included crooked-backed military leaders like Conan the Crooked, Duke of Brittany, and a Duke of Lancaster known to have a crooked spine. At about age 12 he went to the National Surgical Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he received medical treatment that helped improve his stature. His health began deteriorating further from a degenerative kidney ailment known as Bright's disease and he suffered chronic headaches and vision problems that may have stemmed from constant pain and a diabetic condition. Lea attended Boulder Central School (1886–1887), East Denver High School (1892–1893), the University of the Pacific college preparatory academy in San Jose, California (1893–1894), and Los Angeles High School (1894–1896). He was accepted at West Point, hoping for a military career, but was rejected when the school learned of his stature. He planned on going to Harvard University and becoming a lawyer, but financial setbacks altered his plans and he attended Occidental College in downtown Los Angeles (1897–1898), a few blocks from his home, for his freshman college year and Stanford University (1898–1899) for his sophomore and junior years, before dropping out of school for health reasons. Lea was an avid reader, a charismatic debater, an avid fencer and an accomplished outdoorsman who refused to be bound by the limitations of his disabilities. While at Stanford, he became a proficient fencer, and also had a reputation for his prowess at chess and poker. He loved reading military history and particularly admired Napoleon, in part because he considered that the Emperor's slight stature (now, incidentally, known to be a myth) was an example of greatness unaffected by physical size. He excelled as a debater and developed effective skills in influencing others. He became president of the Los Angeles High School debating society and later president of the local Lyceum League national debating society chapter. He loved adventure and the outdoors and often went on rugged camping trips where he always carried his own weight. When the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898, he joined a home-defense cavalry troop sponsored by some local Palo Alto businessmen which drilled for about six weeks before the semester ended and the university adjourned for summer recess. Chinese affairs Lea learned Chinese from the family cook in Colorado, and he developed a larger interest in China after his family moved to Los Angeles. Lea had dreams in which he saw himself as a famous martial monk.