Evening star., 1899-01-28

younger generation are capable of doing
l know what it is to grow up in a new
country, to feel the pinch of poverty and
the heavy burden of toll that always ac-
company such a life. to struggle hard for
advantages which come quite in the nat
ural course of events in more settled COM
munities.
by this I do not mean to say that my
father was worse off than the general run
of settlers in Prince Edward Island in the
year 1874. when l was born. He had gone
into the island a generation before and had
hewed home out of the forest. At the
time Of my boyhood he had upward of a
hundred acres cleared and under cultiVa-
ton. But no amount Of land and no
amount of toll could give one much more
than the bare Leccssties in that time and
place There was not railway on the
Island, nor a daily newspaper, and as for
theaters, | was never inside of one until
after | was twenty. The only books in
my fathers house were the Bible Eox's
Book of Martyrs. Bunyan's Pilgrims Pro-
gress anu few others of that standard
class. My earliest book was all outdoors
and l think that it is not bad text book
for youngster, either.
For Ten Cents "a Day
when | was ten years old | was hired
for day by one of our neighbors TO help
with his threshing. The work assigned to
me was to cut the bands of The oat sheaves
and pass them to the man who fed the
grain into the drum of the separator. 1t
was not easy work. The sheaVes went
through the machine as fast as the man
could handle them, and the boy who cut
bands had to make his hands fly. | work.
ed al that from sunrise to dark, and at
the end proudly carried home my pay
sIXpence! As the money of the dominion
stood then, 1t was equal to about 10 cents.
cent an hour for the hardest kind of
manua. labor a boy could perform, That
was the way money came in Prince Ed
ward Island in those days. But it was big
money to ne, for it was the first I had
ever seen that | could call really my own.
when l was thirteen l left homa / had
formed the idea that / wanted to get into
store. | don't know that | had any clear
idea about my future. 1 merely wanted to
get into the town and do something for
myself So my father got me place in
the nearest town-Summerside--a village of
about LOCO inhabitants. The terms were
that | was to board with my employer as
was the custom then, and in addition re-
ceiVe for my services $50 at the end of
the year. Not lordly sum- was it, for
twelve or fourteen hours work per day?
But il was the first rung of the ladder for
me. From that day until this / have al
ways been depe nGant on my own efforts.
Big Advance.
Il worked in this store for a year. and
then | got a place in larger store in the
same town with exactly twice the salary,
$50 a year! That was advancement, indeed
1 remained there for two years. until l
was nearly sixteen. Then / gave up the
position of my own accord because l had
determined to get a better education.
LAS / look back upon it now it seems
to me that the chief influence which led
to my decision was the local minister. My
parents We're members of the Baptist
Church. He took an interest in me and did
for me what the Scotch dominic of gen.
Grafton ago was accustomed to do for his
poor and ambitious boys-gave me good
advice and urged me to obtain a college
education. The good man had in mind to
make a minister of me, and /, so far as /
thought of the matter, supposed that that
would be the natural career for me if I
went to college.
Il can remember well when 1 told INV
employer of my decision. l had pondered
it long, but l hated to tell him. / liked
him and l liked the business. / put the
job off for a long time. but at last, one
night when we We're walking home to sun-
per together, 1 blurted out what was on
my mind. He was greatly surprised He
told me that he liked me, was satisfied with
my work and would like to keep me with
him. Then and there he offered to double
my pay for the next year if / would stay
with him. thanked him. but said that my
mind was made up and 1 wanted to get
an education.
The Turning Point.
THAT was the turning point for me. On
the one side was my desire for an educa-
ton. 1 did not know how was to obtain
It except that It must be by my own eff
forts. On the other side was the certainty
of $120 yearly In addition to my board.
and the prospect of still further advances
ment as soon as was ready for 1t. Those
who have followed this story carefully
enough to realize what $40 meant to me
then, will understand that it was no light
matter to give it up and accept the un-
certain prospect sf winning an education
MY three years as a clerk gave me a
training that was to prove Invaluable In
later years. when ! became president of