The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-07-23
Thoreau-0ne Hundred Years.

Although the public observance of the
centenary of Henry David Thoreau, who
was born on July ~, 1917, has been de.
ferred to October, it is impossible to let
the one hundredth anniversary of the
birth of such man pass without con-
sideration of his genius and his influence.
A man OF strange power he most surely
was. 1t is by no means certain that the
verdict of time and of the critical world
will not place him at the very head of
our New England men of letters of the
nineteenth century. Emerson had phil
osophical insight deeper by far than
Thoreau's, and he was the greater magi-
clan of words. Poe, Whittier, Longfel-
low, assuredly were all greater singers
than he. Singer, indeed, he scarcely was
at all, though much of his poetry was
vivid and profoundly significant, and all
of it will live. But as the utterer OF
coherent message, an embodied whole of
thought and influence, as well as a social
prophet and pathfinder, it may indeed be
considered by the critics of the future
that Thoreau surpassed his great neigh
Dor and all his New England contempo-
raries. Emerson put forth no such in
tegral work as walden" and though
the sum of Emerson's philosophical infiu-
ence, scattered in so many brilliant ex-
pressions through his essays and his |
marvellous poems, is now and may well |
remain much greater than Thoreau's, |
there can be little doubt that no single |
book OF Emersons will ever attain the /
worldwide esteem of walden" 1t was
Emerson himself who said of Thoreau: I
HE takes step beyond, and illustrates
by excellent images that which | should
have conveyed by sleepy generaliza-
ton; he has muscle, and ventures on and
performs feats which / am forced to de-
cline," To thousands of young European
liberals Thoreau already is, as Ellery
intimated he might become,
the type of coming men, who shall in.
vent new forms and truer modes of So
siety."
But to his own generation Thoreau
was trifer, futile rebel, ''skulker."
He did not care for that. He had no
anxiety to be estimated properly even by
he small circle that was capable of esti
mating him and that showed the DISPOSE
ion so to do in glowing words. What
lie desired was to be and live himself,
md to express himself. He attained
reedom by shaking off the slavery to
he superfuous and the useless, which
occupies two. thirds of the average mans
ife He made himself free from the
rushing burden of convention. As a
nan of letters, which was what he de-
ired and intended to be and was, he
berated himself from all obligation to
rite as others wished him TO write, by
himself as a surveyor, teach
r, lecturer, pencil maker, farmer, car
enter, man of all work or anything else
hat came handy. He even made himself :
rec of his own generation and its opin-
IN by writing for the next.
If il was necessary to be idle in order
D accumulate thought and reflection,
horeau was idle-and to good purpose.
e said that the only time that he had =,
yer saved was the time that other peo- '
e said he wasted And he succeeded
obly and greatly. He has put his stamp
seply upon our letters and upon the
orld's life. His estimation grows with y
1ery year. The second centenary of N
s birth will be celebrated much more
than the first-perhaps the a
Iird more brilliantly than thst.-Bos-
N Transcript. Il