Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-14
The Lenrned RIncksmith.

Elihu Burritt, 6 the Learned Black
smith" whose death was announced
last week, was born at New Britain,
Conn, December s, 1910, the youngest
boy of five in afamily of ten children.
His parents were of Scottish stock
and his father and grandfather Reyolu-
tionary soldiers. Soon after his faith
er's death, in 1923, young Elihu
apprenticed himself to a blacksmith.
While at work at the bellows he
INDUCED his fine natural talents as a
mathematician, carrying his problem
and calculation in his head and night
ly bringing home the solution to his
brother, a school teacher. This brother
advised him to turn his attention more
Systematically to study, especially of
languages, and Elihu, after taking a
short course at his brothers school,
removed to New Haven in order to
pursue his studies under the inspira-
ton Of Yale College. This was in
1882. Being unwilling to ask for aid,
he resolved finally to push his own
wayin his studies without the assist
ance of a teacher. BY way of expert
ment he attacked the Had, having
an addition without notes and
only a lexicon with Latin definitions,
being resolved that if he could learn
two lines a day he would persevere in
his scheme of independence. In a
few hours he had mastered and com
mitted to memory fifteen lines, and so
was encouraged to go on. He taught
a while, till his health broke down /;
went into business, to be wrecked in
the crisis of 1887, and then settled
down to his trade in Worcester, avail
ing himself of the advantages of its
antiquarian library, learning Icelandic
and translating from that tongue the
Sagas relating to the discovery of
America. In 1910 he wrote to Mr..
William s. Lincoln, Of Worcester,
seeking work as a translator from the
German, and his letter being sent to
Edward Everett was read by the ora
tor at a meeting of workingmen to
illustrate what a workingman could
do by application. 1.-THE Learned
Blacksmith, as be was now styled,
came out a year later as a lecturer on
his theory hat there was no such
thing as genius, but that all
attainments were the result of
labor and study, and on the subject
Of universal peace. In 1892 he started
at Worcester the Christian Citizen, a
paper devoted to the advocacy of tenn
perance, peace and anti-slavery views.
-Four years later he sailed for England.
where he remained some four years,
aidinginthe organization ofthe League
Of Universal Brotherhood, and par
tieipating in the deliberations ofthe
first peace congresses, those Of 1913,
l849 and 1850. In 1852 Mr.. Burritt
became editor Of the Philadelphia
Citizen of the World, a paper in
which he advocated with much earn
estness and apparently some hopes Of.
success, the compensated emancipa-
ton Of the slaves. John Browns raid
gave the scheme its death blow, and
Mr. Burritt retired, much chagrined,
to his farm at New Britain, where he
occupied himself till 1863, when he
revisited England. In 1865 he was
appointed to the Birmingham con-
s%ulate, which he retained until the
Grant administration came in, when
he returned to America and his native
town. There he has since remained,
occupying himself in literary labors
and local missionary and philanthropic
enterprises.