The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-11-18
A GREAT CAREER.
The Life Story of a Statesman
Whose Seventy-Seventh
Birthday Will To-
Morrow be Gel
ebrated.

That waa the defiant battle-cry two
wears ago of millions of democrats 10
every city and hamlet between the
Republic. In Ohio and her sister
states they will again take up the re,
frain Thursday, when the friends OF
Allen @. Thurman meet in Columbus
to celebrate the seventy-seventh ami.
versary of his birth. The fight OF
time only adds to the love and veneer
alton In which the brave old man is
held by his countrymen, irrespective
of party ties and associations.
The soubriquet "Old Roman" adj
mirably describes Allen Greenberry
Thurman. As we recede from the
angry, passionate period of the war
and the stormy era of reconstruction
that followed it his former opponents
see clearly what his own party always
saw-the sterling honesty: tie lofty
integrity, the rugged independence,
the rigid fidelity to duty, the stern
devotion to the country's interests
that have marked every step of the
long career ofthis distinguished states
man. The foremost living leader in
the republican party, James G..
Blaine, pays a splendid tribute to
Mr.. Thurman in his Twenty
Years in Congress" His
rank in the Senate" says Mr..
Blaine, twas established from the day
he took his seat, and was never low
cred during his period of service.
He was an admirably disciplined de-
bator, was fair in his method of state
ments, logical in his argument, honest
In his conclusion, He had no tricks
in discussion, no catch phrases to Sc
cure attention, bat was always direct
and manly. His retirement from the
Senate was a serious loss to his party
"a loss, indeed, to the body.
ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE.
By birth Mr.. Thurman is a Vir-
ginian. His grandfather was Bap-
fist clergyman in North Carolina and
from conscientious motives set all his
slaves at liberty. His father married
at Edenton, in the same State, but
removed Immediately after to Lynch
burg, in Virginia, where Mr.. Thur
man was born Nov. ID, 1913. The
battle of life was hard in the "Old
Dominion" or the atmosphere was
uncongenial, and in 1919, the Thur
man family moved across the noun
tains into Ohio, settling down at
Chillicothe, Allen was then only six
years old, small, frail and delicate.
His father, who had been intended
for the ministry, found employment
as a teacher in the new home, and
the son was, of course, one of the
pupils. But bis mother, who was the
half.sister of William Allen, after
wards United States Senator and
Governor of Ohio, was his principal
teacher at this time. She used to sit
up with him until midnight porting
over his lessons, and naturally he
made a rapid progress in his studies.
He was next sent TO the Chillicothe
High School and later on the Chilli
cothe Academy, an institution which.
it is said, was at that time up to the
standard of many modern colleges.
ALITTLE FINANCE.
But long before this there was a
little romance in young Thurman's
life which had an important bearing
on his eduction. A French family
ha i moved to Chiliicothe, intending
to settle on 6 large tract of land in
the vicinity which had bsen bought
without examination. 1t proved to
be uninhabi able, and the head of the
house was compelled t. teach school
in order to support bis family. Allen
was sent to him to learn French, and,
though only twelve or thirteen years
old, became deeply attached to the |
beautiful little daughter of his precep-
tor. He got along in French remark |
ably fast. Aftera year or so, however,
the Frenchman and his pretty little |
daughter left for New Orleans. where
he could meet some of his own country
men. His pupil mourned his depart |
ure, or. perhaps, the departure of his
little daughter; but Allen stuck to |
his French and the result is that the
s'Old Roman" of to-day is an excellent
French scholar. His favorite authors
are the earlier French dramatists,
whose works he reads in the original.
CHOICE OF A PROFESSION.
When he left the Chillicothe Acad.
envy, about the age of eighteen, the
question of selecting Ca
reer in life arose. In Ohio then, as
was in active demand, and many of
young Aliens friends believed that it