Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-05-01
THE LONG AGO AND THE LATER ON
An Experience Eighty Life By George Tidh Bromley

If the iecturing talent of the state
would address "a fifty-cent audience 1t
was rather cheeky on my Fart to think
of charging people a dollar to- listen
to me However, l brought him round
to my way of thinking and then I
! started in 10 prepare my lecture. This
had to be done at Folsom between
trans, for had my dear wife had an
mixing Of my intention she would
have dissuaded me- Moreover, as a
home lecturer, ! had never amounted
TO hill of beans. | had taken for my
! theme, Folsom and So-Forth," that
! appearing to be a suitable topic for
/ a local discourse When / had put to-
gether what | judged it would take
me about an hour and a half to de-
| liver, | told the minister lie could
| send out his notices and II would be
ready The following day. on my re-
turn home my wife met me at the
front gate. and said She:
George, what in the world are you
going to do?"
"Why?" asked l.
Well said she Il went up town to
do some shopping and l saw all over
the dead walls and fences iaring
posters with your name in big let
ters announcing a lecture to be de-
livered by you in Folsom
Did you see thatS" | asked
! yes ] did" was the answer.
.''Well, said l" IF you saw that I
| suppose l viii have to deliver It lee
ture in Folsom"
"Ah, how foolish you are" said she,
| you viii only make a failure of ii,
and then you vii lbe mortified TO
DEATH.
Il can't help it, I responded. but
/ it is for the benefit of the church. so
| / will have TO stand it,
That settled it at once and MY dear
( little wife had nothing more to say.
| The superintendent of the railroad.
| having heard Of the project volunteer
! ed to run a special train on that
! evening and charge a dollar for the
round trip, all the proceeds to be do
{ mated to the church. was star pas
] senger on that trip the superintend
| ent himself, assuming my duties as
| conductor. When we arrived at
/ the church the house WIS full to over
! flowing, and as l entered / was greet
| ed with Il burst of applause. 1t was
| then. for the first time that it dawned
! upon me that ! was the man of the
I hour The church choir opened the
| exercises with a selection OF music
/ they had been practicing for three
! weeks, and ! was delighted with this
singing and wished it would keen on
/ indefinitely. for I knew that when
1 that stopped would have TO begin.
/ But my time came. and ] was intro
duced by the minister. / wish | could
/ describe my feelings for the first few
/ moments. but language fails. so / can
/ only say that i'm all my experience since
/ that time / have never known any
| thing to compare with them. How
! ever. I pulled myself together, and
/ feeling that 7 had the audience with
( me / reSained my confidence. but ind
/ ing that they would rather listen than
/ applaud. 7 laid my spcctacles on my
! manuscript and stepping aside from
/ the desk. | sand
4 must say to the ladies and gentle
/ men who came up free on the train
J with the understanding that hey were
! TO furnish the applause. that unless
| they pay better attention they viii go
! home afoOt.
After that there was no lack of de-
! mOnstratiou. and nv first lecture was
! pronounced d success in every way
/ In July, 1859. ] was detailed to take
| charge of a special train to take the
/ committee Of reception from Sara
/ mento to Folsom 20 receive Horace
! Greeley. and a hearty reception he met
with I assure you. He was looked
upon at that time rs the greatest men
who had ever visited California. and
/ glorious results were anticipated on
! bis return east. from his Efforts in be-
/ half of the great Atlantic and Pacific
railroad.
/ From an old letter written 70 my
mother iE June 1859. ! quote this ac-
self and family. AS conditions have
| changed SO much since then the itin-
! erary will, perhaps prove interesting:
] We We're gone just twelve days and
( they Wer1 certainly twelve of the pleas
I ATTEST days we have ever spent to-
! gether. / hired for the occasion u
( very fine carriage with three seats and
/ capable Of carrying us all comfort
| ably, drawn by two splendid wnitc
/ horses and driven by the best looking
man in Sacramento. We left the
/ house IN charge of a neighbOr and at
/ half past nine a. m. Thursday. May
! eighteenth. we started all hands III
high glee. The first day We drove
| forty miles over the finest road ever
/ Travelled. the horses feet sounding ali
/ the time as though striking solid rock.
/ Away we went through the valley.
! over the hill and across the plain,
and at four o'clock D. m, arrived at
Suisun City where, at a comfortable
/ hotel. we remained all night ! found
/ quite "a number of old acquaintance
! there and passed the time very pleas
antly. At seven o'clock the next MORN
! ing we started for Napa City where We
/ arrived after delightful ride of four
/ hours. all in excellent spirits Here ]
/ met more old acquaintances and spent
/ a few days visiting friends in the val
/ ray. AT nine o'clock one morning we
| left Napa for Sonoma. This drive of
| about four hours was unsurpassed in
| beauty by anything we had ever
! dreamed Of, the road lying for--he
/ most of the way along the foothills
! Ct he Coast Range. and the view fr1G
| some of the highest points of the vail
! leys and ravines below was truly mag
| nitcent When we came within view
| SOnOma Valley lay all spread out be-
| fore us With it's vineyards ana orchards
! for miles and miles. and in the center
/ the city of SOnOma. looking like a