Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-12-16

A Western L.nguist

Western L.nSuist.
A correspondent OF the New York Tribune
gives gu account of young man of Mount
| Vernon, ILL.,, named A c. johnson: At the
age of ten be took taucy foI the study OF
Latin. He 5000 found, ard it was ali be
could fod, Andrews and Stoddards very
small Grammar, which he borrowed, aud
! kept long enough to master most OF lis br'el
lessons. He then bad TO return this, and he
resolved to have one of bis own. lie had
| 90 cts. lie had found 10 the road at d Her
ent times a dime and half-dime, and rela-
tive had given him Mexican Bit neigh
| Dor, knowing his ambition and bis lack CT
mescs, showed him u side OF old bacon, very
rusty, and worm-eaten on tho edges, Of
which he made him present. A. Z. j. took
it, trimmed, secured and summed 1t, aud sold
it for 62I cts. This just enabled him to buy
Authou's Latin Lessons, and be was rich
enough. At every leisure moment, by day
or night, be was pOrIng over his treasure,
until be had almost com mtted the whole to
memory. A friend then allowed him the
use of Andrews Latin Reader; and, after
| be bad finished THE, al elder brother pre-
scented him the Epi. Sac. Hist. and VUi
Rom9. After TINS he had little difficulty in
procuring and reading Ceser, Ovid, Cicero,
| Sallust Horace, and "Qlidam Tractatus
| Logic8-London, 1862"
| In tue mean time he had commenced the
study Of Greek. His father owned Wesleg's
works. and among them was Greek Gram
mar. This was A. C.'s starting point, and
| few boys will consider it pleasant one
! But better luck awaited him. lie found
and borrowed much larger work BY j.
Smith, S. T. d., print. Boston, 1909. Be
| fore be had finished this be borrowed Val
pey, and there completed his knowledge OF
| Greek grammar. Alter borrowing and read.
ing Linthon's JacOJ'S Reaier he happened to
meet an opportunity TO buy for few cents
Learned wcrks do not sell we'll in the West
"A Greek Delec,us, Greek Exercises, Grrca
Minora. Greek Testament, Acnophon, Ho-
mer. and a Lexicon.
Long before he had finished these be had
undertaken the Hebrew. His father owned
| a Hebrew Grammar by the Rev. Martin Ru.
ter, which lt WAS no difficult task to commit
to memory. and larger work entitled W,l-
sons Mtroduction These employed him for
nearly year, after which be bought lie.
brew Bible, and was "in all his glory"
Spaoish came next. lie found among bis
fathers old papers a large bundle Of Cou-
gressionsl documents, containing the cores
rondeGce Of the Secretary OF State with the
Mexican and Spanish Ministers. The let
tiers Of the Ministers were in the original
Spanish, accompanied by q literal trsnsla-
ton. A. e. studied these until be could
read the Spanish alone with ease, or else
had the whole by heart--he scarcely knew
Rnt ho pnU had ha urni inrfDpe u,
borrow a Spanish Grammar, and eagerly
did he deyour it. lie then got q testament,
which soldier had p7cketed in Mexico;
also prayer. book and Ortega's Poems, all
of which be read: but as he had no diction-
airy, he had to note down the words whose
meaning he could not decipher until be
should find them in construction that would
throw light upon them.
Then came the French. For this A. c.
had pretty good beginning 10 WanOs'rJcht,
which he studied and re-studied carefully.
Tnen, without a dictionary, be began to
read Telemaqle, book he had borrowed Gs
usual. lie noted the difficult words IS in the
Spanish, till be could render literally every
sentence in the volume. lie then b.ugbt
for hfty-tve cents a French Testament,
French Arithmetic, French Guide" and
PERKINS, Fables, which he read with iDiioite
gustc; also, K icine and the Juif Errant.
He bad already turned bis attention TO the
German. His only accessible textbooks
were Jayne's .Neiiznischer haienddr for
reader, and Jayue's Medical Almanac for
dictionary. They ccntain nearly To pages
OF matter not tie most Interesting, but A.
c. pondered over them day after day. week
after week, till be could translate literally
every sentence in the calendar. He then
happened to find copy ol Oilendori, which
be Immediately borrowed. AT last he sue.
ceeied 10 rurchasiuga German Bible, Dutch
Reformed Hymn Book. &c. which he read
with the utmost satisfaction.
BY means like these he has become &C.
quainted with dozen languages
Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, French, German.
Italian. Portuguese, Dutch, DANISH, Swedish,
Russian, besides storing in n splendid memo
ry the choice gems from 500 volumes OF
miscellaneously reading. Il, il quiet, retir-
Jog, taciturn, solemn; bot writes a great
deal, and many Of hls wrtlugs are humOr.
Gus.