St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-06-14
From The New York Tribune.
Death of Theodore Parker.

Theodore Parker was born in Lexington,
Mass, August Fl, 1910, and was accord
ingly in the fftieth year Of his age at the
time of his death. He was descended in
direct line from the Puritan settlers OF
the Massachusetts, colony, his ancestors,
almost without exception, having been far
mers and mechanics, and usually active
participants in the military affairs Of their
day. His grandfather, John Parker, was
a soldies in the last French war Of 1749-
SO, and was present at the capitulation of
Quebec. He was Jealous friend Of liber-
ty, and was captain of the soldiers in the
Battle Of Lexington, April 10, 1775. He
formed the first line and drew the first
sword in the war of the Revolution, order
ing his men to load their muskets with
powder and ball. :Don't fire." said he,
SUNLESS fred upon but if thoy wish to
have war. let it begin here" After the
British left the field, he succeeded in ta-
king prisoner grenadier Of the 43d Reg
imcnt, and obtained the first fire-arm CAP
tured in the struggle for Independence
This musket came into the possession of
his grandson, whose visitors will we'll re-
member the satisfaction with which he was
wont to exhibit it among the curiosities of
his ample library.
The father Of Theodore was millwright
and pumpmaker, a man of robust habits
and sturdy sense, a great reader, fond of
mathematics, with which branch of science
he was well acquainted, an independent
thinker, Unitarian in belief, and possess
ing remarkable powers Of expression and
argument. His mother was highlv-cul-
tivated woman for that day, model Of per-
sonal beauty, fond of literature, and with
an enthusiastic taste for poetry. From his
parents, Theodore inherited an earnest and
thoughtful mind. Much of his time from
the earliest childhood was spent in reading
when at home, and before he was eight
Years old, he had finished Homer and Plu-
tarch lin translations), Rollins Ancient
History, and in two years after had become
familiar with Pope, Milton, Cowlcy and
Dryden, reading, in fact, all the poetry he
could find. At the age Of IL, he took to
metaphysics, a pursuit from which he did
not desist to the last year of his life. His
memory was so retentive that he could re-
peat whole volumes Of poetry, and would
often learn by heart poem Of four or five
hundred lines from single reading. He
began to write poetry at the age Of eight.
He early became interested in the study Of
botany, and soon learned the names and
habits Of most Of the plants in the vicinity.
Before the age Of ten, he knew all the
shrubs and trees Of Massachusetts,, and had
made catalogues of all the vegetable pro-
ductions which grew on his fathers farm.
In his tenth year he began to study Latin
at the common school in the winter, read
ing the usual elementary books REQUIRED
for admission to college, and at eleven
commenced the study Of Greek. In the
winter Of 1856, he had passed beyond
the range Of knowledge possessed BY his
teacher, and pursued course Of selfin-
struotion in Natural Philosophy, Astrono-
my, Chemistry and Rhetoric. In tho
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