Cboreau 



of uses, that of making the lower or simpler things 

 of life shine out in their proper light. By thought- 

 fully pursuing the occupations he chose, he raised 

 them to the rank of professions, and clothed with 

 dignity labor that before was drudgery. The quick- 

 est way to send the world to perdition would be to 

 make all men lead professional lives, and the posi- 

 tive curse under which we now rest is that the 

 absurdity is taught by parents to infants, and by 

 teachers to scholars, that the true or best life is that 

 of the preeminently learned, and that no dignity 

 or honor or worthy reward of any kind comes to 

 him who lives closest to Nature, and so most re- 

 mote from the centers of civilization. Pounding 

 beans, which Emerson sneers at, would not be de- 

 grading or belittling or unworthy a man of brains, 

 if here and there a man of mental force would show 

 that his brain and brawn need not come into con- 

 flict. If, over the land, Thoreaus would demon- 

 strate that a day of toil in the fields can be followed 

 by an evening of rational, intellectual enjoyment, 

 the world would quickly advance beyond the 

 present stage of agitation and unrest, that needs a 

 standing army to preserve even the semblance of 

 order. If the philanthropists would attack the 

 problem of intellectualizing work, the workman 

 would be benefited indirectly more than any efforts 

 directed at " the masses " will avail. No work 

 that the world calls for should be looked upon by 

 a favored few as beneath mankind. More mis- 

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