Boston, Mass. Thoreau lectures on “The Character and Actions of Capt. John Brown” at Tremont Temple (“The Character and Actions of Captain John Brown”).
Concord, Mass. A. Bronson Alcott writes in his journal:
Thoreau goes to read his lecture tonight at the Music Hall, and again on Monday night at Worcester (The Journals of Bronson Alcott, 320).
Boston, Mass. The Liberator later notes Thoreau’s lecture:
FIFTH FRATERNITY LECTURE. The programme of this course of lectures had promised one by Frederick Douglass of Rochester, N. Y., as the fifth in order.—It was understood that he was to discourse on “Self-made Men,” a subject on which he is well qualified to speak. Mr. Douglass, however, did not appear, and the explanation of his absence by the committee gave us to understand that he does not now consider himself safe in any part of the United States, in consequence of his alleged implication in the Harper’s Ferry invasion. The vacancy thus made at a late hour had been filled by the voluntary offer of Henry D. Thoreau of Concord, who took for his subject one in whom all mankind are now interested, “Captain John Brown of Ossawattomie.” This exciting theme seemed to have awakened “the hermit of Concord” from his usual state of philosophic indifference, and he spoke with real enthusiasm for an hour and a half, giving much information respecting Captain Brown’s earlier life, and bestowing hearty praise upon the enterprize at Harper’s Ferry, and as hearty dispraise upon the apathy and reserve shown in regard to it by those portions of the periodical press which did not take the equally shameful ground of direct censure.
Mr. Thoreau took special pains to include the Liberator is the censure which he had at first bestowed upon the press generally. In doing this, he ignored the fact that Mr. Garrison has bestowed high and hearty eulogy upon Captain Brown, representing him as not only (judged from the ordinary stand-point of patriotism) superior in nobleness to the heroes of the American Revolution, but entitled to the higher praise of faithfully practising towards the most oppressed people of our country the lessons of the Golden Rule; and, moreover, he distorted Mr. Garrison’s first statement, (made on receipt of the first day’s telegraphic reports,) that the attempt was apparently an insane one, into a charge that he had represented Captain Brown as insane.
A very large audience listened to this lecture, crowding the hall half an hour before the time of its commencement, and giving hearty applause to some of the most energetic expressions of the speaker.
C. K. W. [Charles King Whipple ?]
New York, N.Y. The New-York Daily Tribune later notes Thoreau’s lecture:
Henry D. Thoreau delivered a lecture on John Brown at the Tremont Temple on Tuesday evening. It was one of the ‘Fraternity’ course. There were some just and striking remarks in it, and many foolish and ill-natured ones. Sneers at the Republicans were quite frequent. men like Gne. Wilson, and editors like those of THE TRIBUNE and The Liberator, who, while the lecturer was cultivating beans and killing woodchucks on the margin of Walden pond, made a public opinion strong enough on Anti-Slavery grounds to tolerate a speech from him in defense of insurrection, deserve better treatment than they receive from some of the upstart Abolitionists of the day” (New-York Daily Tribune, vol. 19, no. 5,787 (9 November 1859):3).
