Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-04
ron REEDS WAY As TEACHER
Turning Point in the Life of the
Future Speaker.
HAD TO FIGHT PUPILS TO GET PAY
His Service I'm the District school at
WestbroOk, Me-, Recalled by the
Death of Governor Nor
rilI of Kansas.

TOPEKA, Kan, April 2.-rhe recent
death OF former Governor f. n. Morrill,
at his home at Hiawatha recalls some in
teresting incidents in his life. One of
them is that when a member OF a district
school board in Maine he confirmed the
employment of the late Speaker Thomas
p. Reed as teacher, and later stood by
him and saved him when other directors
and patrons Of the school sought to dis
place him
II was fifty years ago when Reed. then
about II. appeared at the little village Of
Westbrook, ten miles west of Portland,
Me-, and applied for the job of teaching
the district school. Westbrook. now a
town of 5000 people. was then a hamlet.
p. N. Morriell. who later came TO Kansas
and served this state as congressman and
governor, lived on a farm near the West
brook district school,. He had been elected
a member of the school board, and among
the other duties devolving upon that body
was that of employing a teacher for the
eight weeks school term during midwinter.
Reed was a student at Bowdoin college
and was doing chores mornings and even
ings to pay his way. He had eight weeks
vacation during winter and decided to put
In the time teaching a country school at
$50 a month. He selected Westbrook be-
cause Of its nearness to Portland.
story of Tom Reed.
DIR. II. G. Linn, a Kansan who had spent
many years in Washington and was a per-
sonal friend of Speaker Reed and Governor
Morrill,, in a reminiscent talk about the
early friendship between these men in the
little village of Westbrook said:
Il wish | could tell the story az I heard
Tom Reed tell il in Washington when he
and Governor Morrill, were in congress. No
body on earth could put it in black and
white as il was told in his inimitable
drawl, with the twinkle in his kindly eyes,
the jolly laugh or slowly coming smile
that changed so marvellously the whole
expression of his face.
From Reeds description Of this, his first
first business venture In the world, the
district was no happy valley by any
means. There was a neighborhood broil
always on the Goals at Westbrook and one
was stewing away when he put in his APP
plication for the district school. II was
there that his path crossed that of Cover
nor Morrill, who. though only five years
his senior. was chairman of the district
school board. Thomas B. Reed passed the
examination and was engaged to teach the
school for eight weeks, Governor Morrill,
signing the certificate.
Reed didn't get along very we'll, even
at the first, because, as he said. he
undertook to introduce city methods into
a country school. He was very strict. He
insisted that lessons should be learned and
proper decorum observed during school
hours.
When pupils made poor recitations he
sent them back to their seats and kept
them after school hours, laboring with
them long and earnestly. Misdemeanors
were. visited will severe condemnation
also. 1 remember of hearing Governor
Morrill, ask Reed II he wasn't something of
a car when a boy.
oh, hang It, Reed replied, what's the
use of doing a thing unless you do it prop
erly7 I was there to teach school. I was
paid for 1t. and I intended to earn my
money II I had TO fight every day.
One Sample Fight.
I'm describing one particular encounter
which led to Reeds arraignment before the
school board, he said his attire was sadly
rent and dlsordered and he looked to have
been the under dog in a fight.
But the former speaker added with
a twinkle in his eyes, the other fellow
didn't look very pretty either
THE neighborhood row that was going
on finally involved the district school. and
charges of czarism against the teacher or
something akin to it were preferred against
him, and he was accordingly arraigned be-
fore the school board. The battle waged
all one day, Chairman Morrill, of the school
board standing by the sturdy youth TO the
very end.
Might came on and Tom Reed walked
out of the board meeting a conqueror.
With Morrill's help he had been able to
count a majority in his favor. He taught
the school TO the end OF the term and so
well did he succeed that he was engaged
for a second and a third winter, and he
might have gone on Indefinitely had he not
graduated with honors and gone beyond
the narrow horizon that environed West
brook
More than twenty-five years later Tom
Reed and Mr.. Morrill, were in congress to-
gether, and the boyhood friendship was
re-estabiished. Naturally. when Mr. Reeds
ambition TO become speaker of the Fifty
first congress became known. one OF his
most ardent supporters was Governor Nor
ril Of Kansas, together with the balance
of the states delegation.
Morrill, on Reed.
During his lifetime Governor Morrill, fire.
quently talked of the Intimate friendship
which existed between him and Mr.. Reed.
This was proved when Reed was chosen
speaker. He had 1t in his power to reward
Morrill, for his kindness to a struggling
school teacher in the early days at West
brook. lie made his boyhood friend chair
man OF the committee on pensions, and the
Morrill, pension law which has distributed
millions of dollars among former soldiers,
their widows and their orphans. is the re-
suit.
Governor Morrill, frequently referred to
the employment of Mr.. Reed as the teacher
of the Westbrook district school. and in
his "reminiscences and speeches in eulo-
giving the man from Maine expressed the
belief that he himself in a measure was
responsible for the career OF the speaker.
II Morrill, had failed 10 hold that school
board TO its contract Reeds opportunity
would have been lost and his prospects in
jured. Governor Morrill, believed that
Reeds turning point in young manhood
hinged on his success in handling the
Westbrook school and that his stanch
friendship and loyalty TO the young teacher
in a critical hour was the inspiration which