New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-21

ET
was Of ample gr,b At ell events it was the ossis in
our desert during Summer; and in Autumn a. the
bun, oiscosed i's fruit, ii resembIed b.seged city
The boy, hike 90 many eatspuits, hurled a; Il stones
and stcks. until every but had capirulated.
Two Ou,ee only were at hand: one, surrounded by
al ample barn teemiDg orchard, and an enormous
wotdpie, belonged TO GraLther Baldwin; the other
was The properly Of cod Chich-es-tef" an upeoutb
unsocisl being whom everybody for some reason or
other seemed TO deplse and shun. His ,use vas Of
stole and of one story. He bad a cow which every
yesr bad calf He had wfe--fhy uncOmbed and
vaguely rep RED 10 have been brought from the old
country. This s about the whole history Of the m A.
fur IL written in the authentic adtio Of The
psIish. HE premises an scre in e1eot consisted Of
tongue OF land between two Of the conveying roads
No boy thai Ever heard Of venured TO s.one,
10 make incusiou into this territory though
ley close 10 the school house have often in passing,
PeePec bu'd over the walls, and caught glimpse of
q stout man with dab coat, drab breaches and drab
eaes glazed with ancient grease and long abrasion,
proving about the house; but lever did discover
him Optsice Of bus dominion. kno~ it was dark
y in'imsttd that be had been tory, and tarred
and eatbeied in the Revolutionary but "a to the
rest h. perfect myth. Granther Baldwin was a
character lers marked, but must reserve his pic
ture tor a subsequen' letter.
The ,chool house s.l consisted of rough Imprinted
c spboardf. upon o wooden frame. Ii wa plaetercd
within and contained tao apartDents-a little entry,
taken out Cf for q wsrorobe, and the school
room proper. The chimney was Of ,tone, and pointed
with morfsr which, by the way, had been dog into
The tIe lace feet wide aud four ect deep The
hue ample sno 80 perpendcal.r, that the rain,
sItet, and snos fell direct ~ the hearth. In Winter,
the bette fuI lie with green fzzIil fuel which
bIOt eb sled lengths and cut up by the scholars,
ttern Not IN req .eDtly the wood, gushing With
sap it wae CHANGED to b. out and as there was no
living without fire. the Thermometer being ten or twenty
d.ptts below zero the school was d,iUis ed whereat
all he ,hoarr relocto aloud OF having the fear of
The sch, Imss'er before their eyes.
II was tb. cu,tom at this Plsce, to havea woman's
school in the Summer mobtbs, and this was attended
only by young CHILDREN. 1t was, in fact what We nov
cali q pr DsIy il FAINT sci DOL. Ia Winter man
employ % teacher and then The girls and boys of the
Del bbohood up to The sge If eighteen or twen
ty, were among the pupils. II was DOT uncommon, At
this seasoD TO have oIty scholars crowded into this
lit IL building.
wss about six year. old when first went to SC
Ny teacher was Aunt Delight that is Deignt l
comI l.xiOD and solemn aspect | remember the frst
day With perfect dstiDctDess. went alone-fOr wts
familiar with The ioad it being that which passed by
I'D house carried little basket, with bread and
bDtter within, for my dinner the zane beiog covered
over with white eltth. When had proceeded about
ha'f way, lifted The cover, and debated whether
would Lot ,st my dinner, then. believe it was a
of euty only tha prevented my doing so, fr in
Bread spd butter tn, Infinitely superior to pde
de oie g,0s now; still thanks TO my training had
al,o conscience. As my mother had given me the
food for dinner, did not think it rgut TO convert it
think we bsd seventeen E, holars-boys and girls
nottly of my OVID age. Among them were some of my
after companions l have sipce met several OF them
OF al Savannah, and two at Mobile, respecably estab
hi ed. and with fomies around them. Some remain,
ard are among The gray old men of the town; the
names Of Others have seen inscribed on the tjmb-
sor es of the native village. And the reswhere
tL,yl
The school being organized we were al seated upon
beb cfes made Of what were called sia6s-<hat s,
boards having the exterior or rounded part Of the log
'de M they were useless for other purp ssts,
there were converted into school benches the rounded
part down. They had each four supports Consisting Of
susddng wooden legs, SET into auge .nOes. Our Own
legs sway ed the air for they too short TO touch
the floor. Oh what an ave fell over me, when
weIe all seated and silence reigned around
Ridgefeld, at that time, was a well-marked spe.
cimen OF the rural New. England village, although
like so many others, it has lost its primitive fel-
ture: Of qDan'ness and simplicity in the march Of
modern improvement. 1t was situated on group
Of his with al ungrateful soil and thickly sown
with stones OF every lize. The climate was severe,
ON account of the elevation Of the cite, though
favorable to health and longevity. The fields were
dlydcd by rude stone walls, and for the most part,
dotted over with heaps of stones and rocks which
bad been gathered at shor. il eryas, to make room
fer cultivation. The town was settled by sturdy
race Of mtD, who were mostly the immediate de-
,cendan's of EDgish emigrants. There was but
,Ie IIisbman, Ole negro, and one Indian in the
place. A single professed beggar, who had served
IN lie armies VI more thao one of the Georges,
simulated the patriotic feryor Of the boys, who
lbrt attnta to tide him on rail for crying GOD
cave the king" even on tie fourth Of July. The
only regular psDper ives On sucitnt woman rejoic-
l. in the delicious pane Of Yabacomb, who for tie
6r. dozen years of our remiDisceDis life furnished
him vi b the standard type for the witch of Endcr.
Every other persop possessed moderate coDpe-
hnce. Nearly all the Inhabitants were farmers,
with only the sprink,ing Of mechanics essential TO
society III s.a.e Of primeyal rusticity. Even Of
the latter class each had bic far II, at leas. his
ga, den and bome.lot, with bis pigr, poultry, aud
cattle. All could read and write, but heir little
a,;aiDmenis in few instances, extended beyond the
Almanac, the Bibie and Watts Psalms and
bymus.
The family Of the authors father were in what
might be called easy circumstances. They bad q
farm of forty acre., with four cows, two hprsss,
s,me two dozen lbeep, and good stock OF poultry,
inc udng Guek of geese. The busy clergyman
GAINED 90 the farm, bes,de his ,ssduous deyO ion
TO tie cuIe Of souls. He laid out beds and planted
The gsrd.n with Lie own hands, prunsd the fruI.
trees wnb The zeal o IN amateur, and IN hayipg
the work, in tho meadow with his meD. he
usually cut the corn-sralks himself, and always
them aerc,s the handle Of the irying-pan fastened