Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-11-15
w III IS'TO N GRAPHIC
IAN ODD HONEYMOON.
= Texas congressman's Bridal
Tour ~ Wagon.
sided IL HIS Education by His Bride
4. while Performing the Offices
,. 81 . Bnckwoods Ped
i. M. agOEue.

~ I = ~ =. i gU
I I......s....s asosae'
There are few men in the present
congress whose early histories are
linked with what they still call the
.'good old days. when they shaped
md. carved their own careers. The
cne whose story follows has 61a lines
shout himself in the congressional di-
xectory, says the Washington Star
He was in his room the other night
reading Cesar's Commentaries when
interrupted by visitor, politician.
When the business talk was over the
visitor went out and met an acquaint-
ance, to whom he said:
II called on Texas congressman
awhile ago and found him reading
Latin. I didn't know he was college
man
The visitors inference was cor
rect from where he stands. for he is
one Of the present generation. But
30 years ago no one was suspected OF
being couege-bred simply because he
could translate Latin. The Texas rep
resentatiye of this story is not only
tolerably well up in classics. He is
90 proficient in the higher branches of
mathematics that few college men
could puzzle him. He is lawyer and
was q soldier in the civil war.
When he married 33 years ago, he
could read and write. Beyond that
he claimed nothing. He. knew little
of the history of his country. His
honeymoon journey was made in a
two-horse wagon from his home to
South Carolina to what was then a re-
mote settlement in Texas. He started
on the day of his wedding. He reached
his destination, which has been his
home ever since. on Christmas eve.
There were more Indians in the set
Element than whites. The rife and
shotgun were as necessary as the
plow.
After the young South Caroinan
had cast about for means of liveli-
hood, some of the neighbors suggest
ed that he take up school, That
was the way it was expressed then,
and the expression is adhered to still
in some parts of the south.
He went home and told his bride.
He knew she was capable of teaching,
and the proposition was made to her.
She dissented and told her husband to
sccept. He realized his inability as an
instructor. His wife urged him to take
it. II will help you," she said:
He became a backwoods pedagogue,
and the first few weeks had no trouble
in his work. His pupils were nearly
all of the kindergarten class, or would
be so considered at this time. Later
older and more advanced pupils came
into the school, and the young peda-
gogue was troubled in mind. He
assigned the lessons for the advanced
pupils a day ahead, and at night he,
with his wife's assistance, labored late
over the problems for the next day.
He heard these classes first while the
lessons were fresh in his mind.
But occasionally an "overly smart
boy" as he said, ''would want to know
something hadn't thought of, and l
would be floored. But knew it would
never do to show my ignorance. and
that is where 1 learned my first lesson
in whatever diplomacy may have.
was always on the alert for the
smart scholar who knew more than !
knew, and when he asked me stump
er had some excuse ready and put
him off until the next day. Then when
I went home my wife and would
tackle the smart boys poser, and
maybe we would work on it until
quite late. But we always mastered
it, and when 1 called school next day
! expatiated learnedly on the ques.
ton.
But to this there was a serious OBJ
lection, for my learned disquisitior
nearly always aroused the latent GU
1iosity of some other boy, and hi
would come at me with proposition
which l would have to sidetrack unit
the next day.
Preparing lessons in Texas in those
days had its dangers. The Indians die
their mischief most generally in the
night, and in consequence most whites
were afraid to have lighted candles
The lights attracted the Indians. anC
they would come and demand admit
lance. If the house was darkene6
they were less liable to annoy. Many
night my wife has darkened tn,
windows with what few clothes W,
could spare and we prepared our les
son by the light in the fireplace"
In this way the young pedagogu'
worked until by his own exertion an.
the assistance of his wife he was fur
ther advanced than the average pub
lie school pupil of to-day in his thirt
year. In time he was ahead of hi
pupils and no longer lodged problem
from one day until the next. H
studied law and was admitted to tn
bar. He was successful. The civi
war interrupted him in his work H
enlisted az private in the confed
crate cause.
He was reelected to the Forty
eighth congress and reelected fou
times in succession. Then he d.
clined, but two years later was cleo,
ed again, and has been reelected twic
since.
a Well-Me rited Retort.
Ex-Asxistant United States Attorne
Sutherland Tenny, Of New York. v,
graduated from the Columbia In