The Cecil Whig., 1881-11-26
SELF MADE MEN.


develop real greatness in his nature.
The popular training of the day may.
indeed. produce respectable copies OF
some ideal standard of excellence. Just
as good paintings are multiplied in the
form Of chromos. and elegant busts are
copied in the turning lathe; hut the men
who haze attained the greatest success
in life are not ALWAYS these who have had
the best outward advantages. Many Of
! them have risen from obScurity, and
worket! their WAY up hill in defiance of
every sort Of obstacle and by dintof the
most per eyering Labor.
What is the secret of their success,
They are usually persons wha are en-
d"wed with a special gift of observation
1t is all-important that we should grow
mp with our eyes open. There are many
persons who see very little of what is
lNing around them. while there are 9th
-rS whn look behind what they see. to
| find out what is its cause. how it come
| to be there. where it belongs what it is
| meant for. and they are likely to become
great geologists or botanists and chem
lists. They have a watchful eye for the
movements and laws of nature, and the
tall Of an apple indicates the power which
regulates the physical universe. and the
swinging Of Il lamp suggests the laws of
| vibration in the pendulum. When James
| Ferguson was eight years of age the
the attention of the boy was arrested by
| the fact that it was so easily raised to it's
| place again, simply by the use of Il long
beam resting upon prop. Child as he
was lie was determined to find out the
principle hy which the power of the arm
Is ST. greatly increased. and after work
'ny Cor time with a set of bars, of dit
! rr"nt length. he found that it depended
| upon the application of the moving force
1t the rhiut most distant from the fr!-
| rum. He then went on t" discover the
'rlnciple of the wheel and axle. supp"s-
| :ng it to he his own invention. and all
! this without book or teacher to assist
| Iim. and no tools wherewith to fashion
| lis blocks aud wheels. aud carry on his
| ther experiments. Int little knife aud
| simple turning lathe of his fathers
Fhe end Of it WAS. that he became one
# the most famous scientific men of the
iav.
Sclf-made people have also the gift of
>rizing upon opportunities and making
the best possible use of them. William
iutton. the great book seller. publisher
and author WIS the son of a worl-cnmhcr
and brought up III the most ahiect paw
.rty, fasting sometimes, and he tells us,
from breakfast until the next dav at
,"nn. and then dining npnn only flour
md water boiled into ~ ha>tv pudding"
lpprerticei to a stocking weaver he
managed to lay by II few pennies from
alme t" time. winch he expended in bay
| ny tatterei old books from the stall.
.laving become acquainted with Il bn,k-
binder he watched him at his work. and
It occurred to him that he mi sht be able
10 rebind the worn out Volumes in his
possession. Accordingly he bought from
tm"n@ others, says Hutton, "he offered
ne IL w"rn-duwn press for two shillin.rS
which no one could use. and which was
aid by for the fire. | bought it, and
,aid thetwo shilIings then asked him
| ~ favor me with Il hammer and II pin.
which he brought with half Il smile and
lalf Il sneer drove out the garter pin.
which hein" CALLED, prevented the press
rom working and turned another square.
which perfectly cured the press He
said. in anger: "lf had known. you
>nonll not have had it. This proved for
inrtv-two wears my best binding press
After a time he opened u book shop with.
as he expressed it. abont twenty Shill-
ings' worth of trash for all his stock.
II was he says. my own joiner, put
up my shelves and furniture. and in one
day became the most eminent hook seller
III tist l'I'itt' L I've dNS III llit "tth Ec
continued to work at his trade in Not
tin-ham. one day being enough for all
the book-sellng to be done in South
we'll. where he had opened his shop. Il
set out. lie says, lat five every Satur-
day morning. carried a burden of from
rhree pnundS weight to thirty. opened
,l"p at ten. starved in it all day upon
nrrad. CHEESE. and half Il pint Of ale
'nnk from one tn six ShIlinrS shut up al
iur. aud by trudyinr the solitary night
nil the deep rrndS tiv" hnurS more I
,rivcI AT Nt;inghtm at nine when I
ways i"un'l Il mess Of milk p"rrilge
~ the fire. prepared by my valuable
sister,.
He afterwards became very rich man.
distinguished publisher, and an author
IT no mean reputation. He died in 1915.
tt the advanced age of ninetv-two His
lie and character We're Il striking conn
t"rpart of our own Franklin.
DR.. Alexander Murray WAS 4 very cele-
'i''AN'' C'"Ii'dii"t. liiN tdifti W ~
HAT Of II self-male man. and shows what
can be dome hv the simple force of anpli-
cation. When he WAS six wears old his
father bought him catechiSm. which.
iii Scotland. is generally printed with
copy Of the alphabet. in large letters.
i,reliXcd. As it WAS too good book"
lie saws, "fnr me t. handle at all times.
it was generally locked up and nv father.
throughout the winter. drew the figures
nt the letters for me in his 1rrittta hand
III The board of an old wool card. with
the black end Of an eXtinguished heather
stem or root. snatched from the fire |
soon learned all the alphabet in this form,
and became writer as well as reader
wrought with the b0ard and 6rand con-
tinually. Then the catcchism was pre-
Sentcd. and in Il month or two | could
read the easier parts of it. But | longed
to read the Bible. which seemed to me a
much more pleasant book; and actually
went to where knew an old loose leaved
Bible Law. and carried it away by piece
meal. The Bible used every night in
the family. | was not permitted to open
or touch" Having been sent away from
home to herd sheep, he contrived to get
hold Of an arithmetic, and also to pick
up some knowledge of book keeping.
with the idea that he might tit himself
to become IA merchants clerk. But there