The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-02-16
THE STORY OF APARRoT.

some forty years ago, there llved IN
the quiet town Of East Haverbill, Mass.
achusetts, q much respected Quaker fam
lily by the name ofWhittier. They were
bard.workiug, thrifty farmers, and their
home was known to all the poor 10 that
section no one was ever turned away
from their door unpitied, unclothed, or
unfed.
Even the Indians had respected Grand.
father Whittier in the stormy times of
the Indian mar Among Mr., Whittiers
children was boy named John, who had
a very feeling heart aud quick mind.
He was hard working farmer lad, who
knew moro Of the axe, the sickle and hoe
than the playthings Of childhood. In
deed, New Epgland children had but a
glimpse at the sunniness of youth in
those hard times no long daisied walks,
stretching far into life, they could call
their own.
His early education consisted of few
weeks schooling for number Of winters
in the district school A queer sort Of a
school it was-kept in a private house.
John loved the master, aud spoke kind
word for him when he became a man.
In the library there is beautiful poem
called Snow Bound, "a very goood po.
EN- for good people to read. Now tho
boy lived in just such home as is des-
cri5ed in that poem, and his boyhood was
passed among just such scenes as are pic
tured there, You may like to read it
some day, so we need not try to tell what
has been told so we'll,
He was poet in 5oyhood. He did
not know it. There are many poets who
do not.
He used to express his feelings in
rhyme how could the boy help it J.? He
one day wrote one of these poems on some
coarse paper, and sent it privately to
paper called the Fee Press, published
in the noighboring town Of ofNewburyport.
The editor of the paper, whose name
was Garrison-Wiliam Lloyd Garrison,
you may have heard the name before -
found the poem tucked under the door Of
his office By the postman, and noticing
that it was written in blue ink, was temp
ted to throw it into his waste basket.
But Mr.. Garrison had good, kind heart
Ond liked to give every one chance in
the world. He read the poem, saw there
was true genius in it, and so he published
it.
Happy was the Quaker farmer boy
when he saw his verses in print. He felt
that God had something in store in life
for him-that he was called in some way
to be good and useful to others He
wrote other poems, and sent them to Mr..
Garrison.
They were full of bcauties-these po.
ems. Mr.. Garrison one day asked the
poStman from what quarter they came.
IL am accustomed to deliver package
of papers to = farmcr-boy in East Haver-
hill. guess :hey come from him."
Mr.. Garrison thought he must ride
over to East Haverhil and see.
So he went one day, and found slen.
der, swect-faced farmer boy working with
his plain, practical father on the farm.
The boy modestly acknowledged that he
had written the poems at which his ia.
ther did not seem over well pleesed.
"You must send that boy to school,
friend Whittier" said Mr.. Garrison.
Friend Whittier was not so sure but
the good counsel Of the Newburyport ed.
itor, in the end, was decisive. The boy
was sent to the academy.
John is an old man now, almost sixty
years of age. lie lives at Amcsbury,
near the beautiful Merrimac. that he
loved in youth. Almost every boy and
girl in the land can repeat some Of the
poems he has written.
He has no wife and children, yet his
home is cheerful and social, and is open
70 the stranger, like his fathers and
grandfather of old.
In common with most men Of genius,
he is very fond of pets, and, among these
favorites, little animals and birds have
their place. 1t is of one of these house.
hold pets that We have story to tell
She was parrot, and she belonged to
that respectable branch Of the parrot fam.
lily called Polly. Polly succeeded, among
her masters tavorites smart little ban.
tam, who snce had the freedom of the
house, and who persisted, We think, in an
unequal contest with an evil.disposed cat
Polly, too. bad the freedom of the
house at times, and used to sit on the
back Of the poets chair at his meals, and
the two sometimes held very profound
and confidential conversations together.
The poet is pious man. We have
seen the little Quaker church to which
he goes regularly on Sundays and Thurs
days for silent worship; it is quiet ru.
raj fame, and seems like little school.
house in the wood. Polly, who had been
badly brought up, became demure and
we'll behaved Immediately after her ad.
option SO. for a time, the poet and Pol.
y were in perfect sympathy.
One Sabbath day, Polly, who had
doubtless heard much about large views
from the poets learned visitors, thought
that she would take somewhat larger
view of the world. So, as the people
we're going to church, she climbed upon
the top of the house, and sat upon ridge
pole. 1t then occurred to her, that hav
ing reached more exalted sphere of
thought and action. she would behave
well no more. She had been in bad
company before she had fallen in with
her new friends, and her memory was
very good.
So Polly began to denounce the people
going to church in very shocking language
She was doing the poet great scandal and
exciting marked public attention, when
her astonished master appeared, rake in
hand, and proceeded at once to admins.
ter discipline by bringing her down from
hor high positioo and subjectng her to
plain Quaker discipline.
One day, Polly succeeded in reaching
the house.top again, and began to con.
gratulate herself on the recovery of her
for NOR hioh nositi..n N md froadon, O..