Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-03-19
GU { A I |! :, !.
Boy no Cd q ~ { oroia.

Presby terian schurch for the next four
years.
E=s With. his entrance upon the Augusta
pastorate, the Rev. Mr.. w lson became
one of the most noted ministers Of the
south. Thoroug bly, equipped in the the
sology Of his denOmina ton. q pulpit ora
tor OF great power and q personalityofs
$extraordi binary force. he early reached
and long maintained a post on OF much
influence. hen the war ame on he
embraced with all the strength Of his
character the sout hern Sid de- At the di-
vision Of the Presby terian church into
mort and sout hern branches he :in-
vited the first general assembly OF the
latter to meet In his church and became
Its permanent clerk. i. s.5
In 1865 DR.. Wilson was styled .'stat-.
ed clerk Of the southern Presby terrain:
general assembly. and he continued to.
be such until 1899. when he resigned:
being then seventy seven years old and
having kept the southern Presby
records for nearly forty years. He was:
moderator Of the assembly In | $40. He
died at Princeton, N. u. In bis eighty
first year ....:=..= 81.
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. ..* 81, 81:
Mr.. Wilson used to speak with con-
tempt of the ford style of oratory,
and even early In life his son was
trained to consciousness of the alb
surdity of highfalutln rhetoric. .s :...
Tommy Wilson's earliest recollected
impression had to do with the break
ing out of the civil war: On certain
day In November. 1860. the little boy,
playing on the gate before his fathers
house. sa " two men meet on the side
walk and heard one Of them cry. Lin
coin Is elected. and there'll be war;
This Is the earliest recollection Of
Woodrow Wilson. Something in the
shrill tone Of the speaker struck for
DRY. .s.l. s .s... :.;=.ss s.*
Yet Woodrow Wilson remembers lit
tie, almost nothing, Of the war. Au-
gusta was on an island around which
flowed the current Of the conflict. 1t
was never occupied by Federal troops
until reconstruction days. No refu-
gees ever fed to it. The man does re-
member that the boy saw troop Of
men in every sort of garb mounted on
every sort of horse ride past the house
one day on their way to join the Con-
federate army. They were not q terri.
flying or glorious spectacle. The boy
cried after them In a slang exclama.
ton Of the day, go get your muller
He does remember the scarcity OF
the food supply that came on as the
war progressed-not that there was
not enough food, but it was greatly
| restricted in variety. :z2 5
| There was another war event that
made it's impression upon the boy--tn
| the summer Of 1868 he saw jefferson
Davis ride by under guard on his way
to Fortress Monroe. q.
After 1865 DR.. Wilson's church was
occupied temporarily by # Federal sol
| diers. However. such hardships as the
city Of Augusta suffered through the
war were nothing compared with those
| endured In most parts of the south. 1t
Is to this fact that is to be attributed
the small part in Woodrow Wilson's
education played by the passions OF
the great conflict He was only nine
years old when the war ended. He
was, too, apparently a boy who some.
what tardily developed strong convic.
tons. Z In short. he was real boy
while be was a boy. more concerned
IN the games of his crowd than In the
principles Of q war ct which they saw
little. 81: .:s 9 iszS$
The Wilson boy was, his companions
say, an active little fellow. 1t was q
popularity that be was always run.
ming. He seemed inca pable of proceed
ing from point to point otherwise. He
can scarcely be said to have walked
until be was fourteen or fifteen years
/ old. q. &. :s n: :..
One. of the thrilling moments OF the
boys early life was. the day and even.
ing when the first street car came
down the streets Of Augusta. The
cars were of-the bobtail variety with
box for znickels up In front. BY night
! 1.-The electric light had not then turned
night into day the glimmering red
purple and green Zig hts ca rried BY the
cars afforded endless pleasure as they
approached and receded The boys
too made friends with the drivers and
went along with them on their trips