The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-03-29
The ''Grit Dare.I.cyyeL Laddie.r

SIXTY years ago, stout, bony youth
OF eighteen years old, who had been
known among his neighbors as a - grit
barc-lcgged laddic,' called on poor vii
lage schoolnaster, and said
~ 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 the lad
The teacher looked into the lads face
, with somewhat scornful glance, shrug
sed his shoulders and said
Every well, you can attend"
Now, if that bony lad had said to the
teacher, " mean to become great in,
-e"..., ~ l.. .'.~ -o..pa"iv.. .r.:-l. go. =
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 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.
w ho vas Hc Ills uiWc 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 a col
liery. His birth place was cottage with
a clay floor, mud wall aud bare raftcrs -
He had to help earn his living from his
earliest years, frs. by heriing cows and
barring up the gates of the mine at night.
Next he was put to picking stones from
the coal, and afetr that to driving
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 of pumping en-
gine-a higher place than his fathers
and had climbed,as it seemed to the top
Of his ladder. What hope was there for
a youth who could not read at seventeen
But George had hope in his breast
His engine was 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 90 to school.
To school he went, and soon learned
all tina: 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 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 WAS proposing to
build an engine to run twelve miles an
hour. A avelooking gentleman, think
ing to put him down, said:
Suppose one of these engines to be
going along a railroad at the rate of nine
or ten miles an hour, and that a COW were
to stray upon the line, would not that be
very awkward circumstance ?"
eyes" 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 honored, his character respect
ed. At ripe age he died, and went to
his eternal reward.
Let this sketch Of the 'grit bare leg.
ged laddic" cheer on the boys and girls
to patient effort in the path Of duty
Learn something every day Press for
ward Be- good aud you will prosper.