Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-08-06

A'tNNASotAAiS loNb III lie u OilG VI bN
greatest men, but for the useful and insttuc.
tive lesson which it ineulcates. To the PEG.
pie of this region it will possess q peculiar in
terest. especially to those who knew Gov.
Marcy, and to the f1ends-and they are le-
gion-of the venerable octogenarian, GIN,
TowNB, the real hero of the tale:-
TURNING THE SWITCH. How much ex-
cellent material has been wasted, and utterly
spoiled, by unskilful fingers This ejacula-
ton is not less applicable to inanimate mat
ter, than to mind and heart. How many a
boy, of fine parts and excellent natural dispo-
sition, whom accident has thrown upon the
wrong track, end given a false direction, has
been ruined forever, by absurd mismanage-
ment, and for the want of judicious and
friendly hand to turn the s10itch EH|
This is a short preface to a short story.
which interested me, when heard it, many
| years ago. and which recent event has fresh
ened up in my memory. l cannot remember
the year--it was long ago--that l passed the
night, under the hospitable roof of the Hon.
Salem Towne of Charlton, in the county of
Worcester. AS we sat together, in the even
| ing, and were speaking of education and
| of schools, Mr.. Towne informed me that,
about the year 1900, he taught school in the
Southwestern district of Charlton. An in
| habitant of Sturbridge, the adi joining town,
| had son, of whose abilities and general
character he appeared to entertain low esti-
mate, and Of whom he spoke to Mr.. Towne
'disparagingly, as boy who gave him trou-
be-. Mr.. Towne, notwithstanding this pa
ternal forewarning, consented to receive the
| lad, on probation. On the evening of the
very first day, the school agent came to the
opA tatJ 81, 49, /, IL
boy, and would disturb the whole school, and
must be turned out. The agent, very proba-
bly,, received his impressions from the judi.
cious parent, who seems to have made no Sc
cret of his opinions. Mr.. Towne rejected
this hasty counsel, and informed the agent
that he should keep watchful eye upon the
lad, and that he thought it would be time
enough to turn him out of school when he
made any disturbance and that he was enti-
tied to fair trial. When the bow came, for
the first time, to recte his lesson, and had got
ten through, Mr.. Towne told him to shut up
his book. He did so, but instantly recoiled,
and lodged his head, as if he expected blow.
The teacher inquired what was the matter
the boy replied that he supposed he should be
beaten and being asked if he had been &C.
eustomed to such usage, ne replied in the st
irmatlve Mr.. Towne then Quoted his
alarm, and assured HIM that he had nothing
to fear, if he conducted himself well, and en-
couraged him, by commenting his recitation;
and was so impressed by the lads manner of
receiving this appreciation, thai he ventured
to say to him, Il believe yoW are good boy
These words not only entered the ear-they
reached the heart. l will not adopt the
strong expression which l once heard from
the lips of very intelligent Jesuit. and say
that Tim foanbpr hoI L., IL AZ
soul of his disciple but, from that hour, he
had eifectuaIly turned the s,oitch. That beau
tiful appeal, My son, give me tby heart had
not been thus silently made in vain. The lad
told his associates that, though others had said
he was bad boy, Mr.. Towne had told him
he believed he was good boy, and he was
sure he wished to be good boy.
lot long after, the school agent came again
and earnestly required, that this boy should
| be dismissed from the school. With this re-
| quest Mr.. Towne refused to comply and said
that he liked the appearance and conduct of
! the boy, and thought that. with some little
| illustration of the law of kindness, he would
make himself known in the world as useful
citizen
This youth continued to attend the school,
| daily, and steadily, and proitably, for two
| Winters. AT the close OF the second Winter,
the father came to Mr.. Towne and said
" Bill says that you say l must send him to
college, and haze him fitted, ,0ith some priUate
| family, not at an academy The father in
| quired OF Mr.. Towne what he had seen in
| Bill, to justify the idea of sending him to col
lege. Il See,' said Mr.. Towne, boy that
| yOu aOiH hear from an after life. Mr.. Towne
recommended the Rev. Mr.. Lyman of Con-
nectieut as an instructor. This course was
| followed; the boy went to college, and the
| predictions of his kind and iudclous primary
teacher have been verifed-the boy aoas heard
from IN after life After having filled many
stations Of the very FIRST importance in our
country, and passed the SEVENTEEN mile stone
in the path of man, from the cradle to the
grave, he is numbered with the dead-that
Sturbridge boy, WILLIAM l.. MARCY, is no
more!
Upon the tidings of Mr.. Marcy's decease,
1 had wish to tell this interesting story to
the world. Unwilling to trust entirely TO nv
| memory, | addressed letter to nv friend,
| Gen. Towne, and communicated that wish to
| him. His reply is now before me, in which
he says Please say as little of me as you
can. 1t can only be said, that boy, who
had been unfortunately dealt with, happened
to become pupil of mine and l happened
to discover that he was lad of noble mind,
and that proper direction and change OF
policy only were necessary to make him a
man, whose influence might, in after life, be
widely extended Firmly believing, as do,
that, under God, MIR. Marcy was deeply in.
debted to this kind, considerate friend, fol
thus turning the S1oitch, so OPPORTUNITY l
think the public will not agree with General
Towne, in ascribing to chance what has obvi-
ously resulted from the exercise of an excel
lent disnretion