She is very fractious, I believe, and
apt to kick over the milk pail.... April 16. I have milked a cow!!! ...
May 3. The whole fraternity eat together, and such a delectable way of
life has never been seen on earth since the days of the early
Christians.... May 4.... there is nothing so unseemly and disagreeable in
this sort of toil as you could think. It defiles the hands, indeed, but
not the soul."
Unfortunately, in order to earn a living, it was found necessary to work
ten hours a day in the summer time, and this toil was so fatiguing that the
mind could not work clearly at the end of the day. We find Hawthorne
writing on June 1 of the same year:--
"It is my opinion that a man's soul may be buried and perish ... in a
furrow of the field, just as well as under a pile of money."
On August 12, he asks:--
"Is it a praiseworthy matter that I have spent five golden months in
providing food for cows and horses? It is not so."
On October 9, he says:--
"Our household, being composed in great measure of children and young
people, is generally a cheerful one enough, even in gloomy weather.... It
would be difficult to conceive beforehand how much can be added to the
enjoyment of a household by mere sunniness of temper and liveliness of
disposition.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217