The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-07-23
HERMIT THOREAU.
a GRAPHIC sKETCH OF HIS LIRE IL
THE WOODS.
A Tals More Interesting than d USnAllS
Told at lhe Concord school Of PhilO-
Aophy-TsIG By One OEThOFeAu's
most Familiar Friends.

BosToS, July ls,-Atth the Concord School
Of Philosophy last week, alter the paper
upon "Ths Philosophy Of the State" read
by DR.. Elisha milford, and duriDgt the sub
sequent discussion, Mr., A. Bronson AlCott
gave q lively sketch Of Henry D. Thoreau's
hermit life. Thorsau had a peculiar
philosophy about the relations Of men in
society, and Mr.. Alcott was perfectly
familiar with 1t and with all Of the events
hsspoke Of. II was the morality oil using
things which immoral men have had q
share in making which was Mr.. Alcotts
theme, and he mentioned even the impos.
slbility OF getting Q "morsl" potato, be-
cause some injustice or wrongt to somebody
ia certain to be involved in some process
OF raising 1t, This opened the way TO
Thoresu's potato experiment and his
whole hermit life.
EMRRsoN'S OFFER,
"There was once . man in this very
town." said Mr., Alcott to the Concord
philosophers, "and you all know him so
we'll that l may as we'll name him-Henry
D, T~horsau-who believed that he ought
not to eat potatoes which were raiGed by
the oppression OF the laboreT, He be-
lieyed that he should supply all his own
wants, get as nearly as possible to a state
OF nature, and not be dependent upon
men for anything. So be set ont to raise
his W potatoes. But he had ne land
and he had no Q Of getting II. So he
seemed likely to fail OF the start, But q
very exCellant man, toward whom ] am
Inow pointing [stTetChing his hand toward
! the bust OF Ralph Waldo Emsrsonl, said
to him: 'Henry'-we all call him Henry
here-I have some lands on the shore Of
blue.eyed Walden, 1t is pretty sandy and
Is covered with brush, and Is not very
good for potatoes. But II you WantIto 90
there and try living alone, you are welcome
10 the use oil the land, | will not
charge you any rent So Henry found
his land, but he could do nothing without
an axe. WELL said he, I must com.
promise here with society, ! must borrow
an axe So he borrowed the K and this
was the very house where he got It 1.-THE
Orchard House, where Mr., 'AlCott lived
then.1 He went back into the woods
and cut trees to make him-a shanty,
shall l call III no-a hermitage. But he
could not get 1t up alone, and 30 he had TO
ask some Of Us, his friends, to come over
and help him. Well, we went and helped
him. Ot course, he did not pay US. That
would have been contrary to his prinCi'
pies, but he had to compromise there
again with society, and We were glad to
help him. Neither did be have anything
strong to offer Us. We behaved like gen
tlemen, and the raising was conducted on
temperance principles. But he would take
no further help from US after he got biz
IRENE up. Next he wanted some boards
1t 80 happened that an Irishman near him
had builta new house, and had no further
use for bis old one. So Henry wenl
to him and made q bargain for
some OF the old boards. But he was able
to yet them without help, Tor the Irish
man wanted some surveying done, and
Henry was q good surveyor. So he did
the surveying for the boards, for he be-
lieved that barter OF that sort was right,
So he made his hut. lie went to the
shore OF the lake and brought up stones
for q chimney, and he made mortar and
laid the stones with his own hands. He
dug q potato hole In the floor Of bis huI
and covered II with a trap door, that hill
precious crop might be protected and very
near him. Thus be was provided with
food and shelter, [Mr. Alcott forgot tc
state where he got his seed potAtoes1 but,
said he, i must heve clothes. l cannot
make them myself. Il Is against my prin'
Ciples to get them where any wrong is In
volved In making them; but there Is my
aunt, she 10 8 good woman; l will gei
her to make them; they shall all
be homespun." "Well," continued MIR
Alcott, laughing to himself as the pic.
ture Of Thoreau In that homespun iuil
came up In bis memory, "she made the
clothes, and they were pretty pretty much
like the nature Of the mAn-pretty large
oil atpund.