Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-06-28
164
miscellaneous.
UNCLE IONN /;
on THE ROUGH ROAD TO RICHES.


Their pardonable vanity at their own sue
cess makes them guilty of species of in
gratitude TO Providence. Listen TO one of
these old gentlemen holding forth to his
hopeful son or nephew on his, the said old
genteman's past life on his early poverty,
his selfdenial, his hard work, aud his sub
sequent reward and the burden of his dis
course is ever the same:
"Alone did it, boy"
Should the listener Mt any point he tempt
ed rashly to exclaim show luckyp the old
gentlemen will turn on him with n severe
ffown and say
"Luck, sir nonsense. There's no such
thing as luck. Live on crust, sir; that's
the only way for man to get on in the
world"
The old gentleman quite forgets that his
first venture in tIie Chuinee East Indaman
had been n 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
npoplectic it, he would have held very diff
ferent position in tho world, aud probably
have been now a dcizcn of the second floor
over his counting house in the city, instead
Of a resident in Hyde Park Gardens.
An excellent specimen of this class of
old gentlemen is "Uncle Johu." The OBJ
security of his early days is so grent, that even
he himself finds it difficult to penetrate it,
That he had a father aud mother is incon-
testihe; but these worthy people seem to
have lett this world Of sin at SO early pc
riod Of Uncle Johns existence, that for all
practical purposes, lie might as well have
been without them. His first juvenile re-
collections are connected with yellow stock
ings, leather shorts, cutaway coateo with
lin bandago on it, and a little round wooden
cap with a tuil in the middle of it, resting on
head formed by nature, TO accommodate n
cap of double its dimensions. In word,
Uncle john was charity-boy.
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 myst-
cal manner, with the design, apparently, of
inducing you to regard him rather as u coun
terpart OF Louis Philippe, in his days of
early exile, than as common place, though |
equally interesting 10 right-ihinking mind |
young gentleman in yellow stockings. Ii is |
fact, however, as indispuiable as that Uncle |
John is now worth thirty or forty thousand |
pounds.
Emerging from the charity school, and |
exchanging the leather shorts and yellow |
stockings for corduroys and gray worsted
socks, Uncle John obtained the oppuin,meut
of ofiico-boy TO u Temple attorney. His du-
ties were mnltiiarious-sweeping tue office
and serving writs, cleaning boots, and copy
ing declarations. Ills enolu0enis Were not
large-seven shillings week aud find him
seli' which was less difficult, poor boy, ,hau
to find anything for himself But Uuce
John persevered aud was not disheariencd
lie lived literally on crust, aud regUled
himself only with the savory sueis Issuing
from the cooks shop, which was not only an
economical luxury, but had the advantage Of
aflording stimulus to the Imagination. lie
actually saved two shllings week out of
his salary, not TO mention au occasional do
nation of n shilling OH high days and hOli-
days from his master.
Uncle John was never idle. When he
had nothing to do for his master, which was
rarely the case, he used TO take n pen and
any loose piece of paper or parchment aud
copy, or imitaie, the lawyers engrosSing
hand-known as court land-till he became
a good penmau in this craWped style of
writing. Having accomplished this object,
Uncle John determined to better himself
by getting situation as copying clerk in
stead Of office boy. lie succeeded in his at
iempts, and was installed in another atior-
ney's office as engrossng clerk ut twelve
shillings n wcek-a salary which appeared
to him at the time enormous. But riches
did not turn his head. The only increase
which lie made in his previous expenditure,
was in wearing rather cleaner shirt, and
describing corduroys for some more gentecl
material. Uncle John was too wise aud self.
denying TO he seduced inside the cooks shop
yet.
lie WAS now saving nt least six shllinss a
week, which is Elj a year For four years
no change took place in his condition. lie
still lived in his solitary garrct; worked hard
all day, and borrowed law books from tbe
nrticled clerks in the office, which he read
at home at night. At home! poor fellow
whnt name for ], " miserable little room up
in the titles of house IN the narrow court
of Fleet Street! But Uncle Johu was
brave fellow, and worked on without stop
ping TO seniimentalize.
promotion now took place in the office,
and Uncle John WIS made chief common-
law clerk, at one pound per week. lie had
rendered himself quite competent for the
duties by his midnight studies lie was
never absent from his post, never forgot
anything, and never was i'll; for he had the
strength Of horse. II is suspected that
about this time Uncle John paid one or two
visits TO the cooks shop; hut ii must not be
supposed that the visits were more than one
or two. AS a rule, Uncle john dinod on n
piece Of the cheapest meat he could pur-
chase, boiled by himself in his gnrre,.
lie WINS wise enough, however, to I've very
neat in his dress, and thereby gained the
credit of being a very respectable young
man in the eyes OF his employer; for it is a
very remarkable fact that clerks are always
expected 10 dress like gentlemen, when
their salaries are not even large enough 10