Year: 1873




Seth.


Here is bit of private history that came 70
us the other day, says the New York Tribune.
and which, while it can harm no one in its dis |
closure, may have its secret meaning for all of
u.s. 1alt century ago young man worked
IN carpenter shop in western country vii
lage-a frank, clear-mnded, hot-blooded Young
fellow, tull OF ambition to fill his as vet unused
brain with knowledge, and then to 90 out into
the world to work with it. He listened eagerly
to reports of that life outside of his drowsy
village, where men crowded and i0stled and
helped each other. There were certain great
wrongs to set right, certain great ideas of his
own 10 ma words for; once let him find stand
Ing room out there, and he would achieve
what was there he would not achieve Well.
we bave all stood on his ground, and seen with
ms eyes; we can remember how the world
looked to us then, the vastness of its far. off


lights and shadows in the glory of the dawn;
the place we fanced it had always kent vacant


for US to fill We, perhaps, escaped into the


world, and saw these things near to our sharp


ened eyes; handled them with older hands and


found how little value was in them. But our


carpenter, Seth, never got outside of his


village.


1t does not need fctters or Jail bars to set
prison bounds about a mans life. Lack of


money, an unhappy marriage, house full of


children, any weight long borne, cramp and
! dlstOrt his brain and soul as gives would his


body. With Seth it was poverty, and an old


father and mother, that imprisoned him in his


dull birthplace with feeble but effectual hold.


tie was all they had; their years were nearly
spent; he would not rob them of their sole


support and happiness by leaving them. nor


could he take them with him. The carpenters


shop was sure supply for them of food and
clothes; his ambitious plans were, after all.


out fantastic uncertain dreams. Presently our
carpenter falls in love aud marries and in


year or two buries his wife and child side by


IN the graveyard by the church. He made but


little moan, but changed his seat in church to


the window, and instead of prayer or sermon


tor many year heard only the rustic of the


locust tree that grew over the grave and the


tall OF its leaves upon it. Before the old folks


died his early ambition had faded in great


measure; the plans for the outer world, which


seemed so easy in his youth, presented them


selves now as lmpracticable; besides all this,
some roots OF his life had grown into that
grave under the locust tree, which he never


could tear away. All this is a history of puerile


and morbid hlndrances, perhaps, but just such


hlndrances as clog and lessen into narrow
bounds the lives of stronger men,


/ Seth grew quietly into middle and then into
old age, having realized his youthful hopes of


knowledge no further than by the education
which fitted him for village schOOlmaster. A
shabby, wizened, silent old fellow, with a
shrewd kindly smile and keen eyes below his
A bushy wig, with a habit of dropping fiery brief
! sentences concerning duty aud honor, which
d burned themselves into his boys memories and
" remained there when the Latin and Greek he
+ taught them had long been forgotten. There
J., we're hall dozen thwarted gcniuses in the


town; village Hampdens and CrOmwells whom
e even the stage-driver could have pointed out
r TO you, ranged on the bench in front of the
e tavern, aS = men who would have made their
y mark, sir, it they had had the chance But
Od Seth was not one of them not great
= only cranky, even in his boys eyes an object
= OF good-natured liberation to the fat, bluff
n farmers. In later years this federation turns
E, into suspicion and dislike The village Law in
It a border county OF slave State, and Seth wa.
d known to be an abOlitionist which ranked him
n there and at that time with an atheist or q
e ielon He was accused, and with truth, W.
); believe, of teaching the few slaves in the
Il nelghborhood to read and write, and of secret
: ing tugtlves on their way to Canada Certain
e beliefs OF his, which his scholars quoted con
q stanty, concerning liberty and equality and the
:, brotherhood OF man, were strongly suspected
D, by the club on the tavern bench to be the doc
trines OF Paine and Voltare. He talked wildly
= 1t ls said, at times, of great work to be done
= in which he should have his share. But the
!; summons came for him one summer dar to
/ leave the village and the hot schOolhouse anG
y his silent evening pipe and stroll and cross tC
d that other unknown lite which waits for every
e man. 81 have not done my work here" he
,, n said once or twice on that last day "The
/ chance did not come to me, somehow" But the
q village doctor said that he was only feverish
i aud that it was a pity his mind should be
1t clouded at the last. Still looking back to thai
+: undone work he died and was buried beside
,s his wife and child.
r A few years afterward came the war Of the
y rebellion. A young man, State Senator from
); the district where Seth had lived, declared
"a a himself not only on the side of the government
. but of the slave. He was bold, alert, had ;
,e powerful intellect the sluggish, slow moving
d farmers followed him in dsmay formed repi


ments; they blocked the advance of the con
d federates by holding the slave territory on tn,
q side of the Union, divided the State at last anC
,,TT finally No better work for freedom and ordel
c and civilization was doDe in that time than this
is none that told more effectively on the future
i Not long ago our public men were put to tria
/ not only through their honor but honesty
Of How many fell it does not need now to tell
,eg One alone stood firm his integrity helped tC
\. redeem the character of the nation. He auc
+ the man who helped SO largely to save hi
4 State in war times had each been scholars O.
= the carpenter They did not know each other