Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-01
CHAPTER II.
6oyhood In Georgia.

N@z-1 moved 10 AuEuSid- Ia. where
the father was To be pastor OF the
Presbyterian church for the next four
years
With his entrance upon the Augusta
pastOrate, the Rev. Mr.. Wilson became
one of the most noted ministers of the
south. Thoroughly equipped in the the
ology of his denomination. pulpit ora
tor of great power and a personality of
extraordinary force. he early reached
and long maintained position of much
influence. When the war came on he
embraced with all the strength of his
character the southern side. At the di-
vision Of the Presbyterian church into
northern and southern branches he in
vited the first general assembly of the
latter TO meet I'm his church and became
its permanent clerk
In 1868 Or Wilson was styled stat
ed clerk" of the southern Presbyterian
general assembly. and he continued to
be such until 1890. when he resigned.
being then seventy SevPn years old and
having kept the southern Presbyterian
records for nearly forty years He was
moderator OF the assembly in 1879. He
died at Princeton. y j. IN his eighty
first year.
Mr.. Wilson had been a professor OF
rhetoric. and he always remained one.
taking very seriously and practicing
with a sense of its Sanctity the art of
words He read his sermons. every
one of which was marked by high
literary finish. although in no sense
unduly rhetorical
Mr. Wilson used to speak with con-
tempt of the fiorid style of oratory.
and even early in life his son was
trained TO consciousness of the alb
surdity of highfalut,n rhetoric.
Tommy Wilson's earliest rcColIected
impression had to do with the break
/ ing out of the civil war. On certain
day in November. 1850, the little boy.
playing on the gate before his father =
house. saw two men meet Oh the side
walk and heard one of them cry. Lin
coin is elected. and thereli be war;
This is the earliest recollection OF
Woodrow Wilson. Something in the
shrill tone Of the speaker struck for
the first time chord Of lasting mem
DRY.
Yet Woodrow Wilson remembers tit
tie. almost nothing. OF the war. Au
guSta was on an island around which
flowed the current OF the conflict. II
was never occupied by Federal troops
until reconstruction days 40 refu
gees ever fed to it The man does re
member that the boy saw a troop Of
men in every sort Of Carb mounted or
every sort Of horse ride past the house
one day on their way To join the Con
faderate army. They were not terri
flying or glorious spectacle The boy
cried after them in slang eEclama
ton Of the day. Go get your mule
He does remember the scarcity O.
the food supply that came on as The
war progreSSed-not that there wa
not enough food. but it was greatly
restricted in variety
There was another war event tina
b made its impression upon the boy-il
the summer of lStiJ he saw jefferson
; Davis ride by under guard on his wa.
to Fortress Monroe
After 1860 Dr Wilson's church wa
occupied temporarily by Federal so
: dlerS However. such hardShipS as tn
city OF Augusta suffered through tn
war were nothing compared with the
endured III most parts OF the south
D Is to this fact that Is To be attribute
. the small part IN WoodrOw Wilson
education played by the passions G.
the great conflict. He was only uin
a.
q was. too, apparently Il boy who som,
what tardilv developed strong convi,
o tons In short be was real bo
t while he WAS a boy. more conCerne
IN the games IF his crowd than in ii
: principles OF Il war OF which they sa'
z little
v The Wilson boy was. his companion
say. an active little fellow. 1t was
b peCnliarity that be was always rul
ming He seemed incapable of rrocee
# ing from point to point otherwise Il
r can scarcely be said to have wake
Y until he was fourteen OF fifteen yea
: old.
u One OF the thrilling moments of Il
IS boys early life was the day aud eve
Al ing when the first street car can
2 down the streets of Augusta IT
= cars were of tine bObtaiI variety Wi
:. q hox for nickeS M IN front ~ his
II the electric light had not then turnt
O. night into day-the GIimmeriug re
,r purple and green tights carried by 4
n, cars afforded endless pleasure rs tn
- approached and receded The boy
" too. made friends With the drivers al
r went along with them on their triy
being allowed sometimes to work I
Is brakes and to turn the switches.
4 little later Tom learned the delig
o OF the saddle DR.. Wilson kept a b
y black buggy horse. which Tommy Us
e to -"conservstively." says his Z
in playmate. Pleasant A. StovaIl. nc
'. editor Of the Savannah Press.
o The stable or barn and the lot
d closed by the parsonage Offices We
IN favorite resorts for all the boys of t
I'D neighborhooi. among whom wills
IS was a natural leader. he and Please
e; Stovall organized a club among t
III, lads and called It the LiEhtfoOt eli
Is The chief activities OF this fellowst
-ly seem TO have been the playing Of ba
nd ball with other mines OF town boys a