12 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



erence for simplicity of living to cumbrous luxury, 

 which marked Edward Youmans through life, had 

 their origin, no doubt, in his natural good sense, but 

 they were fostered by his early circumstances and 

 early discipline. As the firstborn, he was soon im- 

 pressed into helping to bring up his sister and broth- 

 ers ; there was to the end something paternal in his 

 solicitude for them and all their concerns. When ab- 

 sent on his European journeys his remembrances to 

 family and friends were as manifold as those at the 

 close of a Pauline epistle. His mother, in the last year 

 of her long life, the year following his death, used to 

 tell what a good boy Edward was he would never go 

 to play without first asking if there was anything he 

 could do for her, and he would often leave play to 

 come in and repeat the question. When company was 

 entertained it was his pride to set the table and serve 

 the guests. The schoolhouse was close by, and at 

 three years of age Edward was tempted by his play- 

 mates to take a place beside them there. Sixty years 

 ago infant classes in country schools ran little risk of 

 undue brain excitement, and no very severe strain 

 was put upon Edward's dawning mind. He quickly 

 learned to read, write, spell, and cipher, but beyond 

 these acquirements there was little else gained than 

 the useful discipline a child gets by coming into con- 

 tact and collision with other children. It was less 

 in the formal lessons of this primitive district school 

 than in home influences that his real education pro- 

 ceeded. His mind and heart were drawn out by 

 the example of God-fearing parents, who lived indus- 

 triously, soberly, and kindly. He had all the recrea- 

 tion his buoyant nature demanded, and with access to 

 books soon showed a passion for reading. His home 



