The Magnificence of the Big Picture

摘要

In 1855, Timothy Brown moved from Ryegate, Vermont, to Georgetown, New York. Shortly after settling in, he purchased a small plot of land and soon thereafter began building a new house. Having no previous experience with carpentry, Mr. Brown surprised friends and neighbors alike when he announced that he himself would be doing all of the construction work. Surprise undoubtedly led to concern when he further proclaimed that "spirits from the great beyond" would be guiding his hands throughout the process and that his body would merely serve as the vessel through which those spirits would construct the new dwelling. There would be no blueprints. There would be no pre-planning. Each hammered nail, each chiseled angle and each erected board would fall into place only as the spirits guided him.