The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-12
Davy Lewis. Child Labor Victim Who Has Made
Good in Congress, May Be in Wilson'S Cabinet
(By Robert f. Wilson,

washington. Dec. 12.-Do you know
tho story Of Davy Lewis Of Maryland?
There Is inspiration in 1t, n It ia es-
pecially timely now. for Davy Lewis
tho Hon. David j. Lewis, member
of congress from the Sixth district of
Maryland-may he the postmaster
general in President Wilson's cabinet.
Coming to Washington as an unknown
less tina two years ago. Davy Lewis,
who was a child labor victim ad who
toiled underground in the coal mines
until he a Of age, has made such
a profound impression on public life
IN his single term in congress that
ne Is being seriously considered for
one Of the highest and most important
posts IN the American government.
Lewis folks came to America from
a Welsh mining village with q law
oreaker name as long as your arm.
Davy was born in Clearneid county,
pennsylvania, and when he was nine
years old the poverty of his family
forced him into the mines as a la
borer. Those were the days before
labor inspections. The miner was
paid by the weight of coal he pro-
duced. and 1t was customary for him
to take his children with him into
the mine as his assistants. So there
cutting the Moshannon coal loft the
face" with mighty strokes OF his big
pick, and hosting it into the mine
a with his big shovel; and Davy
with his little pick chipping off the
lodges his father left and helping
throw on the load with his little
shovel.
Sometimes he. drove the mine
mules. and sometimes he was a smut
ty faced breaker boy. The net ply
sical result Of cutting off his natural
childhood al the age of nine was to
stunt his growth so that in height he
is little o than FIVE feet. but to
thicken his bone and muscular struc-
ture into the squat powerfulness Of an
OK. His shoulders are those o ( q
giant; his torso arms and legs are
might. Seeing his gnome-like stature.
his slightly s%aturnine cast of counte.
nance, and hearing the big voice from
.hd1s. barrel Of a chest, 1t IL easy to I'm
1Uss4o 4aiM q dweller in subterranean.
tGvefns.
Ttirsts for knowledge.
somehow IN that childhood spent
to read-probably at Sunday school,
the only school ! ever attended. He
developed an Unsuitable thirst for
reading. He used to pack a book in
his dinner bucket and read It by the
light of the lamp on his cap when
ever there was opportunity in the
mine.
He drifted to Cumberland, Nd,
where ambition sought him out when
he was seventeen years old. He
chose to study the unusual combina-
ton Of Latin and law. A kindly
preacher helped him with the Latin;
A--WX4Ar, who s%yrnpathized with his.
struggle to reach the light, lent him
the legal textbooks. It took six
years Of forcing his tagging brain to
study after exhausting days Of la
Dor in the mines-but at the age Of
twenty-three he was admitted to the
bar.
Those unsung philosophers who
compose the notices for Office cards
and calendars advise the young man,
whatever his station in life, to take
up one subject for study and learn
everything there IL to be learned
about it. Young Lewis did that,
though he probably had never seen
a motto card. Bat he chose for study
about the hardest. most fntricte and
.Anbject- anyone could find.St
the subject. Of railroad economies ~s
This young lawyer. doing a Justice
Of the peace court business. settling
petty squabbles and executing an &C.
casional deed or will. in a mountain
town Of Maryland, burned the mid