New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-26
THE Wayside" at Concord

Hawthorne's becoming engaged to Miss Sophia sea-
body who was at that time invalid and almost
much of a recluse Hawthorne. .
Miss Elizabeth Peabody has left this account of
Hawthornes first call at her home. His two sisters
with him: Sophia, who invalid was
in her chamber AS / could ran upstairs
dress and come down. The Hawthornes are here and
YOU never anything splendid he Isl He is
handSomer than Lord ByrOnl'
But not even this glowing description of the, hand
some young genius downstairs could INDUCE Miss
Sophia to leave her room, and she did not meet the
who to be her husband until he called a
second time 1t appears to have been OF love at
first sight but the engagement did not take place in
years. With the hope and the prospect of mar
rage before HIM, Hawthorne felt the Imperative ne
ceSSity of larger and more regular income than ne
deriving from his writings and some of his Demo-
cratic friends secured for him the position of wtgher
and eager in the Boston Custom House at salary of
twelve hundred dollars a Year In January IS so,
Hawthorne took up these duties which he dis
charged faithfully until he dismissed nv of
a change of administration in 1871 Hawthorne
could not have cared much for find him writing
year before this time that he had begun 70 pray
that in year more may find some way of escaping
from this unbeSt CuStOm-H1ouSe; for it is a very
grievouS thraldom."
After leaving the Custom-House Hawthorne had
taste of life AT the famous Brook Farm in West
RoXbury, suburb of Boston This curious social
St1c community had just been founded by George
Ripley. of the most intellectual of h dav
culture claimed that its aim more effeCtuallv 10
promote the great purposes of human culture to
establish the external relations of life on a basis of
wisdom and purity. and to substitute a system OF
brotherly cooperation for of selfish cOmpe tton
All of the members of the community were on Z.
common level, and both and women had To- Iabcr
for certain number of hours each dav for the common
good. either the farm in the workshops TIE
Farm became the home for time of a number, #
CelebrteS, and Hawthorne Joined them possibly V n
the intention of taking his betrothed there after ter
marriage, If the experiment proved a success
Five months of life at the farm convinced HIM nat
he had enough of It, He spent SIN weeks helpIr. to
manure the fields He wrote. THAT aborn;r ble
geld minel Thank God anticipate getting n Of
MS treasures in the of two or three vs.!
Ot ali hateful places. that Is the worst and "
~ never comfort nv elf ter having srt.. =
many days of blessed StnSI ne Their. IT
my opinion thar i ma, soul 10y
NESAN he buried and erish una dung
L23ssSxE@xAN heap or IN a urrow Of a hcI. ,uSt
81 we'll pill, of rn. v
sttsetSsSAa But all grst that cane g.
) - s6s-sSsss the mill OF Hawthorne. and he
s&S3t3 used many of his Brook End
vxxxL2I experiences in his "BEthcdl.- 10.
kSESy4HF Nance"
S&0| Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody
49, married July by the Rev James
reenlan Clark, at the home of the Pea
bodys West-st., Boston, where The Pea
bodyS had moved from Salem. The bridal pain
went at once to Concord. where they took UP
IaaHed f4ge ,q)