Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-31
DRIFT.

gAtheriuHs OF Drlft the natue OF lnOfeau nas
como up. IL could not be otherwise. One
cannot write on American literature at all,
| however superhcislly, without encountering
It. For In that literature Henry ID. Tboreau
occupies unique, distinctive and important
| place. Extravsgantly admired and oyeres-
timated for long tune by men like Emer-
son and nearly tho whole school Of Concord
/ tran cendeptalists with that curious all.
sence OF perspective" NJ recent critic says,
| which appears 80 easily In small communi.
ties, In which Charming seems a Milton or
| q Dante, and Tboreau u virgil" he suffered
undeserved neglect from the general public,
until In late years he IL coming 10 receive ms
rghtful and proper need Of attention. Eng
| lish critics were the ones who started inc
| Thoreau revival in literature, went into cc-
stasies over him, aud so reused anu spfeau
| American study Of him aud brought us To
lust estimate OF our eccentric countryfnan
| with his exaggerated Americanisms Perhaps
the dsucy now Ia again To over rate his liter
ary merit aud importance at any rate II IL
canning 10 he the fashion to read his works,
| To talk about them aud 10 consider acquant.
auce with them an essential of culture. And
I don't know but ii IL pretty good fashion
and correct estimate.
UNDOUBTEDLY much of the Interest that
| attaches to Thoreau's works, and part cause
| of their popuIsrjtv ara IN he aouybt for I'm tho
| authors own curious per.on,l history. IL il
| snmetbipy Az ano,oaIous tn soa . ,,eIv adm
| catod cultured aud profoundly thinking
man deliberately turn his back upon civil.
| zatipn and tho society Of enlightened people,
aud betake himself to the lite oI a seni-sav-
age, living u hermit in a miserable little hut
In the woods and there by the light Of a
blazing log ire, or In summer pine knot,
t'auihs inc "feeh "iu "ou'a" ioo's anu
philosophers, or Poring over 'he iefNiu
verse Of Persian bards and tho wisdom OF the
ancient Hindoc and Chinese sages or again
binseif couposipv works of the Ioitiest
,ransca,d.niai ,nysticism or most charm
iny realistic descriptjon. or poelry of some of
ubicb Enerson co,,Id sav that in - sugUests
simon ides, but is better than auy poem of
Simonides ~ while his latest ton admiriuV hi.
orranher. MIR, Sanborn. i'm his volume m the
tmerican Man of I alters seriea declares that
no - wrote at bs best. as we'll ~ the finest "t
Tho ,;reek Ivric poets
Tuour,, beIieved, as mo s,vs IN " Wal.
, ;, a., =, -. -. -, :, 80. -, Co.,
uo"' 'un' 'uo'o 70 so"'o VI ''io '".no h',o's
III man buiidlng MS own mousse that thore
IN IN BIRDS building its own nest VINO
knows but II men constructed their dwell
,,'1, ,,, ,hon,so, ,os ,,, f,,,,;Iias s,ui,i ,,1
,,,o.,I, on,u,h IN. ,osiic ,,c,I,y ,,outd IA.
,,n;,-or..II,, daya,o,ad 90 hirds nniyarsaIIy
s,,,, ,,n,, ,ha,, .ra =, an,,.,,ad .coo,J.
,naIv ON ,ynn, IN, baI,ncinf. :, Emersop
40 -, . lid ,,,,, I, Tha yv.vs;,a ;;
wharo bia friand AIrn,t Iiv,d ana I,tar
Uawthorue Thoreau erected his lannon's
cabin cIoSs by Walden nond which he
has made immortal From his uuaint and
intsrestiup description of his life here. from
| Isi5 to ISi7. / take this account of the huild-
| ing o | began To occupy ON the IN of Julv
As soon AZ il was boarded and rooted, for the
| boards were carefuIIy feather. edged and
Tapped, so that it was perfectly impervious
dation of a chimney AT one end, bringing two
| carloads of stones up the hill IRON the pond
| In my arms. Before winter | built
chimney anu shlngleu the slues Oh my
nou'c, m,i'n W. ar i.,pui iuua " "
made nf the hr,t sIice Of ihs loo, whose
| edges | WAS Obliged To strai gbten with a
| plans
| 81 have thus a tight-shingled and plas-
| tered house ten feet wide by fifteen long
and eight.feet posts. with garTet and closet,
| a large window ON each side two trap.doors
| one door at the end and a brick Fireplace
| opposite" An exact wood cut OF this house
| which he tells us cost him lust S2s l2iy in
| money! ia given as irontispiece To the iIst
| edition of his Walden"
|
| KNOW of no book in any language, |
| dom, mint ,hara i a,,, f,,r, ,,bicb wa oa,
L
| ~ W P''' is'''- '''a ,
| one anu lhueed all the rest oi MS SeNoh of
| eight volumes. Walden, however, Is my
isvorite, with " Excursions " sharing the
| prefereuca of them ALL IL seems to ma To
| have absor bed there in that romantic forest
| hut the bright sunshine, fresh air, forest per
| fume and fragrant brepZes from the pines .
| all these lie latent in its Dapes We omen
| them and the yery breath OF nature puu-
| gent, exhilaratinv delicious. her very voice
| sweet and winning tsrribls and sublime
sad, solemn or gay-her very living spirit
| ronfront1 rs ray Wishes us fills us
o'"' '''' ''' '"' '''0' - mis-
| ,,, . ., -
| lhEhE was propaply no lnau ever more
| thoroughly i'll love with nature than Thor
| o.u 10 -,o,, ho. ,,;,t,;,, 80, =, ,,,,,b,,,. n
| e"u' i'o hho" hoi "''nih anu "hp'u" ie
| became ak IN 10 her, part OF her. And like
| all lovers he occasionally became "A little
|
"soit and gushing and silly on the subject,
| az in this apostrophs to the Queen of the
rai, Joscan5 ON mo / not SS,Iy In,,a ,haS
,"'h "SSNo"u "" nio u't 'hiy wv 'nee'
but love the best ot thee-that Is to love
thee rarely do not love thee every day
thee | love thee only on great DAYS Thy
dowy words feed me like the mamma of the
morning. am as much thy sister as thy
atnr auou ar & a. 'aop aaoi nny at1',el @ as ,ny
kind such talk wa, the stvIe aromnh Con
cord in those days. 1t seems now like atlec
tatiou as do some of the other peculiarities
of Thureau's style of thought and an preston
Yet we must accept the assurances OF thos,
| who knew him best to the contrary Simi