The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-07-02
EARLY STRUGGLES
OF ANDREW CARNEGIE.

The millionaire Phi1anthropist
Tells the Story of His Boy
hood.
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie has given
away more money than any other
man in America, and he has declared
it to be disgrace to e with untold
millions at his disposal, 80 that he ia
disposing of his wealth very rapidly.
Several years ago he wrote an article
for the Youths Companion, entitled
{" How l Served my Apr enticeship as
Business Man," from which the fol-
lowing extracts are made
The eldest son of parents who
were themselves poor, i had, fortu-
nately, to begin TO perform some useful
work in the world while still very
young in order to earn an honest live
lihood, and was thus shown even in
early boyhood that my duty was to
assist my parents, and like them be-
come, as soon as POSSIBLE, also II bread
winner in the family. What / could
get to do, not what desired, was the
question.
When as born my father was o
well-tO-dO master weaver in Dunferm-
line, Scotland. He eowned no less than
four damask looms and employed ap-
prentit es. This was before the day 8
of steaL factories for The manufacture
of linen. A few large merchants took
orders and employed 'master-weIrers,'
such as my father, to weave the cloth,
the merchants supplying the materials.
q tho fontnrN do, oil 4
handloom weaving naturally declined,
and my father was one of the sufferers
by the change. The first serious lesson
of my life came to me one day when
he had taken in the last of his work
to the merchant and returned to our
little home greatly distressed because
there was no more work for him to do.
i was then just about ten years of age,
but the lesson burned.into my heart,
and resolved then that 6 the wolf of
poverty would be driven from our
door some day if could do it..
"The question of selling the old
looms and starting for the United States
came up in the family council, and L
heard it discussed from day TO day. 1t
was finally resolved to take the plunge
and join relatives already in Pittsburg.
L we'll remember that neither father
nor mother thought the change would
be otherwise than great sacrifice for
them, but that I" it would be better for
our two boys
In after life, if you can look back
as ] do and wonder at the complete
| surrender of their own desires which
parents make for the good of their
children, you must reverence their
memories with feelings akin to wor-
ship.
{" Arriving in Allegheny City, four
of us-father, mother, my younger
brother and myself-father entered a
cotton factory. soon followed and
served as a bobbin boy,' and this is
how began my preparation for subse.
quent apprenticeship as business man.
l received one dollar and twenty cents
q week, and was then just about twelve
years old.
81 cannot tell you how proud was
when / received my first weeks earn
ings. One dollar and twenty cents
made by myself and given to me be,
cause had been of some use In the
world No longer entirely dependent
upon my parents, but at last admitted
10 the family partnership as contrib
uling member and able to help them
think this makes man out of boy
sooner than almost anything else, ant
real man, too, If there be any germ
of true manhood in him. 1t is every
thing to feel that you are useful.
!, "I have had to deal with great sums
Many millions of dollars have passet
: through my hands. But the genuine
satisfaction had from that one dolla
/. and twenty cents outweighs any subse
quent pleasure i'm money getting. /
. was the direct reward OF honest manua
labor 1T represented week of YER
hard work, 30 hard that but for the air
I and end which sanctified 1t, SLAYER
I might not be too strong term :
0 describe 1t.
Q " For a lad of twelve TO rise an
r breakfast every morning, except til
blessed Sunday morning, and 90 int
i the streets and find his way to tho fax
6 tory and begin work while it was sti
o dark outside, and not be released unit
n after darkness came again In the ever
.s ing, forty minutes interval only bein
d allowed at noon, was terrible task.
stl But 1 was young and had m
il dreams, and something within alwa,
l. told me that this would not, could NO
10 should not last--I shoula some day q
d better position. Beside this, fe
c,tmysef no longer q mere boy, but qui