Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-12-14
rR,p FROM sronrneToN
Dsseribed in Competition of School
girl of Sixty Years Ago.

Mrs. Annie Trumbuli Slosson writes
to the Hartford courant from New
York city:
In looking over some old papers of
80 and so years ago have found an
old school composition which tells or
and adventurous journey OF mine. IL
was long and trying "trip, from Ston-
ington to Hartford and back again,
and was taken in the summer Of 1851.
when / was Is. l was a scholar at
Mrs Woodbridge's school in Stontng-
ton. where I then lived. No one in
my class had ever taken so long q
journey or seen so many wonders, so
was asked to write an account of the
expedition and read IL aloud on Com
position day to the assembled scholars.
1t has struck me that an extract relat-
threatened with destruction, might be
appropriately printed just now as
showing how one young art critic es-
timated the building and its architec-
ture. / copy the first part literally,
mistakes and all;
1T was on August 18th. 1851. that
l took this journey that | am going
to tell you about. woke up at B
p. IN. that morning as had consider
able to do. For my Father, Mother.
two brothers and myself was to start
for Hartford, one of the Capitals of
our great state of Connecticut Two
of my other brothers are. doing things
there. Our house was to be closed
while we were away. AAt 10 o'clock
about. we went aboard the steamboat
Chicopee for New London. had new
er taken this voyage before, but We
all stood 1t wen, for we had been on
boats many times. In about an hour
we landed in New London. i did no
see much of the city for we started
very soon on the train which was
bound for Willimantic. 1t was plea
ant ride but pretty hot. I did not see
much OF Willimantic, but think IL is
a nice place. We id not go out of the
depot, my little brother wanted TO but
father said the train would be going
soon. So we took it. We arrived at
Hartford at 2. so o'clock about My
brother Henry, met us at the depot
and took us I'm carriage with two
horses to a beautiful hotel called the
United States hotel. After resting
some my brother took my mother and
me to the state house, where by broth
er James works. II is just opposite
about. the hotel we were boarding at.
had heard a great deal from my
father and brothers OF this building.
but ] did not think 1t would be SO
grand. l suppose ii is the finest build
ing in the United States. ] am sure IL
is the finest one / ever saw. but ]
have not seen them all. The Wadaw-
annuck I'm Stonington is splendid
building, but the state house beats IL
/ think IL looks something like a
castle. / have never seen a castle but
l think they look something like this
or perhaps a palace. We went up
stairs to the Secretary of States office
where my brother James is a clerk
The Secretary OF State is named Mr.
Mather, and is a very nice man. j
was acquainted with him before for
he had visited at our home last SUM
mer While we was there Gov. Sey =
mour came in. He is a very nice man
too and asked me if / went to school.
OF course told him that did, to Mrs
Woodbridge's school. Then we came
away for ii was almost tea time at the
hotel ] am very glad / have seen the
state house. Books say that there are
many fine buildings in Europe and
other lands, but 1 cannot believe there
are any much finer anywhere than
this one in my own native land"