New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-16
{. The Practical Man.

He sat beside US in street car. He
looked over our shoulder at the new copy
of the Scientific american, which fresh
from the press, was receiving our final
scrutiny, and requested the loan of the pa
per for moment when we had finished.
He glanced at the first page, skim med over
the middle, and peeped into the in side.
II suppose that paper interests Q great
many people" he remarked.
We mOdestly signified our assent.
"Wa1l it don't me-" he interrupted
sharply. at doesn't take no books or pa
pers to learn me my business, you know.
Never learned nuthin' from books in my
life. Didn't have but quarter schoOlin'
and then l went into the shop. Served my
time with old Pete Reynolds, of Boston.
You knows him mebbe; dead now: Was
his foreman; now Pm boss of my
own works in the city. I'm prac.
tical man, l am. All yer hollergeys and
hosserphys may dowell enough to write
about: but they amt no sOrt'er use in the
shop. They just get inter mems heads and
set 'em thinkin' about other things than
their work, and then thew get inv entin', and
that's the last of EN-. Why, l had likely
and read on it, dinner hour. Sometimes
he'd stick it up on his lathe, until l stopped
that, mighty sudden. Wall, one day l
caught him scribbling with piece of chalk
on bit of board; then l knOw'd the inven-
tion fit had got hold of him, and that he
was goner. A few weeks after he comes
to the Office, and says he: Boss, I've got a
little arrangement here that'll make the old
lathe do better work. and he out with one
of them regular printed payments. and
showed me a new attachment for making
gearins and such. WALL says l to humor
him, like sonny says l, you can 60
make yer masheen and sit it up on the
lathe, if yer wanter.' But the ungrateful
villain began to say something about roy
atty and shop rights, and l told the book
keeper to pay him right of and let him
clear out. Blow me if he didn't 20 right
over to Smiths, across the street, and rig
Smith was turnin' out work at half my
prices. Then l mad to go and find that
Teller, and pay him his blamed royalty, and
heap it was, too.
"Now, there was good hand just spilled
by a-readin; if he'd let that ere paper of
yOur'n alone he might ha' been good,
stiddy man, gitten his 50 day comfortable
and regular. Now they say he's maxim
stamps by thousands. but he's spilled.
Won't be worth nuthin' ever fer work agin.
Where'ud l have been if pegged away at
books and nOOzepapers-ehV
Our practical friend did not wait for an
answer; for while we were cOgitating q
suitable response he suddenly made bolt
out of the car and rushed down a side
street toward dilapidated looking editice,
which, we conjectured, was none other than
the ''works."
Our acquaintance carried off our paper.
He honestly mailed it back to us the other
day. We smiled as we saw the thumb
marks on all the pages, and opposite an
engraving there was pencil note of: II
kno bettur plan than this" Perhaps
after all latent idea in his brain has been
aroused, or has he taken the invention fita
Should he see this, he will promptly scout
tho idea that our humble efforts have
awakened him, for "it doesn't take no
papers to learn me my business, you know"
Scientific american.