New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-05
A PILGRIMAGE TO CONCORD.

Worshipers at the Shrine Of Hawthorne
and the Present Abode of Emerson and
AIcott-The Last House Hawthorne
Lived In.
Mrs. Louise Chandler Moulton writes
from Boston to the New York Tribune the
following charming account OF visit to
the home of the philosophers
This world is not all vale of tears, since
! it contains Concord. l went there yester-
| day and saw its pleasant ways for myself
| There is new club called "Our Club" OF
which Mr.. Alcott is guide, philosopher, and
| friend, and he invited us to meet with him
| Yesterday at Concord. We were to picnic
| in his grounds, had the weather been fine:
| as it wasn't, we passed most of the day in
his house. Carriages awaited US at the de-
pot, and we drove through the peaceful,
pretty town, green with the fresh verdure
| of June, and white and fragrant with fruit
trees in blossom. We passed the new IL
brary, which is the pride of the place. The
literature of Concord is, no doubt it's relig
ion; 80. very appropriately, the library is
built like church-quasi-G Gothic, and
| with an ambitious spire. Indeed some
one one exclaimed, what pretty
church, but our smiling and gratided
driver said, proudly and sententiously,
"NO, nam, that the library" We passed
also Mr. Emersons large, unpretending,
Vet most comfortable and delightful house,
which has been rebuilt to look precisely as
| of old. before the envious flame devoured
! it. At last-driying along that road over
| which the British regulars marched in the
sunshine, hundred years ago-we stopped
| before Mr.. AlcOtt's gate. The rustic
fence, at which we all look curiously, Is
sacred. because the hands OF the philos@-
pher himself cut and arranged every Stlck S
| It ia fashioned of graceful boughs, and
Quaint, gnarled trunks of trees. 1t shuts
in a great green yard, and some wonderful
elms. that must be hundreds of years old
II was in this house that Robert Hagburn
l,ved-the early lover and at last the hus-
hand of Rose Garfield, in "Septimius
Felton, Hawthorne speaks of the re,
! treating hill behind; the great elms; ana
| the old house, (Which the magic hand OF
Alcott has improved by tue touch thaI
throws grace, amiableness and natural
beauty over scenes that have little preten-
| sion in themselves
Can YOU guess the delight Of being wei
| coined at such a gate, at such a nome, Dy
revered and beloved man, whose face is a
| benediction, whose silver hai1 is crown OF
| glory. and whose mild. persuasive voice
| never spoke, as l truly believe, one harsh
| or ungenerous word in all the many years
ba has snoken to his fellows! Behind him
came his two tall and slender daughters
I,ouisa who has told the story of herself
and her three sisters in Little Women" to
| the largest public that ever read any
| iuyenile book, and May, of whose artistic
gifts have more to say hereafter There
Are welcomes and welcomes. There is the
polite welcome, of which you can not com
plain, but which does not set you at yonr
ease, and there is the cordial welcome
which makes YOU glad you have come. The
one we received was Of the latter order.
The barometer had been falling-we had
been doubtful whether to go or to stay at
home-but at the sight OF these three
friendly faces we were sure that we had not
made mistake, whatever were the weather.
We went in and rambled like explorers
over the rooms, finding new attractions
everywhere. l wish l could tell you how
pretty and how peculiar it was. The house
has been built between one and two hun
drei wears. When it came into Mr.. Alcorts
possession, some sixteen years ago, he was
fold he would have to pull it dewn and put
M a new dwelling on the old site If he
wanted to live there. But he sent for ex-
perts to examine it, and they assured him
| that no builder Of to-day would pretend to
put I'D SO strong superstructure. Inc
great beams were of solid oak and the nails
of wrought iron, and there was no weak
ness anywhere to keep it from standing for
centuries more. So, instead OF pulling
down, he repaired and beautitied. He kept
all the Quaint, oldfashiOned peculiarltles.
and made each one serve some purpose OF
adornment. Miss Louisa said, laughingly,
that her father made Gothic brackets to set
tin pans on; and, indeed, did not see
single corner in the whole house that had
not some artistic charm Here was
quantity shaped jug: there curious cary
inc: wonder a vase of flowers, and every
where pictures This brings me back to
Miss May Alcott pleasant person to re-
turn to, by the way.
She was born all artist. The walls of her
own room were covered with her chlldlsh
sketches and the house was full OF the
more finished work of her later years. 10
look at her copies OF Turner almost made
you believe in the transmigratlOn OF souls.
Others have copied form ana color, but she
had rot alone rendered these external tea
lures, but bad infused into them the very
soul of the original, till should think Tur-
| ner's ghost must find it hard to tell which
were his own and which we're hers. l was
| not surprised to learn that John Ruskin-
| Turner's prophet and idOlater-had taken
| Miss Nav to his heart need l explain to a
censorious world that do not mean this
| LITERAL y!)--and considers her to be the one
person who has right to copy the works
| of his idol. These copies are SO full OF Won
derful color that they would make bright
| the darkest day, and almost warm the cold
est one.
Then there were lovely flower pictures
| originals, these-painted on black panel, as
| is the pretty fashion of the present hour.
| This fashion has been scarcely introduced
| abroad as yet-give America credit for one
novel idea in art-sO that there is both an
| English and a French demand for these pic
lures, which Miss Alcott sends abroad. re-
| ceiving foreign gold in return. Is not this
MI pYnOrtIOp works
of art to delight the 'etfete civilizations"
etc.
What with flowers and pictures, and
philosophy, we were happy till lunch time,
| and then we had new pleasure in being
served with our coffee and sandwiches by
| the very 'little men" Of Miss Alcott's
charming book. They are Mr. Alcott's
| grandchildren, such grave, courteous, sweet
| faced, gentle and gentlemanly little men as
a philosophers grandchildren ought TO be.
After lunch we waited for Mr.. Emerson,
| who was to Join us and hear Dr. Bartol's
| paper; for to read paper, you know is
| the one thing without which a Boston club
| couldn't meet, even in Concord, where all
| the birds we're singing, and all the trees in
| bloom. As we waited, we talked how
wisely and how well l will leave you to
| conjecture. At last came Mr.. Emerson, his
| wife, and some guests; and we went into
the library. Fancy cozy room with GRIM
| son carpet, and all the deep seated, COM
Portable chairs and lounges covered with
| crimson likewise, with crimson cloth on the
| great table with books where there were
not pictures and pictures wherever there
we're not books, and the odd spaces full of
flowers. A cheerful fire burned in the
chimney, by way of recognition of the
cloudy day, but all the windows were open,
and all the merry birds tried to outsing DR..
Bartol and pretend that they knew more
about Shakespeare than he did. For this
| auh;act was ..ShakesDeare's Personality in