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DK. M'GTTETEY
J
boys and girls of a quarter of a century
idled "McGuffey's Readers' and they will
rested In an article written for The Com-
?;by one of Dr. McGuffey's pupils, John A.
n, of Rockbridge. Baths, Va.
tr. McNeel writes: "Dr. William H. Mc-
long and ably filled the chair of Moral
phy and Political Economy, at the TJnivcr-
& Virginia. I had, for his life and character,
ind respect when the civil war was over
many other Virginia boys, was left a crlp-
y home, where my people for three gen-
ns before me lived and died, was in Poca-
county, Va, now a part of West Virginia.
In this county of old Virginia, where
bral Robert E. Leo assembled that vast army
re man forty full regiments of men in the
ler of 1861, to check the march of General'
sllan.
n the month of October, 18G6, 1 first went to
University of Virginia as a student and took
10 a letter of introduction to Dr. McGuffey,
m by my dear friend and teacher, Rev. James
)s, saying many things in my favor, few of
I am sorry to say, I have been able to
to. The day after I reached the university
ivered this letter and from the interesting
Kltl will Ml Tin TWndnfPw rnnd If and flin Ir-lntllir
. ..UAUU. . iUUUUUVJ tvuu ik, U.UU vnw JWUUtJ
he looked me ovor, I was sure that Dr. Mc-
sy would be my friend. Dr. McGuffey was
living at the extreme east end of West Lawn
his office was attached to the dwelling. He
Id then have passed as an old man, although
fithat time he possessed perfect mental and
sical vigor, ho was nearer seventy than sixty
rs of age. At this first meeting with Dr. Mc-
fey, young as I was, I was much impressed
ith the man. With his readers and spelling
0 iKijoks, I was quite familiar, as they- had been
' mq& as text books in all the schools I had at-
'.twsnded. I learned afterwards that it always
pleased the doctor to find that the university
men had been brought up when boys on his
school books.
"Dr. McGuffey was rather a small man, being
well proportioned, cleanly shaven, very bald, with
good side locks, hair that was still "very black,
piercing blue eyes, and a splendid round fore
head and head, set on shoulders that were still
Tery erect; with this description you have as
good a pen picture as I can make of Dr. Mc
Guffey. Eight years ago I was a recipient of
a handsome photograph of Dr. McGuffey, pre
sented by his daughter, Mrs. Stuart, of Dayton,
Ohio. This is the same picture that the University
of Ohio, at Miami has of him, so Mrs. Stuart
wrote me.
"At our first meeting Dr. McGuffey was
plainly but neatly dressed. In this respect he
was more particular than any other member of
the faculty. His office was the neatest place of
the kind I had ever seen, and am sure that since
then, I have never seen an office of any profes
sional man quite up to Dr. McGuffey's,. I did
not take Dr. McGuffey's ticket in 1866-7, but was
a member of his Bible class that year, and heard
him lecture every Sabbath morning, and nearly
always managed to have a few moments pleas
ant chat with him after the lecture. I took a
moral philosophy ticket in 1867-8 and was a mem
ber of Dr. McGuffey's Bible class during the three
years from 1867 to 1869. In the Bible class lec
tures, Dr. Guffey did not ask questions, and did
not want the students to ask him questions. The
fact that he did not catechise In his Bible classes,
made him quite popular with the students, and
this fact, connected with Dr. McGuffey's known
ability as a Bible lecturer, always gave him a
good audience.
"When Dr. McGuffey was aroused he was a
fierce man and would resent an insult but it
was all over in a few minutes. During my last
school year, I roomed on West Lawn, not a
great distance from Dr. McGuffey's house, and
I had a good opportunity to study his character.
. He was the most thoroughly practical man I ever
knew. The sun, moon and stars might change,
but Dr. McGuffey never. I never saw a man of
such perfect habits, and as a proof I will men
tion one incident. He had three overcoats of
different texture and weight, and by observing
these -overcoats you could forecast the weather
perfectly; the overcoats were far more to be
depended upon by the students than the flags
now displayed at the weather bureau at Wash
ington are by the general public. In his lecture
room, Dr. McGuffey was an absolute sovereign.
The Commoner
and required every student to bo a perfect geR
tleman; ho had no patieace with anything liko
rowdyism. His advico to, young men was to
take truth wherever found and this la what he
defined as Eclecticism,' the title of his school
books. His advice was to think and ask for
yourself, imitating no ono, but to bo as natural
in manners as a child; and that tho perfectly
natural mindedness of children was why tho king
dom of heaven was peoplo with little childron.
It Is almost needless for me to say that Dr. Mc
Guffey was freo from tho uso of any stimulant.
He was a man of great energy and was a great
admirer of great men who had boon great work
ers. Ho was a great admirer of tho life and
character of St. Paul. As a consequence his
class of 1867-8 of which I was a member, was
given Dr. Paley's 'Horao Paulina' to analyze, and
tlils analysis was made a part of our final exam
ination for that year. In religion ho was as
staunch a Presbyterian as John Calvin; in poll
tics, a democrat; he was a great believer in tho
free trade of tho world, and taught In political
economy that 'evory tub should stand on its own
bottom.' He taught that tho protective tariff
was vicious in theory and In practice would pro
duce overproduction and consequently break
downs In the market Ho claimed that tho pro
tective tariff was an acknowledgement of weak
ness on the part of tho recipients of that tariff
an acknowledgement of their inability, to moot
the world in an open market a thing the Amer
ican people should be ashamed of. Ho was a
great admirer of the poet Shakespearo, and often
referred to him in his lectures. His claim was
that Shakespearo know more about tho Blblo
and more about human nature than any other
uninspired man up to his day; that that was
why his writings were of such groat value. His
advice to tho student was, first to study tho Bible
and next Shakespeare; and as I had never Tead
one of Shakespeare's plays up to that time, I be
lieved that my education had been sadly neglect
ed. After leaving the university I procured a
copy of tho poems and for the next two years
spent the greater part of my time, much to the
disgust of my father, In the study of Shakespeare.
"I have given you quite a yarn for one, of my
age, and as a new ground patch of buckwheat
is ready to cut tomorrow and as there is no ono
to help tho boys except the old man, I will have
to stop for this tlmo. And God bless every one
of you that Is trying to uphold truth and righteous
ness with tongue and pen."
SPECIAL. OFFER
Commoner readers have sent in yearly sub
scriptions in number as follows: Winiata Kelly,
Cloquet, Minn., 12; P. P. Keller, Scottdalo, Pa.,
11; D. M. Altizer, Cambla, Va., 6; J. R. Armor,
Burgettstown, Pa., 7; H. P. Spitlor, Mojmore, O.,
6; E. L. Sandusky, Falls City, Neb., 6; Frank E.
Poll, Almond, Wis., 6; J. W. Alexander, Oakland,
111., 17; C. B. Chancellor, Parkersburg, W. Va., 7;
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Kelso, Alexandria, S. D 6; J. T. Hartzell, Port
land, Ind., 8; L. Leach, Ackloy, Iowa, 8; George
Bristley, Liberty, Texas, 25; Dr. J. C. Thompson,
Wilmington, HI., 9; S. G. Dixon, Piedmont, W. Va.,
22; Georgo W. Courtright, Wheelersburg, Ohio,
11; S. A. Tobey, Gresham, Neb.," 6; W. W. Polk,
Colliervllle, Tenn., 6; H, B. Hull, Norton, Va., 10;
W. H. Winters, Eaglo Lake, Texas 10; P. S. Ben
baker, Fargo, N. D 7; Joseph Donald won, North
field, Minn., 11-; William R. Putnam, Wayville, N.
Y., 27; A. R. Cady, Marlon, Ind., 7; J. K. Michael,
Oakwood, 111., 7; John Curran, Moons, Ohio, 10;
B. Fennewald, Martlnsburg, Mo., 8; Thomas W.
Walker, Broken Arrow, I. T 8; W. J. Scates,
Knoxville Tenn., 7; R. N. Maxwell, Estancla, N.
M., 6; C. W. Downs, Boise City, Ida., 6; G. F. Wil
son, Longmont, Colo., 9; E. E. Price, Granite City,
111., 9; H. H. Thompson, Lima, N. Y., 11; D. B.
Harris & Co., East Lake, Va., 9; J. Wade Sikes,
Rogers, Ark., 11; R. F. Tunnell, Edwards ville,
111., 11; James M. Todd, Eldorado Springs, Mo.,
9; Perry Prentiss, Cleveland, Ohio, 7; T. L.
Francis, North" Razewell, Va., 6; Charles B. Vick
ers, St Louis, Mo., 7; W. H. Leggett, Palmyra,
Mo., 6; W. H. Mahoney, Alhambra, Texas, 9; J.
R. Sullivan, Belvldere, 111., 10; S. J. Jackson,
Kankakee, HL, 8; A. H. Stewart, Kokomo, Ind.,
9; W. A. Deen, Walpole, 111., 9; Fernandus Jacbb,
Sterling, 111., 9; C, E. Attebery, TJrbana, HI., 7;
F. M. Stephens, Drexel, Mo., 6; Charles B, Stlll
well, Bryan, Texas, 7; J. S. McSweeney, Oelweln,
la., 6; H. C. Nlles, Key West, Fla., 6; L O. Bren
haugh, Bye, N. D 6; .George A. RIber St Louis,
Mo.; 10; 'Fred L. Pattlson, Boilo, Panay, P. L, 6.
C
NEW YORK CONTEST
Tho Now York gubernatorial contest will not
bo a sham battle. It will bo a spirited fight Tho
personality of both candidates Is such as to com
mand tho most faithful support on the part of liou
tonants who delight to follow men whoso lovo for
battle runs in tho blood, while in tho public record
of each candldato there is inspiration for tho rank
and file bent upon securing tho best results in ta
management of public affairs
Though much may bo said in Mr. Hughes'
favor as a lawyer and a citizon, ho will, as a can
didate for governor, bo Judged by tho purposes
of tho powerful interests that are oven now rush
ing to his Bupport, and whoao representatives dis
play such flue frenzy whenovor tho candidacy of
William R. Hoarst is mentioned. Tho people of
Now York will learn long before the cIobo of tho
campaign that this contest is not betwocn Charles
E. Hughes and William XL Hearst Tho question
is shall tho affairs of Now York's state government
bo administered for tho public benefit or with
an habitual disregard for tho public interests.
Shall insuranco combinos and othor special in
terests exercise a controling voico In public affairs,
or shall those Interests, now preying mercilessly
upon tho people and practically without hlndranco
from tho authorities, bo brought within tho leash
of tho law?
Whatever wo may believe of Mr. Hughes'
personal disposition and probable action with jo
spect to these great public ovlls there can be
no reasonable doubt of Mr. Hearst Through th
efforts of his great newspapers ho has proved hli
fidelity, and if any proof be lacking we find it in
tho fact that tho representatives of these Interest
whoso purpose It is to defy the law and plundo
tho peoplo are among his most bittor opponents.
It is somewhat significant that among the
first to charge that Mr. Hearst is not a democrat
aro those who either bolted tho democratic ticket'
or grew cold and distant whenever tho party pre
pared for a serious campaign against monopoly..
In 1896 when loyalty lo the party- was tested;
William R. Hearst supported the ticket most heart
ily, and anyone who now challenges him musfe
havo better standing than the man who habitually
bolts when tho groat corporations fall to control:
Tho democrats of Now York who havo no ax
to grind, and who aro interested solely in tho
public welfare should give their support to tho
democratic state ticket, headed by William R.
Hearst
Everyone who approves the work Tho Com
moner is doing is invited to co-operate along
tho lines of tho special subscription offer. Ac
cording to the terms of this offer cards each good
for ono year's subscription to The Common sr
will bo furnished in lots of five, at tho rate of $3
per lot. This places the yearly subscription rate
at 60 cents.
Any ono ordering these cards may soli them
for $1 each, thus earning a commission of ?2
on each lot sold, or ho may sell them at the cost
price and find compensation In the fact that ho
has contributed to the educational campaign.
These cards may bo paid for when ordered,
or they may be ordered and remittance made after
they have been sold. A coupon Is printed below
for tho convenience of thoso who desire to par
ticipate In this effort to Increase Tho Commoner'
circulation:
THE COMMONER'S SPEGIAl OFFER
AppNeatloH Ur Subscription Card
. Publisher Commoner: I am Interested In In-
1 n creasing Tbft Commoner's circulation, andde-
xJ aire you to sead aae a supply ot subscription
' v cards. I ajrree to use my utmost endeavor to
If) aell the cards, and will remit for them at tfee
. rate of 60 easts each, when sold.
20
1 nr Nah
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its encouragement, fill out the atove eeupe anal mall
ltta THE COMMONER, L!eke Wei. .
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