The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-01-28
The Worth OF A Crust.

Wv
Some people never think of saving it
| know children who leave their
bread and butter half eaten, and waste
many u good crust, without thinking
any thing about it. Shall tell you
of a man who did a great deal of good
with crusts of bread; yes, and grew
rich by them.
A poor soldier, in the city of Paris,
was i'm quest of something to do
= IIov can earn an honest living Z"
he asked once and again. Standing
one day in the shop of rag-mcrchant
looking at the rag-pickcrs come in, he
saw that they had great many
pieces of bread in their bags which
they were very careful of. if8
What are you going to do with
il ?" asked the soldier.
1--WE sell il to feed rabbits and
chickens WITH" they said.
A bright idea struck Chcpellier, for
that was his name. Il will do in "a
large way what these beggars do in a
small way," he said; and directly he
hired room. with shed near it for
cart and donkey. He then went
around to the houses and cook-shops,
and offered to buy all the waste
bread which they had been in the
habit of throwing away or giving to
the beggars.
As soon as Chepellier had enough,
he appeared one morning in one of
the great markets loaded down with
bags, and around his hat, in large let
ters, was placard: Bread crusts
for sale" His bread was for the rab-
bits, dogs, birds, or fowls which peo-
pie kept for pets. He sold it for
3 pence basketful, enough to keep a
little animal week. Chepellier soon
had a plenty of customers, SO that, at
the end of four months, instead of the
cart and donkey, he had three carts
and horses. Nor was it long before
he made money enough to buy him q
little farm, and there he went to live.
But farming did not suit him, aud af-
ter time he quit the country for the
city again.
What next? Let us see. In France
there is great sale of bread-crumbs
for soups and fries. Chepellier hank
cred after his old business, or some
thing like it; so he sent out and
bought up the waste bread as before.
He built great ovens, too, which they
say are never cold. In time his ware
houses covered great deal of ground:
and | will tell you what takes place
there, At one end the wagons come
in loadeded with crusts, and other
pieces of waste bread. In the next
room they assorted; for crusts are of
two kinds, the good and-not bad
but the poorer sort. These put
away to feed rabbits and birds with.
The good ones are cut in little squares
and baked over in the big ovens
The best of these little squars are for
soups, while the brownest are pound
ed and sefted, to be used in frying
But sometimes the ovens are too hot,
and the bread gets burned. Is it then
thrown AWAY? The careful, saving
Chepellier throws nothing away. He
children to rasp of the black,
burnt part, which is powdered and
sifted, put into little boxes, and sold
for tooth-pOwder.
In another part of the building this
once despised bread is put up into
nice paper bags, and carts are ready
to carry it to the soup-houses and
cook-shops of the city.
Throughout this establishment
there is the greatest order and neat
ness, for the master is always present,
md his eyes do more work than both
his hands. He does not find much
fault, to be sure; but if any body is
idle, wasteful or careless, he pretty
soon finds out that that is no place for
him.
Though Chepellier was born so
poor that none could well be poorer,
he has done more than many who
enjoy a fortune as soon as they are
born. lie has not only grown very
rich, but by his means thousands of
people are fed on wholesome food at
the cheapest rate, and hundreds of
men. women and children are put i'm
the way of earning an honest living,
and thar, too, by gathering up what
others throw away Besides all this,
he gives a great deal in charity every
year.
So you see, by exercising the fac
ulties which God has given Us, no.
body is so poor or SO humble but the
world can be made better by his liv-
ing i'm it.-Childs Paper.