Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-07

home.
George" he asked. "if you we're in
the States now and had your dis.
charge in your pocket. what would
you rather be than a SOLDIER"
did not answer for n long time
then from somewhere back in the re-
cesses of the subconscbus mind dug
this idea and expressed 1t in a dreamy
far.away voice:
ed. I'd like to be lawyer-not
a shyster--but a clean-cut lawyer with
his profession above his bank ac-
count; I would like to have a home
with little piece of ground; a good
wife and n kiddie or two"
Ed leaned back and laughed heart.
lily. I did not. When I had heard
the idea expressed aloud II seemed to
grip me. kept the vision before me
until it materialized. That was back
in 1901. I had been TO school less
than two years in all my life and my
self.tuition had been interrupted by
three years Of strenuous campaigning.
Since then I have come to believe
that a man can be anything he wants
to be IL he can set n definite goal.
kick over the obstacles as they ap.
pear and keep plugging" as the sol.
diers say. | returned to the United
States again the same year and join
ed the coast artillery at Fort Nc
Henry. Lieutenant Churchill, now at
the head of the Military Intelligence
az brigadier general appointed me
post school teacher. He must have
done II on my appearance. for l had
TO master at night the lessons I
taught the men at school the follow
ing day During the three years I
filed that office I first met the girl.
a friend of my sister. who was after
ward to become my life partner. In
1904 there were some vacancies in the
artillery corps for sergeants major.
Only sergeants of the line were per-
mitted to take the examinations. The
sergeants in my battery did not feel
qualified to take the examination and
they showed no inclination to die or
leave the service in my interest.
Does an Unusual Stunt
I put the facts up to the post com.
mander and after he had recovered
from the shock my audacity caused
he recommended to the chief of artil.
lery that ! be given the chance.
passed, SO far AS I know. the first cor.
poral to become a sergeant.major on
his nerve. Ordered to duty at Fort
F'lagler. q dreary, isolated post in
Puget Sound, about sixty miles out
from Seattle | spent five months
there before leaving the service for
good. The fact that further promo
ton was out of the question was
made clear.
At about that time the Pennsyi
vania State Police was being organ
lied. I figured that in new organiza-
ton there Is always process of elm
ination and that with my knowledge of
horsemanship and office work ! ought
TO stand a chance for promotion. My
military record secured me an appoint
ment as first sergeant of a troop or
ganiZed in little town in the western
end of the State that was surrounded
by foreign settlements where murders
We're numerous and crime prevalent.
First Test in State Police
Our first real test came at Florence
when a gang Of murderous Italians
barricaded themselves in a house from
which they killed two Of our men and
wounded three others. Taking an &C
tive part in that affair I was in the
same month promoted to lieutenant
and sent to the Wilkes Barree dis
trict. There we made a Black Hand
raid that netted us a full wagonload
of weapons and twenty-three pris.
oners. The process OF elimination
was working and ! was sent TO
Greensburg, captain of a troop Of the
finest body Of mounted police in the
United States.
Taking my bride of a few weeks
with me worked hard to perfect the
discipline. and efficiency of n. troop
Feeling that I had a great RESPONSE
bility in the enforcement Of the law
l began to study the criminal statutes
Of the State. Before I had gone far
; in this work the deputy superinten
. | lnnafa1 ha 70 ptt ttnl
signed and 1 was pror oted tc his
place. AS soon as l got settled
, began to devote my spare time tc
prepare for the examination for ad
mission to the bar Of the Supreme
Court. For two years 1 bored into
Latin, literature, algebra, geometry
, and history to meet the academic re
quirements of the preliminary exam
, nation after which I had three years
more OF Blackstone, statutes and de
cisions to pass the final examination
I During these five years I studied unit
| midnight or later every night. Ny
patient little wife allowed me full
latitude in my absolute neglect of hel
! interests. We found time TO buy 6
suburban lot, draw plans and writ,
. the specifications for the home W,
now live in; and to bring a fine boy
into the world.
broke down my health will
, black coffee and stogies. used to keel
: me from falling asleep over my books
, and had my appendix removed as al
unnecessary adjunct to my plans. II
J, April, 1916, l received my certifcat,
}, TO the Supreme Court of Pelnsylva
: MIA.
= When the superintendent, who ha
!. been a major in the National Guar
= was commissioned a lieutenant co
;. onel after the start Of the present war
the Governor had enough confidenc
in me to hand me the eXecutiv
authority Of the force.
:. l came to this country an Englisl
d immigrant boy at the age Of six NJ
d friends say / have been lucky. Pei
I. haps so, but you must pay dear Il
.r self-sacrifice for such luck as hav
y had.
It However, the going is easy. Thi
n Is the greatest age in the grandes
2. land Of opportunity in the world. A
IS fast as a man learns that genius
y only the ability to dig; that sell
% glorification is only another form c
# hot-air, while service, downright loya
b.: service is the quintessence Of rapi
success, that soon will he learn tha
It there are no limits to the possibilitie
% of the human mind.
To be conventional in my conclusio
z I ought to attribute all Of my success
I. to my wife. but / know shabby farm
a ers and common day laborers wh
y love their wives as much as do min
10 They, like me. have the incentiv
It but they have not come to the real
II zation that mans friends are
ID the ultimate analysis the reason fc