American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-04-25
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH
UNCLE JOHN,
OR, THE ROUGH Road TO RICHES.

GUS In wealth and station Perhaps 1T is hardly
fair TO impute to good luck what may be mainly
owing to industry, frugality, patience, and per-
severance. But, after ALL one may starye with
all these virtues, in spite of all that copy-book
maxims may say to the contrary. There IS
good luck in success, whatever may have been
the qualities by which that good luck has been
seized at the right moment and turned to good
account. Industry, frugality, patience, and
perseverance, form O perfect locometive--go0d
luck is the engine-drive who turns the handle
and sets them in motion at the right moment.
Men who have been the architects of their
own fortunes" never admit that good luck has
had anything to do with their prosperity, Their
pardonable vanity at their own success makes
them guilty Of a species Of ingratitude to Provi-
dence. Listen to one of these old gentlemen
holding forth to his hopeful son or nephew on
his (the old gentleman's) past life; on his early
poverty, his elf-deniaL his hard work, and his
subsequent reward and the burden of his dis
course is ever the same : a4"a.4 ~a#,
"Alone did it, boy" @-l
Should the listener at any point be tempted
rashly to exclaim ahow lucky!' the old gentle
man will turn on him with severe frown and
say: ~ tt leaH1o" 'tiGs3i5G,o ai ~
"Luck, sir; nonsense. There's no such thing
as luck. Live on crust, sir; that's the only
way for q man to get on in the world - .a
The old gentleman quito forgets that if his
first venture in the Chutnee East Indiaman had
been failure; or his first dabble in the stocks
had not been followed by the battle of Leipsic;
or his senior partner, who had nine -tenths of
the profits Of the business, had not departed
this life suddenly in an apoplectic fit, he would
have held very different position in the world,
and probably have been now a denizen Of the
second floor over his counting house in the city,
inc Iof -, xy1a D.,
An excellent specimen of this class Of old
gentlemen is Uncle john" The obscurity of
his early days is 80 great that even he himself
finds it difficult to penetrate it, That he had
father and mother is incontestable; but these
worthy people seem to have left this world Of
sin at so early period of Uncle Johns exist
ence, that, for all practical purposes, he might
as well have been without them. His first Ju-
venile recollections are connected with yellow
stockings leather shorts, cutaway coatee with
a tin badge on it, and little round woollen cap.
with a tuft in the middle of it, resting on head
formed by nature to accommodate n cap OF
double its dimensions. In word, Uncle John
was a charity-boy. .r r..1. ...4
1t must not be imagined that the above fact
has ever been communicated by Uncle John
himself; for the worthy man is weak enough to
be ashamed of it, though he will discourse of
his early privations in mystical manner, with
the design apparently of inducing you to regard
him rather as counterpart of Louis Philippe in
his days of early exile, than as q commonplace,
though equally interesting Ito right thinking
mind) young gentleman in yellow stockings.
1t is fact, however, as indisputable as that
Uncle John is now worth thirty or forty thou
sand pounds.
Emerging from the charity school, and e1-
changing the leather shorts and yellow stock
ings for corduroys and grey worsted socks, I'm
Gle John obtained the appointment of office-boy
to Temple attorney His duties were multi
farious-sweeping the office and serving writs,
cleaning boots, and copying declarations. His
emoluments were not large-seven shillings
week and 'tfind himself" which was less diff
cult, poor boy, than to find any thing for him
self. But Uncle John perseyered and was not
disheartened. He lived literally on a crust,
and regaled himself only with the savory smells
issuing from the cook s-shop, which was not
only an economical luxury, but had the adyan-
tage of atfording stimulus to the imagination.
| He actually saved two shillings week out OF
his salary not to mention an occasional dona-
ton of shilling on high days and holidays
| from his master. 1 ... .. .aa
Uncle John was never idle When he had
nothing to do for his MASTER which was rarely
the case, he used to take pen and any loose
tate, the lawyers engrossing hand--known as
court hand-tlll he became a good penman in
this cramped style Of writing Having accom-
plished this object, Uncle John determined to
"better himself by getting situation as copy
ing clerk instead of office-boy. He succeeded
in his attempts, and was installed in another
attorneys office as engrossing clerk at twelve
shillings q week-a salary which appeared to
him at the time enormous. But riches did not
turn his head. The only increase which he
made in his previous expenditure was in wear
ing rather cleaner shirt, and discarding cor
duroys for some more genteel material Uncle
John was too wise and self-denying to be seduced
inside the cook s-shop yet A..
He was now saving ut least six shillings
week, which is G15 year! For four years no
change took place in his condition. He still
lived in his solitary garret; worked hard all
day, and borrowing law books from the articled
clerk in the office, which he read at night. At
home poor fellow--what n name for his mise
rable little room up in the tiles of n house in
the narrow court out of Fleet street! But I'm
Gle John was brave fellow, and worked on
without stopping to sentimentalize. rns
A promotion now took place in the office, and
Uncle John was made chief common law>clerk,
Mt one pound week. He had rendered himself
quite competent for the duties by his midnight
studies. He was never absent from his post,
never forgot any thing, and was never i'll; for
he had the strength of n horse 1t is suspected
that about this time Uncle John paid one or two
visits to the cooks-shop but it must not be
thought that the visits more than one or two.
As a rule, Uncle John dined on piece of the
cheapest meat he could purchase, boiled by him
self in his garrett
lie was wise enough, however, to be very
neat in his dress, and thereby gained the credit
of being very respectable young man in the
eyes of his employer; for it is very remark
able fact that clerks are always expected to
dress like gentlemen when their salaries are not
even large enough to buy them food
| = fConolusion tomorrow
JOHN FoRsYTH, esq, editor Of the Columbus
(Ga Time, Ia s,io0ested os the southern rights