Early Letters of George William Curtis | Page 7

and they had those gifts of social guidance
which placed them at the head of whatever entertainment was being
organized. Their grace of manner and beauty of face and figure also
won consideration for them, so that they were accepted into every
circle and found friends on every hand. It seems that Burrill was at this
time regarded as the handsomer, but in time George gained the chief
place in this regard. Their courtesy led them to help those whose labors
were hard, to aid the women in the laundry at their tasks, and to assist
them in hanging out the clothes on washing-days. In the evening the
clothes-pins which had been thrust into a pocket found their way to the
floor of the dancing-room.
One of the members of the community has written that the brothers
"looked like young Greek gods. Burrill, the elder, with a typical Greek
face and long hair falling to his shoulders in irregular curls," she says,
"I remember as most unconscious of himself, interested in all about him,
talking of the Greek philosophers as if he had just come from one of
Socrates' walks, carrying the high philosophy into his daily life, helping
the young people with hard arithmetic lessons, trimming the lamps

daily at the Eyrie, where the two brothers came to live (my sister saw
George assisting him one day, and occasionally, she says, he turned his
face with a disgusted expression, trying to puff away the disagreeable
odor), never losing control of himself, with the kindest manner to every
person. He and George seemed very companionable and fond of each
other.
"George, though only eighteen, seemed much older, like a man of
twenty-five, possibly, with a peculiar elegance, if I may so express it;
great and admirable attention, as I recollect, when listening to any one;
courteous recognition of others' convictions and even prejudices; and
never a personal animosity of any kind--a certain remoteness of manner,
however, that I think prevented persons from becoming acquainted
with him as easily as with Burrill."
In his "Memories of Brook Farm," Dr. John T. Codman mentions the
occasional returns of Curtis to the Farm after he had left it, and says he
heard him singing the "Erl King," "Kathleen Mavourneen," and
"Good-night to Julia" "in his inimitable manner." Everything goes to
indicate that he was a favorite, not only with the younger persons, but
with those who were older. He had already developed a mature
thoughtfulness, and gave indications of his power as a writer and
speaker. His fondness for music, and his enthusiastic study of it under
Dwight's leadership is an indication of that aesthetic appreciation which
he kept through life, and which appeared in his mastership of prose
style.
At first each one helped himself to the food placed on the table in the
dining-room at the Hive, or those at the table helped each other. In this
way more or less confusion was produced, and the results were
unsatisfactory. Accordingly, Charles Dana organized a group, including
Curtis and other young men of character and good breeding, to act as
waiters. Dana took his place at the head of this group of voluntary
servants, who performed their duties with grace and alacrity. "It is
hardly necessary to observe," says Mrs. Kirby, "that the business was
henceforth attended to with such courtly grace and such promptness
that the new regime was applauded by every one, although it did appear
at first as if we were all engaged in acting a play. The group, with their
admired chief, took dinner, which had been kept warm for them,
afterwards, and were themselves waited upon with the utmost

consideration."
II
While at Brook Farm, Curtis was on intimate terms with most of the
persons there. He greatly admired Mr. and Mrs. Ripley, and he
frequently wrote to Mrs. Ripley and made of her a sort of
mother-confessor. He also highly appreciated the scholarly qualities of
Charles Dana, and his capacity as a leader. In his letters he frequently
mentions "the two Charleses," who were Charles Dana and Charles
Newcomb. The latter has been described by Dr. Codman as "the
mysterious and profound, with his long, dark, straight locks of hair, one
of which was continually being brushed away from his forehead as it
continually fell; with his gold-bowed eye-glass, his large nose and
peculiar blue eyes, his spasmodic expressions of nervous horror, and
his cachinnatious laugh." Newcomb was for many years a resident of
Providence, afterwards finding a home in England and in Paris. He was
early a member of Brook Farm--a solitary, self-involved person,
preferring to associate with children rather than with older persons. He
read much in the literature of the mystics, and was laughingly said to
prefer paganism to Christianity. He had a feminine temperament,