The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-10-25
MISCELLANEOUS.
~. From the A66eviile Banner.
a Sketch Of the Early Life of John c.
Calhoun.

|
BEN LoMoSD, 1ala. Co. Ala.-I re
ceiVed yours of the 7th instant, a few
days ago. Having been warm frien,
and ardent admIrer of Mr.. Calhoun,
take pleasure in answering your inquire
concerning his early life, rs tar AS All
able. lie was seven years my senior, an,
OF course WAS but boy when he attain
Ell to tue age OF manhood. first knew
hliu IN the year 1901, when We were fo
few months schooItelows in the Acade
my then taught bv the late DR.. WaddeI
IN Vienna. Mr.. Calhoun soon a ter tbi.
lime entered Yale College, and my edu
cation having only just begun, | saw
nothing OF him, until commenced the
study of law in the summer of lSIO.-
At this time Mr.. 9. was prs.cticiny law a,
Abhevllie Court House, the late Governor
Noble being his partner. They occupied
as AN office, the house in which Gov. No
bie afterwards lived till his dealh. Ate,
l'knew him Us u lawyer, MIR. 9. always
boarded at the hotel known as The
Red uouse,' and now occupied by the
McLaren fanny. During part, if not
all Tile time he boarded there, the hotel
was kept by George Whitfield. The
business Ut the Court was at that time
divided pretty equally between the three
offices-Calhou" and Mobiles, Is. Z. Yam
cey's and my brother George Bowie
There were at this time six or eight stu.
dents III these offices, viz: Capt. Robert
Cunningham, Vi Lsurens District, and
Nathaniel A. Ware, in Calhoun and
Nobie's, Wilson B.rk. of Georgia, j. L.
Whitfield, aud 9. y. Yancey in Mr.. Yau.
cey's, and Tie late Chief Justice Of Ala
baina, AbnerS Lipsconb, and myself in
my brothers office.
Mr.. q. was always kind and familiar
with oyaItea 9}sn.- aud eyer ready 10 ad-
tons. IL WAS our constant habit to as-
se,nb'e IN tie summer evenings in MIR.
Caihoun's piazza and listen u his conver-
satIon, IN wh'ch his partner and Mr.. Yam
cey, and sometimes the older students,
participated. In this way he delighted
To Instruct his young friends, and | be-
Iieve we all protiled greatly by such oc-
caIsions. AT this period Of his life. and
believe ever after wards, Mr.. Calhoun was
IN the habit of taking much exercise, and
always on foot. lis customary walk was
up tne PendleIon road, aud he seldom
turned before he had walked mile and
a half. This exercise was usually taken
very early in the morning, and lie was
generally willing ~ have one OF his young
IrIeuds as companIon-not To enjoy
their conversation, but 10 benefit them 10y
has. | remember, ON Que occasion he III
vlled me To accompany him in his morn
my stroll-and refer to il now, not TO
CLAIM ANY particular Intimacy with SO dis
lngulshed man, Of which any one
lnIght justly be proud, but TO record a
disciplinary achievement of his own.
wuIcn Struck HE al tile tine as being very
wonderful. lie WAS endeavoring to in
press upon my MUD the great importance
oI cullivalins the pot0er Of attention
and 10 encourage me in my efforts ht
stated that to This end he had early sub.
jected his mud to such course Of rigid
discipline, aud had persisted without ia :
termg until he had acquired n perfect con-
lrol over It, and that he could now con-
fine il rs long as le pleased, to any sub
ject without wandering even for a mo-
ineni, and that it was bls uniform habit,
when he set out alone, 10 walk or ride,
~ select subject Tor reflection, and tha,
he newer suffered his attention TO wander
from il until he was satisfied with its ex-
ANIMATION. In this single achievement i
" be found rs firmly believe, the prm
c'pai cause OF hls qu'es intellectual ,ri
unph; this made hnn the greatest think
sr oi hls age, and 10 this achievement are
We to attribute his wonderful powers o
continuation and analysis.
You ask me, "~hen, and on what oc
casion did he make bls very first publ,
efforts" The first public speech eveI
heard him make was on the occasion OF =
public meeting OF the citizens OF AUbe