Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-09-28
cUNNISoroS. MASS ,cuuaiSGroS
HILL; WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT;
AND TIE BRYANT LIBRARY.



IN The n tlus-boOks OF my boyhoOd.
Z" The American First Class Book. and
Others. there were some poems ascrioed
20 william Cullen Brysnt.-the lines " To
a Waterfowl" March. Green River"
a Forrest lIymn.- " Monument Mum.
tain. = ant I" Thsnstopsl., for Instance -
and they hAd FOR me woufr0u- charm.
Prom the tine when used 20 read them
Al school ard ~ myself n home, bad an
lndlstiuct. Unexprvssed. bat strong desire
20 vlslt that poets native place, see with
nv own eyes what he saw when he rrsi
looked up0r The face Of nature. and 80 Get
a better view than mere fancy OF imAgins.
tion could give % the landsespe that bad
its Influence % The growth OF his nne 20
etc Mid.
Recently this wish wAs grAtlnei by q
visit % The town of cummlngton. In The
western part OF Massachusetts,. II i one
OF The smaller. and one % the most bean
uful OF New England towns. II contains
about tscuiy- one and threesevenths
square miles, (l3 IN acres.l aud eight
hauirci ana twelve (si2) Inhabitants. IL
i situated IN The bill oouniry OF ihis State
west OF The Connecticut River. midway
bstwesn Northampton ami North Adams,
Aud about nteen miles from each Of those
places IT, scenery l. singnlAriy dlversi.
d-i. picturesque. anf charming The
West Branch OF the wes,neli River nows.
In souiheastsrly direction through the
town, with a winding and rapid current
pr,ssed closely Tor TIE most part by bills
"a either siis, that leave only roadway
bstwcsn their feet and The iivsr.-some-
time. not even that ~ one point near
ne Ceutre 81 the town, The hills fall bach
half mile OF 30 from the river. leaving =
plain. In which stands The principal village,
With L. hoisl. high school building. two
chufches. and sixty or more unusually
aeAt aui attractive dwelling houses
1uilt on a single STREET = mile In length.
a-twssn The bridges that cross The river
II TIE upper AMI lOwcr ends OF The village
Fron this village plain the land riscs qaiie
rapidly % hlll called Cummlngton It'll.
-thrsr nile. distant by the load th>,
winds % 90 Il from the upper cud OF the
village. and aboui ~ mach hlghvr taNn th~
village. A. Paris I'LL L. higher than south
Paris. AZ the summlt % this bill onv
duds. nj little. narrow space. With onf
.onu Tor a house OF two.-but hro.f,
uuduiatrg pletsAn. mAny huncr,i acres
In exieut. where once wAs TIE ccuirc OF
basln-s.. ths church, stores. shops and
rlc.s.-thOlgh years sgo al this wss
iran.ferrr.i - The village TIA, grew up by
be river. And d n on The hill Only IT, gOoi.
IL farms And farm. hoa.es-Ani nov -ome
elegant ountry residences. 90 The Other
-. % he river. ant near The little village
~ West Cummiugton. l. b-sauuiiy
rounded cot wooded bill called Deer Hil,
-she-- pictarr IL frmly axsd In MAD. ~
a lBiar % beatty ia Joy for,ver-
Anf hus mucn 90 beauty n"et- TIE syc -
u iooks % from The hills I've or Ten mlles
,way iu the surrounding towns ~ fisin-
a-ii. Ashd-lt Goshen, Chesterfield Worth
iur'ou AMI Cac-tsr'
n sas about one hundred and twenty.
Eve ysars sgo-lu ii62.-ihst The town
.aip Wa purchased by Co. JlAo Cum
mires; ani IL wAs largely settled 10 III
ns1t tn o. twelve years one ~ The saril
.stilsrs va Dr Peter Bfyant,-a physi.
ian % more than ordinary skil. Ani =
nan Of much literary culture. lie settled
on The hlll. which The History OF The
| Connecticut valley calls "the FAR famed
Cummlngton nm a.. farm there i
sell known a. sihe bryant place TIER
as seven chilirsn were born. % whom The
..cont wAs named wlliism Cullen-f0r =
Dr william Cullen OF = iinhurgh. whose
medical Lectures wsrr much admired by
Dr Bryaut There the chilli that vas 10
attain - mach snlnenc~ All fame a.
aost ant AmAn. grew up o. youth. looked
sorteflrgly upon the hills and valleys and
nvtr.archiug sky, listened % The sweet
voices Of hlrfs ait sir,sms-sni drank To
thsir qu.ckeulng. Inspiring Influence, A. 10
his uiu- poeu. " TIE Rivulet." BE- says
To. little riiL. that from the springs
uf Yuuirf grove 10 current briggs
PAYS on ~ slnrc st'ls, ani tnen
500. pr.it Ing inio srgyc- ss.ln
ol tu o. ssrhiing -sisrs dfe-
NJ little frrf. shsn liff 50 nsS
Ard sbsn ~ dsys of boyto-si cane,
And ~ grfsu in love uiin fAms.
Daily soashf nv hAnks. And incl
NJ rrst rude uumb,rs ~ ny st1e.-
There be wro,s hls cr.i po,ms -l OF Which
one was Published To . couniy paper When
be- wAs only .sn years Oh 81 their he wrote
nls " Thsna,opsis and frOm there be went
forth 90 90 TIE work OF life-as Al least
four other eminent men have gone forsh
from hat sane plAce-uAmsly Hou. Ia
Their Br2ilsh. Rev ThomAs Ssvii. ID ID f,
Rev ThrOphiius Packard. ID ID AMI Hoo
usury l. Dawes. one OF the pr,ssnt UDitsd
Staies senators froD M,.sAchgsetis AL
0f whom with TIE exception oi Df. Pack
ard Who wAs I've years Cd vhsn bis "a.
ther moved therc. we're born Anf bred ia
TIE sane school district. Ani within mile
% each other on Cummiugton htl. An
there, tlu The close % lie, oar poet us-i
often q return ant fni rsst and f,irv-h
neat In - familiar, sndearci. aud charm
ing scenes
From The bryant place On The ull, there
ar two roais ballt oy NJ Bryant, lth'
town engaging 10 mAiutalu them Wien
built. l-on~ leading 10 the ENsi ani III
other % th- West SiilAgv-ooih Aimirsnlc
works of their Kind. and memorials OF hi.
interest Ia bio native place.
" The Cummlngton Library i also =
/ striking. sndufiug. aud bcnedceut monu-
N. NJ % NJ, BryAnt- regard Tor The Intel
l~CtuA ". far OF his native town. IL j.
scout hafN mile west % The principal VII.
lsgs-Ai the junction % the roads thN'
lad 20 th~ West village and the Hill
| Th.rr, In isT2. he bought eleven acres OF
land. bgilt good clearinghouse for The
use % the Llnrsri.n and bis family, AID =
| dre-proof huiliiug % good Size aud srchi'
tectarNl design. walch be partly oiled with
upwards OF Eve thousand volumes OF choice
nonks, many OF which he employed Mr.
4. Putnam % select aud purchase for him
/ In Europe Ia this work be sxPenied
about tSsuty thousand dollars of which
sun hAlf vAs devoted 10 The grounds and
bulldlngs, ant bali 20 The books i-ihr
town osing required 20 make snail sp
preparation Cor the benefit Of The library
annually. The collection Of books Il par
ticularly rich In History and biography :
/ Voyages and Travels; The Natural Sci
encss; Political and Social Sciences Eng'
llsh Literature; the Fine Art and Works
OF Reference. Thls " Bryant Library i =
rich legAcy len by him 10 bis native town (;
but bis personal character, his life, and
bis writings are = Tar richer legsey, left
Tor The use and benefit, not OF his towns
meu alone, bat OF all men.
LSicsS'er, Mass, Nspt IL, lSSC.