 | ma duron (62)
11/27/2006 | John G. Tower, Republican Senator from Texas, enjoyed telling a tale presumably regarding GW's childhood.
A beautiful mesquite tree grew on his daddy's ranch in the High Plains of West Texas, where GW grew up. Not only was it a beautiful specimen, but it was the only tree for miles around.
According to Tower, little George went out one day in his daddy's absence and, taking his Bowie knife with him, he "whittled down that mesquite tree. Daddy, upon his return from a hard day rounding up a few strays and mavericks," took George out behind the corral and asked him:
- 'Son, who whittled down my mesquite tree?'
- 'I did, daddy' said George. 'I cannot tell a lie.'
- 'Pack your belongin's, George' said father (according to John Tower). 'We're movin' to Virginia. You'll never get along like that in Texas.'
(As related in 'Congressional Anecdotes,' p.174, Paul F. Boller, Jr. Oxford Univ. Press, 1991)
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 | abichara (60)
11/10/2006 |  Of course, Washington did go on to have great success, both as a general and US President. Back in the 18th Century, very few people went to college. At the time here in the new world, Yale was one of the few schools that were available, and that was a seminary, a religious school that mainly trained people for service in the church. What we know as a college education really didn't take root until the beginning of the 20th Century. The progressive movement of the time, as one of its tenets, supported the institutionalization of education: development of public schools, course programs. Before that, education was much more informal, and in many respects, more interactive. None of the founders really got the kind of formal schooling that we know today. But nevertheless they were Renaissance men who were schooled in history, philosophy, art, and science. Yes, today education is much more widely available, but that does not mean, as this list suggests, that one person is necessarily less intelligent for not having one. Learning requires self-initiative. As a matter of fact, I know plenty of college educated people who are completely uneducated. A love of learning and new ideas can be a common trait among many people, whether you've earned a PhD or just a GED.
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