Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-07


friends were wont to meet of evenings, that
things were not coming his way. So after
" Mac" had failed for several nights in success
sion to appear at the club, his friends decided it
was time to see what was up. A couple of them
dropped around at his home one evening after
supper The result of their call was thus
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,"
At this there were sundry EXPLANATIONS of in
credulity. you're joking US" the ex-
preston of one that voiced the conviction
of all.
"Well," said the first speaker, as soon as he
got 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, was because
he hadn't enough school-learning to get bet
ter-paying job He's getting the learning now
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, they did not try to dis
suade him. AS one of them phrased it, It's
only a hobby OF Macs"
Neil Mac Intosh had good deal to make up
out regret after a 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 was
glad to get back to New York alive that he still
speaks of his return as 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 a
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 | began
to realize my lack of education. decided that
/ ought to learn a trade and so l went to work
in carriage factory in Columbus Ohio. After
about four years / came back to New York and
employed by the New York Steam Com
pany machinist's helper at eleven dollars a
week My next employment was with the
Edison Company at twelve dollars a week.
When l was advanced to the place of steam
filter with two dollars a week more l had gone
as high as l could there. l saw that the reason
l was thrown around from one job to another
with no certainty of a living wage, was my lack
of education. l had very slim knowledge of
arithmetic, and although | studied from some
books which bought, gave it up as hopeless.
| had some books too, on steam engineering
but | couldn't make much out of them.
One 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 35 years of age, it
seemed little late in life to try to learn any
thing new, but | thought it would cost nothing
to write and ask them what they could do
for me
"They made the way so plain and easy that
decided to try it, and see if they could do as
well for as they had done for others in
similar circumstances.
after studying one hour every night for a
year | made application for a third class license
as engineer Such had been my progress that
l had trouble in getting it. Another year
of study, and l was granted a second class
license Durinp the first wear I was emnloved