CHAPTER V 



WILSON AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICANS 



Alexander Wilson was a man almost wholly 

 self-educated, used rather to the rough customs 

 of a weaver's cottage than the polished manners 

 of a drawing-room : life and the world had used 

 him roughly, and a haughtiness and cold reserve, 

 which was lost in animation when one knew him, 

 raised a barrier between him and the stranger, 

 yet among his acquaintances were some of the 

 foremost men of the day. From these men Wil- 

 son received much both of education and inspira- 

 tion, and the pleasure and interest which he took 

 in meeting them meant no little to one who had 

 known so few of the sweeter things of life. 



Perhaps the most important influence in Wil- 

 son's life was the friendship of the good old bot- 

 anist, William Bartram, of whom we have already 

 spoken. John Bartram, the father of Wilson's 

 friend, who was a man of no little distinction him- 

 self, laid out the beautiful Botanical Gardens 

 where the son afterward lived, and like his son he 

 was known for his writings on various subjects, 

 usually connected with natural history. 



Closely following in his father's footsteps, the 

 son was perhaps even more distinguished, and 

 was able to bring Wilson into acquaintance with 

 many men of note. He was considerably older 

 than Wilson, but so kindred were their natures 

 that this difference in age never interfered with 



