, or by the Rev. John Livingston, of Illinois, though it is a
matter of some doubt as to who was present at his ordination.

He now moved to Upper Alton, and pitched his tent under the shadow of
Shurtleff College. His aim was always to excel. He had absorbed every
thing that had come within his reach, and now he had placed himself
where he could rub against "_College men_."

Some men have to study a great deal to get a very little; they lack
the power of mental absorption, and, consequently, have to wade far
out into the river of knowledge in order to feel the benefits of the
invigorating waters. Not so with Anderson; he was an indefatigable
student. He was always willing to be taught by any person who was able
to impart knowledge. Every new word that saluted his ear was forced
into his service; never mechanically, but always in its proper place.
If he learned a word to-day, to-morrow he would use it in its
grammatical relation to a sentence. He had no time for vacation; no
mental cessation, but it was one unceasing struggle for knowledge. And
no doubt his approximate relation to Shurtleff College helped to
impart a certain healthy tone and solidity to his style as a writer
and preacher which were ever strikingly manifest.

In a short time he moved out from Alton about twelve miles to the town
of Woodburn, Madison County, where he remained for a year, during
which time he taught school and preached occasionally. In 1845 he
bought an eighty-acre farm on Wood River, about five miles from Alton.
He moved his family on the farm, and began to make improvements. After
the farm had been put in good working condition, it was not hard for
Luther, the eldest child, to manage it. It might seem strange to the
boys of to-day, who are dwarfed by cities and cramped by a false
civilization, to know that Luther, a boy of fourteen, could follow the
plow and swing the cradle. But, nevertheless, his father could trust
most of the work of the farm to these young hands.

Duke William Anderson was a civilizer and a reformer. Wherever he
placed his foot there were thrift and improvement. He never was
satisfied with himself, or that which he did. He always felt when he
had done a thing that he could have done it _better_. He never
preached a sermon but what he felt that he ought to preach the next
one _better_. In his great brain were the insatiable powers of
civilization. He was prompt, rapid, decisive, and sagacious, working
up to his ide