Life And Sermons of Jonathan Allen
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. SELECT SCHOOL ESTABLISHED. IN the fall of 1836, while chopping with his father and brothers near the home, a gentleman came to the woods. After a pleasant "good-morning" he said, "I have come into town to start a select school, and would like to have you send this boy," designating Jonathan. " I can't afford it," said the father. Bethuel Church, for this was the man, thought a moment: "We shall need wood, and I will take that for the tuition." How the boy's heart bounded when the father said, "If he will chop it, he can go." As four-foot wood was only fifty cents a cord, it would take six cords to pay the $3.00 tuition. If it had taken sixty it would not have daunted the boy. There was light and life ahead. But as father and mother talked over before him the pros and cons in the evening, it wa
...s made evident that he had nothing suitable to wear, and new clothing was out of the question, so father said, "Jonathan, I believe you must give it up." Argument was not thought of in that New England household, but the tears would come in spite of all the manly will to repress them. His father seeing this, and remembering his promise, said, " If he feels like that, he must go." His roundabout was made as presentable as possible, and he went, carrying a chair for his seat, as each of the others did. He has often said that with the memory of that experience he could never refuse taking wood as tuition from students. The encouragement thus given might be the turning point in some other life. Two miles over a high, bleak hill, thinly clad, and through snowdrifts often covering the fences, might not seem a pleasant prospect to the schoolboy now, but to him it was a daily joy,and, though he dared not, from fear of ridicule, eat the cold johnnycake that was his dinner, til...
MoreLess
Write Review:
User Reviews: