Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-07-10
Personal Sketch of Senator Wade.

\ correspondent of the Cincinnati Com
mercial gives the following interesting per-
sonal sketch Of Senator Wade
:" His parents were among the poorest
people in Massachusetts, and he never had
but seven days schooling; yet at the age
of twenty-one he had read a great number
Of books. He read the Bible through in Il
single winter by the light of pine torches
in his wood-chopping cabin. His grand
father on his mothers's side was minister,
and had a small but wel-selected library,
and 10 this hr was indebted in his early
youth Tor much valuable information. Mr.
Wade is still hard student, and what he
studies is thoroughly mastered before he
lays it down.
-. The habits of the Senator are peculiar
He rises at daylight summer and winter,
and makes up the fires in the house then
he goes to his Office. makes the fire, sweeps
it out, dusts off the furniture, and goes TO
the stable TO look after his horses. When
he returns he wakes up the family, and
then goes TO his study and reads until called
to breakfast After breakfast he takes a
walk of two miles, and returns to his study
and reads until three o'clock In the after
noon, when the mail comes in. He goes to
the post office, gets his own mail. and opens
and reads it. All letters to be answered at
once are laid on his table, and the rest tied
in bunch and put into the drawer re
quiring attention" He gets over fifty pa
pers and periodicals. His wife, who is a
great reader, and most intelligent and ac-
complished lady, generally reads one or
two hours to him every night.
Mr. Wade is very fond of Nasty, and
all his letters are read at night, so the
whole family can laugh with him, for he
says he don't like to laugh alone. Comical
books are often read to him, and amuse
him immensely. His wife, being asked for
Christmas gift, bought him Old Mother
Goose and he was so greatly pleased with
her taste, that, to convince her he apprc-
ciated her gift, he learned every line by
heart and insisted on repeating it to her al
most daily. OF periodicals, the Westnlin-
ster Recielc, the atlantic Monthly, and
Harper he reads himself, and the rest are
sent to the family to be marked and read
as the papers.
At & O'Clock each day Mr. Wade fin
ishes reading his papers and goes to his
supper. He has not eaten dinner for twen-
ty years, contending that two meals day
are enough for any one to eat, and that he
always feels better when he only eats twice.
The rest of the family eat three times per
day Mr. Wade cannot eat anything
cooked in grease. After supper he walks
two miles and returns to his Office, which
he locks up at dusk and then joins his fam
lily. He retires early, seldom sitting up.
even in summer, later than ten o'clock.
For more than twenty years Mr. Wade
has taken his daily walk of four miles,
and it is this habit that enables him to
walk SO much when in Washington. He
always visits the Departments on foot.
"The senator is not rich man. but has
competence, which he made by hard toll
at his profession, and by saving each year
part of his salary. His income of seven
OF eight thousand year is all he wants,
as it enables him to live comfortably and
entertain his friends. 9
g Mr.. Wade was born at Feeding Hills
Massachusetts, in bS00, and is, therefore,
sixty-seven years of age; he can still shoot
rifle with almost any man in the state.
He frequently goes hunting and fishing, 3nd
is very fond of the society Of sportsHata.