Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-30
8aisffIlarre0ns.
4 Rolling stone.

Thore il an old maxim Ia rolling
stone gathers no moss''-which d applied
to men who often change their business,
going from one pursuit to another, sue
eessful in none. But the truth OF the
maxim depends on the qualities OF the
man. Sagacity, decision and persever-
ance NAV turn the maxim into lie, as 1t
did in the life of the late Peter Cooper.
His father was halter in New York, with
nine children, Peter being the fifth child.
With so many mouths to feed and bodies
to clothe, Peter was obliged to pull, pick
and clean wool used In hat bodies when
mere child. He was kept at this work
during his boyhood, except one year when
he attended a poor school and learned
something of arithmetic, reading and
writing. When he was fifteen years OF
age he was good halter. Then his faith
er relinuuished his business and removed
to Peekskill, where he ran brewery, and
Peter mastered the art of beer making IN
two wears. But he disliked the business.
| With his fathers consent he went to
New York for employment of some kind.
Entering a carriage factory. he inquired i:
Have YOU room for an apprentice 2"
do you know anything about the BUSH
ness P" the proprietor asked.
mo. sir, nothing" was Peters frank
reply. J.. ,,,o., ~,
Peters answer was a brief history of
his life.
"Is your father willing that you should
learn this business p' continued the man.
"He has given me my choice OF trades. !"
answered Peter.
..If take you. will you stay with me
and work out your time ?''
Il will, certainly, was the youths as
surfing answer. So a bargain was struck
-$25 year and board-and Peter learned
the coachmaking business. Four years
he spent at this shop. when, at q years
of age his employers offered to build him
shop and set him up in business, which
he declined because he had ''horror of
being burdened with debt" 1t was during
his apprenticeship to the carriage-maker
that Peter began to feel his great need of
more education. He procured books, and
spent his leisure moments and other times
in mental improvement. He looked about
for an evening school which he might at
tend, but there was no such school in the
city. Disappointed and somewhat dis
cOuraged, Peter resolved, then and there,
that if ever he made money enough, he
would establish an institution where intel
ligent and aspiring youths like himself
might have an opportunity to learn-a re-
solve which he carried out As years after
in the erection of the Cooper Institute in
New York.
The war of 1912 began about the time
Peter reached his majority, and it ruined
the carriage-making business. At the
same time the war created demand for
clothing; and Peter Cooper invented
machine for cutting away the nap on the
surface of cloth. for which the demand
became so great. within a short time,
that he found himself unexpectedly in
thriving money making business. The
return of peace, however, in 1915, de-
stroyed that business as suddenly as it was
created; for American manufacture could
not compete with the English in the alb
sence of tariff, and the market over
flowed with English goods.
Next he bought out grocer, doing bust
ness on the spot where Cooper Institute
venture, but at the end of year sold out
business to which he could stick, for in
IL NC saw d IOTduuc. L uc ldtlcI UuSlI1cSS
proved so lucrative that, in few years,
it yielded him an income of thirty thousand
dollars annually. His fortune was made.
Halter, brewer, coachmaker, inventor,
grocer, glue manufacturer! "A rolling
stone gathers no moss" 1t gathered a
pile of moss in this close. Cooper upset
the maxim. While in nine cases in ten
the maxim proves true. in this case Cooper
proved it false. His sagacity, decision,
application and perseverance enabled him
to swap good chance for better one
successfully. His "rolling" was not in
discriminate and aimless. There was
method in it. He was forewarned and
forearmed by his observation, circumspec-
ton and self-reliance. No inefficient,
shiftless youth could have accomplished
so much by any amount of 'rolling."
Changing from one pursuit to another
without reason or judgement--changing
for the mere sake of changing; jack-at-
all-trades and good at none-that is ''the
rolling-stone that gathers no moss."-
The american Teacher.