Life of REV. Samuel Willard, of Deerfield, Mass (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II. Preparation For Harvard College--College Life--Residence In Exeter, N.H., Brunswick, Maine, And Cambridge. "Having continued my attempts to labor till August, 1797, I then began my studies, under the instruction of a grammar schoolmaster by the name of Partridge. At first, I had no idea of going to college, as there were many discouragements in the way of this. The scantiness of my father's income was no small objection, my age was another, and my ignorance was a third. Several causes had operated to prevent my gaining that degree of knowledge, which a person of my age might reasonably be expected to have. In the first place, there was no social library in town; secondly, a great part of my winter evenings, which was my principal leisure time, was expended at singing-school or in practising music at home; thirdly, not having my curiosity excited by easy access to books, I indulged sloth." Probably the fact that his uncle was at that time President of Harvard College had an influence in turning his thoughts and plans decidedly in that direction. Of his studies under Dr. Partridge he writes: --"I committed the Latin grammar, read two small books, Cordelius and Esop's Fables, and then passed to the Eneid of Virgil. When, however, I had read the first book and one hundred lines of the second, the school closed; and I was for some time without an instructor, and in doubt where to look for one. At length I determined to go to Lancaster, take a district school, if I could obtain one, and put myself under the tuition of the Rev. Nathaniel Thayer. This I did, and, though I did something in my Latin studies while engaged in my school, about the middle of February, when my school had closed, I had not advanced far in my preparation for college. I knew not...