The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-01-18

How lss went 90 school In Cfer.
mont Cssnty, Ohio, and Gss Tlo9.
From the Cincinnati Post

- .
From the Cincinnati Post AZ.
Away mp in the small hollow Jus
this side OF Amelia, in Clermont coun
ty, there stood, few years ago, an oil
country school house, weathtll beaten
tumble-down and disused, which Tia,
old inhabitants pointed out as tn,
place where Ulysses s. Grant receives
his early education. The building ha,
since been torn down, we believe, bu
there are rscolloctions connected will
il which have become Of historic inter
est.
Nobody thought when Grant was I
boy" said an old citizen Of Clermon
county, who attended this school al
he would amount to much. The most
promising boy in the school at thai
time was one named Henry Wattey.--
He was ut the head of the class in
mathematics, geography, spelling and
all the other studies, and everybody
prophesied great things Of him. But
be is now running forty acre farm mp
in Warren county . naHGfnq
How did Grant average in his stud
les ?"
"Oniy middling. lie would never
be called dull, but he was never brill.
liant. He used TO spend q great deal oi
his time in reading the Life of Napole-
on, which interfsred considerably with
his school duties, until the teacher de-
stroyed that book by 'puttingi 1t into the
stove. asf vrb edf lisW lasg I.
WAS he punctual in, his attend
ance ?" =, t
I"very. He never stayed away from
school, unless compelled TO by eircnm-
stances. lie was never late, either,
bat was among the first to reach tho
school house in the morning"
"Was he noisy boy ?" 10 q.
E"No, sir. Although courteous 10 ev-
srybody, ho Was not loud-monthed
like the other boys. but spoke in a low
and quiet tone Of voice with unusual
dignity for one OF his years" ~ f581o
I'VE always called him Hiram ut
school" continued the old stsger, y
Nobody ever thought OF calling him
Ulysses; and after the capture Of
vioksburg, when we had not heard
from him for years, a great many OF US
did not know, or even imagine that it
was the boy who used to go to the old
log school house in the hollow"
"Was Grant playful boy ." s4D
mot by any means. You never
could get him to take part in any game
or sport except snow ball fight. In
that he delighted. But as bull pen
or ball playing was concerned, he would
never take any part, but would sit on a
fence or a stump and look on. gf.. ...
During his school days. did he ever
exhibit signs Of the persevering spirit
for which he has since become notedf"
81 can remember but one occasios,
and that was when the school master
hogged him to make him give up q
jack-knife with which he had been
cutting the side of his desk The
.chool-master demanded the knife,
but Grant refused to give il mp. The
teacher tried to take it away, but could
not do il. He then sent out into the
woods and got long, black hickory
switch, with which he belabored the
future president to make him surren-
dor the knife. But Grant parsistently
declined. and, at last. the pedagogue
was forced to stop from sheer exhaus-
ton. The incident was forcibly recall
ed to my mind when he made the ia
nous remark: al will fight it out on
| this line IL il takes all summer, and by
many other similar incidents OF his fu-
ture career" "I saw Grant when he
was here at the Burnet house in u, ="
continued our interviewer, "nnd he
was the first to recognize me and give
me a cordial hand shake. He even
came through crowd of dignitaries TO
shake hands with an old schoolmate.