The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-04-12

Washington, April lit takes all
sorts of men to make a balanced cabi-
net, and perhaps the president chose
William Bauchop Wilson to be secre-
t6ry of labor as leaven for the cabinet
lump. In Bryan the cabinet has broad
craftsmanship. in Houston it gets
science. McReynolds is STEPPED in legal
knowledge, Garrison supplies the econ
ornies, Redf1eld is the hard headed
man of business. and SO on through
the list. Secretary Wilson is the poet
and dreamer
Wilson is a real poet--a corncob post,
after the Indiana manner. While he
writes verse SIM ply as a diversion,
some of it is so meritorious that it
has been published IN a volume called
Memories" The divine afflatus he
draws in with draughts from his fav-
orite corncob pipe. He does not go in
for lofty odes or lightsome lyrics but
his best poems swing between the pa
thos and humor of common life. Burns
ifs his favovite poet But through
runs his vision of Labor freed of his
chains.
Looks Like a Poet.
In appearan nee Wilson is not unpoet-
ical He has a round, roly- poly body
and a round face that is rudy with
health His silvery hair though
cropped short is as curly as a boys.
His eyes are as blue as the heather
blossoms in his native Blantyre Scot
land. In manner he is quiet, almost
shy, seldom speaking unless he is
questioned. But when he does speak
he usually says something worth hear
ing.
Wilson is one of those men whose
natures have been sweetened and re-
fined by adversely. Hard conditions
OF life came as no shock to him. lie
was horn in them. and never knew
better things until he won his way UP
to them At the age of nine, when
most mothers are trusting their chill
dren out of their first sight, Wilson
was a toiler in a Pennsylvania coal
mine and 4, member of the union. To-
day his bearing is that of the widely
read university graduate. Henry Cabot
Lodge is not more precise in speech
than he But Wilson is entirely self
educated, and he did a mighty good
lOb of it.
The story of how Wilson rose from
a mine boy to a United States cabinet
officer is an inspiring one. 1t largely
came about through his thirst for read
ing. a thirst which he was unable 10
crafty until he became a youth When
his parents emigrated from Scotland
and settled at the mining town OF Ar
not, Pa, lin the anthracite region, VIII
liam was eight years old. They were
poor and set the boy to work at once
The child had no opportunities for edu-
ca ton. After each long day of toll
his growing body cried for sleep, and
that for many months was his life
working and sleeping.
Help From Shoemaker.
But instead of breaking his consti-
tuition. the toll hardened it The work
began TO be easier for him He found
he had 8 certain minimum of leisure
Then he made a wonderful discovery.
The discovery was of a shoemaker in
Arnot named Kerwin. Kerwin was
great reader He had social and po-ftt-
cal theories, took the newspapers and
ev en- subscribed for the Congressional
Record. Kerwin's shoenalking shop
was a favorite place for the miners to
gather Of evenings. Many were the
arguments over national and world af-
fairs The conditions it, the labor
world also took a promi' place in
the discussions. The s1gs We're
held in the back roo 4 Kerwin's
shop. And there Ker- enc d his Il
bIary, the only one va Il de- he name
in the poor mining ma L
One night young rate rept into
the meeting and lis l-nent. the anna
teur debaters. He anced. 1t
was his first glirnps priI ll--rld outside
the deadly rol.ci1 - held rl<ing and
sleeping. From ist the Huet he lived
his days that hy hello up apresent at
the shoe shop Z Chihuahua this day
the smell OF nesilver ouuiIcs linked in
his memory wi patton as d
toiler below ccurred at s. old shoe
maker notices, can norrnzTe stening boy
and lent him engers were On devoured
them He ca4here any re assured vol
l1rnes into the al guard. linn and read
them during RI the state Caisure by the
light on his c Guerrera di emaker ques-
toned him a ----------.d found that
the boy got fLEGiSLATO.re remembered
ar PUT IN AN Apply brain alb
led them nat
Nashville, Tenn, April
he consideration by the all the books
.esenta tives OF the gene mine boys had
Jon bill, carrying explore books wersz
lie state for the next the direction of
r.el7, hdAnt damocraociety was formed,
dues were Corrected and new books
purchased. Wilson was made libra
rian and purchasing agent And for
years the shoemaker's shop was the
center of leaning in Arnot, and in the