The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-01-11

lIuCe4Cil cuuCdllOu Iuuu many uVuulTo
who are in school the whole or the most
Of their minority. 1t was an education
acquired by reading the best books. He
spent the leisure hours of his years pre-
ceding twenty.onc in reading history and
biography, making use Of such books as
could be found in the eighborhood where
he lived and from valuable library to
which he permitted to have access. Says
one account, from the age Of twelve to
twenty-one, Wilson read, 10 the Sabbaths
and evenings s-sometimes setting up all
night IA practice not gond), and in lieu
Of OF using the ight Of ireplace--more
than seven hundred volumes Of history
aud biography. This great amount of
reading must have largely stored his mind
with knowledge ; and though it could not
have afforded him that mental discipline
and ripe scholarship that course of
study under the drill of teachers would
have done, yet it must have disciplined
his mind and made him a scholar to no
small extent In that be went through
with such an amount Of history aud
biography 10 the last nine years Of his
minority, he must have ahjurod novel
reading While history aud biography
strengthened his mind and stored it with
knowledge, aud thereby fitted him for his
future career, novel reading would have
weakened his mind, and numbered it with
trash IN which event we never should
have heard Of Henry Wilson. After ac-
cumuating means by labor Immediately
subsequent to his becoming of age, he
studied few quarters at academies; but
/ am not informed as to what branches
he pursued, but probably the languages,
and mathematics, and to some extent the
sciences.
4. The next particular that will
name in the history aud character OF Mr..
Wilson is his opposition to slavery.
When the anti.slavcry agitation commcnc
cd in this country, about 1880, he had not
arrived at age and did not participate in
the exciting scenes Of the abolitionists
and their opponents, in the early days of
the anti.slavery enterprise. He began
life, however,a personal aboliiionist and
on entering public life was outspoken
against slavery, and not many years after
abandoned his party on account Of its
pro.slaveryism, and was chief leader in
the formation Of another party, that be.
came dominant in the country and over
threw slavery. To rehearse his action in
this one particular would be to go over a
great part Of his life.
5. l will now notice his character as
a temperance man. The temperance re-
formation began in this country about
fifty years ago, when Wilson was boy
entering his teens. He early became an
adhcrent to temperance, and his whole
record on this subject, as on other sub.
jects of sound morality, is on high. He
was not simply temperance man at
times, but at all times. lie was not
simply temperance man in part, but q
temperance man entire. He practiced
total abstinence, and was an advocate Of
the same. But it should be stated that
though he once renounced his party from
his devotion to freedom he never renounc
cd his party for what some good men re-
gard as essential to temperance, viz. pro
hibtion. No one has reason to doubt the
honesty of his convictions in this particu
lar, or can fail to remember that from
circumstances, it was hardly to be ex
pected that he would act differently from
what he did.
6. He was once challenged 20 a duel
but he declined in a note Of much dignity
at the same time declaring his right o.
self.delense, and his purpose to exert that
right if attacked. ln this he differed
from his colleague, Mr.. Sumner, who, il
is said, went unarmed at all times from
which known fact guard ofmen procur
ed in Massachusetts, in the Kansas trou
bles, unbeknown to Sumner, kept in sigh
of him as he went to and from the capitol
Mr.. Wilson was once menaclngly ap
preached by dcvotee of slavery, whom
he addressed in manly words, closing will
tho remark. The past is yours, the iutur,
been iuinlled 10 Tue letter.
7. now come to speak of one part O
Mr.. Wilson's history but for which
should not have mado tho occasion Of hi
death the ground Of discourse. meal
his religious character. He was alway
a moral man. and ever ready to help il
any work designed to benefit his fellow
men. There is good ground for believing
that no vicious act, no dissipation, cloude'
his minority. | have never heard OF hi
having made any lapse from virtue il
any period of his life. Haughtiness o
Objectionable pride was never laid to hi
charge. He was of the people. and, il
all his elevations, remained among tn
people, never being lifted above them
But he did not rest on his virtues. ii
became a disciple of Christ. At wha
time he became such is to me not certain
He may have espoused the cause OF th
Redeemer in his boyhood, or in his earl
manhood or in middle life. but of thl
there appears to be no certainty. |
1866, in the ripcness of his manhood, h
, made a profession of religion by joinin
the Congregational church. lie was the
flty.four years Of age, covered wit
D honors, and in the midst of public dutie
. I we'll remember the clearness and pos
Q tiveness of his declarations made at tn
time. read his remarks made in iel
, gious meetings and if, in such comm,
2 nications, evidence ia afforded of one
/ conversion to Christ, it has been so in h
. case. Public life, ii is said, and shoul
r think correctly, is not favorable to
.. growth of grace in the Christian and
few instances, it is sadly believed, II
existence of piety in public men has bee
Q destroyed by the duties and the vario'
y surroundings of that kind of life. 1t hi
been said that Mr.. Wilson's piety W
n conspicuous. II this be urged as an o
n lection, it, nevertheless, shows that he d
.. not put his light under bushel, and TIL
% be was not ashamed of Christ and h