"Only he can be trusted with goods who can present a face of bronze
to expectations."
Unimpeachable in sentiment, but too obviously inspired for us to view
them with satisfaction. And Thoreau at his best is so fresh, so
original, that we decline to be put off with literary imitations, however
excellently done.
And thus it is that Thoreau has been too often regarded as a mere
disciple of Emerson. For this he cannot altogether escape blame, but the
student will soon detect the superficiality of the criticism, and see the
genuine Thoreau beneath the Emersonian veneer.
Thoreau lacked the integrating genius of Emerson, on the one hand, yet
possessed an eye for concrete facts which the master certainly lacked.
His strength, therefore, lay in another direction, and where Thoreau is
seen at his best is where he is dealing with the concrete experiences of
life, illustrating them from his wide and discursive knowledge of Indian
character and Oriental modes of thought.