The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-03-24
The Poor Boy Who Made Good.

his offer.
The Poor BOY Who Made Good.
The recent death Of Governor John
A. Johnson, Of Minnesota. recalls to
the American people 4 wonderful
story Of what clear grit can do for a
poor American boy, says q writer In
Success. Born In poverty. hemmed
In on every hand by seemingly in
surmountable obstacles, without
friends. or opportunity for education
or advancement Of any sort, with q
drunken father In the almshouse,
who had left to him and his sturdy
Scandinavian mother the task Of
supporting the family of seven, John
A johnson has added one more
name to the glorious role Of American
boys with mo chance" who have con-
auered adversely and risen to distinc-
ton.
When young johnson was four
teen, he got a position in a store at
$3.50 . week. The weather was
biting, the mercury being often far
below zero In that Northern winter.
Although the boy had only q thin
summer alpaca cost, he absolutely
refused to buy an overcoat. and turn
ed every cent he earned over to his
mother. His employer offered to cell
him coat on credit. but he could not
be persuaded to run in debt: besides.
he said. with great emphasis. that
his underclothes were "awfully
warm
He got chance, later. to make q
little extra money by working even
ings. linking the roller for . hand
printing press. pumping the bellows
in a black-smith's shop. and carrying
mail to houses outside the postal de-
livery route. In this way he earned
enough to buy . cheap coat
The boys great ambition was to
make something Of himself. to stand
for something. and he left no stone
unturned to effect his object He
tried for months to get q place in the
village drugstore. because he
thought he could learn 20 much
from the politicians who gathered
there In the evening. Many times
the proprietor told him he had no
place for him, but when he found
that the boy would not be turned
down he gave him . position at q
very small salary.
How can you keep down q boy
with such grit after he has once
learned the alphabet! While thous-
ands Of boys and girls in Minnesota
were complaining that they had mo
chance" to get an education or q
start in the world. this poor boy
managed to ind q way to get both.
even while struggling to carry the
burden which his drunken father had
dropped on the shoulders Of his
mother and himself. Where other
boys saw only mediocrity and hum
drum lives. he sav the opportunity
for great things. What did . boy
with such grit care for Obstacles! He
felt that he was ready for anything
that should get in his way. A chance
was all that he wanted. and he did
not wait for this to come to him
he made II. In spite Of heavy handi-
caps, which would have crushed .
less resolute soul. young johnson
climbed steadily upward until he was
finally nominated for governor Of his
great State-Minnesota.
Aand here his grit and manhood
were put to . terrible test. His enc
mics tried to kill him politically by
posting placards in every conceivable
place throughout the State. abusing
his foreign antecedents, and urging
people to vote against John A. John
son, because his father was q drunk
en- loafer and his mother took in
washing" Transparencies of the
same character were carried in pa
rades In many parts of the State. A
copy of the certificate of his fathers
death in the poorhouse was also cir
culated far and wide In an effort to
discredit his candidacy, but In spite
Of all these contemplate subterfuges
Of his enemies to defeat him he was
elected governor BY an overwhelming
majority. More than that, be was
twice reelected to the ONCE by popu-
lar vote. tens OF thousands OF men
of the opposite political party voting
for him.
In his days of poverty and stress
In St Peter, young johnson never
said to himself. There are no oppor-