He was William Hendricks, the uncle of Thomas A. Hendricks, was a popular and successful man. He was especially honored by the people of Southern Indiana. member of Congress in 1822. A few years later, he was elected Governor of the State, and at the end of his term he became United States Senator. The State of Indiana may well venerate the name of Hendricks, for it is not too much to say that the uncle of Indiana's nominee for Vice-President, did more than any other man to make Indiana respected and honored amongst the States of the Union. We catch a brief but pleasant glimpse of the early life of the Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks in the old homestead at Shelbyville. The hill upon which the homestead stands is now part of Shelbyville. Mr. Hendricks, senior, held the first title to the land on which this city was subsequently built. This red brick homestead-still in good preservation, for it was built to live in, not to sell-was situated in what was then the very heart of a beautiful forest and was known far and wide as the home of refinement and culture, and of boundless hospitality. All the intelligence and scholarship of that region was attracted to the genial homestead at Shelbyville. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks were much given to hospitality, and having the means and the leisure to indulge in this great luxury, they gathered about them the best elements of the society of those days. They were, moreover, devoutly religious. The minister was their most frequent guest; and the whole atmosphere of the home was devout, and intelligent, and refined. It was amid such scenes and associations as these that the young life of Thomas A. Hendricks was passed. And it is from such scenes and associations that America must look for her noblest men. In this case the old story is repeated of the mighty force of a mother's influence. The meekest mothers make the mightiest men. Mrs. Hendricks was a woman full of character and individuality. Said one who knew that home well: "The presiding genius of that home was the gentle wife and mother, who tempered the atmosphere of learning and zeal with the sweet influences of charity." And another says: "Essentially clever and persistent, she was possessed of a rare quality of patience which stood her in better stead than a turbulent, aggressive spirit." Such mothers make noble sons. They impress all that is best and noblest in themselves on their children, and reproducing in them these noble and amiable qualities, they bequeath a priceless legacy to the world. Happy are the sons and daughters born in such homes! Happy are the men who have such mothers! They are the heirs of the truest nobility. They are princes of more than royal blood. It was the memory of just such a home and of such parents that inspired the poet, Cowper, with those boastful yet pathetic lines: "My boast is not that I deduce my birth From loins enthroned, and rulers of the earth, TH CHAPTER III. FROM 1837 TO 1845. HOMAS A. HENDRICKS, with his brother and sister, were pupils of the village school of Shelbyville. And here, from the very outset, Thomas became a favorite among his companions. He had that rare faculty of making friends when a boy, which has characterized all his subsequent career. An old wise proverb says that "If a man will have friends, he must show himself friendly." The life of Thomas A. Hendricks fully illustrates this adage. He was quick to show a friendly spirit, and never lacked friends. Of a ready wit, quick to discern, he was, above all, genial and sympathetic, and many a kind deed is treasured in the memory of men of mature years that sprang from the generous heart of young Thomas Hendricks. His parents, if not exactly wealthy, were well-todo, and their sense of the value of education was such that they resolved to give their sons all the advantages that a most liberal education could secure. Abram Hendricks, the brother of Thomas, went to the University of Ohio to study for the Christian ministry. After graduating honorably from that institution he became a Presbyterian minister, and it is needless to add he was widely and deeply respected. In the year 1837 Thomas A. Hendricks, then in his eighteenth year, entered Hanover College, from which he graduated in 1841. His college life was very pleasant to him. He was a diligent and faithful student, intent on mastering every task with the utmost thoroughness, believing that if anything was worth learning at all it was worth learning well. His genial disposition won him many friends at college, while his diligence as a student made him a favorite with all the professors. The companionships of his college days were exceedingly precious to him; those ardent souls that ran with him the race for knowledge were and are among his most cherished associates. In earlier years Mr. Hendricks had shown a decided passion for the law. When quite a boy he could be won from almost any pleasant pursuit to engage in a mimic legal discussion. He would often spend whole days in a close, stifling court-house-when other boys would be in the fields for delight of hearing the discussions of learned counsel. The whole bent of his mind was toward forensic attainments. Moreover his uncle Thomson, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, was a Judge, and he had more than once expressed his pleasure at the prospect of his young nephew entering the legal profession. Very shortly after his return home from college, the family council decided that Thomas should study at home for a time, which he did under the care of Judge Major, and afterward it was resolved that he should go to his uncle's office. So to Chambersburg he went, and devoted himself with most admirable zeal to the intricate study of the law. After going through the necessary course he was admitted to the bar, in 1843. He then returned to Indiana and began to practice in Shelbyville. His path henceforth was upward and onward. He soon won the confidence of all who had any dealings with him. He became known as a thoroughly reliable lawyer. He was trusted by the people, and he was respected by the profession. He gave himself wholly to every case he undertook, he counted no detail too insignificant for careful thought, and if he lost a case, it was because the case was hopeless and not for want of thorough and exhaustive attention. As a lawyer he was cautious and courteous; but once fixed in his convictions he was most persistent, and when occasion served he could be bold and daring. Under all or any circumstances he was said to be a very dangerous opponent. It was not a good thing to have Lawyer Hendricks against you. He is said to have differed from the ordinary run of lawyers in this respect, that while many of them won their cases by impassioned appeals to the jury, Lawyer Hendricks was most powerful with the judges. It is remarkable how many men who have become eminent in the service of their country have passed to distinction through the gateway of the legal profession. It is evident that for any high executive office a man ought to have a thorough knowledge of law. Before a man can properly administer law, it is manifest that he ought to have a comprehensive and accurate knowledge of law. The objection often urged that we have too many lawyers in Congress is not well founded. The fact is very plain that, while Congress ought not to be made up exclusively of lawyers, that every man who aspires to a place among the rulers of the country ought to be well versed in those laws he undertakes to see carried into effect. A thorough and efficient training in the laws of the United States would form an important and suitable item in the training and apprenticeship necessary to any responsible position in the government of the country. |