Excepting milk, the only other drink used in the house was water--clear water drawn from the mountain spring.

The clothing of the family was comely and decent; but it was all home-made: it was simple, like their diet.

Occasionally one of the mountain sheep was killed for purposes of food; and towards the end of the year, a cow was killed and salted down for provision during winter.
The hide was tanned, and the leather furnished shoes for the family.

By these and other means, this venerable clergyman reared his numerous family; not only preserving them, as he so affectingly says, "from wanting the necessaries of life," but affording them "an unstinted education, and the means of raising themselves in society."[1] Many men, in order to advance themselves in the world, and to raise themselves in society, have "scorned delights and lived laborious days." They have lived humbly and frugally, in order to accomplish greater things.

They have supported themselves by their hand labour, until they could support themselves by their head labour.