St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-08
THE scHooLMAsTER IN POLITICS.


President CLEvELAND's first occupation
in life was that of school teacher, and those
who have closely watched the present adj
ministration in the matter of appointments
to Office affect to discover that the president
still evinces partiality for those who COM
meneed life with pedagogic experience.
The president, as is generally known. spent
the first year of his manhood at the school
desk and as reader in an asylum for the
blind. educating himself and preparing for
the bar at the same time. Knowing ones
say that he has a natural leaning toward
those who began life like himself, and that
he regards their classroom experience as
giving them peculiar fitness for the dis
charge of duties pertaining to official life.
The Washington correspondent OF the
Philadelphia Times has recently been look
ing into this matter and discovers that a
majority of the more important appointees
under the present administration have at
some period of their careers figured as
school teachers. Mr.. PHELPS, the minister
to England, presided over small country
school in Vermont when he was not quite
IS and was college professor at the time
of his appointment to the diplomatic SER
vice. Gov. McLANE, minister to the
French government, earned enough money
by teaching to keep himself two years in
university. Mr.. KELLEY, who was ap-.
pointed representative at the court of
Vienna and afterward resigned, passed four.
years as vice principal of his fathers acad-
envy at Petersburg and is very fond of re-
ferring to the time thus spent, attributing
to it the requirements of the patience and
industry which have given him success in
life.
Mr.. LoTHRoP, minister to Russia after
graduating in the law department at Har
ward, went to Michigan to grow up with
the country. The profits of his profession
did not, however, grow as fast as his neces-
sites and he was obliged to assume the
duties of pedagogue for about nine months
in order to make both ends meet. Every
one has heard of Minister Coxs failure in
teaching the youthful mind how to shoot
Three months in anOhio school, devoted more
to pugilistic eXerc ises with refractory pu-
pills than to class work, convinced the young
teacher that he had mistaken his vocation.
A request for his resignation, Endorsed
unanimously by the boys parents, had also
something to do with Mr.. CoX's retirement
from the field of pedagogism. RUFUS MA
GEE, who has gone to Sweden, instructed
Catholic youth in the parochial schools at
Vincennes, Ind. Gen. JACKSON, minister
to Mexico, taught for some time in a
Georgia military school, but no mention is
made Of this in the sketches of his life
which have recently been published. Lower
grades Of the diplomatic service, and in
deed the whole list of appointments, show
the same predominance of whilom school
teachers as appears in the first and second
class missions. Further investigation by
the correspondent disclosed the fact that
the heroes of the birch have gone up higher,
in three instances having gone from the
school-house to the White house. Since
1880 we have seen in the executive chair
three presidents in succession who once
occupied rostrums in country school-houses.
President GARFIELD left the tow path for
the teachers desk and was all his life con-
nected with educational institutions in one
capacity or another. It is said that he con-
templated accepting the presidency of
Massachusetts college when he was made
the Republican standard bearer; but, of
course, he no longer considered the idea
after that event. President ARTHUR like
wise welded the rod before welding the
executive authority. The particulars of the
teaching period of the ex-presidents life are
not generally known. 1t is certain that he
caught the Western fever away back in the
SOS and set out for Iowa to garner in the
wealth which was so scarce among the
sterile mountains of Vermont. The gar
nering was not so easy as he expected.
Like thousands of other men who have gone
West with the idea that stray fortunes are
wandering around there, seeking conven-
lent pocket in which to repose, he found
that work, and very hard work, too, was
the only key to natures treasure chest.
Having only smattering of law and an
Indifferent general education, he first sought
in vain field where his requirements
might bring him fortune or even a
subsistence. 1t is said that he tried the
plowshare for while. Then he drifted
into country store as bookkeeper, clerk,
porter and sweeper. Finally he conceived
the happy idea Of opening school during
the winter months. This plan was of all
his Western ventures the most pro-
ductive financially, for in less than
six months he managed by close
economy to lay aside enough money
to bring him back to the East and forthwith
left for home. Soon afterwards he was adj
mitted to the bar in New York, where he
practiced his profession until he was ap-
pointed collector of the port. President
CLEVELAND is third of the trio of teachers
who have gone up from the school to the
White house. Had the Republicans been
successful in the last campaign we would
still have three successive presidents who
began life as pedagogues. Mr.. BLAINE's
career as professor in a Kentucky military
academy has been sketched frequently
within the past two years-tOo frequently,
in fact, for Mr.. BLAINE's peace of mind
and success as a presidential candidate.
Turning a glance toward the last con-
gress the same correspondent discovers
that the school house has been the
alma mater of large number OF Americas
most distinguished statesmen OF the present
time, and the school-room has been the
novitiate through which many of our Oldest
legislators have passed before they attained
distinction. Speaker CARLISLE lorded it
over two score Kentucky urchins while pre-
pairing for the bar, and still lives near the
old house within whose walls he instilled
wisdom into the minds of embryo Kentucky
colonies. He is very fond OF the building,
keeping it in repair at his own expense and
contributing freely to sustain it as private
institution, since the public schools have
taken away most of its patronage. The
sneaker, with his smooth thOughtfnl face