The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-30

feel the pinch of poverty and the heavy
burden of toll that always accompany
such life, to struggle hard for adVan-
taSes which come quite in the natural
course of events in more settled COM
munitieS.
BY this 1 do not mean to say that
my father was worse off than the gen
eral run of settlers in Prince Edward
island in the year 1854. when / was
born. He had gone into the island a
generation before and had hewed a
home out of the forest. At the time of
my bOyhOOd he had upwards of a hun
bred acres cleared and under cultiva-
ton. But no amount of land and no
amount of toll could give one much
more than the bare necessities in that
time and place. There was not a rail-
way on the island, nor a daily news
paper, and as for theatres. l was never
inside of one until after I was 20. The
only books in my fathers house were
the Bible, Fox'S Book of Martyrs"
Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and a
few others of that standard class. My
earliest book was all outdoors, and I
think that it is not a bad text book
for youngster. either.
WORKING FOR 10 CENTS A DAY.
When l was 10 years old l was hired
help with his threshing. the work as
signed to me was to cut the bands of
the cat 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. I worked at that
from sunrise to dark, and at the end
liz 4 civ
pencei As the money of the DOmin-
ion stood then it was equal ~ about 10
cents. A cent an hour for the hardest
kind of manual labor a boy could per-
form. That was the way money came
in Prince Edward island in those days.
But it was big money TO me, for il
was the first 1 had ever seen that
could really call my own.
when 1 was Is 1 left home. I had
formed the idea that l wanted to get
into a store. I don't know that 1 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 a place in the nearest
town-Summerside- village OF about
LOCO inhabitants. The terms were that
1 was to board with my employer, as
was the custom then, and in addition
receive for my services $50 at the end
for twelve or fourteen hours work per
day? But it was the first rung of the
ladder for me. From that day until
this l have always been dependent on
my own efforts.
Il worked in this store for a year,
and then l got a place in a larger store
in the same town with exactly twice
the salary, $50 a year, That was ad-
vancement indeed 1 remained there
s.. arlx- Z
Then I gave up the position of my own
accord because l had determined to get
a better education.
LAS l look back upon it now it seems
to me that the chief influence which
led to my decision was the local minis
ter. My parents were members of the
Baptist church. He took an interest
in me and did for me that the Scotch
dominic of a generation ago was ac-
customed to do for his poor and ambi-
tious boys-gave me good advice and
urged me to obtain a college education.
The good man had in mind TO make
minister of me, and /. so far as l
thought of the matter. supposed that
that would be the natural career for
me if l went to college.
Il can remember well when | told
my employer of my decision. / had
pondered it long. but / hated to tell
nlnn- 1 ilkeu MN anu lihSu eiS Du9i-
ness. 1 put the job off for a long time.
but at last. one night when We were
walking home to supper together
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
I would stay with him. l thanked him.
but said that my mind was made up
and / wanted to get an education.
TURNING POINT IN HIS CAREER
THAT was the turning point for me.
On the one side was my desire for an
education. l did not know now l was