Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1855-06-09
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From Moore's Rural New Yorker.
Success in Life
OR THE STORY OF A DowN-EAsT MECHANIC
BY MRS NJ. W. II.


Since Financial ruin, hard times, out
of employment, misery" and even star
vation has been the burden of every days
report, I have cast my eyes around a.
mong those whom l have known from
boyho ID, tracing their various fortunes
from that time to the present, generally
finding in their juvenile training and
habits Of thought and action, key TO
the success in life of some, and the fail
ure of others.
Let US contemplate single group Of
loys sitting together, pursuing the same
$ udiCs in distli t school, passing from
Il er lessons into the streets, some TO
SOW the seeds of dissipation and ruin, by
pursuing idle sports and mischievous
amusements, led, may be, by those who
are exempted from useful labor by the
false price Of parents; perhaps regard
ing with seeming contempt the boy who
goes frJm the school>house to the work
shop OF the farm, where, it is true, he
may hal d.n bis hands and bronze his
skin, but at the same time lie will de-
vclop the material for the physical man,
while habits and knowledge are required
that may enable him to set at defiance
the mutations of the money market, and
place him among the worthy and respect
cd Of mankind.
1t is "recess" in country sehool-a
little fair-haired boy of ten summers,
fingers lehind his mates, a>siduously
marking on his slate. The teacher ap-
proaches him,-''Frank, have you done
that sum yet'' "No ma ; it is so
hard do not know as I can do it, hut
I'll try it over again"
You had better 90 and play few
moments, and when yeu come in will
help you.' "Thank you," said Frank,
'but would rather ird il out alone if [
can" There was the key to that boys
character. As a type Of his class | pur-
pose giving brief sketch Of bis life,
taken in part from a recent letter from
himself. | do not give it on account of
any romantic scenes or ''stirriug events"
but because the example is tangible, and
may be the mems of leading others to
2 p'rseyere, and under any discUuragemcnts
never to despair, but always be ready to
"try it over again. and never call on
others for help, as rule, in small things,
while the ability remains to help them
selves. The letter to which I allude
commences thus :-Knowing as you do,
the worth of my dear parents, it is quite
unnecessary, in giving brief sketch
of my own life, to speak at length of
theirs. Suffice it to say that my father
was blacksmith by trade, and being a
Methodist preacher besides, would retire
from the shop on Saturday afternoons to
prepare for the duties of the pulpit on
the Sabbath. To his children he gave
the best moral instruction personally,
but his means did not allow him to give
them anything more than fair business
education This was obtained at the
common school, working in the shop
morning and evenings, and at more ad-
vanced age few terms at the Maine
Wesleyan Seminary completed the school
:.
In the Autumn Of 1871, (his father
having removed to Fredericton, New
Brunswick, Frank Asbary, being twen>
ty-one years of age, left bis native town,
in the possession of good trade, good
health, comfortable clothing, very few
dollars, and very firm resolutions, if the
thing could be done by prudence, indus
try and abstinence from "rum and to-
bacco," that he would achieve respect
ability and fortune. To this end he set
his face towards the "far West,' which,
by the wav, at that time did not extend
beyond the Rocky Mountains. In the
outset of lis journey be turned aside to
make a f.rewcll visit to a married sister
in g., and 10 here, on the threshold of
his wanderings, he ''met his destiny"-
owing to adverse eireumstan-
ces. it was rather Sow in its develop
uent. He says-"The auicable Miss
:. C, who had then numbered eighteen /
summers made al impression on my mind
1h...h refused to leave me during the