Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-08
Edison.
HOW THE BOY GREW INTO THE GREAT IN
VENTOR.

HOW TIE BOX GKEW ~ lIlE bhGAI
VENTOR.
At twelve he began the world-as train
boy on the Grand Trunk Railroad, of
Canada and Central Michigan. 70 one
who has noted the precocious selfposses-
sion, the hippant conversational powers
and the sharp financial dealings Of the
Young persons who for the most part
abound in it, it does not seem n profession
for the cultivation of a spirit of quiet re-
search, OF the most thorough requirement
of the sciences and arts. But 1t is far to
presume that Master Edison at this time
had no very comprehensive scheme OF de-
velopment prepared. 1t offered the most
available means of livelihood. lie went
into it with such will that in course of
time he became an employer of labor,
having four assistants under him for the
disposal of his wares. He is not averse to
the humors of this part Of his life.
"Were YOU one of the kind of train
bovs.n he has been asked, "who sells figs
in boxes with bottoms half an inch thckP
"If | rccollect right he replied with a
merry twinkle, the bottom OF my boxes
were a good inch"
There exists a daguerreotype OF atrain-
boy of this epoch. 1t shows the future
celebrity as IL chubby faced fellow in a
glazed cap and mutllcr, with papers under
his arm. The face has an expansive smile
not to put too fine Il point upon it, grin
Yet there is something honest and little
deprecating in it, instead of impudence.
He was. as will be shown, an eccenrlcity
among train boys, and was no doubt SEN
sible 10 it. He looks like u fellow whose
Glazed cap brakeman would tousle ovel
his ewes in passing while thinking gooc
deal of him all the same.
. His popularity consisted in having es
,ablished in turn, in the dismal smoking
section of springless old baggage cal
which served him as headquarters for hi'
papers and vegetable ivory,-two indus
iries little known to train-boys in general
He surrounded himself with Il quantity o
BOTTLES and some retort stands, made II
the railroad shops for papers, rs,-procured
copy of Fresenius Qualitative Analysis,
and, while the car bumped along, con
Quoted the experiments of II chemist. b,
hanging about the Office of the Detrol
Free Press, in spare hours, he had acquir
ed an idea of printing. At II favorable
opportunity he purchased from the o1llc'
three hundred pounds of old type, ana t.
the laboratory printing office was added
1t seems to have been by peculiar
oood.natured, hanging-around process Q
his own, with his eyes extremely wild
open and sure of what they wanted to see
that his practical information on so man
useful subjects was obtained. He learnc
something of mechanics and the practica
mastery of II locomotive in the RAILROAD
shops. and acquired an idea of the power
of electricity from telegraph operators
With this printing office he published
naner-the Grand Irunh Herald. 1t wa
Il weekly, twelve by sixteen inches, an
t was noticed by the London Times, to Whlc
l Il copv had been shown by II traveller, a
the only journal in the world printed on
t railway train. The impression was take
by the most primitive of all means, that
I pressing the sheets upon the type with IN
hands, and were on but one sldc OF III
paper. Baggagemen and brakemen cor
1, lribuled the literary contents; In 100
i during the battle of Pittsburgh Landing
the enterprising manager conceived u
: idea of ,elegra phng on the headlines
his exciting news and having them paste
r on bulletin boards at the small countr
station. The result was II profitable vel
: turr. and the first awakening of intere
i on his side in the art of telegraphlng,
which he was destined to play such II II
IL markable part.
a During this time he continued his rea
IL ing with unabated industry. His ira
Il carried bim into Detroit, where there we
J advantages he had never enjoyed beior
s An indication of his thirst for knowledg
IS of naive ignoring of enormous dllhct
e ties and of the completeness with WINE
Il the shaping of his career was IN his oW
hands, is found in project formed by HI
J. to read through the whole public jinrar
le There was no one to tell him that
l. human knowledge may be found in Il &C
n, tain moderate number Of volumes, nor
u point out to him approximately what IN
- are. Each book was in his view uistil
G. part of the great domain, and he meant
ie lose none of it. lie began with the so
ia treatises of Il dusty lower shelf and nc,
X nlly read, in the accomplishment oil
III heroic purpose, fifteen feet in line.
Ell omitted no book and skipped nothing
y the book. The list contained among oth!
Il, Newton's " Principal" Ure's sclenti
rs a, dictionaries, and Burton's Anatomy
a. Melancholy. ~. II. Bishop, IN ScTa0'
~ for November.