Page:Familiar letters of Henry David Thoreau.djvu/391

 jsr.40.] TO DANIEL RICKETSON. 365

of a contemporary who recognizes Nature so squarely, and selects such a theme as &quot; Barns.&quot; (I would rather &quot; Mount Auburn &quot; were omit ted.) But he is not alert enough. He wants stirring up with a pole. He should practice turning a series of somersets rapidly, or jump up and see how many times he can strike his feet together before coming down. Let him make the earth turn round now the other way, and whet his wits on it, whichever way it goes, as on a grindstone ; in short, see how many ideas he can entertain at once.

His style, as I remember, is singularly vague (I refer to the book), and, before I got to the end of the sentences, I was off the track. If you indulge in long periods, you must be sure to have a snapper at the end. As for style of writing, if one has anything to say, it drops from him simply and directly, as a stone falls to the ground. There are no two ways about it, but down it comes, and he may stick in the points and stops wherever he can get a chance. New ideas come into this world somewhat like falling meteors, with a flash and an explosion, and perhaps somebody s castle-roof perforated. To try to polish the stone in its descent, to give it a peculiar turn, and make it whistle a tune,

Thoreau, and never forgave him for the remark about &quot; stir ring 1 up with a pole,&quot; which really might have been less graphic.