The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-04
sence of brilliance, showing that i
was no offhand effort.
Thorouai1 in All His Work.

was no offhand effort.
Thorough in All His Work.
On the other hand. there was a So
lidity, a permanence about the know
ledge that he acquired through his
studies which always was recognized
by the other fellows and by all of the
students. He wrote out carefully the
most elaborate summaries, made pain
stalking analyses. and would with
great labor personally corroborate the
correctness of long chemical formu-
lac.
There was nothing frothy, nothing
dashy, but nothing obscure. If he
had an essay to write, it was almost
wholly lacking in literary gracefulness
but one could depend upon it that it
was full Of meat. Logic was his
strong point and he was almost as IT.
resistible in debate as in a wrestl-
ing match, being prepared for both.
1t is no idle task to set for yourself
the goal of the valedictory address in
a hustling Yale class. 1t means con-
slant effort, the hardest kind of work
and the sacrifice of ambition in other
directions. 1t meant Taft giving up
the ball nine and the crew. at least
during his earlier years, and he had
to devote lot Of time to patient study
which he, as a young fellow, would
much rather have spent on the athletic
field or at the boathouse.
He graduated salutatorian. That is
to say he was second in a class which
wound up with something like 80
members. That would be honor enough
for most men, but during his course he
graduation was unqestionably the most
notable all round student and athlete
who had been in the university for
many years.
Head Of a Famous Class.
1t was no collection of weaklings,
that famous Yale class of rs, as their
subsequent careers have shown. Taft's
friends have crossed and criss-crossed
since then with a dozen different men
who were his classmates in the olden
days, and many of them have reach
ed unusual distinction In public life.
John Addison Porter was secretary
| to Mckinley. Harry Hoyt is now soil
citor general of the United States
Billy Hunt was governor of Porto
Rico. John Proctor Clark is a famous
| judge in New York state. Ed. Whit
1 ney was assistant attorney general I'M
| der Olney. Paul Charlton is law officer
of the insular bureau. Howard Van
4 Dr. l. ia oil
| travellers as United States consul al
Nice Herbert Bowen defended the
| consulate at Barvelona against a
| Spanish mob and later on was minis
| ter to Venezuela.
! Howard Hollister was a common
pleas judge in Cincinnati. and there
have been dozen others more or less
famous in athletics. business. medi.
cine. the church. ana social life. Tt
be at the head of a class Of hustlins
young Americans, graduating second
with a splendid athletic record and un
bounded personal popularity mean:
the beginning of a great career
| 1t was during his early days in Gin
cinnati Immediately following hi:
graduation, so Secretary Taft told ms
one evening as We walked in the dusl
around the Washington monument
that he got the real foundation of tn.
4 sound legal knowledge which has mad,
him famous in his profession, asid,
from all political position.
Learned Law as q Reporter
4 He had a year as law reporter OIL
two Of the Cincinnati papers tmme