Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-22

teaches, in this age of idlenc>s and day of tramps, that if man really wants work he can find it or even make it any day lac will.
 When Perkins worked his way To Cali fornia by water, still common sailor, he took his blankets and cooking kit on his back and footed il to the gold mines in the interior. Now, there is tradition in the minds of the newer generation that for tunes were To De had in those early days for the picking up, but the cold, frozen fact is the gold mines of California did not nay. They did not pay. first and last. even so much as So cents per day for the labor ex- pended. And such labor: Sixteen hours a day and giants in strength and endurance swinging the pick. For one man who made a fortune (and you hesr1l of him only at least 5 had 10 fail. Perkins tried this mine and that mine, this camp and that camp, this thing and that thing. just like 10000 others, failing in everything, losing everything but the true plUck in him which made him dare the sea when not big enough to do work on land. At las; he got a footing as porter-swept out the store. slept on the floor and cooked for the clerks and proprietor. Then he became clerk, then a partner. then proprietor; then his old instincts for the smell of tar, and he bought a river boat; a fleet of boats finally: | ships next, and he took possession of the ! Pacific ocean through the Golden Gate | from Mexico to Alaska
 California made him governor. not that | he wAnted or needed to be governor now, but she needed and wanted hlm, He made 6 famous head for the great Gclden State. knew him we'll for the frs. time when | we established state Arbor day. Let us | plant that big barren island with trees and have 10000 childreu help us Governor Perkins will give Us ships, -Adolph SutrO Il will give Us trees to plant, General Howard | will give us soldiers 10 make the grounds ready to receive them, and we will have l such an ArbOr day never yct was" This | Is what the wife of John Vance Cheney. the poet, said to the sailor lad one evening as we crossed the bay Of San Francisco. "and it was SO" There never has been such gala day in the state-such booming of guns, a sea of banners, looNO children in white, simply because q sailor had said 90.
 You get q whole lot O. anecdotes about such men and all more or less fiction. He Is learned man. truly learned and schol- larly man. notwithstanding bis hard early life, but the opposite party used to tell the following story to illustrate his poor knowl edge of geography:
 You don't dArc strike me with that cat"
 And Nhy don't dare cut you with ths catE'
 | beGAuSc. nSlc- m lEOl -0atllC, anu
 Maine is the middle of the | uIJed States '
 In answer to this Perkins made the star tling statement in his stump speech that California is in the middle of the | Jnited States; said he knew le WAS right, because he had ships running to Alaska and that it
 was about as far to Alaska il WAS tc | Maine. No one had thought of il before,
 but glance at the map showed his incTed- ulous hearers that California is, geogrsph- icAlly speaking, in one way at least. just about in the middle of the United states and territorieS JOAOUIN MILLER.