The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-04

but because they recognized in him an
unusual combination of the qualities
which boys adore.
Best Wrestler in the University.
In the first place. as I have said, he
became the best wrestler in the uni
versity. No one, SO far as / know, ev-
err threw him in a fair contest. al
though the giants of our own and all
other classes frequently attempted the
rafting good first baseman, or at any
events played somewhere i'll the in
field on the class nine in the scrub
games Down on the river there was
no lustier oar than that of Big Bill.
In the gymnasium he was nothing
short of a holy terror and later on,
In junior year, when old Bill Dole u.s.
ed to put the gloves on with members
Of the class, the Cincinnati athlete
had lost none Of his strength and none
of his agility. There was no one who
liked a long walk better, no one who
sang louder or laughed harder on the
fence. and none more social.
Before we were half way through
our freshman year it got to be habit
with the fellows when they had any
really good class honor to bestow to
offer it first to Taft. and then. If he
did not want it, to distribute the prizes
Studied While Others Played.
Stories have been told of Taft's ath-
leticism at the opening of his college
career similar to those I have just die
tated. In point of fact, during the
first two or three years of his college
career he did not participate in col
lege athletics at all. I still remember
the wistful way in which he used to
say he would like to row on the uni
versity crew or try for a chance on
the university nine. He a;ways ex-
planned that his father. Attorney Gen
eral Taft, had determined that he
should excel in his studies and had
positively forbidden him to take part
in any of the official athletics of the
class.
1t was this same stern but extremely
wise parental order which took Taft
away from the rest of the fellows ear
| ly in the evening. After jolly din
ner at one of the boarding clubs the
| big. bull necked student would stroll
down to the fence and participate in
the usual songs of jollying which
were sthe inevitable Accomplishments
of mere presence in that historic and
sacred place. Then might come a
stroll down the streat and half hour
or more in some of the various resorts
| then affected by the students
There were evenings when half an
evening would be passed at "Mory's"
but every one knew that long before
the crowd started back towards the
college Taft would manage to disap
| pear, and by the time the late songs
were sung on the fence every one
| could see the rim light of his student
lamp and knew that he was grinding
| for the morrow's lessons.
| Young Taft was not one of your bril-
/ liant students. That is to say, every
thing that came to him came from
hard work and believe that has beer
the dominant characteristic of his
i whole life. There were other fellow:
one of whom is a bank president.
think. In Boston and the other l know
is a clever lawyer and a third the
head of a great trust company In New
i York. who snatched knowledge quick
i ly. They could learn things in hal
the time Taft took. 1t was necessar,
; for him to go at q thing laboriousl,
and even tirelessly. He studied unit
late at night and his recitations il
the class were conducted with an alb