Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-06-18
Tw sc EILANv.
ANECDOTES OF THE EARLY LIFE OF
THOMAS ENNINE


| interest. They are from an admirable articl. In
IN the last New England Magazine. and are said
10 be from the pen Of Mr.. Brooks ofthe Portland
| Advertiser
" From the age Of thirteen, the life Of Mr. Ew.
ing was iaborious. Then he became substan.
,iai assistant TO his father, upon his farm and
by and by, he had the principal management of
III. still, he found time TO read, as all can find,
who have thirst for knowledge but, as he
grew Older, he had less time 10 read, than when
| boy. The little he had learnt however, but
! lnfamed bin with desire of learning more
| The love Of knowledge the prevailing and
all absorbing passion ofhls soul. To be scholar,
| was then the summit OF his highest ambition
| He felt that he had acquired all the knowledge
! then within his reach but this only taught him
how little, in fact he knew; and was far from al
/ laying his burning thirst for knowing more
| knowledge there was, he knew; but how to
| reach ii more than he could tell. Poverty
1 stared him in the face. Distractions thickened
upon him the father and his farm anchored him
at home but his buoyant spirits led him off, on
Thousand Plans-through many arial castles,
| and in many delightful visions. Calculations
were made, but made in vain. Plans were for
med but they were soon but air. A world was
abroad, but wha, ii was, the eager student hard
ly knew. And yet, the more he knew Of it, the
more he painted to act his part in lie. But, the
more he thought Of his situation the more he des-
pared. Reflection at last ripened into actual
suffering. His feelings became intensely interes-
ted. The bitter and melancholy conclusion, at
last was that he must abandon all hopes, forever.
Bat in the summer of 1905, he was awakened
from his stupor, By youth, nearly his own age,
whom his father had hired for few months, to
assist him i'll tarming-and who had rsmbled
and seen much OF the world The variations of
this oung man, aud of many of his adventures,
! awakened Ewing and as money was what he
wanted, in order TO Obtain the means of pursuing
his studies, he induced to go with him to the
kanhawa Saiines, in western Virginia, in order
there to try his fortunes. He obtained the con.
sent of his father, and left home early in August
with his knapsack his back, and but little
spending money in his pocket. He got on board
OF keel boat at Marietta, bound for Kanhawa
and made his way TO the FL Dorado of his
imagination. During the three or four months he
was absent, he worked, common hand, at
the sal. wells, and was tolerably successful but
the greatest satisfaction he had was, that he
could do something Ia future. He returned home
IN the winter, with about eighty dollars, the a
mount of his wages, leaving his companion behind
whose rowing disposition prompted him still more
This money Ewing gave to his father 10 assist
him in paying for his land The surrender of
this little and hard earned treasure to his father
for the purpose ofeaabling him TO save his land
from forfeiture, no ordinary sacrifice as il
postponed for year, all prospect Of prosecuting
his studies and condemned him. for a while, 10
stte the high hopes he then nourished in his
BOSOM
Early in the spring of 1909, Mr. Ewing set out
again for the kanhawa salt works. The whole
OF this season, until November, he spent in more
assduous labor, and he succeeded well-the pro-
fits OF the season being about four hundred dol
lars, out Of which he appropriated sixty, to pay
the balance on his fathers land. He spent the
winter at Athens, then Furnishing academy
but irregular in the course of his studies as il
left the student TO pursue such course as he
might think proper. Al the end of about three
months, he left the academy and returned TO
Kanhawa-a after receiving such encouragement
from the President of the institution, & stimuIu.
from others, as fixed his determination to pro-
cure the means Of obtaining education. The
two next years he devoted to this object !: and
returned from the Kanhawa, in November, 1872,
with about eight hundred dollars in money but
with his health considerably impaired by Sc
we're hard labor. This he supposed would
be sufficient TO enable him TO go through the pre-
paratory studies, and acquire profession His
health, however, was so much injured, that he
was unable 70 recommence his studies But he
again fell upon the library, in the neighborhood
OF his home, which was enlarged aud from
the repose given him, and the leisure spent in
reading such authors as Don Csaixote, he laugh
himself INTO such good health and spirits, that in
December he was able togo back to Athens
where he continued most indefatigable student
until the spring Of 1914. His progress during
this time was very rapid. He became familiar
with many ofthe best English authors, and as
his Judgment matured, he easily obtained know
n
ematics, however, was his favorie study, for
which he had natural inclination, and hence
Euclid was favorite author The philosophy
which depended upon mathematical demonstra.
ton, he studied with care, and in il made much
proficiency He also studied Latin but determi-
ned to omit Greek
In 1914, Mr. Ewing became satisfied that his
funds would not hold out and took school in
Galliopoiis Not liking this employment, at the
end OF the quarter, he reliuquished it, and retur
Cd TO, al g /. 1
| collect a small sum that was due him, and to see
what could be done towards adding something TO
his funds lie threw off the dress of the student
and again went TO work at the Salines He hired
a furnace, and in one Of month of incessant toll,
the seyerest he ever undertook, he improved the
state Of his finances, so that he felt confident
that they would bear him through his studies -
At some period OF his fabors at the salt works
and it probably this, he labored twenty
hours out Of the twenty -four and he was often
found during the four hours allotted TO sleep walk
ing with open eyes, but still asleep, between the
! two rows Of boiling salt kettles, where a false
| step would have destroyed his life With this
hard earned treasure be returned 10 Athens
! where he continued till the spring of ISIS At
the examination, in May 1915, the trustees o f
the institution voted him the degree OLA. b. be-
ing the first, with one other, upon whom this de-
gree was conferred, by any college n the State Of
| Ohio.
| The circumstances which decided Mr. Ewiug's
choice OF a profession, were probably these. In
! 1910, he took load of salt TO Marietta. While
/ there, accident led him TO the court house. The
| Court of Common Pleas in session, and he
entered court house for the first time in his life
1t happened that an important criminal trial was
going on. The attention ofthe young salt boiler
was rivetted TO the scene nor did he quit the
room until the case was closed. He had witness
cd high intellectual effort he had listened TO
an advocate (the late Elijah b. Merwin) of un-
uncommon ability. Hitherto he had not known
or felt the power Of eloquence. We may sup
pose, that, along with this admiration Of intellect
in another, there was associated conscious ness
OF his own mental powers, and feeling kindred
TO that caused the uututored Corregio TO eXelaim
after gazing, for the first time upon the picture
of Raphael-'l too am a painterp In truth this
must have been so, for he turned away TO pursue
his toilsome occupation nth the fixed determi-