The Washington herald., 1912-11-06

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Hwsedrow wnson has bse9 scheesins
Emssif, perhaps uuconscioualy. but nsv-
frtheless carefully and studiously nor
ssy ysars for the sxaltsd odice he viil
tBsume oa March next
There has never been . c3ooer Seuaeas
- American political aAtairs since Ham
llton and Madison. There 10 noshmg
about Congress or the White House fhef
Wiu take him greatly BY surprise AZ
the age Of twenty-nine he hsa w1ssen
. college thesis that showed him TO- oe
Gyen a that time one Of the keeusst
6nalysts Of our National Legiassure
- ever had. In later years he turned
HIS sharp scrutiny upon the White House
and wrote the most Informing ana y.
Illuminating treatises on the powers ana
limitations Of the President thAS have
ever been published.
Asids from these special invesdeadons
his whole life has been long ana az
haustive study OF the American people
IN their social and political relations. -.
indeed, were those Of his forbearers
before him.
His grandfather, James Wilson. was
born In Ireland. He emigrated to Amer
ica about q century ago and seeued m
PhiIadeiphia. which was the capitol Of
the United States at that time. One of
the leading Philadelphia papers Of that
period was the Aurora" Thomas JET
ferson's personal organ. James Wilson.
being : printer. obtained employmsnt on
this paper and. being . hard vorkinS.
thrifty man. acquired its ownership and
became intimately acquainted with Jef-
ferson.
The rapidly growing West began TO
cast its spell over James Wilson ana
accordingly. in 1S9o or thereabouts. he
moved to Steubenville. Ohio. where ne
founded the Western Herald" He soon
became q power In the Democratic party
in Ohio, and was known throughout the
State as 'J0dge" Wilson.
1t was here. amid these surroundings Of
hardy and vigorous pioneer life. that Jo-
seph r. Wilson, the father OF the Prssi-
Aent-elect. was born and grew to man
hood.
Joseph R. Wilson began his. career a.
. teacher, first in an academy. then IN
Jefferson and In Hampden-Sydney Col
legeS His natural taste. however. was
for the ministry. and after careful pre-
paration he entered the Presbyterian
pulpit. About this time he married Janet
Woodrow, daughter Of the Presbyterian
minister at Chfllicothe, Ohio. She has
been described as q remarkably pretty
and charming woman. She was born In
Carlisle, England. but her father came
to America when she was only few
years old.
woodrow Wilson was born In Staunton.
Va, In 1S5s, during Christmas week. and
the cheer Of that occasion has never left
him. He will be the eighth occupant of
the White House from the Old Dominion.
About two years after Woodrow VIII
sons birth his father accepted q call to
the pastorate OF the Presbyterian Church
throughout the civil war. This wah one
Of the most influential Congregations IN
the South. and tho elder Wilson was
recognized as ons> pf the leading div1nes
CT the South.
woodrow was only five years old when
the war broke out. and a. Augusta was
not the scene Of any actual conflict. the
boy knew little about what was going
ON. He was also shielded from the
stormy passions and violent pre5udices
Of the war. and grew up into manhood
unwarped by section hate.
Not q Youthful ProAiEy.
The elder Wilson did not force the edu-
cation Of his son. He took him on long
journeys about the city. visiting factories
and explaining to him how cloth was
made. He also read to him oy
the hour. But the boy himself did
not learn to read until long after
the average age when children are
supposed to read. This II rather re-
markable when one thinks Of the omniver-
GUS appetite for books the President-elect
has always had. But when he did learn
to read he more than made up Tor lost
time. He In at the present time one OF
the most widely read men in this or any
other country.
In the autumn Of 1S7u the Wilson's moved
to Columbia, 8. c., and three years later
Woodrow, who was then seventeen. began
his scholastic career at Davi zon College.
While this institution was rather obscure
as compared with the great colleges OF
the North, 1t was deliberately selected by
the elder Wilson as the starting point for
his son's college work, because Of the su-
perior character Of its faculty. Davidson
10 still fiourishing and Is now Well
equipped. but at the time woodrow VIII
son attended there 1t was rather primi.
tive. The boys took care Of their own
rooms, filled their own lamps. cut and
carried in their own wood. and brought
water from the old pump. About the only
record young Wilson seems to have made
at Davidson was the ability to dress,
cross the campus, and get into his seat
at the chapel quicker than any one else
He u said to have accompHsned the Ieex
on several occasions before the chapel beil
stopped ringing.
He 10 remembered At Davidson ~ q
engaging young man
Who did not seem to be very much inter.
ested In outdoor sports, which at that
time consisted of baseball and "shinny."
He did play baseball on the college nine
for q time, but his record perhaps would
not excite the envy Of y Cobb.
strong Personality of Wilson.
Wilson. was at Davidson but q year.
The following year he remained at
home, the elder. Wilson in the mean
time having moved to Wilmington. This
year he spent In preparation for ex-
trance into q Northern university, and
in entertaining his younger brother.
In September 1916 Woodrow Wilson an.
tered the freshman class at Princeton.
There were IL young men, In the class.
Before the war. Princeton had been the
most favored Northern college among
the young men Of the South but after
the war their numbers began to fan OF
and at the time Wilson enrolled. very
few Of the students hailed from south
of the Mason and Dixon line.
The next President II q man who in
stinctivciy ballks at doing things simply
because they have been done before
From his earliest youth he has insisted|