| Show the boyhood 9 of famous vr americans i feraido V gen john J pershing the examination for or west point was on it was a close contest between two of et the bandt dates the missouri congress m man a a conducting t 11 it e examination for foi his ats district had a hard time grading them finally to ie decided that one of the two lenders leaders rated ju just i one point better X than the other he named john j joseph pershing railing ns I 1 a the IV bluner I 1 a n e and d appointed him bilm as a cadetto cadet to the united states military academy W it wits by tills narrow margin that uncle sam obtained the general who was to command the greatest armed host ever raised in the united states and to lead it to victory with the allies all 1 t e s i in n the greatest war to in the worlds li history 1 to r y no ambition nurtured from froin early boyhood prompted john pet ailing to seek admission to west lie ile had no set ideas on becoming a sol lier ter lien he was a little fellow in fot he was headed for a career as aa att n arteacher or it a lawyer and was a student lit in the normal school I 1 lien hen ile he won the appointment to the military academy lie ile saw seiw ills congress congressi mans nans notice of alie 0 examination in a newspaper news inper and asked ills his slater sister who wits was also attending the school tf it she filie would him to try tile the test she certainly would she told him tills this coincided with his own ideas on tile the subject so ills his military career may be said to anve had find its first impetus in the reading of a newspaper advertisement general Perg pershing hing was born in 1800 at laclede mo blo a hamlet of some inhabitants his father whose ancestors tori had come from alsace lad the general store stole at laclede Liu lede and also olied a farm on the outskirts of the town the future commander of the A 13 F wa was the oldest of six children ile he assumed much responsibility tn in helping to care for them tire pershing youngsters spent considerable sIder sid erable tible ahne on the farm young john developed into a capable worker in the fields even as a boy the outdoor life and exercise made him a line upstanding and vigorous youth lie was known as a good lighter fighter when he had find to use ills his fists hut but he was never one to go out looking for trouble ile he could ride horseback fish bsh and hunt when he was a little shaver such aral training fell to the lot of all boys bois in the west in those days ills his mo mother tiler taught taugh thim him his first book lessons ls all and d instilled in him the desire for a good education if lie he a brilliant student he was a conscientious one and stood well in his classes fellow pupils of 0 the laclede Lac leile days dais can recall that when john pershing had find a problem to solve sole tie lie worked at it until he lind the correct anaver while lie he was quiet us as a boy he was full fall of fun and enjoyed playing pranks with ft ath the youngsters of tits his own age before lie ile entered the normal school lie he taught for two bernis at prairie mound blound a few miles distant from laclede cde ile he was eighteen at the time some of its his pupils were older than lhnn that one day he had to chastise an unruly the lads miller father well over six feet tall fall and ilig in proportion appeared tho next adny diy to demand satisfaction of the teacher leather tie ile lind a gun in his pocket ile he stormed about and roared threats first the young oung g teacher took tire the gun from tile the man then lie he handed him a sound th thrashing with tits his fists young pershing was a lender leader among tile the students tit at Kirks kirksville ville ile he was equally prominent at west point they tell the story that when a group of liti linders zeri tried to put the new cadet through the mill lie thrashed two of them soundly ile he was serious persistent and determined ter mined in ills his efforts to become an excellent soldier during ills student days at tile the military academy ile he niada d a good gond record in ills his studies ranking thirtieth t it in tit his a chiss when lie wits was in ISSO lie he was soft PH lor for cadet enli tain and was elected president of ills class the rho neily made second lieutenant wits was assigned to the en cavalry valry ile he saw service as a young idling officer under nelson A hilleg in the apache apik hp find wounded knee campaigns then lie taught military tactics tit nt the flip university of nebraska also acting us its professor of ablest ile he studied studded law while signed nIg ned to nebraska wits vas with honors and to tile the amr then lio lie order pil to tn west point as an in profit froin there lip lie was to duty in illin serving andor gen cral in flip amerlois stir lie ilo uni promoted fur for bravery lit at tile the brittle of I 1 pill paney ey ie HP a brill hint record in the led the file into I 1 0 mexico bhore heiner put in aront anvid v of flip A II 11 F 1 uncle siim wits was fortun fite indeed hint flint john Pe Iler rilling shIng topped ills rhal in till west point for chiq district by bv alp narrow of that brint i holn Q by th arth aam A am N allis |
