The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-11-30
Andersen's Childhood.

Hans christian Andersen was born in
the city Of Odense, on the island of Fun.
en-, April 2, 1905, and be died in Copen,
hagen, August 4, 1875. His father was
a poor shoemaker, and lived with his wife
and child in a small room, which had to
serve them as psrlor, bedroom, nursery,
and kitchen. The bed in which the whole
family slept the shoemaker had himself
made ou. of the catafalque ofa deceased
nobleman, and the funeral trappings of
black CLOTH which the father no doubt
thought very ornamental, were still at.
tached to the frame. While Hans
Christian was child, he mostly amused
himself with sewing dolls clothes and ar.
ranging puppet theatore and his mother,
who fancied that it would be a great
thing il in time he could become tailor,
gave him all the rags and papers he could
spare. But he did not like the idea of
being tailor he would much prefer to
be prince or a noble, or perhaps king,
who could wear 6ne gold embroidered
clothes and ride in gilt carriage of his
own, drawn by six beautiful horses. But
as there was little prospect of his being
made king in any ordinary way. he
thought OF all sorts Of extraordinary
ways and it was on this account he took
such pleasure in his theater, because ho
could make himself king or general, or
even emperor, and in fact anything he
chose, and even believe in it himself for
the moment. Indeed, there was nothing
too Incredible for him to believe. Ons
day, for instance, an old woman who
washed clothes told him that the empire
OF China was situated under the river of
Odense. "And," says Andersen in "The
Story Of My Life" II did not find it at
all impossible that Chinese prince, some
moonlight night when was sitting there,
might dig himself through the earth up
to us, hear me sing, and then take me
with him to his kingdom, make me rich
and noble, and finally let me visit Odense,
where | would live and build me castle.
Many au evening did L occupy myself
With tracing and making ground plans
for it."
When Andersen was only FIVE or ak
years old he lost his father, and his
mother had to take in washing to support
herself and her son. Like many other
poor children, he was sent to a factory
where he was to work but the laborers
there teased him and made sport Of him,
aud, as he was not brave boy, he ran
homo to his mother and said that he
would never 60 back again and his
mother petted him, and yielded to his
wish. In school he hardly Jared much
better; the school mistress, who sat with
a long rod in her hand at the end of the
table, once happened to hit him, and
again he ran away, and, as usual, his
mother INDUCED him. In the house of
an old lady. Mrs. Bunkeaod, he now got
hold of translation of Shakespeare, and
Immediately began to write tragedy of
his own, in which everybody killed him
self or was killed by somebody else.
~'- .'e'y wy "nu eiii lnus'
ton, and during this time they receive
religious instruction once or twice week
from the pastor of the parish Andersen
went with great many other childrento
such black.robed pastor, and was at last
confirmed. But because his parents were
poor, and his clothes were great deal
too large for him, the boys would have
nothing to do with him, and only little
girl now and then addressed kind word
to him, for which he was very grateful.
He was IA regular girls boy" his com.
panions said he cried when you hit him,
and never struck again, and he cared
neither for leap.frog nor marbles. But
he was very fond of books, ard sat at
home reading when other boys were at
play.-S. Nicholas for December