The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-09-26

days almost every man can recall some
carefully treasured ambition OF villa,
he was to become in the future. Which
1T that time he fully intended t. real!
izc. In the great majority 81 cases
these ambitions seem luiicrpu-, il not
entirely incomprchcn-ib!p and it is
often difficult to trace tli -orrcc Of
some aspiration whrll he can rcmcm-
Der to have been firmly implanted in
his breast while bpy.
a visit - circus. the absorption
Of luril literature Of one sort or an
other, he proximity Of Il railroad to
the home Of one ; carly days and any
number of other causes stir up desire
in the heart Of the average boy to be-
come circus rider, Western scout !,
an engineer or some equally cxating
calling. And there is scarcely man
who does not recall time at which he
nourishcd one or the other of the am
bitions mentioned.
a number Of business men Of this
city were visited lately and were asked
whether they could recall any boyish
ambition Of the sort and in nearly
every case an affirmative answer was
given. Contrastcd with the profcs.
sions the same men arc now following,
the ambitions seem ludicrous in The
extreme, and one sincere cause Of con
graduation which most Of them pos
sess is the fact that their aspirations
developed between the ages Of 10 and
II were not realized.
Ex-Governor William J. Stone was
approached on the subject and con
fcsscd that he had his boyish ambi-
tions Of the sort. His family lived
near road on which stages were con
stantly passing, and the chief bright
ness which he believed the future to
hold for him was the fact that he
might one day grow UP and become a
stage driver.
''Thc stage coach used to be great
attraction for all Of the boys said
the Ex-Governor. 1--WE used to sit by
the side Of the road and watch the
coach pass, and as soon aS that buglc
was heard you could see long string
Of boys trailing to the stopping place
to watch the vehicle pull up. That
there could be any calling more invit-
ing than that Of driver We could not
believe.
Thomas McPhcctcrs, president Of
the McPhcctcrs Warehouse Company
and stockholdcr in as many differ
ent companies as any man in the city,
also had his boyish ideas. His idea
could hardly be called hope for the
future, however, as it was nothing
more nor less than to be a knight
after the style Of Ivanhoe.
~ was greatly impressed with Ivan
hoe said Mr.. McPhcctcrs, "and upon
finishing the book I concluded that
was cut out for knight. I had a
pony in those days and used to get a
long stick TO represent lance and 90
charging around with it. Ironweed
grew quite thickly in the part came
from and as it is very straight, it an
swered admirably for sword So
with my pony, lance and sword, was
completely fitted out for the part
James l.. Blair, the wcll-knowu
lawyer, read Maync Reid books while
boy and was divided between de-
sire to become pirate or scout.
Il believe the desire to become
pirate and the wish to be scout on
the fronticrpossesscd me alternately,
he said, "and certainly had no idea
of becoming a lawyer. That profes-
sion would have seemed entirely too
prosaic for me in those days
William r. Gentry, formerly Of Co.
lumbia, Mo-, but now member of the
law firm of Henderson Il Gentry of
this city, was next approached. Mr..
Gentry is member of the wcll-known
Gentry family, whose love for fine
horse-fesh is known, so it is perhaps
little wonder that he intended to be-
come horse doctor at one time.
CAT one time 1 studied agriculture,
with view to preparing myself for a
farmer said Mr.. Gentry, "but while
doing SO became greatly impressed
with veterinary surgery, and had a
great ambition to become horse doc
tor. During portion of my boyhood
days l also had a desire to become a
physician, and was ready to enter on
the study Of medicine when finished
my academic career in the State Uni
versity, but spell of fever scared me
off, making me think I was not strong
enough TO be doctor. The practice
of law was furthest from nv thoupbt q