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JAMES SHERMAN KIMBALL.
A SKETCH.
By J. W. K.
BOSTON:
THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY;
Instituted 1814.
DEPOSITORIES, 28 CORNHILL, BOSTON, AND 13 BIBLE HOUSE,
ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK.
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CONTENTS.
| PAGE | |
|---|---|
| I. | |
| Childhood | 5 |
| II. | |
| At School | 12 |
| III. | |
| In College | 27 |
| IV. | |
| Farm Life | 38 |
| V. | |
| Delegate of the Christian Commission | 43 |
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JAMES S. KIMBALL.
I.
CHILDHOOD.
Can a father, his heart yearning with unspeakable tenderness over achild worthy of all the love he inspired, tell the story of that childwisely, fairly, profitably? Let me try: for to me it seems full of thesweetest lessons our Lord could bestow on parents and on children.Perhaps a ray of heavenly light from his life may fall pleasantly uponsome[Pg 6] path,—a somber and rugged path, perchance,—bringing assurancethat in God’s time “the rough ways shall be made smooth,” and “lightarise in the darkness.”
James was received at his birth as a loan from the Lord, and was then,and thenceforward, consecrated unconditionally to him, to serve inwhatever capacity he should be best pleased to employ him. God gave hima most affectionate, and home-loving disposition. He was the sturdyfriend and helper of the little ones, and in his earliest letterwritten to his parents, before he was eight, he said, “I wish to live,with God’s consent, to see you in a good old age;[Pg 7] and I wish to liveto support you in your old age.”
He began life as other boys begin it, with great delight in hardysports, and a fair interest in study. He was unselfish, frank, andfearless. Having no inclination to be unkind to others, it seemed neverto occur to him that others could be unkind to him. Secure in thisunconscious panoply, he was welcome everywhere, and made friends beforehe thought of doing so.
At fourteen he began to realize the want of the new