Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-04-27
The Youth sf Juage Black.

Known eVen at Ssh early age, did not
aave Hhebest educational Opportunities
,btainable even in those primitive times.
He received his first Undertaking in
"a The schools about his own home. but he
completed his studies in private acad-
> fmy in Fayette County. He laid, how
ever. in school-honses, only meager
Foundation for the great store Of knowl-
ridge he has accumulated. He studied
the classics and read great authors by
she fiickering light of the. eyenin gsfire. or
in the gray of The morning, and then
spent the hours of toll recalling and re-
peating what he had read. During the
eighteen months which he spent upon
the farm after leaving school, and prior
to beginning the study of law, he trans
lated into English verse nearly all the
classics. His marvellous power for re-
tanning what he read was thus early
gained From the day he left school he
applied himself more assiduously to the
accumulation of practical knowledge
than while under teachers direction.
and even when honors were highest
and great duties thickest he always gave
few hours each dayFto reading current
literature. He is. therefore. a greater
nIaster of informatipn he Scan.use and
make useful to Others than almost any
other man in America 81
His early life at school sand on the
3 farmwas full sof hardships. His. ag-
q gressiye naturesand the ldifferenee be-
tween his tastes and ambitions and
those of the boys with whom he.was
surrounded often brought him conflicts,
and the severe battle Of life began early
and has never ceased. His form and
features seemtoE have been nodded to-
, 4 epress only the great force of his ma
IN cure. and therefore both his mind and
body were almost constant menace to
his ASSOCIATES, "A good story is told Of
hims which nicely illustrates this fact q
When about fourteen years old he was
attending school yat~ Somerset during
hotel kept by Captain Webster, a Rev,
dictionary soldier, and then, conse-
quently, man of great Importance.
His wife took a great fancy to, and con-
81 seqaently;a solid mother1y interest in
sthe boy. Sitting togethe one winter
evening, she was knitting industriously
and Black was studying his lessons ups
on the opposite side of the spacious
fireplace. He finally looked up from
his book to find that shevha stopped
Knitting and was gazing at him intent
ly. with an earnest look of inquiry upon
her countenance. Both looked each
othCI SdoAkk1elt JIIGS AssCC lOA d bfOlHClSs
when she drew the needle from her
wprk, and thrnsting it back again with
. sort of dissatisfied air, said rather re-
gretfully:
Jerry, you may some day be very
good'and a very smart man. 4 hope
you will. But, bless my soul, boy, you
/ viii never behandsomeH Ia +
The good, honest housewives predic-
tons were verified, for good looks have
never been counted as one of Judge
= Black attractions. The 'ungainly boy
in whose face the landlady tried to find
one handsome line, grew to be a man of
powerful frame, but neither form nor
feature gave relenting sign of attract
iveness. His personal appearance ad-
vertiSed his Intellectual and physical
fierce only. ..5....-.-.
.. , The good people among whom he
y, was reared, who looked upon books
/, land learning as a luxury, and patient,
80 -contented industry as the greatest of
virtues, did not regard young Blacks
T, :. thirst for knowledge with favor. They
Thought he spent time over his books
that had better be spent at toll. His
boyhood companions echoed the talk of
/, the elder folks about his aspirations,
. and one incident which he often tells
serves to show the drift of thought about
CefTN Didck sd1fU MS I1tuTe III LQ0 pidc0
where he was reared. .sfg
He was one day riding along the
country road, toward a neighbor' house,
Il with companion year or more older
than himself. He had just returned
from the winters school at Somerset,
and was in the coming fall to realize his
hearts desire-to be sent away to an
institution where there were greater OPP
.E portunities for learning the higher
Il branches of an English education than
about home.
, -. / am going away to school for two
~ years. said young Black to his CONF
p- panion. as they rode along The boy
hooked ut him in astonishment, for he
had always held the speakerto be prod
gigy. and was wont to- say,f when the
country lads asked information about
anything: i i +
ASK Jerry Black; he knows every
Why, amt you learnt through yetp"
me inquired when he recovered from his
d establishment that Black was going to
81 waste more time over books.
p - ''Why'no, I've hardly begun" was
the reply. r
!, The boy cast sort of Multiplying
glance at Black and said: Jerry, if
Won don't stop this book nonsense soon
you Ii be a lawyer yet. Philadelphia
wa 1890 III -