BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



a lasting anji beneficial influence upon his mind. The 

 next thing brought to bear upon his mind was the old 

 fashioned catechism and the lessons taught in the Sunday 

 school, where he learned to read tolerably well for a boy 

 of his age. Being naturally fond of reading, he was at 

 this early age taught to read, as well as to believe, the 

 Bible. He was promised a handsome new book if he 

 w^ould read the Bible through: he did so, and was then 

 told the New Testament was meant to be included in the 

 task. He then went through with thaf also, using the 

 day time and a good portion of the night to accomplish 

 his purpose. He was finally persuaded, by renewed pro- 

 mises, to read both the Old and New Testaments through, 

 and then the New Testament again, making twice he 

 read the Old Testament, and the New three times, and all 

 this before he w^as nine years old. 



And if you should ask him if he ever got the new 

 book promised him for all this labor, his answer would 

 be, no. This was truly discouraging and detrimental to 

 his education; but which of the two w^as most injurious 

 to him, the promise not being kept, or over-taxing the 

 mind wMth this readings I am not able to say; at any rate 

 neither promises nor books were valued very high by him 

 for some ten years at least, for always after this, while at 

 school, he liked sport better than books, and would have 

 it by exciting his schoolmates to laughter in some way 

 or other, even though it^cost him an occasional flogging. 



Thus life bore him on like the stream of a mighty 

 river. His little boat* being once launched, it first glides 



* See verse at the close of Hints to Purchasers. 



