The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-06
PARKHURST'S YOUTH.
Stories Of The ReiOImeT Told by
TOKlSpeOple.
Was a Clerk in Store-His Big Words
After His Return From Germany
Were Joke in Town-Eis Early Life


Were Joke in Town-His Early Life
(Copyright)
Boston, Jan. 5.-The people Of the manu-
/ featuring town Of Clinton. Mass. tell
many interesting stories Of DR.. Charles H
T Parkhursts boyhood. for here he lived
from his 18th TO his 2oth year. The brick
school house he attended still stands.
I The dry goods store in which he
/ clerked has been removed TO side street
and is used for other purposes. but it is
pointed out as the place where the Park
hurst boy worked" and is one Of the Oh
/ jects of interest in the town. The house
in which the family lived remains, slight
. ly altered, and is the property of Dr. Park
I hurst.
Yet more interesting are the village peo-
pie who remember him. and who, from
the calm content of their uneventful lives,
look into the greater world and follow his
career with pride. Among these village
watchers is the doctors elder brother,
/ Wellington, now a man of 60 years, who
has edited the Item" the only daily pa
per in the town. for thirty years. H. c.
vi tEAter a AAliu GbuHin VI AADA aAT NSAGN~
ley, the dry goods merchant for whom
Charles Parkhurst worked, still keeps
store and chershes a vivid recollection
Of his ex-clerk. When DR.. Parkhursts
/ name was mentioned 10 him this shrewd
| old yankee turned from his business.
| Charles Parkhurst was a boy round
/ the store when he came here at the age
| Of IA or 10" said he, with beaming face,
as he leaned against a counter piled high
with calicoes, took the eyeglasses off
the bridge Of his nose and played with
them as he gave himself up to recalling
the past
Il didn't notice him much at first ex-
cept that he was bright and ambitious.
/ He came here as any boy goes into a coun-
| try store to do errands and small sales.
But he attracted my attention because he
was persistent and fun of will. 1 al
ways had absolute confidence in him. He
took the place of a boy whom l had dis
charged for suspected theft. Charley was
only a fair salesman, 1 never thought
he meant to make it business; he Just
let up a little in his schooling to come
into the store for while, but he stayed
/ two years. He must have studied even
ings while no was here, for l used to no.
tice him carrying a Latin book, though
we never allowed reading or studying in
the store and the hours were long We
didn't close till o'clock except two even
HISS III the week. lullk MS lnOIntr
helped him in his studies all that time
She was superior, high-mnded woman.
Charlie was always bright and alert in the
store and listened eagerly to anything in
the way OF witty conversation that was
going on.
have taken a great interest in the STIR
he has mace as ne was clerk of mine
most distinguished one 1 ever had though
a good many of my young men have gone
to the cities and become directors Of cor
porauons. For we raise a good quality of
human stock round here. But it's a good
while ago since young Parkhurst was
with me-before the war when l first went
into business for myself and before 1 was
thirty. Let me see, I've got an old day
book in the cupboard that will show just
when It was.
Mr.. Greeley returned with a look of
satisfaction on his face as he exhibited
a little old account book with board
covers and leather back He opened it
reverently and turned the yellow pages,
which almost split under the touch. At
length page was turned that showed a
bold boyish hand and a liberal supply
of ink.
That's it," said Mr. Greedy. putting
his finger upon it, that's Parkhursts
own entry, about the first one he made
in the day-book. That's October 18TH
1858.
!
ITO William Eaton. ~ yds. delaine,
a. with the figures in the debit column
Then the old merchant closed the book
as carefully as a bible.
The people of Clinton tell with relish
stories of Parkhurst as a young minis
ter when he had just returned from a
! theological course in Germany He
preached in the church where his father
had been deacon for II years. Full of
European learning he COMPOUNDED the
plain village folk by preaching over their
, heads. His utterances was a continuous
flow of theological polysyllables, Latin
quotations and complex sentences. The
good old people who had known him from
a boy could not understand him at all
When the sermon was over and the PEG
pie were going out there was an omi-
nous silence about the sermon, but plen-
ty of shaking Of sage old heads 1t is
said that as the Parkhursts walked home
the mother took her son to task and said :
Charles, never want to hear you preach
that way again"
Parkhurst preached frequently after
that, but his mothers admonit.on seemed
| to have had but little effect for he still
used hgh-flown language. 1t became
a saying in the village that if Parkhurst
was going TO preach, they would have to
take their dictionaries. to church instead
: of their Bibles. The people for the most
part took his airs good naturedly, not III
pleased to see that one of their own bows
had gone to Europe and acquired such vast
, knowledge. The more philosophical re-
= Elected that he doubtless wanted to in
crease his vocabulary and took these oc-
cas!ons for practice. 1t was thought that
t he kept list of large and impressive
words on hand for reference before any
special occasion.
In later years when he has come home
on summer vacations and preached from
I the old pulpit he has used language so
/ simple and direct that a child could IN
derstand and he grew to have a great hold
upon the people. SIN they did not turn
= out in great numbers to hear him. ever,
{ when his New York fame was developing
In any other town in Massachusetts he
would have drawn better. 1t is the old
= story of the prophet in his own land.
When he was boy no one saw in him
a coming preacher, much less a reforner.
It seemed more likely he would follow in
= the footsteps of his parents and be a
teacher. For his father was an old-stvle
= New England schoolmaster, and his
mother a school marin. He went to school
! i, Ia g. H.