Page:Thoreau - As remembered by a young friend.djvu/151

 or heard of Mrs. Thoreau taking a second grade of anything willingly.

“That John Thoreau satisfied her, and that he begot as much brains as was fashionable in those days; that his hand writing was beautiful, that his pencils, marbled paper, stove polish, plumbago for electrotyping was the best in the market.

“That his negative nature coupled with the positive of his wife produced good results. Was remarkably cautious and secretive.

“That the light which he hid under a bushel was worth more than the personal and real estate of Concord at that time. John, Jr., was his father turned inside out.

“Am satisfied that I misconstrued Henry's silence concerning John. [The young Hosmer, at the time, felt that Thoreau did not care as much as he, who almost worshipped John.] I honestly believed that John was the Architect and Henry only wrought out his plans, and think so yet. Jesus had Paul.”

Page 18, note 1. Thoreau took the Bachelor of Arts, but never the Master of Arts degree, and very properly. For in his day, and for at least thirty years after, the possession of the latter parchment only signified that one's vitality had held out to burn for three years, and that one could spare five dollars to the University.

Page 22, note 1. This scholar was Horace R. Hosmer, whose account of the senior Thoreaus