In February 1865 the good people of
Concord called a town-meeting to consider the advisability of building a
new high-school house. Alcott, who held some office connected with the
town schools, was strongly in favor of the project, and on his way to
the meeting called on Emerson to secure his vote for it. He soon found,
however, that he had waked up the wrong person. Emerson, who was
finishing his dinner, considered that in time of war retrenchment and
economy were first to be thought of, and that the new school-house had
better be deferred for three years at least. But Alcott had also good
reasons for his opinion, and with all his deference for Emerson in
philosophy and literature he did not seem inclined to yield on the
present occasion. So the two friends argued the case together with equal
good humor and determination, and the discussion had not ceased when
they left the house.
The popular legend that during the Mexican war Mr. Alcott refused to pay
taxes that supported an unjust invasion, and was imprisoned for this, is
so far true; but it can not be true that when Emerson came to visit him
in jail to pay the tax-bill he said, "Bronson, why are you here?" and
that Alcott answered, "Waldo, why are you not here?"; for they never
called each other anything but Mr. Emerson and Mr. Alcott. The story of
Emerson's going with Margaret Fuller to see Fanny Ellsler, the danseuse,
was a pure invention of the enemy and had not even the corner-stone of a
foundation in fact.
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