The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-01-01


dearly love, viz: reading and playng-passions
which did not cease to struggle when bOyhocd
was over, have they YET altogether?) and IL
regard to which neither the citd mors nor the
0ictoriG tCeta could be said OF either.
AT very early day, owing, believe, main
ly to the exertiOns of Mr.. Thompson, the lawyer,
the clergyman, and my father, a very small
circulating library had been bought. These
institutions, i believe, about that time received
an impulse, among other causes, from the e.
forts of DIR. Belknap5 our New Hampshire
historian. / obtained some Of these books, and
read them. | remember the Spectator among
them; and i remember, too, that turned over
the leaves of Addisons criticism on Chevy
Chase, for the sake Of reading connectedly the
song, the verses Of which he quotes. from time
to time, as subjects Of remark. Il was, az Doc.
tor johnson said in another case, that the poet
was read, and the critic was neglected / could
not understand why it was aecessaT that the
author OF the Spectator shoh,d rms bss.reaf
pains to prove that Chevy Cha |osr,- 4itsp9
story that was the last thing L
was fond Of poetry. Bv far
part OF DIR. " ats Psalms and Hymn
repeat memOrjtey, at ten or twelve years
am sure that no other sacred poetry viii ever
appear to me so affecting and devout.
| remember that my father brought home
from some of the lower towns Pope's Essay on
NldLly puDil6Hcu III Il SOIl Oh DGUlbni6l. i tcQk
1t, and very soon could repeat it from beeinning
to end. We had 50 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, when that SPACIOUS
aomonltlon OF one fthe ancients twas il PlinvN
has been quoted, le9erc Dlultlfu, non llalt4
remember one occurrence that show tho
value then attached to books. The cicse If Tive
year had brought along the next years almanac.
Inns was an acquisition. 4 page was devoted
to each month, and on the son of each ~,
were four lines of poet-y-sorne moral 80
sentimental, some ludicrous. The almanac
came in the morning, and before ni,,b, nv,
brother and myself were masters Of its cor.,r.s
at least OF Its poetry and Its anecdotes. We
went TO bed upon 1t ; but, awaliny lon. bsf,ra
the morning hight, we had difference of recnI-
lection about one word, in the third line of
ApTltS poetry. We could not settle 4 b. .er,r-
ment, ana there was no umpire. But tha fy-S
could be ascertainCd b. inspection Of The b.,
arose, CROPPED my way 70 the kitchen, Hgbtf
candle, proceeded to a distant room E. S.
OF the almanac, found it, and brought , 4 ssav
The disputed passage was examined. 7 h.
heve was found to be in the wroo, and blevz
out my candle and went to bed. But the con.
sequence otmy error had walf-nigh been screens.
1t was about two O'Clock in the 1lorninq. and
just as 1 was again going To sleep, thought
saw Signs OF light in the room l had visited,
sprang out of bed, ran TO the door, opened ,ba
room, and it was all on fire. had let fall \
spark, or touched the light 70 sometime which
had communicated fire to a parcel Of cotton
clothes, they had communicated il to the furn;
ture and to the sides of the room, and tbs
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 luc, we escaped.
Two or three mimic more s..r ~ si-..
nave 'aen IA DANCE. "- u-0.,,- .Jrtlhsr Al.
wa, think The house vas ss,ed Nv u-
'athars presence Of nina Will. sae1s -,elr
Tor waite, he soi.at everything uo7la'e s. ilr
Vas On ire, and wrapped # -u IL vco.lau
'-N'se''' Aiy n'tss''' ssao',. hf.a, th9a o5
/ recollec5 10 grea- ehsures happeula- g.
me "a. was fourteen years old q yraet sos.
o. the ufae ( WAS sick, and ben ysi sa .-
oeedIngly SLENDER. and ar~arsuie q -eOle
- s'"n'- reed Whist 7 COMO g. 10 .lad, went
90 scnoo! when l could; I'D when not ~ scho.T
was farmers Youngest boy, not good for r,ucb
for want of health and strength, sut vas CIV
pected to do something. Up to tlsia period.
had no hope of any education beyond what the
village school-house was to gdord. But now
my father took an important; step with me- On
the 25th day Of MAY, 1876, he mounted his
horse, placed me on another, carried ne 10
Exeter, and placed me in Phillips's Academy,
then aAd now under the care OF that most ex-
oelleut man, Dr. Benjamin Abbott. | had
never been from home before ana the change
overpowered me. l hardly remained master
of my own senses among ninety boys who hHd
seen so much more, and appeared to know 80
much more than ! did. ] was put 10 English
grammar and writing and arithmetic. The
first, think | may saJ, fairly mastered be,
tween May and October; in the others ] made
some progress. I'm the autumn there was p
short vacation. | went home. stayed - few
DAYS, and returned at the commencement OF
the quarter, and then began the Latin gram
mar. Ny first exercises In Latin were rccited
to Joseph Stevens Buckminster. He had.
think, already joined college, but had returned
to Exeter, perhaps in the college vacation. and
was acting as usher in the place Of pr. Abbott,
then absent through indispoSition
1t so happened that within the few months
during which l was at the Exeter ACADEMY.
Mr.. Thacher, now Judge OF the Municipal Court
of Boston, and Mr.. Emery, the distinguished
ct Portland, we're my instructors.
am proud to call them both masters. / believe
l made tOlerable progress in most branches
which ] attended to while in this school; but
there was one thing l could not do. | could
not make a defamation / could not spea,
before the school. The kind and excellent
Buckminster sought especially to persuade me
to perform the exercise Of defamation like
other boys but l could not DO it. Many piece
do commit 20 memory, snd raCs'c aai rem. l~7,
iu MY own room over and over aEsn. set wien
the osy came. when the schools ilsctst D.
hear declarations. when nv name %ss ca ,t
anr ! saw All eyes t1raec - ny seat / csaG
not raise myself from T. Sometimes the D.
9'r1c.nrs irOwLeo, som5tirc- they sr led NJ.
Baekm.nste7 always pressed ana eure.feG
.Gos, willingly .ha, / would venture, 30 ! c9-H
never command sufficient -o5ci. tiOB. Whom
he occasion wss over. I wea- nome and wsnt
bitter ears Of modification.
At the winter vacation December, 1896, or
1871, my father came for me and
.ook me home. Some long-erduring friend.
ships l formed in the few months | was at
Exeter. j. w. Bracket, late of New York, de-
ceased, William Garland, late OF Portsmouth,
deceased, Gov. Cass, Of Michigan, Mr.. Saiton-
stall, and James H. Bingham, now Of CiarcmoAt,
New Hampshire, are OF the number. la Feb
-uary, 1871, my father carried NE to the Rev.
Samuel Woods, in Boscawea, and placed me
under the tuition Of that most benevolent and
excellent man. II was but halt lAzen mills
rom our own house. On tho wa9~to y
Woods, my father first minated to me IN.
ention OF sending to college. Tn sc ,erv
dea thrilled my whole frame. He s, aidboo
hen lived but for his children, and if VIC suIJ
10 all l could for myself, he would do what "a
could for me. | remember that was quite
overcome, and my head grew dizzy. The thing
appeared to me so high, and the. expense and
sacrifice it was to cost my father so great, /
could only press his hands aqd sned t2ars
Excellent, excellent parent / cannot think Of
him even now without turning child again.
Mr.. Wood put me upon Virgil and FULLY:
Ind conceived a pleasure in the study Of
hem, especially the latter, which rendered an
1llcation no longer task. With what vebe
hence did | denounce CatiIinel With what