Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-08-24
OF LOWLY BIRTH.
What Working Men HRvo Done for Sci,
encc, Art ana Literature.

encc, Art and Literature.
Some may say; "Why glvo working
people time TO thinkP What good us,
can thoy make of itP" Let us sec
what thcy hare done. Take general
literature. Look at Daniel Defoo. tho
author of Robinson Crusoc," ono Of
tho greatest writer's OF prose fiction
that ever lived. II, began life rs a
hosier and was almost wholly self
taught William Cobbott tho gre al
master of racy Saxon English, was In
carly life farmers boy. and after.
wards a common soldier. IzaalS Wal.
ton, tho pleasing biographcr and
complete angler" was linen
draper
Then In science; Thomas Simpson,
tho distinguished mathematician.
wrought. for tho greater part of his
life, as II weaver. Captain Cook, ono
OF the most scientific OF English sail
ors, and very pleasing writer. was
wholly self-taught His father. poor
peasant. learned to read when he was
turned of seventy, in order that he
might be ablo to peruso his sons voy-
ages Arkwright, subsequently Sir
Richard. tho inventor of tho cotton
spinning machine. was poor man.
and commenced life rs barber
james Brindley. tho author of can al
navigation in England. the first who
tunnclcd great hills, and brought
ships across navigablo rivers on
bridges was millwright Herscholl.
subsequently, Sir William. originally a
musician in Hanoverian regiment,
became skillful optician and a great
astronomer To him Campbell refers
in tho well-known lines.
Gave to the Tyre OF Heaven another string.
Then for tho fino arts: Chantrey
was milk and butter boy, and his
first mouldings were in softer material
than marble Sir Thomas Lawrence
was tho son of an inn-keepcr and
wholly solf-taught John Opie was
found by DR.. Walcott. working In q
saw-pit William Hogarth. the great
est master of character that over de-
velopcd his ideas by means of the PEN
Gil. served his apprenticeship 10 an
engraving sllvcrsmitlL and COM
monccd his professional career by en-
craving coats-of-arms and shop-bills.
Then in poetry: Clifford. tho first
odhor of tho Quarterly began life rs o
lpoo< sailor boy, and aftorward served
gn apprenticeship TO a shocmakeH
Bloomfield wrote his best poem, tho
'.f%mor's Boy" while he, too
worked In n gnrrot rs y shoemaker
d'cn Jonson." says Fuller. in his,
English Worthless" "worked for
somo iimo as bricklaycr ald mason.
Iio helped to build tho now structure
of Lincoln's Inn. when, having
Iowel In his hand. he had n book In
ais pocket" Shakespeare was II
poor mans son. His father could not
write his name, and his cross or mark
till exists m tho record of Straiford-
,n-Ayon to attest the fact. Tho poets
Dwn education seems to have been
'ory limited. and tradition describes
aim as having lived for q time by, |
Iery humble employments i
Then turn we to theology, tho high
'st range of all. Tho two Millers,
Doctor Isaac. Dean of Carlisle. and
lis brother Joseph, author of tho we'll
,nown History of tho Church." be-
,an lifo rs woavers. Dr.. Prideaux,
uthor Of the Connection. and
'ishop of Worcester, got his cduoa-
ion by entering Oxford as Kitchen
10Y. John Bunyan, the greatest mas
cr Of AllcgorY and author of tho sec
nd best book in all tho world. was
clf-taught tinkcr.-M T. Ledger.