266 The Winning of the West 



where boys of his age spent most of the time gal- 

 loping wherever they wished, mounted on blooded 

 horses. Kentucky hardly seemed a place to which 

 a parent would send a son if he wished him to avoid 

 the temptations of horse flesh; but this particular 

 Virginian at least tried to provide against this, as 

 he informed his correspondent that he should send 

 his son out to Kentucky mounted on an "indifferent 

 Nag," which was to be used only as a means of lo- 

 comotion for the journey, and was then immediately 

 to be sold. 28 



The gentry strove hard to secure a good educa- 

 tion for their children, and in Kentucky, as in Tenn- 

 essee, made every effort to bring about the building 

 of academies where their boys and girls could be 

 well taught. If this was not possible, they strove 

 to find some teacher capable of taking a class to 

 which he could teach Latin and mathematics; a 

 teacher who should also "prepare his pupils for be- 

 coming useful members of society and patriotic 

 citizens. 29 Where possible the leading families sent 

 their sons to some Eastern college, Princeton being 

 naturally the favorite institution of learning with 

 people who dwelt in communities where the Pres- 

 byterians took the lead in social standing and culti- 

 vation. 30 



98 Do., William Nelson to Nicholas, November 9, 1792. 



49 Shelby MSS., letter of Toulmin, January 7, 1794; Blount 

 MSS., January 6, 1792, etc. 



30 Clay MSS., passim; letter to Thomas Hart, October 19, 

 1794; October 13, 1797, etc. In the last letter, by the way, 

 written by one John Umstead, occurs the following sen- 



