New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-06-19
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,.ses ,As writings es Wordsworth Celordeo sheu'y'
AL sSxa lNrsM ~ very considerable extent Vi
,A.,, rcc,s AlexNnscr Sui,h saSSylHoy lcHdys have
,sFN,r. wade tie ssragc>. impression on '6e great
- ~ r>slscs While Gerald Massey, whose nar 10
,,r,., A. Ne head 81 i6 article though as Yet less
sSs,vu,y Nrewa sss cShisi,cd qualities weic prom
,se ,s rsosy AiSh place se0rg tho younSc, vo;ares
ftAs Ns,> mSse
Dcfarc prcscatis. CNr readers VIZ any specimens
e As remarkable predictions we may premise tina,
al xseeun.a iniorcs, IS attached 70 his personal his
ery, ana although as viii b seen they do no, need
tie apology ct UnpToptcns environment, they will
aeaesless &c sreefci witt more heartfelt welcome,
~ASR Il Is Known that they are the spontaneous out
fewng q poetic soul struggling with the want of
early ,ducaiicn ef social encouragement OF pecuni-
sry means. aud ri cSngeuial employmcnts.
Massey, who is now only About twenty SIX years OF
age was bssn in the loves; depths of poverty. His
father wss canal bosimsn in the interior of
EuglSnd earning scsnty subsistence by toll
scne labor. and unable 70 write his own name. He
lived 10 9 wTtiched stone hut. the roof Of
which was 50 low that a man could not stand in il
upright, fer which he paid the rent Of but one shilling
aweeh. In this state OF dosttGtion, the children OF
tie family were obliged no. only to shift for them
selves but contribute by their petty earnings 10 the
supror. of their parents When only eight years old,
Gerald was sent into The silk mill and compelled 20
work in its rank sitting atmosphere from Eve o'clock
in the morning till hafpast six in the evening, IN
able to catch glimpse Of the except through the
dpsy windows Of the factory. Luckily for him, the
mill was burned down, and the boy was released from
his prison He regarded the event with the liyellest
gratitude Standing for twelve hours in the wind,
and sleet and mud, he watched the progress and ef
feots Of the oonfagraon with the Joy of liberated
captive.
But his slavery was not yet at an end He was put
10 the business of straw plating which was no less
tosome ard more unwhOesOme than HE work IN the
factory. Ia marsby district, with no chance of ex-
ercse the paters exposed 10 severe attacks OF
fever and ague Young Massey was tortured with the
disease for three years, while the other members of
the family, including the mother, were often 80 III as
10 be unable TO help each other, even with cup OF
cold water. His own account Of his early days Ia
enough to make tie blood cold Having had to
earn my own dear bread" he says, by the eternal
cheapenng of flesh and blood thus early never knew
what childhood meant / had no childhood. Ever
since can remember, hate had the aching fear of
want throbbiDg in heart and brow. The currents OF
nv life were arlypoisOned, and few, methinks would
pass unscathed through the and circumstances
in which have lived none If they were rs curious
and precocious as l was. The child comes into the
world like new coin with the stamp OF God upon IL;
and in like manner IA the Jews sweat down sover-
eigns by hustng them in bag to get gold-dust out
of them so is the poor mans child hustled and sweat
ed down in this bag of society to get wealth out oft;
and even as the impress of the Queen eaced by the
Jewish process, so is the image of God worn from
heart and brow, and day by day the child recedes
devilward. ] look back now with wonder, not that
30 few escape but that any escape at all, to win
nobler growth for their humanity. So bligtting
the influences which surround thousands in early life
TO which can bear such bitter testimony
Still, the mind of the embryo poet was not wholly
neglected He had been taught TO read at penny
school The Bible and the Pilgrims Progress afford
ed the first food to his boyish imagination. He com
mitted many chapters Of the former 10 memory, and
deyoured the whole of Bunyan's quaint allegory
yeritable history Robinson Crusoe came next, and
then some religious tracts left at the cottage by zeal
Gus Methodsts These were the only books be had
road when he went 10 London as az errand boy az
the age of fifteen. Here he found himself in new
world For the first time 10 his life he met with plen
ty of books He read all that came in mis- way, from
the simplest manuals of education to the standard
works on Greek, Roman and English history Till
then" he says, II had often wondered why lived at
all--whether
1t was not better not to BE-
was so fun Of misery
Now began to think that the Of all desire and
the sum of all existence, was to read and get kuowl
edge Read read read used to read al all pos
sibe times and in all possible places az in bed till
two or three in the morning-nothing dsunted by
once setting the bed on fire. Greatly indebted was
also to the boOkstas where have read great deal,
often folding leaf 10 book and returning the next
day to continue the subject; but sometimes the book
was gone, and then great was my grief When out OF
situation have often gone without meal 10 pur-
chase a book. Until fell in love, ana began to
rhyme as matter Of consequence, | never had the
least prediction for poetry. In fact always es-
chewed il; if met with any instantly skipped
il over and passed on as does with the des rip
ton of scenery &c, in novel. l always loved the
birds and flowers the woods ana The stars felt de-
liokt in being alone in a summer.wood, with song
re- s,;r;t i'm the trees and tho golden sun-bursts