“I admired Fisher Ames, to begin with, and, of course, Webster. I think
Wendell Phillips and Bishop Matthew Simpson, whom I heard a few times,
had the greatest influence on me. I considered them wonderful, moving
speakers, and I do yet. Later on, Henry Ward Beecher and Phillips
Brooks attracted my admiration.”
“Did you have leisure for study and time to hear orations when you were
beginning life?”
“In early years I attended the district school. From the twelfth to
my eighteenth year, I worked on the farm and studied nights. For all
my father’s urgings toward the bar, I always felt an inward drawing
toward the ministry, because I felt that I could do more there.
My father was not a member of any church, though my mother was an
earnest Presbyterian. Without any prompting from my parents, I leaned
toward the ministry, and finally entered it of my own accord. I was
fortunate enough to find a young companion who was also studying for
the ministry. We were the best of friends and helped each other a great
deal. It was our custom to prepare sermons and preach them in each
other’s presence. Our audience in that case, unlike that of the church,
never hesitated to point out errors. The result was that some sermons
ended in arguments between the audience and the preacher, as to facts
involved.”