USA > New York > Onondaga County > Pompey > Re-union of the sons and daughters of the old town of Pompey > Part 10
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How vivid are many of the thronging recollections of my school boy period. The noonday sport, so full of interest, and which was so suddenly interrupted, never to be resumed, by the inexorable summons from the lord of the school-room, was but an epitome of a human life. The voices of my young playmates seem almost still ringing in my ears, I watch the staid demeanor and listen to the grave conversation of our old puritan fathers, who have long since been succeeded by
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their sons and daughters, and those again by a third genera- tion of men and women.
All these seem but the occurrences of yesterday, after a long and troubled dream from which it almost seems as though I was yet to awake and witness their repetition. And yet half a century has intervened between' that time and the present. Forty such intervals placed consecutively backward, would reach beyond the Christian era, a hundred and twenty would ante date the creation according to the letter of the Mosaic history. But still, this whole time is not so very long, Do not the results of our own experience in this respect satisfy us that if Adam had lived till now, he might still have regarded his life as short, and that he would have looked back upon his days of primeval innocence and ignorance with regrets, perhaps more piognant but with feelings nearly akin to those called forth by the voices of our own memories ?
My earliest recollections of things outside of my own home neighborhood are of the old Pompey Academy. And ever since, its well remembered dingy and weather-worn exterior has excited a veneration unequalled by that of any other structure. This is partly due to intrinsic causes, but none to the effect of early associations. Its commanding position made it distinctly visible from the play-grounds of our district school house, which was situated ou a more humble but parallel ridge to the eastward : I well remember with what feelings of awe it was always regarded by me in those earlier days, as something superior to the sphere in which I was born and to which I seemed confined. I some- times attended " meeting" in its large upper hall, which was fireless in winter as well as in summer, and supposed that this was all the connection I should ever have with its venerable existence. I looked upon the students who were so fortunate as to enjoy its full advantages as a privileged order, and could imagine no earthly condition which I should pride so highly as to become one of their happy number.
ENDICOTT & CO. LITH N Y.
Chailatte
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My wishes in this respect were destined in some degree to be gratified. A few weeks of mathematical instruction, under its most distinguished principal, Mr. Leonard, just at the close of his connection with that institution, was followed by a longer period of both classical and scientific study, un- der his successor, Mr. Aikin, and the supervision of the Rev. Mr. Barrow.
Brief as was the relation of instructor and pupil between Mr. Leonard and myself, it was sufficient to give me an ex- alted estimate, and a life-long recollection of his capabilities in that connection. I have never known a more lucid ex- positor of an abstruse subject, or one who would present any idea more clearly with the same number of words. He was the soul of the Academy and gave it most of its well-merited celebrity ; and whenever memory calls up that institution from among the shadows of the past, prominent in the fore- ground, is the figure of Mr. Leonard, with his cane and spectacles and with his erect military bearing.
Mr. Barrow was a gentleman of high intelligence and culture, and manifested the greatest interest in the welfare of those under his charge. He gave a new direction to the current of my life by inducing me to change my intention of soon bringing my academical studies to a close, and to attempt by my unaided efforts to acquire a full collegiate education. The usual recourse in such cases that of teach- ing school a portion of the year to supply the means of studying during the remainder was suggested and adopted.
During my seasons of study I lived at home, walking every morning and'evening nearly three miles toand from the Academy. This instead of being a disadvantage, doubtless contributed not only to my health but also to my educa- tional progress. It gave me the needful exercise without any loss of time. In fact I always regarded this long walk as the most favorable opportunity for studying such subjects as did not involve the necessity of carrying a burden of books. The distance was passed over mechanically and al-
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most unconsciously with less to interrupt the intellectual current than though I had been all the while seated at my desk. And ever since from force of habit or otherwise, whenever I have had an intricate and perplexing subject to untangle, I have resorted to walking as a means of render- ing my mind more active and less liable to confusion.
Among the many pleasing recollections which cluster around the Pompey Academy, were the exhibitions (as they were called,) with which the students and the public were sometimes indulged. These I always anticipated with the liveliest interest, long before I was in a condition to become an actor therein. And if as a spectator I could obtain a po- sition where I could see and hear all that there took place, I was on one of the pinnacles of human happiness.
The dramatic portions of the exercises on those occasions were most completely to my taste, and no theatrical exhi- bitions which I have ever witnessed since that time, when measured by the effect produced on my own mind, were superior to those there presented. Among the actors I par- ticularly remember Orange Butler, who would have made his mark as a comedian on any stage and before any au- dience, had he turned his chief attention and devoted his studies to his histrionic art.
I have also a vivid recollection of the effect produced on my young mind by Miss Charlotte Hopkins, now Mrs. Beardsley, as a vocalist on one of those occasions. I have since heard the voices of Jenny Lind, and Parepa Rosa and Miss Nilsson, with many others of wide celebrity, but the sensations produced by any of these were tame in compari- son with those which thrilled the soul of the rapt boy as he listened to the rich warblings of a strain from " the bards of Ayr," by Miss Hopkins. The echoes of that music have never yet wholly died away.
Much of the effect in these cases was doubtless due to the recaptivity of my own youthful nature. The keenness of my moral and intellectual appetites had not been blunted by-
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time or indulgence. Paucity of amusements caused a fuller appreciation of those we were privileged to enjoy. But af- ter making full allowance for all these considerations, very much of the effect to which I have alluded was doubtless due to the intrinsic excellence of what I then witnessed.
In illustration of this idea, I will refer to another of the few amusements of that early period, I mean the general trainings which annually took place on Pompey Hill. One of the chief charms on those occasions was the gingerbread made by a baker name Nettleton, which was then sure to be awaiting our expectant shillings. Its appreciated excellence was doubtless, partly due to a healthful appetite, which had then been rarely gratified and never pampered. But after making full allowance for this cause, no one whose memory extends back to those times, will ever question its intrinsic merits. Nettleton's gingerbread was one of the beneficent institutions of that day. Its manufacture is one of the lost arts. Perhaps the world is never again to know the secret of its perfection.
But there are other memories which the present occasion elicits, and to which I will briefly allude. Pompey Hill was then a village of no inconsiderable pretensions. It raised its head above its rural surroundings as high socially, as it stood geologically, and this pre-eminence was tacitly ac- knowledged by all the country people around. Thither they went for law, medicine and merchandise, thither they car- ried to market the products of their farms and of their han- diwork, and thither they wended their way annually to elec- tions, town meetings and general trainings, and on every Sunday to " meeting."
My earliest recollections are of the large upper room in the old Academy, to which I have already alluded, as the most pretentious place of religious worship for the Presby- terians, who were then the most numerous and wealthy de- nomination. In the progress of improvement, a new church was built by them in a more central portion of the village,
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and the Academy was occupied by the Baptists, who, after a few years, erected a building of their own. In the muta- tions to which all human affairs are subject, this building has since passed into the occupancy and ownership of the Roman Catholics. I was present when the erection of the steeple of the Presbyterian meeting house was completed, and saw a hair-brained man seat himself upon a three- pronged fork which was fixed by a socket upon the point of the spire. I turned away my eyes with a shudder, and when next I looked, he was coming down the spire head foremost like a squirrel. The bare thought of that transaction al- most makes my blood run cold to this dav.
I remember the time when most of our country people dwelt in log houses, and how I used to be impressed with the odor of aristocracy that seemed to surround the village habitations, all of which were of frame work, and most of them were even painted. The population of the town was considerably greater then than now, for all these log houses were crowded with children. The country had been chiefly settled by men in the prime of life, who had immigrated almost simultaneously, and purchased small farms averaging little if any more than one hundred acres each. David Green, owned three hundred and twenty acres, the two New- mans, John and Amos, had each about the same number. Conrad Bush had twice as many, but these were rare ex- ceptions. The consequence was that the whole country was densely populated at a very early day. The process which has since been going on has been that of uniting farms in- stead of diciding them. A considerable proportion of the country habitations have become tenantless, and have dis- appeared, in consequence of the emigration of their former occupants with their families, until the number of scholars in the district wherein I received my rudimentary educa- tion, is not now more than one-third, or perhaps one quar- ter of what it was when I was one of them ; and this diminu- tion would have been still much greater, but for the new
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element of Irish immigration which has filled in part the vacuum created by the causes above mentioned.
Away down the vista of the years that have forever fled, come visions of many more of the carly inhabitants of Pom- pey, who have passed from this mortal stage, to many of whom I was connected by ties of respect and gratitude in consequence of the salutary influence they have exerted over my destiny. Prominent among these, I will mention Daniel Wood, Victory Birdseye, Elisha Litchfield, Ansel Judd, Asa Wells, David F. Dodge and Daniel Gott. It was while struggling with an unfriendly fortune that these and others of lesser note by kindly counsel or otherwise, strengthened me in my purposes and aided in their accomplishment. A suggestion from the first named of these individuals induced me to consult the second, who by a letter to the third, then our representative in Congress, securedEme an appointment in the Military Academy, which thus unexpectedly changed again the current of my life.
But the advantages thus presented for my acceptance were not obtained without cost. They involved the neces- sity of a separation from home and kindred and friends, from all that constituted the world in which I then lived, and of entering upon a new and untried state of existence. One in whom the domestic ties were unusually strong, and who was called for the first time in his life away from their almost immediate influence, may well be supposed to feel the sac- rifice of all he has ever loved or valued ; but the measure of that sacrifice can only be fully appreciated by him who has had a like experience. It was the mental anguish of death while yet the life pulses were beating warm and healthful, while the senses were all unclouded, and while relief from physical agony afforded no part of a compensating equiva- lent. And when the nostalgie symptoms incident to such a state of mind and circumstances had become fairly devel- oped, actual death with all its attendant horrors seemed at- tractive and even welcome, provided my mortal frame could be restored to the scenes- for which my longing heart was
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pining with a desire as unconquerable as it may now seem extravagant.
But I persevered in the course I had chosen. The recu- perative forces of youth and nature triumphed. Another world grew up around me. A new moral creation sprung into existence, which has ever since been constantly extend- ing and consolidating itself and becoming more and more a subject of absorbing interest and affection.
Yet even still there is an inner world recognized and ever unforgotten. It lies next outside of the charmed circle of my childhood's home, and partakes of its peculiar influences, though these lessen in intensity in proportion as they in- crease in circumference. Its inhabitants seem different from those of the outer world. Whoever was born or has long resided in my native town, is bound to me by a tie un- known to others, and seems in some degree a relative. I have always availed myself of every convenient opportunity to keep alive the magie influence which connects my life with the place of its commencement, and the surroundings of its earlier stages, and have sometimes hoped it yet was destined to terminate near where it first began.
The great change in my life to which I have alluded, took place in 1825, a year not more momentous in my own his- tory than in that of the human race. Railroads, in the sense in which that word is now understood, were on that year first made a practical reality. The Stockton and Darl- ington railway for the general transportation of freight and passengers from place to place, commenced its operations in that year, and was the first of its species.
It constituted an era in human history, a new departure in the progress of civilization. Other inventions and other causes have contributed to the great result, but an impulse was then communicated which has elevated human nature to a higher plane of existence and endned it with new attri- butes and new capabilities. The man of to-day is a very different being from the man of 1825. He can fly through
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space with the speed of an eagle. He can practically navi- gate the summit of mountain ranges as well as the beds of the deeper rivers. He can converse with his friends who are a thousand miles distant, and is made instantaneously conscious of its daily occurrences among the antipodes. If at the expiration of another forty-six years, he is gfted with powers attributed to the genii of Arabic fiction, the change will hardly surpass that which our own eyes have witnessed.
But this change, great and beneficial as it has been in most respects, has not been without its disadvantages in others. Our native town, and especially its chief village, have felt some of its inauspicious effects. Its elevated position and other circumstances have placed it beyond the reach of any probable railroad or telegraph. In respect to other locali- ties, its relative movement has been backward. Its men of mark are mostly drawn to other centres. Syracuse, whose prosperity has by the cause we are considering, been so much enhanced, absorbs most of its mercantile and manufacturing enterprise. The great west which by the same causes, has been brought practically nearer to the principal markets of the world, entices its agricultural population, until like most of the other rural districts of the State, it has been constant- ly diminishing in comparative wealth and in actual popu- lation.
Yet while its hills remain to give their beautiful diversity to its unequalled landscapes, it will never be wanting in at- tractions for those who have an eye for rural beauty, wher- ever the places of their birth. But to one who was born and nurtured among those hills, of whose moral view they thus formed a living part and parcel, they will always possess a charm which time and distance can never dispel. Hun- dreds of years hence, the wanderer from this his birth place, shall wend hither his pilgrim steps, as I have often done, to gratify the irrepressible promptings of his heart, to for- tify the better principles of his nature, or to give his troubled spirit rest, by contemplating the theatre of his early inno- cence and by watching the lights and shadows that sweep over
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those grand and peaceful undulations, bringing calmness to a soul that has long been tempest tossed, among the con- flicts and commotions of the world without.
On the summit of the eminence which overlooks all its surroundings, and which is in the village burying ground, lies the brother by whose side I always slept in childhood, taking his final rest. Thither have I sometimes repaired on a summer's Sabbath hour, to meditate over the past and to admire the beautiful panorama which spreads on every side, as far as the eye can reach. The impenetrable veil of the primeval forest has been withdrawn so far as to diversify and unfold the beauties it can no longer conceal. The sum- mer breezes, whose wings never are scorched by any sultry sun, are there nestling in the groves or flitting out and in at the windows of the hundreds of quiet homes that are scattered all around. Hills and valleys all verdant and beau- tiful stretch themselves out in endless variety on every side, until they meet and mingle with the skies in the dim dis- tant horizon. It is the loveliest sight ofnature in her mildest mood that can be found in all the earth, and never satiates or ceases to delight the heart that is all attuned to its higher, holier impulses. No one need ever seek a preferable spot on which to await the momentous events of the rapidly ap- proaching future. I hope that I may yet again be some- times permitted to feast my moral appetite upon its rich but unchanging treasures.
Frequent are the admonitions however, that such privil- eges will soon be ended. At brief intervals the news is spread that some of our old familiar friends have passed for- ever away. Even with your letter came the sad intelligence that Mr. Daniel Marsh, whom I remember from my earliest years, and who then and for long years afterwards resided within sight of my birth place, would never again be seen in his frequent walks around your native village. One by one the Great Teacher's call is summoning us from our game of life, which, like our schoolboy sports, is often left unfinished. The writer of these lines will doubtless precede
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most of those for whom they are intended, but they all will follow, and oh how soon ! Faith then looks up with hope- ful eye to a higher destiny prepared by Him who has shaped all things more in kindlier adaptation to our individual hap- piness than could have been contrived by the most exalted human intelligence. Till then we all shall never meet again, but my kindest wishes shall attend each one in life, in death and in the realms beyond. From the narrow isthmus which connects the unforgotten past with the undeveloped future, I send you all my greeting, and bid you all till next we meet, adieu.
Yours, very truly,
CHAS. MASON. DR. R. F. STEVENS.
NEW YORK, June 24th, 1871. Dr. R. F. Stevens, Sec'y, g.c.
DEAR SIR :- Your proposed Pompey re-union has just come to my knowledge, having received from a relative this morning, a circular, in which my name appears as one of the speakers announced for the occasion.
The idea is novel, attractive, and admirably conceived.
I regret I did not know of it earlier, for I cannot think of any event, which would give me greater pleasure ; but it is now too late ; other matters will prevent my attendance.
It is natural to reverence my birth place, and early home. The sweetest memories cling to the familiar scenes and friends of sunny childhood and youth.
I spent several years at school and studying my profession on good old Pompey Hill, which has purer air and water, and is nearer Heaven than any inhabited place in the State.
I remember well preceptors Leonard and Huntington. The old yellow Academy with its BELL; Declamation Hall, &c. There was, as usual a great variety of talent among the pupils. Some afterwards became graduates, studied the different professions and met with varied fortune. And a
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few have made their mark, and have founded a lasting fame, but for pecuniary success, there was one, who never studied at all, and who has far excelled all the others. The son of a wealthy farmer of the county, he was sent to the Academy to get educated and prepared for business, and he was pro- vided with the necessary new books for the purpose. But the boy understood trade meant business, not education, or " Book-larnin," and he therefore spent most of his time at the Inn of Capt. Pitt Dyer. All old inhabitants will remem- ber the happy smiling face of the jovial Inn-keeper. This was the Pompey Exchange, where speculations, politics and religion were ably discussed, and where Uncle Nat stood champion of the world at chequers, and it was here the young pupil, between November and April, traded. Start- ing with the capital of a silver watch, he returned home in the Spring with four horses, three watches, and fifty dollars cash. The leaves of his books remained unsoiled. Uncle P. his father, was a practical man, he saw the situation at a glance, he made no farther effort in the line of the Academ- ics, but made a virtue of necessity and allowed the talents of his son to flow in their natural channel, and it is due to the boy to say, that well he improved the opportunity, and now in middle age, he is the wealthy man, sagacious trader, able financier, and influential citizen, although his corres- pondence exhibits some deficiency in his early school train- ing.
I am proud of my native town, she has always leaned to- ward the right, vice has found no abiding place within her limits. Her farmers for intelligence and integrity, rank among our best citizens. From my earliest recollection her common schools have been models not surpassed, if equalled, by the best of the present time, and in them a good busi- ness education was brought to the door of every one, and was well improved.
Among the able teachers in the old common school at Delphi, (my house,) which was one of the best in the coun- ty from 1815 to 1830, were Joshua A. Spencer, Elephalet
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Spencer, Hiram Denio, Wm. H. Shankland, Orville Robin- son, David C. Burdick and others, who afterwards became eminent men. Among their pupils I might name many who have done themselves great credit in after life.
Pompey was settled by hardy New England pioneers, who well understood the importance of schools. Their first business was to establish them, and thus they early shaped the future of this good old town.
The present generation is enjoying the fruits of their foresight and enterprise, long may they retain their just reputation as an intelligent and upright people.
In 1798, my father and mother, both from New England, settled in the then wilderness, on the hill about two miles from Deiphi, the nearest neighbor was two miles away. Within ten years the beautiful little village with its churches and school sprang up, and all the neighboring farms were occupied.
I cannot omit one more fact which commands my ven- eration and love for my native town. In her dust lie buried my parents, brothers, sisters and many relatives.
Regretting that I cannot be present, and wishing you pleasant weather for the occasion and a grand success,
I remain,
Your Obedient Servant, HERVEY SHELDON.
CLAY, ONONDAGA Co., N. Y., June 21, 1871.
Dr. R. F. Stevens :-
Having had an invitation to attend the "re-union at Pompey, on the 29th inst.," I hereby make known to you, my intention to be present.
I am not a native of Pompey. But in 1827, when a lad 14 years old, I went into the village of Delphi, to learn the hatting trade of Canfield Marsh, brother of Marovia Marsh, of Pompey Hill, also a hatter. In 1828, Marsh failed in
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business, and I was compelled to seek a new home. I went to the village of Fabius, and worked with Marvin Button, at the harness trade, until 1831. I then went to Pompey Hill, and worked with Edwin Dunbar, at the harness busi- ness, until May, 1834. That finished my residence in Pompey. October 12th, 1836, I married Miss Julia Penoyer, a native of Fabius, Onondaga Co., N. Y. In 1838, Ilocated in this little village, known as New Bridge, but the proper name is Belgium. The name of our Post Office is Clay. I hold a commission as Postmaster of Clay, N. Y., executed by Montgomery Blair, (P. M. General of the United States,) bearing date May 3d, 1861. I still continue as P. M.
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