Gratification

We occasionally get a few gleams of encouragement while struggling through the trials of life.A number of years ago a person employed by the Dominion Government to give sketches of the various towns in Canada, and especially to describe the power of the various streams and the number of streams in each town or neighborhood ; he came to us, as we had written rhymes on the rivers and creeks. Years afterwards we were informed by persons who came from Britain, as the book was to encourage emigration,that my name was the only one they had ever heard of in Ingersoll until they came here.The celebrated Spaulding, manufacturer and inventor of prepared glue, was in town a few days ago. He expressed to a gentleman in town that he was gratified with a conversation he had with me on poetic themes. As there is no natural affinity or adhesion binding glue to poetry, we might say we discovered that the inventor possessed a refined and cultivated mind and a fund of American humor.An old lady expressed herself very warmly after reading my Canadian romance, that it was a true history of herself and husband ; that 35 years ago they were not worth a dollar,and now they had 500 acres paid for of good land. The reason why we alluded to this is:-Some have no faith that there is anything worthy of commemorating in their own country, but consider worthy themes for either song or story are three thousand miles across the Atlantic.