Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-08-14
A BLIND FARMER.
An Ambitious New England Boy, whose
Loss Of Sight could not Conquer Him.

An Ambitious New England Boy, whose
Loss Of Sight could not Conquer Him.
A correspondent of the Chicago Times
writes from Salem, Knox county, ILL.,, an
interesting account of a successful blind
farmer, which we condense in the fol-
lowing paragraphs Perhaps 1 may tell
story not devoid of interest to the gen
eral reader, and which may furnish some
incentive to the young man who was not
born with gold spoon in his mouth,
and may suggest to him that, in posses
sion of health and vigor and all his
faculties, he ought not to repine or de-
spair of success. A few decades ago my
subject was born of Quaker parentage in
the Champlain valley, with but little
heritage other than good name. Like
most of the New England boys he set to
work, now and then sowing a lot of wild
oats with the tame ones, but every year
winnowing the harvest little closer,
and slowly but steadily garnering the
genuine article. But just as he was get
ting ready to accomplish something he
was suddenly stricken blind. But the
Yankee boy would not give up. The
question of "license" OF "no license +"
was then before the people of New Eng
land. The proposition was to be voted
upon, and meetings were held in every
town and almost every school district to
interest the voters and bring them out
to the polls. Our subject saw, or thought
he saw, an opening in the cloud. He
knew he could talk, for he had talked
longer than he could remember. He had
read of Bruce's spider, and how Col.
Miller took the British battery, and he
resolved to try. A boy drove his Con
cord" as he threaded the valleys and
climbed the mountains of the Puritan
land for two or three years. The blind
lecturer was a success. It paid. Silver
was about. In time the excitement died
away in the East, or rather drifted West.
His services were sought for in New
York, Ohio, and Indiana, and finally on
to the Mississippi, and he plodded west
ward with the current. Before leaving,
however, he married an intelligent and
estimable girl. Ipresume he got tired
of talking with that boy, and then the
girl had grown up right near his fathers
house, and he knew just how she looked,
and he liked her and she liked him, and
they had been engaged from childhood,
and she was a conscientious girl. So
they got married, and both of them have
been glad of it ever since. The blind
lecturer and his wife came West, and
through the States mentioned he lee.
tured and Throughout many of the West
en States. His wife drove the carriage
every mile from Vermont to the Missis
sippi river.
A few years later, in 1849, our young
man, whom we will call Mervin H
Pease, purchased land in this township
and built thereon dwelling, and OF
this land he has ever since resided. He
has fenced and under his personal super
vision over one thousand acres of the
best quality of land, and all but some
pasture is under high state of cultiva
ton. Practically there is not an acre
that could not be plowed. Near the
buildings are fine groves of maple ant
box elder, which have been raised from
the seed where they stand. Adjacent il
an orchard of about one thousand apple
trees which were planted eighteen O.
twenty years ago. Of stock Mr.. Peas
has fifty horses, one hundred and fit,
head of cattle, and four hundred ant
fifty hogs. To feed these and othe
human and humble animals he has grow
ing two hundred and sixty acres of corn
which must shell out $4,000 bushels
thirty acres of oats fifteen o
wheat potatoes, vegetables, etc. On
his farm are timber, running water, anC
coal. He has all the necessary convent
ences for the economical management o
his business. ALI utensils which are re
quired are supplied. Mr.. Pease super
intends all his business in person, buy
and sells whatever is to be bought O.
sold. 1t has not transpired that he ha!
ever been badly cheated. The loss O
sight makes the other senses acute. Hi
ears serve good purpose. About tn
close Of the war he had few Thousand
bushels of barley on hand. Being in th,
telegraph office one day, he heard
message from Chicago clicking through
and his trained ear told him it was
good time to sell. So he stepped into
grain brokers', over the way, and solt
him the barley for $2.10 per bushel
The next day the papers came along anc
showed a decline of seventy-fve cent
on the bushel. The purchaser was sore
and wanted Pease to give him a chanc
once more SO he could make up the loss
This Pease agreed to do, and soon afte
sold him large lot of hogs for SO. s.
per hundred, which the broker workec
off at loss of one dollar on each hun
dred pounds.
, Avoid Marble-TOp Tables.
According to the Herald of HeaH
t marble-top tables are to be avoided. I
says: They are cold, and rapidly absorI