Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-12-13

| doubted.
was fond of poetry. BY far the create
part of DR.. Watts Psalms and Hymns coult
repeat nemoriter, at ten or twelve years o
age. | am sure that no other sacred poetr.
will ever appear to me so affecting ant
devout.
remember that my father brought HON,
from some Of the lower towns Pope's Essa,
on Man, published in q sort Of pamphlet.
took it, and very soon could repeat it, froH
beginning to end. We had So few books
that to read them once or twice was nothing
! We thought they were all to be got by heart
| have thought of this frequently since, wher
that sagacious admontion of one of the
ancients twas it Pliny p has been quoted
! legere muttUm non multd.
| remember one occurrence that shows the
value then attached to books. The close o.
the year had brought along the next years
almanac. This was an acquisition. A page
was devoted to each month, and on the top
of each page were four lines Of poetry some
moral. some sentimental some ludicrous
| The almanac came in the morning, and before
night my brother and myself were masters Of
its contents, at least OF its poetry and its
anecdotes. We went to bed upon it but
awakening long before the morning light,
we had difference of recollection about one
word, in the third line of ApriFs poetry. We
| could not settle it by argument, and there
was no umpire. But the fact could be aecer-
tanned by inspection Of the book. l arose,
grouped my way to the kitchen, lighted q
candle, proceeded to o dstaat room, in search
Of the. almanac, found it, and brought it
away. The disputed passage was examined,
believe l was found to be in the wrong,
and blew out my candle and went TO bed
But the consequence of my error had well
nigh been serious. 1t was about o'clock in
the morning, aud just as was again going to
sleep, thought | saw signs of light in the
room | had visited. l sprang out Of the bed,
ran to the door. opened the room, and it was
all on fire. l had let fall spark, or touched
the light to something which had communi-
Gated fire to a parcel of cotton clothes, they
had communicated it to the furniture, and to
the sides Of the room, and the flames had
already begun to show themselves through
the ceiling, in the chamber above. A pretty
earnest cry soon brought the household
together. BY great good luck We escaped.
Two or three minutes more and We should all
have been in danger of burning together.
As it was, ! think the house was saved by
my fathers presence Of mind. While others
went for water, he seized everything movable
which wss on fire, and wrapped it up in
then of the age Of eighty, was sleeping in the
room.
At Fryeburg l found another circulating
library, aud made some use Of it. remember
to have read, while at Fryeburg, Adams
Defence of the American Constitution,
Mosheims Ecclesiastical History, Gold
smiths History of England and some other
small things. / borrowed Biackstoue's Com
mentaries, also, and read, think, two or
three volumes Of them. Here, also found
Mr. Ames's celebrated speech on the British
Treaty and committed 1t to memory. From
September, 1902, to February or March,
1904, | remained in Mr.. Thompson's office
and studied the law. He was an admirable
man, and good lawyer himself: but ] was
put to study in the old way-that Is, the
hardest book first and lost much time.
read Coke Littleton through without under
standing quarter psrt Of it. Happening TO
take up Espinasses Law of NiSi Prins, l
found that ! could underetand it, and, arguing
that the object Of reading was TO understand
what was written, lsid down the venerable
Coke ct aiiOS SiniisS reUfrendoS, and kept
company for time with Mr.. Espiussse and
others, the most plain, easy and intelligible
writers. A boy If twenty, with no previous
knowledge on such subjects, canuot under
stand Coke. 1t is folly to set him on such
an author.
There are propositions in Coke so abstract,
and distinctions so nice aud doctrines EN-
brscing so many conditions aud qualifications,
that il requires an effort not only oI mature
mind bat Of a mind both strong and nature
to understand him. Why disgust and dis
courage a boy by telling him that he must
break into his profession through such wall
as this? / really often dssPaired. thought
| never could make myself lawyer, and was
! almost going back to tie business OF school
keeping. A friend sas recently returned to
me letter written by me to him at that
time, showing my feelings OF despondence
and despair. Mr. EspinasSe, however, helped
me out of this in the way have mentioned
and ! have always felt greatly obliged tc
him.
do not know whether read much, during
| this year and half, beside law books, Will
TWO executions | read Hume, though not
for the first time; hut my principal occupa
tion when not law books, was with the Lstir
Classics. | brought from college very
scanty inheritance OF Latin. | now tried t.
add to it. / made myself familiar with most
of Tully's orations, committed to memory
large passages OF some OF them, read Sallust
and Cesar and Horace. Some OF Horace;
odes translated into poor English rhymes
they were printed have never seen then
since. NV brother was far better Latlr
scholar than myself, and in one of his vaca
tions we read Juyenal together. But neyel
mastered his style so as TO read him with
ease and pleasure. At this period OF m.
life | passed a great deal Of time alone. My
amusemeEts were fishing, and shooting, ant
riding: and all these were without compan
ion. | loved this occasional solitude then
aud have loved il ever since, and love 1t still
like to contemplate nature, and to hole
communion, unbroken by the presence o
human beings, with this universal frame
thus wondrous fair !" l like solitude also a
favorable to thoughts less lofty. like t
let the thoughts go free, ana indulge in thei
excursions And when hinking is TO be done
one must Of course be alone. No man know
himself who does not Tins, sometimes, keel
his own company. At Il subsequent pero'
of my life, / have found that my lionel
Journeys, when following the court on IL
circuits, have afforded many an edifying day
Mr.. wEBsIER's SETTLEMENT IN BOSTON
Arrived at Boston, 1 looked out for
Office wherein TO study. But then, as kne'
none of the legal gentlemen, and had D
letter, this was an affair of some dinieuity