The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-07-25


far as to say that the site of village is small
basin-shsped valley, scooped out from amid tn
hills, through the middle Of which a small bu
beautiful stream goes lettering like trusnt child
This stream I'VE call 1t river) separates the vii
| lage common from the ancient graveyard wher
sleep the first settlers and crossing the main road
almost encircles what still continues to be called
the aer graveyard, though here and there sunkel
grave, with its rudely sculptured slab Of red fire.
stone, proves that many years have elapsed sine
the first lone dweller was laid there. A few fee
to the west Of the old graveyard, stood, at tn
time of which we speak, the old meeting house
constructed after the most rigid Puritsnic notion
Of architecture, without steeple bell, and will
multitude Of small square windows which raw
. ~ $3.50. -~h $50 -
anything else Beyond this, the open common
stretches westward several rods and here til
district decided to erect their new house. Moth
ing like the little, low, brown house in which
they had tasted the benefit Of birch and Daboll
would content them now nothing short Of two
story, two-chimneyed building, with a room OF
the ground floor for the common school, and tn
one above for an academy, to the want Of whicl
they had become suddenly conscious.
II was certainly grand affair, superior to any
thing in the adjaces. villages; ssd who shs.
blame them IL they I'D feel certain pleasant it'll
lations in the region Of appropriateness rs the,
gazed upon the belfry, surmounted by its glitter
ing vane-that belfry from which, alas no bel
was ever destined to sound
As il was impossible to complete the buildin.
before the period arrived for the commencement
Of the winter school, il was decided TO finish tn
lower room, and leave the rest until the sprin,
vacation. This was done, and a teacher engaged
whose chief Recommendation seemed to consist il
the fact that he had taught several terms, WA
very impartial, and a rigid disciplinarisn. Ii
temper he was hssty and dogmstc, and, like too
many of his class seemed TO be utterly deficient
~ W -soae.H -hi-h =. - Sszc 2,
childhood, rather than compel the intellect Fer
ule ia hand, he drove the children into the house
sga ont, Mts .0,e siien tnfuhga pneir lessons and
recitations, and thus he had driven through seve.
raj winters, until he received his wages-by far
the most important part of the contract with him
for what could he have earned on the farm during
the short days of winter His impartiality was
manifested by Furnishing, on every possible occa-
sion, the children Of those who were officially
connected with the school, thereby, as he thought,
showing his independence. IL was not long be-
fore his severity began to give rise to complaints,
which were duly resented by the party in favor
Of rigid discipline and thus began the great storm
which swept over the village, like the sirocco,
binding the eyes and sitting the conscences,
causing many families that had hitherto sailed
the sea Of life together to part company and send
after each other bitter words and scowls of def
ance, instead Of good wishes and friendly cheer.
Ithiel Chittenden, or, to give his military title
and name as commonly abbreviated by his neigh
bors, Leftenant Chinnin had been one of the most
active in engaging the teacher but rs long as the
punishment fell only on his eldest child, Molly,
beautiful, high-spirited girl of thirteen, what
ever he might have thought, he held his peace,
only replying to her indignant complaints and
hearty wishes that the teacher might slip from
the old crossing-pole into the river aud get hall
drowned, or slip down on the ice-snything to
oblige him to leave the school, with "Tut, tut
Molly, dare say you are as noisy and mischie-
vous as a flock of kingbrdsp
Butwhen Mr. Evarts laid his heavy hand upon
his pets, his little twin boys, Joseph and Benja-
min-when, week after week, they came home
and held up to him their little fat hands, swollen
and purple, from the hard strokes of the ferule
his spirit WAS moved within him. He sought an
interview with the teacher, and demonstrated
earnestly with him on the wisdom Of his undue
severity. The teacher indignantly and somewhat
insultingly resented what he termed his interfe.
.sacs aad .-Aaifestsd HE ss>~4s.~Aas,s -.a ind
pendenoe by Furnishing still more severely every
little fault Of his children.
Notwithstanding his warlike title, the Leften.
ant was peaceably disposed man it took good
deal TO rouse and excite his combativeness; but
this object once fairly attained, he manifested
something like the obstinate tenacity Of the bull
dog. The circumstance of the interview be-
tween him and the teacher became known, and
their words duly reported and distorted TO suit
the views of the contending parties. He ex-
planned, corrected, and demonstrated, until, out
of all patience, he vowed (the Leftensnt never
swore) by the great John Rogers, that the teacher
should quit the village, or his children the school
The party in favor OF rigid discipline held up
their hands in holy horror at this manifestation
Of weakness They shook their heads ominously
when they spoke of little Joe and Benje, and
talked dolorously of the many instances in which
children, born to their parents late in life, had
been ruined themselves and brought ruin on their
families, all for the want Of q little wholesome
discipline One or two even went so far as to
question whether they were justified in permit
ting him TO retain his commission, as his conduct
might tend to produce a laxity Of discipline in
the militia, thereby endangering the character of
that national bulwsrk.
The aggrieved party on the other hand, looked
upon him as little less martyr than the worthy
lecturer on Divinity, whose name he had booked,
and they began to look upon the little twin-boys
with something like the same interest with which
they had been taught to view the nine small chill
dren of that worthy man, as represented in a
wood cut that invariably graoed the pages OF the
New England Primer.
Those who are unacquainted with that phase
of social life manifested in country villages, can
have no conception Of the bitterness and length
to which petty quarrels can be carried Not that
the people are worse, bat their facilities are bet
ter. There are few topics Of foreign interest
among them, few incidents occur to break the or
r q. /. Ia
much occupied with local affsirs. Besides, there
is a certain class, which is never lacking in any
society, the members Of which are far better
versed in the origin faults, foibles, weaknesses,
errors and tan1 pas, of every individual, than
they are with their own and these, set on by one
or two adroit wire-pullers, would breed quarrel
| In Paradise
Moreover, the matter Is still worse where the
families are all connected by marriage or blood
AS is the case with us and where they still retain
to q degree perhaps beyond any other place In
New England, the old English sristocracy Of fam
lily, the first question with many OF our Older
people being, to this day, whenever stranger u
spoken of "What is his family--what Is his
breed7n
This perhaps, is owing to the circumstance
that eight out Of ten Of the fse farms in ouI
| township are owned and cultivated by the Inca
descendants of their original owners, and ths
| traveller who chances TO loiter away an hal
hour or 50, while waiting for his dinner at tht
village inn, among the mossy stones in the old
graveyard may hear most Of the names so rudeiy
carved there q century ago, shouted forth, sgair
and again, by the noisy schoolboyso on the sdjacen
common.
BE this as Il may, our village was soon in gres
| uproar. The teacher, the original cause OF con
tention, soon served only as a central figure II
the dark picture, around which became drawn, IL
no neutral tints all the poor human frailties
which each of the CONTESTANTS had been guilty
and some, doubtless, Of which they never hA'
thought And such shadow did this pictur
cast, that even the atmosphere grew dark ant
sitting until men could no longer see to discern In
fair features Of Truth and Charity, and, wha
was still worse, even women and young chiidre'
| felt It's baleful influence