The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-03-29
The s'Grit Bare.IIcyyed Laddie.D

SIXTY years ago, stout, bony youth
or eighteen years old, who had been
known among his neighbors as " grit
bare-legged laddic,' called on poor vii
lage schoolmas.er, and said
81 would like to attend your evening
school. sir"
What do you wish to study ?" asked
the teachre.
81 want to learn to read and write"
replied tho lad.
The teacher looked into the lads face
with somewhat scornful glance, shruy
ged his shoulders and said:
"Very well, you can attend"
Now, if that bony lad had said to the
teacher, ." mean to become great in
>s"so., 81 l.. .'.- .v"'fanio.. .'.:-!. ...l
noble men, to bold conversation with
kings, and to write my name among the
great men Of the world" dare say the
teacher would have called the boy a fool,
for chcrishing such wild dreams, Yet
that poor bony lad, who at eighteen did
not know the alphabet, did all these things
before he died.
:" io Was Ac Ills HiluC was
George Stephenson, the great railway pi.
oneer
1t was not the fault of young George
that he was ignorant. it was only his
misfortune. His parents were to poor to
send him to school. He was the son of
fireman ola pumping engine in col
liery. His birth place was cottage with
a clay floor, mud wall and bare raftcrs. S.
He had to help earn his living from his
earliest years, first by herding COWS and
barring up the gates of the mine at night
Next he was put to picking stones from
the coal, aud afetr that to driving a
horse which hauled coal from the pit
BY and by he was made assistant fireman
to his father. When he was seventeen
he was made plug-man ofa pumping en-
sine-a higher place than his fathers
and had climbcd,as it seem ed to the top
of his ladder What hope was there for
youth who could not read at seventeen?
But George had hope in his breast
His engine was a lesson book to him.
He took it apart and put it together
again, studied it, loved it, and when he
was told that there were books which
told about engines, he made up his mind
to go to school.
TO school he went, and soon learned
all tha: the village master could teach.
When twenty years old he was made
brakesman, and began to think about in
venting better engines than he saw about
him.
Thus working, thinking, reading, he
kept on, avoiding all bad habits, until he
built locomotive that travelled at the
rate Of four miles an hour on a team way
This was great affair at that time
George was often laughed at by men
who thought themselves much wiser
than he, One day he wss proposing to
build an engine to run twelve miles an
hour. A grave looking gentleman, think
ing to put him down, said:
Suppose ore of these engines to be
going along railroad at the rate of nine
or ten miles an hour, and that cow were
to stray upon the line, would not that be
very awkward circumstance %
"les,' replied Mr.. Stephenson, ''very
awkward indeed-for the COW -
Great men and even kings sought his
advice, wealth flowed into his purse, his
name was honorcd, his character respect
ed. At a ripe age he died, and went to
his eternal reward.
Let this sketch Of the ''grit barc-leg.
ged laddic' cheer on the boys and girls
to patient effort in the path Of duty
Learn something every day. Press for
ward b. good and you will prosper.