The herald., 1895-07-01
HALSTEAD'S PADDY'S RUN PAPERS

Tnere was a feeling that the country. IN O
way owed tho Harrison5 term Of the
presidency, as the one who had been
elected served only a little over month,
and Ben was the foremost family repre-
sentative, though his elder brother was in
figure and face like his grandfather. I
shall not undertake to tell of the college
adventures in which the future president
participated, for experience has taught me
that we are liable to differ materially 40
to the truth-that is to say, the accuracy
of the anecdotes that schoolfellows re-
late of each other. am sure q good many
things that appear to be authenticated bet
yond reasonable doubt in my own caso
never happened, and just who were pres
ent when a false fire alarm was run4s
and when there was a midnight moon
light theatrical performance, with sn au-
dience apparently of angels I shay not
hazard recollection. The college sarnpA
is indeed, with very rare exceptions, pa,
thetically innocent entertainment. Them
is never anything surprisingly orig
inal, and do not remember any affair tca
extravagant for good fun. Benjamin Har-
rison was not at school for amusement,
applied himself intently, soon getting tie
reputation of diligent- student, who.
though he was fond of amusement, neg
lected no duty and lost no time. In the
literary society that had the pleasure ee
his allegiance he was very soon one Of the
best declaimors. Tho name of the societf
was the Philomathean, which reminded
me Of the mythical Philemeth. The rfvak
society was called the Burritt, for Klthg
Burritt, the learned blacksmith" sup
posed in those times to be famous mum
with an educational influence.
There were treasures in the libraries Df
the literary societies. The PhilomatheaH
had the Waverley novels, and one Sab1r-
day I got into my hand "Ivanhoe" and
took a seat to glance at it. was soon in
another world, and the glory of 1t abidee.
1t was the first novel read, with the,
exception Of some scattering chapters of
1.-THE Scottish Chiefs" which were bewil-
dering, but did not watt one away. The
splendor, the magic of literature, grew
more and moro fascinating, but seemed
moro and more impossible as an oocupe-
tion. How one could live by writing Z
had no idea until the Cincinnati CONNER
cial offered prize for the best novelette,
produced within stated time and also .
prize for tho second best. And the pos
sibility of the conversion Of manuscript
into bread and butter seemed to be like
that of getting fortune out of a lottery,
only more preoarious. Besides what was
one to write about, and who would care
for it2 Clearly there was mo thorough
fare'' that way. The law was the caper:
There were lawyers walking about even al
other men, and they made speeches, and
| some Of them went to the legislature and
even to congress. proceeded SO faras te
ascertain that the first book to read when
| 1cx nYo IL A,-k
worse than studying grammar. II one
reading novels, the path Of the student
would have been strewn with roses. That
| was the way 1t seemed to me. doino1
know why II was, but the boys who did
not care as much as they should about
their studies appeared 6 have An afhntty
for me. Theoretically wapted them to
let me alone for had noftfme to throw
away. ] had lost a good deal Of time, "A
far as sobooihooss were concerned, In my
preparatory ccurso IT farming, and need.
cd to mako Extraordinary exertions I'd
catch up. Bill's fiddle and Harry's bones.
however, anaest ceased from troubling,
and began slowly to get the hang Of tn
! schoolhouss. Some of us, after thelhoH-
day recess, settled down to work and tried
intently to get a pull on our minds
and got glinlpses sonetimes of the way u
was done, Though We were constantly, -tq
some extent, disoouraged by being told
that education VAS a preparation for the
serious work of life. Real work, then, did
not consist altogether In feeding, ourryine,
gearing and hitching up horses, or In chop.
ping wood, or making fence, or hoeina
corn, or husking it.
College Hill was but seven milessfrom
the center of Cincinnati, and there was Z
daily omnibus to the metropolis. Several
of the boys lived there, and there was. q
female college half mile away from tbs
Farmers and largely patronized by thu
Cincinnati families. The theory was that
there could be but little known In one OF
the colleges that happened in the other,
but that was q mistake in fact Some ol
the girls were good enough to have cousins
among the boys. There was a way oi
sending girls whose fathers died, away
from home to boarding school, and tall
| young ladies in black we're often to be seen,
especially on Sunday, when the procession
marched from the Ohio Female college
to the Farmers college, and those slender
forms in somber weeds were $50 near, and
| yet so far, " and when lost to sight wers
still to memory dear.
MURAT HALsTEADs
|