Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-07-11

HONOR JOHN PEARCE.
EngIishman Who Worked His Way
Un From Rank&.

EngI'shman Who Worked His Way
Up From Ranks.
There is lesson for every Ameri-
can boy who has his own way to
make in the world in the career Of
John Pearce, the prince OF London's
cheap caterers, whose 1900 employees
recently presented him with a hand
some testimonial. They did this just
to show that they regarded their boss
as their friend, and it was an appro-
pirate tribute to a man who in his rise
from poverty to affluence has always
commanded the esteem of those who
have worked for him. Tall and lanky,
stoop shouldered, with features rather
sad in expression and singularly wist.
full looking eyes, there is nothing
about John Pearce that suggests the
typical self-made captain of industry.
He would never be picked out of a
crowd as strikingly successful man
or particularly brilliant one in any
respect. He has been sized up wrong
oftener probably than any other man
in London.
He was born So years ago in one
of the slums of Hoxton. When he
was a little shaver his father died,
leaving his mother to carry on the
family of hungry children on her
hands. One room was all she could
afford, but there she reared her brood,
and besides contriving to feed and
clothe them all she put right notions
into their heads, so that ultimately
they all turned out we'll. What a
tough time they had of it may be in
ferred from the fact that at the age
of 9 years Johnnie" had to start
working for living. He hired himself
out to picture frame maker for half
a crown, or 62 cents, a week. At the
age of 10 he was working for build.
err at the princely wage of Is cents
a week, with breakfast thrown in. It
was customary in those days to pay
off the hands in saloons--a perniciOus
practice, to which the law long ago
put stop. On one Of these occasions
young Pearce got drunk for the first
and only time in his life. 1t was a
case of good coming out of evil. He
lost his job; but he swore off, and
temperance was great gamer there.
by. In the four score and one restau
rants under his control scattered
through London not drop of intoxi
eating liquor is allowed to be sold.
After learning the lesson of sobri
ETY. at the cost of his situation he OBJ
tanned situation at pastry cooks
In his long tramps to and from worl:
he observed how great was the need
among casual and other laborers OF
good and cheap food. 1t suggested an
opportunity for him to become his own
master. He hired a costermonger
barrow at % cents week, bought a
humble urn and few crooks and Sc;
out to earn his fortune as cheap and
perambulating caterer in the city road
He did not even dream that he was
laying the foundation of colossal
business.
His low priced restaurants increas
ed even faster than his family, and
every years sees additions to their
number. In 1879 they were all ANAL
gamated under one company-the
British Tea Table company, with a
capital of $1,50O,OOO. The first years
profits of the concern yielded divi
dend of IA per cent. Few enterprises
in America pay that much. Some idea
of the extent of the business that be-
gan with a perambulating coffee stall
may be gained from these figures. AT
it's 81 houses the annual consumption
of fresh meat amounts to 2,016,00O
pounds; of bacon, 225,000 pounds; OF
-four, 1000 tons; of potatoes, 1900
tons: of milk, 265,0O0 gallons, and
4,25O,0OO eggs.