The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-07-03


son, a Presbyterian minister, and the
grandson of Judge James Wilson, an
freshman of Scotch descent who mi
grated from County Down. to Phila-
delphia in 1907. James Wilson pros
pered and became manager of the
Aurora, leading Democratic journal,
Philadelphia then !being the national
capital.
1t was at Steubenville, Ohio, that
Joseph Ruggles Wilson, the father of
Woodrow Wilson, was born on Febru-
airy %, 1922. He was the scholar of
James Wilson's family. jefferson
College graduated him as valedictor-
ian in 1914. after which he taught
school and prepared for the Presbyter-
ian ministry at the Western Theolog-
ical Seminary and Princeton Semi
nary. In 1849, Joseph r. Wilson mar
ried Janet Woodrow, daughter Of DR..
Thomas Woodrow, a famous Presby-
terrain minister of the day, who was a
descendant from ancient English
stock. The Rev. Mr.. Wilson became
the father of two daughters before he
was called as pastor to Staunton, Va,
where third child, a son, was born
and christened Thomas Woodrow.
When Thomas Woodrow was two
years old his father took a pastorate
In Augusta. Ga, and soon became one
Of the most noted ministers Of the
| Thnrnnohl1r
theologian, and a pulpit orator of DOW
er, he early reached and long main
tanned a position Of much influence
IN his church. When the Civil War
broke out he embraced the Confeder-
ate cause. &C ssy -
Tommy Wilson, the augusta school
boy, is described by Professor John T.
Derby, one of his teachers, as quiet
and exceptionally studious. The most
important instructor Of young Wilson,
however, was his father. a man of
wide Information on the affairs of the
world. His father believed that nobody
had grasped thought until he could
put it quickly and definitely into
words. This he did himself, and this
he taught his son to do. AS a result
Tommy came to learn the written SYM
bols in which speech is set down, he
was learning only a method of record
ing and transmitting a language which
he was already well able to handle
The Wilson's moved from Augusta to
Columbia, S. c., in 1870, DR.. Wilson
resigning his pastorate OF take the
chair Of Pastoral and Evangelistic The
ology in the Southern Presbyterian
Theological Seminary. At Columbia
Tommy attended Charles Parnwell's
private school. At the age of II he en-
tered Davidson College at Davidson, N.
&c.
Living at the college was rather
primitive; the boys kept their own
rooms, filed their own lamps, cut up
and brought in wood for their own
fires. and carried in water from the
pump. Young Wilson joined literary
society and played on the baseball
nine, once having the pleasure of hear
ing the captain say, Wilson. you
make dandy player if you weren't so
blame sleepy"
He did not finish the year at David
son, for he fell ill before organizations
came on and was taken to his home,
now at Wilmington, N. c., where his
father had taken a pastorate. Here
Wilson took things comparatively easy
for a year. Except for tutoring in
Greek and few other studies that he
thought might be necessary for en-
trance to Princeton, he busted himself
with reading, looking up the historic
points of the city and with the social
life of the city.
DIR. and Mrs. Wilson's popularity had
made the parsonage a social center in
the city, SO young Wilson's associates,
who were practically all older than
himself, were men and women of cul-
ture and brilliancy. Because of these
associations it was an urbane and am
ply self confident young man who left
Wilmington one day in September,
1875, to enter Princeton College. About
this time he dropped his Christian
name Thomas and became known as
Woodrow Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson attained promi-
nence among his mates in the famous
class of TO" No less than AZ of the 1872
graduates of 10 We're honor men"
having an average of 90 per cent or
better for the four years course. Will
son barely got in among them; he
ranked forty-first.
Besides being a good student at
Princeton, Wilson became managing
editor of the college paper and was
prominent in undergraduate activities.
At the age of 80 he signalized the
closing of his undergraduate days at
Princeton by breaking into the Inter
national Review, in it's issue of Aug
ust, 1879, with an article entitled
Cabinet Government in the United
States" The article contrasted Brit
ish and American systems of govern
ment. pointing out advantages in the
British.
In the fall of 1879 Wilson took up
the law course at the University of
Virginia, where he INDUCED in a long,
dropping mustache, and in member
ship in the glee club she Sleeps,
My Lady Sleeps" is shown by old pro-
grams OF university concerts to have
been one OF Wilson's tenor solos.
In May, 1882, he carried his law d.
ploma and an oratorical prize to At.
lanta, Ga. where he opened an office
for the practice of law. The office,
however, did not prosper. and after