The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1901-01-31
DOnmelly ut Home.

Editor Representatives. have heard
much said about this great mans pub
lie life, but nothing about his home life
and as had chance to see him there
have concluded to furnish a short sketci
as l saw him at home.
1t was said of the children of Henry
Clay. Van Buren, and Daniel Webster
that the lack of good home influences
accounted more for the decay of this
stock than lack of intellectual de-
terioration.
This charge could never be made
against the Sage of Ninninger.
My personal acquaintance commenced
III the Republican state convention, Feb
". 1860, in st. Paul, to which l was a
delegate. There we were brought to-
gether in favor of the same candidate
and as delegates to Chicago, and as
had the good luck to move an amend
ment to the motion which, when adopt
ed, carried our candidate through, VIC
shook hands and began warm friend
ship for each other which lasted until
his death.
In 1874 Mr.. Donnelly started weekly
paper called the Anti Monopolist, and
one time, shortly after. when l met him
in ST Paul, he asked me to go down will.
him to Hastings and thence to Min
ninger, and help him on his editorial
Yn11y NJn c%tv cs{o
ton by Mrs. Donnelly and daughters
about o'clock on July evening, and
driven some four miles to his home.
After supper we retired to the library
and went to work to fill the columns of
his paper-48 columns and no patent
insides. at that time-where we kept
at it until nearly midnight when l re-
tired.
The mkt morning l was up nearly
with the sun but found him at work be-
fore me, and from the amount of work
done mMt have been at it for nearly an
hour.
We were called to breakfast at half
past S, when Mr.. Donnelly greeted the
family as If they had just returned
from long visit. Nothing but the hap
piest home meeting could equal it. The
man, tired by at least 16 hours of in
tense hard thinking and study, laughed
and played with the children, and joked
Mrs. Donnelly in the utmost good humor.
He quizzed the boys, Ig and STAN about
their studies ere they started for the
Hastings school, and when young L:
recited his piece for recitation, Young
Lochinvar," and asked his father. How
do you like it," Mr.. Donnelly replied
You below too much"
Like my father replied the boy,
quick as fash.
These visits were continued for nearly
two years, at odd times. yet the same
tender and genial social conditions al
ways prevailed and never a cross, nor
even a stern word, was heard from him
to one of his family The children, ap-
parently, never stood in the least awe
of their father.
He was hard worker, nominally &c
hours, but sometimes this work reached
18 or more, and yet he appeared to thrive
on it. Usually when working thus he
was not interrupted. Mrs. Donnelly
either preventing or the children, know
ing their fathers wishes, refrained
therefrom But when he did return to
the family the same good humor came
back that had entered the study.
His private library was then, prob
ably, the largest in the state of a liter
airy character, and was full of rare
books. One Sunday morning rose very
early and entered it on purpose to look
over these rare works, but got deeply
interested in a volume of Lord Bacon,
and was reading it when Mr.. DOnnelly
came in.
What have you there, captain?"
Bacon replied.
We'll I'm not surprised that he in
terests you or any thoughtful man, for
every sentence of his contains thought
He, | believe, had the brightest mind
of all time"
We then began to discuss him and
the men Of his time, and l asked: did
you ever read Della Bacon's book? Did
Shakespeare write Shakespeare? To
which he replied that he had not, but
had heard of it and would like to, and
asked where and when it was published !;
which information 1 was only partially
able to give him.
At that time he might have doubted
that "Shaxper" was the author of the
Shakespearean plays, but nothing more.
The great, deep study of this subject was
ali given afterwards, and which is en-
bodied in the Great Cryptogram."
Once during these visits, | met the
late Dillon O'Brien, of st. Paul, near
I.angdon, and asked:
What brings you down here?"
Il have come from Mr. Donnelly's."
well" says l, you have had a good
time: what pleasant home he has
That's So he exclaimed There =
where Donnelly shines brightest-with
his family. 1t is the model American
home"
In closing, let me say that Mrs. Don
nelly was an able second in making this
happy home. She fully appreciated his
greatness and made his cares of life bear
"feather-light."
A. E. BALL.