Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-04-03

Three quarters of century ago young
man OF commanding stature. broad shOul-
dered. full chestcd, with heavy limbs and
s0norous voice contracted with some mer-
chants Of New York. Boston and Philadel-
phia to drive cart and oxen for them. The
cattle were diminutiye in size. ard the cart
was large and clumsy. such as were in use
in those primitive times. The young man
was not only honest, but possessed re-
markablc tenacity; such a tcnacity a. is
seldom met with, except among those who
are superstitiOus and bigOted. After Il
while the oxen became old and poor, so that
the most they could do was to draw the cart
and their driver. The country was new and
the roads rough. At lenth tho cart drop
ped into q deep cnud-hole. The young man.
iull of strength and ambition, put shoulder
to the wheel, but all to no purpose. The
ear. remains in the same mud hole to-day
where it was half century ago. Finally
both tho animals died al the nea p. They
were never skinned by butcher : knife.
The dogs picked their bones du ing the
night time, when the young man was re
cupcratng his weary frame with re Z. For
all these long years the same ma co nd
have been seen at any time from daylight
TIL dark lifting at this cart and calling
Justify for help. For 4 time people paid
some attention to him, and would even lift
at the wheels; and at times the cart was
partially lifted from the mud by those who
had some ownership in the concern. Int it
was hard place to work wiihOr; SOilng
clothes, and the mud-stainS were harri to
remove. II 4 man wished TO run for mtm-
ber of Congress after he had been at work
around that cart, he was under the neces-
>ity OF procuring new -uit of clothes. e.
pecIally if 4 resident oi New England or
Pennsylvania
But at length people became 50 accus-
toned to see the man cternally lifting at
those wheels that they paid but little attcTl-
ton 70 him. except it was to ridiculc hiiu.
He once had neishbor who used to mock
at hS efforts. The man has grown old an d
gray lifting at that clumsy old vehicle
Many wonderful changes have taken place |
since this cart became stuck in the mud,
about the year lsI2. Men then engaged in I
the business affairs of life have nearly all /
passed from the stage of existence. Clin-
ton anu Iompkn-, with q long line Of 4
statesmen and heroes. have performed their I
parts and gone To their graves. Children |
have been born and grown old. But the Z
man at the cart still lives tp llj and tug. (
His tcnacity i proof against both failure /
and rliiculc. The man, nov old and feeble (
has given the yigOr of his youth and the /
strength oi his manhood To one single pur-
pose. And while he has l.o,u keeping COM
pany with his cart. he has seen great States /
settled, and one after another added To the ;
mon. until 4 Republic which was but i
mere stripping has grown TO giant whose
pwero j. acknowledged and respected hY all
the nations Of the Garth lie has seen canals
cxcayatcd. locked and double locked |
swamp> drained and conyertei into mead
ows and millions of acres Of forests swept
away. Mountains hayehcen rInnclcd. deep
guli- and broad rivers bridgcd T. straighten
the long lines of commerce. Beautiful (
towns and magnificent cities have multi
pll'd within the limits Of the Dited States
with % rapidity that has no prceedenbin
the history ol nations And ~tIll tins same
ny~tcrlouS pcrslnage. now old ana weak.
Is tagging away at his cart, and pitcou~ly
calling for assistance. Great )lttlcS have
been fought with foreign enemies and do
nestle foes. Bat neither the r0aro: artillery .
the shock uf battle nor the sOug oi freedom D
cbantcl hy four millions of cmancIpatcd
slaves, could make thIS strange u an break
away from that cart. The sound of trip
hammers in our American fSrses. the hum
of myriads of spindleS and the clattcr Of
machinery, the whistle Of the locomotive
running on single and double track rail-
roads, crossing States at all angles, and
traversinc the continent from Oceln to ocean
all these, together with the arguments OF
Henry Clay and the ridcule 0f Horace
Greeley, have not been sufficient to turn
this man from the single purpose OF his life
lie i still lifting vigorously at his vld cart,
and calling on hystaIlders for a~>i, tancc.-
The Ercninc Post i that old II. ever
watching his cart of Free Trade L Dor old
Posi- Poor old cart They have been
stuck in the mud long time. and " hO can
zee any PR spect OF their ever getting ont
CydeHSuTg Journal