The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-04-24

some intervals in his time during
the winter, he took up the study of
Latin, intending to read Virgil as a
pastime. Surprised at the facility
of his advancement in this, he soon
after commenced the study Of
French. After spending the first
winter of his majority in this manner,
he returned in the spring with re-
ncwcd vigor to his trade, and to
make up for his winters recreation
he took the place of itc0 men at the
forge, and performed the work that
belonged to both. After he could
read French with pleasure, he APP
piled himself to Spanish. He next
commenced the Greek, and such
was his cagerness to acquire a
knowledge of this, that he carried
his grammar in his hat while at work,
and studied at the forge. lie pur-
sued this course until the fall of the
year 1898. lie then made his ar
rangcments to devote himself wholly
to study for the succeeding winter.
lie went to New Haven, not so
much, as he said, to find a teacher,
as with the conviction that there
was the proper place to study. As
soon as lie arrived he sat down to
the reading of lomcr's Had, alone,
without notes or translation, or any
other help. At the close of the first
day, after intense application, he
had read fifteen lines, much to his
satisfaction. After this successful
attempt, he resolved to 20 on with
out q teacher, he accordingly made
a systematic division Of his time and
studies: he rose at four and studied
German until breakfast, then studied
Greek until noon, then spent an
hour at Italian: in the afternoon he
studied Greek until night, and then
studied Spanish until bed time.
This course he continued until he
could read two hundred lines a day
of Homer, besides carrying for
ward his other studies in their Or
der.
During the winter he read twenty
books of Ilomer,s Had, besides stu
dying with equal success the other
lluo9accs. in the hours ASSIGNED TO
them. In the sprinr he returned
again to his anvil: but an invitation
to teach a grammar school soon af-
ter. induced him to take of his
apron and turn pedagoguc he spcn,
a year in teaching; he then travel
cd nearly two wears as the agent Of
a manufacturing company, dulinc
which time his studies were entirely
suspended.
From that employment lie return
cd to his anvil and concurrent STU
dies, which have been, since that
time, pursued in lis ordinary man
ner. After acquiring the ancient
languages, and the living European
languages, he turned his attention
to the Oriental tongues. Looking
about in vain for the means of ac-
complishing his desire, he conceived
the bold plan of shipping as a sailor
and getting by travel what did not
lie within his reach at home.
With this resolution he Travelled
on foot to Boston, to carry his plan
into execution. lie was unsucccss-
iul IN hiS search for vessel bound
Tor the Eastern world: and while
musmS under his disappointment, he
accidentally heard of the American
Antiquarian Society at Worcester.
lie immediately proceeded thith-
cr and found, as he says, "to his IN
Unite qualification, such a collection
oil books on ancient, modern, and
oriental languages, as he never be-
tore conceived to be collected to-
gether IN one place" lie was cor
Orally welcomed and freely admitted
70 al inc privileges OF the library
~ '"''nc"'''el, "laoc arrangements
" No'h AZ Ills race 10 gam inc
,''cNhS o' HIS support, ana spent tlree
. hours every U1N IN Tie library. ms