Evening star., 1909-04-17
NOT WITHOUT HONOR
Secretary Dickinson Highly Es-
teemed by His Neighbors.
MOST ARDENT ADMIRERS
Confident That He Will Some Day Be
President.
ONE OF soUTH's STRONG MEN
Regarded by Taft as Not to Be Dis
couraged and Not Afraid to
Accept responsibilities.
ONE OF soUTH's STRONG MEN

By WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
SpeciaI Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
NASHVILLE, Tenn, April Is. 1909.
It is often mistake to say that "a
man is not without honor save in his
own country There are innumerable
exceptions, and Jacob McGavock Dickin-
inson, Secretary of War, Is one of them.
j. Sterling Morton once said that "the
highest success in life is to gain the re-
spect Of your family and neighbors and
to deserve It," Judge Dickinson goes
farther than that, for the people of Co
lumbus, Miss, where he was born and
reared, and the people of Nashville
where he was educated and where he
has spent the greater part of his life IN
the practice Of law-these neighbors, who
know him best-are his most ardent ad-
mirers, and they are confident that ne
will some day be President. They are
confident that he will be the first man
from the south since the civil war to be
called to that high Office. When Presi-
dent Taft has finished his second term
conditions will justify Confederate SOL
dier in aspiring to that Office.
Judge Dickinson served in the Con1ed-
crate army long enough to be eligible for
membe rship in the United Confederate
Veterans, Harrison Camp, No. q, of CO.
lumbus, Miss. his native town. and his
comrades held a meeting few days after
his appointment to congratulate him ana
to thank President Taft for the honor
SO worthily bestowed upon the Hon. J. N.
offers his splendid talents and brilliant
attainments to measure up to the pa
triotic requirements of the new era IN
American politics being inaugurated by
his great chief, In seeing that all Sec
tions Of this great country have a part
in this administration, and in recognize
Ing in an effective way both the Presi-
dents determination to Obliterate Sec
tional lines and subservience Of party
welfare to the country's veal.
A Virginia Family.
Secretary and Mrs. Dickinson are re-
lated to almost everybody of any conse-
quence in Tennessee Their ancestors were
among the pioneers of this state, whose
descendants intermarried with the de-
scendants of other pioneers until they are
kin to all their neighbors. The Dickinsons
are a Virginia family Of Scotch-Irish
Presby terian origin. Henry Dickinson. ia
ther of the Secretary of War, went to
Mississippi in 1928 as child. with his
Ohio. and Trinity College. Conn. where
the late George D. Prentice. famous editor
of the Louisville Courier-Journal, and he
were classmates. Henry Dickinson took
an active part in politics as whig and
a follower Of Henry Clay. In 1874 he went
to Nashville to attend a whig convention.
and there made the acquaintance of Miss
Anna McGavock. daughter OF David Nc
0avock, Scotch-Irish Presbyterian of
wealth and high social standing. She was
a granddaughter of Felix Grundy, the
most eloquent orator and the most emil
nent lawyer in that part of the country.
who sat In the United States Senate for
two terms as a representative of Tennes-
see, was chief justice of that state, and
Attorney General in the cabinet of An
drew Jackson.
These young people. were married a
year or two after their first meeting, and
Henry Dickinson settled down to the
practice of law at Columbus. where be
became citizen Of great influence and
a judge of eminent reputation. He was
chancellor of Mississippi for many years
an Office corresponding to that OF chan
cery judge in England-and when he died
left the most precious of legacies-the
esteem and confidence of every one who
knew him. He had two children Jacob
McGavock Dickinson, who was named
after his maternal grandfather, and a
| Lindsay. a lawyer at Dallas. Tex, and
| a grandson of president of Princeton
University.
Jacob NJ. Dickinson. the Secretary OF
War was born at Columbus In 1851. at
tended the public schools in that city. and
| In the spring of 1865, when he was four
teen years old. enlisted in the Confederate
army and saw few weeks service be.
fore the surrender OF Joseph E. Johnston
His military experience was uneventful
charge was full Of exciting incidents, be.
cause that portion of the south was very
| much disturbed at the time.
His father died in 1871, and his mother
| went to Nashville to live among her rela
tives. Chancellor Dickinson had accumu
lated considerable wealth, but all Of /,
| had been swept away by the war except
| his plantation and home, and those were
tered the University of Nashville, now
Peabody College, and graduated in the
class Of 1871.
Recollections Of Friend.
Maj. Erwin Craighead. editor of the
Mobile Register. his schoolmate and init
| mate friend, says:
MAC Dickinson, as everybody called
| him, was a TALL lean, gawky boy, his
large head and nose being accentuated
| because of the slenderness Of his body
but he was an active athlete, and leader
in sports as we'll as In scholarship and
literary exercises. Gen. E. Kirby Smith
and Gen. Bushrod johnson had resusci-
tated the institution, which had been
closed during the war, and William A
Obenchain was professor of mathematics
Prof. Obenchain Is now at Ogden College
Bowling Green, KY, and his wife. Eliza
Calvert Hall, is the author OF Aunt Jane
of Kentucky which President Roosevelt
pronounced equal to the Bonnie Briar
Bush She is a most charming woman,
as he Is a charming man.
students were very scarce at the Uni
versity of Nashville at that time, and
Mac Dickinson and ]. Hill Eakin consti-
tuted the first class to graduate after the
close of the war. The commencement ex-
ercises were held in the hall of represent
atives at the state capitol. and 1t was a
great event. Dickinson delivered the vale
dictory address, his subject being Public
Spirit in the South which Is quite as live
q topic now as 1t was then. and he said
in his oration; Luxury has been the
curse of the south. and thank God 1t has
been rooted out
early in his college career Dickinson
developed ability as an orator and de-
batter and was the leader OF the Agathed-
rydan Literary Society, which Is one OF
the Oldest in the United States and was
organized a hundred years ago. He was
also active in dramatic anairs and other
student activities. and I have reason to
remember continued Maj: Creighead.
IAN amateur performance OF that famil-
lar old play BOX and Cox, at the Odd
Fellows Hall. when he was Box and
was Cox in the cast OF characters. His
earnestness in the performance was
1icti ND q q " hA cH L.