The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-10-03
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES OF AN
OCTOGENARIAN.
BY DIR. GIDEON LINCECUM.

LIS iiyiuS hiUldIy hdu Dech SeiiihS
books in our little town several months
He had many choice works; but being
called home TO IN. c. on business that
required his immediate personal attention,
and as he had not supplied the literary
wants of that newly settled country, he
concluded to leave his books and return to
them as soon as possible. He selected me
to take charge of and sell as many Of them
as l could during his absence. My kind
hearted employer permitted me to fit up
the lumber-room that was attached to the
dry goods store for the purpose, and to
retain for my own use the ten per cent.
Mr.. Weens proposed on amount of sales.
That was all very we'll and suited my pow
erty stricken condition exactly. But the
greatest thing, in my view of the case, was
Transforming the lumber room, where |
had been sleeping with my borrowed books,
into library of $4,000 worth of the best
knowledge that the world could boast.
Into this-to me, world of books-I plung-
ed with so much earnestness that l thought
or cared for nothing outside of it, and
was so much afraid that Mr.. Weeus would
return soon and take them away, that
forwarded the amount of sales as often as
it amounted to ten dollars. The thing
worked as l desired. He was satisfied
with the indications of my management,
and did not return until he had fully
arranged and settled his business at home
,;,,;p III,
and taking account of stock, he was SO
much pleased, that besides paying me the
full amount of orr contract, he presented
me with the books l had been studying and
some others, which he said suited my years
and bent of inclination. Oh this had
been glorious year for me. 1t tore open
the windows Of my abode of darkness, let
in the light of science on my awakening
faculties and left me with enough of good
books on my shelf to nourish and feed the
divine flame another year. Except four or
five nights that my employer would have
me to 60 fishing with him, my bow and
arrows lay idle in their case. I continued
to do the business in the little dry goods
store for my kind hearted employer another
year. But it was thought, notwithstand-
ing the fact that l discharged all the duties
incumbent on me as clerk, salesman, book
keeper, collector-all things about the
establishment-that l read and talked too
much about organic life and too little about
dollars and cents ever to succeed in the
mercantile business, and was advised by
those who took an interest in my des my
to read medicine. You are,' said they,
"a high order of Indian doctor, thorough
ly acquainted with the medical resources
of our forests; we have experimental knowl-
edge of that fact" and they contended
that little touch of scientific medicine
would make useful man of me. yielded
to the solicitations and advice of my mis-
taken friends; and so, beginning almost at
the commencement of my last term of SER
vice with Mr.. Wilkins, 1 continued to read
medical nonsense until the war with Great
Britain and the Muscogee Indians. 1t
spoilt everything, and my mind became
unhinged two or three years. l had grown
to six feet in height, weighed 1875 pounds,
and everything about me seemed to be
coarse and fumbling. The train of thought
had been interrupted; had been strained
with hardships and stained with blood.
There was new thought brewing in my
organism. To get my disturbed mentality
back on the old steady train of investiga-
ton and experimentation was out of the
question; it could no longer be forced into
service. War is bad thing, and is al
ways the result Of the controlling sway of
the animal developments; the intellectual
developments never make war.
nomia was the text book of practice for the
United States, and l viewed the work as
the finishing stroke on that subject. Med
ical superstition destroys more life than
war The author of the Zoonom,a Eras-
mus Darwin, was still living. His place
of residence was on the Derwent, England,
but at that time was Professor, think, of
obstetrics, Guys Hospital, London. l
speak from recollection. had possessed
myself not only of his medical works, but
| L hou mo ooIodiS oaiuCh anu tiS
"Temple of Nature" all occupying plain
of thought so far above any thing had
before seen, and from which such floods of
scientific light and philosophic truths were
pouring i'll upon my uncnltivated intellect
soul food-that felt strongly attracted
to, and very much desired to know more
about the men. So got up as good let
ter as l could, in which l expressed my
sentiments towards him and his valuable
works. gave him short sketch of my ori-
gin, present condition and eager aspira-
lions, addressed to Professor Erasmus Oar
win, Guys Hospital, London. In about
thee months his very polite, friendly and
most interesting reply came. 1t was a
lengthy document, full of philosophic good
sense and useful information; exactly such
paper as my blank intellect needed. l
looked upon it then, and 1 think yet, that
it was the most holy and useful essay that
ever came into my possession. 1t changed
my crude notions in almost every thing
The scientific truths and systematic meth
DDS of investigating them it contained,
opened up and withdrew the veil of dark
ness that had been clouding and lettering
my mentality with a considerable amount
of intellectual cowardice, checking and
forbdding inquiry into any subject that
was said to belong to the business of the
gods. 1t showed me also that the sun of
science, and before it's effulgent rays, the
witches, ghosts, angry gods and frightful
devils of antiquity would soon have to fly
to the mountains or somewhere else for
protection. And even now, be my intel
lectual status on the plane of progressed
thought what it may. it is attributable to
the impulse given by that letter. wrote
and sent him letter of thanks and begged
of him, if not contrary to his interests, to
continue to favor my hungry spirit with
his valuable letters. But the war between
his country and the United States-the
| embarpo-put an end to our correspond