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Rh benefit of such noted abolitionists as Emerson, Higginson, Alcott, Garrison, Quincy, Mrs. Foster, and others. Here, at Leyden Hall, under the care of his friends, the Watsons, Thoreau lectured in February, 1852. He also lectured in Boston the same year at the Mechanics Apprentice's Library, as arranged by Colonel Higginson. In an interesting review of the Concord Lyceum by Judge Hoar, it is stated that Thoreau lectured before this organization nineteen times, while Emerson's lectures reached the remarkable number of ninety-eight. Thoreau also gave lectures in Salem, New Bedford, Fitchburg, Providence, and elsewhere in New England. In a letter to Emerson in 1848, as cited by Mr. Sanborn, he says,—"Lectures begin to multiply on my desk. I have one on Friendship which is new, and the materials of some others. I read one last week to the Lyceum on the Rights and Duties of the Individual in Relation to Government,—much to Mr. Alcott's satisfaction." One may conclude that the ideas promulgated were radical and bold. One of the few journeys Thoreau enjoyed was to Perth Amboy and Eagles wood in 1856, where he lectured and surveyed land for Mr. Marcus Spring, the friend of Alcott.

Opinions seem diverse regarding Thoreau's success as a lecturer. He could never be compared