The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-02
HOW ID. p. KINGSLEY
SECURED HIS
START IN LIFE
President of New York Life Insurance
Company Got Much of His Inspira-
ton from Principal Spaulding.
of Barre Academy.


How Darwin p. Kingsley, president OF
the New York Life Insurance Co., and
at once one of the most distinguished
alumni of Barre academy and the Uni
versity of Vermont, obtained his lnspiTa-
ton for higher education is interestingly
told by b. G. Forbes in Leslie's Week
ly, the article being one OF several
sketches OF big business men which are
appearing from time to time in Leslie's.
1t may be interesting to note that the
company which Mr.. Kingsley heads has
insurance of $500, 100000 in force with
assets of $900,000,000, figures not APP
preached by any other insurance com
pany in the world The speaker in this
instance is Mr. Kingsley himself
AT Alburg, where | was born, there
we're not then 1850 enough houses to
form even hamlet. In the summer l
attended the old 'deestrict' school, a
primitive affair, innocent of any sug-
gestion OF higher education. In our home
through and through, selfrespecting, and
full OF moral and religious discipline.
But it was extremely narrow, uninsplr-
ing, and unimaginative. There was little
or nothing to fire boy with ambition
or enthusiasm or to acquaint him with
the world that lay beyond his 'cabined,
cribbed, and confined sphere. h~d no
larger vision than any of the other folks
there.
But one day something happened 1t
was only little talk with our family
doctor, yet it changed the whole course
of my life He said to me, You ought
to go to school | told him ! was going
to school, He said. oh, yes; but |
mean you ought to 60 on and study
Latin | asked him, What is Latin =
He told me, You cannot understand your
own language unless you know Latin.
What does substraction meany What
does it come from! | told him it meant
Just satisfaction. Then he explained
to me that the word came from two
Latin words, sub meaning from and
traho meaning to draw'-to draw from
under.
"A whole new world flashed into my
vision at that instant. There was a
world, realized, that had known Moth
ing about. This glimpse Of it made me
resolve there and then that ] would
study hard and learn all about it. Be
for | was II had finished Greenleafs
common school arithmetic, but though
the little school had nothing much be.
yond that to offer | continued 10 work
on the farm in summer and to go to
school in winter until | was II. was
sent to Swanton academy for one winter
term and to BarrefN academy for one
spring term. DIR. J. S. Spaulding, head
OF the academy. was a very noted man,
and under his guidance | became deter
mined not to quit school as had been IN
tended, but to work my way through
both academy and college
Between terms | worked as day
laborer in the fields, swinging scythe
all day or tilling the fields. got through
the academy before | was 20, and with
out knowing where the money was COM
ing from | went to the University OF
Vermont. at Burlington and took the
entrance examination. This was in the
spring
During the summer | saved s45 work
ing on farm, and the farmer agreed to
lend me additional money to go to col
lege if | could give him security m case
| died--he was not afraid of his money
If lived. Doctor Spaulding was an ar
dent believer in life insurance and used
to impose upon his students the many
advantages Of good policy, emphasizing
among other things, that it would be
used on occasion as security. ! took out
81 900, in the Metropolitan Life, although
the cost, $40 a year was a tremendous
drain upon my resources. ! handed the
policy to nv farmer benefactor. This in
cident. doubtless, was responsible Tor
nv being president Of the New York Life
Insurance Co., to-day"