The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-31

as we recall, but her record has been
such that her rapid success in teaching
is assured. While her sisters and
brothers are doomed to the life thew
are leading, this girl has scaled the
heights and has before her now any
career that she may choose for herself.
10 our mind, if she does not attain to
the high places some of her companions
reach, she will still deserve more credit
than they when one reflects upon the
A Promising Botanist.
Not less interesting is the story of
2 young man who will ere long be one
of Americas most noted botanists.
Fifteen years ago this boy was night
clerk for the old Richmond Times. the
predecessor of The Times Dispatch, and
he seemed to have before him no great
future unless he chose to follow journal
ism. He knew some young men, how
ever, who wanted to enter college, and
to be with them rather than to get an
education, this young man decided to
follow their example, Retaining his
place on the paper and studying during
the idle moments of his nightly vigil
at work, this young man did fairly
we'll. But the grind was too much for
his strength, and he was about to give
up his boon-companions when his uncle
offered to finance his college course.
Accepting this proposal and resign
ing from this paper, the boy went
through college, though with no par
tlcular honors or promise of future
achievement. The year before he grad
uated from college one of his friends,
then at a great American university,
came back to Richmond and so loudly
sounded the praises of his school as to
attract the interest of the college
student. The latter became ambitious,
had conference with his uncle and won
the latter's promise to help him. The
next season he entered the UNIVERSITY
in question and began seriously to
study for the first time in his life.
Ere long, as if by magic, powers
which had long slumbered began to
assert themselves, the boy developed
rare investigative mind and soon was
pioneering in the most distant border
lands of science. For four years he
remained at the university, winning
every honor that could be given him,
and at length, graduating with distinc-
ton, he entered the government service.
To-day he is professor in a distant
and is making Investigations
which the great scientific magazines of
the country rejoice to print And this
boy, let it be remembered, was night
clerk on newspaper fifteen wears ago!
A Brilliant Preacher.
Richmond people who attend one of
the city's churches and listen every
Sabbath to the eloquent minister who
thrills and stirs their hearts do not
know the remarkable history of the
man whom they so respect. We make
bold to tell it in brief, concealing only
his name. Twenty-Five years ago this
eloquent divine was a country boy with
no outlook beyond the bare farm his
father owned. By every test the boy
was destined to be a farmer, to grub
q scant living from his few acres and
to live and die unknown beyond the
borders of his county.
But when he was about twelve
years old and had practically decided
that the schools could give him nothing
really desirable, he CHANGED to meet a
young preacher who had come into the
neighborhood to hold an old-fashioned
"protracted" meeting. The preacher
happened to be a recent graduate of
one OF the colleges whose announce
ment appears in this section of The
Times Dispatch, and he had all the
fresh enthusiasm Of youth He talked
long and often with the country boy and
flTQd tho OF l.