The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-03-03
Memories of Seacliffe,
WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF HOW GOT THERE
AND WHAT EXPERIENCED AFTERW ARD.
NO. ): ::

Written for the Republican Journal.
The bold and rocky shores about Sea-
clitfe afford many a quiet nook, many a
romantic spot, many bit of sand beach,
and many retired spots for meditation and
reflection We used to avail ourselves of
these for thought and meditation at times,
and have sat and gazed over the waters
and unused in dreamy mood. Those sea-
worn granite boulders have resisted many
centuries of ocean S attack, and will re-
sist centuries more perhaps Many hours
have we thus whiled away on fine even
ings. Here we had many sweet and pleas
ing thoughts and built many a castle, in
fancy, that alas is built nowhere else.
The music of the beating waves woke and
answered a chord in our soul that rang
responsive echoes. and seemed to enjoy
the fellowship of the restless motion. The
vessels on near or distant courses, like
white winged waterfowl skimming the
bosom of the boundless deep, added in
terest to the scene.
With fishing lines and bait many a time
have we tempted the fishes to our boat
and caught many a mess for the table,
or with gun strolled along the shores, or
tloated silently on the tide for sea birds
One old loon would appear occasionally
and dive and come up in unexpected
places, with a shit me if you can ex-
preston. We wasted many a charge on
his tough old head. but never secured a
feather. That loon actually laughed at
me on several occasions.
One day the fishing smack lay at the
rude pier near my boarding place, and as
we were near this old loon appeared. swim
ming and diving and tempting us to try
shot at him. Hastily taking down the
shippers old s'kings ARM that hung
over his bunk in the cabin we stood on
the companionway stairs and took aim
over the rail as he appeared near by and
pulled the trigger The cap cracked but
the gun did not discharge Putting it
back we reported our failure to get an
issue to the skipper. He allowed she
would fix er so she'd 60 and at the tea
table that night reported that he had,
showing as the result of that CONFUSION
a sheldrake duck, dead as a door nail, and
a shoulder of his laid by for repairs. They
load their duck guns at Seaclitfe to kill,
and like Yankee Doodles cannon, with
horn of powder" We thanked our
stars that the gun failed to report on our
account, and that we probably escaped
being kicked into the middle of the next
week.
Pleasant mornings and nights after
school we used to enjoy strolling along
a grass bordered roadway that ran for a
mile through the woods, and could nearly
always bag rabbit or two or partridge
OF two on the trip. \. b. We always
loaded our own gun. The game thus OBJ
tanned added variety to our bill OF fare,
and the exercise and recreation was good
for our physical welfare.
Fishing was a leading industry at this
time among the inhabitants of Seaclitfe.
Vessels of the old pinkey style yet
abounded. dividing in numbers about
equally with square -sterns, the fleet hail
ING from this port. Vessels of about 80
tons seemed to be the prevailing size,
though they ranged as low as eight to ten
tons. The fishing trips ranged in length
from few days to a few weeks, as the
weather. bait and catch admitted. Some
times fish We're plenty and hungry, and
''luck' favored the apostolic calling, at
others, although they toiled all night vet
they caught nothing, and it did not seem
to make much difference on which side of
the ship the net was cast At that time
the old hand line process was not entirely
superseded by the trawl. and only the
''seners' from Cape Ann and few other
IlldttS iDoh WIFI SItdl tIiNtloI)-
ing seines. Fish were plentier then than
now. for trawling and seining had not
scooped and broken their numbers as
later Their price was but quarter of
what it is now The lobster factory had
not then reared its ample proportions on
the shore. or consumed mercilessly the
awkward crustaceans. The clam flats had
not been invaded by the Gamers. The
sea and its shores We're teeming with fish
foods, and these seemed inexhaustible.
How changed in thirty years. What will
be the condition thirty years hence? This
vital question may well engage our wisest
heads and call for the most profound in
vestigation and best measures for preser-
walton and propagation. We have but a
word to add in this great and important
tield-ton be a clam.
The autumn days passed on: the frosts
came; the leaves turned TO brown and
gold and red and purple, and the glory of
| the forest foliage was over our Maine
woodlands. The school progressed finely.
with incidents grave or gay, trivial or
profound. bit of world of its own, not
very important perhaps to any other
, world, large or small, but all important
to itself. Where else shall we ever find
those glorious halo days when the heart is
young and fresh, the pulses ali atnrlll
and aglow with health and the mind de-
veloping, filling, expanding? School days
can come to us but once in life and that
in youth. Education and discipline may
come later but school days come in child
hood and youth Churches may have
their odor of sanctity, but school-houses
have their odor Of school days. Acade-
mics, seminaries, colleges and universities
i may be the tens, hundreds, thousands in
the educational notation, but our COM
mon schools are the units. These higher
institutions may be the trunk and branches
but the neighborhood schools are the root
let's.
No phase of life is perhaps without it's
humor or ludicrous side The common
schools have theirs. Children as well as
grown people are liable to laughable mis-
takes and errors. Those of my readers
who have taught may remember some of
their own and more of their scholars
Here are some Of our recollections; some
occurring here and others elsewhere. We
offer the collection.
The class was reading of the anatomy
of man, when one coming to a description
of the abdominal cavity, rendered it in all
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