The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-17

Jaw ucNtf fOrROttou the Ilucb. All en-
thusiasm took place within us to be able
TO write such a book. The doctor laugh
ed when We told him our desire. He said
II was well but said also "In order TO do
this thing properly the advice Sir Philip
Neri gave the youth was very .much in
evidence. First prepare then other
things will be added on TO you. 4" How
well we have kept our resolution can be
| judged when II Is considered that as chill
dren go to school today all my school days
can be included In three years time. We
were never troubled with poor lessons our
curiosity to learn and our desire 10 stand at
the head OF the class was enough to make
us in the opinion of our teachers good
scholar. Our teachers generally were
good to us. We have recollections OF two
that were not. The first punishment we
got at school was because we did not
get nto school soon enough at recess.
The next recess that came we walked
home and stayed there. The other bad
teacher we endured term and she used
to punish US for our misfortune, saying
II formed "a convenient excuse for delay In
getting into and out OF the school room
Having given quite space to those
youthful matters, let us now come down
to more serious work. The advice,
First Preparen st od before me for years
like pillar of fire, and IL is before me
still. My health and my fathers me MS
would not admit OF his sending me away
to school, even had he wished to. While
he never had the sympsthy for me in my
desire TO learn, my mother was the very
opposite 1t was she who cheered me on
and revived my dropping courage. In
my hasty conclusions she would say FGod
will make all things right IN His own
good time.". i realize today as | have
never realized before, that my mother
was a woman OF uncommon patience
Had she not been, my peevishness and all
those other blessings that belong to sick
children would have certainly worn her
out. In all my sufferings she never re-
preached me once, but her face was as se-
rene as the morn on all occasions.
Now TO the admonition prepare yourself
We would say that our financial resources
being extremely limited and our misfor-
tune debarring US from obtaining employ
ment In many cases, this preparing pro-
cess was of slow accomplishment. n OF
one year but q score followed before we
felt safe or venturesome enogh to embark
ir our life work. From writing various
short articles we started in July, 1882,
our tirst historical publication under cer-
tainly as singular circumstances as ever
fell to the lot of mortals. With no one to
advise with, no friends, no capital, no
experience, but with faith only, that
publication continued eight years, during
which time a foundation for greater
work was laid, viz. "The Vital Record
of Rhode Island.n While struggling
with this work we learned TO form a
different estimate Of some men than we
had formed before. We learn that there
were literary quacks and pretenders, that
tbose who have the least real knowledge
of literary merit are the first and fore
most to show their ignorance; that going
TO college, winning title and having
the use Of books does not make a scholar
or gentleman, whether IL be at Harvard
or at Brown.
ha - IL T.Ia t. 4 l.
largest genealogical publication in Ameri-
ca. The history and first conception OF
this work will now be IN order. AZ we
have before stated, Arnold's History OF
Rhode Island first started US out. Ii con-
verted us completely. 10 be able to write
like that was worthy of a struggle. Want
OF means and i'll health fought well
against us and so persistently that it
was not until 1878 that our plan to write
in the future IL life held out, history of
Rhode Island, took positive form. We
had gathered some before we have gath
cred everything we could purchase since
with our means at hand. In July, 1882,
the Historical Register was published
running eight years, or volumes, rather.
when severe sickness. compelling us TO
pass a winter in the Rhode Island Hos
pital, decided us To drop 1t. During this
time genealogical record of the state
became a mania with us. We had 13 years
w
our first volume in type. Six Assemblies
were appealed TO before the thing was ac-
complished. The united opposition of
Brown University, and its lick spittle,
calling itself historical society, was in
our front. Everything that little minds
could resort to were INDUCED in. Know
ing our super-sensitiveness of course and
walking on sticks was made butt of
sport. In spite of this, however, we sue
ceeded. An appropriation of S1t00 was
made by the General Assembly TO print
Volume !, since which time an annual
appropriation has been made. 1t would
seem to some minds that we have been too
severe and have laid these insults too
much at heart. In face OF the fact that
we succeeded would dictate that these
things be dropped. With us kindness
IS reimbursed, wrong never forgotten.
We are one of those who can be coaxed
further than he can be driven. This
spirit has been called by our enemies,
HE is ambitious, he courts notoriety, he
aspires to leadership If they viii stop
right at the word am mbitious we will plead
guilty, for we are, and IL it had not been
for this spirit we should lave lain down
and died years ago. To the charge that
we are contentious and like a fuss we say
no; but TO say we ought TO allow any one
TO insult us with impunity and show no
RESENTMENT, count hs out. In brief, IL
any one wants TO act "funny," to use a
modern word, please do not come around.
our way to be funny. These remarks lead
up TO this: That right here is the secret
that has controlled and made the Vital
Record venture success. i was not to
be put down by insult. / knew my work
was far more perfect than anything my
opponents had ever written. | soon knew
this lesson, Tor L was brought up with a
round turn for statements l had taken
from their writings. These examples led
me to utterly abandon them as authorities
and TO return to the original source OF
authority. This severe disappointment
has learned me several lessons, among
them that one which is very pretentious,
that one who Is ever on the alert TO pick
some one up, one who pretends TO do so
concise, one who shows anger when
question is opened before him, one who
writes history with only modern eyes,
one who admits a certain source of
authority, one who boasts OF being
college graduate, all of these fellows are
pretenders only. They never had nor
never can have the genius of true literary
merit. There are machine writers, and
have just as much capacity TO understand
as machine and no more. A these