Ripley County democrat., 1918-06-14

come pfDICSSuf ~ 1A1* A@stto 49,
iege The second brother. Lebbsus,
was also on his way to college the
WiIneys had always been strong ne
levers In education.
Young Xenophon made the most "a |
his comparative surcease from pain
and torture. He xas hauled to school
in little wagon BY his elder broth.
ers and sat In the wagon In the school
room. He rapidly became noted as
the brightest pupil In his classes. AT
the age Of I6 he matriculated at
Clarksburg College, which was going
aome for boy who had nad but four
years In the district school and which
ia, come to consider 1t, an argument
in favor Of deferred primary educaT
tion, preceded, preferably, by q long
course in pain and suffering.
Going through ClarksDulg In a hur
ry. Xenophon, like his famous name
sake OF the Anabasis, kept going up"
He matriculated at Central College.
Fayette, when he was 10 years old.
y Then the educational, business and
political life OF Xenophon Pierce VIII.
hey really began.
Central College is q small Southern
Methodist institution in the midlands
< OF Missouri, much smaller then than
1t Is now. But it was designed to turn
\ out servants OF the commonwealth. 1t
was sort of o miniature common
wealth itself, small social oganiza-
4 tion on the lines Of the Republic Of
4 Plato. Under the wise and beneHcent
administration Of Prof. John G. Ham
mond, the open discussion Of social
and political affairs was the leading
course at Central College.
The students Of Central were ever
! debating, debating, debating The col
lege did not countenance general out.
side competition In football, baseball
or athletic sports. The boys might
play all the games they cared to play
among themselves. They might even
play football or baseball with other
colleges. They were not ruled with
any iron hand, but competitive athlet
y les was not a fetch at Central College
in the middle 90's.
SENATOR WiLFLEyss DAYS
AT CENTRAL COLLEGE
Her husband being dead. Mrs. vii
fey moved to Fayette to put her boy
in school For four years at Central
DR.. Hammond had these boys. none o
4 thsm~ u, csh sans spssaas sssse%isn
/, with eli the intensity and seriousnei
: Of Roman senators. debating course
! OF action during Punic war or
. Gallo irruption. Boys Of q ere pla
o ing the parts OF Adams, Webster. Co
houn. Hayne and Clay. Plato. cicer
d Cato, Scipio, Domosthenes, Brutu
Q were the models Of the young Centr
!. lians, It was before the day whs
b George Cohan, Maurice, Eddie ~
and Frank Tinney had become u
. models OF American youth.
y There we're wonderful debates. y
d mendous flights Of oratory in the cli
q. sic halls Of Central during the ear
70 g0's. Two great debates a wee
smaller debates every night. eve
,r dinner table q debating society. eve
" debating society Q school Of stat'
te fnanshlp. Then there were county,
re- tercounty, intersection, intercollegia
Of state, Interstate and national and
Q, ternational debates upon the scien
H. OF government at Fayette and 9th
40 midMissouri towns. DR.. Hammo
I'd and his assistants in tho faculty to
part with the students In these !
bates. Every. distinguished visit
!, was invited--in fact compelled
take part. Thus the boys got the
II cemputable advantage Of debating.
lis ccntestlng, with seasoned antagonis
III. with men who had made their mar
,is In the halls of states ami VI tbe
or lion.
~ There were great state and Int
~ state debates held at various tow
- Among those who took part In one
,n these statewide debates against x
IA "a ophon Wiley was DR.. W. J. Willis
son, now pastor Of Central Church
- st. Louis, q noted pulpit orator.
williamson won that debate. HI
ever. DR., Williamson was the oil