Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-05-11
BIOGRAPHICAL.
DAVID LIVINGSTONE.
BY REV. EDWARD A. RAND.

BY REV. EDWARD A. RAND.
All honor to the boy who is no,
ashamed to work with his own hands
and tina: credit belonged to David Llv'
ingston, afterwards famous as the mis-.
sionary traveller. Born in March, 1871
at Blantyre, Scotland, David did not
come into The world with silver spoon
in his mouth, hut an iron one, that was
probably dipped into oat meal as often
as any other food.
| His parents were poor, but they gave
him a good example, which is more of
a gift than some people receive. The
Livingston children were taught to be
honest, industrious and God-fearing.
A story ,old them was this, tina. one
OF their ancestors on his dying.bed
called his sons about him and said:
"Now, in my lifetime, l have search
ed most carefully through all the tfadi-
tons l could find of our family, and 1
never could discover that there was a
dishonest man among our forefathers.
If, therefore, any of you or Of your
children should take to dishonest ways,
it will not be because 1t runs in our
blood it does not belong to you. l
leave this precept with you: Be hon.
est"
David was lively lad, relishing fun.
but rellshing his BIO ks also. When
nine years old he repeated the one
hundred and nineteenth psalm on two
successive nights, and though that was
long hill to climb, his memory STUN.
bled only five times.
We can see where he may have &C
CURED love for adventure. When the
stars in the winter sky flashed like bits
of polished steel, warm fire was glow
ing on the hearth-stone of David's
home. Seated before the fire, his
grandfather would tell the young folks
old Scottish stories of the brave WAL
lace, the resolute Brucs and other
heroes. The stars without might look
more icy, the winter winds roar louder,
but within was that eagerly.listening
group, while IN the shadows, that the
fire sent dancing across the wall. fancy
might detect the form of "Black Doug
las" and his warriors moving out to the |
fight.
Grandmother Livingston would
sometimes sing old Highland ballads.
The boys imagination must have been
stirred by these fireside songs and
stories, and love OF adventure may
have been stimulated.
1t did not seem then as if this crav.
ing would ever be satisfied, for at the
age of ten, he went to work i'll a cot.
ton-mill as "piecer." His first weeks
work brought him sixty cents, and his
mother permitted him to retain enough
to buy Latin grammar-teE cents a
day! Poor picking on that bone!
Doubtless David was happy, for the
bone bought him Latin grammar.
From eight till ten he was at work, in
an evening school, on his Latin.
1.-THE dictionary part of my labors
was followed up till twelve o'clock or
later, fmy mother did not interfere by
jumping up and snatching the books
out of my hands. l had to be back in
the factory by six in the morning, and
continue my work, with intervals for
breakfast and dinner, till eight o'clock
at night. Tread in this way many of
The classical authors, and knew Virgil
aud Horace better at sixteen than do
1ow."
This was David's testimony. His
ather was a conscientious man, and
thought that he must prove his love for
lis boy by warning him against scien. I
ifc works and books of travel, which i
David says were his especial delight"
tut, his father feared, were "lnimicap ]
% religion" and he wanted to see 1
David pouring over the Cloud of Wit. a
lesses,' or 'Boston's Fourfold State"
Finally the anxious father took the =
tick to David because he would not a
cad "Wilberforce's Practical Christian. h
~" That was using the rod of war L
make the religion Of peace accep:a- l
lie. +
But David's father was conscientious u
all this. He had notion that y,
:ience was irreligious, but true science n,
My brings men to their Maker.
When a holiday came to David, he 10
as off hunting up specimens of the 70
ones and plants, and making investi. er
atoms also in zoology. IN
David the piecer, at the age of nlne- ~ ~
en-, was promoted to be David the ~
'inner, describing himself as a "slim, he
lad.'