The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-15
a REVIEW.
sIvenv Goes Back q Hundred Years
Ago.

Ago.
Stepping back into the past 100 years,
I will ask you to go East with me TO
fair New England, the Athens of Amer
lea. where many of our greatest men
were born and received their early train
ing.
We shall go into the center of the Bay
state a few miles from the Connecticut
river, where we shall find a small ham
let nestled among the hills, which are
rich in beautiful scenery and abound in
the grandeur and purity of nature.
Around we shall find a newly and thinly
settled country with very little improve
ment and everything almost in it's nat
ural state. Heavy, deep forest surround
this quiet country place. And beautiful
streams Of water in their wild beauty
wind through the woods and meadows
on their way toward the ocean. 1t is
late fall, bordering into winter, and all
the gaieties and beauties of the forest
have faded and fallen; the birds have
fowl. it is turning cold, and snow is
broodihg in the sky.
1t was here, amid these surroundings,
that our Zero was born just ninety-nine
years ago, ss we have reason to believe
nom the description he himself gives in
his beautiful ptems
Here in the sfsaI town of Comming-
td, Hampshire comfy, was born Will
ian Cullen Bryant On the Sd of Novem-
pr' IlSf-a child destined 10 become one
O Americas greatest poets of nature
ad man that should head public SEN
unent.
The father desiring that the bow
nould become a physician named him
tier william Cullen, a noted physician
no mad Died but short time before
Inc father was himself a phvsieian
nd a man Of sensitive feelings and of
eflnement. He was fond of Iearninp,
ma poetry and owned a fine library i'm
which were the works Of many of the
iassic poets of England and of the
farly writer's of this country.
lie was 10 some extent a poetical
composer and spent much time in the
study Of poetical works, and filled his
library with such works.
As his children became older and be-
gan to learn he would take them into
MS library and teach them his own SEN
timents. He would have them read
after the old poets and writer's and then
would explain TO them the meaning and
beauty. All through the long winter
evenings they would sit in the library
reading and talking.
Thus it was that our hero early avzak-
sned the poetical desire within his soul
lines from the authors and going alone
into the woods and meadows would de-
claim them to his surroundings.
BY this practice he gradually brought
his mind into the ful1ness of poetical
beauty and began fitting his own
thoughts and framing his own cOncep-
lions Of natures beauty into lines and
rhymes Of his own. which he would
recite aloud TO himself and To listening
nature.
This became a daily practice, and
wonderful was the effect which he de-
rived from II.
Silence and solitude unrestrained
lavished upon him their most gracious
gift-medftatiOn.
! IT was his wont often to declaim his
short pieces before his own school, and
one of these productions was published
in local paper as early as his thir-
teenth year.
Most OF his works UP till he entered
college were satirfcal, most noted of
which was The Embargo" written
from that act. and was printed I'm Bos-
ton.
At the age Of sixteen he entered Will
Jams college, but, becoming dissatisfied,
was honorably dismissed after two
years
Returning home he again began his