Daily Republican., 1879-05-22
THE WAY TO SUCCESS.
A story Of II ard Work and Self.
Denial.

To know that homeless, frlendless
young man has fought his way steadily
upward, with bright tireless energy, is
a tonic full Of iron, and subtle with en-
couragement. No trade or calling, how
ever hard and narrow, has failed to
furnish examples of men who have won
success. 1t is thought which should
encourage every toiler. The stone cut.
ter has his Hugh Miller, the weaver
his David Livingston, the blacksmith
his Elihu Burritt.
1t is not, however, of men of great
attainments and widely trumpted fame
that we would now speak, but rather
of an instance Of humble, honest sue
cess in founding home in one of the
central counties of this State. The
story is full of hope and encouragement
to the daily laborer; perhaps it has a
warning for some hose wasted oppor-
tunities stand beside them as accusing
angels.
In the year 1871 young Norwegian
landed in San Francisco, knowing only
few words of English, having little
money, and no acquaintances. He re-
mained only one night in the city, and
was soon in search of work among the
farmers. Several weeks passed, and
he was still unsuccessful. He went to
the house of wealthy farmer, man
of shrewd but kindly character, and
said to him in effect
&C. need work5 and at any price to
make beginning on. ! can't lie idle,
am tired of tramping. Have you got
room for one more hand?"
"No," said the farmer. 81 am tired
of tramps, and l have help enough"
81 am no tramp said the man,
quietly, "and will work, if you will
let me, without wages, and for only my
board and lodging, until such time as
there is vacancy, or | can get work
elsewhere"
This was the gist of what was said,
translated, on the part of the Norwe-
gian, from his imperfect English, and
the farmer told him to go to work, de-
Gliding in his own mind to see what sort
of metal was in the tall, fair-haired
Norwegian.
The days went bv in toll ard glad
ness, and the farmer found that his
"free hand," as he called him, was the
best on the ranch. He was the earliest
up, the busiest at all times, and in no
sense an eye-server. Always merry,
his folksongs of home, and his stories of
that weird northern land grew more
interesting as his knowledge of our
language advanced. Moreover, he was
no eye servant, but gave the working
hours of the day to his employer with
rare fidelity.
Two months went by in this sort of
way. The farmer began to feel asham-
ed OF himself for keeping without wages
the man who was evidently the best
workman in the neighborhood, and the
one most careful of his employers in
terests. at pays to have such a man, .
he said to himself. at is absurd to think
of letting him go at any time"
So the farmer paid him fair wages,
dating from the day he stopped on thu
ranch, which was honorable back pay
and engaged him for one year, the bar
gain to terminate then, unless the samt
satisfaction was given
Our Norwegian remained no less thar
seven years on this farm, making him
self more and more necessary to the
operations and requirements of agricul
tnre. They ceased calling him "Gus >
lie became "Mr. Petersen in thu
neighborhood. Other laborers had CONF
and gone He was the sole representa-
tive of the two who were on the rancl
when he came there. The most i'm
portant gain, perhaps, was that he hat
complete and practical knowledge O
farms and farmwork, of our soil, cai
A mate, limitations and possibilities -
: Lastly, he had with stern, self-denia
4 saved every cent he could, and it wa
7 invested in different ways.
1 So Mr.. Paterson after seven years Q
r vacationless work, took summer triE
= rather unaccoun:ably prolonged, to tn
n Norwegian settlements of the wester
Q states, and returned with warm hear
0 ed, maidenly wife, for whom every on
o had q pleasant word. Then he went It
:, She farmer, and wanted to buy piec
J., of land.
u 81 would rather live near here, an
d still work for you at odd times. onl
:. want twenty acres" he said.
:, Twenty acres seemed So small a trat
to the farmer accustomed to workin
!, his two thousand acres, that he tried
A persuade him to take more, but Petet
son still clung to the conviction the
a fruit flowers, vegetables, wind mill
lift water, a few cows, chickens an
n pigs, with the close care which he s
: well understood, would make twent
a acres bright and self-supporting homt
J. Finally, upon the farmers earnest
4 friendly desire, he took forty acres a
Il $50 per acre, paying $1,000 down, ant
d letting the rest wait at ten per cent. in
0 terest.
!. With what earnestness and patience
II he now begun to toll, having now hi
r own home, or how faithfully his viii
o seconds his efforts, We nave not spac
y to relate. The goal is reached. Tn
~ crops already ON his forty acres will 6
!, far towards paying off the debt this fall
t, They spend little, they live With
le themselves, they desire to build up
$ loving and beautiful cottage home, iu
t. of peace, purity, restfulness. And the
have gone about it in the way open I
a the mass of humanity-hy simple har
is work and self-denial.
n This sketch is, except in names uset
| transcript from actual occurrences
N The man of whom We speak is mo-
"a "a wegian, but the lesson is equally full
nnnnra nampnt for hundredS of other