The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-03


not learn that she had any basis fol
her belief except Donald's proficiency
in his studies and a vague tradition
that he could guess things" 1t was
impossible to discover any specific in
stance worth mentioning. In the
sports Of boys he was very successful
but any boy will be so who grows uI
ahead Of his years. From the time
when he reached school age he was a.
ways growing more rapidly in height
and weight than the average. More
over, he played with tremendous ener'
gy and concentration. He was fond OF
rough games, but neither suffered inju'
ry nor inflicted it. Indeed he presently
began to be known as "lucky," and II
I were to select one attribute Of his
which never deserted him and seemed
always to make its impression upon his
associates would choose his "luck."
For luck is a personal quality. II
means, as q rule, no more than an in.
stinctiYe accuracy of judgment, the
power that makes a bird fly south in
the fall, though he knows nothing OF
the danger which he is escaping, haT'
| ing never seen a winter.
If you tell me that it is rational supe,
riority which enables boy to thrust
his head into a football scrimmage in
a place where it will not encounter an
other boys fist or his skull or his feet
and to keep on doing this all through a
season of the game, shall laugh at
you. Yet it is we'll known that injuries
are not equally distributed; that mel
| ther the strong nor the prudent es.
cape them; that the boy who doesn't
get hurt is the one who has the faculty,
the natural gift, the instructive guild,
| ance, the luck. And the world is a
great football game, full Of flying fists
and feet.
So when I say that atDonald was lucky
decline to be accused Of superstition or
Of fatalism. That which all Of US be-
lieve in, though some Of us affect to
doubt it, the thing called luck as per-
sonal asset, is neither ordinary good
Judgment nor the favor of heaven. It
is the faculty Of relying upon q deep
seated, guiding power resident in the
individual and nearly if not quite in
fallible
This power is not limited by the
fneness Of the physical senses. It will
help you to dodge an invisible nicrobe
Just as a more obvious instinct will
help you to dodge a SNOWFALL. 1t is
natural to step out Of the snowbalPs
path, but if you hesitate and try to
reason about it you will get hit. And
the same thing is true Of that mysteri-
Gus force within you which is absolute
" at one with nature.
In Donald there appeared a singular
combination Of spontaneous judgment
and deliberate action. AS a child he
would respond to questions slowly and
with care, even when the expression
Of his eyes showed that the correct
answer had flashed through his mind
instantly. His greatest and most OBJ
stinate fault was secretiyeness. Though
his nature was very affectionate and
his sympathy most tender, he lacked
the natural tendency to confde his
troubles his joys or his hopes to those
he loved, even to his mother. He had
no slyness. He was at no pains to
keep a secret. He simply said nothing
about it and gave no sign Of its ex'
istence.
We were often grieved to find that
he had left US in ignorance Of some IN
cident Of his daily life, some act mel
ther praiseworthy nor blamable or one
perhaps involving a moral question be-
yond the appreciation Of his years
When reproyed for such an omission
his customary-and, believe, sincere
reply would be:
"Why, it never occurred to me thai
you didn't know"
1t was frequently necessary to give
him quite an elaborate explanation be
fore he seemed to realize that we nae
had no means Of knowing.
By all this I do not wish to give the
impression that he was a markedly
phenomenal boy, but it is important, Of
course, that should point out all par
tculars in which he differed from the
average. I have therefore with great
care selected these three peculiarities
He thought very quickly and spoke
very slowly.
He had an uncomfortable habit OF
keeping his own affairs to himself.
He enjoyed remarkably good fortune
including a notable immunity from Ill
ness and injury, in which connection
may record the fact that he never hac
one of the so called diseases Of child
hood.
In other respects he was the typica
American boy. He played as much as
POSSIBLE and studied when his con
science or his elders compelled him te
&c so. He had his friendships and his
childish loves. He romped gayly IN
the long summer evenings and COM
mitted clever and amusing mischief
once in awhile, in regard to which !
think that even the recording angel
always waited for Donald's confes-
sion and never attempted to know the
facts in advance Of it.
At the age of sixteen he was ready
for college. He was then six feet III
height and weighed ITO pounds. He
resembled both his parents, but was
generally called his mothers boy, for
he had her red gold hair and bright
blue eyes. His fathers nature lay the
deeper in him. 1t came to the surface
most plainly in moments Of excitement,
and at such times, even during his
childhood, young Donald would exhibit
the solemn, superficial calm and e2-
treme precision Of speech which had al
ways characterized the deacon" when
in high state of nervous tension.
If he had during his youth such
psychic experiences as are not the COM
mon lot of humanity, I was not able
to observe them. 4 few vague hints
of no more importance than the school