The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-15
The Wanderino Jew,

The Wandering Jew" otherwise
Clayton J. Woodwork of New York
City, is one of fifteen children born to
a humble farm laborer, in a remote
section of New York state. Tel of the
children are still living. Young Wood
worth did not learn to walk until after
he was 2 years Of age. His parents
abandoned hope Of his ever learning
the simple art of balancing himself on
his feet, and so, with a leather apron
around his neck, young c. J. had to
make his way, around the other chill
dren as best he could. Under the cir
c~umstances, he is perhaps justified in
wearing as cuff buttons two of the. four
gold medals which he won in foot
races in later years. -.
His early intelligence may be Judged
by the fact that the first railway train
he ever saw was composed of the DID,
style diminutiVe coal cars once used,
and he fully expected to make his jour-,
ney in these cars. .- On. the. same jour-
ney, however, which happened to oc-
cur in the heat Of q presidential cam
paign, a man entered the car where c.
j. sat next to his mother enjoying the
scenery, and shouted loudly, "Hurrah
for Tilden and Hancock" Instantly
to the infinite enjoyment. of the. pas
sengers, young Woodworth, then 6
years Of age, jumped to his feet; on the
seat where he sat a moment previous,
swung his cap around his head. and in.
a Voiceathat could be heard all over the.
car shouted "Hurrah for Hayes and
Wheefer!" ""'~1 " @' "+'g-' 7'~"
BY the time Woodwork was 8 years
Of age, his father, Charles r. Wood
worth, a one-armed veteran of the
civil war, had so mastered the use Of
Ibis stump. arms as to be- able to. start
| "a cSai1, fhh fru,,f rP fS- IYzla - -
maker of hand-forged cutlery. THE
knives which he made were peddled
from house to house by his sons; and
before young Woodwork was 16 years
of age, at which time he graduated
from the Nunda> academy IN. " with
highest honors, he had tramped sever
al thousand miles with vacation and
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana;
Michigan and Illinois; selling knives
as he went and staying with the farm
ers wherever night overlook him. At
one place treated with contempt, and
perhaps at the next received as a
guest of people Of refinement and Gull
ture, young Woodwork gained a
knowledge of human nature which has
since been one of his most valued pos
sessions. " '. '".. 81
After graduating from the Nunda
academy, IL prospective philosopher
earned his first dollar, aside from sell
ing knives, in digging a ditch in the
public square of the town. It was the
first thing that came to his hand.
Then came a year Of peddling knives,
a year studying the theory of teach
ing, a e studying law, a year in a
New York city newspaper office, two
years as private secretary to the pres
ident of a great steel corporation, and
at the 6 of % Woodworth became
advertising manager and later assist
ant manager Of the International Cor
respondence Schools of Scranton,
where he left his mark for all time.
He it was who gave the name to the
schools, compiled the catalogues,
planned the sales organization and
managed the branch offices from one
end of the country to the, other. In
the ten years he was. with the schools
their membership increased from 81
500 to over g. million students.
In the past ten years (for he is now
43 years of age), Woodwork has been
general manager of two large %orpora
tons doing an interstate business
has written a condensed 500-page Bib
Ilical commentary, embodying 20,511
Scripture explanations of Pastor Rus
sell and others; lectures every Sunday
in some Of the large cities of the coun-
try, and during the past veal has beer
contributing to a large list of papers
under the nom de plume of The Wan
dering Few. The articles are short
designed to assist Hebrews and others
to appreciate the Old Testament writ
ings, to stimulate faith in God and ir
| His Word, and to recognized the signs
multiplying on every hand, that the
long promised Golden Age is at hand.