The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-10-24
The RoohY's Secret.

Now, as the clock strikes 9, will
tell you single story. Robert Peel,
the father of the great Sir Robert
Peel, was comfortable English me-
chanic. who started cotton factory
small in measure and smaller still in
profits, at the commencement of the
cotton enterprise. Robert at that
time was almost unable to make his
enterprise pay him, and the profits
fell 80 often behind the expenses that
he sometimes contemplated aban-
doning the movement. The diff
Guilty that beset him was apparently
trifie, but it undermined his whole
effort. The f1laments of cotton-what
We call the dust of the product
gathered all over the machinery, so
that the bobbins and the tapes were
covered with it; they refused to
move. Every six or seven hours the
workman was obliged to stop work
and clean his machine, and at the end
Of the day he had poor days work
to show, and one that hardly en-
abled him to earn wages. The anx-
ious master sought the aid of science;
he sent for Watt. the great inventor
of the cotton machinery. Watt ex-
hausted his ingenuity, and was foil
ed. He called upon London and the
engineering talent of that great CAPT.
tai to help him and was equally I'M
successful.
Now it had been observed that
there was one man in the mill that
never stopped, but every day drew
his full wages and his machine was
never encountered. They set men to
watch him, but they could not detect
the secret; and they set his fellow
workers to pump him, but they
couldn't find it out. Finally, in de-
spair, Robert Peel sent for him. A
rude, awkward BOBBY, Dick entered
the counting-roOm. Like sailor, he
pulled his forelock with one hand,
and scratched the floor with the
heavy shoe of his left foot to make
bow. Peel said to him: "Dick, the
overseer says your bobbins are always
clean" AYE. master, it be ~ "Well
Dick, how is it ?" master, that's a
secret. and if l told you you would
know as much as l." Exactly So"
said Robert Peel; "but won't you
tell me? ?" "I don't want to master"
"But, Dick, l will pay you if you
tell me what do you want for your
secret ?" Dick looked down mo-
ment, master, 1 will tell it for
quart of beer day as long as am
in the mill" "YOu shall have it,
says Peel, land half a gallon on Sun
day, too" Shutting the door eau.
tious:Y, and creeping as near to Peel
as he dared, Dick whispered In his
ear "Chalk the bobbins chalk the
Robbins, Master Peel" Peel saw it
at a glance. Unmatched, Undecided,
Dick covered the bobbins and tapes
with chalk. 1t prevented the adj
herenee of the filament and his ma
chine was clean, so that he did full
days work and made money for his
employer.
Peel saw it at glance, bought the
secret, had machinery cOntrived that
ehalked the whole mill and rose sud
denly into fortune; from a common
man he mounted the topmost line Of
the English gentry. His family is
among the first in Europe. 1t Yields
the destinies of states. He's got 90
100000 pounds sterling. All that art.
leisure, and culture, and wealth and
eompanionshiD can do for him has
been done. His son he made king of
England, for the premier of England
is its king. A large share of that place
and fortune and success he owed to
that secret. The man that tells the
story says: "He paid the man we'll !;
he gave him a quart of beer a day,
and half gallon on Sunday, $40 a
week as long as he lived; paid him
handsomely" says the historian and
according to your civilization he did,
The Progress OF Storms.