New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-07


friends were wont to meet of evenings that
things were not coming his way. So after
Mae had failed for several nights in success
sion to appear at the club, his friends decided it
was time to see what was up. \ couple of them
dropped around at his home one evening after
supper The result of their call was thus re-
ported to the club an hour or two later: Mac
was glad to see us but he says he's got to cut
out the club for awhile. He's going to school"
4 this there sundry EXPLANATIONS of in
CT ,dulity you're joking us was the ex-
preston of one mat voiced the conviction
of all
well" said the first speaker, as soon as he
got a chance to go on, "he's not exactly going
to school; but it's the same thing, the school
is coming to him. At any rate he's got lot
of books and things and when he amt reading
the books, he's doing queer sums on paper.
What made him blue, he told US, because
he hadn't enough school-learning to get bet
ter-paying job. He's getting the learning
and he expects when he's got that to get the
job"
The boys knew "Mac" well enough to know
that when he started out to do thing he
generally did it. so they did not try to dis
suade him. As one of them phrased it, rs
only hobby OF Macs"
Neil Mac Intosh had good deal to make up
in the study line. He had quit his books with
out regret after schooling" consisting of
three terms of three months each, and gone to
sea before the mast when still a boy. After
few years knocking around the world, he so
glad to get back to New York alive that he still
speaks of his return if it were JOY of yester-
day. The rest of his remarkable story is best
told in his own words as he gave it recently to q
meeting in New York composed of clerks,
mechanics, and workers of all kinds who
wanted a way pointed out to better their lot
in life
"When l landed in New York" said Mac
Intosh " got position at a dollar day, and
after six years, my salary was only ten dollars
a week. 1t was about this time that l began
to realize my lack of education. decided that
| ought to learn a trade and so | went to work
in a carriage factory in Columbus Ohio After
about four years l came back to New York and
was employed by the New York Steam Com
pany as machinist's helper at eleven dollars a
week. My next employment was with the
Edison Company at twelve dollars a week.
When | was advanced to the place of steam
filter with two dollars a week more had gone
as high as | could there. / saw that the reason
| was thrown around from one Job to another,
with certainty of a living wage my lack
of education. l had very slim knowledge of
arithmetic, and although l studied from some
books which L bought, gave it up hopeless.
| had some books too, on steam engineering,
but | couldn't make much out of them.
cone day heard of the success of the Inter
national Correspondence Schools of Scranton
in helping men like myself to qualify for better
positions. As l was then 80 years of age, it
seemed a little late in life to try to learn any
thing new, but | thought-t would cost nothing
to write and ask them what they could do
for me.
"They made the way so plain and easy that
l decided to try it, and see if they could do as
well for me as they had done for others in
similar circumstances.
After studying one hour every night for
year made application for third class license
as engineer. Such had been my progress that
l had trouble in getting it. Another year
of study, and | was granted a second class
IL, G.. I