The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-09-11
WEEKLY BAZOO.
SEDALIA. Mo-,
TUESDAY, SEPT ii, 1883.
JAY GOULD'S CAREER.


The autobiography of Mr.. Jay
Gould is as interesting as a romance,
and almost as verisimilar. 1t is the
sory of good little boy, the son of
poor but honest parents, who rose
from penury to the state of a great
millionaire by constantly striving to
promote the good of others.
The humble progenitor of the good
little boy was the possessor of small
farm On which he kept cows, and sup
ported family of daughters and the
future benefactor of his race by selling
dairy products. Being an only son,
the task of driving the COWS to and
from the pasture devolved upon the
good lite boy. Ameng the natural
productions of the farm were thistles,
and, as the scanty revenues of the es-
tate did not warrant the luxury of
shoes, they pricked the feet of the
barefocted good little boy, and so
communicated to his precocious under
standing the conviction that agricul-
tural pursuits We're not those to
which nature had predestinated him.
So, one day, as be was performing
the surgical operation of extracting
thistle from his great toe with a darn
ing-needle, he asked permission to at
tend country school situated about
fifteen miles from that place, a dis
lance which be Judged would put a
satisfactory obstacle between him and
the thistles that made farm life de-
testable. The old man, after some
meditation, said that as his con and
heir was of no use on the farm he
would give him his time.
So, at the tender age of Ia, the
good little boy set out to seek what
good he could do in the world. Near
the school-house he found blacksmith
shop. and made a contract with the
smith for his board in exchange for his
services out of school hours, as an
accountant. Such was his humble
beginning in that road of life whose
footsteps are debt and credit.
At this early juncture, the career
Of Mr.. Jay Gould begins to be instruc-
tive to all professional educators.
An eminent writer on the subject has
said that the true object of the educa-
ton of every individual is to better
fit him to overcome the obstacles TO
existence that are placed before him
In the conditions of his own life. The
good little boy was guided by that
sound principle, mainly because he
was not able to pay for more costly
but less beue6cent guidance /; which |
was, perhaps, very fortunate for him.
The book-schooling of colleges, high
even grammar schools,
would require money which he did
not possess, and no less important
consume time which he needed to
employ in acquiring the education
necessary to become millionaire and
q public benefactor. Accordingly, at
the end of a year he left the school and
The blacksmith shop, having gained
in keeping the books of the latter,
education that was to be of more help
in overcoming the obstacles before
him than any he had received 10 the
bookish routine of the former. 1t
helped him to clerkship IN coun.
try store, where he worked sixteen
hours day for small stipend with
out striking, and was able, besides,
to devote three hours daily, or night
y, rather, to the study of surveying.
The educational capital acquired in
he blacksmith g shop and the country
tore helped him forward on his career
prodigiously. He was engaged at
he muni6cent remuneration of $40 a
month and board, to assist a surveyor
q making a map of Ulster county.
His employer failing before the
nap enterprise was finished, he pro- I
posed to the other employees who had Y