Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-04-02
9y1pnth' & Column.
Four Maine Boys.

Thirty years ago l knew, in the
town of c., in Maine, two broth
ers whose identity l will disguise
under the names of Willard and
Langdon Newman. In the same
town l knew also, two boys, not
brothers, whom l will call Charles
Smallman and George Winfast. The
two former were sons of farmer ;
two latter sons of master mechanics.
The farmer lived in the outskirts of
the town, in the wild country, which
rendered them plebians the latter
in the village, which made them pat
ricians, as boys saw those things.
From the time they were nine OF
ten years of age, Willard and Lang
don had to assist in the farm-work
in summer time and therefore could
not attend school. They worked at
planting and hoeing and haying,
from five in the morning until eight
or nine at night in the longest days.
In the winter, for few years more,
ten weeks at school was possible,
for which they walked nearly mile
going home for dinner between twelve
and one.
When the Civil War came on,
times were hard in those Maine
towns. Willard and Langdon by
1868 were compelled to leave school
and go into the forests to cut and
haul wood. At fourteen the latter
used to yoke his oxen before light
on those short winter mornings, drive
into the woods through snow from
two to four feet deep, load a cord of
wood, heavy sticks four feet long,
and haul it to the railway station a
mile distant. This he would do four
times a day, frequently eating his
dinner on stump with the thermom-
eter at zero. But all this time these
two boys were occupying their few
spare moments in improving their
minds. Their evenings were passed
around the great fireplace, where
they studied their books and read
weekly papers. ! have seen one OF
the other of them sitting on an OK
sled of cold winter day, reading
the newspaper. Occasionally in the
fall they would still attend a part
term at the academy, and thus amid
hardships and privations prepared
themselves to be teachers.
They had brown faces, big, rough
hands, ana wore old clothes, fire.
quently much patched, and in sum-
mer went barefoot" in winter wore
great heavy cow-hide boots.
The village boys, Charles and
George, were little handles. Then
parents supported them in idleness
They had every opportunity to attend
school, an opportunity which they
improved but little. They ''looked
down on the farmer boys, made
fun of their old clothes, called them
tShadageeties, and because they
were known to be studious, hickman
ed Langdon "Little wisdom Sc
every time he went to the village
George and Charles would call out
to him: ''Hello, Little wisdomt
how are things over in Shadagee
Eaters all dug? p or something equal.
| ly tantalizing.
At last hard times overlook the
two patricians. One lost his father
and the father of the other failed
and they had to go to work. They
had not education enough to enable
them to enter on any of the more
sgenteer' pursuits, aud no trades
When | visited the town last summer
both were trying to scrape living
out of little rocky farms. They were
as poor, and ragged, and dirty a:
ever the Shadagee boys were.
And where were the Shadaget
boys, do you ask? Willard, a grad
uate of Maine college, is now {
successful principal of an academy
in his native state. Langdon has
already attained high rank in one
of the professions, has written sew.
eral successful books, lectured be
fore large audiences, travelled north
south, east and west, and in Europe
He has been elect d to positions OIL
honor and responsibility in large
New England city. And this i.
ssLittle WISDOM" as his wife some
times jokingly calls him.
Willard and Langdon improved
their small opportunities. George
and Charles neglected their grear
opportunities Vide drake.