New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-10

I.
traits Octave pp. Xiii, 452. E p. Dutton & Co
An interesting though scarcely eventfui career
IS related in this book. which owes its
existence almost exclusively to the fact that its
author also wrote, many years ago, that enor-
r7ous1y roUular volume called Self Help When
Smiles WAS q lad and his mother asked him what
he would like to be he replied, IT would like 10
be q nainter" She did not like that thinking
that he wished to be not an artist, but a mousse
uainter. and she refused to have any more tank
about what she considered "a dirty business
Smiles was Appended to a brace OF oocto's
instead He followed the career OF a Ineo1cai
man for some little time, but ahanooheu II "P
parently because competition was TOO SeNSie-
When he told his old teacher OF his decision ne
vas nronutIv reminded that "a rolling stone
gathers no moss" but he went on rolling Just
the same, and nobody could deny that in the
Ions, RIM he was the Better off for doing so; he
won much fame Of a sort, if not great fortune
and certainly enriched mis- life with interesting
exnerences Though this autobiography is not
E weighty affair, nor in the least a contribution
to literature it forms welcome souvenir o1 an
exemplary career.
Or Smiles went from medicine to provincial
Journalism from that to railroad WORK anu
finally to the task of an author whom you "ouId
call a hack if it were not that he practlseo
the art of letters with good deal OF dlSllly
once in the course Of his long life he shared Ia
the excitement Of an extraordinary episode III
the Sos. when he was secretary Of the South
Eastern Railway 'the news reached LONDON
from Paris, that three large boxes, containing
bpllion TO the value Of f14,000 had been rohoed
an their tourney between the two places, and
that +ta weight of the bullion bars had been re-
placed with shot" Through several pages ne
enters with zest into the story Of the robbery
reproducing the confession Of one Of the Grim
inals involved But this sort Of thing is not
Characteristic Of the autobiography. Self
Help" is the topic that sooner or later contrib
utes most Of the interest. He tells how the
book originated Early in 1S45, when he was
engaged in literary and journalistic work at
Leeds q deputation OF young men from the
Mutual Improvement Society came and asked
him @to talk to them a bit" He responded In
due course with an address 1.-The Education
Of the Working Classes" the object Of such
education being, as he put it. TO make the
great mass of the people virtuous. Intelligent
well Informed and well conducted. and to open
mn to them new sources Of pleasure and happi-
ness" The lecture was a success he delivered
If again and again, steadily charging 1t, ana
ultimately arriving at the title which served 80
wei for thu book he was to make out OF ms
talk Like so many other celebrated pubhca-
tons It took time to get itself printed. and, IN
deed. it was not until he had gained certain
repUte with his life Of George Stephenson, the
engineer, that "Self-Help" was launched X
went then like hot rolls" and MI Thofnas
Mackay, the editor Of the present Voiufne,
states in q footnots that at the beginning Oh
1en5 the number Of copies printed was close ON
.52 600 Anecdotes without end have been told
.t,ou+ this effort to illustrate and enforce the
mower OF George Stephenson's great word
perseverance," and many OF them are repeated
IN the autobiography. but one must suftice heres
,rL cancellation made tuAs Lk1Hzn was -
ILLS, ne Ths boak I was bsS6. bad ben AS<S