Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1838-05-19
From the United States Democratic Review
AMOS KENDALL.

/ part ol oul ptCSthl loiluSdl FNiN"h' A"O N'N"'u-
on the opposite page will exhibit to those who do
not know the Postmaster General representa-
ton as faithful as It is spirited OF his contour aud
appearance Mr. kendars present position is
one Of The proudeSt ever won by the mere force OF
personal character and talent, working out uni
form political pnnciplc, and deriving not the small
| lest AID from adventurous circumstances of any
description. Aud we feel that We can do the
country no more essential service, than to place
before It's youth the saluiary example and slmn-
lus of Mr.. Kcndalrs striking history. As a les
son at once impressive and instructive aud as the
most eileCtual means of opening the eyes OF Mr..
| kendalfS political enemies, to the great wrong
and injustice which their blind hostility had been
led TO perpciratc, in OBTAINING With perpetual in
salt and untrulh the person and character of a
man whose whole history and life present living
rofutation of aspcislon.
Me, Kendall was born August 10th 1850, IN
Dunstable, Massachusetts, ofths plain and hardy
yeomanry of that secluded district, being the
sixth Of twelve childron, three Of whom were
daughters. PUNISHABLE Is n township Of farmers
giving about hundred and twenty votes and
tho character of It's population may be estimated
from the fact that they have never had a lawyer
residing among them. Doctors, too, have often
made the experiment Of its healthy air and SIM
pie habits, but were soon starved out, and left it
in despair Of ever getting q patient. Until re-
Gently they have had no merchant aud scarcely
ever pauper, but, true to the Instincts of New
England, they have generally managed TO support
their preacher. The place is remarkable for lon
gevlty. Mr.. kendalrs father is now living Al,
tho age Of eighty five, his mother having died
about six years ago at the age Of seventy.sIx, on
the spot where his grandfather and Grandmother
had settled down NJ their marriage, and where,
after climbing hfe's hill together, they lay down
peacefully at the foot oli,s gentle descent, in the
full ripeness of honorable old agc-hayng mum.
bercd, the former eighyfour, and tho latter eieh-
ty-iyo years. Many Of tho old residents of the
vicinity have lived to like age, and several have
exceeded ninety To the hereditary strength OF
constitution, naturally to be derived from such a
stock, is doubtless 10 be attributed MIR. Ken
dals ability TO endure in his depressed state Of
health, the extreme unrelaxlng severity Of his
present official lahors. Ills parents were from
early life professors Of religion, and none were
ever more true in ihcr uniform way OF life, tt
their profession. Such was tho neIghborhood
and such the home influences, in tho midst o
which the early years of,he subject OF The pres
ent sketch, were passed.
Mr. Kendall was MS matter of course, raise,
to labor on his fathers farm. His opporunilie
for education in early boyhood, were the same
those Of other farmers boys in that region, con
sisng altogether Of the country free schools
Before he was old enough TO render his labor val
liable on the farm, he went 10 a woman schoo
each summer for about two months, and 10
man school in the winter for about the sam
length Of time. But after attaining the aye
eight VI ten years, ho could no longer be spare
at all IN the summer: and soon afterwards, HI
elder brothers leaving home, he was not able I
ENJOY INC advantage Of oven this rldimcn,r
schooling, for several seasons, Tor more INA
from four to six weeks in the winter. II may wei
however be questioned whether this negccIe
and piccemea mode Of picking up an education
so common among the hardy and hearted yeo
many of our country, Is not Tar preferable, ~ It
ultimate influence on the formation OF character
to the hot-bed system so much in practice IN on
cities, OF which the effect is too often, not onl
injurious in physical point Of view, but encryr
ting to the mind by too precoclous deyeopt
men so as TO plant caTly and deeply the seed
of mental and moral disease the evil effects
which remain perccpubc through life. lie froi
the earliest age eyincod an earnest thirst after it
formation, md remarkable facility in IT'S acqus
ton and his case seems TO deserve 20 be cite
among the many already on record as example
10 the young and unfortunate IN circumstance
Of the pursuit Of knowledge under diGiculde
lie was fond OF school, obedlcnt to bis teacher
and assidious IN his studies and at home devou
ed eagerly every thing of nteres; that he cou
get within his reach, and in his way There WI
a small library in the township, all the works
!" which having reference 10 geography, histor
science and general literature, he read thIout
before he was fifteen years old. in The SUNNI
his father allowed his boys TEST Of about y
hours in the middle Of tho day. This interim
sion Of labor, as also the long winter evening
he applied to reading.
His taste for books and his rapid progress
tracted attention and remark, which made his
ther DESTROYS Of giving hun a more liberal educ
ton but he had not the means without srato
ing severely the circumstances Of the rest Of (
e family. He, however, offered bis son his time
nc; parental favor not slight in importance and Vi
ue--with all the aid he could Justly give, if
thought proper TO make the effort. The of
was accepted, and in the fall of 1900 he spt
* about eleven weeks nj New Ipswich Acaden
dit boarding with brother and paying for his bot
ler by manual labor night and morning. In
Q winter he retired home and attended the f
~, school. The next summer he spent at \
Ear Ipswich Academy, paying for his board as belo
The next winter, being then sixteen years old,
IN. taught free school in North Reading Mas
d chusetis three months, for which he received
,nc board and thirteen dollars month, and with
Ally money thus acquired he went 10 Groton Acca
my, Massachusetts, the next season, IN Aug
I'M 1907, entered the Freshman class at Dartmo
me College. New Hampshire, being examined
y,s' admitted by one Of tile professors who pas