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Editorial 



THOREAU, NATURALIST 



In September we had the good forttme to make a pilgrimage to 

 Concord and the haunts of Henry Thoreau. We fcnmd a seat on 

 the cairn which marks the place where his hut stood in the woods 

 near Walden Pond and experienced a happy surprise to discover 

 how truly beautiful is this famous lakelet and its surroundings. 

 The hilly shores were brilliant with autumn foliage; the same 

 pines and oaks and jays and chickadees were there as of yore. 

 Surely Thoreau chose well the spot in which to prove that the 

 spirit hath greater need for growth than hath the body for luxuries. 



It is difficult to say whether or not it was fortunate for Thoreau 

 that he lived and breathed the atmosphere of transcendental 

 philosophy along with the air of the Concord fields and woods. 

 Through his close associations vdth Emerson, Alcott and others 

 he was forced to develop a philosophy of life and stoutly defend it ; 

 and because it was a wholesome philosophy of simple needs and 

 close companionship with Nature, the world received it and gave 

 heed. Thoreau's reputation was first gained because he was a 

 philosopher and a writer of good literature. However, no one 

 who is acquainted with all of his published works at present, 

 can for a moment doubt that his theories were forced upon him by 

 his neighbors — not by agreeing with him but largely through 

 disagreeing. 



In a somwehat critical article by John Burroughs in the Atlantic 

 Monthly for Jvme he says, "Thoreau was not a bom naturalist 

 but a bom supematuralist." Before Thoreau's Journals were 

 published in their entirety we might have agreed with this state- 

 ment; but now we dissent most emphatically. In the complete 

 works of Thoreau given to the world by Houghton, Mifflin Co. 

 in 1906 there are 20 volimies. Five of these consist of the works 

 published during the author's lifetime, one is given to his letters 

 and fourteen are filled with the contents of his Journals. In 



