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Show 24 Henry D. Thoreau. _1 1 I could not sleep, I wrote in the under my pillow, anu w lcn dark. . t for my fellow-men, except as 0 the whole, my 1 espec .1 n . .11. · not beincr increa ed the 'e uays. rna outwetn-h a 1111 wn, IS o . one 'Y . n ld bl ded way in winch newspaper I 1 ·e nottcetl the co - oo . . .· l::t,v . , 1'1 m, en crenera1 1 Y s pe·' lk of this event, as Jf an onlma- WlltCl:, m \. b • r 1 " luck"- as the Gov-r m·llcfactor, though one of unusu,t p . '. Y ' . . . . . rted to have said, usmg the language ernor of Vtrrrm~<L IS ICpo " J <1 b f 1 1 ::::> •• "the n-amcst man he ever saw, - ta ecn 0 t lC COC <-ph, b' d., ' rr b t t be hunn-. l-Ie wa , not 1 cammo c·w rrht and were a ou o o b It o~ ~~ , foes when the governor thought he looked :o ravcf.. 1 I 1 'tve to n-all to h ear, or hear o , t 1e turns what weetnc s l c b ' fi f eirrhbors. When we h eard at r.·t remark~ of some o my n o "1 r d d d f my townsmen observed that le t JC tb·lt he was ea 'one o . t c 1 1.' 1 a· th." which pardon me, for an m.'tant su~gc - as t 1e 100 te ' ' 1. · Otl s . . h' d . 10' to my neicrhbor IVtn g. 1Cr ' ed a llkene s m 1m Y11 b 0 . ·r ' . . · n-l that " he threw h1:; lue craven-hearted, smd disparagmo y, ' . " ' away," because }1 e I.( !SJ. ted the government. \Vluth ". ,t) have they thrown ttl let• r 1t' ve , pt"'l .Y?· - 'uch a. would prat:;e a md an for attacking singly an ordinary band o f t 1n · e•v es. or m u. r cr-ers. I hear another a k, Yankee-like," \Vhat will he gam.by it?" as if he expected to fill his pockets by this cnterpn se. Such a one has no idea of gain but in this worldly sen, e. If 't docs not lead to a" surpric::c" party, if he doc not get a new 1 f: ·1 " l~ut air of boot ' or a vote of thanks, it must be a a: urc. i,e won't gain any thing by it." Well, no, I don t suppo e ~e could n-et four-and-sixpence a day for being hung, tak.e t 1e year rob und; but then he stand· a c1 m nce t o ~ave ~1 con ' Jdera- ble part of lu· s soul- an d sucr1t a sou 11· - when you do not. No doubt you can get more in your market for a quart of milk than for a quart of blood, but t 1m t 1· s n o t tl1 e ma' rket that heroes carry their blooll to. Such do not know that like the seed is the fruit, and ~ha.t, in the moral world, when good seed is planted, good fru.•t 13 inevitable, and docs not depend on our watering and culttvat- Henry D. Thoreau. ing; that when you plant, or bury, a hero in ltis fi eld, a crop of' h<·roes i' . ure to spri11g up. This is a . eed of ,·ueh force :wei vitality, that it docs not a:k our lease to g rminate. The momentary charge at Tialachwa, in obedience to a blundering command, proYing what a pe rfect machine the soldier i ~, has, properly enoug h, been celebrated by a poet laureate; bu t the , teady, and for the most part successful charge of thi man, for ome year:::, against the legions of S lavery, in obedience to an infinitely hig her command, is as muth more memorable th<m that, as an intelligent anu conscic ntiou. man i:=; supe rior to a machine. Do you think that that will go un ~ un g? "Served him right" - " A dangerous man"-" lie is undoubtedly in ·~m e." So they proceed to live their sane, and wi ~r, and altogeth ·r aamirablc live~, r eac1ing their Plutarch a little, hut chiefly pansi11g at that feat oC Putnam, who was let dow11 into a wolf"s den; and in this wi~e they nourish themselves for brave an<l pat riotic ueeds orne time or other. The Tract Society could aflonl to prin t that story of Putnam. You might open the di. trict schoob with the r eading of it, for th e re it; nothing about SlaYery or the Church in it ; unle.s it occurs to the reader that ;-;ome pastors arc wolves in sheep's clothing. "The Ame rican Board of Uommis. ioners for Fore ign 1\Ii~ :.;i on:-;" even, might dare to protest against that wolf. I have heard of boa rd s, and of American board~, but it chanc·c: that I neve t· heard of this particular lumber till btely . And yet I hea r of Northern men, women, and childn'n, uy f:tmilics, buying a ,, life member -hip" in uch societi('.' as th<'::;c ;-a life-m mber::;hip in the grave! You can get buried cheaprr than that. Our foes are in our mid~t and all about us. There is hardly a howe but is diviLled again. t itself, for our foe is the nll but universal woodennc:.;s of both head and heart, the want of vitality in man, which is the effect of our vice ; and hellce arc b<'gotten i(!ar, supe r::;tition, bigotry, persccu- 3 |