22 John Bachntan. 



craved advantages that his village home could not 

 offer him. 



" I had intended," he writes, " to defray my own 

 expenses by teaching, while studying for tht> 

 ministry. First I went to Frankfort. Penn., where 

 I remained nearly a year. On a short visit to 

 Philadelphia, I met again the ornithologist, Wilson, 

 and his nephew, William Duncan. Wilson had 

 taught near Germantown, at El wood School, Miles- 

 town, and Duncan was his successor ; the position 

 then vacant, was offered to me. Both Wilson and 

 Duncan urged me to accept it. I taught at Elwood 

 for a year. The school flourished in numbers ; but 

 was conducted in a very primitive fashion ; the 

 pupils were of both sexes and of all ages. A small 

 class in Latin, one in French, and one in German, 

 were, with difficulty, kept up during my short stay." 

 But Philadelphia was the goal of his wishes. 

 Probably his friend, Rev. Philip Mayer, contributed 

 to bring about this change. He taught in Phila- 

 delphia a year, when his studies were so far com- 

 pleted, that he was licensed to preach. 



It was probably during his early student-life that 

 this reminiscence belongs. The singing was ex- 

 ecrable in the old Church of which he was a member. 

 Although no musician himself, he always loved 

 good singing. He set to work, therefore, to remedy 

 the evil, with all the zeal that ever characterized his. 

 attempts at reform. He procured a singing master, 

 and, by his youthful eloquence, mustered a fine class. 

 Soon the congregation took delight in the improved 



