New-York tribune., 1881-07-19
HENRY ID. THOREIU.

GRAPHIC STORY OF HIS HERMIT LIFE.
TOLD AT THE CONCORD SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY BY
ONE OF his FAMILIAR FRIEEDs
lFRoM An oCcAsIoNh CoRREsroNDE&r or rIr TRIBUNE.
BOsroN, July 1S.-At the Concord school of Phil
osophy last week. after the paper upon The Phil
osophy of the state, read by Ur Elisha milford,
and during the subsequent discussion, Mr. \. Bron-
son Alcott gave a lively sketch of Henry ID. Thor
eau's hermit life. Thorcau had peculiar rhoso-
ply about the relations of men in society, and Mr.
Alcott was perfectly familiar with it and with all
of the events he spoke Of II was the morality of
using things which immoral men have had a share
i'll making which Mr.. Alcotts .hcme and lac
mentioned even the impossihility of getting
" moral potato hecau~c some injustice or wrong to
somebody is certain to bc involved in some process
of raising IT. This opened the way to Thorcau's
potato experiment and his whole hermit life.
There was once man in this very town." said
Mr.. Alcott to the Concord philosophers, and YOU
all know him so well that may as we'll name him
Henry II. Ihorrau-who believed that he ought not
to eat potatoes which raised by the oppression
of the laborer lie believed that he shold supply
all his own wants get ~ nearyas possible to state
of nature, and not bc dependent upon men for any
thing. 50 he set ont 10 raise h- own POTATOES But
he had no land and he had 10 means OF getting it.
So he seemed likely to fail III the start But very
excellent man. toward whom avn now pointing
stretching his hand toward the bust of Ralph
Waldo EnersOn], said 10 him: Henry we all call
him Henry HERE have some lands on the shore OF
blue-cyed Walden. 1t * pretty sandy and is COW
cred with brush and il not very good for pota-
toes. But if you want to 20 there and try
| living alone, you welcome 10 the use
of the land. | will not charge you any
rent So Henry found his land. but he could do
nothing without an axe. 'Wcn,' said he, must
compromise here with society | must borrow an
axe So ne borrowed the and tins was tho very
|
Mr. Acott lived thrnl. lie went baok into the
woods and cut trees to make him-a shanty. shall
call il no-a hermitage. Bat hc could not get il M
alone. and he had 10 ask of us ms friends 10
come over and help hin. Well. wo went and
helped him. OF course he dil not pay
us. That would have been contrary 10 his pruci-
pies, but he had 10 compromise there AGAIN with
society, and were glad to help him. Neither did
he have anything strong To offer MS. We behaved
like gentlemen and the raising was conducted on
temperance principles. Bur hc would take no fur
ther help from rs after he got his frame mp. Next
he wanted some boards. II happened that
an irishman near HIM had built a new
house and had no further use ior his old one So
Henry went 10 hm and made a bargain for some of
the old boards But he was able 70 get them with
ont help, Tor the lrshluan wanted sury ying
done. and Henry good surveyor. So D., did I'm,
survey ing for the boards. for hc believed that bar
ter of that sort right. 80 he made his lnt. lie
went 10 the shor- OF the lake and brought up stones
for chimney, and he made the mortar and laid the
stones with ms own hands lie dug pOtatn hole in
the ho.r of ms hut and covered II with trip-door
that ms e1i"us crop might be protected aud very
NJ nrtL ~ MN nus u" was provided with food and
shelter lMr. Aicott forgot 10 state where Ih0rrau
got his seed potatoes but said he, must have
clothes. can't make them mysclf II is against
my principles to get them where any wrong i IN
volved in making them; but there IL my aunt; she
IS good woman; will get her to make thom but
Alcott, Laughing to himself ~ tie picture Of Thor
rhn @ III thnt home-spnn suit came mp IN his memory.
she made the Clothes and they pretty much
a
around
"Thoreau lived in that place for eighteen months.
ION another occasiun-at the CoucoGd school last
year-Mr. Alcott told how Thoreau's philosophy was
helped along by provisions brought from home and
how glad he was to taste his mothers bel lie
Withdrew almost wholly from human companion-
that. like my friends, but | cannot be IA part of
society where so much wrong ia done. Here is our
Government stealing Texas and trying to steal half
Mexico iere is African slavery. will not
live in the society, which tocrates such things.
shall be my companions They are chaste and ailec-
tionate and do no moral wrong. But shall take
sits on the bough No, that IL not y bird which
% Iles on the ground at my feet. Il is a mere
me-. 80 Henry studied the BIRDS as he saw them
around him he learned their habits and wrote their
biographies: they came TO know him and would
and sit on his hand, and he would study their den
tiStry while they were cracking nuts. 80 he lived
among his pets, and sometimes distinguished visitors
went to see him.
AT last, however one day there came a man who
sald Henry want you should pay Il tax of
dollar and II hall on your bead. why should
pay tax ON my head y said Henry. have moth
ing to DO with society. TO be sure, ] was born III
Concord, but could not help that. | stay here be-
cause 1T is pleasant here, and like to be with my
friends. But have nothing to do with the town OF
Concord. Well said the man, You live in the
town ana you must pay your poi-tax. But |
haven't any dollar ana half said Henry; Il
haven't any money, and | wouldn't pay YOU if
had. Very We'll said the man, do you know what
we shall do with YOU if yon don't payP why, there
are some stone walls over there, and presume you
VIII put me inside them That was exactly what
they did. They shut hn up in prison because he
would not pay his poll-tax. 'Wcll' he said, il
seems cannot do rs wish but society steps in. |
was born here without any choice of my own, and
now society shut, mo up in jail and takes away my
liberty IL shuts me up BECAUSE refuse to do wrong,
and here AN among lot of men il has shut
up because they have done wrong. This looks like
good missionary ground, and | will talk aud work
among these men! So he became intimate with the
prisoners, and talked among them great deal. one
day very distinguished visitor Ralph Waldo En-
crsonl came to see HIM and asked: Henry, why
you here Walio, why are you not hegcf was the
retort After ThoIcau had been ia prison
weeks the iailcr came and said that he could go,
that tncnd OF his Emerson had paid his tax. But
dldnt ask hum to pay my tax said Ih0reau; |
ddmt gave hin any authority to do il. Besides,
don't want 30 go out | am doing good wor. among
these prisoners and would rather stay. You took
away my liberty by putting me in here against my
WILL and now YOU take away my liberty by sending
me out against my wl."
Mr.. Aicott dropped the Ihoreau biography at this
point returned 10 his leading thought of the
leSsness OF running away lr9m society 10 escape the
evil Ia the world aud asserted the supremacy of the