Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-05-18
AN OLD MEMORY.

nearly reached the summit of lifes
hill that they can look over into the
valley beyond and see in the distance
the shadows which are gathering
It will cause them to go back in
thought to the morning of life when
that hill which they have with toll
.ascended, was bathed with the
sunlightOf hope and youthful dreams
and seemed an endless distaDeeaway
Now the space between that morn
ing and the present appears to be
only brief dream, span. During
the years 1865 and 1857 Prof. A. b.
Wilbur, recently Superintendent of
Public Schools at Port Jervis, and
more recently employed in the same
capacity at Middletown N. Y, where
he now resides, conducted a private
school in the brick building recent
ly owned by the late jacob May, on
Pike street, Port Jervis, N. Y. The
scholars edited a school paper which
was read before the school and it's
guests at stated intervals. One of
the contributions to such paper by
James X. Livingston, then Il mere
lad was the following poem written
along the meter of the well known
poem of "Bingen on the Rhine. -
Through the kindness of friend,
who has obtained permission of Mr..
Livingston, now residing at Saratoga
Springs N. Y. we are enabled to
place it for the first time before the
larger public:
PORT ON THE ERIE LINE.
A pale and careworn student sat
snoozing in his chair,
There was no sweet face to look at,
there was none to smooth his
hair;
But his Virgil lay beside him while
he slept the hours away,
And bent with curious glances to
hear what he might say.
The sleepy student squinted as he
took it in the light,
And he said,-"I shant" be able to
go up town tonight;
wish you'd take a message to those
village friends Of mine,
For live near Port Jeryis, which is
on the Erie Line.
"Tell my good old school compan-
ions, when they mee5a and crowd
about,
To hear from you the reason why
tonight don't come out,
That I'm translating bravely, and
before the clock strikes one,
Full fifty lines of Aeneas I'll con-
quer ere I'm done.
And midst the books around me are
some grown old in wars,
Their faces .orn by school boys, who
gave them many scars;
Those boys were young-and sud
denly beheld those days decline,
And one came from Port Jervis
which is on the Erie Line.
"Tell my mother that her other
sons must work for her to- night,
AS I'm literary chap, my Latin l
must fight:
For my father was a scholar, and
even as a child
My heart leap'd forth to hear him
tell of Greek words long and
wild;
And when he died and left us to di-
vide his scanty will,
1 let them take whate'e they would,
but kept his old books still.
And with boyish love placed them
where my oil lamp used to
shine,
ION my table at Port Jervis, which
is ON the Erie Line,
I "Tell my sister not to bother me
nor round my table lurk,
, When my brothers come in from th'
barn and from their outdoo
> work
Bnt to try and hush their noisy ton
q CUES, or quiet them in sleep,
f For her brother is a scholar now
4 and midnight vigils keep.
\ And if a lover seeks her hand hop
h she will say nay
And not be so foolish as to thIoy
herself away;
But to keep my school books in thei
. place, (my fathers books an
d mine,)
g For the honor of Port Jervis, whic
is ON the Erie Line.
), There's another-not a sister sh
1 is my bride elect,
y You'll know her by the waterfa
that thumps upon her neckf
Too innocent for coquetry-to
. fond for idle seorning.-
)e Oh Go and tell her will come an
of see her in the morning;
- Tell her that am busy now, but el
n the sun be risen,
My lessons will be nicely learne
and 1 will quit this Drison.