Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-07-18
A SANITY LIFE.
An Appreciation OF Former Bucks
port Seminary Principal.

| May weep, but never see.
night Of memory and of signs
dedicate TO thee.
How many readers of this paper have
had the blessed privilege Of being favor
lite pupil for two years of cody, right
cons, and sanity preceptor. Such fortune
was mine. With the passing OF years.
and as "brother follows brother from sun
set to the sunless land, memory brings
him clearer and clearer before my spiritual
vision, and sigh to think how many
hurts he received from careless youth.
| BY the way, have always thought that
| quotation should read from 'sunset to the
sammy land" Perhaps 1t does, for the only
time ever heard 1t was by member of
Congress, and they almost invariably mis-
quote until sensitive ear Is harassed,
not to say distressed.
know the subject of this sketch, J. B.
Crawford, former principal OF the East
Maine Conference seminary, could never
think of heaven but rs a sunny land. One
OF the hymns oitenest given out by him
| began, "No night shall be in heaven" and
/ as he led the music his face shone with a
1 as hN e1"h mover was bl Adiiu OF
HIS was not a striking personality in
daily life. He was OF medium stature,
neither dark nor fair, sparely built and
| his laborious life combined with the New
| England climate had set the seal Of con-
sumption upon his face; hat when he
| prayed or preached his features became
trsnsfgured am told by critics that it
| Ia had fN~r1 h., tN,,F aA ,
| giving ofense, | am moved to make one
more, There was the look OF hsaven,upon
his face that limners give to the beloved
disciple"
! His life was one continuous round of
sacrifcial duty. His twenty-four hours
were divided something like Shis-seven
for sleep, dressing and hAthin :; one for
his three meals, and sixteen hours to
teaching, studying and sermon writing,
! for he was not content to rest on Sunday.
| He drove in the bitterest weather seven
miles TO little country church, too poor
| to have fire, preached in his overcoat,
| both forenoon and afternoon, and re-
| turned 10 a supper OF cold pork and beans
and brown bread.
| Two OF ''us girls, hero worshippers,
once procured a sleigh and followed him
to the church. He would have sent us
back had we been seen, fearing for our
health, but we carried our point and
| heard him, with freezing toes and fingers
| tinglng even inside our NUTS. But can
we ever forget one moment when, in the
course OF ms address, he street rhed forth
his hands over the snowy head 81 a ninety
! ive-y ears-old parishioner and said, in
1 tFcmuious voice and with misty eyes:
"Ah. would like to have the seat pre-
| pared ia heaven for my venerable
| brother!"
The scHnt congregation sohbed aloud,
for as they looked on his Transporter mt
hands and STOPPING franz, they could not
| but ask Of one another, sswho viii 20 firstP"
! After this the aget brother rose and made
a short, but moving prayer. The people
rose and sang 1.-The Star OF Rethelem".
Mr.. Crawford pronounced the bsnediction,
and service was over.
! Eycrg We31ss3sy eveniag thsre was a
| prayer n Getting in the school chapel, at
| which attendance was optional, but we
never missed it,though ms father was a
I Universalist, many OF tn girls were Cath
I olics and several were the daughters OF
ministers OF other creeds and seets. 1t
WAS the magnetism OF the man and his
saint like example that drew us.
Amid the multiplicity of his duties he
| had found one-halt hour that he could
! call his own, and what did he do but call
/ together normal class. That was, he
explained, for those who had been or ever
| expected to be teachers. At these meet
| ings anyone could present a difficult
| problem for calculation, or the time was
| filled with good advice as to the care and
| control OF young and refractory pupils.
| The half-hour given To elocution was
| most interesting OF all. IL was recreation
Each one in turn would be asked to select
| the subject. Sometimes ii was paradise
| Lost. He was a most excellent speaker,
| calm, lucid, logical, Disappearing vocal
gymnastics", for which he had on an
| tipathy.
lie often asked me to read my own
| selection. On one occasion after / had
given the 'sSong OF the Shirt. some of
| the girls giggled at the relterstion OF the
! sad refrain. When it was concluded he
rose and with a slightly heightened color
| said, in his most dignitied and impressive
manner, 1.-THE poem we have Just heard
is one OF the most beautiful and pathetic
! in the English language. In London
there is a handsome monument to Thomas
| Hood. the author, paid for entirely by
contributions OF grateful sewing women,
and il bears In addition TO his name and
years thus legend, "He sang the song of
the shirt"
When our subject WAS Shakespeare, that
one glorious season in Washington and
| had heard Forrest in all his plays. There
| is, in my opinion, but one living man to-
| day who can rank in the class with For
rest, and he is not an actor but PRIEST
| Father Spofford, of st. Patrick's church in
Washington, had he elected to become an
actor, might be a worthy successor.
Mr.. Crawford had way OF drawing
every body out and putting them at their
| best. But alas, we were all baffied, him
| self included, by one poem of Felicia
Hemans. 1t is entitled "Evening Prayer
at = Girls SCHOOL,, and in it there oc-
occurred the following obscurity which
eiuded discovery:
''Her lot [woman'sl is on you-silent tears to
weep
And patient smiles to wear thro suffering's
hour,
And sunless riches from affections deep
To pour on broken reeds-a wasted shower"
Now why sunless? What did the author
mean? Many and various were the opin-
ions offered. Some thought they must
refer to gold lying in mine or cave, but