When he wasn't working, his wife, Eva, supported the family by teaching.
While doing this, he earned money by teaching, to pay for his education.
Here is a man who thought he could conquer death by teaching.
"I make my living by teaching, so that is the honest way to put it," he said.
She left home to earn her own living, by teaching and writing, in 1894.
Like many other college graduates of his day, he first supported himself by teaching.
Research shows that this may be the best way to help them learn - by teaching.
For a long period he had to support himself by secondary-school teaching.
Still, in the manner of a poet, for many years he had to support himself by teaching.
"By teaching, I get to mother other people's children," she says.