The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-06-11

ar, into grade classes. Those in the first
: were the pupils who remembered what
they had previously learned, in the second
those who remembered their letters i'm
perfectly and the other two classes were
t fresh arrivals and noisy obstructives. Our
school progressed SO favoraby that on the
last night Of the third season we had an
attendance of two hundred and seventy
eight pupils of all sorts, Sizes and condi-
: tions, upwards of two hundred of whom
had learned to read, and some Of them to
!. write, in our unassumiug, unobtrusive
school.
Although we increased the number of
our schoolrooms to four, our working ex-
penses were very small very small indeed,
comparatively speaking, and the total
amouut of all the ACCOUNTS paid for school
furniture, books, &C., appears so trivial
that | can hardly believe it represents the
whole cost of efficiently working the school
for more than three years.
We eventually removed into the Ma
tiona Schools, kindly lent us, gratis by
the charitable vicar, and the last report
issued issued long after my active con-
! nection with the school had ceased says
that very few night schools in the king
dom would be able to compete with ours.
still say "ours" because many of the
scholars and every one of the teachers l
} know and respect.
The Improvement that has taken place
in that district during the last twenty
years is immcnse-the restored parish
church, two handsome dissenting chapels,
always crowded, and large Mission Hall,
the last mentioned recently erected by
members Of the Society of Friends, moth
ers' meetings, cocoa meetings Dorcas
; meetings, lectures and concerts, testify to
the vitality Of that great and grand
Christianity whose motto is, "Go out into
the highways and hedges and compel them
to come in
: The sharp youngster, before mentioned
} was a regular attendant at the night
: school, and his progress was really mar
/, vellous | never knew another such pu-
pill in my life. His memory was so ex-
cellent that within eighteen months of
: the establishment Of the school he recited
the whole of paradise Lost" without
| making single mistake. Anything he
read twice he could always repeat, word
for word, months afterward. The only
branch of knowledge for which he evinc-
; ed dislike, was that of writing from
, dictation, and one occasion he was gently
censurcd for not paying proper attention.
, 81 cant help it." said he; "if you
were to read faster | should do it bet
, ter"
"But if the speed were increased you
would write so badly that no one could
read what you had written
, "Yes, | know that vii! try to do
: as you wish"
He improved in his hand writing con.
: siderably after that, although sometimes
it seemed quite painful operation for
him to write fifty lines.
2 From conversations held with him al
different times, | learned that he was an
f, orphan, that he earned from two to three
+, shiilings a week by vending matches, wa:
9 allowed to sleep in small stable with q
/, donkey without paying for the accomoda
{ tion, aud got hio IA, oals how ho could, aud
G when he could. Finding him a promis
t ing lad, procured him situation in q
9 lawyers office, his duties at first being
, confined to lighting the fires, cleaning the
9 floors, busting the desks and furniture, and
running errands. He still attended oul
t night school, where he obtained good
knowledge of mathematics, learned a lit
5 tie Latin and Greek, became an expert
Q short hand writer, distinguished himself
l in history and bids fair to make his mark
1 as public speaker. His self-denial was
r wonderful. He has gone nearly week
, without morsel OF food in order that ht
: might be enabled to purchase coveted
volume, never saying a word to any one
$ about it until long after tho occurrence.
Q | Was chiding him one day for being SC
: foolish, assuring him that his abstinence
, would eventually tell upon his consttu
ton.
Y 81 hope not" was the response, books
= are more my food than bread and beef.
4 must hare books every day. but | can dc
without food for week"
!, "But you will die of starvation"
/. urged.
l "Not very probable, although Id rath.
5 er die from hunger Of the body than hun.
ger of the mind"
, "You must choose the happy medium
Q If you wish to make your way in the
0 world, you must not wholly neglect the
f body"
S He shortly afterwards fell i'll, and OF
=. consulting doctor, was emphatically told
l that he was dying from starvation. Fol-
= months his excessive weakness was pita
Bile to behold sickness threatened thu
e wreck of mind and body. But the turn
= ing point came, and he gathered strength
r slowly perceptibly. His illness taught
him lesson, and he now pursued hi
| studies moderately and methodically. Or
q his restoration to good health, his former
J. employer was only to glad to have hin
Y back at an increased salary and in a more
i honorable and responsible position. The
;. scarcity Of good books was his chief diff.
n fculty now, not single library in thu
S city coming within reach of his limited
- means. When he grew older, Il few
: friends paid his subscription for severa
}, years to the City Philosophical Society
f. library, then the resort of the merchants
: and other great folks. who congregateC
there for an hours gossip. His constant
/. attendance and his systematic reading o
,, all the newspapers and periodicals coulC
G not fail to attract attention and eventu
n ally several of the irequenters made in
|, qurios concerning him. and, on learning
i who and what he was and what he haC
been, offered to aid him in any way they
i could But he was to proud to accep