Chapter 9

FIRST LITERARY ENTERPRISE.

A Piece of Poetry--Pronounced Good--Proposition to Print his Articles--"The Lighthouse Tragedy"--A Sailor's Song--Printing them--Selling them in the Streets--A Successful Enterprise--His Father opposes--Condemns Poetry in general and Benjamin's in particular--A severe Rebuke--Crestfallen--Conference with James-- His Father's Censure a Benefit--Practice of writing Composition excellent--How it Benefited Benjamin, even Pecuniarily--The Farmer's Son and Minister 85-92