ature, and see"s as thoroughly !ise in regard
to all her o%erations as if she had been %ut u%on the stocks !hen he !as
a boy, and he had hel%ed to lay her keel&&!ho has co"e to his gro!th,
and can hardly ac@uire "ore of natural lore if he should live to the age
of >ethuselah&&told "e&&and 9 !as sur%rised to hear hi" eC%ress !onder
at any of :atureDs o%erations, for 9 thought that there !ere no secrets
bet!een the"&&that one s%ring day he took his gun and boat, and thought
that he !ould have a little s%ort !ith the ducks# There !as ice still on
the "eado!s, but it !as all gone out of the river, and he dro%%ed do!n
!ithout obstruction fro" 8udbury, !here he lived, to 6air aven Pond,
!hich he found, uneC%ectedly, covered for the "ost %art !ith a fir"
field of ice# 9t !as a !ar" day, and he !as sur%rised to see so great
a body of ice re"aining# :ot seeing any ducks, he hid his boat on the
north or back side of an island in the %ond, and then concealed hi"self
in the bushes on the south side, to a!ait the"# The ice !as "elted for
three or four rods fro" the shore, and there !as a s"ooth and !ar" sheet
of !ater, !ith a "uddy botto", such as the ducks love, !ithin, and he
thought it likely that so"e !ould be along %retty soon# )fter he had
lain still there about an hour he heard a lo! and see"ingly very distant
sound, but singularly grand and i"%ressive, unlike anything he had ever
heard, gradually s!elling and increasing as if it !ould have a universal
and "e"orable ending, a sullen rush and roar, !hich see"ed to hi" all
at once like the sound of a vast body of fo!l co"ing in to settle there,
and, sei?ing his gun, he started u% in haste and eCcitedA but he found,
to his sur%rise, that the !hole body of the ice had started !hile he lay
there, and drifted in to the shore, and the sound he had heard !as "ade
by its edge grating on the shore&&at first gently nibbled and cru"bled
off, but at length heaving u% and scattering its !recks along the island
to a considerable height before it ca"e to a standstill#
)t length the sunDs rays have attained the right angle, and !ar" !inds
blo! u% "ist and rain and "elt the sno!banks, and the sun, dis%ersing
the "ist, s"iles on a checkered landsca%e of russet and !hite s"oking
!ith incense, through !hich the traveller %icks his !ay fro" islet to
islet, cheered by the "usic of a thousand tinkling rills and rivulets
!hose veins are filled !ith the blood of !inter !hich they are bearing
off#
6e! %heno"ena gave "e "ore delight than to observe the for"s !hich
tha!ing sand and clay assu"e in flo!ing do!n the sides of a dee% cut
on the railroad through !hich 9 %assed on "y !ay to the village, a
%heno"enon not very co""on on so large a scale, though the nu"ber of
freshly eC%osed banks of the right "aterial "ust have been greatly
"ulti%lied since railroads !ere invented# The "aterial !as sand of every
degree of fineness and of various rich colors, co""only "iCed !ith
a little clay# When the frost co"es out in the s%ring, and even in a
tha!ing day in the !inter, the sand begins to flo! do!n the slo%es like
lava, so"eti"es bursting out through the sno! and overflo!ing it !here
no sand !as to be seen before# 9nnu"erable little strea"s overla% and
interlace one !ith another, eChibiting a sort of hybrid %roduct, !hich
obeys half !ay the la! of currents, and half !ay that of vegetation# )s
it flo!s it takes the for"s of sa%%y leaves or vines, "aking hea%s of
%ul%y s%rays a foot or "ore in de%th, and rese"bling, as you look
do!n on the", the laciniated, lobed, and i"bricated thalluses of so"e
lichensA or you are re"inded of coral, of leo%ardDs %a!s or birdsD feet,
of brains or lungs or bo!els, and eCcre"ents of all kinds# 9t is a truly
Bgrotes@ueB vegetation, !hose for"s and color !e see i"itated in bron?e,
a sort of architectural foliage "ore ancient and ty%ical than acanthus,
chiccory, ivy, vine, or any vegetable leavesA destined %erha%s, under
so"e circu"stances, to beco"e a %u??le to future geologists# The !hole
cut i"%ressed "e as if it !ere a cave !ith its stalactites laid o%en
to the light# The various shades of the sand are singularly rich and
agreeable, e"bracing the different iron colors, bro!n, gray, yello!ish,
and reddish# When the flo!ing "ass reaches the drain at the foot of the
bank it s%reads out flatter into BstrandsB, the se%arate strea"s losing
their se"i&cylindrical for" and gradually beco"ing "ore flat and broad,
running together as they are "ore "oist, till they for" an al"ost flat
BsandB, still variously and beautifully shaded, but in !hich you can trace
the original for"s of vegetationA till at length, in the !ater itself,
they are converted into BbanksB, like those for"ed off the "ouths of
rivers, and the for"s of vegetation are lost in the ri%%le "arks on the
botto"#
The !hole bank, !hich is fro" t!enty to forty feet high, is so"eti"es
overlaid !ith a "ass of this kind of foliage, or sandy ru%ture, for a
@uarter of a "ile on one or both sides, the %roduce of one s%ring day#
What "akes this sand foliage re"arkable is its s%ringing into eCistence
thus suddenly# When 9 see on the one side the inert bank&&for the sun
acts on one side first&&and on the other this luCuriant foliage, the
creation of an hour, 9 a" affected as if in a %eculiar sense 9 stood
in the laboratory of the )rtist !ho "ade the !orld and "e&&had co"e to
!here he !as still at !ork, s%orting on this bank, and !ith eCcess of
energy stre!ing his fresh designs about# 9 feel as if 9 !ere nearer to
the vitals of the globe, for this sandy overflo! is so"ething such a
foliaceous "ass as the vitals of the ani"al body# $ou find thus in the
very sands an antici%ation of the vegetable leaf# :o !onder that the
earth eC%resses itself out!ardly in leaves, it so labors !ith the idea
in!ardly# The ato"s have already learned this la!, and are %regnant by
it# The overhanging leaf sees here its %rototy%e# B9nternallyB, !hether
in the globe or ani"al body, it is a "oist thick BlobeB, a !ord es%ecially
a%%licable to the liver and lungs and the leaves of fat
J\]^_`, BlaborB, Bla%susB, to flo! or sli% do!n!ard, a la%singA ab_cd,
BglobusB, lobe, globeA also la%, fla%, and "any other !ordsKA BeCternallyB
a dry thin BleafB, even as the BfB and BvB are a %ressed and dried BbB#
The radicals of BlobeB are BlbB, the soft "ass of the BbB Jsingle lobed,
or B, double lobedK, !ith the li@uid BlB behind it %ressing it for!ard#
9n globe, BglbB, the guttural BgB adds to the "eaning the ca%acity of
the throat# The feathers and !ings of birds are still drier and thinner
leaves# Thus, also, you %ass fro" the lu"%ish grub in the earth to the
airy and fluttering butterfly# The very globe continually transcends and
translates itself, and beco"es !inged in its orbit# Even ice begins !ith
delicate crystal leaves, as if it had flo!ed into "oulds !hich the fronds
of !ater%lants have i"%ressed on the !atery "irror# The !hole tree itself
is but one leaf, and rivers are still vaster leaves !hose %ul% is intervening
earth, and to!ns and cities are the ova of insects in their aCils#
When the sun !ithdra!s the sand ceases to flo!, but in the "orning the
strea"s !ill start once "ore and branch and branch again into a "yriad
of others# $ou here see %erchance ho! blood&vessels are for"ed# 9f
you look closely you observe that first there %ushes for!ard fro" the
tha!ing "ass a strea" of softened sand !ith a dro%&like %oint, like the
ball of the finger, feeling its !ay slo!ly and blindly do!n!ard, until
at last !ith "ore heat and "oisture, as the sun gets higher, the "ost
fluid %ortion, in its effort to obey the la! to !hich the "ost inert
also yields, se%arates fro" the latter and for"s for itself a "eandering
channel or artery !ithin that, in !hich is seen a little silvery strea"
glancing like lightning fro" one stage of %ul%y leaves or branches to
another, and ever and anon s!allo!ed u% in the sand# 9t is !onderful ho!
ra%idly yet %erfectly the sand organi?es itself as it flo!s, using the
best "aterial its "ass affords to for" the shar% edges of its channel#
8uch are the sources of rivers# 9n the silicious "atter !hich the !ater
de%osits is %erha%s the bony syste", and in the still finer soil and
organic "atter the fleshy fibre or cellular tissue# What is "an but
a "ass of tha!ing clayF The ball of the hu"an finger is but a dro%
congealed# The fingers and toes flo! to their eCtent fro" the tha!ing
"ass of the body# Who kno!s !hat the hu"an body !ould eC%and and flo!
out to under a "ore genial heavenF 9s not the hand a s%reading B%al"B
leaf !ith its lobes and veinsF The ear "ay be regarded, fancifully, as a
lichen, B5"bilicariaB, on the side of the head, !ith its lobe or dro%#
The li%&&Blabiu"B, fro" BlaborB JFK&&la%s or la%ses fro" the sides of the
cavernous "outh# The nose is a "anifest congealed dro% or stalactite#
The chin is a still larger dro%, the confluent dri%%ing of the face# The
cheeks are a slide fro" the bro!s into the valley of the face, o%%osed
and diffused by the cheek bones# Each rounded lobe of the vegetable
leaf, too, is a thick and no! loitering dro%, larger or s"allerA the
lobes are the fingers of the leafA and as "any lobes as it has, in
so "any directions it tends to flo!, and "ore heat or other genial
influences !ould have caused it to flo! yet farther#
Thus it see"ed that this one hillside illustrated the %rinci%le of all
the o%erations of :ature# The >aker of this earth but %atented a leaf#
What Cha"%ollion !ill deci%her this hierogly%hic for us, that !e "ay
turn over a ne! leaf at lastF This %heno"enon is "ore eChilarating to
"e than the luCuriance and fertility of vineyards# True, it is so"e!hat
eCcre"entitious in its character, and there is no end to the hea%s
of liver, lights, and bo!els, as if the globe !ere turned !rong side
out!ardA but this suggests at least that :ature has so"e bo!els, and
there again is "other of hu"anity# This is the frost co"ing out of the
groundA this is 8%ring# 9t %recedes the green and flo!ery s%ring, as
"ythology %recedes regular %oetry# 9 kno! of nothing "ore %urgative of
!inter fu"es and indigestions# 9t convinces "e that Earth is still in
her s!addling&clothes, and stretches forth baby fingers on every side#
6resh curls s%ring fro" the baldest bro!# There is nothing inorganic#
These foliaceous hea%s lie along the bank like the slag of a furnace,
sho!ing that :ature is Ein full blastE !ithin# The earth is not a "ere
frag"ent of dead history, stratu" u%on stratu" like the leaves of a
book, to be studied by geologists and anti@uaries chiefly, but living
%oetry like the leaves of a tree, !hich %recede flo!ers and fruit&&not a
fossil earth, but a living earthA co"%ared !ith !hose great central life
all ani"al and vegetable life is "erely %arasitic# 9ts throes !ill heave
our eCuviae fro" their graves# $ou "ay "elt your "etals and cast the"
into the "ost beautiful "oulds you canA they !ill never eCcite "e like
the for"s !hich this "olten earth flo!s out into# )nd not only it,
but the institutions u%on it are %lastic like clay in the hands of the
%otter#
Ere long, not only on these banks, but on every hill and %lain and in
every hollo!, the frost co"es out of the ground like a dor"ant @uadru%ed
fro" its burro!, and seeks the sea !ith "usic, or "igrates to other
cli"es in clouds# Tha! !ith his gentle %ersuasion is "ore %o!erful than
Thor !ith his ha""er# The one "elts, the other but breaks in %ieces#
When the ground !as %artially bare of sno!, and a fe! !ar" days had
dried its surface so"e!hat, it !as %leasant to co"%are the first tender
signs of the infant year just %ee%ing forth !ith the stately
beauty of the !ithered vegetation !hich had !ithstood the
!inter&&life&everlasting, goldenrods, %in!eeds, and graceful !ild
grasses, "ore obvious and interesting fre@uently than in su""er even,
as if their beauty !as not ri%e till thenA even cotton&grass, cat&tails,
"ulleins, johns!ort, hard&hack, "eado!&s!eet, and other strong&ste""ed
%lants, those uneChausted granaries !hich entertain the earliest
birds&&decent !eeds, at least, !hich !ido!ed :ature !ears# 9 a"
%articularly attracted by the arching and sheaf&like to% of the
!ool&grassA it brings back the su""er to our !inter "e"ories, and is
a"ong the for"s !hich art loves to co%y, and !hich, in the vegetable
kingdo", have the sa"e relation to ty%es already in the "ind of "an that
astrono"y has# 9t is an anti@ue style, older than Greek or Egy%tian#
>any of the %heno"ena of Winter are suggestive of an ineC%ressible
tenderness and fragile delicacy# We are accusto"ed to hear this king
described as a rude and boisterous tyrantA but !ith the gentleness of a
lover he adorns the tresses of 8u""er#
)t the a%%roach of s%ring the red s@uirrels got under "y house, t!o at
a ti"e, directly under "y feet as 9 sat reading or !riting, and ke%t u%
the @ueerest chuckling and chirru%ing and vocal %irouetting and gurgling
sounds that ever !ere heardA and !hen 9 sta"%ed they only chirru%ed the
louder, as if %ast all fear and res%ect in their "ad %ranks, defying
hu"anity to sto% the"# :o, you donDt&&chickaree&&chickaree# They !ere
!holly deaf to "y argu"ents, or failed to %erceive their force, and fell
into a strain of invective that !as irresistible#
The first s%arro! of s%ringG The year beginning !ith younger ho%e than
everG The faint silvery !arblings heard over the %artially bare and
"oist fields fro" the bluebird, the song s%arro!, and the red&!ing, as
if the last flakes of !inter tinkled as they fellG What at such a ti"e
are histories, chronologies, traditions, and all !ritten revelationsF
The brooks sing carols and glees to the s%ring# The "arsh ha!k, sailing
lo! over the "eado!, is already seeking the first sli"y life that
a!akes# The sinking sound of "elting sno! is heard in all dells, and the
ice dissolves a%ace in the %onds# The grass fla"es u% on the hillsides
like a s%ring fire&&Eet %ri"itus oritur herba i"bribus %ri"oribus
evocataE&&as if the earth sent forth an in!ard heat to greet the
returning sunA not yello! but green is the color of its fla"eA&&the
sy"bol of %er%etual youth, the grass&blade, like a long green ribbon,
strea"s fro" the sod into the su""er, checked indeed by the frost, but
anon %ushing on again, lifting its s%ear of last yearDs hay !ith the
fresh life belo!# 9t gro!s as steadily as the rill oo?es out of the
ground# 9t is al"ost identical !ith that, for in the gro!ing days of
*une, !hen the rills are dry, the grass&blades are their channels, and
fro" year to year the herds drink at this %erennial green strea", and
the "o!er dra!s fro" it beti"es their !inter su%%ly# 8o our hu"an life
but dies do!n to its root, and still %uts forth its green blade to
eternity#
Walden is "elting a%ace# There is a canal t!o rods !ide along the
northerly and !esterly sides, and !ider still at the east end# ) great
field of ice has cracked off fro" the "ain body# 9 hear a song s%arro!
singing fro" the bushes on the shore,&&BolitB, BolitB, Bolit,B&&Bchi%B,
Bchi%B, Bchi%B, Bche charB,&&Bche !issB, B!issB, B!issB# e too is
hel%ing to crack it# o! handso"e the great s!ee%ing curves in the edge
of the ice, ans!ering so"e!hat to those of the shore, but "ore regularG
9t is unusually hard, o!ing to the recent severe but transient cold, and
all !atered or !aved like a %alace floor# But the !ind slides east!ard
over its o%a@ue surface in vain, till it reaches the living surface
beyond# 9t is glorious to behold this ribbon of !ater s%arkling in the
sun, the bare face of the %ond full of glee and youth, as if it s%oke
the joy of the fishes !ithin it, and of the sands on its shore&&a
silvery sheen as fro" the scales of a leuciscus, as it !ere all one
active fish# 8uch is the contrast bet!een !inter and s%ring# Walden !as
dead and is alive again# But this s%ring it broke u% "ore steadily, as 9
have said#
The change fro" stor" and !inter to serene and "ild !eather, fro" dark
and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a "e"orable crisis
!hich all things %roclai"# 9t is see"ingly instantaneous at last#
8uddenly an influC of light filled "y house, though the evening !as at
hand, and the clouds of !inter still overhung it, and the eaves !ere
dri%%ing !ith sleety rain# 9 looked out the !indo!, and loG !here
yesterday !as cold gray ice there lay the trans%arent %ond already cal"
and full of ho%e as in a su""er evening, reflecting a su""er evening
sky in its boso", though none !as visible overhead, as if it had
intelligence !ith so"e re"ote hori?on# 9 heard a robin in the distance,
the first 9 had heard for "any a thousand years, "ethought, !hose note
9 shall not forget for "any a thousand "ore&&the sa"e s!eet and %o!erful
song as of yore# O the evening robin, at the end of a :e! England su""er
dayG 9f 9 could ever find the t!ig he sits u%onG 9 "ean BheBA 9 "ean the
Bt!igB# This at least is not the BTurdus "igratoriusB# The %itch %ines and
shrub oaks about "y house, !hich had so long droo%ed, suddenly resu"ed
their several characters, looked brighter, greener, and "ore erect and
alive, as if effectually cleansed and restored by the rain# 9 kne! that
it !ould not rain any "ore# $ou "ay tell by looking at any t!ig of the
forest, ay, at your very !ood&%ile, !hether its !inter is %ast or not#
)s it gre! darker, 9 !as startled by the honking of geese flying lo!
over the !oods, like !eary travellers getting in late fro" 8outhern
lakes, and indulging at last in unrestrained co"%laint and "utual
consolation# 8tanding at "y door, 9 could hear the rush of their !ingsA
!hen, driving to!ard "y house, they suddenly s%ied "y light, and !ith
hushed cla"or !heeled and settled in the %ond# 8o 9 ca"e in, and shut
the door, and %assed "y first s%ring night in the !oods#
9n the "orning 9 !atched the geese fro" the door through the "ist,
sailing in the "iddle of the %ond, fifty rods off, so large and
tu"ultuous that Walden a%%eared like an artificial %ond for their
a"use"ent# But !hen 9 stood on the shore they at once rose u% !ith a
great fla%%ing of !ings at the signal of their co""ander, and !hen they
had got into rank circled about over "y head, t!enty&nine of the", and
then steered straight to Canada, !ith a regular BhonkB fro" the leader at
intervals, trusting to break their fast in "uddier %ools# ) E%lu"%E of
ducks rose at the sa"e ti"e and took the route to the north in the !ake
of their noisier cousins#
6or a !eek 9 heard the circling, gro%ing clangor of so"e solitary goose
in the foggy "ornings, seeking its co"%anion, and still %eo%ling the
!oods !ith the sound of a larger life than they could sustain# 9n )%ril
the %igeons !ere seen again flying eC%ress in s"all flocks, and in due
ti"e 9 heard the "artins t!ittering over "y clearing, though it had not
see"ed that the to!nshi% contained so "any that it could afford "e any,
and 9 fancied that they !ere %eculiarly of the ancient race that d!elt
in hollo! trees ere !hite "en ca"e# 9n al"ost all cli"es the tortoise
and the frog are a"ong the %recursors and heralds of this season, and
birds fly !ith song and glancing %lu"age, and %lants s%ring and bloo",
and !inds blo!, to correct this slight oscillation of the %oles and
%reserve the e@uilibriu" of nature#
)s every season see"s best to us in its turn, so the co"ing in of s%ring
is like the creation of Cos"os out of Chaos and the reali?ation of the
Golden )ge#&&
EEurus ad )urora" :abathaea@ue regna recessit,
Persida@ue, et radiis juga subdita "atutinis#E
EThe East&Wind !ithdre! to )urora and the :abathHn kingdo",
)nd the Persian, and the ridges %laced under the "orning rays#
# # # # # # #
>an !as born# Whether that )rtificer of things,
The origin of a better !orld, "ade hi" fro" the divine seedA
Or the earth, being recent and lately sundered fro" the high
Ether, retained so"e seeds of cognate heaven#E
) single gentle rain "akes the grass "any shades greener# 8o our
%ros%ects brighten on the influC of better thoughts# We should be
blessed if !e lived in the %resent al!ays, and took advantage of every
accident that befell us, like the grass !hich confesses the influence
of the slightest de! that falls on itA and did not s%end our ti"e in
atoning for the neglect of %ast o%%ortunities, !hich !e call doing our
duty# We loiter in !inter !hile it is already s%ring# 9n a %leasant
s%ring "orning all "enDs sins are forgiven# 8uch a day is a truce to
vice# While such a sun holds out to burn, the vilest sinner "ay return#
Through our o!n recovered innocence !e discern the innocence of our
neighbors# $ou "ay have kno!n your neighbor yesterday for a thief,
a drunkard, or a sensualist, and "erely %itied or des%ised hi", and
des%aired of the !orldA but the sun shines bright and !ar" this first
s%ring "orning, recreating the !orld, and you "eet hi" at so"e serene
!ork, and see ho! it is eChausted and debauched veins eC%and !ith still
joy and bless the ne! day, feel the s%ring influence !ith the innocence
of infancy, and all his faults are forgotten# There is not only an
at"os%here of good !ill about hi", but even a savor of holiness gro%ing
for eC%ression, blindly and ineffectually %erha%s, like a ne!&born
instinct, and for a short hour the south hill&side echoes to no vulgar
jest# $ou see so"e innocent fair shoots %re%aring to burst fro" his
gnarled rind and try another yearDs life, tender and fresh as the
youngest %lant# Even he has entered into the joy of his 'ord# Why the
jailer does not leave o%en his %rison doors&&!hy the judge does not
dis"is his case&&!hy the %reacher does not dis"iss his congregationG 9t
is because they do not obey the hint !hich God gives the", nor acce%t
the %ardon !hich he freely offers to all#
E) return to goodness %roduced each day in the tran@uil and beneficent
breath of the "orning, causes that in res%ect to the love of virtue and
the hatred of vice, one a%%roaches a little the %ri"itive nature of "an,
as the s%routs of the forest !hich has been felled# 9n like "anner
the evil !hich one does in the interval of a day %revents the ger"s of
virtues !hich began to s%ring u% again fro" develo%ing the"selves and
destroys the"#
E)fter the ger"s of virtue have thus been %revented "any ti"es fro"
develo%ing the"selves, then the beneficent breath of evening does not
suffice to %reserve the"# )s soon as the breath of evening does not
suffice longer to %reserve the", then the nature of "an does not differ
"uch fro" that of the brute# >en seeing the nature of this "an like that
of the brute, think that he has never %ossessed the innate faculty of
reason# )re those the true and natural senti"ents of "anFE
EThe Golden )ge !as first created, !hich !ithout any avenger
8%ontaneously !ithout la! cherished fidelity and rectitude#
Punish"ent and fear !ere notA nor !ere threatening !ords read
On sus%ended brassA nor did the su%%liant cro!d fear
The !ords of their judgeA but !ere safe !ithout an avenger#
:ot yet the %ine felled on its "ountains had descended
To the li@uid !aves that it "ight see a foreign !orld,
)nd "ortals kne! no shores but their o!n#
# # # # # # #
There !as eternal s%ring, and %lacid ?e%hyrs !ith !ar"
Blasts soothed the flo!ers born !ithout seed#E
On the ,4th of )%ril, as 9 !as fishing fro" the bank of the river near
the :ine&)cre&Corner bridge, standing on the @uaking grass and !illo!
roots, !here the "uskrats lurk, 9 heard a singular rattling sound,
so"e!hat like that of the sticks !hich boys %lay !ith their fingers,
!hen, looking u%, 9 observed a very slight and graceful ha!k, like a
nightha!k, alternately soaring like a ri%%le and tu"bling a rod or t!o
over and over, sho!ing the under side of its !ings, !hich glea"ed like
a satin ribbon in the sun, or like the %early inside of a shell#
This sight re"inded "e of falconry and !hat nobleness and %oetry are
associated !ith that s%ort# The >erlin it see"ed to "e it "ight be
called( but 9 care not for its na"e# 9t !as the "ost ethereal flight 9
had ever !itnessed# 9t did not si"%ly flutter like a butterfly, nor soar
like the larger ha!ks, but it s%orted !ith %roud reliance in the fields
of airA "ounting again and again !ith its strange chuckle, it re%eated
its free and beautiful fall, turning over and over like a kite, and then
recovering fro" its lofty tu"bling, as if it had never set its foot on
Bterra fir"aB# 9t a%%eared to have no co"%anion in the universe&&s%orting
there alone&&and to need none but the "orning and the ether !ith !hich
it %layed# 9t !as not lonely, but "ade all the earth lonely beneath it#
Where !as the %arent !hich hatched it, its kindred, and its father in
the heavensF The tenant of the air, it see"ed related to the earth but
by an egg hatched so"e ti"e in the crevice of a cragA&&or !as its native
nest "ade in the angle of a cloud, !oven of the rainbo!Ds tri""ings and
the sunset sky, and lined !ith so"e soft "idsu""er ha?e caught u% fro"
earthF 9ts eyry no! so"e cliffy cloud#
Beside this 9 got a rare "ess of golden and silver and bright cu%reous
fishes, !hich looked like a string of je!els# )hG 9 have %enetrated to
those "eado!s on the "orning of "any a first s%ring day, ju"%ing fro"
hu""ock to hu""ock, fro" !illo! root to !illo! root, !hen the !ild river
valley and the !oods !ere bathed in so %ure and bright a light as !ould
have !aked the dead, if they had been slu"bering in their graves, as
so"e su%%ose# There needs no stronger %roof of i""ortality# )ll things
"ust live in such a light# O Death, !here !as thy stingF O Grave, !here
!as thy victory, thenF
Our village life !ould stagnate if it !ere not for the uneC%lored
forests and "eado!s !hich surround it# We need the tonic of !ildness&&to
!ade so"eti"es in "arshes !here the bittern and the "eado!&hen lurk, and
hear the boo"ing of the sni%eA to s"ell the !his%ering sedge !here only
so"e !ilder and "ore solitary fo!l builds her nest, and the "ink cra!ls
!ith its belly close to the ground# )t the sa"e ti"e that !e are
earnest to eC%lore and learn all things, !e re@uire that all things
be "ysterious and uneC%lorable, that land and sea be infinitely !ild,
unsurveyed and unfatho"ed by us because unfatho"able# We can never have
enough of nature# We "ust be refreshed by the sight of ineChaustible
vigor, vast and titanic features, the sea&coast !ith its !recks, the
!ilderness !ith its living and its decaying trees, the thunder&cloud,
and the rain !hich lasts three !eeks and %roduces freshets# We need
to !itness our o!n li"its transgressed, and so"e life %asturing freely
!here !e never !ander# We are cheered !hen !e observe the vulture
feeding on the carrion !hich disgusts and disheartens us, and deriving
health and strength fro" the re%ast# There !as a dead horse in the
hollo! by the %ath to "y house, !hich co"%elled "e so"eti"es to go
out of "y !ay, es%ecially in the night !hen the air !as heavy, but the
assurance it gave "e of the strong a%%etite and inviolable health of
:ature !as "y co"%ensation for this# 9 love to see that :ature is
so rife !ith life that "yriads can be afforded to be sacrificed and
suffered to %rey on one anotherA that tender organi?ations can be so
serenely s@uashed out of eCistence like %ul%&&tad%oles !hich herons
gobble u%, and tortoises and toads run over in the roadA and that
so"eti"es it has rained flesh and bloodG With the liability to accident,
!e "ust see ho! little account is to be "ade of it# The i"%ression "ade
on a !ise "an is that of universal innocence# Poison is not %oisonous
after all, nor are any !ounds fatal# Co"%assion is a very untenable
ground# 9t "ust be eC%editious# 9ts %leadings !ill not bear to be
stereoty%ed#
Early in >ay, the oaks, hickories, "a%les, and other trees, just %utting
out a"idst the %ine !oods around the %ond, i"%arted a brightness like
sunshine to the landsca%e, es%ecially in cloudy days, as if the sun !ere
breaking through "ists and shining faintly on the hillsides here and
there# On the third or fourth of >ay 9 sa! a loon in the %ond, and
during the first !eek of the "onth 9 heard the !hi%&%oor&!ill, the bro!n
thrasher, the veery, the !ood %e!ee, the che!ink, and other birds# 9 had
heard the !ood thrush long before# The %h[be had already co"e once "ore
and looked in at "y door and !indo!, to see if "y house !as cavern&like
enough for her, sustaining herself on hu""ing !ings !ith clinched
talons, as if she held by the air, !hile she surveyed the %re"ises#
The sul%hur&like %ollen of the %itch %ine soon covered the %ond and the
stones and rotten !ood along the shore, so that you could have collected
a barrelful# This is the Esul%hur sho!ersE !e hear of# Even in CalidasD
dra"a of 8acontala, !e read of Erills dyed yello! !ith the golden dust
of the lotus#E )nd so the seasons !ent rolling on into su""er, as one
ra"bles into higher and higher grass#
Thus !as "y first yearDs life in the !oods co"%letedA and the second
year !as si"ilar to it# 9 finally left Walden 8e%te"ber Nth, +.PO#
Conclusion
To the sick the doctors !isely reco""end a change of air and scenery#
Thank eaven, here is not all the !orld# The buckeye does not gro! in
:e! England, and the "ockingbird is rarely heard here# The !ild goose
is "ore of a cos"o%olite than !eA he breaks his fast in Canada, takes
a luncheon in the Ohio, and %lu"es hi"self for the night in a southern
bayou# Even the bison, to so"e eCtent, kee%s %ace !ith the seasons
cro%%ing the %astures of the Colorado only till a greener and s!eeter
grass a!aits hi" by the $ello!stone# $et !e think that if rail fences
are %ulled do!n, and stone !alls %iled u% on our far"s, bounds are
henceforth set to our lives and our fates decided# 9f you are chosen
to!n clerk, forsooth, you cannot go to Tierra del 6uego this su""er( but
you "ay go to the land of infernal fire nevertheless# The universe is
!ider than our vie!s of it#
$et !e should oftener look over the tafferel of our craft, like curious
%assengers, and not "ake the voyage like stu%id sailors %icking oaku"#
The other side of the globe is but the ho"e of our corres%ondent# Our
voyaging is only great&circle sailing, and the doctors %rescribe for
diseases of the skin "erely# One hastens to southern )frica to chase the
giraffeA but surely that is not the ga"e he !ould be after# o! long,
%ray, !ould a "an hunt giraffes if he couldF 8ni%es and !oodcocks also
"ay afford rare s%ortA but 9 trust it !ould be nobler ga"e to shoot
oneDs self#&&
EDirect your eye right in!ard, and youDll find
) thousand regions in your "ind
$et undiscovered# Travel the", and be
EC%ert in ho"e&cos"ogra%hy#E
What does )frica&&!hat does the West stand forF 9s not our o!n interior
!hite on the chartF black though it "ay %rove, like the coast,
!hen discovered# 9s it the source of the :ile, or the :iger, or the
>ississi%%i, or a :orth!est Passage around this continent, that !e !ould
findF )re these the %roble"s !hich "ost concern "ankindF 9s 6ranklin the
only "an !ho is lost, that his !ife should be so earnest to find hi"F
Does >r# Grinnell kno! !here he hi"self isF Be rather the >ungo Park,
the 'e!is and Clark and 6robisher, of your o!n strea"s and oceansA
eC%lore your o!n higher latitudes&&!ith shi%loads of %reserved "eats to
su%%ort you, if they be necessaryA and %ile the e"%ty cans sky&high for
a sign# Were %reserved "eats invented to %reserve "eat "erelyF :ay, be
a Colu"bus to !hole ne! continents and !orlds !ithin you, o%ening ne!
channels, not of trade, but of thought# Every "an is the lord of a real"
beside !hich the earthly e"%ire of the C?ar is but a %etty state,
a hu""ock left by the ice# $et so"e can be %atriotic !ho have no
self&res%ect, and sacrifice the greater to the less# They love the soil
!hich "akes their graves, but have no sy"%athy !ith the s%irit !hich "ay
still ani"ate their clay# Patriotis" is a "aggot in their heads# What
!as the "eaning of that 8outh&8ea EC%loring EC%edition, !ith all its
%arade and eC%ense, but an indirect recognition of the fact that there
are continents and seas in the "oral !orld to !hich every "an is an
isth"us or an inlet, yet uneC%lored by hi", but that it is easier to
sail "any thousand "iles through cold and stor" and cannibals, in a
govern"ent shi%, !ith five hundred "en and boys to assist one, than it
is to eC%lore the %rivate sea, the )tlantic and Pacific Ocean of oneDs
being alone#
EErret, et eCtre"os alter scrutetur 9beros#
Plus habet hic vitae, %lus habet ille viae#E
'et the" !ander and scrutini?e the outlandish )ustralians#
9 have "ore of God, they "ore of the road#
9t is not !orth the !hile to go round the !orld to count the cats in
Xan?ibar# $et do this even till you can do better, and you "ay %erha%s
find so"e E8y""esD oleE by !hich to get at the inside at last# England
and 6rance, 8%ain and Portugal, Gold Coast and 8lave Coast, all front
on this %rivate seaA but no bark fro" the" has ventured out of sight of
land, though it is !ithout doubt the direct !ay to 9ndia# 9f you !ould
learn to s%eak all tongues and confor" to the custo"s of all nations,
if you !ould travel farther than all travellers, be naturali?ed in all
cli"es, and cause the 8%hinC to dash her head against a stone, even
obey the %rece%t of the old %hiloso%her, and EC%lore thyself# erein are
de"anded the eye and the nerve# Only the defeated and deserters go to
the !ars, co!ards that run a!ay and enlist# 8tart no! on that farthest
!estern !ay, !hich does not %ause at the >ississi%%i or the Pacific, nor
conduct to!ard a !orn&out China or *a%an, but leads on direct, a tangent
to this s%here, su""er and !inter, day and night, sun do!n, "oon do!n,
and at last earth do!n too#
9t is said that >irabeau took to high!ay robbery Eto ascertain !hat
degree of resolution !as necessary in order to %lace oneDs self in
for"al o%%osition to the "ost sacred la!s of society#E e declared that
Ea soldier !ho fights in the ranks does not re@uire half so "uch courage
as a foot%adE&&Ethat honor and religion have never stood in the !ay of a
!ell&considered and a fir" resolve#E This !as "anly, as the !orld goesA
and yet it !as idle, if not des%erate# ) saner "an !ould have found
hi"self often enough Ein for"al o%%ositionE to !hat are dee"ed Ethe "ost
sacred la!s of society,E through obedience to yet "ore sacred la!s, and
so have tested his resolution !ithout going out of his !ay# 9t is not
for a "an to %ut hi"self in such an attitude to society, but to "aintain
hi"self in !hatever attitude he find hi"self through obedience to the
la!s of his being, !hich !ill never be one of o%%osition to a just
govern"ent, if he should chance to "eet !ith such#
9 left the !oods for as good a reason as 9 !ent there# Perha%s it see"ed
to "e that 9 had several "ore lives to live, and could not s%are any
"ore ti"e for that one# 9t is re"arkable ho! easily and insensibly !e
fall into a %articular route, and "ake a beaten track for ourselves# 9
had not lived there a !eek before "y feet !ore a %ath fro" "y door to
the %ond&sideA and though it is five or siC years since 9 trod it, it
is still @uite distinct# 9t is true, 9 fear, that others "ay have fallen
into it, and so hel%ed to kee% it o%en# The surface of the earth is soft
and i"%ressible by the feet of "enA and so !ith the %aths !hich the "ind
travels# o! !orn and dusty, then, "ust be the high!ays of the !orld,
ho! dee% the ruts of tradition and confor"ityG 9 did not !ish to take a
cabin %assage, but rather to go before the "ast and on the deck of the
!orld, for there 9 could best see the "oonlight a"id the "ountains# 9 do
not !ish to go belo! no!#
9 learned this, at least, by "y eC%eri"ent( that if one advances
confidently in the direction of his drea"s, and endeavors to live the
life !hich he has i"agined, he !ill "eet !ith a success uneC%ected in
co""on hours# e !ill %ut so"e things behind, !ill %ass an invisible
boundaryA ne!, universal, and "ore liberal la!s !ill begin to establish
the"selves around and !ithin hi"A or the old la!s be eC%anded, and
inter%reted in his favor in a "ore liberal sense, and he !ill live !ith
the license of a higher order of beings# 9n %ro%ortion as he si"%lifies
his life, the la!s of the universe !ill a%%ear less co"%leC, and
solitude !ill not be solitude, nor %overty %overty, nor !eakness
!eakness# 9f you have built castles in the air, your !ork need not be
lostA that is !here they should be# :o! %ut the foundations under the"#
9t is a ridiculous de"and !hich England and )"erica "ake, that you shall
s%eak so that they can understand you# :either "en nor toadstools gro!
so# )s if that !ere i"%ortant, and there !ere not enough to understand
you !ithout the"# )s if :ature could su%%ort but one order of
understandings, could not sustain birds as !ell as @uadru%eds, flying as
!ell as cree%ing things, and BhushB and B!hoaB, !hich Bright can
understand, !ere the best English# )s if there !ere safety in stu%idity
alone# 9 fear chiefly lest "y eC%ression "ay not be BeCtra&vagantB
enough, "ay not !ander far enough beyond the narro! li"its of "y daily
eC%erience, so as to be ade@uate to the truth of !hich 9 have been
convinced# BECtra vaganceGB it de%ends on ho! you are yarded# The
"igrating buffalo, !hich seeks ne! %astures in another latitude, is not
eCtravagant like the co! !hich kicks over the %ail, lea%s the co!yard
fence, and runs after her calf, in "ilking ti"e# 9 desire to s%eak
so"e!here B!ithoutB boundsA like a "an in a !aking "o"ent, to "en in
their !aking "o"entsA for 9 a" convinced that 9 cannot eCaggerate enough
even to lay the foundation of a true eC%ression# Who that has heard a
strain of "usic feared then lest he should s%eak eCtravagantly any "ore
foreverF 9n vie! of the future or %ossible, !e should live @uite laCly
and undefined in front, our outlines di" and "isty on that sideA as our
shado!s reveal an insensible %ers%iration to!ard the sun# The volatile
truth of our !ords should continually betray the inade@uacy of the
residual state"ent# Their truth is instantly BtranslatedBA its literal
"onu"ent alone re"ains# The !ords !hich eC%ress our faith and %iety are
not definiteA yet they are significant and fragrant like frankincense to
su%erior natures#
Why level do!n!ard to our dullest %erce%tion al!ays, and %raise that as
co""on senseF The co""onest sense is the sense of "en aslee%, !hich they
eC%ress by snoring# 8o"eti"es !e are inclined to class those !ho are
once&and&a&half&!itted !ith the half&!itted, because !e a%%reciate only
a third %art of their !it# 8o"e !ould find fault !ith the "orning red,
if they ever got u% early enough# EThey %retend,E as 9 hear, Ethat the
verses of ;abir have four different sensesA illusion, s%irit, intellect,
and the eCoteric doctrine of the <edasEA but in this %art of the !orld
it is considered a ground for co"%laint if a "anDs !ritings ad"it
of "ore than one inter%retation# While England endeavors to cure the
%otato&rot, !ill not any endeavor to cure the brain&rot, !hich %revails
so "uch "ore !idely and fatallyF
9 do not su%%ose that 9 have attained to obscurity, but 9 should be
%roud if no "ore fatal fault !ere found !ith "y %ages on this score than
!as found !ith the Walden ice# 8outhern custo"ers objected to its blue
color, !hich is the evidence of its %urity, as if it !ere "uddy, and
%referred the Ca"bridge ice, !hich is !hite, but tastes of !eeds# The
%urity "en love is like the "ists !hich envelo% the earth, and not like
the a?ure ether beyond#
8o"e are dinning in our ears that !e )"ericans, and "oderns generally,
are intellectual d!arfs co"%ared !ith the ancients, or even the
Eli?abethan "en# But !hat is that to the %ur%oseF ) living dog is better
than a dead lion# 8hall a "an go and hang hi"self because he belongs to
the race of %yg"ies, and not be the biggest %yg"y that he canF 'et every
one "ind his o!n business, and endeavor to be !hat he !as "ade#
Why should !e be in such des%erate haste to succeed and in such
des%erate enter%risesF 9f a "an does not kee% %ace !ith his co"%anions,
%erha%s it is because he hears a different dru""er# 'et hi" ste% to the
"usic !hich he hears, ho!ever "easured or far a!ay# 9t is not i"%ortant
that he should "ature as soon as an a%%le tree or an oak# 8hall he turn
his s%ring into su""erF 9f the condition of things !hich !e !ere "ade
for is not yet, !hat !ere any reality !hich !e can substituteF We !ill
not be shi%!recked on a vain reality# 8hall !e !ith %ains erect a heaven
of blue glass over ourselves, though !hen it is done !e shall be sure to
ga?e still at the true ethereal heaven far above, as if the for"er !ere
notF
There !as an artist in the city of ;ouroo !ho !as dis%osed to strive
after %erfection# One day it ca"e into his "ind to "ake a staff# aving
considered that in an i"%erfect !ork ti"e is an ingredient, but into
a %erfect !ork ti"e does not enter, he said to hi"self, 9t shall be
%erfect in all res%ects, though 9 should do nothing else in "y life#
e %roceeded instantly to the forest for !ood, being resolved that it
should not be "ade of unsuitable "aterialA and as he searched for and
rejected stick after stick, his friends gradually deserted hi", for they
gre! old in their !orks and died, but he gre! not older by a "o"ent# is
singleness of %ur%ose and resolution, and his elevated %iety, endo!ed
hi", !ithout his kno!ledge, !ith %erennial youth# )s he "ade no
co"%ro"ise !ith Ti"e, Ti"e ke%t out of his !ay, and only sighed at a
distance because he could not overco"e hi"# Before he had found a stock
in all res%ects suitable the city of ;ouroo !as a hoary ruin, and he
sat on one of its "ounds to %eel the stick# Before he had given it the
%ro%er sha%e the dynasty of the Candahars !as at an end, and !ith the
%oint of the stick he !rote the na"e of the last of that race in
the sand, and then resu"ed his !ork# By the ti"e he had s"oothed and
%olished the staff ;al%a !as no longer the %ole&starA and ere he had
%ut on the ferule and the head adorned !ith %recious stones, Brah"a
had a!oke and slu"bered "any ti"es# But !hy do 9 stay to "ention these
thingsF When the finishing stroke !as %ut to his !ork, it suddenly
eC%anded before the eyes of the astonished artist into the fairest of
all the creations of Brah"a# e had "ade a ne! syste" in "aking a staff,
a !orld !ith full and fair %ro%ortionsA in !hich, though the old cities
and dynasties had %assed a!ay, fairer and "ore glorious ones had taken
their %laces# )nd no! he sa! by the hea% of shavings still fresh at his
feet, that, for hi" and his !ork, the for"er la%se of ti"e had been
an illusion, and that no "ore ti"e had ela%sed than is re@uired for a
single scintillation fro" the brain of Brah"a to fall on and infla"e the
tinder of a "ortal brain# The "aterial !as %ure, and his art !as %ureA
ho! could the result be other than !onderfulF
:o face !hich !e can give to a "atter !ill stead us so !ell at last as
the truth# This alone !ears !ell# 6or the "ost %art, !e are not !here
!e are, but in a false %osition# Through an infinity of our natures, !e
su%%ose a case, and %ut ourselves into it, and hence are in t!o cases at
the sa"e ti"e, and it is doubly difficult to get out# 9n sane "o"ents !e
regard only the facts, the case that is# 8ay !hat you have to say, not
!hat you ought# )ny truth is better than "ake&believe# To" yde, the
tinker, standing on the gallo!s, !as asked if he had anything to say#
ETell the tailors,E said he, Eto re"e"ber to "ake a knot in their thread
before they take the first stitch#E is co"%anionDs %rayer is forgotten#
o!ever "ean your life is, "eet it and live itA do not shun it and call
it hard na"es# 9t is not so bad as you are# 9t looks %oorest !hen you
are richest# The fault&finder !ill find faults even in %aradise# 'ove
your life, %oor as it is# $ou "ay %erha%s have so"e %leasant, thrilling,
glorious hours, even in a %oorhouse# The setting sun is reflected fro"
the !indo!s of the al"shouse as brightly as fro" the rich "anDs abodeA
the sno! "elts before its door as early in the s%ring# 9 do not see
but a @uiet "ind "ay live as contentedly there, and have as cheering
thoughts, as in a %alace# The to!nDs %oor see" to "e often to live the
"ost inde%endent lives of any# >aybe they are si"%ly great enough
to receive !ithout "isgiving# >ost think that they are above being
su%%orted by the to!nA but it oftener ha%%ens that they are not
above su%%orting the"selves by dishonest "eans, !hich should be "ore
disre%utable# Cultivate %overty like a garden herb, like sage# Do not
trouble yourself "uch to get ne! things, !hether clothes or friends#
Turn the oldA return to the"# Things do not changeA !e change# 8ell
your clothes and kee% your thoughts# God !ill see that you do not !ant
society# 9f 9 !ere confined to a corner of a garret all "y days, like a
s%ider, the !orld !ould be just as large to "e !hile 9 had "y thoughts
about "e# The %hiloso%her said( E6ro" an ar"y of three divisions one
can take a!ay its general, and %ut it in disorderA fro" the "an the
"ost abject and vulgar one cannot take a!ay his thought#E Do not seek so
anCiously to be develo%ed, to subject yourself to "any influences to
be %layed onA it is all dissi%ation# u"ility like darkness reveals the
heavenly lights# The shado!s of %overty and "eanness gather around us,
Eand loG creation !idens to our vie!#E We are often re"inded that if
there !ere besto!ed on us the !ealth of Croesus, our ai"s "ust still
be the sa"e, and our "eans essentially the sa"e# >oreover, if you
are restricted in your range by %overty, if you cannot buy books and
ne!s%a%ers, for instance, you are but confined to the "ost significant
and vital eC%eriencesA you are co"%elled to deal !ith the "aterial !hich
yields the "ost sugar and the "ost starch# 9t is life near the bone
!here it is s!eetest# $ou are defended fro" being a trifler# :o "an
loses ever on a lo!er level by "agnani"ity on a higher# 8u%erfluous
!ealth can buy su%erfluities only# >oney is not re@uired to buy one
necessary of the soul#
9 live in the angle of a leaden !all, into !hose co"%osition !as %oured
a little alloy of bell&"etal# Often, in the re%ose of "y "id&day, there
reaches "y ears a confused tintinnabulu" fro" !ithout# 9t is the noise
of "y conte"%oraries# >y neighbors tell "e of their adventures
!ith fa"ous gentle"en and ladies, !hat notabilities they "et at the
dinner&tableA but 9 a" no "ore interested in such things than in the
contents of the Daily Ti"es# The interest and the conversation are about
costu"e and "anners chieflyA but a goose is a goose still, dress it
as you !ill# They tell "e of California and TeCas, of England and the
9ndies, of the on# >r#&&&&of Georgia or of >assachusetts, all transient
and fleeting %heno"ena, till 9 a" ready to lea% fro" their court&yard
like the >a"eluke bey# 9 delight to co"e to "y bearings&&not !alk in
%rocession !ith %o"% and %arade, in a cons%icuous %lace, but to !alk
even !ith the Builder of the universe, if 9 "ay&&not to live in this
restless, nervous, bustling, trivial :ineteenth Century, but stand or
sit thoughtfully !hile it goes by# What are "en celebratingF They are
all on a co""ittee of arrange"ents, and hourly eC%ect a s%eech fro"
so"ebody# God is only the %resident of the day, and Webster is his
orator# 9 love to !eigh, to settle, to gravitate to!ard that !hich "ost
strongly and rightfully attracts "e&&not hang by the bea" of the scale
and try to !eigh less&&not su%%ose a case, but take the case that isA to
travel the only %ath 9 can, and that on !hich no %o!er can resist "e# 9t
affords "e no satisfaction to co""erce to s%ring an arch before 9 have
got a solid foundation# 'et us not %lay at kittly&benders# There is a
solid botto" every!here# We read that the traveller asked the boy if
the s!a"% before hi" had a hard botto"# The boy re%lied that it had#
But %resently the travellerDs horse sank in u% to the girths, and
he observed to the boy, E9 thought you said that this bog had a hard
botto"#E E8o it has,E ans!ered the latter, Ebut you have not got half
!ay to it yet#E 8o it is !ith the bogs and @uicksands of societyA but
he is an old boy that kno!s it# Only !hat is thought, said, or done at
a certain rare coincidence is good# 9 !ould not be one of those !ho !ill
foolishly drive a nail into "ere lath and %lasteringA such a deed !ould
kee% "e a!ake nights# Give "e a ha""er, and let "e feel for the
furring# Do not de%end on the %utty# Drive a nail ho"e and clinch it so
faithfully that you can !ake u% in the night and think of your !ork !ith
satisfaction&&a !ork at !hich you !ould not be asha"ed to invoke the
>use# 8o !ill hel% you God, and so only# Every nail driven should be as
another rivet in the "achine of the universe, you carrying on the !ork#
3ather than love, than "oney, than fa"e, give "e truth# 9 sat at a table
!here !ere rich food and !ine in abundance, and obse@uious attendance,
but sincerity and truth !ere notA and 9 !ent a!ay hungry fro" the
inhos%itable board# The hos%itality !as as cold as the ices# 9 thought
that there !as no need of ice to free?e the"# They talked to "e of the
age of the !ine and the fa"e of the vintageA but 9 thought of an older,
a ne!er, and %urer !ine, of a "ore glorious vintage, !hich they had
not got, and could not buy# The style, the house and grounds and
Eentertain"entE %ass for nothing !ith "e# 9 called on the king, but he
"ade "e !ait in his hall, and conducted like a "an inca%acitated for
hos%itality# There !as a "an in "y neighborhood !ho lived in a hollo!
tree# is "anners !ere truly regal# 9 should have done better had 9
called on hi"#
o! long shall !e sit in our %orticoes %ractising idle and "usty
virtues, !hich any !ork !ould "ake i"%ertinentF )s if one !ere to begin
the day !ith long&suffering, and hire a "an to hoe his %otatoesA and in
the afternoon go forth to %ractise Christian "eekness and charity
!ith goodness aforethoughtG Consider the China %ride and stagnant
self&co"%lacency of "ankind# This generation inclines a little to
congratulate itself on being the last of an illustrious lineA and in
Boston and 'ondon and Paris and 3o"e, thinking of its long descent,
it s%eaks of its %rogress in art and science and literature !ith
satisfaction# There are the 3ecords of the Philoso%hical 8ocieties, and
the %ublic Eulogies of Great >enG 9t is the good )da" conte"%lating his
o!n virtue# E$es, !e have done great deeds, and sung divine songs, !hich
shall never dieE&&that is, as long as !e can re"e"ber the"# The learned
societies and great "en of )ssyria&&!here are theyF What youthful
%hiloso%hers and eC%eri"entalists !e areG There is not one of "y readers
!ho has yet lived a !hole hu"an life# These "ay be but the s%ring "onths
in the life of the race# 9f !e have had the seven&yearsD itch, !e have
not seen the seventeen&year locust yet in Concord# We are ac@uainted
!ith a "ere %ellicle of the globe on !hich !e live# >ost have not delved
siC feet beneath the surface, nor lea%ed as "any above it# We kno! not
!here !e are# Beside, !e are sound aslee% nearly half our ti"e# $et !e
estee" ourselves !ise, and have an established order on the surface#
Truly, !e are dee% thinkers, !e are a"bitious s%iritsG )s 9 stand over
the insect cra!ling a"id the %ine needles on the forest floor, and
endeavoring to conceal itself fro" "y sight, and ask "yself !hy it !ill
cherish those hu"ble thoughts, and bide its head fro" "e !ho "ight,
%erha%s, be its benefactor, and i"%art to its race so"e cheering
infor"ation, 9 a" re"inded of the greater Benefactor and 9ntelligence
that stands over "e the hu"an insect#
There is an incessant influC of novelty into the !orld, and yet !e
tolerate incredible dulness# 9 need only suggest !hat kind of ser"ons
are still listened to in the "ost enlightened countries# There are such
!ords as joy and sorro!, but they are only the burden of a %sal", sung
!ith a nasal t!ang, !hile !e believe in the ordinary and "ean# We think
that !e can change our clothes only# 9t is said that the British
E"%ire is very large and res%ectable, and that the 5nited 8tates are a
first&rate %o!er# We do not believe that a tide rises and falls behind
every "an !hich can float the British E"%ire like a chi%, if he should
ever harbor it in his "ind# Who kno!s !hat sort of seventeen&year locust
!ill neCt co"e out of the groundF The govern"ent of the !orld 9 live in
!as not fra"ed, like that of Britain, in after&dinner conversations over
the !ine#
The life in us is like the !ater in the river# 9t "ay rise this year
higher than "an has ever kno!n it, and flood the %arched u%landsA even
this "ay be the eventful year, !hich !ill dro!n out all our "uskrats# 9t
!as not al!ays dry land !here !e d!ell# 9 see far inland the banks
!hich the strea" anciently !ashed, before science began to record its
freshets# Every one has heard the story !hich has gone the rounds of :e!
England, of a strong and beautiful bug !hich ca"e out of the dry leaf of
an old table of a%%le&tree !ood, !hich had stood in a far"erDs
kitchen for siCty years, first in Connecticut, and after!ard in
>assachusetts&&fro" an egg de%osited in the living tree "any years
earlier still, as a%%eared by counting the annual layers beyond itA
!hich !as heard gna!ing out for several !eeks, hatched %erchance by
the heat of an urn# Who does not feel his faith in a resurrection and
i""ortality strengthened by hearing of thisF Who kno!s !hat beautiful
and !inged life, !hose egg has been buried for ages under "any
concentric layers of !oodenness in the dead dry life of society,
de%osited at first in the alburnu" of the green and living tree, !hich
has been gradually converted into the se"blance of its !ell&seasoned
to"b&&heard %erchance gna!ing out no! for years by the astonished fa"ily
of "an, as they sat round the festive board&&"ay uneC%ectedly co"e forth
fro" a"idst societyDs "ost trivial and handselled furniture, to enjoy
its %erfect su""er life at lastG
9 do not say that *ohn or *onathan !ill reali?e all thisA but such is
the character of that "orro! !hich "ere la%se of ti"e can never "ake to
da!n# The light !hich %uts out our eyes is darkness to us# Only that day
da!ns to !hich !e are a!ake# There is "ore day to da!n# The sun is but a
"orning star#
O: TE D5T$ O6 C9<9' D98OBED9E:CE
9 heartily acce%t the "otto,&&EThat govern"ent is best !hich governs
leastEA and 9 should like to see it acted u% to "ore ra%idly and
syste"atically# Carried out, it finally a"ounts to this, !hich also 9
believe,&&EThat govern"ent is best !hich governs not at allEA and !hen
"en are %re%ared for it, that !ill be the kind of govern"ent !hich they
!ill have# Govern"ent is at best but an eC%edientA but "ost govern"ents
are usually, and all govern"ents are so"eti"es, ineC%edient# The
objections !hich have been brought against a standing ar"y, and they are
"any and !eighty, and deserve to %revail, "ay also at last be brought
against a standing govern"ent# The standing ar"y is only an ar" of the
standing govern"ent# The govern"ent itself, !hich is only the "ode !hich
the %eo%le have chosen to eCecute their !ill, is e@ually liable to be
abused and %erverted before the %eo%le can act through it# Witness the
%resent >eCican !ar, the !ork of co"%aratively a fe! individuals using
the standing govern"ent as their toolA for, in the outset, the %eo%le
!ould not have consented to this "easure#
This )"erican govern"ent&&!hat is it but a tradition, though a recent
one, endeavoring to trans"it itself uni"%aired to %osterity, but each
instant losing so"e of its integrityF 9t has not the vitality and force
of a single living "anA for a single "an can bend it to his !ill# 9t is
a sort of !ooden gun to the %eo%le the"selves# But it is not the less
necessary for thisA for the %eo%le "ust have so"e co"%licated "achinery
or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of govern"ent !hich
they have# Govern"ents sho! thus ho! successfully "en can be i"%osed on,
even i"%ose on the"selves, for their o!n advantage# 9t is eCcellent, !e
"ust all allo!# $et this govern"ent never of itself furthered any
enter%rise, but by the alacrity !ith !hich it got out of its !ay# B9tB
does not kee% the country free# B9tB does not settle the West# B9tB does
not educate# The character inherent in the )"erican %eo%le has done all
that has been acco"%lishedA and it !ould have done so"e!hat "ore, if the
govern"ent had not so"eti"es got in its !ay# 6or govern"ent is an
eC%edient by !hich "en !ould fain succeed in letting one another aloneA
and, as has been said, !hen it is "ost eC%edient, the governed are "ost
let alone by it# Trade and co""erce, if they !ere not "ade of 9ndia
rubber, !ould never "anage to bounce over the obstacles !hich
legislators are continually %utting in their !ayA and, if one !ere to
judge these "en !holly by the effects of their actions, and not %artly
by their intentions, they !ould deserve to be classed and %unished !ith
those "ischievous %ersons !ho %ut obstructions on the railroads#
But, to s%eak %ractically and as a citi?en, unlike those !ho call
the"selves no&govern"ent "en, 9 ask for, not at once no govern"ent,
but Bat onceB a better govern"ent# 'et every "an "ake kno!n !hat kind of
govern"ent !ould co""and his res%ect, and that !ill be one ste% to!ard
obtaining it#
)fter all, the %ractical reason !hy, !hen the %o!er is once in the hands
of the %eo%le, a "ajority are %er"itted, and for a long %eriod continue,
to rule, is not because they are "ost likely to be in the right,
nor because this see"s fairest to the "inority, but because they are
%hysically the strongest# But a govern"ent in !hich the "ajority rule in
all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as "en understand
it# Can there not be a govern"ent in !hich "ajorities do not virtually
decide right and !rong, but conscienceF&&in !hich "ajorities decide only
those @uestions to !hich the rule of eC%ediency is a%%licableF >ust the
citi?en ever for a "o"ent, or in the least degree, resign his conscience
to the legislatorF Why has every "an a conscience, thenF 9 think that
!e should be "en first, and subjects after!ard# 9t is not desirable
to cultivate a res%ect for the la!, so "uch as for the right# The only
obligation !hich 9 have a right to assu"e is to do at any ti"e !hat
9 think right# 9t is truly enough said that a cor%oration has no
conscienceA but a cor%oration of conscientious "en is a cor%oration
!ith a conscience# 'a! never "ade "en a !hit "ore justA and, by "eans of
their res%ect for it, even the !ell&dis%osed are daily "ade the agents
of injustice# ) co""on and natural result of an undue res%ect for la!
is, that you "ay see a file of soldiers, colonel, ca%tain, cor%oral,
%rivates, %o!der&"onkeys, and all, "arching in ad"irable order over
hill and dale to the !ars, against their !ills, ay, against their co""on
sense and consciences, !hich "akes it very stee% "arching indeed, and
%roduces a %al%itation of the heart# They have no doubt that it is a
da"nable business in !hich they are concernedA they are all %eaceably
inclined# :o!, !hat are theyF >en at allF or s"all "ovable forts and
"aga?ines, at the service of so"e unscru%ulous "an in %o!erF <isit the
:avy $ard, and behold a "arine, such a "an as an )"erican govern"ent can
"ake, or such as it can "ake a "an !ith its black arts&&a "ere shado!
and re"iniscence of hu"anity, a "an laid out alive and standing, and
already, as one "ay say, buried under ar"s !ith funeral acco"%ani"ents,
though it "ay be,&&
E:ot a dru" !as heard, not a funeral note,
)s his corse to the ra"%art !e hurriedA
:ot a soldier discharged his fare!ell shot
ODer the grave !here our hero !e buried#E
The "ass of "en serve the state thus, not as "en "ainly, but as
"achines, !ith their bodies# They are the standing ar"y, and the
"ilitia, jailers, constables, %osse co"itatus, etc# 9n "ost cases there
is no free eCercise !hatever of the judg"ent or of the "oral senseA
but they %ut the"selves on a level !ith !ood and earth and stonesA and
!ooden "en can %erha%s be "anufactured that !ill serve the %ur%ose as
!ell# 8uch co""and no "ore res%ect than "en of stra! or a lu"% of dirt#
They have the sa"e sort of !orth only as horses and dogs# $et such
as these even are co""only estee"ed good citi?ens# Others, as "ost
legislators, %oliticians, la!yers, "inisters, and office&holders, serve
the state chiefly !ith their headsA and, as they rarely "ake any "oral
distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, !ithout BintendingB
it, as God# ) very fe!, as heroes, %atriots, "artyrs, refor"ers in the
great sense, and "en, serve the state !ith their consciences also,
and so necessarily resist it for the "ost %artA and they are co""only
treated as ene"ies by it# ) !ise "an !ill only be useful as a "an, and
!ill not sub"it to be Eclay,E and Esto% a hole to kee% the !ind a!ay,E
but leave that office to his dust at least(&&
E9 a" too high&born to be %ro%ertied,
To be a secondary at control,
Or useful serving&"an and instru"ent
To any sovereign state throughout the !orld#E
e !ho gives hi"self entirely to his fello!&"en a%%ears to the" useless
and selfishA but he !ho gives hi"self %artially to the" is %ronounced a
benefactor and %hilanthro%ist#
o! does it beco"e a "an to behave to!ard this )"erican govern"ent
to&dayF 9 ans!er, that he cannot !ithout disgrace be associated !ith
it# 9 cannot for an instant recogni?e that %olitical organi?ation as B"yB
govern"ent !hich is the BslaveDsB govern"ent also#
)ll "en recogni?e the right of revolutionA that is, the right to refuse
allegiance to, and to resist, the govern"ent, !hen its tyranny or its
inefficiency are great and unendurable# But al"ost all say that such is
not the case no!# But such !as the case, they think, in the 3evolution
of DO1# 9f one !ere to tell "e that this !as a bad govern"ent because
it taCed certain foreign co""odities brought to its %orts, it is "ost
%robable that 9 should not "ake an ado about it, for 9 can do !ithout
the"# )ll "achines have their frictionA and %ossibly this does enough
good to counterbalance the evil# )t any rate, it is a great evil to "ake
a stir about it# But !hen the friction co"es to have its "achine, and
o%%ression and robbery are organi?ed, 9 say, let us not have such a
"achine any longer# 9n other !ords, !hen a siCth of the %o%ulation of a
nation !hich has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and
a !hole country is unjustly overrun and con@uered by a foreign ar"y, and
subjected to "ilitary la!, 9 think that it is not too soon for honest
"en to rebel and revolutioni?e# What "akes this duty the "ore urgent
is the fact that the country so overrun is not our o!n, but ours is the
invading ar"y#
Paley, a co""on authority !ith "any on "oral @uestions, in his cha%ter
on the EDuty of 8ub"ission to Civil Govern"ent,E resolves all civil
obligation into eC%ediencyA and he %roceeds to say that Eso long as
the interest of the !hole society re@uires it, that is, so long as the
established govern"ent cannot be resisted or changed !ithout %ublic
inconveniency, it is the !ill of God### that the established govern"ent
be obeyed, and no longer#### This %rinci%le being ad"itted, the justice
of every %articular case of resistance is reduced to a co"%utation of
the @uantity of the danger and grievance on the one side, and of the
%robability and eC%ense of redressing it on the other#E Of this, he
says, every "an shall judge for hi"self# But Paley a%%ears never to have
conte"%lated those cases to !hich the rule of eC%ediency does not a%%ly,
in !hich a %eo%le, as !ell as an individual, "ust do justice, cost !hat
it "ay# 9f 9 have unjustly !rested a %lank fro" a dro!ning "an, 9 "ust
restore it to hi" though 9 dro!n "yself# This, according to Paley, !ould
be inconvenient# But he that !ould save his life, in such a case, shall
lose it# This %eo%le "ust cease to hold slaves, and to "ake !ar on
>eCico, though it cost the" their eCistence as a %eo%le#
9n their %ractice, nations agree !ith PaleyA but does any one think that
>assachusetts does eCactly !hat is right at the %resent crisisF
E) drab of state, a cloth&oD&silver slut,
To have her train borne u%, and her soul trail in the dirt#E
Practically s%eaking, the o%%onents to a refor" in >assachusetts are
not a hundred thousand %oliticians at the 8outh, but a hundred thousand
"erchants and far"ers here, !ho are "ore interested in co""erce and
agriculture than they are in hu"anity, and are not %re%ared to do
justice to the slave and to >eCico, Bcost !hat it "ayB# 9 @uarrel not !ith
far&off foes, but !ith those !ho, near at ho"e, co&o%erate !ith, and
do the bidding of those far a!ay, and !ithout !ho" the latter !ould be
har"less# We are accusto"ed to say, that the "ass of "en are un%re%aredA
but i"%rove"ent is slo!, because the fe! are not "aterially !iser or
better than the "any# 9t is not so i"%ortant that "any should be as good
as you, as that there be so"e absolute goodness so"e!hereA for that !ill
leaven the !hole lu"%# There are thousands !ho are Bin o%inionB o%%osed
to slavery and to the !ar, !ho yet in effect do nothing to %ut an end to
the"A !ho, estee"ing the"selves children of Washington and 6ranklin, sit
do!n !ith their hands in their %ockets, and say that they kno! not !hat
to do, and do nothingA !ho even %ost%one the @uestion of freedo" to the
@uestion of free&trade, and @uietly read the %rices&current along !ith
the latest advices fro" >eCico, after dinner, and, it "ay be, fall
aslee% over the" both# What is the %rice&current of an honest "an and
%atriot to&dayF They hesitate, and they regret, and so"eti"es they
%etitionA but they do nothing in earnest and !ith effect# They !ill
!ait, !ell dis%osed, for others to re"edy the evil, that they "ay no
longer have it to regret# )t "ost, they give only a chea% vote, and a
feeble countenance and Gods%eed, to the right, as it goes by the"# There
are nine hundred and ninety&nine %atrons of virtue to one virtuous "anA
but it is easier to deal !ith the real %ossessor of a thing than !ith
the te"%orary guardian of it#
)ll voting is a sort of ga"ing, like checkers or backga""on, !ith a
slight "oral tinge to it, a %laying !ith right and !rong, !ith "oral
@uestionsA and betting naturally acco"%anies it# The character of the
voters is not staked# 9 cast "y vote, %erchance, as 9 think rightA but 9
a" not vitally concerned that that right should %revail# 9 a" !illing to
leave it to the "ajority# 9ts obligation, therefore, never eCceeds that
of eC%ediency# Even voting Bfor the rightB is Bdoing nothingB for it# 9t is
only eC%ressing to "en feebly your desire that it should %revail# )
!ise "an !ill not leave the right to the "ercy of chance, nor !ish it to
%revail through the %o!er of the "ajority# There is but little virtue in
the action of "asses of "en# When the "ajority shall at length vote for
the abolition of slavery, it !ill be because they are indifferent to
slavery, or because there is but little slavery left to be abolished by
their vote# BTheyB !ill then be the only slaves# Only BhisB vote can hasten
the abolition of slavery !ho asserts his o!n freedo" by his vote#
9 hear of a convention to be held at Balti"ore, or else!here, for the
selection of a candidate for the Presidency, "ade u% chiefly of editors,
and "en !ho are %oliticians by %rofessionA but 9 think, !hat is it to
any inde%endent, intelligent, and res%ectable "an !hat decision they
"ay co"e toF 8hall !e not have the advantage of his !isdo" and honesty,
neverthelessF Can !e not count u%on so"e inde%endent votesF )re there
not "any individuals in the country !ho do not attend conventionsF But
no( 9 find that the res%ectable "an, so called, has i""ediately drifted
fro" his %osition, and des%airs of his country, !hen his country has
"ore reason to des%air of hi"# e forth!ith ado%ts one of the candidates
thus selected as the only BavailableB one, thus %roving that he is hi"self
BavailableB for any %ur%oses of the de"agogue# is vote is of no "ore
!orth than that of any un%rinci%led foreigner or hireling native, !ho
"ay have been bought# Oh for a "an !ho is a B"anB, and, as "y neighbor
says, has a bone in his back !hich you cannot %ass your hand throughG
Our statistics are at fault( the %o%ulation has been returned too large#
o! "any B"enB are there to a s@uare thousand "iles in this countryF
ardly one# Does not )"erica offer any induce"ent for "en to settle
hereF The )"erican has d!indled into an Odd 6ello!&&one !ho "ay be kno!n
by the develo%"ent of his organ of gregariousness, and a "anifest lack
of intellect and cheerful self&relianceA !hose first and chief concern,
on co"ing into the !orld, is to see that the al"shouses are in good
re%airA and, before yet he has la!fully donned the virile garb, to
collect a fund for the su%%ort of the !ido!s and or%hans that "ay beA
!ho, in short ventures to live only by the aid of the >utual 9nsurance
co"%any, !hich has %ro"ised to bury hi" decently#
9t is not a "anDs duty, as a "atter of course, to devote hi"self to the
eradication of any, even the "ost enor"ous !rongA he "ay still %ro%erly
have other concerns to engage hi"A but it is his duty, at least, to !ash
his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give
it %ractically his su%%ort# 9f 9 devote "yself to other %ursuits and
conte"%lations, 9 "ust first see, at least, that 9 do not %ursue the"
sitting u%on another "anDs shoulders# 9 "ust get off hi" first, that
he "ay %ursue his conte"%lations too# 8ee !hat gross inconsistency is
tolerated# 9 have heard so"e of "y to!ns"en say, E9 should like to have
the" order "e out to hel% %ut do!n an insurrection of the slaves, or to
"arch to >eCicoA&&see if 9 !ould goEA and yet these very "en have each,
directly by their allegiance, and so indirectly, at least, by their
"oney, furnished a substitute# The soldier is a%%lauded !ho refuses to
serve in an unjust !ar by those !ho do not refuse to sustain the unjust
govern"ent !hich "akes the !arA is a%%lauded by those !hose o!n act
and authority he disregards and sets at naughtA as if the state !ere
%enitent to that degree that it hired one to scourge it !hile it sinned,
but not to that degree that it left off sinning for a "o"ent# Thus,
under the na"e of Order and Civil Govern"ent, !e are all "ade at last to
%ay ho"age to and su%%ort our o!n "eanness# )fter the first blush of
sin co"es its indifferenceA and fro" i""oral it beco"es, as it !ere,
BunB"oral, and not @uite unnecessary to that life !hich !e have "ade#
The broadest and "ost %revalent error re@uires the "ost disinterested
virtue to sustain it# The slight re%roach to !hich the virtue of
%atriotis" is co""only liable, the noble are "ost likely to incur#
Those !ho, !hile they disa%%rove of the character and "easures of a
govern"ent, yield to it their allegiance and su%%ort are undoubtedly
its "ost conscientious su%%orters, and so fre@uently the "ost serious
obstacles to refor"# 8o"e are %etitioning the 8tate to dissolve the
5nion, to disregard the re@uisitions of the President# Why do they not
dissolve it the"selves&&the union bet!een the"selves and the 8tate&&and
refuse to %ay their @uota into its treasuryF Do not they stand in the
sa"e relation to the 8tate, that the 8tate does to the 5nionF )nd have
not the sa"e reasons %revented the 8tate fro" resisting the 5nion, !hich
have %revented the" fro" resisting the 8tateF
o! can a "an be satisfied to entertain an o%inion "erely, and enjoy itF
9s there any enjoy"ent in BitB, if his o%inion is that he is aggrievedF 9f
you are cheated out of a single dollar by your neighbor, you do not rest
satisfied !ith kno!ing that you are cheated, or !ith saying that you are
cheated, or even !ith %etitioning hi" to %ay you your dueA but you take
effectual ste%s at once to obtain the full a"ount, and see that you
are never cheated again# )ction fro" %rinci%le&&the %erce%tion and the
%erfor"ance of right&&changes things and relationsA it is essentially
revolutionary, and does not consist !holly !ith anything !hich !as#
9t not only divides states and churches, it divides fa"iliesA ay,
it divides the BindividualB, se%arating the diabolical in hi" fro" the
divine#
5njust la!s eCistA shall !e be content to obey the", or shall !e
endeavor to a"end the", and obey the" until !e have succeeded, or shall
!e transgress the" at onceF >en generally, under such a govern"ent
as this, think that they ought to !ait until they have %ersuaded the
"ajority to alter the"# They think that, if they should resist,
the re"edy !ould be !orse than the evil# But it is the fault of the
govern"ent itself that the re"edy BisB !orse than the evil# B9tB "akes it
!orse# Why is it not "ore a%t to antici%ate and %rovide for refor"F Why
does it not cherish its !ise "inorityF Why does it cry and resist before
it is hurtF Why does it not encourage its citi?ens to be on the alert to
%oint out its faults, and BdoB better than it !ould have the"F Why does
it al!ays crucify Christ, and eCco""unicate Co%ernicus and 'uther, and
%ronounce Washington and 6ranklin rebelsF
One !ould think, that a deliberate and %ractical denial of its authority
!as the only offence never conte"%lated by govern"entA else, !hy has it
not assigned its definite, its suitable and %ro%ortionate, %enaltyF 9f a
"an !ho has no %ro%erty refuses but once to earn nine shillings for
the 8tate, he is %ut in %rison for a %eriod unli"ited by any la! that
9 kno!, and deter"ined only by the discretion of those !ho %laced hi"
thereA but if he should steal ninety ti"es nine shillings fro" the
8tate, he is soon %er"itted to go at large again#
9f the injustice is %art of the necessary friction of the "achine
of govern"ent, let it go, let it goA %erchance it !ill !ear
s"ooth&&certainly the "achine !ill !ear out# 9f the injustice has a
s%ring, or a %ulley, or a ro%e, or a crank, eCclusively for itself, then
%erha%s you "ay consider !hether the re"edy !ill not be !orse than the
evilA but if it is of such a nature that it re@uires you to be the agent
of injustice to another, then, 9 say, break the la!# 'et your life be
a counter friction to sto% the "achine# What 9 have to do is to see, at
any rate, that 9 do not lend "yself to the !rong !hich 9 conde"n#
)s for ado%ting the !ays !hich the 8tate has %rovided for re"edying the
evil, 9 kno! not of such !ays# They take too "uch ti"e, and a "anDs life
!ill be gone# 9 have other affairs to attend to# 9 ca"e into this !orld,
not chiefly to "ake this a good %lace to live in, but to live in it,
be it good or bad# ) "an has not everything to do, but so"ethingA and
because he cannot do BeverythingB, it is not necessary that he should do
Bso"ethingB !rong# 9t is not "y business to be %etitioning the Governor or
the 'egislature any "ore than it is theirs to %etition "eA and if they
should not hear "y %etition, !hat should 9 do thenF But in this case the
8tate has %rovided no !ayA its very Constitution is the evil# This "ay
see" to be harsh and stubborn and unconciliatoryA but it is to treat
!ith the ut"ost kindness and consideration the only s%irit that can
a%%reciate or deserves it# 8o is an change for the better, like birth
and death !hich convulse the body#
9 do not hesitate to say, that those !ho call the"selves )bolitionists
should at once effectually !ithdra! their su%%ort, both in %erson and
%ro%erty, fro" the govern"ent of >assachusetts, and not !ait till they
constitute a "ajority of one, before they suffer the right to %revail
through the"# 9 think that it is enough if they have God on their side,
!ithout !aiting for that other one# >oreover, any "an "ore right than
his neighbors constitutes a "ajority of one already#
9 "eet this )"erican govern"ent, or its re%resentative, the 8tate
govern"ent, directly, and face to face, once a year&&no "ore&&in
the %erson of its taC&gathererA this is the only "ode in !hich a "an
situated as 9 a" necessarily "eets itA and it then says distinctly,
3ecogni?e "eA and the si"%lest, the "ost effectual, and, in the %resent
%osture of affairs, the indis%ensablest "ode of treating !ith it on this
head, of eC%ressing your little satisfaction !ith and love for it, is
to deny it then# >y civil neighbor, the taC&gatherer, is the very "an 9
have to deal !ith&&for it is, after all, !ith "en and not !ith %arch"ent
that 9 @uarrel&&and he has voluntarily chosen to be an agent of the
govern"ent# o! shall he ever kno! !ell !hat he is and does as an
officer of the govern"ent, or as a "an, until he is obliged to consider
!hether he shall treat "e, his neighbor, for !ho" he has res%ect, as
a neighbor and !ell&dis%osed "an, or as a "aniac and disturber of the
%eace, and see if he can get over this obstruction to his neighborliness
!ithout a ruder and "ore i"%etuous thought or s%eech corres%onding !ith
his actionF 9 kno! this !ell, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if
ten "en !ho" 9 could na"e&&if ten BhonestB "en only&&ay, if BoneB O:E8T
"an, in this 8tate of >assachusetts, Bceasing to hold slavesB, !ere
actually to !ithdra! fro" this co%artnershi%, and be locked u% in the
county jail therefor, it !ould be the abolition of slavery in )"erica#
6or it "atters not ho! s"all the beginning "ay see" to be( !hat is once
!ell done is done forever# But !e love better to talk about it( that
!e say is our "ission# 3efor" kee%s "any scores of ne!s%a%ers in
its service, but not one "an# 9f "y estee"ed neighbor, the 8tateDs
a"bassador, !ho !ill devote his days to the settle"ent of the @uestion
of hu"an rights in the Council Cha"ber, instead of being threatened !ith
the %risons of Carolina, !ere to sit do!n the %risoner of >assachusetts,
that 8tate !hich is so anCious to foist the sin of slavery u%on her
sister&&though at %resent she can discover only an act of inhos%itality
to be the ground of a @uarrel !ith her&&the 'egislature !ould not !holly
!aive the subject the follo!ing !inter#
5nder a govern"ent !hich i"%risons any unjustly, the true %lace for a
just "an is also a %rison# The %ro%er %lace to&day, the only %lace !hich
>assachusetts has %rovided for her freer and less des%onding s%irits,
is in her %risons, to be %ut out and locked out of the 8tate by her o!n
act, as they have already %ut the"selves out by their %rinci%les# 9t is
there that the fugitive slave, and the >eCican %risoner on %arole, and
the 9ndian co"e to %lead the !rongs of his race, should find the"A
on that se%arate, but "ore free and honorable ground, !here the 8tate
%laces those !ho are not B!ithB her, but BagainstB her&&the only house in a
slave 8tate in !hich a free "an can abide !ith honor# 9f any think that
their influence !ould be lost there, and their voices no longer afflict
the ear of the 8tate, that they !ould not be as an ene"y !ithin its
!alls, they do not kno! by ho! "uch truth is stronger than error, nor
ho! "uch "ore elo@uently and effectively he can co"bat injustice !ho
has eC%erienced a little in his o!n %erson# Cast your !hole vote, not a
stri% of %a%er "erely, but your !hole influence# ) "inority is %o!erless
!hile it confor"s to the "ajorityA it is not even a "inority thenA but
it is irresistible !hen it clogs by its !hole !eight# 9f the alternative
is to kee% all just "en in %rison, or give u% !ar and slavery, the 8tate
!ill not hesitate !hich to choose# 9f a thousand "en !ere not to %ay
their taC&bills this year, that !ould not be a violent and bloody
"easure, as it !ould be to %ay the", and enable the 8tate to co""it
violence and shed innocent blood# This is, in fact, the definition of a
%eaceable revolution, if any such is %ossible# 9f the taC&gatherer, or
any other %ublic officer, asks "e, as one has done, EBut !hat shall
9 doFE "y ans!er is, E9f you really !ish to do anything, resign your
office#E When the subject has refused allegiance, and the officer has
resigned his office, then the revolution is acco"%lished# But even
su%%ose blood should flo!# 9s there not a sort of blood shed !hen the
conscience is !oundedF Through this !ound a "anDs real "anhood and
i""ortality flo! out, and he bleeds to an everlasting death# 9 see this
blood flo!ing no!#
9 have conte"%lated the i"%rison"ent of the offender, rather than the
sei?ure of his goods&&though both !ill serve the sa"e %ur%ose&&because
they !ho assert the %urest right, and conse@uently are "ost dangerous
to a corru%t 8tate, co""only have not s%ent "uch ti"e in accu"ulating
%ro%erty# To such the 8tate renders co"%aratively s"all service, and
a slight taC is !ont to a%%ear eCorbitant, %articularly if they are
obliged to earn it by s%ecial labor !ith their hands# 9f there !ere
one !ho lived !holly !ithout the use of "oney, the 8tate itself
!ould hesitate to de"and it of hi"# But the rich "an&&not to "ake any
invidious co"%arison&&is al!ays sold to the institution !hich "akes hi"
rich# )bsolutely s%eaking, the "ore "oney, the less virtueA for "oney
co"es bet!een a "an and his objects, and obtains the" for hi"A and
it !as certainly no great virtue to obtain it# 9t %uts to rest "any
@uestions !hich he !ould other!ise be taCed to ans!erA !hile the only
ne! @uestion !hich it %uts is the hard but su%erfluous one, ho! to
s%end it# Thus his "oral ground is taken fro" under his feet# The
o%%ortunities of living are di"inished in %ro%ortion as !hat are called
the E"eansE are increased# The best thing a "an can do for his culture
!hen he is rich is to endeavor to carry out those sche"es !hich he
entertained !hen he !as %oor# Christ ans!ered the erodians according to
their condition# E8ho! "e the tribute&"oney,E said heA&&and one took a
%enny out of his %ocketA&&if you use "oney !hich has the i"age of CHsar
on it, and !hich he has "ade current and valuable, that is, Bif you
are "en of the 8tateB, and gladly enjoy the advantages of CHsarDs
govern"ent, then %ay hi" back so"e of his o!n !hen he de"ands itA
E3ender therefore to CHsar that !hich is CHsarDs, and to God those
things !hich are GodDsE&&leaving the" no !iser than before as to !hich
!as !hichA for they did not !ish to kno!#
When 9 converse !ith the freest of "y neighbors, 9 %erceive that,
!hatever they "ay say about the "agnitude and seriousness of the
@uestion, and their regard for the %ublic tran@uillity, the long and
the short of the "atter is, that they cannot s%are the %rotection of the
eCisting govern"ent, and they dread the conse@uences to their %ro%erty
and fa"ilies of disobedience to it# 6or "y o!n %art, 9 should not like
to think that 9 ever rely on the %rotection of the 8tate# But, if 9 deny
the authority of the 8tate !hen it %resents its taC&bill, it !ill soon
take and !aste all "y %ro%erty, and so harass "e and "y children !ithout
end# This is hard# This "akes it i"%ossible for a "an to live honestly,
and at the sa"e ti"e co"fortably in out!ard res%ects# 9t !ill not be
!orth the !hile to accu"ulate %ro%ertyA that !ould be sure to go again#
$ou "ust hire or s@uat so"e!here, and raise but a s"all cro%, and eat
that soon# $ou "ust live !ithin yourself, and de%end u%on yourself
al!ays tucked u% and ready for a start, and not have "any affairs# )
"an "ay gro! rich in Turkey even, if he !ill be in all res%ects a
good subject of the Turkish govern"ent# Confucius said, E9f a state is
governed by the %rinci%les of reason, %overty and "isery are subjects
of sha"eA if a state is not governed by the %rinci%les of reason, riches
and honors are the subjects of sha"e#E :o( until 9 !ant the %rotection
of >assachusetts to be eCtended to "e in so"e distant 8outhern %ort,
!here "y liberty is endangered, or until 9 a" bent solely on building
u% an estate at ho"e by %eaceful enter%rise, 9 can afford to refuse
allegiance to >assachusetts, and her right to "y %ro%erty and life# 9t
costs "e less in every sense to incur the %enalty of disobedience to the
8tate than it !ould to obey# 9 should feel as if 9 !ere !orth less in
that case#
8o"e years ago, the 8tate "et "e in behalf of the Church, and co""anded
"e to %ay a certain su" to!ard the su%%ort of a clergy"an !hose
%reaching "y father attended, but never 9 "yself# EPay,E it said, Eor be
locked u% in the jail#E 9 declined to %ay# But, unfortunately, another
"an sa! fit to %ay it# 9 did not see !hy the school"aster should be
taCed to su%%ort the %riest, and not the %riest the school"aster( for
9 !as not the 8tateDs school"aster, but 9 su%%orted "yself by voluntary
subscri%tion# 9 did not see !hy the lyceu" should not %resent its
taC&bill, and have the 8tate to back its de"and, as !ell as the Church#
o!ever, at the re@uest of the select"en, 9 condescended to "ake so"e
such state"ent as this in !riting(&&E;no! all "en by these %resents,
that 9, enry Thoreau, do not !ish to be regarded as a "e"ber of any
incor%orated society !hich 9 have not joined#E This 9 gave to the to!n
clerkA and he has it# The 8tate, having thus learned that 9 did not !ish
to be regarded as a "e"ber of that church, has never "ade a like
de"and on "e sinceA though it said that it "ust adhere to its original
%resu"%tion that ti"e# 9f 9 had kno!n ho! to na"e the", 9 should then
have signed off in detail fro" all the societies !hich 9 never signed on
toA but 9 did not kno! !here to find a co"%lete list#
9 have %aid no %oll&taC for siC years# 9 !as %ut into a jail once on
this account, for one nightA and, as 9 stood considering the !alls of
solid stone, t!o or three feet thick, the door of !ood and iron, a foot
thick, and the iron grating !hich strained the light, 9 could not hel%
being struck !ith the foolishness of that institution !hich treated "e
as if 9 !ere "ere flesh and blood and bones, to be locked u%# 9 !ondered
that it should have concluded at length that this !as the best use it
could %ut "e to, and had never thought to avail itself of "y services
in so"e !ay# 9 sa! that, if there !as a !all of stone bet!een "e and
"y to!ns"en, there !as a still "ore difficult one to cli"b or break
through, before they could get to be as free as 9 !as# 9 did not for a
"o"ent feel confined, and the !alls see"ed a great !aste of stone and
"ortar# 9 felt as if 9 alone of all "y to!ns"en had %aid "y taC# They
%lainly did not kno! ho! to treat "e, but behaved like %ersons !ho are
underbred# 9n every threat and in every co"%li"ent there !as a blunderA
for they thought that "y chief desire !as to stand the other side of
that stone !all# 9 could not but s"ile to see ho! industriously they
locked the door on "y "editations, !hich follo!ed the" out again !ithout
let or hindrance, and BtheyB !ere really all that !as dangerous# )s they
could not reach "e, they had resolved to %unish "y bodyA just as boys,
if they cannot co"e at so"e %erson against !ho" they have a s%ite, !ill
abuse his dog# 9 sa! that the 8tate !as half&!itted, that it !as ti"id
as a lone !o"an !ith her silver s%oons, and that it did not kno! its
friends fro" its foes, and 9 lost all "y re"aining res%ect for it, and
%itied it#
Thus the 8tate never intentionally confronts a "anDs sense, intellectual
or "oral, but only his body, his senses# 9t is not ar"ed !ith su%erior
!it or honesty, but !ith su%erior %hysical strength# 9 !as not born to
be forced# 9 !ill breathe after "y o!n fashion# 'et us see !ho is the
strongest# What force has a "ultitudeF They only can force "e !ho obey a
higher la! than 9# They force "e to beco"e like the"selves# 9 do not
hear of B"enB being BforcedB to have this !ay or that by "asses of "en#
What sort of life !ere that to liveF When 9 "eet a govern"ent !hich says
to "e, E$our "oney or your life,E !hy should 9 be in haste to give it "y
"oneyF 9t "ay be in a great strait, and not kno! !hat to do( 9 cannot
hel% that# 9t "ust hel% itselfA do as 9 do# 9t is not !orth the !hile to
snivel about it# 9 a" not res%onsible for the successful !orking of the
"achinery of society# 9 a" not the son of the engineer# 9 %erceive that,
!hen an acorn and a chestnut fall side by side, the one does not re"ain
inert to "ake !ay for the other, but both obey their o!n la!s, and
s%ring and gro! and flourish as best they can, till one, %erchance,
overshado!s and destroys the other# 9f a %lant cannot live according to
its nature, it diesA and so a "an#
The night in %rison !as novel and interesting enough# The %risoners
in their shirt&sleeves !ere enjoying a chat and the evening air in the
door!ay, !hen 9 entered# But the jailer said, ECo"e, boys, it is ti"e
to lock u%EA and so they dis%ersed, and 9 heard the sound of their ste%s
returning into the hollo! a%art"ents# >y roo"&"ate !as introduced to "e
by the jailer as Ea first&rate fello! and a clever "an#E When the
door !as locked, he sho!ed "e !here to hang "y hat, and ho! he "anaged
"atters there# The roo"s !ere !hite!ashed once a "onthA and this one, at
least, !as the !hitest, "ost si"%ly furnished, and %robably the neatest
a%art"ent in the to!n# e naturally !anted to kno! !here 9 ca"e fro",
and !hat brought "e thereA and, !hen 9 had told hi", 9 asked hi" in "y
turn ho! he ca"e there, %resu"ing hi" to be an honest "an, of courseA
and, as the !orld goes, 9 believe he !as# EWhy,E said he, Ethey accuse
"e of burning a barnA but 9 never did it#E )s near as 9 could discover,
he had %robably gone to bed in a barn !hen drunk, and s"oked his %i%e
thereA and so a barn !as burnt# e had the re%utation of being a clever
"an, had been there so"e three "onths !aiting for his trial to co"e on,
and !ould have to !ait as "uch longerA but he !as @uite do"esticated and
contented, since he got his board for nothing, and thought that he !as
!ell treated#
e occu%ied one !indo!, and 9 the otherA and 9 sa! that if one stayed
there long, his %rinci%al business !ould be to look out the !indo!# 9
had soon read all the tracts that !ere left there, and eCa"ined !here
for"er %risoners had broken out, and !here a grate had been sa!ed off,
and heard the history of the various occu%ants of that roo"A for 9 found
that even here there !as a history and a gossi% !hich never circulated
beyond the !alls of the jail# Probably this is the only house in
the to!n !here verses are co"%osed, !hich are after!ard %rinted in
a circular for", but not %ublished# 9 !as sho!n @uite a long list of
verses !hich !ere co"%osed by so"e young "en !ho had been detected in an
atte"%t to esca%e, !ho avenged the"selves by singing the"#
9 %u"%ed "y fello!&%risoner as dry as 9 could, for fear 9 should never
see hi" againA but at length he sho!ed "e !hich !as "y bed, and left "e
to blo! out the la"%#
9t !as like travelling into a far country, such as 9 had never eC%ected
to behold, to lie there for one night# 9t see"ed to "e that 9 never
had heard the to!n&clock strike before, nor the evening sounds of the
villageA for !e sle%t !ith the !indo!s o%en, !hich !ere inside the
grating# 9t !as to see "y native village in the light of the >iddle
)ges, and our Concord !as turned into a 3hine strea", and visions
of knights and castles %assed before "e# They !ere the voices of old
burghers that 9 heard in the streets# 9 !as an involuntary s%ectator
and auditor of !hatever !as done and said in the kitchen of the adjacent
village&inn&&a !holly ne! and rare eC%erience to "e# 9t !as a closer
vie! of "y native to!n# 9 !as fairly inside of it# 9 never had seen its
institutions before# This is one of its %eculiar institutionsA for it is
a shire to!n# 9 began to co"%rehend !hat its inhabitants !ere about#
9n the "orning, our breakfasts !ere %ut through the hole in the door,
in s"all oblong&s@uare tin %ans, "ade to fit, and holding a %int of
chocolate, !ith bro!n bread, and an iron s%oon# When they called for the
vessels again, 9 !as green enough to return !hat bread 9 had leftA but
"y co"rade sei?ed it, and said that 9 should lay that u% for lunch or
dinner# 8oon after he !as let out to !ork at haying in a neighboring
field, !hither he !ent every day, and !ould not be back till noonA so he
bade "e good&day, saying that he doubted if he should see "e again#
When 9 ca"e out of %rison&&for so"e one interfered, and %aid that taC&&9
did not %erceive that great changes had taken %lace on the co""on,
such as he observed !ho !ent in a youth and e"erged a tottering
and gray&headed "anA and yet a change had to "y eyes co"e over the
scene&&the to!n, and 8tate, and country&&greater than any that "ere ti"e
could effect# 9 sa! yet "ore distinctly the 8tate in !hich 9 lived# 9
sa! to !hat eCtent the %eo%le a"ong !ho" 9 lived could be trusted as
good neighbors and friendsA that their friendshi% !as for su""er !eather
onlyA that they did not greatly %ro%ose to do rightA that they !ere
a distinct race fro" "e by their %rejudices and su%erstitions, as the
China"en and >alays areA that in their sacrifices to hu"anity, they ran
no risks, not even to their %ro%ertyA that after all they !ere not so
noble but they treated the thief as he had treated the", and ho%ed, by
a certain out!ard observance and a fe! %rayers, and by !alking in a
%articular straight though useless %ath fro" ti"e to ti"e, to save their
souls# This "ay be to judge "y neighbors harshlyA for 9 believe that
"any of the" are not a!are that they have such an institution as the
jail in their village#
9t !as for"erly the custo" in our village, !hen a %oor debtor ca"e out
of jail, for his ac@uaintances to salute hi", looking through their
fingers, !hich !ere crossed to re%resent the grating of a jail !indo!,
Eo! do ye doFE >y neighbors did not thus salute "e, but first looked at
"e, and then at one another, as if 9 had returned fro" a long journey# 9
!as %ut into jail as 9 !as going to the shoe"akerDs to get a shoe !hich
!as "ended# When 9 !as let out the neCt "orning, 9 %roceeded to finish
"y errand, and, having %ut on "y "ended shoe, joined a huckleberry
%arty, !ho !ere i"%atient to %ut the"selves under "y conductA and in
half an hour&&for the horse !as soon tackled&&!as in the "idst of a
huckleberry field, on one of our highest hills, t!o "iles off, and then
the 8tate !as no!here to be seen#
This is the !hole history of E>y Prisons#E
7 7 7 7 7
9 have never declined %aying the high!ay taC, because 9 a" as desirous
of being a good neighbor as 9 a" of being a bad subjectA and as for
su%%orting schools, 9 a" doing "y %art to educate "y fello!&country"en
no!# 9t is for no %articular ite" in the taC&bill that 9 refuse to %ay
it# 9 si"%ly !ish to refuse allegiance to the 8tate, to !ithdra! and
stand aloof fro" it effectually# 9 do not care to trace the course of
"y dollar, if 9 could, till it buys a "an or a "usket to shoot one
!ith&&the dollar is innocent&&but 9 a" concerned to trace the effects of
"y allegiance# 9n fact, 9 @uietly declare !ar !ith the 8tate, after "y
fashion, though 9 !ill still "ake !hat use and get !hat advantage of her
9 can, as is usual in such cases#
9f others %ay the taC !hich is de"anded of "e, fro" a sy"%athy !ith the
8tate, they do but !hat they have already done in their o!n case, or
rather they abet injustice to a greater eCtent than the 8tate re@uires#
9f they %ay the taC fro" a "istaken interest in the individual taCed, to
save his %ro%erty, or %revent his going to jail, it is because they have
not considered !isely ho! far they let their %rivate feelings interfere
!ith the %ublic good#
This, then, is "y %osition at %resent# But one cannot be too "uch on his
guard in such a case, lest his action be biased by obstinacy or an
undue regard for the o%inions of "en# 'et hi" see that he does only !hat
belongs to hi"self and to the hour#
9 think so"eti"es, Why, this %eo%le "ean !ellA they are only ignorantA
they !ould do better if they kne! ho!( !hy give your neighbors this %ain
to treat you as they are not inclined toF But 9 think, again, This is
no reason !hy 9 should do as they do, or %er"it others to suffer "uch
greater %ain of a different kind# )gain, 9 so"eti"es say to "yself, When
"any "illions of "en, !ithout heat, !ithout ill&!ill, !ithout %ersonal
feeling of any kind, de"and of you a fe! shillings only, !ithout the
%ossibility, such is their constitution, of retracting or altering their
%resent de"and, and !ithout the %ossibility, on your side, of a%%eal
to any other "illions, !hy eC%ose yourself to this over!hel"ing brute
forceF $ou do not resist cold and hunger, the !inds and the !aves, thus
obstinatelyA you @uietly sub"it to a thousand si"ilar necessities# $ou
do not %ut your head into the fire# But just in %ro%ortion as 9 regard
this as not !holly a brute force, but %artly a hu"an force, and consider
that 9 have relations to those "illions as to so "any "illions of
"en, and not of "ere brute or inani"ate things, 9 see that a%%eal is
%ossible, first and instantaneously, fro" the" to the >aker of
the", and, secondly, fro" the" to the"selves# But, if 9 %ut "y head
deliberately into the fire, there is no a%%eal to fire or to the >aker
of fire, and 9 have only "yself to bla"e# 9f 9 could convince "yself
that 9 have any right to be satisfied !ith "en as they are, and to
treat the" accordingly, and not according, in so"e res%ects, to "y
re@uisitions and eC%ectations of !hat they and 9 ought to be, then, like
a good >ussul"an and fatalist, 9 should endeavor to be satisfied !ith
things as they are, and say it is the !ill of God# )nd, above all, there
is this difference bet!een resisting this and a %urely brute or natural
force, that 9 can resist this !ith so"e effectA but 9 cannot eC%ect,
like Or%heus, to change the nature of the rocks and trees and beasts#
9 do not !ish to @uarrel !ith any "an or nation# 9 do not !ish to s%lit
hairs, to "ake fine distinctions, or set "yself u% as better than "y
neighbors# 9 seek rather, 9 "ay say, even an eCcuse for confor"ing to
the la!s of the land# 9 a" but too ready to confor" to the"# 9ndeed,
9 have reason to sus%ect "yself on this headA and each year, as the
taC&gatherer co"es round, 9 find "yself dis%osed to revie! the acts and
%osition of the general and 8tate govern"ents, and the s%irit of the
%eo%le, to discover a %reteCt for confor"ity#
EWe "ust affect our country as our %arents,
)nd if at any ti"e !e alienate
Our love or industry fro" doing it honor,
We "ust res%ect effects and teach the soul
>atter of conscience and religion,
)nd not desire of rule or benefit#E
9 believe that the 8tate !ill soon be able to take all "y !ork of this
sort out of "y hands, and then 9 shall be no better a %atriot than "y
fello!&country"en# 8een fro" a lo!er %oint of vie!, the Constitution,
!ith all its faults, is very goodA the la! and the courts are very
res%ectableA even this 8tate and this )"erican govern"ent are, in "any
res%ects, very ad"irable and rare things, to be thankful for, such as a
great "any have described the"A but seen fro" a %oint of vie! a little
higher, they are !hat 9 have described the"A seen fro" a higher still,
and the highest, !ho shall say !hat they are, or that they are !orth
looking at or thinking of at allF
o!ever, the govern"ent does not concern "e "uch, and 9 shall besto! the
fe!est %ossible thoughts on it# 9t is not "any "o"ents that 9 live under
a govern"ent, even in this !orld# 9f a "an is thought&free, fancy&free,
i"agination&free, that !hich Bis notB never for a long ti"e a%%earing Bto
beB to hi", un!ise rulers or refor"ers cannot fatally interru%t hi"#
9 kno! that "ost "en think differently fro" "yselfA but those !hose
lives are by %rofession devoted to the study of these or kindred
subjects, content "e as little as any# 8tates"en and legislators,
standing so co"%letely !ithin the institution, never distinctly
and nakedly behold it# They s%eak of "oving society, but have no
resting&%lace !ithout it# They "ay be "en of a certain eC%erience and
discri"ination, and have no doubt invented ingenious and even useful
syste"s, for !hich !e sincerely thank the"A but all their !it and
usefulness lie !ithin certain not very !ide li"its# They are !ont to
forget that the !orld is not governed by %olicy and eC%ediency# Webster
never goes behind govern"ent, and so cannot s%eak !ith authority
about it# is !ords are !isdo" to those legislators !ho conte"%late no
essential refor" in the eCisting govern"entA but for thinkers, and those
!ho legislate for all ti"e, he never once glances at the subject# 9 kno!
of those !hose serene and !ise s%eculations on this the"e !ould soon
reveal the li"its of his "indDs range and hos%itality# $et, co"%ared
!ith the chea% %rofessions of "ost refor"ers, and the still chea%er
!isdo" and elo@uence of %oliticians in general, his are al"ost the only
sensible and valuable !ords, and !e thank eaven for hi"# Co"%aratively,
he is al!ays strong, original, and, above all, %ractical# 8till, his
@uality is not !isdo", but %rudence# The la!yerDs truth is not truth,
but consistency or a consistent eC%ediency# Truth is al!ays in har"ony
!ith herself, and is not concerned chiefly to reveal the justice that
"ay consist !ith !rong&doing# e !ell deserves to be called, as he has
been called, the Defender of the Constitution# There are really no
blo!s to be given by hi" but defensive ones# e is not a leader, but a
follo!er# is leaders are the "en of D.O# E9 have never "ade an effort,E
he says, Eand never %ro%ose to "ake an effortA 9 have never countenanced
an effort, and never "ean to countenance an effort, to disturb the
arrange"ent as originally "ade, by !hich the various 8tates ca"e into
the 5nion#E 8till thinking of the sanction !hich the Constitution gives
to slavery, he says, EBecause it !as a %art of the original co"%act&&let
it stand#E :ot!ithstanding his s%ecial acuteness and ability, he is
unable to take a fact out of its "erely %olitical relations, and behold
it as it lies absolutely to be dis%osed of by the intellect&&!hat, for
instance, it behooves a "an to do here in )"erica to&day !ith regard to
slavery, but ventures, or is driven, to "ake so"e such des%erate ans!er
as the follo!ing, !hile %rofessing to s%eak absolutely, and as a %rivate
"an&&fro" !hich !hat ne! and singular code of social duties "ight be
inferredF EThe "anner,E says he, Ein !hich the govern"ents of those
8tates !here slavery eCists are to regulate it is for their o!n
consideration, under their res%onsibility to their constituents, to
the general la!s of %ro%riety, hu"anity, and justice, and to God#
)ssociations for"ed else!here, s%ringing fro" a feeling of hu"anity, or
any other cause, have nothing !hatever to do !ith it# They have never
received any encourage"ent fro" "e, and they never !ill#E
They !ho kno! of no %urer sources of truth, !ho have traced u% its
strea" no higher, stand, and !isely stand, by the Bible and the
Constitution, and drink at it there !ith reverence and hu"ilityA but
they !ho behold !here it co"es trickling into this lake or that %ool,
gird u% their loins once "ore, and continue their %ilgri"age to!ard its
fountain&head#
:o "an !ith a genius for legislation has a%%eared in )"erica# They are
rare in the history of the !orld# There are orators, %oliticians, and
elo@uent "en, by the thousandA but the s%eaker has not yet o%ened his
"outh to s%eak !ho is ca%able of settling the "uch&veCed @uestions of
the day# We love elo@uence for its o!n sake, and not for any truth !hich
it "ay utter, or any herois" it "ay ins%ire# Our legislators have not
yet learned the co"%arative value of free&trade and of freedo", of
union, and of rectitude, to a nation# They have no genius or talent for
co"%aratively hu"ble @uestions of taCation and finance, co""erce and
"anufacturers and agriculture# 9f !e !ere left solely to the !ordy
!it of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the
seasonable eC%erience and the effectual co"%laints of the %eo%le,
)"erica !ould not long retain her rank a"ong the nations# 6or eighteen
hundred years, though %erchance 9 have no right to say it, the :e!
Testa"ent has been !rittenA yet !here is the legislator !ho has !isdo"
and %ractical talent enough to avail hi"self of the light !hich it sheds
on the science of legislationF
The authority of govern"ent, even such as 9 a" !illing to sub"it to&&for
9 !ill cheerfully obey those !ho kno! and can do better than 9, and in
"any things even those !ho neither kno! nor can do so !ell&&is still an
i"%ure one( to be strictly just, it "ust have the sanction and consent
of the governed# 9t can have no %ure right over "y %erson and %ro%erty
but !hat 9 concede to it# The %rogress fro" an absolute to a li"ited
"onarchy, fro" a li"ited "onarchy to a de"ocracy, is a %rogress to!ard
a true res%ect for the individual# Even the Chinese %hiloso%her !as
!ise enough to regard the individual as the basis of the e"%ire# 9s
a de"ocracy, such as !e kno! it, the last i"%rove"ent %ossible
in govern"entF 9s it not %ossible to take a ste% further to!ards
recogni?ing and organi?ing the rights of "anF There !ill never be a
really free and enlightened 8tate until the 8tate co"es to recogni?e
the individual as a higher and inde%endent %o!er, fro" !hich all its o!n
%o!er and authority are derived, and treats hi" accordingly# 9 %lease
"yself !ith i"agining a 8tate at least !hich can afford to be just to
all "en, and to treat the individual !ith res%ect as a neighborA !hich
even !ould not think it inconsistent !ith its o!n re%ose if a fe! !ere
to live aloof fro" it, not "eddling !ith it, nor e"braced by it, !ho
fulfilled all the duties of neighbors and fello!&"en# ) 8tate !hich bore
this kind of fruit, and suffered it to dro% off as fast as it ri%ened,
!ould %re%are the !ay for a still "ore %erfect and glorious 8tate, !hich
also 9 have i"agined, but not yet any!here seen#
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil
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