Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-04-15
A Biographical Sketch.

successful manhood, and those difficult
les that presented themselves to the av-
erage boy forty years ago. To-day
hundred different paths are open and
there is only the imperative necessity
OF choice. Forty years ago it was
matter of blazing your own road and
hewing it out with no certain knowledge
of where it might lead after all. The
youth of the present period would stand
aghast at the obstacles which were quiz
city accepted and overcome by boys
who are now gray-haired men. The
hard necessities of early frontier life
bred boys with nerve. will and endur-
ance, not to be struck with sudden par
alysis at the sight of cord of wood to
be cut or row of corn to be hoed.
The other day we heard the brief
sketch of the early life of one of our
prominent Western men, which can be
taken as typical and which is suggest
i've lesson to the effeminate, flabby-
muscled youths who sit on fence corners
and expect to hatch fortunes.
This man was boy on a farm in Hi
nois, and from the time he was old
enough to handle hoe he was made
useful in variety of ways known only
to the small boy who lives on farm.
There was no coddling and petting in
those Spartan days. The boy must put
off babyhood with his skirts, get at once
into long trousers and be man. Knick-
erbockers and lace collars, costly toys
and kindergartens, were unknown. Up
to the age of thirteen this boy knew how
to work and how to read; but the latter
accomplishment had meager range.
The "Tales of Munchausen" were pored
over in the leisure moments until the
book was dogs-eared and bethumbed
by many readings and the wonderful
adventures of the Baron had no longer
any power to excite even temporary
surprise. This was the only book he
had read until he was twelve years old.
1t was "red-letter' day for this boy
who craved knowledge and had such
small qualification, when he discovered
in the house of a neighboring farmer
"Weem's Life of Marion" and this, to
his infinite delight, was given to him.
He carried it home, his heart beating
with delight as great as if he had been
presented with Alad din's lamp. Baron
Munchausen was now neglected and the
allegiance of the boyish heart transfer
red to the hero, Marion"
At nineteen our boy resolved to get
an education. and he set himself dill
gently to the task of learning arithme-
tic and writing. He soon had the three
Rs" at his command. His father dealt
in stock and the boy was sometimes al
lowed to accompany him with droves of
cattle. The cattle were driven to dis
tant mining camps to be sold for beef,
and the drive often occupied several
weeks, camping by the way. On one
of these journeys the horses were stolen
and the rest of the journey had to be
made on foot, and not only on foot, but
for the boy, on barefoot.
These journeys, together with his
work on the farm and an occasional
month or two at subscription school,
made up the narrow round of his life
until he was eighteen years old. About
this time, persisting in his heroic de-
termination to get a better education,
he succeeded in getting the position as
janitor in q college IN neighboring
state, where, by dint of hard work, of
severe self-denial, cooking for himself,
hauling wood. chopping tin short.
by doing any work he could get to do,
this persevering boy worked his way
there for time, studying hard and
making the most of his opportunities.
He afterward entered the sophomore
class in the Illinois College and gradu-
ated second in his class. But at the end
of his college course he found himself
considerably in debt. He had been
obliged to borrow money and he con-
sldered that no exertions that might be
necessary to pay his Indebtedness could
be too great as the price of that educa-
ton.
After graduating, 1.-THE world was all
before him where to choose but there
was little to determine his choice He
had no money to invest and few friends
to help him. With the true American
instinct, he started for the mines in an
adjoining state. Not succeeding in
making stake there, he hired out to
the Government and joined an expedl-
ton against the Indians. The expedi-
ton failing to accomplish the object of
its mission, the men received no pay
and our hero was left as badly off as
when he started.
The position of cook for q surveying
party offered itself, which, with a ge-
MUS for turning his hand to anything,
he accepted. He was soon promoted
from the frying pan to the tripod and
accompanied the party on an extensive
surveying trip about this and adjoining
states and as far as Lake Superior
This gave him his start. From that
time there was smoother sailing. He
continued surveying until he was APP
pointed to an office in the city which he
had chosen as his home. This position
he held for several years. During this
period his leisure moments were devot-
ed to the study of law, for he had now
determined on that profession. Through
his industry and economy he paid the
debts incurred in college and was only
then fairly ready to begin for himself.
He was honored by his county with an
election to the state legislature, and
while there the war broke out. He en-
tered the army as lieutenant and
served efficiently till the close of the
war, having risen to high rank. The
war over, he returned to the practice of
of his profession, to which he devoted
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