At this early period of my life, country children did not have the advantages they now have, and it was so even with children living in villages. I was a farmer's son, and I now well remember the shoemaker that came from the east, and whipped the cat, as he called it, then I got my year's stock of shoes, consisting of one pair; if these did not last me till the cat-whipper came around again, I had to go barefoot till he came again, or get the promise for another pair of some other shoemaker, and that was about the same as going barefoot. I well remember this day, in the days of my youth, many a time washing my feet in the cold months of autumn, and my mother oiling them with sweet cream, and putting me to bed. Many a time have I went to the old district school-house to hear Rev. Aaron Haynes preach, when a boy, and that too barefoot. I also remember of once hearing an old Rev. Bennet, who came from Pownal to our school-house, and preached; the text I do not remember. The prayer he made I cannot reiterate. But I very well remember an anecdote he told, concerning himself, when he was a young man (and methinks he was a little hypocritical at the time). Be that as it may, it appears it was in a time of some excitement, and he said he was away from home on a visit among some of his friends; sitting one evening with his friends, it being nearly time to retire to rest, he says to his friends, "Shall we have a word of prayer before we retire?" "If you please," was the response. And now for the prayer. It was a premeditated prayer, as he said, and he was not a Christian at this time; the prayer he had framed up by his own wisdom and strength, he thought very appropriate and very nice for the occasion; then said he, "I bowed upon my knees to reiterate this nice prayer, and for my life," said he, "I could not recall a single word of it to my mind. I was upon my knees, ashamed, and could not pray my nice prayer. I quickly arose from my knees and ran for bed, leaving my friends to say their own prayers, covering up my head in bed, with shame, to rest for the night." I would here remark, if any there be who are now feeling they need to pray, come to Jesus and ask him to give you that faith which works by love and purifies the heart, and he will teach you to pray in spirit and in truth, and you will not be ashamed nor confounded. Here one passage of Scripture comes to my mind, and it is this: "Man know thyself." Men are very apt to know their neighbors better in their own estimation than they know themselves. First pull the beam out of thine eye.