The Washington herald., 1907-01-20
Great Men Sons of Ministers
Twice the Scion of Clergyman Has Been President.

At seventeen, when the boy had won his
graduation diploma, he plunged into the
study Of law and was admitted at twenty.
Even then he was ambitious to become
a political figure. and that is perhaps one
of the reasons why he chose 10 make his
career in Iowa instead OF West Virginia,
for Iowa was safely Republican. and all
his sympathies were with that party. SO,
as they say In Fort Dodge. zone day he
blew into town and settled down" His
first Office was over a store. For some
time he slept and studied and fought for
a practice In the one room. often working
TIL late at night by the light Of a kerO-
sene lamp over his law books and his
early cases.
old Fort Dodgers still talk about his
first case. It grew out OF a horse trade,
the details of which would have delighted
the lamented author Of David Harum-
Dolliver lost, although the courtroom Of
the Justice before whom he made his
argument was crowded with his newly
made tOwnsfoIk to hear him. They were
amazed at the young giants Southern
eIoauence. which they could not help re-
garding as spread on a little thick. so
luxuriant was it. It was the beginning
Of his reputation as an orator. despite the
adverse decision. He got plenty or cases
after that, and he soon began TO win
them, too. Likewise, he soon began 10
win fame as a political speaker.
II was some time later. however, before
he became known to the higher political
powers in his State. The Clarksen re
gency" was then in its glory. One day IN
| 1850. J. S. Clarkson went to Fort Dodge to
/ talk over that falls State campaign with
( Gov. Carpenter. The governor told
| ClarksOn about Dolliver, and suggested
chat thCv call upon him. They found him
/ busy. not in his Office. but on the high
way, working out his road tax" Clark
son liked the young lawyers appearance
/ and talk; a political meeting was hastily
arranged for that evening, and the court
/ house was thrown open. The people Of
/ Fort Dodge. who by that time had learned
/ 70 regard Delivers OratOry with great
respect, turned out to hear him with much
enthusiasm He did himself such credit
! that Clarkson arranged on the spot Tor
/ his active participation in the campaign.
From that day 10 this Doliver has been
/ a public character. His first election 10
the lower House of COngress-his ifrst
/ political Office, by the way-came early in
/ the eighties. and he served as Represent
ative continuously till 1900. when Leslie
/ " Shaw. then governor Of Iowa, ap-
pointed him United States Senator to fl
( the unexpired term CT the late Senator
/ Gear.
/ At fortv-eight. Senator DolIIver is one
/ OF the best known men in the country
Qaste aside from his prominence ia Con-
gress. the many addresses he makes every
l year. especially at the various Chautauqua
/ assemblies. have made his personality IA
millar TO his country men and women oy
I the hundreds of thousands
strikingIy Contrasting Personalities
/ II would be hard to find a stronger con
trast than that between this Senatorial
minister's son. tall, dark. and suggestive
Of physical as well as mental force in
| every movement, and Richard Watson
/ Glider, the slight, almost shy minister S
/ son who edits the Century Magazine.
Il is hardly possible TO speak Of these
two men in any other terms save those
/ of contrast; though the success OF each
/ in his chosen line Of endeavOr offers one
/ line Of comparison. Richard Watson
/ Glider looks the dilettante, the elegant
amateur who has never had a more diff
cult task in his life than to turn out
! highly finished verse and decide delicate
questions Of taste. His speech fits his ap-
] pearance. often being that OF a man who
| Is bored 20 death by anything less ethereal
/ than poetry and high art
/ But Richard Watson elders speech
and looks are alike deceptive. The years
Of his boyhood and young manhood were
/ quite as trying as Delivers, and his
/ problems as exacting. Only by reason OF
the most splendid nerve and unfiagging
tenacity was he able to fight his way to
sftl5 front. and his fight lasted some years,
during which he impressed an acQuaint-
ance Of mine who knew him well as "a
man OF chain lightning and steel springs
Glider was born in 1874. His father was
a Methodist preacher, but not a circuit
/ rider with so strong an educational and
| literary bent that he spent most Of his
/ life as an editor and a teacher. His edi-
tOrial chairs were those Of the Fhiladel-
phia Repository and the Register. both
published in the City OF Brotherly Love.
AT the time of Richard Watsons birth
the Gilders were living at Bordentown,
y. J.: during most of his bOyhoOd they
lived at Flushing. L. l.. where the Rev.
/ Mr.. Glider carried on school and wrote
editorials and articles without pay for a
| local paper.
The fact that the fathers work for the
paper was done gratuitOusly induced the
1 editor to teach the son how to set type.
| The boy was so short that he cOuldn' t
reach the case" standing on the floor.
/ and so had TO stand on a soap box while
being initiated into the mysteries of typog-
lraphy. Nevertheless, he attacked them
with such enthusiasm that his boyish
pockets generally held half pound or
more Of pieces Of type.
| When fourteen he established paper of
his own which he named the St. Thomas
/ Gazette, after his fathers school, setting
up as well as writing the matter that ap-
peared in its columns. He was fragile
boy. and had no school days" actually
attending school a single day only. His
father attended carefully to his early
education. but, like Theodore Roosevelt 5
| father. believed it would be better for his
son TO spend as much time out OF doors
as possible, and that his mental training
| could be carried on without much school
room confinement during his childhood
at least.
Naturally the father saw to it that the
/ boys literary taste was not neglected 1t
is not surprising. therefore. TO hear that
! he was fond Of Paradise Lost before
reaching his teens. But his taste in read
ing was broad and catholic, for he re
members distinctly that at the time of his
| greatest devotion to Millions stately lines
he was also much wrapped up in certain
dime novel. lent to him by his uncle's
colored coachman and read in the seclu-
sion OF the stable.
elders first newspaper venture bore
upon its lace motto to the effect that
its editorials were meant to instruct and
uplft mankind" but his second which
he set up and edited at sixteen, was the
local organ OF the Bell and Everett party,
a highly important political Organization
in 1860 but no doubt never heard Of by
many of the younger readers Of this
newspaper. The civil war. which broke
out when Glider was seventeen, changed