Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-05-19
HOW WE STRUCK 1T.


OF | had only come here away back
IN the early tifties!' sighed a dreamy
nan TO me as we waited for the train at
rrnityale last week. And another man
ahmed in and sighed also as he said.
T uFIush times then, you bet. and big
strikes but | only got here III the seven
] sas-got here without a cent and have
held my own right along!'
First let me once for all disabuse the
ron,1lar mind about the flush times and
dc strikes of the early tfties. Yes,
there were big strikes. but they We're,
like the big generals of our great war,
not the rule. You hear of the big strikes
and you hear of the big generals. The
thousands and hundreds Of thousands
that persisted in the ranks you never
/ hear about
For the benefit of the dreamy man
who sits waiting and lamenting, let me
/ sy that the openings and opportunities
are better today than they We're in the
gyenties, and they We're better i'll the
seventies than they We're in the tifties.
The wear and tear of life was SO terri
/ be then too. Every dollar cost about
two dollars and It half to get in those
days
{ II has been estimated, and think
sbout correctly, that if each miner had
received twenty-five cents u day and
f hoard for his lahOr--and such labor!
sixteen hours day generally-we
would have had more golddust than we
got in those famous early fifties.
8 So cease this deploring that you came
50 late TO California, my dreamful
friend. 0fcoursc we would all like to
live over the impetuous old days again;
E but doubt if you who don't get on to-
day would have got on then. Better,
F. far better for you, for all. to settle
down content by some sweet village in
this fair land, where you can have clean
clothes, good food, books, papers, the
presence of women and all the healtbful
refnements that attend her, than sit
/ signing for the days Of old. You can at
least get your board and twenty-five
more than we got on IN average to the
man, Notwithstanding all our priva-
tons
An old fortv-niner from New Bed
ford, Mass, Mr. Ha~kins, who has writ
ten a very readable book about his fell
low argonauts-and "a very important
book it is, as it contains the names of
more than $4,000 of them-told me that
Of the 5000 who came from his town,
first and last, it was hard to find more
than very few who We're much ahead
in the world. He told me that ON re-
turning home after forty years he and
his old friends took 300 of their select
young men who came and compared
their fortunes with 300 similar youug
men who remained at home, and they
found that the proportion of those who
had prospered at home was as ten to
four against those who had come in
iorty-nine. On the other hand, they
found that Notwithstanding the perils
ana hardslnps the proportion of argo-
hsuts still living was ten to three against
those who remained III New Bedford.
Some day, my dreamful friends. who
lament your late coming and are CON
unually taking the free local trains of
Vakland in order to fly from toll as from
scontagion, | will sit down and tell you
now to make fortunes right here by the
bay OF San Francisco far easier than
Hey We're made i'll the early tifties. y
~. n,.fi Gt to FOL