The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-01-07
1obn 0reenleaf Wabittfer.

of which plainly shows his thirst for
knowledge. This, with your permission
l will quote:
And must always swing the fail.
And help to fill the milking pail?
wish to go away to school;
do not wish to be a fool.
His teacher who was very fond of
the Whittier home circle often spent
his evenings there reading aloud. One
evening after reading from volume
of Burns, something in the expression
of Whittier, who had listened intently,
attracted his attention. A few gues-
tions being asked and answered result
ed in the book being left with its
youthful admirer.
Whittier, who was but ID years of
age, now began to devote his idle mo-
ments in school to filing his slate with
rhymes which were passed about the
schOOlroOm from desk to desk. AT
home his father discouraged what he
considered "day dreams" and "waste of
time" while on the other hand his
chief encouragement came from his
mother and younger sister Elizabeth.
The first publication of q poem by
Whittier "The Exlle's Departure" ap-
peared in William Lloyd Garrison's
Free Press, issued at Newburyport,
Mass, in 1923. Three weeks later Edi-
tor Garrison learned where his contrib
utor lived, and drove out to see him, a
distance of IA miles. Whittier was at
work in the field, and at first refused
to appear in his farmers clothes, but
his sister Elizabeth insisted, and it was
there and then that the lifelong &C.
tquafntance between Whittier aad Gar
rison began.
The editor complimented the young
poet, and advised him to aim for a
higher education. While they were
talking Whittier's father appeared, and
to him Garrison made a plea for the
boy. But the practical old farmer die
not display any interest or pleasure il
the entrea:y, instead, he said he die
not wish him to put such noti, MS il
the boys head.
!. A few months later Garrison mOvet
to Boston and Whittier became con
tributor to the Haverhill Gazette, edite,
by A. w. Thayer. 1t is said tina
: Thayer volunteered to take the bO
, into his own home while he attende
the Haverhill academy. This generou
{ offer was declined as money for tuitiO
(: must be had and the Whittiers did DC
i. have it. Nevertheless the solutio
: was at Land. A farm hand on tn
. Whittier place employed his spare tim
! during the winter season in making
t cheap grade of slippers which he sol
t for twenty-five cents pair. He offere
e to instruct Whittier in the art of mai
: utacture and to pay him eight cents
8 pair for all he would turn out. Th
! offer was accepted and Whittier b.
Cdu0 d SuOculdhCl ouu q oCuNCuU VA III
o academy at Haverhill.
8 Between his terms at the academ
n he taught school, and portion of tt
e expense was earned by posting tt
F. books of local merchants. When
e attended the academy at ltaverhi
h there was an attractive girl in his ella
o who won his heart. His sentimen mt W;
n reciprocated and they became engage
t. But religion was barrier, her fami
n were unyielding Puritans, while b
ID were Quakers. To marry outside ont
own sect was to commit sin beyol
r the pale of forgiveness. Both famili'
re the Brays of Marblekead and the VIII
r tiers of Hayerhill, were uncomprom
ID ing which made the barrier unst
at mountable.
ne To this day there hangs in one of t
at rooms of the Whittier home in Am,
Of bury the miniature, on ivory, of Eveli
m Bray, who was the one love of his Ii
he and among cherished relics are sever
or articles associated with her in
lie school days. This early disappoi
tn ment in the one love affair of his
b. did not affect his relations with
MS sex, whom he seemed ever to venera
he 1t is worthy of note that financ
on success did not come to Whittier nI
of his sixtieth year, with the publicati
ne of "Snowbound" During the years