The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-15
A STORY OF THE LIFE OF A MAN
WHO GOT WEALTHV.

WHO GOT WEALTHY.
No talk with Mr.. Bonner would be
complete without leaf from the inter.
esting experiences Of his boyhood and
youth.
Il went into the Hartford Cuurant of
flee, he said, when was IA or 10 years
of age, and it was at that time that |
started out into life. Previous to this
had been d somewhat lazy and indffer-
ent boy, although l was very fond of
reading all kinds Of books. From the
time l actually began work for myself
my nature seemed TO undergo an entire
change. | became industrious, ubserv
ant, determined to learn everything that
| could, and resolved to get on IN
the world. began as an office boy, and
my duties, outside of typ"-setting, in
cluded sweeping out the printing room
and lighting the fire. For this | receiy-
ed S25 year and my board. was ap
prenticed for several years, and my sal
airy was to be increased $40 on each sue
cessiye LIST of January. | soon got ont
of this, however, as another boy was in
troduced in the office and he relieved
me of the sweeping and fire kindling
diversions. When | really got into type.
setting kept on the lookout to learn
everything possible bout the business
OF printing. One day one of the print
' ers asked me 10 go down stairs and get
him bucket of water, quest which
he had no right whatever to make. [
told him, however, that would do s.
If on my return he would teach me how
to justify The form which he was thu n
max ng up. He readily agreed TO this
proposition, and IN that way added in
important fashion to my stock of knowl
edge. Sometime subs quen,ly another
Of the printers .ked me to wash off the
ink roller, which as you know, is about
the dirtiest job that there is in a print
ing office. Here again agreed to do
what was asked. and in this case de-
manded that he would show me how to
place the forms Of the paper on the press.
The printer acceded to my demand and
in ways ike this Little by lit. lie | learned
every thing about the office that there
was to learn, from setting type to get.
ting the paper out. The whole thing
was done by very few men. There
were only very few copies of the paper
printed, and they were printed by four
O'Clock in the morning and distributed
by carriers. The paper was mostly set
up in the daytime and at II or u o'clock
there were about four or i've inches of a
column left for the introduction at lie
last moment Of what we call he posts
scrip, which might detail how Mr.
Jones barn had been burned down or
how theCO mmOn Council had passed
an ordinance with reference to some 10
cal matter. Hartford was shut out from
the world to great extent then. as the
railroad extended only to New Haven.
The consequence was that when the
man who usually put the paper to press
announced to the proprietor that he was
about to leave. the proprietor begged
him to stay for week or two longer
until he could procure substitute.
There was nobody in Hartford to take
the mans place. The man told the edi-
tor that he need be under no uneasiness
as Robert, meaning me, was thoroughly
competent to undertake all his duties.
This statement was received with sur
prise, but when | was asked if | cared
to take the vacant place and could per-
form its duties said yes at once ard
thus got the first round of the ladder
under my feet. OF course | was the en-.
Wy of all the other boys in the Office,
particularly as received as a Compen.
sation for my new duties the munifcent
salary Of So a week which in those days
was good deal Of money for boy. |
continued doing this work for about
year, when one morning the proprietor
of the paper told me, very much to my
establishment, that the other boys in the
office fe.t so unjuS.ly treated because |
had been given opportunities not accord
ed to them and declared that it was his
purpose to institute system of rotation.
1t was great blow to me- and | reluct-
antly resumed my place in the ranks.
Then the other boys took ho'd The first
day they made very bad mistake in
the important postscript of the paper,
leaving out a report, il | remember right
of some important action of the city
fathers. The next day was exceedingly
cold and the ink on the rollers became
very badly frozen. They did not know
enough to thaw it out. bet ran out the
paper with the ink in this condition.
The result so far as the appearance of
the paper is concerned, can lie better
imagined than described. | never saw
such a Typographical apparition in all
my life. | would scarcely have been
human if had not rejoiced at least in
mild way over the results of my enforc.
ed retirement. That afternoon the pre-
prietor came down in an angry condition
of mind and said that no such blunders
had happened under my administration
of the mechanical work of getting out
the paper and told me to resume my
duties at once. which, it is needless to
say, very promptly did.