The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-19
Andrew jackson
AS r1yth and r1an.
Some Views Concerning His Alleged lg-
norance, with Biographical Details.

n valuable horse against 5000. The
dice happened to be in his favor. and
the money paid some troublesome bills
jackson had sense enough TO reflect on
his wild folly. and. though he was for
Some years what might be called a
sporting man, his perilous wager partly
sohcrod him. IL does not speak highly
for North Carolina that he became q
schoolmastcr, but it seems 10 be proven
that he did sc. His spelling was de-
fective. lis grammatical knowledge inn
perfect. he was not shining example
for youth. and still there must have
been something about him that won
confidence 1t would be the grossest
Injustice to conclude that he was an
exceptionally unfit pedagogue for his
time. Long after he left the school
desk, indeed, after he conquered at
New Orleans. drunken schoolmesters
were not rare in country districts. Bad
spelling was not counted as a disquali-
tiCatior by school trustees, whose own
standard was below that of the would
he pCdagoCues. In out. Of -the-way dis
tricts one may still find teachers who
believe that the earth is fiat. Jack
sons self-respect would save him from
there is no doubt that his pupils obey
ed him. Even the most devout wor-
shipper of jackson will not claim that
as an educator he ranked with Pesta.
lozzi ana Arnold of Rugby.
STUDYING LAW.
Before reaching IS young Jackson be-
gan to study law. He applied to Colo
mel Wrightstill Avery. a lawyer of high
rank. whose library was famous for it's
day and locality, but could not find a
boarding place in the sparsely settled
neighbOihOOd. He then entered the
office of Spruce McCay, afterwards an
honored member of the North Carolina
bench. 1t is evident that the youth
had sense enough to choose worthy in
structors. Enemies have tried to prove
that he ignored his studies, and merely
passed from frOliC to froliC. The evil
denCe rather goes to show that he was
a bright young fellow, anxious to he
admitted to the bar, useful in the Office
and reveling in out-of-door pastimes.
Leaving MCCay's office, jackson stu
died under Colonel John Stokes,a ReVo-
lutiOnary veteran. Before he was 2O
Jackson was entitled to practice in the
courts. If we make allowance for the
desultOry youth of Burke. because he
delivered the speech on American tax
alton; If we forgive Scotts fOndness
for rambling with minstrels, because
he told us the story of "Redgauntlet" ="
we may have some charity for the out
door sports that perhaps fitted Jack
sons constitution to endure the Semi
mole War and the New Orleans cam
paign. Burke and Scott had fathers
who understood the parental art of
lecturing. Jackson had no father to
guide him at the time when a guide is
of most Importance.
MEMBER OF THE BAR.
OF all callings then open to Amer-
can youth the bar was best calculated
to tempt stripping of Jacksons fiery
| ambition. Many old attorneys had be-
come unpopular because of their Tory
ism during the revolution. As these
practitioners fell into the background
tyros pushed themselves forward
Jackson, according to a probable story
passed some time in a country store
but it is difficult to trace his move
ments for nearly "a year. Then came
the news that his friend John Nc.
Marry. had been made a judge for the
western district of North Carolina-the
| Tennessee of later years. jackson was
appointed public prosecutor for the
same district Few lawyers wanted the
| position and no timid man would have
accepted it, OF the inhabitants of the
| district many We're Indians or white
men of desperate character. A public
| prosecutor who did his duty was likely
to be shot in the back. jackson ant
| his friends reached the Western district
in safety, narrowly escaping an Indiar
| massacre. For seven years the young
| lawyer was never free from peril He
rode long circuits through forest.
where savages lurked, and he hat
| numerous hand-to-hand fights will
/ criminals. AS public official he stood
his ground. and the true friend o.
| those days was as ready to help his
| chum in fight as the true friend in
| our time to help tide over a financia
| difficulty. Peter Cartwright could no
| have been the hero of frontier Meth
! odism had he not been ready to with
| stand any ruffian who made trouble a
a camp meeting. Jackson needed the
same courage and prOmptitude tha
make up the model policeman in {
| lawless neighborhood. He had wha
he needed. The belief he would never
abandon a clients cause, though {
hired mob should tear down the court
house, won for him a large practice
He developed the physical calmness o.
one who is always watching for {
bludgeOn or a bullet. and the menta
| quickness of one who can plan out hi!
argument while deciding whether dis
tant object is a tree stump or an In
dian. Jackson's fees were mainly paiC
in land, and his mind, never obtuse
was sharpened by extensive real estate
| transactions.
IN POLITICS.
When it became evident that tn,
| Western district was to become Ten
nessee, Andrew Jackson served as ;
| delegate to the Constitutional conyen
ton, The state was entitled to on,
representative in congress, and Jack
son was chosen. While in congress h,
| made the acquaintance of jefferson
afterwards his bitter enemy; of Aaron
Burr, a dangerous and expensive frlent
in later life. and of Edward Living
ston, the most cultured and perhaps
the most valuable friend he ever made