Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-09-29

whose knowledge Of the man may have
commenced at a later day, Nor can it be
considered improper, Cat least the author
will never feel 1t so, although some fool
ish delicaey be sacrificed In the underta-
king, that when a friend, dear to him al
most from his boyish days. stands up be.
fore his country, misrepresented by indis.
criminate abuse, the one, hand, and by
aimless praise, on the other, he should be
sketched by one, who has had opportuni-
ties of knowing him well. and who Is GER
tainly inclined TO tell the truth.
"Itisperhaps right to say, that while this
biography Is so far sanctioned by General
Pierce, as itcomprisesa generally correct
narrative Of the principal events OF his life,
the author does not understand him us
thereby necessarily endorsing all the SEN
timents put forth by himself in the pro-
gress Of the work, These are the auth
or's own speculations upon the facts be.
fore him, and may. or may not, be in ac-
cordance with the ideas Of the individual
whose life he writes. That individuals
opinions, however, SO far as il is necessa-
ry to know them. may be read, in his
straightforward and consistent deeds.
with more certainty than those of almost
any other man before the public"
General Pierce is yet comparatively
young man, and his career has not been
either so prolonged or eventfui as to re-
quire a very elaborate biography. Mr..
Hawthorne has made no effort to expand
the record. With the skill Of q true art
list, and by emitting all unnecessary doc
umentary matters, he has con:rived to
condense the whole story within the mod
crate space of 140 duodecimo pages. But
they are Hawthorne 's-graceful, dignif.
ed, earnest. graphic, and compact, No
one can peruse them without inwardly
congratulating the subject of them upon
the possession of such an eloquent and
faithful chronicler and friend.
The principal charm of the work we
found TO consist in its personal details
The history of General Pierce's political
life is passed over with more haste than,
in our judgment, it deserved, though the
volume has probably lost little of its at
Effectiveness to the general reader from
this circumstance.
Hawthorne's acquaintance with Pierce
commenced at Bowdoin College, in 1921,
and he gives us the following account of
the event, and his early impressions of his
now distinguished friend
In 1890, at the age Of sixteen, he
(Pierce) became student of Bowdoin
College, At Brunswick, Maine. 1t was in
the autumn of the next year that the au.
thor of this memoir entered the class be-.
low him but our college "reminiscences,
however interesting to the parties con-
cerned, are not exactly material for BIZ
ography. He was then youth with the
hnN tr,H r
slender, of fair complexion, with light
hair that had curl in it; his bright and
cheerful aspect made kind of sunshine,
both as regarded its radiance and its
warmth insomuch that no shyness of
disposition, in his associates could we'll
resist its influence. We soon became ac-
quainted, and were more especially drawn
together as members of the same college
society There were two of these institu-
tons, dividing the college between them,
and typifying respectively, and with sim
gular accuracy of feature, the respectable
conservative, and the progressive or de-
mocratic parties. Pierce's native tenden-
oies inevitably drew him to the latter
His chum was Zenas Caldwell, several
years older than himself, member of the
Methodist persuasion, pure minded, stu
dious, devoutly religious character; en-
lowed thus early in life with the authori-
ty of grave and sagacious turn of mind.
The friendship between Pierce and him
appeared to be mutually strong, and was
OF itself pledge of correct department
in the former. His chief friend, l think,
was q classmate named Little, a Young
man of most estimablc qualities, and high
intellectual promise one of those fortu-
nate characters whom an early death SO
eanonizes in the remembrance of their
companions, that the perfect fulfilment of
a long life would scarcely give them
higher place,
"Jonathan Cilley, of my own class
whose untimely death is still mourfully
remembcred-a person of very marked
ability and great social influence, was ano.
Their of Pierce's friends. All these have
long been dead. There are others, still
alive, who would meet Franklin Pierce,
at this day, with AS warm pressure of
the hand, and the same confidence in his
kindly feelings, as when they parted, near
ly thirty years ago."
During the first two years of Pierce's
collegiate course, he did not give many of
the commonplace promises Of future emf
nonce. Indeed his biographer states that
he awoke one day and found himself at
the very foot Of his class. After fully re.
alizing the pleasures and notifications of
this position he rallied all his energies,
and from that time forth never incurred a
collegiate censure of any kind, and grad
uated third in his class. MIR. Hawthorne
refers to this incident, very properly, as a
striking illustration of Perce's indomita-
BILE will and strength of purpose.
The notice of Pierce's collegiate career
closes as follows:
eat this early period of his life. no was