Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1853-04-28


o came; but only an old man, who said Mr.
E Thaine, the librarian, was out, and SC
was Mrs. Thaine; but that Miss Thaine
was in the library. l desired to see Miss
Thaine-and the man bade me follow
him up stairs.
There was a close smell of dust, but
the great hall was extremely neat and
clean; and the wide oaken stairs were all
polished and bare, except little rivulet
Of carpet, flowing down the centre. Por-
traits of old divines, in ugly skull caps,
hung on the walls Of the staircase, and at
the bottom of a passage found the bell
that | had set in motion still swinging
family in corner. My guide pushed O.
pen door, and then another door, COW
cred with black cloth and studded with
nails; and found myself in long room
lined with books Oh shelves, and saw a
young lady sitting writing at table at
the bottom.
~ blue stocking thought I; for she
dipt her pen into the great round pewter
inkstand, and went on writing without
seeing US; but my guide went forward,
and she looked up.
Mr.. Thaine is not in, miss?' 1 said.
no, sir, Is it anything about the IL
brary!
About the scholarships
20 yes. There will be no examination
till next October; for the last examination
has just taken place. You can send in
your testimonials. You will be examined
in the uiad-frst four books; the An
tigoue and the Mcdea; and generally in
Horace, Virgil, Taeitus, and Terence
IN English, the authors are Paley, Locke,
and Lardner. There are some other sub
.jects which You will find in this paper
She looked very serious, as if it was quite
natural for young lady to know all about
such things; and then putting her hair
behind her ears, she bent forward, and
went on with her writing. l was awed.
l had been taught to consider learned
woman as necessarily something old and
ugly pretty young lady who could speak
50 famiiarly Of the classics deprived me
Of utterance. I could only stammer out
Good morning and retreat.
found by the paper she had given
me that the successful competitors were
allowed bursary of forty pounds per an
nun, for their support during their stu
dies-not large sum, truly; but many
great scholars that I could call to mind
would, at one period of their lives, have
thought themselves rich with such an in
come; and in Scotland perhaps it would
be a fortune / almost wished it had been
less-for how noble it reads IN the life Of
a scholar, that he nourished his body
with bread and water, while his mind
5anqueted with the wi8est and the mi ght-
lest. The following day I presented my
self again at the library, and saw Mr..
Thaine, the librarian. He was man in
the prime of life, tall, and dressed like a
clergyman. There was certain severity
in bis tone and manner, which struck me
at first; but it wore off when [ had ex-
planned to him the object Of my ambition.
'Are you well versed in the authors in
which you will be examined?' he asked.
in some of them,' said.
You must lose no time, then. There
is rarely a great competition; indeed, we
have had no applicants on some occasions.
But the examiners will not appoint you
unless you show considerable proficiency
If have only health,' l answered, 4
doubt not of being ready
My confidence seemed to please him.
He offered me the use of the library; and
promising to assist me in any way in bis
power, be bade me good morning.
And now behold me wandering no
more IN galleries and museums, lolteflng
no more at shop windows, reading no
more in Inns of Court. That feeling of
vagabondage which pursues the idler in
a busting city was gone. | could sit in
my solitary room, pouring over my be-
loved books all day, and feel no jealousy
of the crowd who went about their own
business and left me to myself. What
ever might be my ulterior object-wheth-
er might become college professor, a
tutor, or a lawyer--l too was doing my
part, with that individual perseverance,
by which the great aggregate business OF
life is carried on. From early morning
till night l pursued my studies near my
window, looking out sometimes for few
moments upon the quiet street, and the
great house opposite, which seemed to me