Litchfield enquirer., 1869-03-25
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONs.
BY HENRY REED.

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS. l BY HENRY REED
 MY SCHOOLS AND sCHOOLFELLoWs.
 It was, as near as I eau remember, du ring my fourteenth year, that the master o
 the grammar school which was attending
 with a view to future academicai honors and-n should be so lucky as, in tn, meantime, to experience religion ological employments, came to me. bring ing my Latin grammar in his hand, anl addressed me as follows: My son, don'
 you think your father has something a
 which he can employ you more profitably
 than in studying Latin ? l don't think you are making any progress iD the dead
 languages, or are likely to make any and you had better tell your father that he is suffering unnecessary expense in keeping you in school" As have grown older, ] have learned respect for the man who de hvered ln my case decision which was undoubtedly correct but which, in these days, few schoolmasters would dare to pro- nounce. -" ..t
 As-for my memory is quite distinct touching the events of that, in some sort, climacteric period of my existence-my teacher took care to prepare me for his counsel by pretty thorough preliminary administration of the magisterial cudgel, and also labOred to impress it upon my un l. derstanding by 6 supplementary act of moral suaslon, in quantity and quality greatly similar to the first, I had little diff fculty in retaining the substance of the message, or delivering it to parental ears with reasonable correctness. As this glance at my own experience is not for the pur- pose of self-illustration. but rather with a view to present. life in New England in one of its phases, will not attempt to describe tho consternation which pervaded the household on the reception of this indis- putable proof of my stupidity. It is suf- hcient to relate that on the day next fol- lowing the one whose events I have des- cribed, found myself translated from ac- ademic shades to the mercantile establish ment of one David Gould, general dealer in sundries, or, as he advertised himself, In dry goods, groceries, crockery, hardware and medicine 1; in the dispensation of which articles, In return for cash or country pro- duce, my mercantile life commenced. In the course of few months, however, was transferred from this concern-which was in my native town-to another, kept by N. B. Gaylord, in the village of Winsted, in the northeastern part of the county. Upon the whole, I cannot, looking back upon it, pronounce my mercantile course success. There was monotony in the account books of the establishment which was irksome to one afflicted with taste for miscellaneous reading. read through the professional library of a doctor who had an office in a of the establishment, and learned 3 little practical chemistry by the custom of making three barrels of St. Croix rum ont of one, by the addition of plentiful wa ter .y and an artlele known ss neutral spirits rising to the grade of proprietor, and be- coming capitalist, I found myself trans ferred to the industrial establishment of my father, who was a manufacturer of shoes for the vicinity, and also, to some extent for exportation to the New York and Southern markets, where took lessons in the useful, but decidedly unromantic, art and mystery of shoemaking.
 As all men are supposed to feel a curlos- ity in regard to matters of historical character relating to their own trade or profession, there are some who may be in terested in knowing that the spirituous beverages of New England, at that period. were cider, or as it is now called, apple brandy and New England rum for com mon, and St. Croix rum for extra occasions; the first two of which sold by retail at fifty cents, and the last for one dollar gallon. This was before Dr. Beecher originated the temperance movement by preaching and publishing his twelve-l think there were twelve-sermons against the use of intoxi- eating drinks. In respect to the value of ardent spirits to the human race, I imag- inc, from the quantity consumed, that some people thought they agreed with them; for remember one individual, en- dowed with statistical turn of mind, who affirmed that, according to his own calcu- latiou. he had consumed about twelve hogsheads in the course of his life and thought himself good for half as many more. For growing family in those times, winter store of fifteen barrels of cider was not thought large allowance; but lived long enough in New England to see conscientious people laying the axe at the roots at once of their apple orchards and of their appetites, for the purpose of of ''staying the ravages of intemperance. !" One of the effects of this movement was to work revolution in the popular drinks; for as the orchards and the rural distiler- ies disappeard, whisky came in to occupy the throne which cider brandy had abdica- ted. 7''e
 But, as said before, my own experien- ces are only incidental to my recollections
 of others; and begging forgiveness for this Aggression, to them return.
 My successor to the distributive depart. ment of the first mercantile establishment
 which enjoyed the advantage of my servi ces was an active little fellow, younger
 than myself, who put his mind on whatev
 CT he undertook. His father was Con
 gregational minister in Cornwall, who was
 we'll known throughout the State as q
 learned man and Q vigorous theological pelemic. He had large family of sons
 and daughters, all of whom took to learn ing and theology with a proclivity similar to that which aquatic birds manifest fol
 streams of water. My yellow haired sue
 cessor-for he rejoiced in locks of the Her
 culean color-Nho was one of the younges
 of the brood, was no exception to the fam
 fly rule; and in a comparatively few year.
 after lost sight of him in New England, ]
 heard of him as B. w. Andrews u. D. President of Marietta College, in the stats
 of Ohio. As the head of the institution
 he has distinguished himself by his activit,
 and although, perhaps on account of my
 own want of the educational capacity may not have the regard ought to hay