Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-12-10
Lives Of great men all remind Us
We can make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind NJ
EanfnPiula on thu A. uda If time ~


We desire again To allude to our lamented
viee-presdent aud his remarkable career, as
an example and encouragement for young
men who may 6ud themselves 10 straightened
circumstances. We will allow him to tell
the story Of his early life, as he did when
speaking in late years to the residents of his
native state. He said:
feel that have right to speak for
toiling and to toiling men. | was born here
in your county Of STAFFORD. was born in
poverty; want sat by my cradle. l know
what it is to ask mother for bread when
she has mono to give. l left my home at ten
years of age, and served an apprenticeship
Of eleven years, receiving months school
ing each year, and at the end of the eleven
years of hard work, yoke of oxen aud six
sheep, which brought mo eighty. -four dollars.
Eighty-four dollars for eleven years Of hard
toll never spent the amount Of Que dollar
in money, counting every penny, from the
time was born until was twenty -one years
Of age. know what it is to travel weary
miles and ask my fellow men to give me
leave to toll.
remember that 10 1888, walked into
your village from my native town, and went
through your mills seeking employment. If
anybody had offered me nine dollars month
l should have accepted it gladly. went to
Salmon Falls, went to Dover, went to
Newmarket aud tried to get work, without
success, aud returned home footsore and
weary, but not discouraged. put my pack
on my back and walked to where now live
in Massachusetts, aud learned a mechanics
trade. l know the hard lot that toiliug
men have to endure in this world, aud every
pulsatioD Of my heart, every conviction Of
my judgment, every aspiration Of my SOUL
puts me on the side OF the toiling men Of my
country-aye, OF all countries. Tue first
mouth l worked after l was twenty-one years
of age went into the woods, drove team,
cut mill logs, or wood, rose 10 the morning be-
fore daylight and worked hard until after
dark at night, and received for it the mag
niicent sum of six dollars. Each of those
dollars looked as large to me as the moon
looked tonight.
No reader of this article can be 10 b low
condition as our hero here describing his
own childhood, for he had no comforts, aud
not even bread enough to satisfy his hunger
In early boyhood, he had no books, nor pa
pcrs, nor teachers to improve and guide him
Now, at ten years of age he must leave his
home to be "bound out" to hard labor during
the remaining years of his minority. Ant
in these eleven years, be had attended soho o
eleven months only. This, indeed. woulC
seem rather poor beginning for the life Of
a distinguished statesman, whom whole ma
ton mOurns to-day. But so it was. Wher
tWenty-o years old his whole earthly pos
sessions consisted Of zone yoke Of oxen anC
six sheep" earned by eleven years hard Ia.
Dor. He now goes from town to town, anC
from mill to mill to find employment. bu
finds none. The 6rst month after he is o
age he works in the woods cutting and draw
ing mill logs, from "before daylight unit
after dark" for six dollars. With pack on
his back, he walks from New Hampshire L
Massachusetts and lets himself TO learn th,
shOemakers trade.
Let us here mark two important facts il
young Wilson's early career. He says b,
'neVer spent the amount of one dollar il
money" during the first twenty'One years o
his life. A good reason for it-he did no
have it spend. This seems hard, but wha
a valuable lesson Of economy did this yOunI
man learn under his stern master, poverty
Dare any one say that this was really mis-
fortune to him Wero not these very neOes
sites to which his circumstances subjecte,
him, the secret Of his future success The