The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-01-27

"Why, l have never even believed tbs
But President Mckinley prevailed upC
ley's illustrious successor said of MI
sponsibilities."
Then add to that description of Mr..
Taft from President McKinley's lips
pertinent declaration once made by
Judge Alphonso Taft, the Secretary OF
Wars father, and you'll have pref
ty fair idea OF the man. This latter
story has been family joke for years.
Even yet, they say that Secretary
Taft is apt to blush when he hears 1t,
for it has been ding-donged into his
eyes ever since he graduated from the
age of knickerbockers and pudgy an
kles clad in home.knit stockings. The
story goes that when the present Sec
rotary of War was going to school in
Cincinnati, his school report one
month showed that the future states
man had devoted more OF his atten-
ton to handball and other delights OF
youth IIlHn 10 MS DOOhS.
Mrs. Taft, mother like, excused the
boy. Even II the report isn't very
good. he's almost at the head OF his
class" said she.
No Mediocrity for "WflIie."
But Judge Taft shook his head.
"MedIocrity won't do for Willie" said
he.
Unfortunately for Willie, that was
overheard, and the other boys in the
family, boy like. made his life misera-
BILE. IL anything could make "Bill" Taft
unhappy at that age. But the father
was president.
Mediocrity won't do for willie, "
sure enough. 1t never has done for
him. Why. even when he was a jun
Tor in Yale the other boys of his class
picked him out for great man in
embryo. 1t was known then that his
real, living ambition was one day to
sit upon the supreme bench. And the
Yale boys Loyalty held that it wasn't
question of "Will" Taft getting to
that elevation. The only question was
how soon would he reach It. And, in
cidentally, Mr.. Taft's warmest ad-
mIrers to-day are the boys of Yale.
who learned to know him in the self
revealing intimacy of school days. and
to estimate him Mt his worth.
James P. Pigott, now of New Haven.
told the other day of his first acquaint.
ance with "Will" Taft Pigott AMI
Taft We're both freshmen in those
days. They had just formed friend.
ship, and one night were walking up
Elm street talking earnestly over
some matter OF great immediate in
terest. In those days freshman had
only the bare right of existence con.
coded him by the sophomores. Ger
tainly he had no right to walk on the
clean sidewalks while there was mud
in the streets. And as Pigott and Taft
strolled beneath the clms n gang of
half dozen sophs rushed them. I'm
der the sophs' rule. Taft and Pigott
were due for a ducking In the mud.
Plgott, who was a reathcrweight, stood
aside. Taft said softly: But do not
care to so out in the mud"
Now, cant you imagine with what
unholy joy that soft spoken dcclara-
tion must have filled those sophs ?
They gave the war cry and the view
halloo, and the other vocal outcries in
tended to express happiness, anil
charged.
When they got through charging.
William II. Taft was slowly walking
up Elm street, arm in arm with James
p. Pigott. out in the cold mud stood
the half dozen sophs, beginning to
realize that they had tried to butt .
fair-sized locomotive on the track. As
long ms Taft remained Mt college, he
had the freedom of the sidewalks.
The whole sophomore class would
have hollered for help before they
would have tried to fuss with him
again.
Not that he was beligerent. He was
too peaceful, in fact, to suit his most
warlike friends. who learned to re-
spect the enormous physical strength
that was bound up in those thick
shoulders and those corded muscles.
He like joke, and he didn't like it