Litchfield enquirer., 1851-01-23
LITCHFIELD ENQUIRER
DEVOTION TO LEARNING.

very small numOer OF Docks' IL oec"ule
necessary to seek for more in the public
libraries. AS far as possible in winter,
made long sittings in the cold halls Of the |
Cul de Richeliew, and being too late on
a summers day, / ran in one day from
st Geneveive to the Arsenal, and from
the Arsenal to the Institute-the library
of which, by an acceptable favor, was
kept open until one o'clock. Weeks and
months passed quickly by, in the midst
Of preparatory researches, in which nei>
Their the difficulties or discouragements of
compilation presented themselves and
in which the mind, fitting at will over the
materials that it gathers, cemposes and
re-composes in its own way, and con-
structs in breath the ideal model of the
edi6ce which. ere long, it will be necessa-
ry to erect piece by piece, slowly and la
boriously. In running my mind over
those thousands of facts, scattered thro'
hundreds Of volumes, and which appear
ed to me to speak clearly of the time and
the men whom wished to describe, j
experienced something of the emotion
which the fond traveller feels at the sight
Of country he has long hoped to see,
and which he has seenin his dreams.
In the kind Of extacy which absorbed
my mind while my hand turned the leaves
of the volumes, or made notes, had no
consciousness of what was passing around
me. The table at which was seated
was garnished and cleared by laborers !;
the clerks of the library or the curious
were coming and going through the hall;
l heard nothing saw nothing-save
only the apparitions called up by my
reading. That remembrance is yet pres
ent; and since that era Of my early toll,
I have never had 90 lively a conception
of the personages of my work. that gen.
Grafton of men, of manners, Of counte-
nanccs and fortunes, so diverse, which
successfully presented themselves to my
mind, some singing to the Celtic harp the
eternal hope Of the return of Arthur.
others sailing in the tempest with as lit
tie care for themselves as the swan that
sports upon the lake; some. in the in
toxication of victory, heaping up the spoils
of the conquered, measuring the ground
with line in order to make the division,
counting and resounting families by heads
like cattle others deprived by single
defeat, of all that made life Of any value,
giving themselves up to see the stranger
seated in authority at their own 6resides,
or, frantic with despair, Fastening to the
forest to live as wolves live, in robbery,
murder, and independence.
If, az rejoice to believe. the interest
of learning is ranked among the number
of great national interests, have given
to my country all that the mutilated SOL
der gives it upon the battlefield. What
ever may be the destiny of my works.
this example, I hope. will not be lost. I
would wish that it might serve to CONF
bat the appearance of moral decay. which
is the complaint Of the present genera
ton that it might suffice to bring back
into the way Of rectitude some one of
those snervated souls who complain Of
losing their confidence, who know not to
what to apply themselves, and seek eve
ry where without finding an object Of
study and devotion. Why say with grief
that, in the world, constituted as it is,
there is not air for all to breathe, nor
employment for all minds. Is there not
serious and calm study? Is there not in
it hope, a field in which every one of
US may range? With this, one passes
wearisome days without feeling. their
weight; he works out his own destiny
he uses nobly his life. Behold what l
have done, and what I would yet do! l
commenced my work, / undertook that
which has brought me to my present pO-
sition. Blind and suffering, without hope
and almost without haven, / can bear
that testimony. which from me will no.
be suspected: there is in the world some
thing which is more valuable than cor
pOreal pleasures. better than fortune. bet
Ter than even health itself-it il devotion
10 lsarning.-tThierry's " Ten Years OF
Historical Study"
ETPaine's Light seems destined 70
5000 A.. a. Hs~.l,A ue kha world HA