Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-10-24
BEN BURTON
Describes in His Own Way Burton Corner
and Its People.
An Inside View of Sturdy Little New
England Village.

I've of-ea thought o riting for the Ken
nebec Journal but sutnin has allas stood agin
il. I'm not what's called an edaieated man
an tibet has likewise KEEP me sort o shady
Eddication breeds cheek. Many man I've
seen in my day an gineration, without a
thimbleful o brains ter 90 with his book lar
min, skedaddling thru life with all the as
urance Of an army mule Sticking is'elf
ahed Of his batters $ if he'd inherited all the
brains in the community, an seemingly new
er reaiizin how nightly natur he'd bamboo
gled him III this very respec- I've seen lots
o upstairs who didn't hey thinkin spots emmy
more fertii than the sub-sile Of a last years
later patch who'd disappear bout the time
they was able ter drive cows and do chores.
then Jest es people, year or too after, had
become mindful Of their absense an was
wonderin what poor house they'd fetched up
at--;hey'd suddenly swell inter town SIT they
owned the most On'r--iIire an oils sling
out a shiugie--an' blossom into full fiedged
LAWYERS An it hes allus made ME feel like
mlsquOtiu the holy scripture ter see the way
some men who rally bed intellect o their
own would defer TO SIGH ereeters, who didn't
even shfy e. sound thlBkin machines es theiI
parents he'd afore them, merely because they
claimed ter be- dedicated. an he'd stained the
paaes of A few law books with their dirty
thumbs. Now this haiHt very big village
but within my knowledge four jest sch fell
l.rs hey sot themselves up here. I've good
reason ter remember EN-. | let the same
offs ter all on EN-, an every one on EN-
finally left town OWN me for year or more
rent 'cept one who married woman rich
enuff ter support him. Now the peculiar
thing about them four fellers was tibet three
ION EN- represented this deestrict in the legis-
.arnr. jest think ont. Here was level-headed
old citizens who forgot more common sense
In single mite then emmy o them fellers eyel
hrd-an who was left behind in the repre-
sentative race simply because the other fel-
Ter. vas OBLIGATED an knew law. Wal it
made me blush clean down ter the soles O
NV feet ter think o sich representation.
haiat got word ter say agn the legal per
| feshun There's lots o smart men in it
more praps then in emmy other CALM Blu
those men he'd brains ter begin with-els'
their law books would hev done EN- LITTLE
/ gooI There's jest es many nincumpoops il
| avs es emmy thing else, an it allus seemed IL
| me : if a rale genuine know -nothin show
If ter greater disadvagtage in the law thei
rnnyW har else. I've never bin admitted te
/ she bar myself-(thet is the kind o bar vi
was talking Of but believe | could he'
| represented this town burned site bette
then some O them ere lawyers-but | won
saw another word else some lyin Gus will be
calm me a sore-hed.
Wal haiut maxim much hed-way witt
,-g hat started out ter te In fact its one o
/ the peculartics o my ritin that ginnerall,
refer to most everything but my subjict.
was goin ter tell the journal readers abou
/ Burton Corner. Thet's whar | live. We
who was born thar, air kind o soft hearted
| towards the old Corner. II seems more tel
me p'raps than ter other folks. My granthe
| came here when the Corner was howlil
wilderness an bilt the first log cabin eve
raised in this town It stood whar my store