The Washington herald., 1910-08-21

which I was graduated before I had
reached the age OF sixteen"
Became Teacher.
Naturally. you meant to be clergy
MANI" I said.
NO; I expected 10 be a lawyer After
being principal Of a small academy for a
year I was elected superintendent Of the
public schools at South Charleston. sue
ceeding Whitelaw Reid. now owner Of
the New York Tribune and the American
Ambassador to Great Britain. who had
gone TO the neighboring town OF Xenia
to be the editor Of a weekly newspaper
Reid was an excellent teacher and a pop
ular young man, and the schools had
prospered under his management. I was
still looking toward the law. not even
being a church member. but there was
deep religious feeling throughout the
country at the time and came under its
influence. Whitelaw Reid had gone into
the church and occasionally visited me
at South Charleston. where I boarded
in the family Of a parson. I remember
that I said to the minister's wife one
Sunday before breakfast, the minister
being absent: Ask Mr.. Reid to take your
husbands place and lead the morning
worship. The request was made. and
Mr.. Reid read the Bible and prayed with
out any objection or seeming embarrass-
ment.
From South Charleston I went to
Xenia TO teach classics In the high
school. One summer I visited my half
sister at Springfield, H. Her husband
was an elder in the Presbyterian church
and had been a Democrat On hearing
the debate between Lincoln and Doug
las, however. he turned Republican. He
advised me TO remain IN Springfield and
read law in Lincoln's Office No one
then thought that Lincoln would ever
get to be a national character. he had
been defeated the previous year for the
United States Senate and was so poor
that he had said I am without money
now for even household expenses
Decides on the Ministry.
Being impressed by my brother-in-
laws suggestion. I kept informed about
Lincoln's engagements, and heard him
try several cases and defend Peter Cart
wrights grandson in his preliminary ex-
animation on the charge Of murder But
could get no employment at SPRING
field, and I returned to Ohio, where I
had been reappointed to my old position
as a teacher of classics Moreover, I
had begun to think that ought. per-
haps. TO be a preacher.
There was a theological seminary at
Xenia, one Of the oldest in the country.
and took a course in Hebrew while
teaching in the high school Indeed. I
was a student OF theology for a year
before joined the church. / was Scotch
and Unconditional. and 1 thought out my
course as I would problem in algebra
Ultimately I decided that I could make
better use OF my life in the ministry
than anywhere else. I had no CALI in
the sense Of hearing a summons direct
from heaven. as Is the case with so many
other parsons. I completed my theologi-
cal studies at Princeton"
DO you stin remember your FIRST SER
mon?"
''As clearly as If II had been delivered
quite recently. I was licensed TO preach
In lSe2. and was ordained at a little town
In Southern Ohio. 1 wrote the conven-
tional sermon. which was about forty
minutes long, and learned It so thorough
ly that / could repeat IL forward or
backward. The sermon was set FOR
Tuesday morning. April S. 1862 In the
middle OF my recitation. for that is what
It was, heard the whistle Of LEGO
motive. Then observed enc elder get