BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THOREAU. 29 



osity to see the world through his eyes, and to hear 

 his adventures. They possessed every kind of in 

 terest. 



He had many elegancies of his own, whilst he 

 scoffed at conventional elegance. Thus, he could not 

 bear to hear the sound of his own steps, the grit of 

 gravel ; and therefore never willingly walked in the 

 road, but in the grass, on mountains and in woods. 

 His senses were acute, and he remarked that by night 

 every dwelling-house gives out bad air, like a slaughter 

 house. He liked the pure fragrance of melilot. 1 He 

 honored certain plants with special regard, and, over 

 all, the pond-lily, then, the gentian, and the Mikania 

 scandens? and &quot; life-everlasting,&quot; and a bass - tree 

 which he visited every year when it bloomed, in the 

 middle of July. He thought the scent a more orac 

 ular inquisition than the sight, more oracular and 

 trustworthy. The scent, of course, reveals what is 

 concealed from the other senses. By it he detected 

 earthiness. He delighted in echoes, and said they 

 were almost the only kind of kindred voices that he 

 heard. He loved Nature so well, was so happy in her 

 solitude, that he became very jealous of cities, and the 

 sad work which their refinements and artifices made 

 with man and his dwelling. The axe was always de 

 stroying his forest. &quot; Thank God,&quot; he said, &quot; they 

 cannot cut down the clouds ! &quot; &quot; All kinds of figures 

 are drawn on the blue ground with this fibrous white 

 paint.&quot; 



I subjoin a few sentences taken from his unpub 

 lished manuscripts, not only as records of his thought 

 and feeling, but for their power of description and 

 literary excellence. 



1 Sweet clover. 2 Climbing hemp-weed. 



