Litchfield enquirer., 1849-12-27
uieand. Genius. of Dr, Watts.
BY THE REV. JOEL PkRKER; D. 3.

"SASys NtA1fSuSSSy tS @ kOeS- ding, characteristic of both. Ths. subG- mest poets advert to. their recollect ions of childhood with 8 pleasing interss t..
 Men like Moore and Byron go back to those ~ sunny hours," because they fur = nists tot their minds the only just coAsep- tions of purity and innocence. The lat . ter experience would, probably, lead them to deny the existence of such qualities.
 Yet childhood is, to society at large, what the mission of the infant, prophet was to the house of Eli, a mission of reproof.
 But, men love not to be rebuked, and hence, happily, none but such as have retained the simplicity and virtue of life's young dawn" care to- spend their hours amid the charms of the nursery. Wordsworth deemed it good to be there because his philosophic and gentle spirit was akin to- infancy. Maria Edgeworth loved to converse with children, because she saw all noble qualities closely folded in'their germs in infant minds, and wait ing for some genial influence to develspe them: Dr. Watts discovered all these and more. He saw that sentiments of virtue and piety were most easily infused in the very dawn of intelligence. He perceived that poetry was the most nat
 ural vehicle for introducing such senti-
 ments, and the most efficient means of keeping the thoughts that nourish them
 ever green in the memory. He possess ed an affinity with childhood, because he
 was ehildlike in his character; and child ren have conscious affinity with him., because all children possess poetic quail ties. Yhe- child who discovered that the stars were gimlet- holes bored through the sohd sky, and made on purpose that streams of glory might be let down from heaven to earth, was prepared to sym pathize with poet like Watts. The lit tie girl of four years old, who, recollect-
 ed distinctly aa event that had occurred six years before, and who modestly com
 batted her mothers declaration that she could not remember what had taken place previous to her birth, exiuecd trus poetic genius, when raising her tiny hands and clasping her little neck, she exclaimed with the ardor of an undoubting faith in the visions of her own glowing imagina- ton, {" You forgot, dear mother, you forgot; l know I was not born, but God had made my head just as far down as to here. and I peeped out of that cloud and saw it. You did not see me, but I saw you. and I remember.it well," Not inferior to either of these was the coni-
 deRtial disclosure of 6 young lad to his
 playmates that he had discovered the use
 of those fleecy clouds piled up by the ho-
 rizoA, at nightfall, and oyerhung with
 red aud blue curtains. They were
 coueAAs on wbich the angels sleep. He
 had sesn enc whs had become weary and gone to he'd at an unusually early heur.
 He saw him at the going down of the sun stretched cut in gigantic dimensions. with bright face, having one foot and
 leg sheathed ia crinsoA stocking, the other bare, and an oraags-cOloured and satin counterpane drawn ovor his shonl-
 ders. If these are extraordinary instan-
 ees, still children generally are full of
 faith, and gifted with warm imaginings.
 A poet like Watts turns their thoughts
 into verse, and no small portion of his
 power consists in doing for them what
 every teacher that is most skilful does
 for his pupils. when he makes them feel
 that what he has accomplished, was the expressing of their views better than they
 could have done it themselves.
 Dr. Watts was a great mas. True. he did not place himself at the head of any one department of science or litera- ture. Yet, he was highly distinguished in more respects, perhaps. than any man sf the age in which he lived. He was a general scholar; a skilful logiciau, pro- found divine, an acnte metaphysician sublime poet, and charitable and devout Christian. There is not more attract i've grace in human nature than eonde- scention, and one knows not where to find a move beautiful instsnce of it than in him who composed Logic for the Uni versalists, cOmbated the philosowhy of John Locke, framed catechisn for chil- dren in their fourth year, and wrote Divine and Moral Songs" for the nur- sery. It may be justly doubted wheth- CT the worlds history furnishes a paral- el except it bs in him who claimed the hierarehies as his servants, and took little children in his arms, and laid his hanls upon them aad blessed them.
 Isaac Watts was born in 1884 at Southampton. His f.ther was school master. He suffered prosecutions for hls dissenting opinions, and tradition says that the youthful and sorrowing mother has been known to seat herself on the steps of her husbands prison house, sucking this child of promise this child cradled in meekness amid con Eroyersial storms" He was very pre- socious child. as is seen in the fact that | he commenced the study of Latin at the sariy age of four years. He was great over of books. and was wont when any |