\"\'Tis Sixty Years Since\"
In the single hour self-allotted for my part in this occasion there is much ground to cover,--the time is short, and I have far to go. Did I now, therefore, submit all I had proposed to say when I accepted your invitation, there would remain no space for preliminaries. Yet something of that character is in place. I will try to make it brief.[1] As the legend or text of what I have in mind to submit, I have given the words "'Tis Sixty Years Since." As some here doubtless recall, this is the second or subordinate title of Walter Scott's first novel, "Waverley," which brought him fame. Given to the world in 1814,--hard on a century ago,--"Waverley" told of the last Stuart effort to recover the crown of Great Britain,--that of "The '45." It so chances that Scott's period of retrospect is also just now most appropriate in my case, inasmuch as I entered Harvard as a student in the year 1853--"sixty years since!" It may fairly be asserted that school life ends, and what may in contradistinction thereto be termed thinking and acting life begins, the day the young man passes the threshold of the institution of more advanced education. For him, life's responsibilities then begin. Prior to that confused, thenceforth things with him become consecutive,--a sequence. Insensibly he puts away childish things.
than I did and she knows all about it."
We found Miss Harding, Miss Lawrence, LaHume, and Carter on the veranda,
and decided to enlarge the committee to six. Miss Harding said Mr.
Bishop intimated he should expect about a dozen of us.
"Well, let's see," figured Mr. Harding, and I felt in my bones he would
make a mess of it. "Get out your pencil, Smith, and take us down as I
give the names. There's Ma Harding and me, that's two; there's Carter
and Grace makes four; LaHume and his sweetheart makes six; then
there's----"
"Mr. LaHume and whom?" interrupted Miss Lawrence, her cheeks red and her
eyes snapping fire. The grin on LaHume's face died out.
"Why, LaHume and----"
"You've gone far enough," laughed Miss Harding. "Let me help you out,
papa. We will select the gentlemen first. Please take down this list,
Mr. Smith. Suppose we name Mr. LaHume, Mr. Carter, Mr. Marshall, Mr.
Chilvers, Mr. Smith, and Papa Harding. Then there's Miss Lawrence, Miss
Ross, Mrs. Marshall, Mrs. Chilvers, Mamma, and myself. That makes
twelve."
"Those were the ones I was going to name when you stopped me," declared
Mr. Harding, who pretended to be much puzzled, but who knew full well
In the single hour self-allotted for my part in this occasion there is much ground to cover,--the time is short, and I have far to go. Did I now, therefore, submit all I had proposed to say when I accepted your invitation, there would remain no space for preliminaries. Yet something of that character is in place. I will try to make it brief.[1] As the legend or text of what I have in mind to submit, I have given the words "'Tis Sixty Years Since." As some here doubtless recall, this is the second or subordinate title of Walter Scott's first novel, "Waverley," which brought him fame. Given to the world in 1814,--hard on a century ago,--"Waverley" told of the last Stuart effort to recover the crown of Great Britain,--that of "The '45." It so chances that Scott's period of retrospect is also just now most appropriate in my case, inasmuch as I entered Harvard as a student in the year 1853--"sixty years since!" It may fairly be asserted that school life ends, and what may in contradistinction thereto be termed thinking and acting life begins, the day the young man passes the threshold of the institution of more advanced education. For him, life's responsibilities then begin. Prior to that confused, thenceforth things with him become consecutive,--a sequence. Insensibly he puts away childish things.