He gave us modern versions of
the Greek myths and hero legends, of Cadmus and Thebes, of Jason and the
Golden Fleece, of the Trojan epic, of the Delphic Oracle, etc.
Several years after leaving Brook Farm I was presented with a copy of
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Wonder Book," and was surprised and indignant to
find the author had actually taken our Brook Farm stories, told us by
Charles Hosmer and printed them, and that, too, without a word of
credit. Of course familiar renditions of the Greek legends have been
common property with English speaking people, for ages, but the ignorant
youngster who heard them at Brook Farm firmly believed the copyright
belonged to Charles Hosmer.
The young folk and children were not only told stories but were
encouraged to exercise their own talents in the same direction. Manuel
Portales gave an interesting account of native life in Luzon; and Angus
Cameron told us about the French habitants and their narrow little
strips of farms fronting on the Canadian streams, every farmer wanting a
littoral right, if only a few yards wide.
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