The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-25

Those of them who are not too far
in the tall timber may find encourage
ment in the life story of the middle
aged and all but illiterate peddler
who started in to study law at night
school side by side with boys who
might have been his own sons.
Moses e. Steuer of No. 20 Rockland
street, Roxbury, upon whose recent
admission to the Massachusetts bar
letters and telegrams Of congratu-
lations are being received from lead
ing lawyers all over America, was
born ffty-six years ago at a little town
of about 1000 inhabitants, called Mel
lie in Galicia, or Austrian Poland. His
father had married when little more
than a boy, and when he was killed
accidentally at the age Of twenty-five
he left a widow and two children, the
eldest of whom was two and a half
years of age.
!
in a small way of business. All the
land around Nellie is rich farming
country but the Polish peasant is a
dull witted fellow, and the commercial
activity was in the hands of a small
colony of peddlers.
One of the earliest recollections OF
the latest recruit to the Massachusetts
bar is of sitting beside his mother, in
the middle of big, roaring fairs. with
rolls of calico and coarse cotton
spread out around them.
School days in Galicia did not last
very long fifty years ago. Moses
Steuer was put to work early in a
grain store, and when he broke away
and came to America by way of Ham
burg and Glasgow in 1877 his equip
ment consisted of more business
knowledge than education. He got
his first job at a New York sweatshop,
pressing clothes at a dollar and a
half a day, but decided it wasn't for
him, and Joined a party of German
emigrants on their way to the copper
mines at Ely, VT.
The work at these mines went on
night and day and was arranged IN
three shifts of eight hours. By leav'
inv his own shift little before time
and falling in with the new gang
| steiner was often abe to work double
time and to earn as much at 500
a month.
AT the end of three years he had
enough laid by to become his own
master. He went to Louisville, Ky.
and opened a secondhand clothing
store. He afterward kept similar
stores in Omaha, Lincoln and Kansas
City.
Even while At the mines he mao
been trying to learn to read and write
good English. The difficulties he eN
perienced in getting a working knowl
edge of English would have discourag
ed most men. He used to pore over
the signs over the stores, and spell
out letter by letter the stories in the
Fireside Companion Every sentence
he worked out was transcribed onto
brown packing paper and then care
fully studied.
What finally decided him to maste
the law was finding out that If he dc
not the law might master him. Sool
after settling in Boston in 1898, NJ
bought a small piece of freehold a
the Roxbury end of Washington stree
and started in to erect a store.
But he had reckoned without tn,
Building Department. One objection
after another was raised to his plans
4 No sooner had one difficulty been SET
tied than another seemed to take il
place. Lawyers limited that time an
4 expense would be saved if he Above
about $1,000 for what was nothing bel
ter than disguised graft
when | heard that" says MI
Steuer, 81 just made up my mind
4 wouldn't pay a cent. got all the book
on building law l could lay hands OF
3 BY that time | could read print easily
got the laws off pretty well by hear
and found out just how far ! was pre-
tected by them. Then l got help an
made out a statement and sent it i
u