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26 April 1859, Tuesday; 7:30 p.m.
Lynn, Massachusetts; Frazier Hall
"Autumnal Tints"
[Back to Calendar of Lectures]
NARRATIVE OF EVENT: In an apparently incomplete
palimpsest draft of a 13 April letter to the Reverend Charles C. Shackford of Lynn,
Thoreau wrote, "I answered your note of Ap. 6th on the 7th, by saying that I would
come to Lynn [ ] either the 12th, or 13th if you desired it—Not having word from you
I supposed that both my letter and yours [ ] I therefore write you to say [ ] 19th if. . .
.1 Shackford, who with John B. Alley had apparently
been instrumental in inviting Thoreau to lecture in Lynn fifteen months earlier (see
lecture 57 above), had graduated as first scholar in the Harvard College class of 1835, a
class that included H. G. O. Blake, who was fourth scholar, and Concordian Ebenezer
Rockwood Hoar.2 At the time of his correspondence
with Thoreau, he was also a member of the Lynn Library Association.3
Three days later, in a draft of a letter to Jonathan Buffum, Thoreau wrote:
Will you excuse me for giving you some
trouble Ap. 6th I received fr Mr Shackford an invitation to lecture in Lynn—& I
accordingly have written to him now on the subject—directing to "C C Shackford
Lynn Mass". but it would seem that both my letters have miscarried—As Mr Emerson
thinks it worth the while—I still wish to say to Mr. S., that I will come to Lynn on
either the 21-22nd—26th of this month—if he wishes it—& will inform me
at once of his decision
Will you be so kind as to forward this or
communicate its contents to Mr. S.—4
In a Tuesday (probably 19 April) letter
from Shackford, Thoreau was informed that "You are to come the first Tuesday in May,
May 3d, and I thought that I set it down so, in a note to you. At any rate, that is the
time fixed, and I shall expect you then."5
Miscommunications notwithstanding, Thoreau
did finally lecture in Lynn, not on 3 May but on Tuesday, 26 April. William Ellery
Channing, who accompanied Thoreau, wrote in his journal on 26 April, "To Boston;
Lynn. H. lectured, wind e." The next day, Channing capsulized their return, "H.
through Swampscot, Lynn, Saugus to Concord, wind e, porphyry, sienite, grave-yd[.]"6
Thoreau began his own journal entry for 26
April by noting, "Start for Lynn." Later in the entry, he remarked,
"P.M.—Walked with C. M. Tracy in the rain in the western part of Lynn, near
Dungeon Rock." In a note, he added, "This is the last of the rains (spring
rains!) which invariably followed an east wind," and he continued, "Crossed a
stream of stones ten or more rods wide, reaching from top of Pine Hill to Salem. Saw many discolor-like
willows on hills (rocky hills), but apparently passing into S. humilis; yet no eriocephala,
or distinct from discolor. Also one S. rostrata. Tracy thought his
neighborhood’s a depauperated flora, being on the porphyry. Is a marked difference
between the vegetation of the porphyry and the sienite." He also recorded doing some
botanical collecting, with at least one attempt at relocation to Concord, "Also got
the Nasturtium officinale, or common brook cress, from Lynn, and set it in Depot
Field Brook" (J, 12:164). The reference to Depot Field Brook makes clear that
this journal entry was recorded sometime after his return to Concord.
In his entry for 27 April, Thoreau turned
his attention from botany to ornithology. Of a walk "along Swampscott Beach from Red
Rock northeast," he reported, "Hear and see the seringo in fields next the
shore. No noticeable yellow shoulder, pure whitish beneath, dashed throat and a dark-brown
line of dashes along the sides of the body." In a note he compares this bird in great
detail with the same species in his hometown, finding many differences, including their
song, "Also note of ours apparently more feeble, first part like a watch-spring, last
more ringing and clear in both birds." Thoreau’s entry continues to mix comments
on his route with observations on the natural phenomena, particularly birds, encountered
along the way. "Struck inland and passed over the west end of High Rock, through the
cemetery, and over Pine Hill, where I heard a strange warbler, methought, a dark-colored,
perhaps reddish-headed bird. Thence through East Saugus and Saugus to Cliftondale, I think
in the southern part of Saugus." His observations include a "little brown snake
. . . just killed in the road" and details of fishes and their behavior at "the
Aquarium in Bromfield Street, " where "a little pout incessantly nibbles at the
dorsal fin of the common perch, also at apparently the mucus on its back." His entry
concludes with the comment, "Toads ring and, no doubt, in Concord also" (J,
12:165).
Noteworthy, and perhaps revelatory about
the two men, is the difference between Channing’s sparse, elliptical jottings for
these two days and the rich detail of Thoreau’s account. Indeed, never one to
overlook an opportunity, Thoreau also managed on this same trip a stop at Harvard Library,
where he checked out Penhallow’s History of the Wars of New England,
Bossu’s Nouveau Voyages dans l’Amerique Septentrionale, and Nouveaux
Voyages aux Indes Occidentales.7
ADVERTISEMENTS, REVIEWS, AND
RESPONSES: On 21 April 1859 the Lynn Bay State advertised "A course of
five lectures" at Frazier Hall, the course to begin on 12 April and to consist of
George Sumner (12 April), Wendell Phillips (19 April), the Reverend T. Starr King (26
April), Henry D. Thoreau (3 May), and the Reverend Charles C. Shackford (10 May). Tickets
for the course cost fifty cents, no tickets would be sold the evenings of the lectures,
and the lectures themselves were to begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. On 28 April the Boston Daily
Evening Traveller published a dispatch dated 25 April from its Lynn correspondent, who
referred to the "liberal lectures" that were being held in the Hall at the new
Frazier block.
In a full and generally favorable review
of Thoreau’s lecture, the Lynn Weekly Reporter on 30 April praised its
colorful content but condemned what the reviewer perceived as Thoreau’s colorless
delivery:
Frazier Hall Lectures.
The third lecture of this series was
delivered on Tuesday evening, by Henry Thoreau, better known, perhaps, as the
"Concord Hermit." By the published programme of the course, Rev. T. Starr King
was announced as the third lecturer, but circumstances preventing his appearance, Mr.
Thoreau came as his substitute. As most of our readers know, Mr. Thoreau is an
enthusiastic lover of nature—nature unadorned, unaided by art—nature in her
wildest moods—in her own glorious, grand, sublime beauty, as she developes herself
far away from the haunts of men, in the forest, the field, and the meadow, on the hillside
and in the deep glen, by the still lake and the running stream. His theme, on this
occasion, was of course his favorite one, for "out of the fullness of the heart the
mouth speaketh." He took his hearers with him in an imaginary stroll through his
favorite haunts, the fields and forests in the vicinity of Concord, where he himself has
spent the best part of his life, less in communication with man than with the birds and
the trees and the flowers that spring up for man’s enjoyment without man’s
cultivation or consent.
We wish Mr. Thoreau had communicated some
of the enthusiasm of his heart to his words, for then we think his lecture would have
interested many more than it did. We feel compelled to say that we think he is a far
better writer than reader or lecturer; and it is to us rather a mystery how a man with so
much real fire, so much wholesome love of the beautiful in nature, can be so tame, so
dull, even, in expressing the thoughts that fill his soul and pervade every part of his
being. It is an anomaly in human nature undoubtedly designed for some good purpose, but
wholly beyond our comprehension.
It is utterly useless for us to attempt to
give anything like a sketch of the lecture. We fear it would be dryer than the dry leaves
the lecturer talked (or rather read) about, and in which he saw so much poetry and beauty.
He first enumerated the various kinds of grasses that had attracted his attention in his
rambles, and commented on the peculiar beauty of each. He expatiated largely, and
sometimes eloquently, upon the glowing colors of the pokeweed and its berries, and drew
therefrom a lesson in humanity. He spoke of the maples, those brilliant harbingers of an
early autumn, and of the elms, whose graceful branches and thick foliage add so much of
beauty, elegance and comfort to many hundreds of the towns and villages of New England.
The lecture, though not in all respects suited to the popular taste, and as we have
intimated, somewhat dry in its details, was not without its witty points; and a broad
smile overspread the features of his audience when he alluded to the trees of Concord,
which, from tall, straight "beanpoles," had grown into magnificent lines
[lanes?] of grateful shade, worth all they cost, though one of the selectmen had come to
his death from a cold taken while engaged in setting them out!
The lecturer discoursed most poetically of
the dry leaves that strew the ground in autumn, gracefully and calmly descending to their
bed of earth, giving themselves generously as a sacrifice, that their parent tree may
thereby be nourished and sustained. He waited for the time when man should descend to his
narrow bed, as gracefully and uncomplainingly, leaving no lying epitaphs to deceive future
dwellers on the earth. He viewed the autumnal tints of the maples, the elms, and the oaks,
as the decorations of nature for her autumnal fair,—her autumn holidays,—put up
without expense, yet more brilliant and beautiful than art can conceive, much more
execute, and changing from day to day, until stripped by the winds and laid like a carpet,
crisp and delicate, upon the floor of the mother earth. He drew a vivid picture of
villages with trees, and villages without trees, the truth of which we are sure his
audience must have felt most forcibly. The scarlet oak came in for a large share of the
lecturer’s admiration, and a drawing of one of its gracefully shaped leaves was
exhibited to the audience, with a running commentary on its delicate outline of curves and
angles, and its gorgeous coloring of scarlet and crimson. He regarded these trees as the
roses and asters of the forest, far more beautiful and attractive than those of the
garden, and growing year after year, without cost or care, for the enjoyment of all who
would take the pains to look and admire for themselves.
The lecturer closed with a few hints about
the importance of educating the eye to see the beauties of nature, which, without such
preparation, would be passed unheeded by. He spoke of the true sportsman, who finds game
where none other would think of looking for it; of the angler, who never drops his line in
vain; of the astronomer, who discerns planets far beyond the range of common vision; of
the naturalist, who discovers beauties in the commonest things of earth; and of the simple
selectman, who only sees a farm, a field, or a house-lot, that will bear a little higher
rate of taxation at the next annual valuation!
Taken as a whole, we believe the lecture
was enjoyed by a large proportion of the audience, and was listened to with deep attention
by such, though we noticed that a few uneasy ones left the hall before it was finished.
The manner, rather than the matter of the lecture is most liable to criticism from a
promiscuous assembly, and in this instance we fear it was not so favorable for the
lecturer as it should have been. But we certainly speak for ourselves, and we think, also,
for a goodly number in the audience on Tuesday evening, when we return thanks to the
committee who arranged the lectures, for the privilege afforded us of rambling for an hour
with Mr. Thoreau through the fields and forests of the good old town of Concord.
That Thoreau himself believed his lecture was well received is confirmed by Bronson
Alcott, who wrote in his diary entry for 3 May, "Thoreau is here and stays till 10.
in the evening. He has read his lecture on ‘Leaves’ last week at Lynn, and
thinks it was liked well by his company."8
DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC: See
lecture 59 above. The twelve sentences summarizing the content of the lecture in the Lynn
Weekly Reporter review quoted above indicate that the lecture closely resembles the
published essay.
Notes
1. This MS is among
Thoreau’s papers, bMS Am 278.5, folder 13D, at MH. [Back to Text]
2. Charles C. Smith,
"Some Notes on the Commencements at Harvard University, 1803-1843," Proceedings
of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 2d ser. 5 (January 1890): 214-15. [Back to Text]
3. Shackford is listed as
an officer of the Lynn Library Association in various notices that ran in the Lynn Bay
State and other Lynn newspapers throughout the winter of 1858-59. [Back to Text]
4. This MS is at NNPM,
item MA 606. [Back to Text]
5. This MS is at MCo. [Back to Text]
6. Quoted from a
transcript of Channing’s MS journal made by and in the Collection of Thomas Blanding.
[Back to Text]
7. Borst, Thoreau Log,
p. 526. [Back to Text]
8. Alcott, "Diary for
1859," entry of 3 May, MH (*59M-308). [Back to Text] |