The Washington herald., 1913-03-30

fingers but one in an accident. Being un-
able to work. he taught school. and his
efficiency can be judged by his nickname
l didn't learn anything with him, not
even the alphabet, and was sent to the
Hamilton grammar school, not far away.
My second teacher was tall woman with
black curls down her back. She put me
at the foot Of the class. The children re-
peated the alphabet in turn. but all had
to be helped. 1 glibiy ran through 1t
without break. So was given a COM
plimentary note about myself, with a re-
quest that my father supply me with q
first reader.
Il was at the foot of my class the next
day and went through the lesson without
An error. note that night informed my
father that i really should have a second
reader. Again, at the foot q the class,
pleased my teacher SO much that she
asked my father to buy me a third read
er. The promotions were so rapid, how
ever, that he grew suspicious. He found
that / couldn't read word when, stand
ing by itself and that / didn't know the
alphabet. / had committed the lessons
to memory, you see. before the teacher
reached me. I was taken in hand by my
father. though he said nothing to the
teacher. and that's the way I learned to
read. Counting the, time in Scotland and
Pennsylvania / had less than a years
schooling altogether.
Il was nine years old on April 2, 1871.
l went to work in the mines during the
month of March preceding. My father was
so badly crippled in his back with rheu-
matism that he could only sit on the floor
Of the mine and do the undertaking. He
had borrowed money with which to bring
us to America. and the debt was pressing.
My parents were ambitious for their chill
dren and my mother was a weIl-educated
woman for the daughter Of a Scotch work.
ingman.
why He Went into the Mines.
But I had to go into the mines to
help my family live. doing the shovelins
while my father dug the coal out of the
veins i was a lusty boy for my age
and loaded from six to seven tons of
coal a day into the small mine cars.
We had plenty or little to eat, according
to the quantity of coal could shovel
during the week.
Now, while I scarcely had any school
ing. l had some educational advantages
that were unique and valuable. ron
errands before I began to work regu-
larry and earned and saved s.. Chambers
Information for the People. in two vol
umes. was purchased with the money.
Many subjects. ranging from phrenology
to the manufacture Of illuminating gas,
were elucidated in that celebrated en-
cyclopedia- My father was contro-
versial man, Scotch Presbyterian. who
had studied his Bible from lid TO lid
and loved to dispute about 1t with in
fdels and critics. My mother read TO
him in the evening while he turned
what he heard over in his mind and
reached his own conclusions. Then the
task, or pleasure. rather. Of reading TO
him was turned over to me.
1--WE went through Chambers two vol
umes gradually. but persistently. When
my father learned something that i'm
pressed him, and that happened nearly
every night. Ne would go among his
neighbors adroitly fishing for denials and
arguments. ! always accompanied him
a. . living witness Of the truth he
wished to establish. Isn't that so,
Willie? he would ask. 1t was my duty
to reinforce him on such occasions by
quoting the authorities. We were al
ways together in the mine, at home or
around disputing at night
THE next book I got hold OF per-
tanned to the harmony between science
and the Bible concerning the creation
OF the universe. That was a stupendous
work. in the judgment Of my father. He
talked geology and Genesis for a good
many weeks, / being always at his side
to back him up. Short biographies of
modern characters like George WASH
ington found their way into our house.
So he shifted His controversies from mat
ters to men until he had spread the
contents of that particular book all over
Arnot. along with his own interpretations
and philosophy
Learned Rough and Ready Debating
Il don't know how it happened, but
one evening we began reading Adam
Smiths Wealth Of Nations" Smith
also was a Scotchman. That would
have been enough ordinarily, but the
doctrines of Smith, aside from his ma
tionality, thoroughly convinced my