Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1876-11-30
Tie Poet Bryant's BoyhOod,
As He Recalls It for the Christ
mas St. Nicholas.

mas st hfcnoiaS.
The boys of the generation to which
belonged-that IS to say, who were born
in the last years of the last century or
the earliest of this -were brought I'M
under system of discipline which nut
far greater distance between parents and
their children than now exists. The pa-
rents seemed to think this necessary in
order to secure obedience They were
believers in the old maxim that fan,ili-
arity breeds contempt. My own parents
lived In the house with my grandfather
and grandmother on the mothers side.
My grandfather was disciplinarian of
the stflctest sort, and can hardly find
words 10 express the awe in which |
stood OF h1m-an awe 80 great as almost
TO prevent anything like affection on nv
part, although he was in the main kind.
ana, certainly, never thought of being
severe beyond what was necessary to
maintain proper degree of order ia the
family. The other boys in that part of
the country, my schoolmates and play
fellows. were educated on the same sys-
tenn. Yet there were at that time some
indications that this very severe discip-
line was beginning TO relax. With nv
father and mother was on much easier
terms than with my grandfather. If
favor was to be asked of my grandfath-
er, it was asked with fear and trem
bling; the request was postponed to the
last moment, and then made with hest
tatlon and bushes and a confused utter
ance.
One OF the means of keeping the bows
of that generation in order was a little
bundle OF birchen rods, bound together
by small cord, and generally suspend.
ed on nail against the wall in the
Kitchen. This WAS esteemed as much a
part OF the necessary furniture as the
crane that hung in the kitchen fire place
or the shovel and tong5. It sometimes
happened that the boy suffered a fate
similar to that of the eagle in the fable.
wounded by an arrow fiedgcd with
feather from his OWN wing i in either
words, the boy was made TO gather the
twigs attended for his own castieation.
Ii has never been quite clear TO me WHY
the birch was chosen above all other
trees of the wood to yield its twigs for
this purpose. The beech of our forests
| produces sprays as slender. az flexible
. and as tough aad farmers, wherever
the beech is. common, cut, la long and
plan; bfaeehes Tor driving. pker. Yet
the use Eff birchen. rods -ftt tirs ic6rfec-
ton ofehiidren IL OF very great ant.alti-
ty.S La his :.t9isceaFse Qua Z prpst l'Fess. y
written three hundred years sss,a.1 .. Rye-
3iyn speaks Of birchsn wigs rs an n1a-
pienaent of the school muster and Lou
don, in his '$Arhofetsga,n goes yet far
| ther back, de says !. ssThe. birch has
| been used IS an Instrument of corree-
ton IN schools from the earliest ages .
make frequent mention of this Use of
bitehen twige. tsNt, in Loodon's time.
100 10 Je'tEs
rods hntb in sehoet. sr,s -, go go
t;ae fat 80 = s-.s gu.
on 3.b;ci ~. sc,Fs sti, - -
81 fft3 49,; - '1tsa slt
60. T re s5I te ,GesFta4-
eta'eAl,---toF the oiFei,eA koa was, IA my
.Ltas. s snts more, .treely Hseq Ia the
sNt NJ sl,s'tl ia ING nooseEoi'l:
- . ~ MhIea was lhought
a.. ~ ttle e5sss VI boys was al
- 80 3of petty crimes,
! frore yvI,aregy peiSohs. 'Aooat niue
r7ino- renee 1s.I ste'1eI u puol4c WHIP
/ fe1low If ahn1,t 70 Is %, zee teg a. young
who's. hack. bv direction 81 81 ege, upon
the peace. 40iashes had last he sa,ce &c. o.
| a. the punishment for a theft which hel
| had committed. His ewes were. red.
ms those of one who had been crying,
and Wen remember the feeling OF. curl
osley. mingled with pity and fear, with
Whlca l ganed ON hiaa. That, ! think,
was ing LAST Las. esa.napie of corporal punish
lsaeis iLl3clel by. lazy ~. that netghbor-
49, li4s "HiLtE.Ilsgpgse ss,oox nj ate
80 =, = ii. u r.lss ss,s9
- r. =. =. -.
af 81 ave ID winch the boys, o. - - =
sitas : ts.,ir parents eNtehqes " o. -
he stSet . EEssssass, toward Whotn .oot =.
4 go e. ",s I'll taan merely tsspssh
!. = Iul' 10 "9, 81 AElsefyed haslfea a I
Of s 5a 9eino.s2r IN their Pressh y,
,ar 13n - as me lliaafers OF the gospei III
Of tsIa no: was pafaalarly marked. a
lie, satss az S,ata '1Jlsaig IA massaG :, =.
he go. vac SIaeo - IN hyea, nay ~
he 49, ba- ba,onoo oo, s4leie ~ ~ llao
by pie gsas understood TO ha's enf er red int
ed a cnunection with them. ..esfca}v. les
w lasting than the marriage tie. tis;s na an
to, 1nruitv in which be lived reg,rdea In
with great veneration. and the vsit
ID which from lime to time he made 10 IL
ro- district schools seemed to the bows IN
of noriant occasions for which sneciaI mr.
va | paratlOn was made When he came
he / visit the sch0ol WHICH attended we a
IN had on our sunday clothes, and we
?" ready forbim yitbss few answers to ii
'm questions in The. WESTMINSTER catechisn
he He heard no reoita orr lssst,ps. OK amino
he ia in the cateehisirl. and then began
1t little address. which / remember VS.
1t. / the same on every occasion. He told /
I'D how much greater were the advantage
nj of education which we enjoyed tina
ag those which had fallen to the lot of on
ed parents, and exhorted us to make th
d, best possible use of them, both for OF
ou own sakes and that of our parents, VIII
IL were ready to make any sacrifice for II
d even SO far as to take the bread out {
Is their own rneuths to give us, / remen
q. Der being disgugted with this i1ustr;
10 ton of parental kindness, which / ws
e, Obliged TO listen totwics at least ia ever