South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1875-12-03
,Eucourasement f9r Poor Boys,

early life has in /. moral that is inyal
liable to the youth OF America. Th,
publication OF it Ear and wide cannot fai
to make most salu,ary impre ssion on
the minis OF the rising generation. w,
presume there is no. 4 boy among all the
readers of the Iateiiiyeq5er-eyen in ,ht
most ont of the way places in West yir
ginia, where the mail only finds its way
once week. who has had as hard q lo
in life as had the late President Q,
the outset OF his early career. Here /
The story OF his early years as told s.
himself two years ago: an
Il was born" he said. .'in 1912, a.i1
at the age Of 10 years was put out as M
apprentice TO farmer From the "a,
of my birth 20 the day was II years old
NEVER HAD \ DOLLAR IN MONEY
TO spend for anything. During the
whole of my apprenticeship my master
never but once gave me penny. On
that occasion he allowed me a holiday
With permission 20 attend muster seven
miles from home, and gave INC three
cents to spend. walked to and from
the muster. aud OF course spent no more
than that sum.
"On the day was 81 years old
remember 1t very we'll, one SATURDAY..
the 10Th OF tc5ruary,-in the afternoon
my master gave me yoke Of oxen ana
six sheep. The latter l sold the same
afternoon for -, but. not being able to
dispose ofthe oxen that day. requested
my Muster to keep them for me until
Monday morning, which he did, but
Charged ne 50 cents for it, ] paid him
this and took the oxen away. [ sold
them TO = man FOR 575. and took his note
Tor the amount. So VIXEN ! became OF
age | had for eleven years work Il was
Sent 10 school only four weeks each
year. ssh l had saved 81 cents, which
| had in some way obtained, but | hal
paid 80 ofthis to my master for keeping
my oxen two nights. | then hired my.
self TO farmer, agreeing 20 work for
SIX DOLLARS \ MONTH AND BOARD.
] used to BET NJ long before daylight.
feed the stock, get my breakfast. and
just rs the east was beginning TO be
stte1lie1 with red. start OF Tor the woods
with my team. uscd to place nv din.
ner-pail on the sunny side OF n tree, and
continue drawing saw-logs to the mill
until after dark AZ night Then went
home, fed the stock, ate my supper. ana
went TO bed. My father tended the saw
mill most Of the time for many years fog
fifty cents Il day.
In the spring Of the same year. took
my parl upon M back and started a
foot for the town where | now live, Nat.
lc't, Mass. one hundred miles away, and
that journey cost mejust $l.2j. work.
ed there at shoemaling, averaging If
teen hours day, and the last week $
work | did 1T the bench was nj bottom.
ing shoes for 50 week. Out OF this |
paid 30 cents for pegs and - for board,
50 that had left just $3.50. / have
bottoiaed iirty-four pairs of mems shoes
without sleeping, and that for q little
more than 30 cents. Put even at this
rate got some money ahead, and MADE
up my mind to work my way through
college.
The moral OF this story, that every
boy in the land should heed, is that the
conditions of early life, however unfor-
tunate, are not necessarily barrier to
the most exalted success provided boy
has the sort Of stuff him. and is will
ing to make use 90 Us energies in the
right direction. FlI-r ty industry and
honesty will raise Amy poor hoy in the
land to position Of Independence and re-
spcctability. Nicc-Presidcnt Wilson was
not great man by any means His ma
tive talents were scarcely more than or
binary. His strength was in his charac-
ter for industry AMI reliability. He
never contracted any bad habits, never
associated with disrcputable company,
never FILTERED away his money and his
health by dissipation, but made use Of
every opportunity to improve his mind
and increase his store of information.
Such q boy could not be kept down
10y any weight of adversely. All such
boys are bound to obtain influence. if
not prominence in society. Therefore
let no poor boy who reads these lines
fail to remember that his destiny in life
is mainly in lis own hau5s.- Whe'l,g
EteUgecsr
Ma EEHsulr oy THE BIBLE rs TN
PJaL'C SDGe".s.-in bi tlluh giving
sermon. on last Thursday week. thc Rev
Henry Ward HrcrLcfdi.cr-4rl iIo ONES.