Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1903-04-28

Morld Has Ever known.
One of the most remarkable boys the
Ht,rld ever saw was William Pitt. He
,a$tonished folk with his learning at the
age of seven. He became prime min
siSter of England when he was twenty
T3ur. =,
IHe was q sickly boy, but he took all
the out of door exercise his, delicate
flame could bear and was as eager to
Study as most boys are to play. He
Would not let his weak body stop his
work, and he was reading ancient his
tdry at an age when most children are
r{ading stories written in words OF
ohe syllable. -.
His father was the great Earl OF
Chatham, and the boy was brought In
I'd contact with all the great men OF
tie time in England. When he was
thirteen years old he wrote tragedy
which he called ''Laurentine, King OF
Garinium."
lat this age, too, he was able to read
Greek and Latin almost as well as he
could English. He also was well In
fArmed on the politics of the day and
ORA variety of subjects about which
OILY men of learning are supposed to
know anything.
lat fourteen he was able to take the
Works of Thucydides, written in Greek.
ahd read page after page, turning II
iAto excellent English as he read, and
this off hand translation Of his Is said
to have been almost without flaw.
His father spoke Of him as "eager
MI: William, the counselor. the phllos-
opher." At the age Of fourteen he en-
tered the great University of Cam
bridge in England and at once, in spite
Of his youth, took high place among
the students at that celebrated place
of learning.
When he went to Cambridge, the boy
was in such feeble health that he had
to be accompanied by nurse. and all
through his course there he was in so
poor a condition, physically. that it was
doubted if lie ever would be able to
finish the course.
But hard study seemed to agree with
him. and when he was graduated. at
the ace of seventeen, he was much
stronger than when he entered the uni
versity.
At an age when most boys are pre-
pairing 10 enter college, or, if they are
very clever. have just become fresh
men. young Pitt won the degree OF
master of arts from one of the great
est universities in the world and began
the study of law.
At twenty-one he was admitted to
the bar, and the same year was elected
4 member Of parliament, to become
prime minister three years later.
!. While he was yet 4 law student and
only eighteen years old he attracted
the attention of prominent men by his
clear views on the questions of govern
.meft, which then were perpiexinG the
rulers Of England. The boy was ill.,
;vit6d everywhere, and men holding the
most important offices listened to his
advice and asked his opinions.
His friends wanted him to go into
paFiiament when he was twenty ana
all predicted for him brilliant career.
It Kas curious to see this delicate strip
ling: q boy in looks and years, meeting
the great and wise men of the country
as an equal and conversing on even
terms with the most learned scholars
Of the day.
Young Pitt used to like to listen to
the debates in the British parliament,
and Mr.. Fox. the great statesman.
meeting him once after q debate, was
astonished st the manner in which the
boy criticised the eminent men who
had spoken and pointed out where they
could have made their argument
stronger.
One of the hardest works to under
stand that ever were &'ritten is book
called "Cassandra," written by man
named I.ycophroniS. 1t is written in
Greek. 4 learned man placed the book
in the hands of young Pitt when the
boy was sixteen years old, and he read
it at first sight, translating into Eng
liSh as he read and explaining lt In
manner which made the learned man
declare that had he not seen 1t he
would have believed it to be beyond
the power of human intellect
| When Pitt was sixteen, his father de-
'clared that he would be Il great states
man and was the hope of the country.
Other folks soon became Of his fathers
way of thinking, and that is why they
:put him into parliament when he was
$50 young and made him prime minister
so soon after.
He fulfilled all that was expected of
him and ruled England during thirteen
of the most eventful years Of her his
itory.-Detroit Free Press.