Evening journal., 1914-12-09
New News Of Yesterday
A Concord Estimate of
Thoreau the Man
BY HOLLAND.

Mr.. James Gull, a citizen Of Con-
cord, Mass, whom I met there some
years ago and whom / found to be
fairly saturated with information as
sociated with the prominent men and
women of Concord. was, | discovered.
disposed to be somewhat irritated If
any one suggested to him that Thor
eau was a cynic. a misanthrope. a -e.
cluse who constantly Stunned associa-
ton with his fellows. and was, in fac.
something like a human bear.
Mr.. Gull went 10 Concord TO
year or two after Thoreau's death. I'm
1862, For that reason he never saw
Ihoreau, but he established warm
friendship with Thoreau's sister
Sophia, and had many pleasant con
versations with her. almost all of
which brought out some new incident
associated with Thoreau's life in Con-
cord.
ITS all wrong" he said to me. this
impression which Is so widespread
that Thoreau was an ungrateful. disa-
greeable and altogether UNPLEASANT
man to have anything to do with. He
was It is true, somewhat peculiar. but
his sister told me that that simply
reflected his habit of mediation. In
the home he was the kindest and most
considerate of sons and brothers.
Sophia told me that her brother Henry
almost died of a broken heart. when
his brother John fell a victim to lock-
law. The two brothers were insofar
able and IL was impossible for
greater degree of fraternal attachment
TO be established between two broth
ers than that between Henry and John
Thoreau.
There are quite a number of people
now living in Concord who knew
Henry Thoreau. You won't hear any
Of them speak of him without feeling
that they remember him with respect
and admiration and often with the
most tender feelings Almost all of
these were children when they knew
Thoreau. Now. If you want to know
what men or women really are, you
should observe them in their relations
with children. There wasn't child in
Concord who wasn't devotedly at
tached TO Thoreau. He made friends
with them, got up excursions for them
and was the JOY of their lives, and |
have heard some OF them say that Il
was a very happy day when Thoreau
took them out yonder in the fields to
pick huckleberries. He often sang for
them. He was very skillful with his
penknife and he cut willow whistles
for them and made bows and arrows.
"Some of the big men of the town
we're also very fond of Thoreau. When
he was dying of consumption, Judge
Hoar. who lived across the street, used
frequently to take flowers to him, and
7 have heard the judges brother, who
1 Is United States Senator now, say that
the common impression of Thoreau
was entirely wrong, and George Hoar
/ ought to know. for he went to school
! with Thoreau. and after Thoreau be-
came a teacher, was one of his schol-
ars.
"At Thoreau's funeral almost every.
body in town was present and ths
bells tolled for him for over an hour
This Is the best kind Of proof Of what
Thcreau really was. For do you sup.
pose children would have nestled ND tC
him or the townspeople shown hin
, every courtesy when he was sick and
attended his funeral practically in q
body If he had been really the kind oI
man so many people who don't live IN
\ Concord think he was? The reason
for this mistaken impression was thai
, Thoreau was never a fatterer. always
|, spoke the truth when he spoke at al
and was sometimes a little impatien
with people and always had pro
\ found contempt for bores. But n
\ would pass hours in conversation
with men who we're original and wer'
perfectly natural and frank"
Copyright, 1914. by f. j. Edwards
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
"An Eccentric Lawyer Of the Las
y Century