[Boston—Saturday, 25 November 1865]
Saturday—alone all day—walked under a heavy grey sky about six miles through the country. All was still as if listening for the coming rain; it was not cold though a chilly wind arose and blew the sea-mist against me on my return. The birds sang gently as if far away. They seemed to be leaving their parting songs on the wind to console us for their long absence. The leaves of the scarlet oak still talk and chatter together on the boughs.
Jamie went to the Club. It was a brilliant meeting. Dr Holmes was the life of it in the way of conversation and amused them all excessively. Peals of laughter followed his brilliant sallies. He began to talk about homeopathy. “Well” said he “I feel in beginning to talk upon this subject that I am talking to a set of ignoramuses, that is, medicine is a subject none of you have studied and I have. I have devoted the best part of my life in Europe & America to the study of my profession. Now, if Mr Longfellow should begin to talk about Dante I should feel my ignorance, well up, I am respectably informed about Dante, but then I should listen to him because he has given his time to the study of it.” And so on, fighting homeopathy to the death and amusing them all with his boyishness.
G.W. Curtis was one of Jamie’s guests & Mr Rice our rep[re]sentative another. When Mr Rice was introduced to Mr Emerson, the latter said “Mr Rice, I am glad to meet you, Sir. I often see your name in the papers and elsewhere and I am happy to take you by the hand for the first time.” “Not for the first time” Mr Rice replied, 33 years ago I was passing the summer in Newton. It was my school vacation and I was enjoying the woods as boys will. One afternoon I was walking alone when you saw me and joined me and talked of the Voices of Nature in a way which stirred my boyish pulses and left me thinking of your words far into the night.” Mr Emerson seemed pleased at this and said it must have been long ago indeed when he ventured to talk of such fine subjects.
Mr Emerson said later talking of going to Europe “that the wily American would elude Europe for a year yet hoping exchange would go down.”
With all his guests and talk Jamie remembered me at the feast and brought me both fruit and flowers from the table.
