The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1859-11-25
The Early Years of Patrick
Henry,

there was youth in Hanover county, Va,
who in Scotland, would have been called
"ne'er do -weel," and in England a
" good for naught" He was idle, indo-
lent, careless He sha,nbled in his gait
and slouched in the carriage of his person.
Every moment which he could steal from
his forced occupations was spent in hunt
ing, angling, or lounging. 1t would have
required more than moral foresight to dis
cern in the awkward lazy youth, the great
prophet of revolution, and the mouIder of
one Of the grandest ephochs in the history
of the world .
Such was Patrick Henry in his earlier
days. The contrast between this figure,
and that of the impassioned tribune of the
people, the gigantic leader Of rebellion, is
sufficiently striking to render picture of
the man under both phrases, interesting.
| shall attempt to collect those personal
and characteristic memorials which re
main, and combine them in sketch of the
celebrated man to whom they refer. Pat
rick Henry had good blood in his veins.
1t is the fashion to regard him as a Imam
of the people" in every sense of the word
as sprung from low rank in society,
whence he emerged, and stood upon higher
social ground, by the force and splendor
of his genius Such was not the TACT -
Without entering upon the discussion of
the influence of pedigree, or clai ling any
peculiar virtue for what is called blood
it is enough to say that the noble nature
of Henry had its original in no ignoble
source. His mother-to commence with
the parent from whom men generally de-
rive their intellectual and moral character.
as from their fathers they are apt to derive
their physical characteristics-his mother
was OF an old AMI respectable family, the
Winstons of Winston, in E gland, Sir John
Winston was gentleman of mark in the
days ofQueen Elizabeth; and Lady Pene
| lope has given her name to numerous des-
cendants in Virginia. The mother of
Patrick Henry, married, first, Col. John
Syme of Hanover, and afterwards Col.
John Henry. Col. Henry was native Of
Aberdeen, Scotland, nephew on the ma
ternal side of Or. William Robertson, the
historian and gentleman of fine educa
ton and high character. The fact that
be held for long series of years the post
of presiding magistrate in the County
Court, is sufficient evidence of the respect
which his neghbors felt for him. lie was
good classical scholar, "a man of liberal
instincts, and devoted loyalist. He was
Colonel of the county MALTA, AS we'll as a
magistrate, and drank the health of his
Majesty King George, with loyal ferver
Such was the father of Patrick Henry, and
such the atmosphere in which the boy was
raised He was sent at an early age to
one of those provincial Old field schools"
which exerted so important an influence a.
the period. Here in the log cabin on the
edge of the forest, the young OF both sexes
and ali conditions met--the child of th"
woman and the heir of The great landed
proprietor-and tho birch descended i'm
partially on the rich and the poor. At
fourteen the boy was taken home to
Mount Brilliant" whittier his father irad
removed from his former house, called
Studdley," and opened grammar school
for the education of his children and the
children of the neighbors.. At this time
Patrick Henry seems to have learned all
that he knew of the classics. l. is pIob-
able that he acquired 90 little Latin and
less Greek" a fact which must be attribu-
: ted solely to his own Incidence. He was
incorrigibly lazy. The habits which he
contracted in these earl y years clung to
him throughout life, dimming the splendor
of his genius, and often paralizing his en-
erges in the Burgesses, at the bar and in
the general Congress, where the better
trained men of the north often threw him
into the back ground. His passions were
angling, hunting and idliug. Thus passed
some years, when the narrowing fortunes
Of his father made it necessary for him to
call on his sons for assistance. Patrick
Henry was placed in country store; and
soon afterward his father set him up in
business with his elder brother, William,
for a partner. Never was an enterprise
more i'll advised. An idle youth of genius
set to sell groceries and dry goods in
f country store The result was more d.
verting than fortunate. Patrick Henry.
storekeeper, like Patrick Henry, school
boy. was bent upon following his own fan
, cies. Instead of drudging at the counter
or the led ger, he procured "a flute and vlo
, lin upon which he expended all his ener-
| SicS. w HeH not pa. my "Po" HIS " -
t ite instruments he was angling and hunt
ing as before; or relating stories to his
customers for the purpose of watching
i. the expression of their countenances.
In year or two the store was closed.
, Henry was bankrupt. To add to the EN-
barrassment of his position, the future ora
tor had married young girl of the neigh
, borhood, Miss Shelton, the daughter OF a
! respectable farmer With the assistance
of his fsther-in law, he purchased small
a farm, which in another year was duly un-
der the hammer. The scant property
! still in his possession was again invested
in merchandise" and iienry returned
to his violin, bis flute, his angling and his
: story telling with ardor. lie played ex
cellentlv, told a capital story, and ''never
} had it in his heart to refuse any one cred
, it." The inevitable consequence of this
method of carrying on business was bank
ruptcy, as before, and Henry found himself
for The third time thrown upon the world
without the means of supporting bis faml
ly. What was he to do! he had twice
tried trade and once agriculture. The
law only remained, since medicine requir'