I have been somewhat of a reader of the newspapers for forty
years; I could read very well when I was eight years of age.
It has given me forty years of observation of the press; and
there is one peculiarity that I have observed from reading
it, and that is, in all of the walks of life outside of the
press, people have entirely mistaken their profession, their
occupation. I never knew the mayor of a city, or even a
councilman in any city, any public officer, any government
official--I never knew a member of Congress, a Senator or a
President of the United States, who could not be enlightened in
his duties by the youngest member of the profession. I never
knew a general of the army to command a brigade, a division, a
corps of the army, who could begin to do it as well as men far
away in their sanctums.--U. S. GRANT.
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