Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-10
Seth.

/ N'i'y VI oo' Aiaii a SSHtuiy dpo, d
young man worked in carpenters shop
in western country village-a frank,
clearminded, hot-blooded young fellow,
full of ambition to fill his as yet unused
brain with knowledge, and then to go
out into the world to work with it. He
listened eagerly to reports Of that life
outside Of his drowsy village, where
men crowded and jostled and helped
each other. There were certain great
wrongs to set right, certain great ideas
Of his own to find words for; once let
him find standing-room out there, and
he would achieve--what was there he
would not achieve! Well, we have all
stood on his ground, and seen with his
eyes; we can remember how the world
looked to US then the vastness Of its
far-otf lights and shadows III the glory
of the dawn; the place we fancied it
had always kept vacant for us to fill.
We, perhaps, escaped into the world,
and saw these things near to our sharp
ened eyes ; handled them with older
hands and found how little value was
in them. But our carpenter, Seth,
never got outside OF his village 1t
does not need fetters or jailbars to set
prison bounds about mans life. Lack
of money, ali unhappy marriage, a
house full Of children, any weight long
borne; cramp and distort his brain
and soul as gives would his body,
With Seth it was poverty, and an old
fa,her and mother, that imprisoned him
in his duh birth place with feeble but
etiectIal hold. lie was all they had !;
their years were nearly spent he would
not rob them Of their sole support and
happiness by leaving them, nor could
he take them with him. The carpen-
ter's shop was sure supply for them
Of food and clothes his ambitious
plans were, after all, but fantastic, un-
certain Dreams Presently our carpen-
ter falls in love and marries, and In Il
year or two buries his wife and child
side by side in the graveyard by the
church. lie made bat little moan, bat
changed his seat in church, to the win
dow, and instead Of prayer or sermon,
for many year heard only the rustic
of the locust tree that grew over the
grave and the fall OF the leaves upon it.
Before the old folks died his early am
bition had faded in a great measure
the plans for the outer world, which
seemed 50 easy in his youth, presented
themselves now as impractlcab!c be
side all this, some roots OF hls hfc had
grown into that grave under the locust
tree, which he never could tear away.
All this is history of pucrile ana
morbid hinderaaces, perhaps, bat Just
such hinderances as clog and lessen
into narrow bounds the lives OF stron-
ger men.
Seth grew quietly into middle and
then into old age, having realized his
youthful hopes of knowledge no fur
ther than by the education which fitted
him for village srhoolmastor. y
shabby. wizened, silent old fellow, with
a shrewd kindly smile and keen eyes
below his bushy wig, with habit Of
dropping fiery brief sentences concern
ING duty and honor, which burned
themselves into his boys memories and
remained there when the Latin and
Greek he taught them had long been
forgotten. There were half a dozen
thwarted geniuses In the town !; village
EIampdens and Cromwclls whom even
the stage-driyer could have pointed out
to you, ranged on the bench in front Of
the tavern, as s.men who would have
made their mark, sir if they had the
chance" But '<old Seth was not one
of them not great, only cranky, even
in his boys eyes an object OF good
natured toleration to the fat, bluff farm
ers. In later years this liberation
turned into suspicion and dislike. The
village lay in u border county OF aslave
state, and Seth was known TO be an alb
olition;st, which ranked him there and
at that time with an atheist or felon
He was accused, and with truth, we
believe, Of teaching the few slaves IN
the neighborhood to read and write,
and Of secreting fugitives on their way
to Canada. Certain beliefs OF his,
which his scholars quoted constantly,
concerning liberty and equality anc the
brotherhood Of man, We're strongly sus-
pccted by the club on the tavern bench
to be the doctrines of Paine and Vol
taire. He talked wildly, it is said, at
| times of great work to be done, in
which he should have his share. But
the summons came for him one summer
day to leave the village and the hot
school house and his silent evening
pipe and stroll, and cross to that other
unknown life which waits for every
man. Il have not done my ''work
here he said once or twice on that
last day. The chance did not come
to me. somehow" But the village
doctor said that he was only feVerish,
and that it was a pity his mind should
be clouded at last. Still looking back
to that undone work, he died and was
buried beside his wife and child.
4 few years afterward came the wal
of the rebellion. \ young man, state
senator from the district where Seth
had lived declared himself not only OF
the side of the government but OF thC
slave. He was bold, alert, had pow