Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-18


less Of grammar In regard to the So
called rules in the standard arithmetic,
| attributed their existence to the dis
covery or invention of some great
genius and unless they were learned
and implicitly followed believed no
progress could be made nor problems
! solved.
"In these days Of scarcity of farm
labor and hired girls; union labor with
demands for shorter hours and in
creased pay; the growing demand for
early closing in Office and store; and
the recreations of football, baseball
other pleasures of the average boy,
permits me to contrast the experience
of one person who was not so we'll
circumstanced.
From the time that sufficient rain
had fallen in the autumn to make
blowing practicable, | had been given
pillow team Of two horses and one
mule, working them abreast, and up
to some time in the month Of January
had plowed lib acres Of land. 1t was
my duty to pillow from daylight until
dark, feed and care for the team,
build fire in the general sitting room
in the morning and milk five COWS
both night and Morning. Another
hired man who was receiving just
double the pay that received had to
do no chores, except to care for his
team. 1t did occur to me occasionally
that conditions were unequal, but
made no complaint until was directed
to add to my other recTeations by as
i, sisting the assistant Kitchen maid, a
i Digger Indian, III washing the dishes
!. after supper. At this 1 temporarily re-
belled but my employer informed me
that / could either do the work or
4 Quit Partly from a fear that he would
not be able to get anyone to fill my
place. but chiefly because had no
other place to go, 1 stayed and learned
to wash dishes.
'On that memorable day in JANUARY,
1859, while blowing in the field, the
resolution that had been gradually
forming in my mind to try to get out of
the grove in which my life was run
ming, took definite shape Leaving the
team standing in the field l went to
Mr.. Russall and proposed that attend
| Mr.. O'NeilHs school and do chores for
my board. To my surprise he readily
assented.
Start to School.
\ 81 started to school the very next
day and made such progress that In
4 less than three months I acquired
more knowledge than in all my previ
Gus school life. The ensuing fall
began teaching, which l continued fol
two years. all of that time applying
myself to study SO successfully that
was later on enabled to enter the
scientific school at Harvard, and grad
uate therefrom second to no one ii
my class For that success ] was
; chiefly indebted to the analytical mint
large learning and wise counsels O.
Owen H. O'Neill,with whom was par
of the time associated in teaching ane
all of the time, for nearly three years
sufficiently near to have his scholar
" aid whenever sought. After return
ing east / corresponded with him TN
til he received my letter, to which HI
made no reply announcing my enlist
ment in the civil war. l think HI
lacked any patriotic feeling for thi
country and often spoke lightly Of TIL
actions Of those who, as he expressed
! it. Sought the bubble reputation a
, the lannon's mouth This was un
doubtedly due to the unpleasant ez
periences in his native land.
"At the time of which write, Ca
! ifornia had just emerged from tn
) popular mining period and was pass
: ing to the agricultural stage, the plat
er mining having been pretty we'll ez
! hausted and many of those who ha
been engaged therein had bough
! ranches in the fertile valleys. Yer
! little land was then under irrigation
r but all of the valleys in the centrs
! part of the state. such as Suisun, M
. pa, Vaca and several others were e,
e tremely fertile and needed no frrigs
{ ton to raise large crops Of wheat bal
. ley and corn, together with fruits sue
+ as apples, peaches and grapes i
t abundance. The Sacramento plain
/. extending from Vaca valley to tn
! city of Sacramento, distance of thi
a ty miles was an immense cattle rang
y but is now under cultivation Soutl
e ern California, now so rich in the PR
g duction of oranges and other fruit
d was then considered of but little valu'
o During the spring of 1851 becam
9 acquainted with young man by tn
name Of B. H. Barrett, who had eros
+ ed the plains from Council Bluff
d near where his people lived, some tw
h years before, and he persuaded me
s make the return trip with him ths
y summer. Like all persons raised Q
6 the frontier, young Barrett was
d good horseman and a good shot an
d had the training that enabled him