JOHN MORRISSEY’S ROAD TO CONGRESS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2139, 29 January 1880, Page 3

JOHN MORRISSEY’S ROAD TO CONGRESS.

Lives of great men all remind us We can make our own sublime, And departing leave behind us, Footprints on the sands of time. Are there any aspirants to political fame in South Canterbury? we believe there arc. If so they have only to look around them and they will sec cowboys elevated from the stile to the stump. its an example of greatness lighting its way upwards, however, few modern tales can exceed in instructive details, the “ footprints ” of John Morrissey, the American prize-fighter and how he went to congress, Tins is the story as told by his antobiographer Mrs Morrisoy : John and 1 were married 25 years ago. It was just after the Yankee Sullivan fight. We were married after he beat John Hecnan; and, although in those days when he went into (he ring I always sent him from mo with (he injunction to beat his man, my soul revolted at the thought of a prize battle. But it was my great hope to have him succeed in life. He came back from California and visited our house in Troy to bring some message from my brother, whom he left there. In three weeks after that wc were engaged, and a few months after that we were married. I knew John as a ragged little boy about 'Troy, barefooted and bclligcrant, always looking for a fight. When wc were married lie could not reader write, and, to telh the truth I was only a trifle better off in the matter of educational advantagesi I told him w,c must learn to read, and he said I should teach him. Well, we established lesson hours. Every night before going to bed he devoted himself to his spelling book, and in the morning one hour to writing in a copy book. The rule' of study was inflexible. Wc made it so. The morning after he fought John C. Hecnan when Jie was all sore and bandaged, and blind of one eye as well, I propped him up with pillows and made him write. He was my pupil till his fatal illness. Every night he studied something and I studied during the day that I might he able to help him. Of course when I say studied I don’t mean in the ordinary school-children’s way. After wc mastered the English branches we took up history, and when ho was pretty well posted iu that we made the living topics of the day a matter of investigation —the European news, the speeches of the great men. I read them iu the daytime and .John Avould go through (hem at nights. Then we took up such books as lie Quinccy, the Avritings of Carlyle, and though John Morrissey Avas a gambler, and by his profession made many enemies ivho frowned upon him, he Avas possessed of knowledge on on many subjects independent of city politics and horse racing, Avhich would have put to blush his sternest critics liad they been in competition Avith him. He would say, ‘Now, this is no good for me, but I pressed him on and ho would soon get interested. Then he had such an indomitable perseverance. When he found-a tiling lie could not readily understand he would master it out of very spite. I remember once of his throwing down his arithmetic, shortly after we avctc married, and exclaiming, pettishly, ‘ I dont care about these fractions —they’re only part of a thing any Avay ! What’s the use of all this study Susie?’ ‘John.’ I.said‘if 3'ou don’t beat those fractions .you will never go .to Congress.’ 1 Oh, that’s your lay out for me, is it?’ ‘lt is indeed my boy,’ I replied. Then he look up Ids book again and said, ‘ All rigid, my dear ; we’ll go to Congress., And lie did.”