HIS CHILDHOOD AND EARLY HOME. 19 



How skilfully she builds her cell; 



How neat she spreads her wax; 

 And labors hard to store it well 



With the rich food she makes." 



These verses, written from recollection, are among the 

 charming reminiscences that flit through my memory like 

 angel visits in a dream, and like other dreams they vanish 



on waking to the realities of life The anxious and 



wise care of our excellent mother extended to the period 

 when we arrived at full manhood, and her life was con- 

 tinued, as an inappreciable blessing, until we had almost 

 reached our meridian. . I was almost forty, my brother 

 almost forty-two, when our mother died, July 2, 1818. 



It is my recollection that the elements of English read- 

 ing were taught us by our mother at home along with our 

 religious instruction. 



I am not quite certain as to priority of time, but it is my 

 impression that our first school for reading and spelling 

 was in a small schoolhouse on the hill in the road to Fair- 

 field town. It was not over a quarter of a mile from our 

 house, and was situated upon a basis of granite rock, with 

 loose masses and cliffs of the same rock on the descend- 

 ing hill ; and upon and around these masses we children 

 played in the recess from school, unconscious that these 

 loose rocks, as well as the firm ledges of granite (a name 

 then unknown to me), were historical records of the 

 planet 



The discipline of our almost infant school was parental 

 and not severe discipline. The rod was rarely or never 

 used ; but milder methods were employed. On one occa- 

 sion our ma'am for that was her familiar title detected 

 a little girl and a little boy in whispering and playing. The 

 punishment was, that a double yoke of limber branches of 

 willow was adjusted to the necks of the offenders, and they 

 were required to walk home as yoke-fellows. The little girl, 

 not at all abashed, addressed her shrinking companion by 

 epithets of endearment : he was compelled to bear the sly 



