The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-08-14
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP,

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LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
To the Editors Of tho IntellIRcneer
Ifyou cannot have news, probably {
few items by way Of description from
whence the news would come, will not bt
unacceptable, and some correspondent
having written up the other end OF oul
township, It Is only leit for me to make
some conquest in the east, as intimated ID
apreVious communication, and annex the
village of a..
WRIST ALEXANDER
TO my province, and toward which any
thing said In the present writing shall
have bearing, whether 1t be ol society
or scenery, manners or morals, rogues
rascals, rum orreligion. -
hope they will not object to this, II 80
can scat myself In view of them on q
firm elevator above the
SEVEN Willows"
and gossip about them to my hearts con.
tent, or your readers, small portion may
suffice. Although claiming to be one Of
them In business and social intercourse
yet l shall endeavor TO speak oil them as
TO how they look 10 an outsider-to q
"man up tree"-ior
Z4cchaeus he
Did climb tree
&C. - 70 see.
This poetical gem presume to be the
origin OF the expression "up tree" and
hereon bangs q tale, for this Is as you
must know authority In West Alexander,
taken as II Is from that bundle Of poetic
and other gems:
TIE NEW ENGLAND PRIMER.
Now, fear, almost forgotten, contain.
ing in its few pages mental aad moral
food for all ages, from the A, B, G to the.
ology the most profound. Its first read
ing lesson being roll Of running, rhym.
ing. alphabetical apolOthighns, beginning
with:
In Adams fall.
~ We hnned al;
And closing with the above quotation Il.
lustrated by q wood cut OF small man
endeavoTing 10 take observations from the
fork OF small tree, all Of which crowded
into the small picture which done duty as
sort of initial wood cut 10 couplet Of
poetry, Of which there were twenty.six
cuts and couplets, mostly scripture sub.
jects. Yet H, 80 hard to bring to duty In
this species of ALTERATION, was devoted to
Hexes, the only heathen mentioned, I be.
lieve, exceptit was King George III, who
was given double couplet about our
whipping the British lion. However she
patriotism Of those sturdy old Puritans
would slop over.
NO cRTTIC1sM INTENDED.
The mention Of this small column is
not offered by way of a "book criticism"
at this late day-f0r West Alexander
would not have been what 1t Is but for
the teachings of this small book-and
such having been its influence, pardon a
mention-which indeed seems compul,
sory-ere it passes into history never to
appear again-unless history like fashion
repeats itself, and instead OF these days Of
culture, we return to the days OF persecu-
ton, when Christians went "singlng
psalms TO the stake"-for which times u
certain class have the peculiar moral
anatomy TO long ior--telling US there
was more and better religion then. The
youthful mind is reminded OF this or the
the small publication above mentioned,
for there is found the sketch oil that
RODGERS, ,wHowAs BURNED AT THE STAKE
in the presence Of; his wife and nina
small children. II must not be under
stood that small Is characteristic of this
book, only in size. An illustration Is
given OF Rodgers and his family, srrang.
ed in q group as an itinerant photographer
would arrange, In sort Of secreasty 60.
ries like country school.mam's class
John at the head"-and good care being
taken to awaken our sympathies by lone
at the breast" , - ~ ,.s,
Further on came the
107 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
called the Westmmisters Assembly
Shorter Catechism, and the which was
the first "task," your correspondent was
called upon by loving friends to commit
"ott the book" yet now all "lost to sight
and memory dear" the questions and
answers, not the friends, except the times,
and the seasons spent in committing.
Sabbath came as a dreaded day, when
hours were spent "out In the kitchen" by
that old stone jam, the corner of which
was rounded OFT by the attempts Of the
cook 10 get an edge on the butcher knife
for one clause learned, the stones were
counted over a score OF times, Zone Sab.
bath particularly remembered) when the
entire day was spent In committing an
answer OF four lines, something about
ORIGINAL sINl
and this was phase Of life about West
Alexander only quarter Of a century
ago-aud TO leave this out would be like
giving you the play Of Hamlet with
Hamlet left out. A mental drill this was,
reckon, Tor In after years the study oi
Greek was a pleasure,
Were this New England Primer pub
lished now Tor the first time, II would be
looked upon as aPious fraud Perpetrated
by some imitator Of the author of the
lnnocentS Abroad, or the new
1 .a PILGRM's PROGRESS,
Upon the land Of Emerson, Whittier
Longtellow, Lowell and Chaunlng-ol
else there is an element In the population
Of that country which we know nothing
about, rural clasS-very rural indeed
as the editing and composing ol said pub.
lication would indicate, to which some
one attempted to sdd,a few years ago, In
very classical Boston monthly, as iol.
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