Walden (1854)

Summary

A very curious book is in press, entitled ‘Life in the Woods,’ by H. D. Thoreau; from which the Tribune prints a few extracts in advance. It is a narrative of the author's experience and mode of life during a two years’ solitary hermitage in the woods, by the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Mass. The writer, being of a philosophical turn, and much given to Homer, and similar antique models, seems to have proposed to himself to reduce his mode of life to the standard nearest to primitive nature. So he took an axe, and went into the woods, to a pleasant hillside overlooking the pond, and built himself a cabin. Of his furniture, and his views on the subject of furniture in general, he gives the following account:

[Economy,” 65.14–67.10]

There is an evident spice of truth in this. We like Communism particularly for its effect in relieving folks from the great mass of furniture—useless exuvice as Thoreau says,—that accumulates about them and seems necessary, in isolation. The Communist moves freely without being tied to any such trap. He goes from one home to another, without care for what he leaves or carrying anything with him and finds all needed furnishing in the Commune where he sits down. This is better we think than our hermit's method of getting rid of incumbrance. Here follows his agricultural experience:

[Economy,” 54.16–56.13]

Bating the solitude, we think Thoreau's plan of agriculture is worth consideration.