The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-10-29
HDlSoN Az 4 BOY.

EDlSoN Az 4 BOY.
w. n Bishop. In scr'bosr for Nevembes.
At twelve be began the worM-as
train-boy on the Grand Trunk Rail
Rad, Of Canada and Central MieAi-
gan. To one who has noted the ps0
cocioas self.Iossession. the dippsn'
powers and the sharp
financial dealings Of the young per-
SOUS who for the most part abound IN
it. il does not seem profession for the
cultivation IL q spirit of quiet research.
or the mosl thorough requirement VI
the science. and arts. But it il fair to
presume that Master Edison 1t this
time had no very comprehensive
scheme IL development prepared. 1t
offered the ms,-t available means OF
livelihood. lie went into it with such
a will that in course "f time he he
came an employer Of labor. having
fur assistants under him f"r the dis
u,.sl If hi. wares, He l. not averse
&. recur To the humor. of tni. part OF
hi. life.
Were ;ou one 81 the kind Of train
bows" he has been asked, "wh" sell
figs in boxes with bottoms half an
inch thick :"
Iii I rec"lleci right" he replied.
with a merry twinkle. "tbe bottoms
IT my boxe- were good inch.
There exists u dayuerreotvpe ut the
train-i,o ut this epch. II shows the
future ell. hritv a. - chubby laced
fellow in glazed cap and m"tiier,
with papers under his arm. The face
ha. an expressive snile.-n"t to put
ton line a paint upon II. grin. lei
there is something honest and q little
deprec.,;ng in il. instead ofimpu'ience.
I lie wa.. - will I've shown, an eccen
uriri,v AIMING fraii,h.ys. and Was mo
no ,ioub, sensible of il. He toks like
a f.li..w wh.-e gIsza,l cap a brakeman
! would t..u.le over his eyes in passing.
Will. ,hir. xins Il gopd deal ut him all
the same.
Hi. p.cu!;ari,v consisted in having
established in turn, in the disuse'
smoking. section of q springle>s old
baggage ear which served him ~
! mead quarter. for hi- papers. fruits ana
vegetable ivory.-two industries little
known ~ train. bows in general. III
surrounded himself with quantity q
tnt,les and some retorr stands,-mad'
in the railroad shops in exchange f"'
,arsr<.-procured q copy "fi .'Frese
rin.. Qualitative Analysis, and
while the car bumped rudely along
conducted the experiments OF
chemist. BY hanging about the ofhc'
If the "De;r"it Free-l're--.. in som'
spare hours. he hal acquired an Me'
of printing. ut a favorable oPpor
,unity he purchased from the ofiic'
,hre. hundred pounds Of the old type
,ni To- the laboratory a printing "ihc'
was added. Ii seems to have been b.
a peculiar. g"pi-na'ured. hanging
around pr"ce>s "f his own. with M
> .ves extremely wide open and sure q
what they wanted IN ace. that HI
practical information OH - msn.
. useful subjects was Obtained: IL
learned s,n,athing 81 mechanics an
IN. practical mastery Of bcomotiv
in the r.ilruad shops. and acquired nj
: idea of the power 1t electricity fr"u
! telegraph operators. With his print
iny-osice he published a paper-th
"Grani Trunk Herald IL was
? weekly. twelve by sixteen inches. an
u wa. .oii..-l by the London Times,
. >. which, d copy had been shown D
I s,me traveller. a. the only journal !
= the world printed ON q railway train
r Tie impressions were taken nv tn
p ms, primitive of all means. that q
! pr..S:,,. the sheets upon the typ
: With ,h,. hands. and were on but an
, side If :he paper. Baggage men a"
!, hr,kemen contributed the fii'terar
: contents. In 1862. daring the battl
8 Of pi,,sburg Landing. the en'erpris'n
manager conceived the idea ri tell
graphing on the head lines Of h
exciting new. and having them paste
on bul.etin bnarls at tho small countr
;. stations. The result was a prohtahI
+ venture. anil the first awakening Z
$ interest on his side in the art Of tel
4 graphing. in which he VAS destined
, 0l,v such a remarkable part.
!. During this time he continued h
n reading with unahatesi industry. II
: train carried him into Detroit wheI
= there we're advantages he had nev'
! eo;,ve.l before. An indication of h
!. thirst FIR knowledge. al a Hoire ienorin
= Of enormous difficulties and Of ii
$ completeness with which the shapin
If his career Vas in his own hands,
!. found in q project formed BY him
]. road through the whole public iibrar,,
D There va. no one tn tell him that q
e of human knowledge may he f"un
: in a certain moderate number I
e volumes. nor Z" paint out to h''
e approximately what thew are. Lac
4 book was in his view . distinct part
! the great domain. and he meant
Z ,o-e none of it. He began with u
!. .olii treaties of a dusty lower she
= AMI actually read. in the accomplish
; ment of his heroic purpose. hftee
:. feet in line. He omitted no hc.'
j and skipped nothing in the book. IT
J, lis, contained among Others Newton
Principal Ures scientific dicsio'
= aries. anil Burton's Anatomy