The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-02-06
GRANDFATHER. WITH HIS " LET
ME INSTRUCT you"

titled "A Boy and His Grandfather"
Whitlock tells about becoming a free
trader as a young man and how he
dreaded to meet his grandfather at
Urbana. Ohio where the old gentle
man had lived in Republican content
ment The story goes on:
For the first time in my life l
went on my vacation to Urbana that
summer with reluctance for the first
time In my life shrank from seeing
my grandfather The wide front door
opened and from the heat without to
the dark and cool interior Of the hall
stepped: l prolonged the prelim-
inaries. / went through the familiar
apartments and out into the garden
to see how it grew that summer and
down to the stable to see the horses
but the inevitable hour drew on and
at last with all the trivial things said
all the personal questions asked we
sat in the living room cool In the
half.light produced by its drawn
shades the soft air of summer blow
ing through it, the odd old Nurem-
berg furniture, the painting of the
Nuremburg castle presented to him
by the American artist whom he re-
scued from a scrape the tall pier
glass with the little vase OF flowers
on its marble base and my grand
father in his large chair his white
waistcoat half unbuttoned and one
side sagging with the weight Of the
heavy watch chain that decended
from its large hook his white beard
trimmed little more closely his
white hair bristling as aggressiveiy
as overall the same all as of old
like the reminders of the old life ana
all its traditions now to be broken
and rendered frever and tragically
different from all 1t had been meant.
He sat there looking at me the blue
eyes twinkling under their shaggy
brows, and stretched forth his long
white hand in the odd gesture with
which he began his conversations.
Conversations with him it suddenly
developed, were not easy TO sustain
he pursued the Socratic method. If
you disagreed with him, he lifted
three fingers toward you, whether in
menace or in benediction 1t was diff
cult at times to determine, and said:
Let me instruct YOU"
For Instance:
do you know why Napoleon ILL.,
lost the battle of Sedan? he might
abruptly inquire.
"No, sir you were expected to
say. CYou always addressed him as
sir
LET me instruct you
Or:
"Do you know who was the great
est English poet?'
mo SIR you would say, or, per
haps, in those days you might ven
ture, Was it Shakespeare, sir?'
Then he would look at you and
say
"Let me instruct you.
"This afternoon then, after l had
inspected the premises, noticed how
much taller my cousins fir tree was
than the one | called mine 1--WE had
planted them one day, as little boys,
years before) and after / had had
drink at the old pump which in
those days, before germs, brought
up such cold, clear water, and after
| had assembled to my cool room up
stairs, and come down stairs again
and we had idly talked for little
while, as | said he sat and looked
at me a moment, and then said:
DO you understand this tariff
questions?
In those days | might have made
the due, what / might term with ref
erence to that situation the conven-
tional reply and said:
No sir
In these days | am sure l would
But / hesitated. He had already
stretched forth his hand.
'"Yes, SIR / said.
He drew in his hand, and for an
instant touched with his long fing-
ers the end of his large nose. /
plunged ahead.
"'I am in favor OF free trade, SIR
He did not extend his hand. He
looked at me moment, and then
he said:
"You are quite right; We must
support Mr.. Cleveland in the coming
contest
And he sank back in his chair
and laughed.
he was always like that, follow
ing the truth as he saw 1t, wherever
1t led him."
L "