Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-03-01
Another to Be Added to List
Of BeardIess Presidents.
Have Had Only Three Full Boards
and Not One Bald Head.
Encouragement for Poor American Boys As 10
Blood and Ancestry.

cd States. President Clcveland's term ex
pircs mt noon Of that day, and President
Mckinley will not take the oath of Office
till about or 80 o'clock. No one need
be nervous concerning this intcrrcgnuin
however Tho governme will go on a.
usual. Tho people who arc always borrow
ing trouble about what would happen II
something else happened ask what would
become Of the government II some calam
ity were TO remove both Major Mckinley
and Mr.. Hobart before they took the oath
of office. Nothing ut all, save that Secre
tary Olney would become president. Thers
would be no anarchy. no struggle for pos
session Of the government, no confusion.
A Lone Mustacl,c.
Major Mckinley will be another of the
long line of smooth faced presidents. From
Washington 10 Lincoln all Of the presidents
but two wore smooth shaven faces, and
these two, ]. q. Adams and Van Buren,,
wore simple, high side whiskers. II is n
remarkable fact that in this country, where
n ma jority OF the men wear mustaches
without any other hirsutc aiornment, we
have never had but one president with a
mustache and nothing else. That presi.
dent Is Grover Cleveland. Lincoln wore
chin whiskcrs and no mustnchc Grant.
Hayes ard Garfield, n full beard: Arthur,
mustachc and side whiskers: Harrison. o
full beard, and Cleveland only simple
mustachc.
Another singular fact IL that we have
never had n haldhcaded president, as the
term is generally used. Scvcra! Of the ex
ccutives have had bald spots on the tops oi
their polls, but these were not large enough
20 attract much attention.
Major Mckinley Is not quite up to the
presidential average in stature. He is feet
. inches. General Harrison is feet :.
inches, the shortest president, next to Mad
ison, who was feet 6 inches. Washington
is said to have lecn 8 feet 3 inches, the
tallcst Of all the presidents. Lincoln stood
over 6 feet, and so did jackson. Both were
light Of weight. however. turning the
scales at about $50 pounds each Maio,
Mckinley is said by his friends to he grow
ing heavier all the time. and his weight IL
now about $50 pounds. Cleveland was thu
heaviest OF tho presidents. tipping the
beam at eco pounds. A large majority OF
our presidents have had bluc or gray eyes
and President Mckinley is no execution Il
the rule. All the earlier presidents wor.
SbibA pfu'ItW iItCtHtuT.
Adams was the first to wear collar Of any
sort. jackson muffled his throat and nccI
in black. Arthur was the only prcsilen'
who thought it worth while To keep II,
with the shifting styles in ncckwear H,
wns the best dressed president. while Zach
ary Taylor didn't care what sort of clothc.
he wore. We have had only ono rcd hairct
president Jefferson. Pierce had very hlacl
hat, s,,.1 r..
pearance was concerned. is counted thu
handsomest of tho presidents.
Another Mothers Boy.
President Mckinley is another mother.
boy" in the White House Though he hae
the advantage of a fathers care and coun
sci all through his boyhood and early man
hood, 1t is well known that his mother ex
ercised most influence upon his character
This appears to have been true of most oi
the presidents. 1t il odd that so few o
our presidents fathers lived to see theil
sons in the White House and only few IL
see their sons well ON the road to fame
There is encouragement for the poor boys
OF the country in the fact that nearly all OF
our presidents passed their early life annie
humble surroundings. President McKin
ley's parents were poor. Benjamin Harri
son began his struggle as n lawyer, with
capital of $780, Cleveland's parents were
in very moderate circumstances jackson
had but little education. and in early lift
was exceedingly ignorant. The parents
Grant, Fillmore, johnson, Garfield ant
buchanan were not able to do much if any
thing to help their sons on the road to sue
cess. Garfield was q mule boy on the canal
johnson was tailor and was taught read
ing, writing and arithmetic by the yo,,n:
lady who afterward became his wife; Lin
coins early struggles for education ant
livelihood are parts of history.
College Educatiops.
President Mckinley is another presiden;
who did not enjoy the advantages of a col
lege education. Neither Washington no,
Lincoln passed through college. Fifteer
presidents-the Adamses, Jefferson, Mad
ison, Monroe, the Harrisons, Tyler, Polk
Pierce, buchanan, Grant, Hayes, Garfield
and Arthur-were college men. William
and Mary college in Virginia still boast.
the greatest number of presidents in it.
alma mater-three. Harvard has two, anl
Hampden-Sidney, Princeton, Universir,
of North Carolina, Bowdoin. Dickinson
West Point, Kenyon, Union, Williams ant
Miami one each
President Mckinley, like most of hi,
predecessors in the White House, was
soldier. Washington, jackson, W. II. Har
rison and Taylor were major generals |
Taylor was u soldier, and nothing but !
soldier. Lincoln was a captain of militis |
In the Black Hawk war; Garfield was 8 |
major general, and Hayes a brigadier gen |
eral of volunteers Pierce was 4 brigatlie, |
general, and Benjamin Harrison briga |