We were allowed to have books in the cloth-room. The absence of
machinery permitted that privilege. Our superintendent, who was a
man of culture and a Christian gentleman of the Puritan-school,
dignifed and reserved, used often to stop at my desk in his daily
round to see what book I was reading. One day it was Mather's
"Magnalia," which I had brought from the public library, with a
desire to know something of the early history of New England. He
looked a little surprised at the archaeological turn my mind had
taken, but his only comment was, "A valuable old book that." It
was a satisfaction to have a superintendent like him, whose
granite principles, emphasized by his stately figure and bearing,
made him a tower of strength in the church and in the community.
He kept a silent, kindly, rigid watch over the corporation-life
of which he was the head; and only those of us who were
incidentally admitted to his confidence knew how carefully we
were guarded.
We had occasional glimpses into his own well-ordered home-life,
at social gatherings.
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