Litchfield enquirer., 1879-05-01

such men as John C. Calhoun and John NJ. Clayton, of Delaware were law students. The school was now under the sole care of Judge Gould. At nine o'clock we students walked to the lecture room, with our books under our arms. We had desks, with pen and ink, to record the important principles and author ities. The practice of Judge Gould was to read the principle from his own manuscript twice, distinctly, pausing between, and repeat Ing in the same manner the leading cases. Then we had time to note down the principle and cases. The remarks and illustrations we did not note. After the lecture we had access to law library to consult authorities. The lecture and references took about two hours. Those of us whe were in earnest of whom l was one, immediately returned home, and copied out into our lecture books all the prin- ciples and cases. My lecture-beoks made five volumes. The lectures the references, and the copying took me, on an average, from nlne o'clock until three or four o'clock. with the in- termissiOn of near an hour for dinner. 1 did not then, as l do not now, study or write ill the evening Of course there were some ex- captions. 1 regard night work, in which nine tenths of students indulge, as injurious to the health and even to the mind. Still, as man is an omniverous animal, so he may be as capa- ble of choosing all times as he is of all meats
 From five to six hours day employed in this manner was my regular work at Litch- field, and very seldom was day missed. At four o'clock in the afternoon was generally at leisure. and that was usually employed in walking or riding sometimes in visiting. At Mrs. Lords were six of us ; two from Georgia ]; one each from New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, and myself. We often rode in the afternoons, and the vicinity of Litchfeld affords the most beautiful rides 1 have ever seen. rolling country, on high ground, with here and there mountain top or little lake, and rapid, pure streams of water, nature pres ented most various and lovely pictures of beauty. We prolonged our rides in summer time, having taken an early tea, into the star lit shades of night. In the long days of sum- mer, no candles were lit in the farm-houses of Connecticut. When the deep twilight came
 every family had gone to rest as completely as the chickens to their roosts; but, when the dawn of day came, they were up; and when we lazy students were at breakfast, they had done hours of work. Such were the Connecti- cut farmers of that day
 It was commonly my practice to walk in the afternoons of summer, and the opportunities for pleasant walking were, like those of riding,
 very good and tempting Litchfield, like
 many New England towns, was built chiefly
 on two main streets, one going north and south, duu GlC CGuCI cdSt dIlu WCSt, dIIu lLlC WIlOl6 Ou hill or ridge with Bantam river running on the east and another stream on the west.
 North and South streets were more than a mile in length, shaded nearly thh whole length
 by those lofty and spreading
 elms for which some of the towns in
 Connecticut were noted. In the
 warm days of summer, and in those beautiful and cloudless sunsets, like the day in which l
 had first seen it, most of young people would
 be on the streets. among them those of the stu
 dents who, like myself, were lovers of beauty
 and of scenery. Owing to my introduction to society, which is always great benefit to
 young men of any sense, was soon acquainted
 with the best families, and my afternoon
 walks, as well as my evening visits, often led
 me among those distinguished in beauty grace,
 and position. One of my temptations to an afternoon walk was to meet the girls, who like ourselves, were of:en seen taking their daily
 walk. Among these, were the Wolcotts, the
 Demlngs, the Tallmadges, the Landons and
 Miss Peck, who afterward became my wife.
 The Demings were always my warm friends, and to them l am indebted for many kind
 ness, at time when was i'll and weak and the bystanders hardly expected me to llve Of the Wolcotts, there were four, and think now, as did then, that never beheld more beautiful women than were Hannah and Mary Ann Wolc9tt. Many time have 1 met them on North street when it was a pleasure to look upon them, with the clearest complexions of white and red, the brightest eyes, with tall and upright forms, and graceful walk. These la dies would have attracted admiration in any place of the world. The two other WolcOtts were also very handsome. Elizabeth married my intimate friend, John P. Jackson, of New ark, and Laura married another friend, Mir. Rankin. Their children are numerous, and likely to maintain, in various ways, the fine character of their ancestors. Of that circle of twelve or fifteen girls at Litchfield, all but two were married to non n-residents and moved to other states. Two went to New York, three to New Jersey one to Pennsylvania, two to Vermont, one to Ohio, one to West New York, one died unmarried, and two are living unmar- ried. These simple facts show what moving and in some respects unstable country is ours. The young men of the East emigrate to the West, and the young women marry those who also migrate, and there are few parts of our country where there are families whose ances- tors were there one hundred years before. Iu New Haven are still some Mansfields whose ancestors were born two hundred years before, But far greater number have emigrated, and still our American population are moving on, restless, while there is any hope of gratifying ambition or acquiring wealth. Connecticut has ever been great hive, from which the young have swarmed out making their homes in the wales of Ohio, on the mountain tops and on the ocean waves.
 My afternoon walks led also in different direction, into society where there was less to admire and more to learn. At the lower end of South street, in large but plain house. lived Oliver Wolcott, who had been member of Washington's cabinet, and man of great weight in the country. He was not the father, but the uncle of the Misses Wolcott, who were the daughters of his brother. The first Oliver Wolcott known to history, was governor ot Connecticut, one hundred and twenty years ago. The second was alse governor, and was a member of the Revolutionary Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence The third Oliver Wolcott, of whom 1 speak, was in early life merchant, then became comp trOller of the treasury in the early part of Washington's administration then, on the res ignation of Hamilton, he was appointed secre- tary of the treasury, and served until Adams was elected. He was now in retirement, living in his ancestral home, and quietly waiting the turn of events. Doubtless, he had other antic- ipations, but he made no public efforts, and lived in that quiet simplicity which character iZe true Republican. He had two sons who died young, and with them has perished, in the direct line, the Oliver WolcOtt political distinction. My father had introduced me to Governor Wolcott, and occasionally 1 called upon him and had most interesting converse tions on the past and future of our country Several times, when my duties were over, and the pleasant summer afternoons invited a walk, went down to Governor Wolcott's and talked with him alone on the condition of the From him got some ideas which have remained with me ever since. He was strong tariff man. and SC was my father, and most of the public men of that day. They saw that. owing to immense importations of foreign goods, large part of which might just as well have been made in this country, the country was drained of it's specie, industries kept back. and commercial affairs liable to sudden and runous fluctuations. They, there fore, concluded that to lay a high tariff on for eign fabrics would encourage American indus ny, and so far diminish importations, and give stability to trade. This view was ear lestly taken ny Governor Wolcott. and has continued with tleexception to be the policy of the country ever since. Since the war of he Rebellion, the necessity for large revenue las imposed the necessity for a high tariff, will