The Washington herald., 1919-09-15
EARLY LIFE OF
GEN. JOHN ]. PERSHING
AUTHENTIC STORY
OF THE BOYHOOD DAYS
OF THE FAMOUS GENERAL
Dy HAROLD F. WHEELER

CONTINUED FROM SATURDAY.
Schooldays, in SO far as Laclede was |
concerned ended for Perxhing when |
he was II. At that age he had sue
cessfuIly mastered all of the studies
OF the schools curriculum
But he was not content Other boys, |
most Of his classmates, were satisfied |
They were ready to make their start |
In hfe-farming. clerkinE- Not John! |
Early in life John had set for him |
self goal and that goal he could |
attain only with higher education |
he was determined to so to the |
Missouri State Normal School at |
kirksyille- The chum of his later |
Laclede school years, Charles X |
Spurgeon, Laclede's physician in the !
old days, was going to that SCHOOL,
and this fact but strengthened Johns |
determination He would go with |
Charlie
But howl Tha, was Johns prob
lem
His parents were comfortably SIT !
uated, but with large family 10
care for. other boys and girls to |
feed and clothe and educate, they
could not do everything for their |
Oldest son He must help himself
II he would go to Kirksville and
walk the heights OF his choosing.
Came che opportunity. The negro !
school in Laclede was without a
teacher. Not much of a job, Laclede
folks thought for the color line.
drawn even now in LacIede was
drawn much finer in those days
than ii is today, though II must
he confessed Laclede today has no
school for colored children and will
not allow them to attend the school
for the white children But John
Pershing did not think the position
would belittle him even IL some La
clede folks did. He had played with
the negro children all his life he!
liked them he accepted the posi-
ton.
Ftrxt Taught in Negro school
The day John Pcrshing took this
step marked an epoch in his life
1t was his first opportunity. He
grasped it Always since in his life
he has taken advantage OF the op-
portunites which life has offered
him Never has he failed to grasp
an opportunity, and for that reason.
above all others. he is where he is
today-in supreme command of the
American Expedition Forces, in the
highest position his profession Of
fers- Who could ask more of life?
How long John remained a teach
er in the negro school is something
about which Laclede's memory is
rather hazy. None with whom L
talked in Laclede could recall e1-
acuy. Their best recoIIections fixed
the time at a few months-perhaps
weeks. Nor were there any un-
usual happenings in the school to
mark his stay thcre-that is, out
ward happenings
Writing with knowledge Of what
came afterwards in his life though
II Is certain that during the short
tenure Of his position he learned
much that later proved OF tremen-
dous value to him. For in that
school II was that he had a chance
TO study the negro character. the
negro traits-to know the negro
and the worth of the negro. He
liked those black folks Of LacIede
They loved him.
Years passed and he was a first
lieutenant OF the Tenth rnited
States Cavalry, one Of the crsCt
colorcd troops of the United States
army. He knew how to handla nc
gro troopers. knew how because OF
those weeks or months in the little
negro school back in Laclede.
AND he learned to know that his
carly estimate Of the negro was
not founded in vain A br,ver
more heroic race than the nerro
never lived. so he said in tbes.
later days. Did not his coIored
troopers follow him UP San Juan
MIL follow him through hell
swept rain or lead-men. real men
very one Of them? But Of thai
SURFING incident more later.
An Opening at Prairie Mound.
A better opportunity than the
negro school soon Offered itse1r
The school in Prairie Mound a 1it-
tlc community only a few miles
distant was without teacher
charlie Spurgeon knows most Of
This phase of the generals liz
and Charlie Spurreon never tires
telling OF 1T l found Mr.. Snur-
seon in his store, the IL Toocv
field
An unusually pleasant man 70
meet Is Mr. Spurgeon BE Is about
the generals age, well preserved
ana In full enjoyment OF the bext
health A conversation begun with
him in his clothing store, If IL IS
about the general. usually ter1,i-
mates long AFTERWARDS in Brock
neIo's hotel. TO which Mr.. Spu--
seon adtourns that he NAV mako
himself and his visitor more com
Portable in the hotel lounge That
Is the way 1t was with me when
/ met Mr.. Spury-on-
Perhaps it is best to give his
story chronoloE1cally. Just as h.
recounts it
I first met John Mr.. spurgeon
told me- when 1 was IL or lsl
years old Ny folks moved to La
clede about that time from Ohio
and settled in a house in State
street almost opposite the PERISH
ing home
"John and Jim were the first
boys to call on me, and from the
moment of that first meeting, John
and became chums That friend
ship, begun then, has never ended.
] hear often from John and II
have seen him many times since
our school days in Laclede and
Kirksvtlle-
But you must have talked with
a lot of persons who know about
our Laclcde school days There
isn't much that l can add I can
tell you though, how John secured
the position as teacher OF the Prai-
rie Mound School And it's an in
teresting tale
John came over to my house
one night and told my father and