Word: thoreau
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1920-1929
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
When Henry David Thoreau was jailed because he objected to paying taxes, his friend Emerson came and stood outside the bars. "Henry," he demanded, sadly, "why are you there?" "Waldo," returned the prisoner accusingly, "why aren't you here?" This attitude of non-conformity per se is reflected in the opinions of Dr. A. Herbert Gray, a well known Scottish clergyman, who has contributed an article to a current number of the "intercollegian...
...Rolland says there is no reason why a Westerner should not understand Gandhi's doctrine as well as Gandhi understands those of our great men for it should not be forgotten that this Asiatic believer has translated Ruskin, and Plato and quotes Thoreau, admires Mazzini, reads Edward Carpenter, and that he is, in short, familiar with the best that Europe and America have produced. According to M. Rolland, Gandhi's fundamental argument is against modern civilization, which he says is civilization in name only and that in reality it corresponds to what ancient Hinduism called the dark ages...
...Clifton Johnson reports the great naturalist as follows: "One day I was telling him (Ford) what a great book I thought the Bible was ?what noble literature; and he said: ' I haven't read it much, but I tell you what I think?Emerson's books and Thoreau's and yours (Burroughs') will be read after the Bible is forgotten.' " If Mr. Ford knew more history he might know that Bacon's Novum Organum was also picked to outlive the Bible...
...progress". The dinner incident past, we have the author's own point of view. Firmly yet gently, he would lead the talent of America from the footsteps of W. L. George, Theodore Dresier and Mr. Spingarn. Instead he would have them turn to Emerson and Whitman and Thoreau. Produce literature which "socializes the spiritual wealth of the country"! Your true artist is but the sounding board for this vast and half-articulate land" which has for its genius a great "moral idealism" gained from the Puritans...
...Thoreau's little hut by Walden Pond he treasured a single ornament- a fine specimen of granite, cut and polished by himself. To enjoy its delicate markings, Thoreau had to dust the stone every day. At length he decided that the time spent in polishing the little block was out of all proportion to its value; it was needlessly cluttering his life. So one day pitched it into the middle of the pond...