The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-18

4 LAD of Is, soldier, undersizet "A and of illegitimate birth. ar \ rived in Boston from the Wes Indies in October, TIP. His father wal bankrupt, and his mother was dead For three years he had been clerk 1T merchants office in St. Croix. He had been born in the neighboring island oi Nevis His father had no particular abil ity His mother. who was of Hugueno blood, had been married to Jew named Levine, but had been divorced by him By the decree Levine was permitted tt remarry, but she was not. In disregard of the decree and without sanction ol the church she took James Hamilton al her second husband.
 The lad of 16 was en route to New York He was so preoocious that rela- lives of his mother had made up a purse that he might have college education A description he wrote of the great West Indian hurricane of 1772 had made deer impression. and 1t was felt that talent such as he displayed should not be al lowed to shrivel
 The lad had abounding confidence. Af- ter a few months in a grammar school at ElIzabethtown, N. J., he presented himself at Princeton college, and aston ished the president by announcing his intention of going through the courses as quickly as possible without regard to the regular classes. Princeton would not have him on those conditions. and he applied to Kings college (now Column VI No cepted.
 At IS this lad was writing political pamphlets and newspaper addresses that were credited to the most eminent men in the Revolutionary cause. At 29 he was lieutenant-colonel on the staff of the commander-in-chef. Most of those re- markable documents that came from the camp of George Washington and that won the admiration of all Europe were from the brain of this lad. At 24 he led the storming party that captured one oi the redoubts at Yorktown.
 But his real career. his greatness did not begin until after the war closed. His tory now ranks him with Caesar and Napoleon as one of the greatest con structive statesmen of the world. At 8 the master spirit of America. At 40 his work was done. He gave life and force to the constitution of the United States. He ruled a great party and he influenced many great men. His policies live to- day. No man played a larger part in shaping the destiny of the United States. At fl he fell on the dueling field, shot to death by Aaron Burr, vice president of the nation.
 He was a man of amazing genius and of lsurpassing talent in many fields. In only Zone thing was he lacking, belief in man. kind His chief antagonist was Thomas Jefferson Hamilton had no confidence 1T the common people. He disbelieved 1T them unless they were supported by strong laws and were under the contro of powerful men. Jefferson believed 1T the people as a whole and his wonderful Influence may be ascribed to this faith Hamilton acted the role of the master al a time a master was needed. Jefferson acted the role of the friend. Hamilton was respected as a man of marvellous in tellectual force. Jefferson was loved. Il is the irony of fate that Hamilton had for the constitution, that great instrument with which his fame is so closely inter woven, little confidence and his scant re spect He expected it to fall. He hat grave doubts that the nation would en dure. Two years before his death h, pronounced the constitution frail ant rotten. There Is no more romantic figure in the early days of the republic thar Hamilton. No alien lad ever rose tc greater power or left a deeper impres. on the nation.
 Loyalist at First
 When Hamilton arrived in New York all his sympathies were with England and he had for the British constitution a veneration which never waned. A visi to Boston just about the time of the "Tea Party" however. and conversations with the ardent patriots of that city won hin over to the continental cause, and in July 1T4 when he was little more than r he made an address at big public meet ing in The Fields, now City Hall park New York, that attracted wide atten ton. Next he was writing defenses O. the first continental Congress that were so brilliant that John Jay got credit fol them. After Bunker Hill he joined volunteer artillery corps called the Heart. of Oak and drilled early in the morn ing in City Hall park. But if he wa. an ardent lover of freedom he was nt less bitterly hostile to all forms of law lessness. Depressing and chastising Joy alists was one of the delights of the mol of those stirring days. Once a mob tre to catch the principal of the college Hamilton, mounting the college steps, ha rangued the crowd long enough to pre- init the principal to escape to a Britisl manaof-war and he tried, too to say Rivingtons print shop, butt this time h failed.
 He went at nothing blndly. He saw tha war was certain, so he began to stud. military text books. He studied with thu game zeal he had given to philosophy ant the classics. His mind was marvelousl. acute. He would grasp in minute wha other men could not see in 10. It was no long before he made the Hearts of Oal one of the smartest of companies. He wa its captain. The first time he was unde Are was in the battle of Long Island II the flight from Brooklyn he brought u] the rear and showed such soldierly quail ties that he won the praise of Genera