The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1910-04-15

pose than to illustrate how a brave w
heart and persistent ambition lN
overcome even the greatest Difficult NM
ties in life 1t would be worth telling. NM
Loyalty to a set purpose maintained NNN
resolutely through 25 years OF bitter NMW
struggle, raised this poor blind Amerl- MMW
boy to a seat in the most dstin- MNW
guished law-making body in the world, WN\
although he sometimes lived the M\W
verge Of starvation. Nothing could ,MN
shake his determination to be a SEN W.
ator. He had no eyes, but he had EX
tongue. He had no money, but he had CCNOE
courage He obscure, but he had MY
a high ambition He could not see the
world about him. but he had a smile Y
TO win II, a perseverance to compel
Its admiration and support. 70
few months after Mississippi was IT
readmitted to the Union in 1870 Thorn Il
as Pryor Gore was born on an S0-acre
farm 80 miles from the nearest rail- fF
way. -
Here the boy grew up among the
creeks and pines, stocky grayeyed little fel.
low, who could outrun any of his companions
When he was six years old the village of Walthall
was established in the woods nearby and the
Gore family went there to live Young Tom at
tended small school set among the trees out
side of the village.
At the age OF eight years the boys left eye
was blinded by an accidental blow from a stick
Three years later he employed as a page in
the Mississippi senate and boarded at the house
OF Senator j. a. George in Jackson. One day.
While playing with crossbow, an arrow entered
his right eye and destroyed his sight
In spite of his afiiction young Gore managed
to stand at the head of his class in school and
the age OF II years entered a normal school
which was opened. Here he gradually became
totally blind. yet he mastered the high school
course.
While Gore was attending the high school his
closest 81
Pittman. This youth used to read to him. One
day they found old volume of the Congress
sional Record. Going out to the stable, the blind
student would stand for hours while Pittman read
to him the speeches of the lawmakers at Wash
ington.
During that winter Gore and his sister taught
school for few months All the while his moth
er, bedrdden invalid, read to him history, biog
raphy and other subjects connected with his po
litical plans, and he would sit by the bed,
strange smile on his blind countenance, dreaming
and brooding and waiting for the day when he
might take part In the great battle of politics like
other men.
His great chance came in the spring OF 1891.
The Populist movement spreading rapidly
and he joined IT, In the state campaign for
legislature to elect a United States senator he
took up the of Barksdale against George,
although as boy he had lived in Georges house.
The blind orator shrank from no conflict. He
debated with Senator Money, whose tongue
all MISSISSIPPI dreaded ana VINO smiled ma1eS-
tically when told that his opponent was "a poor,
blind schoolboy" Senator Money declared that,
but for his antagonists blindness, he would hold
him personally responsible for his words-a
deadly thing to say in Mississippi Gore prompt
ly replied, LET him then blindfold himself and
will meet him."
In September of that year he went to the law
school at Cumberland university, Tennessee and
studied law for ten months. He OF the
leading six students in a class of AZ. This expe
rence cost him 1891 and he returned to his Mis-
sssppi village with only % cents In his pocket
in suit OF clothes he had worn for IA months
He had almost been compelled to leave the law
school months before for the lack of suitable
clothing.
Yet his unquenchable ambition TO reach the
United States senate grew more intense as the
difficulties OF his situation increased.
Cores father had taken up the practice OF
law In Wathall and on returning from the law
school in 1892 the youth was welcomed as an
assistant in the Office. That year, too, he a
presidential elector on the Populist ticket, at
tackled Grover Cleveland on the stump and carried
his county.
The practice OF law not an inspiring occu-
patton in Waltha There we're actually 40 law.
yers in that small poor village. The blind advo-
cate tried few cases.
After two years effort TO earn living as
lawyer in the place of his birth Gore decided
70 go to Texas.
Having saved $40, he started in April 1894,
for Texarkana, arriving there absolute stran-
ger with only S2i in his pocket. He secured a
boarding house and promptly offered himself to
the Populist leaders for service in the approach
ing state and county elections. His political
speeches brought in money enough to pay his ex-
penses. hut he found no chance to practice law.
In the winter he went back to Walthal and for a
year made another desperate effort to win success
as a lawyer. lie was nominated for congress by
the Popusts. but defeated. Yet his speeches
I'm the campaign attracted much attention.
On the last day OF the year 1895 the sightless
and unsuccessful lawyer decided to abandon the