The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1879-03-28

Elihu Burritt died at his home in New
Britain, Connecticut, on Thursday night,
March 9th, leaving behind him TO endure
for a while in the world good fame, we'll
earned. He came of sound Scotch stock,
many years ago transplanted to American
soil, and long before his birth thoroughly
Americanized. Both his father and his
grandfather served IN the Continental army
during the revolutionary war. The young
est OF family of ten children, he was born
i'm New Britain, December 8. 1910. The
death of his father, shoemaker, threw
him wholly ON his own resources at the age
of eighteen years. He apprenticed him
self TO blacksmith and worked at his
trade faithfully. He learned it thorough
ly and by the time his journeymen days
were ended he was competent to be mas
ter blacksmith. During his apprentice
ship he began the course Of study that was
to lead to his winning an honorable place
in the world. AT first he devoted himself
10 mathematics. He had no. mind much
above. the common. but he did have a rare
ly strong viii that gave him indomitable
perseverance,. He conquered all that he
learned by sheer hard work. When his
apprenticeship was ended he applied him
self to the study OF languages. For time
his studies were prosecuted under the sti-
pervision OF his brother, Elijah, who taught
a school at New Britain. Later he took up
his abode at New Haven, where he could
have the advantage of the college library.
For few months at this period he had
charge of school, but the conifinement
broke down his health. Giving up sne
school he be.ook himself TO store keeping'
and, IN this natural ayocation OF New
Englander be succeeded very We u until the >
crash of 's7 swept away his little capital
and brought his store-keeplng 70 sumAma- 1All
rr end. By this time he had conaaereo
/ Latin and Greek in addition to mathemat-
los Moreover, he was master Of Q trade
No money could be got from ms eeok
learning, so he fell back on his trade.
There was an opening for good Diack-
sn,,th at Worcesters Mass. He steppedd 10
and allied it. Here he continued his au STUD Z
les with increased energy, being greatly
aided by access TO the fine large library of
the American Antiquarian Society. lie
added Ioelandic and German TO his llst of
languages, and strengthened himself Il Y. ths
former by translating into English some OF
the saaas bearing upon the discovery oi
America by the Nortnmen. II was while
working and studying in Worcester that
he received his famous sobriquet OF = Ihe
Learned Blacksmith p His next start IN
4 life carried him away from the anvil forev-
or. In 1s4i he began his career 40 . lec.
tuner, his tirst discourse having ~ its arga-
ment denial or the existeucs Of genlns
| and an affirmation to the effect that ell q.
i mite knowledge may be procured hy mere
i atrsngth of will the latter proposition be.
Isng fairly illustrated In his own case. A
t6is period, notable throughout the world
1 "a i period Or intellsctuaI Torment, tlis nnl'
versal peaca movement was one OF the
many Usopian subjects afoot, and II fur
/ therance of IT'D interests he estaollshed q
Worcester, iii Is42, 1hs Cbristian Citizen,
/ weekly ne sspAper, ii which we're advo
4. Gated tl,e other leading cauaes 81 the day
ansf.slavery, tAmperAnue, self-oalsnre ane
| so 81. III is46 he gave over D. editorial