| I Society and Solitude |
| II Civilization |
| III Art |
| IV Eloquence |
| Â V Domestic Life |
| Â VI Farming |
| Â VII Works and Days |
| Â VIII Books |
| Â IX Clubs |
| Â X Courage |
| Â XI Success |
| Â XII Old Age |
OUR American people cannot be taxed with slowness in performance or in praising their performance. The earth is shaken by our engineries. We are feeling our youth and nerve and bone. We have the power of territory and of seacoast, and know the use of these. We count our census, we read our growing valuations,…
O DAY of days when we can read! The reader and the book, – either without the other is naught. THAT book is good Which puts me in a working mood. Unless to Thought be added Will Apollo is an imbecile. BOOKS IT is easy to accuse books, and bad ones are easily found ;…
ONCE more,' the old man cried, ye clouds, Airy turrets purple-piled, Which once my infancy beguiled, Beguile me with the wonted spell. I know ye skilful to convoy The total freight of hope and joy Into rude and homely nooks, Shed mocking lustres on shelf of books, On farmer's byre, on pasture rude, And stony…
SEYD melted the days like cups of pearl, Served high and low, the lord and churl, Loved harebells nodding on a rock, A cabin hung with curling smoke, Ring of axe or hum of wheel Or gleam which use can paint on steel, And huts and tents; nor loved he less Stately lords in palaces,…
YET Saadi loved the race of men, – No churl, immured in cave or den; In bower and hall He wants them all; But he has no companion; Come ten, or come a million, Good Saadi dwells alone. Too long shut in strait and few, Thinly dieted on dew, I will use the world, and…
We flee away from cities, but we bring The best of cities with us, these learned classifiers, Men knowing what they seek, armed eyes of experts. We praise the guide, we praise the forest life: But will we sacrifice our dear-bought lore Of books and arts and trained experiment, Or count the Sioux a match…