Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-08-27
CONCORD PHILOSOPHY.
A DRAUGHT FROM THE SOURCE
OF THE PlERlAN SPRING.
A Philosophic Tea-Lecturers Who Fight
Shy of Their Subjects-Peculiar Results
of Boston Culture-Old Hobby Riders
Aired-Dante and His Beatrice.


of Boston Culture-old Hobby Riders
Aired-Dante and His Beatrice.
Especial Correspondencc.l
New York. Aug. l1.-Not long since /
turned eastward in search of light | shall
never forget the first night | reached Con
cord, Mass | arrived about 6 in the even
ing, and was just congratulating myself upon
detecting in the hall of my boarding house the
aroma of delicately cooked viands, when |
was summoned to tea" My heart nearly
failed me at the ominous word; but so sharp
set was my appetite that it was impossible to
blot out faith that something must come to
appease my hunger. | descended, crossed the
threshold of the dining room and there lay
the board before me. Covered with spotless
linen it certainly was, but on the linen stood
only a teapot, bread and butter, blueberries
round dark hard and defant--and some
slices of pale cake.
New England tea is enough to draw
tears from a stone. But this was the land of
philosophy; here indeed was simple living
however it might be as to high thinking. My
dropping spirits were not elated by the infor-
nation that breakfast was served at $50 a. m,
dinner at noon, and tea at $50 p IN. Thirteen
mortal hours to digest those blueberriesl l
ulueIsVoou One origin VI Observation-Disclosures
was already disciple for mysticism, and
started Immediately to walk to Hillside
chapel where the School of Philosophy was
held
IL was a pretty pain TOOK under grand
elms, past the Emerson home, along one of
the principal streets of Concord. The chapel
is an implanted, rough board building, vine
clad, and nestled on a grassy slope in an
orchard adjoining the old Alcott house.
~ Is ueclueoiy close hutie pace "hen the
sun snlnes with iuli summer neat, ana the
roo1 mas way OF letting the ram drlbole
down phlioSophlc necks' out we were seekers
aIter tne nigher way, SO, Oh course dd not
houice Vhe sliiaii universities Oh this mundane
sphere.
rol Inuse uisiiieiiieu W MAKE uneir Plgrun-
ages 10 Mecca ON iooU, tnere are huge omm-
puses running W uni iro' ihese Nellcles are,
Vi course, hoU haiiieu oillhpuseS "A spade Is
noI caiieu spaue III Hilisioe CHAPEL Inc
conveyance lor ohe nlystics Is a barge. IL
was Ill Que vi these tnaI lirsU sd" MISS fea-
pody. her mar hung, once upon time, no
DOUBT, In rlnglets either side her face, but
years had MADE havoc OF the curis' ana now
stralgnt locks suraSgled unkeinpt 10 the shoul-
deis WIN mantle hanging OIL TINS side, ker-
chle1 OH that' WIN prooch ana shawl pin
aske"' WIN Weil-ihked diglts, win one plack
cotton grove depending good men beyond
the fingers OF the lett hand, with bonnet hang
ing by sleazy strings from the back OF her
head with mystic utterance sat Elizabeth
peabody
w men one Ihlhks OF the nople WORK she has
done Tor education one feels, IN spite OF her
appearance certain TENDERNESS ana gratitude
lor tle gentle iady oeliullig uhder her weight
OF tourscore years Sne mas male our paths
easier, let us not make her rough.
AS Miss feabody entered the chapel, directly
behind her came little glrl OF some nine
summers nursing oS doll Inns infant
ulsclpie was accompanied ny her mamma
Then Mrs. cheney, the lecturer OF the even
ing, made her appearance. Miss Peabody
rose from her arm chair on the PLATFORM ad-
Vahceu 10 MIS- Chehey ana saluted her with
transcehdental KISS ana embrace IL was
sweet TO see the affections flourish on the
platform Before the lecture there was
one last thing necessary Miss Peabody
must De suppheo with tunoler OF water
NOW all Is ready ana MIS- Cheney begins 10
discourse on Dalite ana hichael Angelo
soon the INFANT philosopher, the owner OF
the DOLL succuihps 10 sleep Miss feabodys
peutiiile Is also apparently passed her eyes
are .ight smut ana heah hoddlng HOW hu-
man IL Is 10 start up ana M manner alnrm
thal we nave peeh woe awake all the tline'
But aiter acting TINS miid form OF deceit sew
eral umes' catastrophe overlook the ancient
philosopher MISS feabody gave one big
hou' ana neaa ana lumber Went simulta,
neousiy down INTO her zap ANXIOUS devoted
maiuens rusned 10 her ASSISTANCE, ana IN the
t"ihKIlhg Oh an eye tne zap was palieo out ana
Miss feabody righteo' ana AGAIN she was
slentiy protesting that she han only intended
10 make deep opelsance 70 the golden truths
spoken, ana 70 oner up nnatlohs OF water
hamiet would nave agreed with me, That all
thlngs IN heaven ana ear1h are dreamed OF II
TINS philosophy.
AS ATTENDED the schooi from DAY 70 day
IL seemed 70 me that not inne IMAM one or twc
lecturers were al an deepiy versed IN thelI
subleet' IL Is possible, perhaps, on founda
lon OF those New England quahties-faculty
ana general nlarthess-'o pulid up passably
good exposition OF social questohs IN our owl
times; but TO discsS' an ltahan poet OF by
gone century requires schoaarship' Most OF
the olsqulsitiohs on Dante We're mere AGA
demic essays not worth 10 real student The
time consumed In listening 10 Them Ont