Strong.] t) [Jan. 5, 



colonial usages derived from the modier country, but 

 which lono- since went into desuetude. What effect 

 such associations and opportunities had upon his youth- 

 ful mind, never wanting in a pure and generous am- 

 bition, may readily be conjectured. 



In 1 791 his mother entered in a second marriage 

 with Dr. Marshall Spring, of Watertown, Massachu- 

 setts, ( now a suburb of Boston,) and in 1792 he went 

 to reside with his stepfather, for whom he ever after 

 felt warm affection and profound respect. Soon 

 thereafter he was sent to a boarding-school near 

 Medford, six miles from Boston, Even then, though 

 only twelve years old, he was prepared for admission 

 to college, but he was considered too young to enter, 

 and he was sent to school rather to grow older, than 

 to increase his intellectual preparation for college life. 

 He did not remain long at Medford, because of a con- 

 viction he had that his master was incompetent to in- 

 struct him in the Greek language. An interesting inci- 

 dent is related of his short school life there, illustrative 

 of his confidence in the accuracy of his knowledge, and 

 of his resolute adherence to that which he believed 

 correct, even to the extent of what may be considered 

 rudeness. On the day after his arrival at school, he 

 was called up to recite to his new master a Greek 

 lesson in the New Testament. He began with confi- 

 dence, but he had not proceeded far when he was 

 stopped, and told he was wrong, and what the master 

 deemed the proper translation was given. Instead of 



