Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents v
3. New Introduction xiii
4. Preface xxv
5. Contents xxix
6. The Highland Terrace. 1
7. Highland Terrace Continued. 6
8. Lessening the Brook—Pig-Prophecy—Nearing of the City with Spring—the City Eye, as felt in the Country—Telegraph Wires, Æolian. 8
9. Slight of Small Streams in the Landscape—Character of Idlewild Brook—Legend and Name of our Nearest Village. 11
10. Reasons for Neighbors moving Off—Morals of Steamboat Landings—Class that is gradually taking Possession of the Hudson—Thought-property in a Residence— Horizon-clock of Idlewild—Society for the Eye, in a View. 16
11. Evergreen Independence of Seasons—Nature’s Landscape Gardening—Weakness as to Reluctance in Planting Trees. 19
12. Earlier City Migration to the Country than usual—Peculiar Dignity-plant—Object of Country Farmers in taking City Boarders for the Summer—Suggestion as to City and Country Exchange of Hospitality. 22
13. Ownership in Nature worth Realizing—Thumb-and-finger Nationality of Yankees—United Experience of Many, as expressed in a Common-minded Man’s Better Knowledge—Lack of Expression and Variety in Gates—Pigtight Gates. 25
14. Private Performance of Thunder-storms—Nature’s Sundays—Marriage of Two Brooks—Funnychild’s Deserted Bed. 28
15. Making a Shelf-road—Character shown in Wall-laying—By-the-Day and By-the-Job—English Literalness and Yankee “Gumption.” 31
16. Plank Foot-bridge over the Ravine—Its Hidden Location—Value of Oldman Friendships—Friend S.—His Visit to the Bridge—His Remembrance of Washington—Tobacco Juice on Trees to Prevent Horse-biting, &c., &c., 34
17. Foliage and its Wonders—Caprice of Tree-living—Auto-verdure of Posts—Hemlock, the Homestead Emblem, &c., &c. 37
18. Noon Visitors to Scenery—The Bull-Frog at the Gate—Inconvenient Opening of a Spring—Frog Curiosity and Intelligence—Process of Animal Progression, &c., &c. 39
19. Canterbury Rowdies—Pianos and Porkers—Unwelcome Visitors—Penalty of Pounding—A Public Benefactor. 43
20. Trouble in Gate Designing—Letter from an Unknown Correspondent, on Gates—Invisible Society at IdlewiId—Correction of Error as to Hemlocks—Handsome Irishman’s Mistake in Felling Trees, &c. 45
21. Laurel-blossoming—The Imbedded Stone, and Jem’s Neglect of his Countryman’s honors—Sabbath stop to our Running Water, &c., &c. 49
22. Effect of clearing out Underbrush from a Wood—Praise Disclaimed—Horror of Bloomeriized Evergreens—Neglect of departed Great Men—Carrion Nuisance, &c., &c. 52
23. Summer of Even Weather—Lightning-Rods falling into Disuse—Filling of Country Boarding-houses—Luxury of Rural Remoteness—Viewless Peopling of a Spot—Wallace the Composer, and his Tribute to Alexander Smith, &c., &c. 55
24. Neglect of Personal Appearance in Country Seclusion—Unexploring Habits of City People—Dignity of Un-damage-able Dress—Thoughts on Cooper’s Mansion being turned into a Boarding-house—Suggestion to Authors, as to turning their Influence to better Account—Letter from Cooperstown, &c., &c. 58
25. Timely Seasons and Untimely Age in America—Wild Glen so near the Hudson—Finding of Water Lilies—Anchoring a Lily in a Brook—Name of Moodna, &c., &c. 63
26. Avalanche or Storm-King—Idlewild Ravaged by the Flood—Accidents to Persons and Destruction to Property—House Laid Open—Rareness of such Phenomena, &c., &c. 65
27. Gentleman towing a Cow—Daughter taken out in the Storm to see the Freshet—The Power of a Flood—Lofty Bridge Swept Away—Extent of Desolation, &c., &c. 69
28. Young Lady killed by Lightning at our Neighbor’s House—Another Paralyzed—Careless General Attention to such Fearful Events, &c., &c. 71
29. Dilemma as to Placing Settees—Double Service of out-of-door Seats—Difference Between Appreciation of Landscape by Men and by Women—Right of all Strangers to enter Beautiful Grounds—Favor of being Figures on the Landscape—&c., &c. 73
30. A Wet September—Effect on Trees—Freshets—Dam-building—Nature’s Lesson in Water-power, &c., &c. 76
31. Wet Seasons Unfavorable to Hemlocks—The First Inland Mile on the Hudson—The American Malvern and Cheltenham—The Steamboat Landing a Fashionable Resort—The Highland Gap at Sunset, &c. 80
32. Highway Pigs—Giving the Old Woman a Ride—Her Favorite Jemmy—Pork and Poets—Common Folks’ Knowledge of Neighbors—Letter from a Correspondent, &c., &c. 84
33. Autumnal Privileges—Extent of Personal Orbit—Dignity of a Daily Diameter—Difference between Saddle and Carriage-Riding—Health in a Nobody-bath, &c., &c. 89
34. October’s First Sunday—Silverbrook, and the Blacksmith’s Story of its History—Storm-King and Black Peter—Effects of the Avalanche—Tribute to Children’s Love, &c., &c. 92
35. Working for Neighbors—Answers of Inquiries as to the price of Land, Farms, &c.—“Harriet’s” Letter—Apples Promiscuous on Barn-floor—Account of Society around us, &c., &c. 95
36. Autumn Splendors—Road Tax and amateur Road Making—Society for Volunteer Raking—Difference of Roads and Neighborhoods—North and South of Idlewild, &c., &c. 100
37. Discovery of an Iron Mine in the Neighborhood—Lack of National Quickness at Beautifying Scenery—Poem on the Flood-ravages at Idlewild—Drawing and Landscape-Gardening, &c., &c. 103
38. Sudden Fall of Leaves—November Haze—Fame of Newspaper-wrappers—Naming of a Village—Legend of MOODNA, the Indian Chief—Importance of Immortalizing Men and Events by the Naming of Towns, &c., &c. 107
39. Mellow Middle in a November day—Ascent to Storm-King—Road from Newburg to West Point—Chances for Human Eyries—Difference of Climate between the two Mountain-sides—Home-Iike familiarity of a Brook, &c., &c. 110
40. Instance of Stick-a-pin-there—Survey of Premises after a Freshet—History of a Dam—Specimen of Yankee Coax-ocracy, &c., &c. 113
41. Fine Specimen of a Boy—Young America—Mr. Roe’s Boys’ School—Surveying Class in the Paths of the Ravine, &c., &c. 116
42. Interesting to Invalids only—Letter from an Invalid Clergyman—Reply—Keeping Disease in the Minority—Climate of the Tropics—Importance of Attention to Trifles, in Convalescence, &c., &c. 118
43. Summer in December—Flippertigibbet—Idleness—Annual Quarrelsomeness of Dogs—Pig-influence—Home without a Hog, &c., &c. 123
44. Visit to Seven Lakes and Natural Bridge—Torrey the Blacksmith—Sunday in Nature—My Companion’s Hobby—Hollett the Quaker—Morning Sensations—Jonny Kronk’s and its Cemetery—Mammoth Snapping-Turtle—Iron Mine, &c., &e. 125
45. Many-Lake Alps and their Woodsmen—Highland Life—Contrast between it and New York, only three Hours’ Distance—The Difficulty—Natural Bridge—Driven on the Rocks—Hollett’s House, and our Ascent to the Peak—Seven Lakes—Quaker and Panther Meeting in the Woods, &c., &c. 129
46. Degrees of Horseback Acquaintance with a Road—Slaughter-House “Round by Headley’s”—Geese and their Envy—Goose-Descent upon Unexpected Ice, &c., &c. 134
47. Pool of Bethesda above the Highlands—Climate of Highland Terrace—Late Snows—Christmas, and Dressing of Church—Poem on Farmers’ Christmas Preparations—Black Peter—Snake Love of Solitude, &c., &c. 137
48. Trip of the Family Wagon to Newburgh—The Fashionable Resort—Chapman’s Bakery—Aristocracy “setled down”—Newburgh as a Neighbor. 140
49. Personal Experience interesting to Invalids—Difficulty as to Horseback Exercise—Advice as to Winter-riding—Economies in Horse-owning—New Idea as to Exposure—Philosophy of Exercise to Scholars, &c., &c. 144
50. Snow and its Uses—Winter View of Grounds, as to Improvements—Old Women’s Weather-Prophecy—Finding of an Indian God in the Glen—Idlewild a Sanctuary of Deities of the Weather—Name of Moodna, &c., &c. 149
51. Hudson Frozen Solid—Boats on Runners—Water-lilies—Indian Legend, and Poem on it by a Friend—Philosophy of naming Streams hereabouts—Angola and its Epidemic—Story of Smart Boy, &c., &c. 153
52. Boy-Teamster—Our Republic’s worst-treated Citizen—Boy Condition in the Country—Our Neighborhood suited to Boy-Education in Farming—Vicinity of New York Market—Boy-Labor and Boy-Slavery—City Parents and their Disposal of Boys—Gardening Profits, &c., &c. 157
53. Living in the Country all the Year round—Trips to the City—Hindrances by Snow on the Track—Chat in the hindered Cars—Mr. Irving—Bad Ventilation—Late Arrival, &c., &c. 163
54. Frst Signs of Spring—A Public of Invalids—An Invalid Chronicle—Letter from a Lady—Our Friend S.—Beauty of Old Age, &c., &c. 167
55. Breaking up of the River-ice—Dates of previous Resumings of Navigation—Companionship in the distant Views of Travel—Nature’s Illnesses—Hillsides, &c., &c. 170
56. Weather-wise Squirrels—Effect of Spring Winds on Roads—Dodge of Turnpike Companies—Anecdote of a Teamster’s Revenge—The Kings in Republics—Road from Newburgh to West Point, &c., &c. 174
57. Deceptive Grass-Patch—Why Northerners love Home—Tragedy and Turkeycock—Suspicion of Neighborhood and Vindication—Don Quixote, the Newfoundland Dog—Flippertigibbet, the Terrier—My Mare and her Illness, &c. 177
58. Cedar-Trees and their Secrets—Bird-Presence about Home—Our Night-Owl—A Bird’s Claim on Hospitality—Difference between City and Country Influences—Death in a Neighbor’s House, &c., &c. 181
59. A Newfoundland Dog and his Nature—The Beauty of a Brook as a Playfellow for Children—Country Life’s Opportunity to cultivate Intimacy with Children—Local Protection against East Winds—Mechanical Alleviation for Night-Coughs, &c., &c. 185
60. Snow-Storm in April—Newburgh to become a Seaport—Railroad from Hoboken, opposite Chamber Street, to West Point and Newburgh—Dutch Aristocracy—American difference from England as to Living near the Old Families, &c. 189
61. Birds suffering from Snow—Answer to a Fault-finder—Preparing for Old Age by learning to live with Nature—Another Estimate of the Value of Farming—Common and strangely unvaried Idea of “a Villa”—Hints as to choosing and arranging a Home in the Country, &c., &c. 193
62. Remarkable Land-slide—Woman nearly Buried—Our Gateway Stopped—Ravages of Floods—Embellishment of a Neighbor’s Grounds by a Landslide, &c., &c. 198
63. Immense Freshets—Islands in Solution—Curious Slides—Brickyards along the Hudson—Irish Laborers, and the Contrast between them and Native-Born Country People—The Infusorial Cemetery, &c., &c. 201
64. Distinctions of Rank in Vegetables—Splendid Outburst of Spring—Chivalry among Fowls—A daily Steamboat Luxury for this Neighborhood—Philosophy of Visits to the City, &c., &c. 205
65. Newness of Junes—Effects of the Eclipse—Cows embarrassed—Nature’s Caprices—Visit to West Point—The Salute to the Visiting Committee—Cadets’ Mess-Room—Professor Weir and the Gallery of Drawings—Parade—Stature of the Present Class of Cadets, &c., &c. 210
66. Adventure with a Snapping-Turtle—Wild black Cat, and other quadruped Bandits—Visit to a Revolutionary Soldier—Venerable Companion—Privations of the Army—Washington’s features, &c., &c. 217
67. Celebration of the Fourth of July by Children—Procession through the Grounds of Idlewild—Song by the Children—Their Pic-nic in the Grove—Speeches, &c., &c. 224
68. Government of the American Homestead—Republic in the Country, but not in the City—Aristocracy of upper Servants not tolerated—Each Individual’s Self-Esteem to be cared for—Irish lad in his progress in Americanizing—Difficulty of other Servants allowing a Head Man, &c., &c. 228
69. Invalid Wishes for Letters on their Class of Subjects—Boston Physician and his Alkaline Treatment—Experiment and its Failure—Consumption and its Alleviations, &c., &c. 235
70. Affection for our Doctors—Excellent Letter from my Friend of the Alkali—Taboo upon Tea—Letter from an Allopathic Physician—Doctor’s Visits, &c., &c. 240
71. Chat upon Invalid Indiscretions—Dietetics of the Soul—Forenoon on Horseback—Use of an Errand in a Ride—Steel Pens, and the consequent Decline of Penknives—Fatigue after Pleasure, &c., &c. 244
72. Sufferers from Drought—Our Hyla or Tree-toad—Cure of Jaundice—Abuses by Telegraph-menders, &c., &c. 249
73. Difficulty of knowing what cures Us—Od-ic Influence—Letter from an Artist, introducing and describing an Od-omatrician—His Letter—The Experiment—Table-movings, &c., &c. 252
74. Acquaintance across the Styx—Letter from our Friend the Od-ometrician, &c. 259
75. Certainty of a Genius Loci—His Susceptibility of Pique—Curious Exercise of it—The Drip-Rock Parlor—Check to a falling Leaf—Farewell. 263