Connecticut western news., 1879-03-19
From ahe Adkr0ad@cks.
C1RclRyiLLE. Match. ls7


 MT. Editor :-Glnncing at s somewhat eccentric, and rather stupid correspondence published in your::last issue oveI tue sigma ture of 'Mountaiueer,n" " my feeiinss were a little touched by his allusiOn to the 'grest mountain SO callrd," ss express, d in the an- Eient records of your town. 1 WAS cradled on it's summit. and there lived my firstsscore of yeais. How well remt mber it's little hundred acre lake, and the forge at its out let, whose hammer has been silent for forty years. seem 10 see again the sweet clover pastures Ut Uncle Joshua-but they are brown and barren now, they say bu, saddest of all. the grand old herdsman has passed away.
 But started to write of men, and how strangely have wandered. Yet believe me, the old mountain is rich in romance. It is of Mounlsineer that wuuld tell you tor have the good Vf men il view, l feel it my duty to reveal what he concesls-his real name. You well knew, and many of your readers knew Oliver Oakley. who. as he says, left the paflors of society few years ago. Yes, we do remenber it, tho he did not leave quite as classicnlly as be seems to imagine. He went off sour y, as men of bis type usually do. Ikuew tue paternity of bis ar,lclc ,at sight, for not long ago be called or me at Circleyllle and laid before me his intentionsH Said he: "There is an uudercuIrent of thought stronger, and more universal than is generally supposed or rather sn irrpressible beginning of free 'hought. Now the individual is timid, the pulpit is timid and the press ia iimid upon ,he sul jecl. My plan is, through the more generous Of the public presses, to insidious ly inject my free thought sentiments into tue communny-I mean the thinking por- ton: the other part is ot DO account"
 Said l: "Mr. Oakley, don't work by stealth; if you do shall feel it to be my duty 10 expose you. Have you carefully tr,n.s 2 When the 'Protes,an, Fathers marched away from Rome, shouting the tIght of 'priva,e judgment, 'a restraining Providence permitted them tL plunder the Pope of all the bigoiry they could well make off with. Though we may not much admire the offenders, lhe offence, winch must needs come saved society from a re Iigious dissolution. Yes my friend, free thought ia feartnl thing it is ,he moral chemistry which will separate and scatt, T if possible into infinite diyisibili'y. J. fl, r. son is said to have been free thinker. l Might he not have been little audscious and inconsiderate when he wrote those rev olutionary words, go thoroughly disband,ue 10 all civil authority. 'Guvernments' wrote the sage. derive their just power from tn, consent of the governed.' So ssld Satan il there be truth in John Mil,on-and very soon his artillery rat,led in heaven. No. no, Mir. Olkley, 1 beg of yuu to drsis' Your task is To" ff1cult to Say nothing Ot It's danger. Ppt few are able 10 think St all There IS one laige class who think enough, uut they are tru,h-6ghiefs. And then there is the eaddened rmsinder-scarcely visible. sorrowing in solitary places, who would gladly serve society if they could-P
 .'Stopl" interrupted my visltor, "you pain me. thiuk you are cynical and so- phisti1al. must b:d you Roed-day."
 As he turned away l thought there was ar iA his ey". is d'ft!lllc9st to know "o" to treat such men, =. Th.re is morbid hon. esty about them. D,sagrtfable ss they may be to others, they are far from heing happy shut up with their own bitterness. It is possible that Mr. O.kley's change of s"ph- ,stry may have some truth in it.. leave you aud your readers [" judge,
 see that your columns indicate a strong importantly for admiltauce. Among mightier offerings. here is mine" If 1t br tue first. please indulge the reasonable hope tLal it will be the last.
 BENJAMIN BANN1 TER.