Year: 1868

come my resolution; but she did not
speak it, and / went my way; leaving
them soon to travel much farther, and in
an opposite direction. After the parting
was over, and well ON my way, / was
strongly tempted to return and my walk
back to Poultney az niles was one of
the slowest and saddest of my life.


/ have since been thankful that did
not yield to the temptation of the hour.
Poultney was capital place to serve an
apprenticeship. Essentially rural CON-
munity, her people are at once intelligent
and moral; and there are few villages
wherein the indictments to dissipation
and vice are fewer or less obtrusive. The
organization and management of our es-
tablishment was vicious for an appren-
tice should have but one master, and
had succession of them, and often two
or three at once, First, our editors left
us; next the company broke up or broke
down, as any one might know it would ;
and mercantile firm in the village be-
came owners and managers of the con-
Germ and SO we had succession of
editors and printers. These changes en-
abled me to demand and receive more
liberal allowance for the later years of
my apprenticeship; but the Office was too
laxly ruled for the most part, and, as to
instruction, every one had perfect liberty
to learn what he could. In fact, as but
two or at most three persons were EN-
ployed in the printing department, it
would have puzzled an apprentice to
avoid practical knowledge of what was
done there. ! had not been there year
before my hands were blistered and my
back famed by working off the very con-
siderable edition of the paper ON an old
fashioned, two pull Ramage (wooden)
press-a task beyond my boyish strength
and | can scarcely recall a day wherein
we were not hurried by our work I
would not imply that worked too hard,
yet I think few apprentices work more
steadily and faithfully than l did through
out the four years and over of my stay
in Poultney. While T lived at home, l
had always been allowed days fishing,
at least once month in spring and sum-
mer, and / once went hunting; but I
never fshed, hunted, or attended dance
or any sort of a party or fandango, in
Poultney. l doubt that l even played a
game of ball.


Yet / was ever considerably and even
kindly treated by those in authority over
me, aud / believe / generally merited
and enjoyed their confidence and good
will. Very seldom was word ofreproach
or dissatisfaction addressed to me by any
one of them. Though / worked dill
geutly I found much time for reading
and might have had more, had every lei
sure hour been improved. l had been
generously loaned books from the Minot
house while in Westhaven; l found good
ones abundant and accessible in Poult-
ney, where first made the acquaintance
of public library. have never since
found at once books and opportunity to
enjoy them SO ample as while there; do
not think I ever before or since read to
SO much profit. They say that appren-
ticeship is distasteful to and out of fash
ion with the boys of our day; if SO, re-
gret it for their sakes: To the youth who
asks, "How shall / obtain an education?"
I would answer, Learn a trade of a
good master" / hold firmly that most
boys may thus better acquire the knowl-
edge they need than by spending four
years in college.


was kindly allowed to visit my faith
er's family in their new western home
twice during my apprenticeship, having
furlough of a month in either instance.
I made either journey by way of Erie
canal, on these line-boats whose scent
and half mile, mile and half an
hour SO many yet remember. Railroads
as yet, were not; the days passed slowly
yet smoothly on those gliding arks, being
enlivened by variors sedentary games
but the nights were tedious beyond any
sleeping-car experience. At day-break,
you were routed out of your shabby shelf
like berth, and driven on deck to swallow
fog while the cabin was cleared of its
beds and made ready for breakfast. l
say nothing as to the good old times "
but if any one seeks to recall the good
old line-boats, Iobject. And the wretched


little tubs that then did duty for steam
boats on Lake Erie were scarcely less
conducive to the increase and diffusion OF
human misery. have suffered in them
to the extent of mortal endurance; !


have left one at Dunkirk, and walked


twenty miles to West6eld, instead ofkeep-
on by boat at triAing charge, simply
hecause f1esb and blood could hear the