Walking

ell.Butthefarmerisarmedwithplowandspade. Inliteratureitisonlythewildthatattractsus.Dullnessisbutanothernamefortameness.ItistheuncivilizedfreeandwildthinkinginHamletandtheIliad,inallthescripturesandmythologies,notlearnedintheschools,thatdelightsus.Asthewildduckismoreswiftandbeautifulthanthetame,soisthewild—themallard—thought,which’midfallingdewswingsitswayabovethefens.Atrulygoodbookissomethingasnatural,andasunexpectedlyandunaccountablyfairandperfect,asawildflowerdiscoveredontheprairiesofthewestorinthejunglesoftheeast.Geniusisalightwhichmakesthedarknessvisible,likethelightning’sflash,whichperchanceshattersthetempleofknowledgeitself—andnotataperlightedatthehearthstoneoftherace,whichpalesbeforethelightofcommonday. Englishliterature,fromthedaysoftheminstrelstotheLakePoets—ChaucerandSpenserandMilton,andevenShakespeareincluded—breathesnoquitefreshandinthissensewildstrain.Itisanessentiallytameandcivilizedliterature,reflectingGreeceandRome.Herwildernessisagreenwood,herwildmanaRobinHood.ThereisplentyofgenialloveofNature,butnotsomuchofNatureherself.Herchroniclesinformuswhenherwildanimals,butnotwhenthewildmaninher,becameextinct. ThescienceofHumboldtisonething,poetryisanotherthing.Thepoettoday,notwithstandingallthediscoveriesofscience,andtheaccumulatedlearningofmankind,enjoysnoadvantageoverHomer. WhereistheliteraturewhichgivesexpressiontoNature?Hewouldbeapoetwhocouldimpressthewindsandstreamsintohisservice,tospeakforhimwhonailedwordstotheirprimitivesenses,asfarmersdrivedownstakesinthespring,whichthefrosthasheavedwhoderivedhiswordsasoftenasheusedthem—transplantedthemtohispagewithearthadheringtotheirrootswhosewordsweresotrueandfreshandnaturalthattheywouldappeartoexpandlikethebudsattheapproachofspring,thoughtheylayhalfsmotheredbetweentwomustyleavesinalibrary,—aye,tobloomandbearfruitthere,aftertheirkind,annually,forthefaithfulreader,insympathywithsurroundingNature. IdonotknowofanypoetrytoquotewhichadequatelyexpressesthisyearningfortheWild.Approachedfromthisside,thebestpoetryistame.Idonotknowwheretofindinanyliterature,ancientormodern,anyaccountwhichcontentsmeofthatNaturewithwhichevenIamacquainted.YouwillperceivethatIdemandsomethingwhichnoAugustannorElizabethanage,whichnoculture,inshort,cangive.Mythologycomesnearertoitthananything.HowmuchmorefertileaNature,atleast,hasGrecianmythologyitsrootinthanEnglishliterature!MythologyisthecropwhichtheOldWorldborebeforeitssoilwasexhausted,beforethefancyandimaginationwereaffectedwithblightandwhichitstillbears,whereveritspristinevigorisunabated.Allotherliteraturesendureonlyastheelmswhichovershadowourhousesbutthisislikethegreatdragon-treeoftheWesternIsles,asoldasmankind,and,whetherthatdoesornot,willendureaslongforthedecayofotherliteraturesmakesthesoilinwhichitthrives. TheWestispreparingtoadditsfablestothoseoftheEast.ThevalleysoftheGanges,theNile,andtheRhine,havingyieldedtheircrop,itremainstobeseenwhatthevalleysoftheAmazon,thePlate,theOrinoco,theSt.Lawrence,andtheMississippiwillproduce.Perchance,when,inthecourseofages,Americanlibertyhasbecomeafictionofthepast,—asitistosomeextentafictionofthepresent,—thepoetsoftheworldwillbeinspiredbyAmericanmythology. Thewildestdreamsofwildmen,even,arenotthelesstrue,thoughtheymaynotrecommendthemselvestothesensewhichismostcommonamongEnglishmenandAmericansto-day.Itisnoteverytruththatrecommendsitselftothecommonsense.Naturehasaplaceforthewildclematisaswellasforthecabbage.Someexpressionsoftrutharereminiscent,—othersmerelysensible,asthephraseis,—othersprophetic.Someformsofdisease,even,mayprophesyformsofhealth.Thegeologisthasdiscoveredthatthefiguresofserpents,griffins,flyingdragons,andotherfancifulembellishmentsofheraldry,havetheirprototypesintheformsoffossilspecieswhichwereextinctbeforemanwascreated,andhence“indicateafaintandshadowyknowledgeofapreviousstateoforganicexistence.”TheHindoosdreamedthattheearthrestedonanelephant,andtheelephantonatortoise,andthetortoiseonaserpentandthoughitmaybeanunimportantcoincidence,itwillnotbeoutofplaceheretostate,thatafossiltortoisehaslatelybeendiscoveredinAsialargeenoughtosupportanelephant.IconfessthatIampartialtothesewildfancies,whichtranscendtheorderoftimeanddevelopment.Theyarethesublimestrecreationoftheintellect.Thepartridgelovespeas,butnotthosethatgowithherintothepot. Inshort,allgoodthingsarewildandfree.Thereissomethinginastrainofmusic,whetherproducedbyaninstrumentorbythehumanvoice—takethesoundofabugleinasummernight,forinstance,—whichbyitswildness,tospeakwithoutsatire,remindsmeofthecriesemittedbywildbeastsintheirnativeforests.ItissomuchoftheirwildnessasIcanunderstand.Givemeformyfriendsandneighborswildmen,nottameones.Thewildnessofthesavageisbutafaintsymboloftheawfulferitywithwhichgoodmenandloversmeet. Iloveeventoseethedomesticanimalsreasserttheirnativerights—anyevidencethattheyhavenotwhollylosttheiroriginalwildhabitsandvigoraswhenmyneighbor’scowbreaksoutofherpastureearlyinthespringandboldlyswimstheriver,acold,graytide,twenty-fiveorthirtyrodswide,swollenbythemeltedsnow.ItisthebuffalocrossingtheMississippi.Thisexploitconferssomedignityontheherdinmyeyes—alreadydignified.Theseedsofinstinctarepreservedunderthethickhidesofcattleandhorses,likeseedsinthebowelsoftheearth,anindefiniteperiod. Anysportivenessincattleisunexpected.Isawonedayaherdofadozenbullocksandcowsrunningaboutandfriskinginunwieldysport,likehugerats,evenlikekittens.Theyshooktheirheads,raisedtheirtails,andrushedupanddownahill,andIperceivedbytheirhorns,aswellasbytheiractivity,theirrelationtothedeertribe.But,alas!asuddenloudWhoa!wouldhavedampedtheirardoratonce,reducedthemfromvenisontobeef,andstiffenedtheirsidesandsinewslikethelocomotive.WhobuttheEvilOnehascried“Whoa!”tomankind?Indeed,thelifeofcattle,likethatofmanymen,isbutasortoflocomotivenesstheymoveasideatatime,andman,byhismachinery,ismeetingthehorseandtheoxhalfway.Whateverpartthewhiphastouchedisthenceforthpalsied.Whowouldeverthinkofasideofanyofthesupplecattribe,aswespeakofasideofbeef? Irejoicethathorsesandsteershavetobebrokenbeforetheycanbemadetheslavesofmen,andthatmenthemselveshavesomewildoatsstilllefttosowbeforetheybecomesubmissivemembersofsociety.Undoubtedly,allmenarenotequallyfitsubjectsforcivilizationandbecausethemajority,likedogsandsheep,aretamebyinheriteddisposition,thisisnoreasonwhytheothersshouldhavetheirnaturesbrokenthattheymaybereducedtothesamelevel.Menareinthemainalike,buttheyweremadeseveralinorderthattheymightbevarious.Ifalowuseistobeserved,onemanwilldonearlyorquiteaswellasanotherifahighone,individualexcellenceistoberegarded.Anymancanstopaholetokeepthewindaway,butnoothermancouldservesorareauseastheauthorofthisillustrationdid.Confuciussays,—“Theskinsofthetigerandtheleopard,whentheyaretanned,areastheskinsofthedogandthesheeptanned.”Butitisnotthepartofatrueculturetotametigers,anymorethanitistomakesheepferociousandtanningtheirskinsforshoesisnotthebestusetowhichtheycanbeput. Whenlookingoveralistofmen’snamesinaforeignlanguage,asofmilitaryofficers,orofauthorswhohavewrittenonaparticularsubject,Iamremindedoncemorethatthereisnothinginaname.ThenameMenschikoff,forinstance,hasnothinginittomyearsmorehumanthanawhisker,anditmaybelongtoarat.AsthenamesofthePolesandRussiansaretous,soareourstothem.Itisasiftheyhadbeennamedbythechild’srigmarole—Iery-wieryicheryvan,tittle-tol-tan.Iseeinmymindaherdofwildcreaturesswarmingovertheearth,andtoeachtheherdsmanhasaffixedsomebarbaroussoundinhisowndialect.Thenamesofmenare,ofcourse,ascheapandmeaninglessasBoseandTray,thenamesofdogs. Methinksitwouldbesomeadvantagetophilosophyifmenwerenamedmerelyinthegross,astheyareknown.Itwouldbenecessaryonlytoknowthegenusandperhapstheraceorvariety,toknowtheindividual.WearenotpreparedtobelievethateveryprivatesoldierinaRomanarmyhadanameofhisown—becausewehavenotsupposedthathehadacharacterofhisown.Atpresentouronlytruenamesarenicknames.Iknewaboywho,fromhispeculiarenergy,wascalled“Buster”byhisplaymates,andthisrightlysupplantedhisChristianname.SometravellerstellusthatanIndianhadnonamegivenhimatfirst,butearnedit,andhisnamewashisfameandamongsometribesheacquiredanewnamewitheverynewexploit.Itispitifulwhenamanbearsanameforconveniencemerely,whohasearnedneithernamenorfame. Iwillnotallowmerenamestomakedistinctionsforme,butstillseemeninherdsforallthem.Afamiliarnamecannotmakeamanlessstrangetome.Itmaybegiventoasavagewhoretainsinsecrethisownwildtitleearnedinthewoods.Wehaveawildsavageinus,andasavagenameisperchancesomewhererecordedasours.Iseethatmyneighbor,whobearsthefamiliarepithetWilliamorEdwin,takesitoffwithhisjacket.Itdoesnotadheretohimwhenasleeporinanger,orarousedbyanypassionorinspiration.Iseemtohearpronouncedbysomeofhiskinatsuchatimehisoriginalwildnameinsomejaw-breakingorelsemelodioustongue. Hereisthisvast,savage,hoveringmotherofours,Nature,lyingallaround,withsuchbeauty,andsuchaffectionforherchildren,astheleopardandyetwearesoearlyweanedfromherbreasttosociety,tothatculturewhichisexclusivelyaninteractionofmanonman,—asortofbreedinginandin,whichproducesatmostamerelyEnglishnobility,acivilizationdestinedtohaveaspeedylimit. Insociety,inthebestinstitutionsofmen,itiseasytodetectacertainprecocity.Whenweshouldstillbegrowingchildren,wearealreadylittlemen.Givemeaculturewhichimportsmuchmuckfromthemeadows,anddeepensthesoil—notthatwhichtruststoheatingmanures,andimprovedimplementsandmodesofcultureonly! Manyapoorsore-eyedstudentthatIhaveheardofwouldgrowfaster,bothintellectuallyandphysically,if,insteadofsittingupsoverylate,hehonestlyslumberedafool’sallowance. Theremaybeanexcessevenofinforminglight.Niepce,aFrenchman,discovered“actinism,”thatpowerinthesun’srayswhichproducesachemicaleffectthatgraniterocks,andstonestructures,andstatuesofmetal“areallalikedestructivelyacteduponduringthehoursofsunshine,and,butforprovisionsofNaturenolesswonderful,wouldsoonperishunderthedelicatetouchofthemostsubtleoftheagenciesoftheuniverse.”Butheobservedthat“thosebodieswhichunderwentthischangeduringthedaylightpossessedthepowerofrestoringthemselvestotheiroriginalconditionsduringthehoursofnight,whenthisexcitementwasnolongerinfluencingthem.”Henceithasbeeninferredthat“thehoursofdarknessareasnecessarytotheinorganiccreationasweknownightandsleeparetotheorganickingdom.”Notevendoesthemoonshineeverynight,butgivesplacetodarkness. Iwouldnothaveeverymannoreverypartofamancultivated,anymorethanIwouldhaveeveryacreofearthcultivated:partwillbetillage,butthegreaterpartwillbemeadowandforest,notonlyservinganimmediateuse,butpreparingamouldagainstadistantfuture,bytheannualdecayofthevegetationwhichitsupports. ThereareotherlettersforthechildtolearnthanthosewhichCadmusinvented.TheSpaniardshaveagoodtermtoexpressthiswildandduskyknowledge—Gramaticaparda—tawnygrammar,akindofmother-witderivedfromthatsameleopardtowhichIhavereferred. WehaveheardofaSocietyfortheDiffusionofUsefulKnowledge.Itissaidthatknowledgeispower,andthelike.MethinksthereisequalneedofaSocietyfortheDiffusionofUsefulIgnorance,whatwewillcallBeautifulKnowledge,aknowledgeusefulinahighersense:forwhatismostofourboastedso-calledknowledgebutaconceitthatweknowsomething,whichrobsusoftheadvantageofouractualignorance?Whatwecallknowledgeisoftenourpositiveignoranceignoranceournegativeknowledge.Bylongyearso