Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1913-11-28
The Egimcr's Ten Gem
n1andnneEks.

| Ahis CiiokkNs Sotc ~ eAN'fSHNASr s't'
handed US .'The Miners Ten Com
; mandments. . This strange creation
was given Mr.. Gage by his faith
er who returned from Californi
in the SOS. The elder Mr.. Gage lef
his home in Wisconsin in the early So
in company with 70 men for the ''gol'
diggings'' in California; Mr.. Gage wa
selected captain Of the company ant
they were five months crossing thu
plains during which time they haS
sveral engagements with the Indians
but finally reached the "diggings' il
safety. He was one of the lucky ones
ana returned home after an absence OF
2l months. The commandments are
printed on common white paper about
1lxS1s inches in size, and each com
mandment is illustrated with a
picture made from old fashioned wood
cuts such as were in use in those days.
A man spake these words and said
| am a miner. ''who wandered from
away down east" and came to sojourn
in a strange land and "see the ele-
phant." And behold l saw him, and
bear witness, that from the key
of his trunk to the end of his
tail, his whole body has passed be-
fore me; and followed him until
his huge feet stood still before
clapboard shanty. then with his trunk
extended, he pointed to a candle-card
tackled upon a shingle, as though he
would say read, and | read the
MINERS TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Thou shalt have no other claim
than one.
Thou shalt not take unto thyself
any false claim, nor any likeness to
any mean man by jumping one; what
ever thou findest on the top above, or
on the rock beneath or in a crevice
the rock-or | will visit the
miners around to invite them on my
side; and when they decide against
thee, thou shalt take thy pick and thy
pan, thy shovel, and thy blankets, with
all that thou hast, and ''go prospect
ing" to seek good diggings; but thou
shalt not find none. Then, when thou
hast returned in sorrow shalt thou find
that thine old claim is worked out, and
yet no pile made thee, to hide in the
ground, or in buckskin or bottle under
meath thy cabin, but has paid all that
was in thy purse away. worn out thy
boots aud thy garments, so that there is
nothing good about them but the pockets,
and thy patience is linkened unto thy
and at last thou shalt hire
thy body out to make thy board and
save thy bacon.
Thou shalt not go prospecting before
thy claim plays out. Neither shalt
thou take thy money, nor thy gold dust.
nor thy good name, to the gambling
table in vain; for monte, twenty-one,
faro. lansquente and poker,
will prove to thee that the more thou
outtest down the less thou shalt take
Up; and when you think of thy wife and
thou shalt not hold thyself
but insane.
Thou shalt not remember what thy |
friends do at home on the Sabbath day, |
est the remembrance may not COM
pare favorably with what thou doest |
mere. Six days thou shalt dig or pick
all that thy body can stand under; but |
he other day is Sunday; yet thou wash
est all thy dirty shirts, darnest all thy
tap thy boots, mend thy
clothing, chop thy whole weeks fire
wood, make up and bake thy bread
and boil thy pork and beans, that
thou wait not when thou return
ist from thy long-tom, weary.