I was the second son of a farmer, whose place of residence was a western district of Pennsylvania.

My eldest brother seemed fitted by nature for the employment to which he was destined.

His wishes never led him astray from the hay-stack and the furrow.

His ideas never ranged beyond the sphere of his vision, or suggested the possibility that to-morrow could differ from to-day.

He could read and write, because he had no alternative between learning the lesson prescribed to him, and punishment.