The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-29
INSPIRED BY LINCOLN.
STORY OF THE BRILLIANT RISE OF
A COLLEGE PRESIDENT.

Thirty-One Years Ago Jacob Gould
Schurman Was Earning $50 Year
in an Obscure Village in Prince
Edwards 'Island-Six Years Ago, Mt
the Age of 3s. He Was Made Pres
ident of Cornell Univcrsity--HOw
He Did It-Bitter Early Struggle
for EducatiOn-Three Famous
Scholarships WOn-RuIe for Keep
ing Wei.
Copyright, 1899. by E. w. Mayo)
New York, Jan. 27.-Thirty lone years ago
Jacob Gould Schurman was working in
a country store in Prince Edwards Island
for $50 a year and his board. Six years
| ago, at the age of So. he became president
of Cornell University, and he is now looked
upon as one of the leading educators of
the country. The transformation from
country clerk 10 university president was
brought about entirely by Mr.. Sehurman's
own efforts. From the time he was 10 he
did not have dollar except what he earn
| ed. In spite of this handicap he obtained
a thorough education, making a record for
scholarship that probably has never been
equaled under like circumstances. How
| il was done is thus told by President
5churman:
Inspired by Abraham Lincoln.
'rINhen l read the life of Abraham Lin
coin l was deeply Impressed by 1t, and
said 10 myself: Here is a man whose boy
hood was like my own For this reason
I think that 1 can understand and appre-
ciate Lincoln better than most men of the
younger generation are capable of doing.
| | know what it Is to grow up in new
country, to feel the pinch of poverty and
the heavy burden of toll that always ac-
company such a life, to struggle hard for
| advantages which come quite in the nat
ural course of events in more settled COM
| munities.
''By this I do not mean to say that my
| father was worse off than the general run
of settlers In Prince Edward Island in the
| year 1854. when l was born. He had gone
into the island a generation before and
| had hewed a home out of the forest. 1At
| the time of my boyhood he had upwards
| of 100 acres cleared and under cultivation
| But no amount of land and no amount OF
toll could give one much more than the
| bare necessities in that time and place.
There was not railway on the island,
nor a daily newspaper, and as. for thea
| ters I was never inside of one until after
7 was 90 The only books in my father s
| house were the Bible, Fox's Book of Mar
| tvrs Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and a
| few Others of that standard class. My
| earliest book was all outdoors, and l think
| that it is not bad text book for young
ster. either.
working for Ten Cents Day.
| .When I was ten years old / was hired
for a day by one of our neigh
bors to help with his thresh-
ing. The work assigned to me
was to cut the bands Of the oat-sheaves
and pass them to the man who FED the
grain into the drum of the separator. II
was not easy work. The sheaves went
through the machine as fast as the man
| could handle Them and the boy who cut
! bands had to make his hands fly. I
worked at that from sunrise to dark, and
al the end proudly carried home my pay
-sixpence! As the money of the Do,
minion stood then, it was equal to about
| u cents. A cent an hour for the hardest
kind of manual labor boy could perform!
| That was the way money came in Prince
Edward Island in those days. But it was
big money TO me, for it was the first | had
ever seen that / could call really my own.
''When | was ID 1 left home. l had
formed the idea that / wanted TO get into
a store / don't know that | had any
clear idea about my future 1 merely want
ed to get into the town and do something
| for myself So my father got me place
in the nearest own-Summerside-a vii
| lage of about 900 inhabitants. The terms
were that 1 was to board with my en-
| ployer, as was the custom then, and in
| addition receive for my services, $50 at the
| end of the year. Not iordly sum, was
it. for twelve or fourteen hours work per
! day? But it was the first rung of the
! ladder for me. From that day until this
l have always been dependent on my own
efforts
IL worked in this store for year. and
then got place in a larger store in the
same town with exactly twice the salary,
$50 year. That was advancement indeed.
l remained there for two years, until I
was nearly is. Then / gave up the po-
sition of my own accord because had de-
termined to get better education.
/ "As I look back upon it now it seems
to me that the chief influence which led
to my decision was the local minister. My
parents were members of the Baptist
! Church. He took an interest in me and
did for me what the Scotch dominic of a
| generation ago was accustomed to do for
his poor and ambitious boys-gave me
! good advice and urged me to obtain a
college education. The good man had in
| mind TO make a minister of me, and /,
! so far as l thought of the matter, sup
| posed that that would be the natural ca
reer for me If went to college,
II can remember well when I told my
employer of my decision. l had pondered
| 1t long, but hated to tell him. l liked
him and I liked the business. / put the
| job off for long time, but at last one
night when we were walking home TO sup
per together, / blurted out what was on
nv mind. He was greatly surprised. He
told me that he liked me, was satisfied
with my work and would like to keep
me with him. Then and there he offered
| to double my pay for the next year If /
would stay with him. thanked him, and
| said that my mind was made up and I
wanted to get an education.
! Turning Point in His Career.
THAT was the turning point for me. On
the one side was my desire for an educa-
! ton. / did not know how / was to obtain
il except that 1t must be by my own ef-
forts on the other side was the certainty
| of $40 yearly In addition to my board and
| the prospect OF still further advancement