Page:Familiar letters of Henry David Thoreau.djvu/278

 254 FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS. [1853,

goitre, or what not. (You may suspect it to be some kind of swelling at any rate.) I have had but one spiritual birth (excuse the word), and now whether it rains or snows, whether I laugh or cry, fall farther below or approach nearer to my standard ; whether Pierce or Scott is elected, not a new scintillation of light flashes on me, but ever and anon, though with longer intervals, the same surprising and everlastingly new light dawns to me, with only such variations as in the coming of the natural day, with which, indeed, it is often coincident.

As to how to preserve potatoes from rotting, your opinion may change from year to year ; but as to how to preserve your soul from rot ting, I have nothing to learn, but something to practice.

Thus I declaim against them ; but I in my folly am the world I condemn.

I very rarely, indeed, if ever, &quot; feel any itch ing to be what is called useful to my fellow-men.&quot; Sometimes it may be when my thoughts for want of employment fall into a beaten path or humdrum I have dreamed idly of stopping a man s horse that was running away ; but, per chance, I wished that he might run, in order that I might stop him ; or of putting out a fire ; but then, of course, it must have got well a-going. Now, to tell the truth, I do not dream