The Washington herald., 1915-10-14
HISTORY BUILDERS.
George D. Prenice's Wonderful Mem.

ory.
Written expressly fol The Washington Hersld)
Dy DIR. T.. J. EDWARDS.
From 1925 until the Presidential
campaign Of 1876, Henry B. Stanton
was ranked among the most effective
political campaign speakers. To those
! engaged in active politics. he was
! known as an available and valuable
aid in the political campaign To
others who took less interest in poll
ties he was Identified as the husband
of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an identi-
! fication which always pleased Mr..
Stanton, as he was proud of his wife's
service in the cause of womans suf-
/ frage.
| Mr. Stanton's ong-maintained activ-
! ity in politics and his prominent news
paper association. principally with the
New York Sun after Mr.. Dana be-
came editor. brought him into intimate
relations with many of the leading
men of affairs in the United States.
! In the late summer Of 1887. went
! with Mr.. Stanton to Trenton, where
! the Democratic State convention or
| New Jersey was to be held. 1t was
! this convention which Unexpectedly.
and by one of the most brilliantly
executed stampedes. nominated Gen.
George B. Mcclellan for governor.
/ The hotel at Trenton was crowded
! SO that it was necessary for Mr.. Stan
ton and me to be lodged in the same
room. On the evening of the first
day, after our work was ended, Mr..
Stanton revealed his kindly interest in
me as 4 young newspaper man. and
among other things asked me what
my native town was. He seemed to be
greatly pleased when told that I was
native of New London County. Conn.,.
for he said, so am I. and there my
childhood and my youth were passed"
Having said this. Mr.. Stanton mar
rated to me many anecdotes asso-
ciated with his boyhood life in that
Connecticut county.
Il remember with great pleasure"
said he. that I had for teacher at
one time a man who was destined to
become famous as an American editor.
George D. Prentice. He. too. was a
native of New London County. Short
ly after his graduation from Brown
College, he was engaged as teacher
in the academy at Jewett City. / was
one Of the pupils at that academy. Mr..
Prentice impressed me greatly both
as a man and as a teacher. l don't
think I ever had a better teacher. He
had a singular capacity for inspiring
his pupils not only with the love of
study. but with disposition to think.
There was another quality Mr.. Prem.
tice possessed of which he afterward
showed remarkable and dramtic evi-
dence when he was the editor of what
is now the Louisville Courier-Journai.
He was the finest wrestler in all that
part of the country. and remember
we'll when he accepted the challenge
Of a famous wrestler and then con-
quered in a fair tussle.
Another Characteristic of Mr.. Prem
tice which caused me wonder when I
have heard that Lord Macaulay could
and then repeat accurately from mem
ory what he had read. George D.
Prentice had a similar gift. At one
time when he was my teacher. he ac-
cepted a wager designed to test his
power Of memory and won II. The
conditions of that wager were that
he should read several pages Of q
large book and then. closing the book.
repeat from memory what he had read
without q mistake. I remember well
how carefully we watched that con-
test and how glad we were when Il
was announced that Mr.. Prentice had
won the wager. I was not At all as
tonished when heard how rapidly
his reputation was growing after he
went to Louisville and became editor
Of which IL now the Louisville Cour-
ier-Journal"
(Ooryrisht, ms. b. g. J. Edsarda An hshts ~
srvedJ
Tomorrow DIR. Edwards will tell of
"A Trick to sidstrack Senator De-
Sow