Putnam patriot., 1910-09-23

seven sons.
 My father. Abiel Holmes. was the second in order of birth of these ehil- dren As relating 10 Woodstock boy who became known in after life as scholar and Jeff his mark as a sincere and diligent student of American His tory. d few passages from the story of
 his life may not be out of place at such a meeting as this of to-day. They are among the fragmentary reeolleetions of
 what he told me as 1 sat upon his knee ar walked by his side. or as he leaned upon my arm in his declining years.
 My impression is that he attended school in the neighboring town of pomfret. of which l have heard him speak as place he often visited. The means of instruction which are brought to your very doors to-day were few and far 10 seek in those early times of irial and poverty think he must
 have been q conscientious child, tor the eravest recollection that seems to have been left frem hts tender years was that one morning he got up carly and went forth dragging his little wagon after him. when all al once horror struck nciehhor reminded him of the awful fact which he. need
 hardly say. had forgotten, that Il was the Sabbath day which he was protan- ing, terrible with the thunders of Sinai l for those who violated it's sanctiiy. not less terrible. perhaps, with the fears of
 the tything-man, who could stop the 1 Sabbath breaking magistrate himself.
 on the highway. and seize little children
 who were disobeying the fourth com mandmeni. and deal with them like the I ogfc in the story book. for aught they l could tell
 He was twelve years old when the war of the ReN6l luton broke cut. Had 1 hc been born few years earlier he might haze followed Israel Putnam to Bunker's d,ll and perhaps finished his career iu ene Il its bloody trcnches. l One solitary r,le may perhaps indicate i an early impulse tending ln that dtfee- ton. At iht age ef fourteen he carved i hts namc on . formidable IN horn, i such as carried the ammunition ot the continental soldiers. and winch would haxe held powder enough lo iesel whole ] ranks ef seenadierS bW fl it scattered i destruction Il must have been among the partndvcs aud squirrels and net
 ataNne the fed-eoals Ghe gentle youth
 was destined tor mllder pursuits. and
 was already becoming fitted for a col
 lege education
 At sixteen years oi agc he sei out
 on horseback for New Haven. where
 he was to pre>en, himself a> q eandi- date fer admission to Nale College ! He used te tsll me an incident eou- neeted with that r,de which i cannot I afk ssA his probable future. and many ether
 events among the rest, my own exist
 euce
 lis father died that same year. and ] his small inheritance was turned into the 1 money required for paving his way
 through college The hills that he car
 ried n his pocket hook, in a appreciated
 currency. fear. were probably all he had in the world lie had ridden some
 distance on his journey. when. feeling
 aerVously fer his poeketshook. he failed
 to md II where he expected He tried | all his pockets. they were empty The | blood lef, his checks: he looked wildly
 around him. he struck his forehead to i wake himself ii he were m dream or
 a trance He was widc awake. his horse
 was legsing along with ham towards the | place where he was destined, eu; he had ] lost his earthly all. and with II all his hope. all his future. Think what i, vas
 to this village boy. chosen doubtless fer l his promise, from the children of the family. for the larger training oi the
 scholar, 10 lose in one moment all he
 had heen living and longing for He returned upon his path. looking for his tnxs tr~axnre as hx went with xhat trrm- hlass and .leAlei,ations yoesesn imagine. hstses than eah tell l have often srsest to picture 10 myself his feelings er tat ts~zdfas r~tufn ride If hSs srareh ', sn szin. ~hat shaH hs. what can he dol Co beck sos stei old homcxscsd and the widowed mother. tell his pitrous story and resign himself to live hcnceforsh the rustic larva hfe. out of which he seemed 10 he just passing into the winged liberty oi the ssholars No more for him the welcome to the academic halls. sAe smiies of the learued Russsasas