The Project Gutenberg eBook of Fire Worship, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Fire Worship
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Release Date: September 6, 2003 [eBook #9223]
[Most recently updated: November 9, 2022]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
Produced by: David Widger and Al Haines
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRE WORSHIP ***
Fire Worship
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
It is a great revolution in social and domestic life, and no less so in the
life of a secluded student, this almost universal exchange of the open
fireplace for the cheerless and ungenial stove. On such a morning as now lowers
around our old gray parsonage, I miss the bright face of my ancient friend, who
was wont to dance upon the hearth and play the part of more familiar sunshine.
It is sad to turn from the cloudy sky and sombre landscape; from yonder hill,
with its crown of rusty, black pines, the foliage of which is so dismal in the
absence of the sun; that bleak pasture-land, and the broken surface of the
potato-field, with the brown clods partly concealed by the snowfall of last
night; the swollen and sluggish river, with ice-incrusted borders, dragging its
bluish-gray stream along the verge of our orchard like a snake half torpid with
the cold,—it is sad to turn from an outward scene of so little comfort
and find the same sullen influences brooding within the precincts of my study.
Where is that brilliant guest, that quick and subtle spirit, whom Prometheus
lured from heaven to civilize mankind and cheer them in their wintry
desolation; that comfortable inmate, whose smile, during eight months of the
year, was our sufficient consolation for summer’s lingering advance and early
flight? Alas! blindly inhospitable, grudging the food that kept him cheery and
mercurial, we have thrust him into an iron prison, and compel him to smoulder
away his life on a daily pittance which once would have been too scanty for his
breakfast. Without a metaphor, we now make our fire in an air-tight stove, and
supply it with some half a dozen sticks of wood between dawn and nightfall.
I never shall be reconciled to this enormity. Truly may it be said that the
world looks darker for it. In one way or another, here and there and all around
us, the inventions of mankind are fast blotting the picturesque, the poetic,
and the beautiful out of human life. The domestic fire was a type of all these
attributes, and seemed to bring might and majesty, and wild nature and a
spiritual essence, into our in most home, and yet to dwell with us in such
friendliness that its mysteries and marvels excited no dismay. The same mild
companion that smiled so placidly in our faces was he that comes roaring out of
Ætna and rushes madly up the sky like a fiend breaking loose from torment and
fighting for a place among the upper angels. He it is, too, that leaps from
cloud to cloud amid the crashing thunder-storm. It was he whom the Gheber
worshipped with no unnatural idolatry; and it was he who devoured London and
Moscow and many another famous city, and who loves to riot through our own dark
forests and sweep across our prairies, and to whose ravenous maw, it is said,
the universe shall one day be given as a final feast. Meanwhile he is the great
artisan and laborer by whose aid men are enabled to build a world within a
world, or, at least, to smooth down the rough creation which Nature flung to
it. He forges the mighty anchor and every lesser instrument; he drives the
steamboat and drags the rail-car; and it was he—this creature of terrible
might, and so many-sided utility and all-comprehensive
destructiveness—that used to be the cheerful, homely friend of our wintry
days, and whom we have made the prisoner of this iron cage.
How kindly he was! and, though the tremendous agent of change, yet bearing
himself with such gentleness, so rendering himself a part of all life-long and
age-coeval associations, that it seemed as if he were the great conservative of
nature. While a man was true to the fireside, so long would he be true to
country and law, to the God whom his fathers worshipped, to the wife of his
youth, and to all things else which instinct or religion has taught us to
consider sacred. With how sweet humility did this elemental spirit perform all
needful offices for the household in which he was domesticated! He was equal to
the concoction of a grand dinner, yet scorned not to roast a potato or toast a
bit of cheese. How humanely did he cherish the school-boy’s icy fingers, and
thaw the old man’s joints with a genial warmth which almost equalled the glow
of youth! And how carefully did he dry the cowhide boots that had trudged
through mud and snow, and the shaggy outside garment stiff with frozen sleet!
taking heed, likewise, to the comfort of the faithful dog who had followed his
master through the storm. When did he refuse a coal to light a pipe, or even a
part of his own substance to kindle a neighbor’s fire? And then, at twilight,
when laborer, or scholar, or mortal of whatever age, sex, or degree, drew a
chair beside him and looked into his glowing face, how acute, how profound, how
comprehensive was his sympathy with the mood of each and all! He pictured forth
their very thoughts. To the youthful he showed the scenes of the adventurous
life before them; to the aged the shadows of departed love and hope; and, if
all earthly things had grown distasteful, he could gladden the fireside muser
with golden glimpses of a better world. And, amid this varied communion with
the human soul, how busily would the sympathizer, the deep moralist, the
painter of magic pictures, be causing the teakettle to boil!
Nor did it lessen the charm of his soft, familiar courtesy and helpfulness that
the mighty spirit, were opportunity offered him, would run riot through the
peaceful house, wrap its inmates in his terrible embrace, and leave nothing of
them save their whitened bones. This possibility of mad destruction only made
his domestic kindness the more beautiful and touching. It was so sweet of him,
being endowed with such power, to dwell day after day, and one long lonesome
night after another, on the dusky hearth, only now and then betraying his wild
nature by thrusting his red tongue out of the chimney-top! True, he had done
much mischief in the world, and was pretty certain to do more; but his warm
heart atoned for all. He was kindly to the race of man; and they pardoned his
characteristic imperfections.
The good old clergyman, my predecessor in this mansion, was well acquainted
with the comforts of the fireside. His yearly allowance of wood, according to
the terms of his settlement, was no less than sixty cords. Almost an annual
forest was converted from sound oak logs into ashes, in the kitchen, the
parlor, and this little study, where now an unworthy successor, not in the
pastoral office, but merely in his earthly abode, sits scribbling beside an
air-tight stove. I love to fancy one of those fireside days while the good man,
a contemporary of the Revolution, was in his early prime, some five-and-sixty
years ago. Before sunrise, doubtless, the blaze hovered upon the gray skirts of
night and dissolved the frostwork that had gathered like a curtain over the
small window-panes. There is something peculiar in the aspect of the morning
fireside; a fresher, brisker glare; the absence of that mellowness which can be
produced only by half-consumed logs, and shapeless brands with the white ashes
on them, and mighty coals, the remnant of tree-trunks that the hungry, elements
have gnawed for hours. The morning hearth, too, is newly swept, and the brazen
andirons well brightened, so that the cheerful fire may see its face in them.
Surely it was happiness, when the pastor, fortified with a substantial
breakfast, sat down in his arm-chair and slippers and opened the Whole Body of
Divinity, or the Commentary on Job, or whichever of his old folios or quartos
might fall within the range of his weekly sermons. It must have been his own
fault if the warmth and glow of this abundant hearth did not permeate the
discourse and keep his audience comfortable in spite of the bitterest northern
blast that ever wrestled with the church-steeple. He reads while the heat warps
the stiff covers of the volume; he writes without numbness either in his heart
or fingers; and, with unstinted hand, he throws fresh sticks of wood upon the
fire.
A parishioner comes in. With what warmth of benevolence—how should he be
otherwise than warm in any of his attributes?—does the minister bid him
welcome, and set a chair for him in so close proximity to the hearth, that soon
the guest finds it needful to rub his scorched shins with his great red hands!
The melted snow drips from his steaming boots and bubbles upon the hearth. His
puckered forehead unravels its entanglement of crisscross wrinkles. We lose
much of the enjoyment of fireside heat without such an opportunity of marking
its genial effect upon those who have been looking the inclement weather in the
face. In the course of the day our clergyman himself strides forth, perchance
to pay a round of pastoral visits; or, it may he, to visit his mountain of a
wood-pile and cleave the monstrous logs into billets suitable for the fire. He
returns with fresher life to his beloved hearth. During the short afternoon the
western sunshine comes into the study and strives to stare the ruddy blaze out
of countenance but with only a brief triumph, soon to be succeeded by brighter
glories of its rival. Beautiful it is to see the strengthening gleam, the
deepening light that gradually casts distinct shadows of the human figure, the
table, and the high-backed chairs upon the opposite wall, and at length, as
twilight comes on, replenishes the room with living radiance and makes life all
rose-color. Afar the wayfarer discerns the flickering flame as it dances upon
the windows, and hails it as a beacon-light of humanity, reminding him, in his
cold and lonely path, that the world is not all snow, and solitude, and
desolation. At eventide, probably, the study was peopled with the clergyman’s
wife and family, and children tumbled themselves upon the hearth-rug, and grave
puss sat with her back to the fire, or gazed, with a semblance of human
meditation, into its fervid depths. Seasonably the plenteous ashes of the day
were raked over the mouldering brands, and from the heap came jets of flame,
and an incense of night-long smoke creeping quietly up the chimney.
Heaven forgive the old clergyman! In his later life, when for almost ninety
winters he had been gladdened by the firelight,—when it had gleamed upon
him from infancy to extreme age, and never without brightening his spirits as
well as his visage, and perhaps keeping him alive so long,—he had the
heart to brick up his chimney-place and bid farewell to the face of his old
friend forever, why did he not take an eternal leave of the sunshine too? His
sixty cords of wood had probably dwindled to a far less ample supply in modern
times; and it is certain that the parsonage had grown crazy with time and
tempest and pervious to the cold; but still it was one of the saddest tokens of
the decline and fall of open fireplaces that, the gray patriarch should have
deigned to warm himself at an air-tight stove.
And I, likewise,—who have found a home in this ancient owl’s-nest since
its former occupant took his heavenward flight,—I, to my shame, have put
up stoves in kitchen and parlor and chamber. Wander where you will about the
house, not a glimpse of the earth-born, heaven-aspiring fiend of
Ætna,—him that sports in the thunder-storm, the idol of the Ghebers, the
devourer of cities, the forest-rioter and prairie-sweeper, the future destroyer
of our earth, the old chimney-corner companion who mingled himself so sociably
with household joys and sorrows,—not a glimpse of this mighty and kindly
one will greet your eyes. He is now an invisible presence. There is his iron
cage. Touch it, and he scorches your fingers. He delights to singe a garment or
perpetrate any other little unworthy mischief; for his temper is ruined by the
ingratitude of mankind, for whom he cherished such warmth of feeling, and to
whom he taught all their arts, even that of making his own prison-house. In his
fits of rage he puffs volumes of smoke and noisome gas through the crevices of
the door, and shakes the iron walls of his dungeon so as to overthrow the
ornamental urn upon its summit. We tremble lest he should break forth amongst
us. Much of his time is spent in sighs, burdened with unutterable grief, and
long drawn through the funnel. He amuses himself, too, with repeating all the
whispers, the moans, and the louder utterances or tempestuous howls of the
wind; so that the stove becomes a microcosm of the aerial world. Occasionally
there are strange combinations of sounds,—voices talking almost
articulately within the hollow chest of iron,—insomuch that fancy
beguiles me with the idea that my firewood must have grown in that infernal
forest of lamentable trees which breathed their complaints to Dante. When the
listener is half asleep he may readily take these voices for the conversation
of spirits and assign them an intelligible meaning. Anon there is a pattering
noise,—drip, drip, drip,—as if a summer shower were falling within
the narrow circumference of the stove.
These barren and tedious eccentricities are all that the air-tight stove can
bestow in exchange for the invaluable moral influences which we have lost by
our desertion of the open fireplace. Alas! is this world so very bright that we
can afford to choke up such a domestic fountain of gladsomeness, and sit down
by its darkened source without being conscious of a gloom?
It is my belief that social intercourse cannot long continue what it has been,
now that we have subtracted from it so important and vivifying an element as
firelight. The effects will be more perceptible on our children and the
generations that shall succeed them than on ourselves, the mechanism of whose
life may remain unchanged, though its spirit be far other than it was. The
sacred trust of the household fire has been transmitted in unbroken succession
from the earliest ages, and faithfully cherished in spite of every
discouragement such as the curfew law of the Norman conquerors, until in these
evil days physical science has nearly succeeded in extinguishing it. But we at
least have our youthful recollections tinged with the glow of the hearth, and
our life-long habits and associations arranged on the principle of a mutual
bond in the domestic fire. Therefore, though the sociable friend be forever
departed, yet in a degree he will be spiritually present with us; and still
more will the empty forms which were once full of his rejoicing presence
continue to rule our manners. We shall draw our chairs together as we and our
forefathers have been wont for thousands of years back, and sit around some
blank and empty corner of the room, babbling with unreal cheerfulness of topics
suitable to the homely fireside. A warmth from the past—from the ashes of
bygone years and the raked-up embers of long ago—will sometimes thaw the
ice about our hearts; but it must be otherwise with our successors. On the most
favorable supposition, they will be acquainted with the fireside in no better
shape than that of the sullen stove; and more probably they will have grown up
amid furnace heat in houses which might be fancied to have their foundation
over the infernal pit, whence sulphurous steams and unbreathable exhalations
ascend through the apertures of the floor. There will be nothing to attract
these poor children to one centre. They will never behold one another through
that peculiar medium of vision the ruddy gleam of blazing wood or bituminous
coal—-which gives the human spirit so deep an insight into its fellows
and melts all humanity into one cordial heart of hearts. Domestic life, if it
may still be termed domestic, will seek its separate corners, and never gather
itself into groups. The easy gossip; the merry yet unambitious Jest; the
life-like, practical discussion of real matters in a casual way; the soul of
truth which is so often incarnated in a simple fireside word,—will
disappear from earth. Conversation will contract the air of debate, and all
mortal intercourse be chilled with a fatal frost.
In classic times, the exhortation to fight “pro axis et focis,” for the altars
and the hearths, was considered the strongest appeal that could be made to
patriotism. And it seemed an immortal utterance; for all subsequent ages and
people have acknowledged its force and responded to it with the full portion of
manhood that nature had assigned to each. Wisely were the altar and the hearth
conjoined in one mighty sentence; for the hearth, too, had its kindred
sanctity. Religion sat down beside it, not in the priestly robes which
decorated and perhaps disguised her at the altar, but arrayed in a simple
matron’s garb, and uttering her lessons with the tenderness of a mother’s voice
and heart. The holy hearth! If any earthly and material thing, or rather a
divine idea embodied in brick and mortar, might be supposed to possess the
permanence of moral truth, it was this. All revered it. The man who did not put
off his shoes upon this holy ground would have deemed it pastime to trample
upon the altar. It has been our task to uproot the hearth. What further reform
is left for our children to achieve, unless they overthrow the altar too? And
by what appeal hereafter, when the breath of hostile armies may mingle with the
pure, cold breezes of our country, shall we attempt to rouse up native valor?
Fight for your hearths? There will be none throughout the land. FIGHT
FOR YOUR STOVES! Not I, in faith. If in such a cause I strike a blow,
it shall be on the invader’s part; and Heaven grant that it may shatter the
abomination all to pieces!
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRE WORSHIP ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg™ License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
provided that:
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™
Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.
The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.