Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-12-03
HENRY WILSON.
a sketch Of Ills Life and PubIic Ser.
vices.
tFrom the Boston JOurnal.l

would not nave Deen SURPRISING AZ any uo-
ment, but now that IL is actually announced,
when we had supposed him rapidly return
ing TO health and were looking for his re-
appearance among his old friends, the
shock is almost bewilderiug. We need not
say with what soemnity and unaffected
sorrow the announcement of his death will
be received in this community, of W hich
the deceased was the just pride, with whose
history lie was largely linked, and for
whose principles and glory he was the un-
swerving, indomtable, effective champion.
Henry Wilson is gone, and his like as the
representative of the "plain people OF
New England in a momentous crisis, we
shall never look upon again.
Mr. Wilson was born in Pennington, N.
H., on the 10th of February, 1912, and he
was therefore at his death in the sixty
fourth year of his age. His fathers name
and his own until, upon his arrival at
mani ood, he had it changed to the family
name of his mother-was Goliath. His
parents were poor and had family of sew
Ell children TO support by hard Labor; con-
sequently at the age of ten years, Wilson
was obliged TO look out for himself and re-
lease the others fiom a share Of the bur-
then and trials Of poverty. He met the du-
| ty even then with the same promptitude
and vigor he was accustomed to display in
subsequent years on the broad arena Of
public life. 1t Is to his lasting honor that
he always referred with manly good sense,
without either empty pride or false humli-
| ty, to this period of his life. Thus, in a
| In, Ian m bn
campaign, we believe, which resulted in
making him Vice President of the United
States-he told the story Of his early years
with palhos which the simple truth alone
could awaken, us follows:
IL feel that have a right to speak for
| toiting and to tOiling men. l was born
| here in your county Of Stranord. | was
born in poverty; want sat by my cradle.
| know what it is TO ask mother for bread
when she has none TO give. left my home
at ten years of age, and served an appren-
ticeship Of eleven years, receiving
months schooling each year, and, at the
end of eleven years of hard work, yoke
of oxen and six sheep, which brought me
eighty -four dollars. Eighty-iour dollars
for eleven years of hard toll l never spent
the amount of one dollar in money, count
ing every penny from the time l was born
until / was twenty-one years OF age. l
know what it is 10 travel weary miles and
ask my fellow men to give me leave TO toll.
remember that in October, 1888, walk
ed into your village from my native town,
went through your mills seeking employ
ment If anybody had offered me nine
dollars a month should have accepted it
gladly. / went to Salmon Falls, went TO
Dover, went TO Newmarket, and tried TO
get work, without success, and returned
home footsore and weary, but not dist our
I nn
walked TO where i now live in Massachu-
sets, and learned u mechanics trade. l
know the hard lot that toiling men have 10
endure in this world, and every pulsation
of my heart, every conviction OF my Judg-
ment, every aspiration of my soul, puts me
on the side of the toiliug men OF my coun-
try-ay, of all countries. The first month
l worked after | WAS twenty-one years OF
age went into the woods, drove teams,
cut mill logs, wood, rose in the morning
before day light and worked hard until af
ter dark at night, and received for it the
magnificent sum of six dollars. Each Of
those dollars looked as large to me as the
moon looked tonight"
This was the life of a New England boy
in the country towns of that day-or rather
it was the outward, obvious life, for ii was
capable of being fed by sources not 10 be
traced except In the full aud honorable cur
rent of a subsequent career. Thus 1t was
with Mr.. Wilson. While his hands we're
doing with all their might whatever they
found TO do, his mind was also at work
storing up the materials for aller dstinc-
tion. He was fortunate in having the friend
ship OF Hon. Nehemiah Eastman, lawyer
and politician, and his intelligent and ac-
complshed wife, sister Of the Hon. Levi
Woodbury.. The library of Mr.. Eastman
was at his service, aud Mrs. Eastman kind
ly selected the fittest books for his reading.
And from the age Of Twelve TO the expira-
ton of his time, Wilson read in the Sab
baths and neutrality-suspicious. sitting up
all night, and in lieu Of oil, using pine
knots for light-more than seven hundred
volumes Of historical and biographical
works. We may be sure that this amount
of reading, vast even for these times, with
their distractions keeping even pace with
their greater supplies of books aud maga-
zines, was not skinned over like the pop
ular novels of the day, but was assimilat-
ed and reflected upon in working hours,
until il became part and parcel of the man.
1t was in December, 1893, that Mr.. Will
son started on foot and walked to the town
of Natck, Mass, with the design Of learn
ing TO bottom sale shoes. He accordingly
| agreed with shoemaker of that place to
give him five months time in exchange
for the art and mystery of bottoming bro
gans. Amer working on the bargain six
weeks he purchased the rest of his time
and commenced work for himself. From
January, 1884, TO May, 1896, he kept
so steadily at work that his health
was seriously impaired. He allowed him
self only live hours for sleep, aud frequent
| ly worked all night. He was compelled to
cease work for time and went South as
far as Virginia, spending four weeks in
| Washington. This trip doubtless did for
him what a similar Trip Southwark had
done for his subsequent friend, VIM. II.
Seward it gave an insight into the system
OF slavery, and into the political means by
which it was upheld, that never ceased till
the efforts of both were brought TO an end
| by The destruction of slavery itself. He
was particularly fortunate in the time of
his visit to the Capitol, for be was in the
gallery of the House of Representatives,
during this visit, in 1889, when Mr.. Pinck-
ney brought forward his Gag resolution.
Tho first of a series OF measures designed
to put down the growing anti-slavery sent
iment of the Northern States. This reso-
luton was forced through the House amidst
great excitement, and under the pressure
| of the previous question. John Quincy
Adams refused TO vote, aud this led TO vi
olent debate, TO which Wilson had sn OPP
portunity to listen, as well as to another
exciting debate on the subject of Texas.
This attempt to repress agitation resulted
! pretty much as all other attempts have re-
| suited. before and since. II however. il