The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1860-09-19
! (From the Newark Mercury
A Story for Boys.

None but apprentices are invited to
read this little way-side story, which
is but one of thousands like it that
margin the highway of life all along
to its close. On Friday last, as is our
every day habit, we dropped in at the
Station House to see what items
might be gathered from the criminal
docket of the obliging Justice or the
tell tale slate of the attentive Chief,
and having gathered all that was of
interest to US, we were about passing
out when we met in the door, way one
of the most loathsomeI looking human
beings it has ever been our lot to en-
counter. We stepped aside, quite
willing to give the rag-muffied man
for he had been man once-the
largest privilege in passing, and was
astonished indeed when, catching a
glance at US, he advanced, presenting
his hand, and called us by name. Of
course We took his trembling hand,
though at first we could not discover
anything in his haggard features that
at all reminded us of any former ac-
quaintance but when he mentioned
his name, and the name of the paper
on which he learned the first begin
nings of the Art preservative of all
arts the vertible "Bill Phillips" an
old fellow APPRENTICE, stood revealed
before US. We had toiled side by side
as embryo compositors in newspaper
Office (the Lycoming Gazette) bearing
the name of the county in which it is
located, in the mortimer part of Penn
sylvania, and we had known him then
as an uncommonly bright boy, nat
ural wit, pet among his fellows, and
withal the quickest and most correct
compositor in the Office. Leaving the
Office and business ourself, on account
of ill-health, before we had half COM
pleated our profession, we heard little
of Bill, except that from some trivial
cause he ran away from his employer,
who was likewise his benefactor, and
had but once been heard Of as leading
a dissipated life in the city Of Phila-
delphia. | sat down by the side OF
Bill on one of the station house bench
es, and listened as he reconnted his
adventures from the unlucky day on
| which he threw his wardrobe over
his shoulder and turned his back upon
one of the kindes employers, down to
the time of our accidental meeting il
| the station house door, where he had
come to procure lodgings for the night
1t was the old story-the old results
had followed his first step in wrong
doing-aad here he was, after twenty
years of wandering, poor friendless
dissipatated creature, whom odeprivt
of his glass was to remove the only
prop which now alone served TO sus
tain his life. We took the poor mai
! to better quarters, and turning home
wards began thoughtfully to contras
the career of the fellow apprentice W.
had Just left with that of Others, who
in the same office, served QUE their ful
apprenticeship, and afterwards fllet
some of the highest positions in thei
native State. There was the Hon
Ellis Lewis, until lately Chief Justic'
of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
who not only served his apprentice
ship there, but afterwards owned ant
edited the Gazette, leaving it only t
fill still higher and more responsible
positinon then there was another
round faced, smart boy, with nothing
/ like the mother wit that Bill Philip
possessed, but he was steady in hi