The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-11-24
Simon cauerrn. Printer.

The Philadelphia Pnoef Sheet print,
the following letter from Gen. simor
Cameron:
HARRIsnrRc, April p, 1885,
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 26tf
inst, inclosing the foto-electrotyp,
of my indentures, came duly 10 hand
and | am much obliged to you fol
il, and for the interest that inspired
the friendly words Of your note
very willingly comply with your re-
quest for some memoranda of that
portion of my life when worked al
my trade
was bound an apprentice TO the
printers trade, as the indentureS
show, at the town of Northumber'
land, Pa, on May II, 1861. One
year after this my master, Andrew
Kennedy, gave up his business, and
| was forced to look out for another
place. Coming to Harrisburg III
search of employment, | engaged
with Mr.. James Peacock, proprietor
and editor of the Harrisburg Repu6-
iicaa, and also public printer, to
serve with him the remainder OF my
apprenticeship, to wit: : three years.
That did. To fully learn the bus
mess, it was then considered essen
tial to master the working OF the
press. Old printers will understand
better than those of this age of steam
the severity of this part of the trade,
even TO young men of robust phys
ique. But, owing to my ill-health
and physical delioaoy ofconstitution,
| was almost killed by this exact
ing labor. That part of the business
which ! could do without extreme
labor-the type setting, etc.-was
always pleasant TO me, for 1t gave
me all the opportunity a lean purse
then permitted TO secure the rudi-
ments of education. Indeed, this
was why I chose that trade,
After serving the term of my ap-
premiership with Mr.. Peacock |
iournev-worked with him. Consid-
ering Washington the centre and
focus of political effort and intorma-
ton, and being at an early age at
tracted TO politics, | determined to
! try my chance for work where |
could see the leading men and study
the current of politics at the capital.
Going there, | found employment
N the office of Gales & Seaton, pub
| fishers of the National Mfoliiqencer.
Here | worked, as did all other
journeymcn, for ten dollars per
week, labcring eleven hours per day,
/ noticed then, as have since, that
the men who got on best were those
who worked these long hours, and
then at "overwork" at twenty cents
an hour. The idlers and discomfort
ed came to nothing in the end.
Here ] found Tillinghast X. Collins,
who gave me the benefit of his
friendship and aid, and, 10 this day.
look back on the fifty or sixty
workingmen in that house as, per-
haps, the most intelligent ever saw
in a workshop, Many of them have
since filed places Of honor and
trust.
While working at Washington |
heard that the Harrisburg Repubii-
caa-on which / served the greater
part of my apprenticeship-was for
sale, and | concluded to buy it if |
could arrange 10 do so. This was
accomplished, and l became joint
editor and proprietor with Chas.
Mowry. / was shortly afterward
elected State Printer, and was re-
elected for seven years consecutively.
This was the period of my hardest
labor. | do not think that | slept
more than five hours of the twenty
four On an average during that time ;
and then, utterly broken in health,
| retired from the case with what
was then a comfortable fortune
about $4,000.
After that ! engaged IN other pur-
suits, and prospcred well, and have
always attributed whatever ! was,
and whatever / was able 10 do, TO
the warm and intelligent friends l
made in the old days when | was
journeyman printer and an emyloy-
er of printers. How deep this feel
ing Of respect for my trade was
upon ne appeared in rather an
amusing form when was on my
way 10 Russia, in 1862, as the Minis
ter OF the United Statesto ST. Peters
burg. Waiting for a few days in
London to recover from the effects
of sea-sickness on myself and my
family, / was invited to visit the
office of the London Times. There
4 book is kept in which visitors are
requested 10 register, giving their
titles, business, etc, and when |
came to sign | instinctively put
down my name.
oSr,rnA- TA,Trpos- Dpin+a. =