The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-05
hoes reversed, in order that thu. u
s Ma nieAe

- lzflz laxsxznii,srzseS - eenAEht
'Iecelve nfa paTsuers. Ihev reSSl4 - salem
afterwards, and regained possession of their
property. few years ago, this old English
house was torn down. [ well remember some
tiles CT chimney-pie In my fathers house
winch we're taken from it, and the almost
nightmare-hke horror with which ! used,
wien boy, to regard them, as if | half ex-
peeted some one Oft the seven stern witch. Judges
to start into life again before me- Some sixty
o. seventy years ago, it was occupied by a me-
caanlc, whose stock In trade was undoubtedly
laore valuable than Hepzibah's assortment of
pipes and thread and Jim Crows, inasmuch as
he pu1sued the worthy calling of silveremith.
And Hepzibah's cent Ehop--there in the city.
inoN, Is many just such an establishments and
many jim Crow from just such q shop. pre-
slded over by just such an old maid as Hepzi-
oah, have nibbled in my schoolboy DAYS.
There are many houses In Salem which date
back to even an earlier period than Philp
English's mansion. One, in particular. which
stands at the corner of Washington and Church
ssreeta which was built at Gloucester, on Cape
ANA, and then taken to pieces and brought bv
"a 10 Sslenl, by Roger Conant. before 1925
SsEeTnor Euolcott resided u Il for q Hcit. md
ia walls must have heard many fierce dis
custom about pope and king, and many wise
celebration for the welfare of the infant col
onyi and If they could speak and tell US the
mary secrets they are burdened with, they
weld disclose even more eventful sayings and
d4as than are recorded in the history OF
Gtnofathers Chair. Since those "old colony
days" 1t has passed through very many hands,
st che time being transformed into the Ship
lr7ern," at another occupied as shop and
then again restored to its forn1ef eonditon as
adwelting-
4 city in which there are so MANY antioui.
tics must of necessity number amongst its in
hsbitants descendants of many old families
H2Tthorne is himself descended from one of
tho most ancient Of these The family name
WA originally spelt Hathorne, and 8 Justice
HathOrne was one Of the seven witch Judges. Il
hawth0yne's direct ancestors were, ike those
Of most Of the Salem families. seafaring men.
His father, Nathaniel, whose name the author
bears, and his grandfather, were both sea-
captains. During the early years of his life,
think until he received an appointment from
Collector Bancroft in the Boston custom house.
he resided in an ancient house in the lower
part of the city, which is still standing though,
like almost every relic which remains in Salem
CT The old times, fallen far into decay
1t is q matter Of extreme regret that some
faithful and accurate record has not already
been made of the quaint life in Salem half a
century ago. twas most peculiar in its char
gGSoc. The merchants there having, in most
instances begun their lives by sailing before
ltle mast" and then rising TO be sh;p-captains,
'2ad gaining sufficient property to enable them,
ltc venture into trade, aud many at last accu-
b uiating immense fortunes were naturally
moulded by their rough lives INFO hard and
unpublished forms. There we're all kinds of
Oddities among them. There was hardly one
Of them who did not have his peculiar eccen
tricity. But they have almost all gone. Here
and there one iugers, still telling his rtofes of
privateering in the English war, and of the
last India trade.
During Administration after Administrati,a.
tie custom. house, the same great brick build
iag with which Hawthorne has made every
!. ae-fs 50 yysll aeaf1siptai whs TIE rendezyg =
10 AL the fray-headed old sea captains who
,ese left Aud there they used to sit, day after
G,y, ss HawAherae describes them, @asleep in
tleir .ccuSo1asd corners, with their chairs
tif.ed '.loiz " ai1ist sae'sail, OH c6ettns IN
tfp back entry, a row Of them all tipped
against the wal, IS usual; while the frozen
wiiticisIns Of past generations were thawed out,
and came bubbling with laughter from their
ipI"
Dub Of6u VIZ NIO"6J OHCsd:b VI Jnc Calem
cIitOm-hOuse have been aroused from their
sIuubers; for when the Democratic end Of the
zee saw tilted MP into the White House, most
Of ,hem slid CT the other end out of Office
The sturdy old collector, the gallant General
of tle English var, has been laid away beneath
the turf these two years past. The stout ford.
ehs9ked inspector, the wonderful specimen Of
wiz green has eaten his last dinner, and
gone with tle collector and tho junior clerk,
thst yopng gentleman Who 1t was whispered,
occasionally covered sheet Of Uncle SANS
letter f1pcr with What lat the distance of few
yard looked very much like poetry" now
sc..bblos his dittisa on paper Of his own. A new
regime has been introduced. Even the decay
ins builiing itself has been frightened in ap-
penrance by the addition Of few coats OF
paint, and Democratic extravaganza is to be
clIred to such an extent, they cay, as TO gid
the weather beaten eagle over the portico. Il
q rumored that it was once painted white
hu5 that must have been long ago, for the rains
AMI SHOWS OF almost half century have made
it, head even more bald than the wood carver
Wh1 sculptured it ever designed
And Il twthorne has left his former home, too,
apIarentlp forever But believe that, with all
its faults, Salem is dear old city still to him,
and that he will return to it again, if net from
love from instinct. AS no himself hes said
Of lie :enacity With which the descendant Of
ono of the old Pilgrim families, who settled
there, cIings to the soil Of tho ancient town
Ii is no matter that the place is joyless for
him; that he is weary eff the old wooden
holscs the mud and dust the dead Level Of site
ami sentiment, the chill east wind, aud the
Oh Hest IF social atmospheres; all these, and
whatever faults he may see or imagine, are
nothing to the purpose. The spoil survives,
and just as powerfully as if the natal spot were
an earthly Paradise"
And applying this to himself he has said
$50 has il been in my case. felt it almost
% a destiny to make Salem my home; SO that
tie mould Of features and cast Of character
Which had all along been familiar hefe--eSer
as one representative of the race lay down in
his grave another assuming, es it were, his
sentry march along the main street-might
st.Il in my little day be seen and recognised IN
the old town.
In Hutohnson's History, however, an edition OF
which, published in 1863 have before me, bis name
was spolt like tho authors Hawthorne. But since
writing the above, have been shown several Egna-
lures Of his in which his is spet without the
He was an ancestor Of tho author, and is mentioned
by him in the Introduction to the Scarlet Letter.
a MR.. N0GEIs AND THE HIGHER Law.