Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-09-30

Of seventy gun ship and TO carry it through
a battle, give her time to learn the ropes
and she would do il. She had in her also
wells Of poesy and humor and laughter, and
. deep, abiding tenderness like that Of the
saints. And this they had in common.
They we're as free from infections as the
stars. The most woful fevers would break
out in the cottages all about US and deci-
mate the neighbors. and they we're always on
hand to help. going and coming like the
sunshine, never thinking Of changing their
garments. vet they never caught a fever,
nor did any Of their children. This is how |
came al the guess that We we're well born.
They were so healthy, and not like in like.
as the poet says, but like in difference; and
the mother vas beyond all question the bet
ter half in those finer powers on which the
children have to draw for their chance in
life. Moral-don't marry a doll.
-Four things, as have learned my lesson.
20 TO make a man-good birth. good breed
ing. your own good endeavor and good for
tune, which is another name for the good
hess Of God-and so | want to say. second,
that l think We were well bred. There was
what would come TO $3.50 week to live ou
while we we're still about the mothers knee,
and We came along With the most surprising
regularity one year and eight months apart
That mother who is now among the saints
m made this income stand good for enough TO
eat. two suits Of clothes. for week day and
Sunday; house rent and FIRE. bit Of tobacco
and pint Of beer for the good man Of the
house and all the schooling We could take
until vc we're big enough to work in the
factory. Not one Of US knew what YOU mean
by wha; is called "a system," or "a diges-
ton" or "a constitution" Let me make a
little picture of the home A cottage Of
two rooms and an attic looking righ, into
the eve Of the sum bit Of grecnsward and
clunp Of roses. bright open fire and vail.
white Us driven snow. a aoor Gle ean ,ha,
YOU could eat your dinner on If and only
hur; the floor. Willo~~are for grea, DAYS,
. mirror and pictures tha; must have cos,
half dollar each-pictures iha, Rabens
could no; have painted TO save his life. Fine
white linen. enough for all uses. and once a
week good Tubing with yellow soap ,ha,
got into your eyes. and crash towels from
top TO toe. who hath redness OF the eyes,
Who hath contention, who hath strife ?" Sol
omon cries, and | answer, The Collyer
children in the tub, with nv mother 10 work
IL :" but there and IN the snow white purity
Of fresh lime and eternal scrubbing vas our
bulw ark from the fever and there is one rea-
sou Why in these fifty seven years have not
been FOR one day sick in my bed. read
Bunyan, Crusoe and Goldsmith when was
a boy. With the stories IN the Bible and
Shakespeare, when at last the mighty Mas
ter came within our doors. The rest were
as scenes to me. these were like well Of
pure ~ater. and this is the first step seem
TO have taken Of nv own free will toward
the pulpit. There Was day school for me
until was eight years old and then had 10
turn in and work thirteen hours day. Sun
day school ,ill Vas fourteen and nigh,
school two winters, and all the sunshine the
blue-eyed mother could pour through the
home. A careful training into clean ways.
no living. no shirking. no dishones,y- that
Is the story OF our breeding.
There vas another article in our home
crced-;he boys, Of whom there were four
mus, learn q trade. The father Was a me
ehanic-~e must be mechanic, and though
~e nigh, never rise any higher in the world
we should no, fall, and that as how l came
10 the anvil There vas an old black smith
away over the moors Who had taught my
father and vas willing 10 teach me. was
rising fourteen and II vas time 10 begin. ln
nv fathers time this man Was q fine, sober
fellow and a superb workman. but the years
had made havoc Of him wi,hou, our know
ing. and boy a. | was found in less than a
week had gone 10 hire in the home Of a
confirmed drunkard. We had each of US
about a quart Of ale day. and the farmers
who came TO the shop were forever standing
treat II is very painful story stretching
over eight years, very happy years in many
ways. bu, full Of peril. Was par,aker in
the sin' The good blood and the clean
breeding and ,ha, help Of God, without
to tell, and resolved never 10 touch glas.
of beer or anything OF the sort until vas
sure Of myself and forever sure, because in
any fight between . man and beer barrel
the man ought to win. l kept my word
made to myself and that was my second step
from the anvil toward the pulpit. Still it is
possible this had never been done bu, for
another grand force which had come in to
help me- lcould not 90 home for the Christ
mas of 1899. and was very sad about it, for
was only boy, and sitting BY the FIRE an
old farmer came in and said IL notice
thee's fond o reading so brawt thee sum
mat to read" 1t vas "lrving's Sketch
Book" had never heard Of the work.
went at it and vas - them that dream.
saw the Hudson and the Catskills, took
poor Rip into my heart, as everybody does,
pitied Ichabod while l laughed at him.
thought the old Dutch feasts a most admira-
BILE thing. and long before Was through all
regret at my lost Christmas had gone down
the wind and l had found out there are
books and books. That vast hunger to read
never left me. Now, give a boy a passion
like this for anything, books or business,
painting or farming, mechanism or music,
and you give him thereby lever to lift his
world.
II fell out, in the course of time, that as
would walk over the moors reading some
thing would set me thinking on my own sc-
count, and then at last would talk il out to
myself and the sheep which were, BY the
way, good listeners. Then a vast and awful
sorrow struck me, which ended in nv seek
ing the only refuge there is for q man when
the world rocks under him. ! found my
way into the Methodist meeting. They
were my old neighbors, and. as the habit is
in that grand old Church, they made me
speak in the meeting, and at last invited me
to preach for nothing Sunday and find my
self. think Nelson, who is just dead, was
Q babe in arms in one Of the small places
where | first hied my wings and that l
stayed over the Sunday with the grandfath-
er, old Robert Bland, Of Burnsall. Before
Was born my father wanted to emigrate to
this country, but could never raise the
money, and all through my childhood they
were regretting that It could not be done, so
grew up with the vision Of this New World
in my nature. wanted to be where you do
not seek the work but the work seeks you
to be not mere cipher in = monarchy but
factor in republic. l had no vote and no
voice in the government. l wanted one.
was compelled to dod my cap and bend be-
fore those Who had money and rank.
hated it. Radicalism Vas in my bones
Radicalism in England thirty years ago va,
byvord and Kissing. l had found the
| woman wanted for Q wife. l tell her nov
she made eyes at me when was preaching
II We had . family there would be no chancs
of an education for them or rise in life
Ny whole ambition still ives to make m!
way - smith, but ffty cents was al VI
got for shoeing horse all round over there
and that left very ANAL margin, 20 on I
cleaning April day the young wife and hus
band set ssl in an old ship in the steerag'
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