The colored American., 1900-10-20

true aud faithful counsellor. He gave
him sympathy, treated him as an
equal, visited his humble home and in
vlted him to his own house, as well as
gave him the use of his splendid libra
ry. For ten years he was his Sunday
school teacher, directed his cours- Of
reading and study, gave him his first
ideas OF the nature Of society and hu'
man rights, and instructed him in men.
tai and moral philosophy.
As pupil he had often been called up
on to act as monitor, and frequently to
hear classes recite. and he began in his
seventeenth year to teach school at Mt.
Harmony, Tenn. raising the standard
for temperance and purity, and carry
ing on vigorous crusade against the
use of tobacco. He organized a debat-
ing society and strove to improve the
condition Of the people. An enthusias'
tic and successful teacher from the be-
ginning he was employed asecond year
AS student-teachera at Athens and at
terWards at Warner Institute, Jones'
borough, he won the highest praise.
He conducted schools at Johnson City
and at Greenevllle with remarkable
success, continuing his studies while
teaching, and occasionally reporting to
the Institute for emananition and in
struction. Vacation always found him
with book in his hand.
He began to take an interest in pub
lie affairs by circulating a petition mem
orializing Congress for the passage of
Charles summers Supplemental OWL
Rig hts Bill. As this was in the trying
days Of Reconstruction, q white ply
sician who favored the measure was
driven out of the town with his family
and others threatened.
Young Richards early acquired re
putation in his native county as aspeak
er, having carried off the prize in an
oratorical contest at Forest Hill in his
sixteenth year, his competitors being
picked scholars three or four years his
seniors. His first political address, de-
livered In the court house at Athens in
1876, before he had reach his majority,
attracted wide attention and ELECTED
much favorable comment.
In 1878 he entered Howard Univer-
sity, and during his last two years there
led his classes in most of the college
studies, although pursuing at the same
time course in the Law Department
from which be graduated as vaIedictor-
ian, June l, 1881. President Garfield,
who conferred the degrees upon the
class, said of the valedictorian, "The
country will hear from that young man"
And it has often been remarked that
his address on "The Genius Of Popular
Government" remains the best that has
yet been delivered by student OF the
Howard University Law School during
the thirty three years Of it's existence.
Having considerable political inf1u-
ence he was oppolnted to $lOOO clerk
ship in the Treasury Department July |
l, 1881. and promoted for efficiency to |
81, 300 the following year. This appoint
ment enabled him to pay off his debts.
The only financial aid he had ever had
was the loan Of money from the writer
of this article, which money he now
as he had borrowed 1t, by in
stallments. In 1883 he completed a
post graduate course IN law at the head
Of his class, continuing the study of
Latin and also OF Greek, having orig
inally learned the latter language with
out a teacher, and devoted himself for
several years, under able instructors to
the acquisition of the French, Italian,
German and Spanish tongues.
On December 81, 1885, President
Cleveland dismissed Mr.. Richards from
5be. Treasury Department for ''offen-
i've partisanshlp, and on January 1,
1886, he was given school in the DIS:
;rict Columbia, of which he remained
n charge till June Is, 1886, when he
to Tennessee, where he min
stored to the only parent he had ever
known in her declining years, and re-
NAMED until after the close OF her
,art lly pilgrimage.