The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-10-24

Brief sketch of MIR. Calhoun.

Brief Sketch of MIR. Calhoun.
~ Anything winch relates to the early life Of one so
Justly distngu as our departed statesman vas
will be read with interest The following brief sketch
shas been furnished the Abbeyile Banner by Mr.. A.
Bowie IN the form Of letter, from Ben Lomand Tala.
dega County, Alabama:
~ Dr.. j. II. EoGAN:-Dear SirF:-I received
yours ofsthe 7th instant, a few days ago.
Having been aswarna friend and ardent adm.
irer Of Mr.. Calhoun, take pleasure in answer
saing yonr inquiries concerning his early lite, as
s sfsr; as / am able He was seven years my Sc
( riior, and of course / was but a boy when he
attained to the age. Of manhood. first knew
.himsin.th year 1901 when we were, for a few
months, schoolfellows in; the Academy then
taught by the late DR.. Waddel. in Vienna
Z Mr. Calhoun soon after this time entered Yale
! College, and my education having only just
! hegnn; saw nothing Of him until commenced
s the study of law in the summer of 1870
4 4 At this time SMr c. was practicing law at Alb
sbeville Court House, the late Governor Noble
7 being his. .partnerss.T They occupied, as an Of
i fee. the house in which Governor Noble after.
wards lived tiIlshis death. After knew him
asa lawyer Mr.. G. always boarded at the no.
: tel Known as g The Red House. and now oc-
Z cnpied by the McLaren family. During part,
sifipet all thestime he boarded there the hotel
was kept BY George w hitefeld. The business
{ Of the Court was, at that time divided pretty
4 eeually between the three ofiees-Calh"un d
ssNobies, b: o. Yancey's and ybrother George
Bowie There were at this time six or eight
stndents9in these Offices, viz: Capt. Robert
Cunningham, of Laurens District and Nathan
ial Ak Ware, in Calhoun and Noble's, VIII.
Brk, ,of Georgia, J. T. White6eld and c. C..
4 y Yancey, iii Mr.. Yancey's, and the lac Chief
! Justice of Alabama, Abner S. Lipscomb aud
myself in my brothers Office.
: Mr. C. was always kind and familiar with
young men, and ever ready to advance them
Sby his. .counsels aud instructions. 1t was our
constant habit to assemble in the summer eve
snipgs in Mr.. Calhoun's piazza and listen to his
! conversation, in which his partner and Mr..
I Yancey, and sometimes the Older students, par
ticipated. In this way he delighted to instruct
his Young friends, and believe we all pro6ted
greatly by such occasions, At this period of
his life, and believe ever afterwards, Mr.. Cal
houn: was in the habtof taking much exercise,
J. and always on foot. His customary walk was
up the Peudleton road, and he seldom turned
before he had walked a mile aud a half. This
exercise was usually taken very early in the
morning, and ne was seneraly willing to have
a8one Of bis young friends as ascompanlon not
to ENJOY their conversation, but to bene6tthem
gsby he's. / remember, on one occasion, he invi-
!. ted me to accompany him in his morning stroll
s-sand -and Irefer to it now, not to claim any
particular intimacy with so distinguished q man,
sofs whichany one might justly be proud, but
to record a disciplinary achievement ofahis
own; which struck me at the time as being
very wonderful He was endeavoriug to i'm,
press; upon my mind the great Importance IF
csltiyating the pover Of attention, and to en-
courage me in my efforts he stated that to this
end he had early subjected dis.1nind to such a
course 81 rigid discipline, and had persisted
without faltering until he had acquired a per
]: feet confroi oserit, aud that hecouid now con-
fine ii as long as be pleased, to any subject
: without wandering even for a moment; and
J thatit was his uniform habit, when he set out
alone, 10 walk or ride, to select a subject for
reflection, and that he ersuffered his atten-
tion to wander from ii until he was satisfied
! with its Examination In this single achieve
sment IS to be found, as ], firmly believe, the
scsanse IF bs oniet intellectual tri
I .pa put ,,aaa I'm, ,ba areatest thinker Of
80 "a @ .a M;s aeb;eueaeent are ". to at.
..hass s s s - J Of combination
.Ss saS,sssiss;;s "a - r r,
w AZ = "a ,,,,sn and on what occasion
Ara ls ,,sr, ,ss ube effort 9" The
ssi svsr So board him make was
M . ~ uos nnb,;c mseting Of the ei.
~ o. ~ - 3 hhsg;lI 3 caIed on the occasion of