In December 1807, W.H. Maynard, Esq., was teaching a school for a
quarter in the town of Plainfield, Massachusetts. One cold, blustering
morning, on entering his schoolroom, he observed a lad he had not seen
before, sitting on one of the benches. The lad soon made known his
errand to Mr Maynard. He was fifteen years old; his parents lived
seven miles distant; he wanted an education, and had come from home on
foot that morning, to see if Mr Maynard could help him to contrive how
to obtain it. Mr Maynard asked him if he was acquainted with any one
in the place. 'No.' 'Do your parents know any one here?' 'No.' 'Can
your parents help you towards obtaining an education?' 'No.' 'Have you
any friends that can give you assistance!' 'No.' 'Well, how do you
expect to obtain an education?' 'I don't know, but I thought I would
come and see you.' Mr Maynard told him to stay that day, and he would
see what could be done. He discovered that the boy was possessed of
good sense, but no uncommon brilliancy; and he was particularly struck
with the cool and resolute manner in which he undertook to conquer
difficulties which would have intimidated common minds. In the course
of the day, Mr Maynard made provision for having him boarded through
the winter in the family with himself, the lad paying for his board by
his services out of school. He gave himself diligently to study, in
which he made good but not rapid proficiency, improving every
opportunity of reading and conversation for acquiring knowledge: and
thus spent the winter. When Mr Maynard left the place in the spring,
he engaged a minister, who had resided about four miles from the boy's
father, to hear his recitations; and the boy accordingly boarded at
home and pursued his studies. It is unnecessary to pursue the
narrative further. Mr Maynard never saw the lad afterwards. But this
was the early history of the Rev. Jonas King, D.D., whose exertions in
the cause of Oriental learning, and in alleviating the miseries of
Greece, have endeared him alike to the scholar and the philanthropist,
and shed a bright ray of glory on his native country.