An American Statesman Author:Willis Fletcher Johnson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. CHILDHOOD AND STUDENT LIFE. The Influences of Heredity—A Characteristic Incident of Childhood—First Studies at Home—At School at Lancaster, Ohi... more »o—Entering Washington College—The Roll of His Classmates—His Leadership in College Life—His Rank as a Student—Little Participation in Athletic Games —Incidents of Student Life—An Original Demonstration—The Programme of Commencement Day—The Prophetic Subject of His Commencement Oration. It has been justly observed that a man's education, to be complete, should begin with his grandparents. In the light of that principle the boy that was born to Ephraim L. and Maria Gillespie Elaine at the Indian Hill farm, West Erownsville, on January 31, 1830, began his education in a most auspicious manner. His ancestry, on both 'sides, as we have seen, was an admirable one. It united the traits of thrift, sagacity, enterprise, industry, loyalty to the State, loyalty to kin and friends, intellectual and physical vigor, love of culture and love of adventure, natural leadership, (and indeed all the qualities of the best American manhood and womanhood. Assuredly the child that should inherit such a nature would be well equipped for whatever lot might befall him in life. These advantages of heredity, however, cannot be regarded as the sole reason of the distinguished success attained by the subject of this work. Doubtless hundreds of other children were born in the State of Pennsylvania in that same year of equally estimable parentage and with equally favorable influences of ancestry and early environment. Nor can we ascribe his high achievements to any fortuitous circumstance of early or later life. There are those who, as has been said, have greatness thrust upon them. Some event, entirely beyond the compass of their own effort, brings...« less