The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-07-12
Hugh Miller's Early Days.

The name of Hugh Miller is well
known. He devoted himself early to a
life of hard labor as quarryman and a
mason, and, by the steady exercise of the
powers which God had given him, arose to
a position of much usefulness and honor.
This story has been often told, to show
what can be done by the earnest use of
common means
The father of this celebrated man was
Master Of a sloop belonging to Scotland,
which was lost in a fearful tempest In
consequence of this bereavement, the
widow had to work late into the night, rs
a seamstress, to provide for the family.
Hugh used to frequent the harbor and
watch the shipping, sadly missing the ia
miliar vessel, the return of which used to
be the cause of such joy to him. He
would also climb, day after day, grassy
knoll of the coast, close behind his moth
er's house, which commanded q wide
view Of the Moray Firth, and look wist-
fully out, long after every one else had
ceased to hope, for the sloop with the two
stripes of white, and the two square top
sails, commanded by his father. But they
never appeared again.
He learned the letters of the alphabet
by studying the sign posts; he afterward
attended small school, and persevered
in his lessons till he rose to the highest
form, and became member of the Bible
class. The story of Joseph aroused his
interest, and he became diligent reader
of all the Scripture stories. Hugh then
began TO collect a library in birch bark
box about nine inches square, which was
found large enough to contain all his
books.
He has described in his "Old Red
Sandstone the feelings with which he
began work, and the happiness he found
in it. "To be sure, my hands were lit
tie sore, and l felt nearly as much fatigued
as if I had been climbing among the
rocks; but had wrought and been useful
and had yetenjoyed the day fully as much
as usual. l was as light of heart next
morning as any of my brother workmen."
After describing the landscape, he says.
I" / returned to the quarry, convinced that
very exquisite pleasure may De very
cheap one, and that the busiest employ
mcnts may afford leisure enough to en-
Joy it,"
Various wonders soon disclosed them
selves in the rocks; marks of burrows, as
of an ebbing tide, and leaves of plants.
Almost every day opened new discoveries
W llIo CullOuo C1 u anu oWdAOhOa bOOPSi
interest. And thus began that course of
observation and study which made him
famous as geologist, and enabled him to
render valuable help in the progress of
science.
His first year of labor came to close,
and he found that "the amount of his
happiness had not been less than in the
last of his boyhood. The additional ex-
perience of twenty years." he adds, " has
not shown me that there is any necessary
connection between life of toll and life
of wretchedness.
"My ADVICE" says Hugh Miller, "to
young workingmen desirous of bettering
their circumstances, and adding to the
amount of their enjoyment, is very sim
pie one. Do not seek happiness in what
is misnamed pleasure; seek it rather in
what is termed study. Keep your con-
sciences clear, your curiosity fresh and
embrace every opportunity of cultivating
your minds. Learn to make right use
of your eyes; the commonest things are
worth looking at-even stones and weeds,
and the most familiar animals. Read
good books, not forgetting the best of all;
there is more true philosophy in the Bible
than in every work Of every skeptic that
ever wrote; and we should all be misera-
BILE creatures without it."-Chitd's Conn
p0nion.