The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-03
Early Learning.

The following communication will be
very interesting to the early Welsh set
| tiers of Carbondale. The communication
has reference to the late Rev. Lewis Will
Jams. of Carbondale, a noted Welsh divine
Mr.. Williams was not a learned man,
neither was he a great divine, but his re-
ligious sincerity and originality Of ex-
preston made him a noted character in
his day. He died about ten years ago, and
the Rev. E. r. Lewis, Of this city, wrote an
elaborate biography Of the noble old char
acter. which appeared in the Drych O few
months ago:
I'm looking over some old papers Of late,
came across copy OF the old Columbia
and in it found an interesting account Of
William f. Powell's boyhood days, when
he used to go to school. He relates how
cruel his teachers were in using the rod
and ruler; but 1t seems that 1t had a good
effect on him, for he has turned out to be
man Of high rank and Is held in high es
teem by his own countrymen as we'll as
other nationalities He must have gone
to school in later years than did, else he
would not have been half the man he is
I now. My father, Robert Foulkes, and Da-
vid Jones, carpenter, as he was called,
were the first two Welshmen that come to
among the Irish and Americans, before
any other Welsh families came there.
with the second immigration of Welsh
came Lewis Williams, who belonged to the
Congregationalists. They hired him for
school teacher and he was the first teacher
/ ever went to school to. He had more
power in his arms than he had wit in his
head. When he would speak to the chill
dren 1t was like the roar Of a lion amongst
the wild beasts of the forest; every one
was wide awake, and II the speaking
wouldn't do. the next thong would be the
r,,IAp nv,I Iv.Sk tnfA 1n,. a.,
long enough to suit him, the next thing
would be the rod. I was somewhere be-
tween and years old when I went to
school to him. He was one Of the most un-
reasonable teachers I ever knew. II the
great apostle in Scranton that wrote that
long epistle about his good qualities as q
preacher had been to school to him in
early days, he would havehad q different
opinion Of him. II ne did not have moro
influence over a congregation In preaching
to them than ne had In teaching us chill
dren, he did not convert great many.
He pretended to teach us in English. but it
was about half Welsh and half English
mixed. I don't pretend to say but that he
did his best as far as he knew now. The
good books says many are called but few
chosen; and don't think Lewis Williams
was ever called to be a school teacher.
Well. he Is dead and gone. where he will
get his reward, and I suppose will not be
long after him.
IT am now In my ffty-ninth year and
living in South Dakota. We lived in Car
Woods nine years: moved to Wisconsin IN
1S42: went to California In 1850: came back
to Wisconsin in 1852; moved to Iowa In 1875.
and from Iowa to South Dakota In 1881,
whore now live. suppose that my old
playmates that used to live In CarbQndale
and in the Beech Woods. are all gone from
there, and that most Of them are dead. II
any OF them are living would like to hear
from them. Yours truly.-Henry Foulkes,
Canova, South Dakota