New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-29

,,,. and esnccially with Concord, that IL seldom
occurs to any TO remember that he was ha'vo VI
Connecticut He was born in Wolcott In l9s thihK
how long ago that was and how many changes nc mas
seen since then He the eldest OF eight chioren.
and there seems 10 have been no superaoundance Oh
money In his early home but he was well descenueo'
His father was Q skful farmers man OF upo'em'
ished integrity, and OF thoughtful re"rihs'
conscientious nature. His mother deserves eepecia'
mention, because she gave him his early rehglous
training and he to have inherited from her the
general turn of his mind She was the daughter OF
Cant Amos Bronson Of Plymouth, man OF property
,,Gnence and decided theological opinions, very un-
like those of Connecticut farmers OF MS day enc
was the sister of Dr. Totson Bronson. for some years
a, the head OF the Episcopal Academy in Cheshire ana
previously rector of ST. Johns Church at waterbury
She herself was an Episcopahan. and her son. Amos
BRONSON was early baptized in the Episcopal Churcn
7 poto these circumstances particularly because they
seem to me to explain difference have long observe"
between Mr.. Alcott and some or MS orother i"ue'
To some of them the very mention OF Chrlsuahy sec"
like Spanish flies to the skinit makes them break gu.
at once in violent eruption. Bat Mr. Alcott remem'
beers the sweetness OF his mothers heart ana hie' anu
has not forgotten the old prayers OF the old fah wcn
he said Mt her knee He is always ready to believe that
a Christian may really and truly be rs good man as
Jew or even Mohammedan.
From Mr. Acots earliest years he was fond OF BOOKS
and eagerly read all he could find lie went to the DIS
school
begun TO keep diary habit which he has maintained
ever since Al tho age of IA he worked for while at
cock-making at Plymouth, Conn, and the same year
went on an excursion into Northern Connecticut ana
Western Massachusetts. selling a few articles as ho
went 70 meet the expenses OF his journey Indeed ped
ding seems to have been resource for him IN his early
years He was confirmed at Is, in Waterbury; after
which he and his cousin, the late Dr. Alcott USED 10
read the churchservce Sundays at schoolh0use In
his neghborhood These two cousins seem to have been
mutually devoted to the highest Improvement. lhey
together founded small library, and few years later
visited Virginia and the Caroinas, on one OF those ped
ding pilgrmages which were 50 romantic feature OF
! Mr. Alcotts early lie.
Ipresume he made little money peddlng, for surely
no other pedder was ever half honest But he used
TO buy stock Of small wares and sell them again 10
the Vrginians good profit. In this way he mace MS
entrance into some of best descended families OF the
Old Dominion, where he found large aud choice hbra
! res which they willingly permitted the young man
from Connecticut to explore. Biography was MS Ia
vorite readng then poems and tales, and he was also
very fond of metaphysics. He had been bred in all the
smpl.city OF an oldfashoned farming household and
the courty and elegant life OF the wealthy Virghahs
| was graceful and Impressive revelation TO MN. An
English gentleman hearing the story OF Mr. Alcotts
early years-his farm life, and his progress as ped
dler-cOud scarcely believe II to be true. why SAID
he "your friend has the most distinguished manners
the manners of a very great peer" But some OF this
polish may have been acquired by contact during those
early years with class then esteemed the first gentle
| men in America.
These bedding excursions continued until 1923, when
Mr. Alcott began his teacher, TO which call
lug he devoted the fifteen or sixteen years For
the last 80 wears and more he stood forth an ideal
reformer and the representative Of school OF thongh
and ethics Of which OF the founders IN New
| England. In 1884, when he had ceased to teach. and
was supporting himself by manual labor in Concord
| Dr. Claiming wrote of him: Mr.. Alcott little sus-
poets how my heart goes out to him. One OF my dear
est idea and hopes is the union OF labor and culture
wish to see labor honored and united with the free de-
veopment OF the intellect and the heart MI Alcott
hiring himself out for day labor and at the same time
living in region of high thought is perhaps the most
int erestng object In Commonwealth do not care
much for Orpheus in The Dial hut Orpheus at the
plow is after my own heart. There he teaches a
grand lesson than most of us teach by the pen
Mr. Aco has been teaching grand lessons ever since
but on the OF the last half OF his life have now
no time 10 dwell In the few details Mr.. Sanborn has
gwen of his early culture and experiences when but
farm boy Connecticut, 1 am sure all the reading
| world must be interested. L. T. NJ