Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-11-09
LECTURE ON HENRY
DAVID TH0REAU
Rev. H. 1. Haywood Delivers Inter-
i esting Address on Famous
Author.

A fair sized audience was presen
Sunday night at the Universalis
church to hear Rev. H. L. Haywoot
deliver lecture upon Henry Davit
Thoreaupoet, naturalist, author
Rev. Haywood first read severa
pages from "Waldon," Thoreau''
greatest work and followed the read
ing of this by a few sidelights upor
Concord, Mass, the New England
town which was the abode of 81
much literary genius about the mid
die Of the last century. So many
great men and women have come out
Of Concord, that one needs must
pause and look into the reasons why
this small town, then with popu-
lation Of about 1000 souls, now the
size of Webster City, produced SC
many geniuses. It was then and is
now, town Of old families, old Gus
toms, and a deep pride in hereditary
succession. In 1853, Ephriam Bull
developed the Concord grape for
which thousands bless his memory,
Here dwelt Nathaniel Hawthorne,
whose Mosses From an Old Manse
were written in Concord in the
manse itself. Here dwelt the Alcott
family of small means and large am
bitions. Bronson Alcott was both
friend and neighbor Of Thoreau, and
his daughter, Louisa May Alcott,
with her Little Men and Little Wom-
en-, will be known as long as there
are little mer and little women.
Here MargaT Fuller edited the
Dial, Ellery Charming. Dr. Ripley
and the sculptor, D. c. French, lived
and walked and talked together. En-
erson's grandfather built the old
manse above mentioned and wrote
in it his first book upon Mature. /"
Concord was a holbed Of abolition
lists and the slarsry auestioil was IN
those days ever present and many q
runaway slave was taken in for food
and shelter by the Thoreau family
into which Henry David was born.
Thoreau was born in July, 1917.
His father was a small, deaf, taci-
turn, grave man and his mother en-
tirely the opposite. She was bright,
loquacious, witty, which attributes
cropped out in Thoreau many times
Henry Thereau was born stole, He
was quiet, sturdy silent boy and
his playmates nicknamed him "The
Judge" He was as courageous and
independent as an Indian and took
his punishment like one. He liked
hard things, but the silent, cold re-
serve with which he surrounded him
self, was only on the outside, for his
heart was as sensitive as girls. He
loved poetry and until he was thirty
wrote much of 1t. Some Of 1t is very
fine. He was an ardent student OF
the Greek poets and Milton was his
favorite author.
When he was seventeen years OF
age. his father and aunt put their
slender purses together and Thoreau
went to Harvard. His school days
were much broken into by Ill health
Ind that may be the reason why he
Graduated with no distinction. Per-
hans the preachers of Harvard had
too much to do with the educational
mart. He did not warm to preach
ers and once said he liked the chick
sdees better than the D. DIS. A
genius may often be said to gain an
in spite Of schools. Stew
enson was a failure in school, and SO
were many others.
Thoreau made lead pencils a1ter
he left Harvard. He was an adept
At the trade, for which there was
then no machinery. He could put
his hand into box and bring out
dozen pencils with unfailing accur-
acv. Then he tried teaching school,
but was a failure. During all OF MS
various experiments he was contin-
wing steadfastly in the habits OF
things, observing. reading and writ
ing. He took some OF his essays ana
noems to Margaret Fuller. She said
.hev were like the rugged hills with
- vegetation thereon. II Margaret
r,,,,er did not recognize his genius
rmerson did, and the friendship
which grew up between them was as
as that Of David and Jonn-
ethan. Like Emerson, Thoreau De-
came a Transcendentalist, which was
no,ther a religion nor 2 philosophy,
n,,+ vet containing much thought OF
18th He seeded from the churcn
.nd instead Of going to hear DR.. Rip