Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-11-09

rapid digests of what he read and
heard He also pract;ced compost
ton assiduously and extemporaneou
speaking that he might be skilled and
read in off hand debate.
In those days he was not remark
ably ready in extempore speaking.
Today he Is without peer in the ma
ton in the art.
There have been very few men in
public life who have dared to trust
themselves to deliver important
speeches without carefully writing
them out but to get Mr.. Wilson to
write a speech in advance is hard
matter.
During the first year at Princeton
Wilson joined Wing Hail." the lit.
erary debating society founded by
James M. ADDISON, who also wrote it's
constitution. Its riva society at
Princeton was Clio Hail. and the
annual Lynde debate an extemporan-
eous discussion, the subject to be CIV
en- to the debators a few minutes be-
fore the debate was to begin, was the
biggest thing in literary way at the
college. Young Wilson very soon es-
tablished himself as the leading spir
it of the Wing Hill' society and was
annual debate, when three repre-
sentatives from each of the two Halls
participated, was the thing that Will
son coveted most. Each Hall select
ed its dbaters by preliminary con-
est within its own society also an ex-
temporaneous affair,
On the evening of the preliminary
contest the subject was Protection
VS.. Free Trade" The debaters took
sides by lot. Wilson drew "Protec-
ton" side from the hat, tore up the
slip and returned to his seat. He said
nothing under heaven could induce
him to advance argument for thing
in which he did not believe. Lynde
prize therefore went to someone else.
Wilson did not shine with any
great effulgence in his regular college
course. He stood 41st in a class of
122. This was the famous class of
10, one of its members being Mahlon
c. Pitney Of the Supreme Court Bench.
About this time his natural apti-
tude for leadership began to crop out,
and before his first year was over he
was universally recognized at Prince
ton as the leading freshman and one
of the master spirits of the entire
student body. He later became man.
aging editor of the "Princetonian" and
when he graduated his classmates
looked to him to rise higher than any
of them
While at Princeton he wrote
searching article on Congress, which
at onre stamped him as youth of ex-
traordinary calibre. This article was
published in the International Review
and in it the young Princetonian point
ed out that most Of the legislative
business of the nation was carried
on by small committees behind clos
ed doors. This was the first time the
matter had ever been brought home
to the people of the country and it
started them to thinking.
Wilson made the point that the ma
tons business ought to be done in
the open, ought to be threshed out in
public discussion. Even at that early
day he fitted up his voice against sec
recy. He declared that was the at
mosphere in which evn and corroup
ton flourished and that the only rem
edy was publicity.
After leaving Princeton Woodrow
Wilson went to the University of Vir-
ginia, that great institution of liberal
learning founded by Thomas Jefferson
He spent a year there studying in the
law department under the able guild
ance of DR.. John B. Minor.
At the University of Virginia, Will
son was also a leader He took
more active interest In sports; joined
the glee club; he organized a debat-
ing society and easily won both the