The Portland daily press., 1865-04-18
Tuesday Morning, April Is, 1866.
Personal Habits Of DR.. Besoher.
Extract from his Lie Iatsly puD.i.hsd J

1t must not be inferred that his air and man.
neE were continually solemn. On the contra
ry, that hilarious cheeIfulness which was char
acseristlc OF him was never more manifest;
and il seemed perfectly wonderful, with his
public iabors, with what unfailing spring and
vivacity, and with what flow OF ready SYM
pathy he would converse with every one who
came near him at any hour Of day or night.
He kept a load of sand in his cellar, to-
which he would run at odd intervals and show
ell vigorously, throwing it from one side OF the
cellar 10 the other, on his iavorite theory OF
W 0rking of nervous excitement through the
muscles, and his wOod-pile and Wood-saw were
inestimable means to the same end. He had
also, in the back yard, parallel bars, a single
bar, ladder, and other simple gymnastic ap-
paratus, where he woDld sometimes astonish
his ministerial visitors by climbing ropes hand
over hand, whirling over on the single bar,
lifting weights, and performing other athletic
feats, in which he took tor the time as much
apparent delight and pride as in any of his in
tellectual exerlions. ssss s
His care of what he called regimen, diet,
sleep, exercise, etc., went on with all his other
cares without seeming to interrupt them. He
seemed to navigate his body, as an acute mari
ner would work his ship through difficulty
channel, with his eye intent on every spar and
rope, each sail kept trimmed with The incest
wish It's east winds, had long been famous for
making its literary workers dyspeptics; yet it
was in this climate that his work lay; here he
must conquer, Notwithstanding he brought
with him his life's disease. So careful was he
of atmospheric influences upon the sensitive
surface OF the body, that he would often un-
dress and dress again completely three or four
times a day, to meet the various changes OF
the mutable Boston weather.
Ho had diffnrout roav 0f Oarmonfc for
every turn of the weather cock, till it stood at
that harsh, dire east, which nece ssitated both
nannels and a leathern jacket to keep out the
chill and keep in the vital warmth.
Ine Ulme tnat he spent in actual preparation
for public effort was generally not long. Ii
he was to preach in the evening he was to be
seen all day talking with whoever would talk,
accessible to all, full of everybody's affairs,
business, and burdens, till an hour or two be-
fore the time, when he would rush up into his
study, (which he always preferred should be
the topmost room of the house,) aad, throw
ing off his coat, after swing or two with the
dumb bells to settle the balance of his mus
cles, he would sit down and dash ahead, max
ing quantities of hiefoglyphic notes on small,
stubDed bis of paper, about as big as the
palm OF his hand. The bells would begin to-
ring, aud still he woHld write. They would
toll loud and long, and his. wife would say
she will certainly be late" and then would be
: running up and down stairs of messengers to
see that he was finished, till just as the last
stroke of the bell was dying away, he wou
\ emerge from the study with his coat very
much awry, come down the stairs like hur-
ricane, stand inpatienlly protesting while fe-
male hands that ever lay in wait adjusted his
cravat and settled his coal collar, calling
loudly the while for pin to tasten together
the stubbed little bits of paper aforesaid, which
being duly dropped into the crown OF his hat,
and hooking wife or daughter like satchel on
his arm. away he would start on such race
through the streets as left neither brain nor
breath till the church was gained Then came
the process OF getting in through crowded
aisles, wedged up with heads, the bustle, and
stir, and hush to look at him, as, with mat
ter-of fact, business-lke push, he elbowed his
way through them up to the pulpit stairs.
Alter discovering services, il was his custom
to come directly home and spend an hour or
two with his children, as he phrased it, letting
himself ''run down." This was our best sea-
son for being with him. He was lively, spark
ling, jocose, full of anecdote and incident, and
( loved to have US all about him, and to indulge
in good laugh. gA3tos
Often his old faithful friend the violin was
called inrequsition, and he would play a few
antiquated contra dances and Scotch airs out
. of venerable yellow music book which had
come down the vale of years with him. from
East Hampton. Aud Lang Syne, Bonny
Doom and Mary's Dream we're among the in
evitables; and a contra dance which bore the
uncIerical title of "Go to the devil and shake
yourself" was great favorite with the young
sters. He aspired with ardent longings to
Money Musk, College Hornpipe, and sundry
other tunes arranged in unfayorable keys, al
though he invariably broke down, and ended
the performance with a pshaw! In after
years, after his mind began to fail, nothing
would so thoroughly electrify him as to hear
one of his sons, who was proficient on the
violin, performing those old tunes he had tried
so many times to conquer.
These musical performances sometimes in
spirited him and his young audience to the
verge of indiscretion. When mother was
gone to bed before him, he could be wrought
upon by the petitions of the children to exhi-
bit for their astonishment and delight the won
ders of the double shuttle, which he said he
used to daucs on the barn floor at corn husk-
ings when he was young man. But the raw
ages of these saltatory exercises on the feet
Of his stockings caused them TO be frowned
upon by the female authorities to such de-
gree that the exhibition was very rare treat.
@@These innocent evening gala hours, like every
thing else, were part of his system of regi-
men. "If were to go to bed, !" he would say,
Sat the key at which leave of preaching,
should toss and tun bic all night must let
off steam gradually, and then can sleep like
child" 4 erT
In fact, he was an excellent sleeper, and
usually knew but Of one nap, which Lasted
from the time bis head touched the pillow till
the youngest child was sent to wake him up
in the morning. Tbs was invariably the ce-
partment of the reigning baby, who was sol
emnly instructed by him that It was necessary
to take him by the nose, and kiss him many
tines before the heaviness in his head woult
60 off SO that he could lift it. Oftentimes he
would lie in bed after his little monitor had
called him, protesting fears that there was
Inn under the bed who would catch his foo
Rhe put It out, and requiring repeated ant
ernest assurances from the curly head tha
he should be defended from being eaten up
he rose, and often and earnestly the breakias
bell would ring before he could be induced t'
launch forth Great would be the pride
the little monitor, who led him at last gravel
into the Breakfast room, and related in bab
phrase the abors of getting him up.