Atlanta Georgian., 1914-03-01
How IEarned
MyFirSt Dollar
(Cnnfinuo from, rnno La
Continued from page I'D

For myself, however, | feel that owe Gen
eral Sherman a debt of gratitude ! be-
lieve that character is produced and de-
veloped to the highest degree by hardships,
suffering and poverty. | have never
doubted that whatever of character | have
developed has been, in large measure, due
to the surroundings and conditions which
General Sherman forced upon the people
of our section during the great war; There
was nothing but a vast waste. 1t was said
that even the crows did not fly through the
State unless they took days rations under
their wings
Times were distressingly hard in all parts
of the South, but we're worse in Georgia
than anywhere else. We had been stripped !
of everything movable, and Sherman's |
army burned the rest. Our rice plantation
was altogether useless. The slaves had dis
appeared and left us without reliable help. |
Instead of being comfortably rich we were
very poor There were nine children in our
family. My father practiced law and wrote
verses and editorials for the village paper,
and through his influence, | became the
office devil" but | worked without pay. |
However, my first Independent remunera-
tion came from my association with the |
printing business, for the idea came to me
that | could establish an agency to sell daily
papers if | could bring them to the notice
of the townspeople and so | wrote to the
Macon Telegraph and was appointed its
sales agent 1t agreed to let me have the
papers on credit and to take back the unsold
stock. | was able by working hard at can
vassing, to sell three day. My profits
amounted to ffty-four cents a week At
the end of six weeks had 324 cents which
mother invested in clothing for me. And
then, when my profits amounted to fifteen
cents day, | dissolved business relations
with the Telegraph and transferred my Gus
toners to the Augusta Chronicle.
After that, father was offered the Pro-
fessorship of English and History by the
trustees of the University of Tennessee, and
he left Georgia that his children might have
better educational opportunities. | tried
to lessen fathers responsibilities by helping
him all | could. | worked on farms and
spent some of my energy by chopping wood,
husking corn and picking cotton. During
my junior year at the University, l secured
some work copying legal papers, There
were no UNDcWI1CSIS III lHOSC Ody ollO WdS
lucky enough to get two weeks work at s. |
per day. collected the munihCent sum
of $24 at one time and was carried off my
feet 1t was the largest sum | had ever
seen, and | was delighted when the clerk
said he would keep me two weeks longer.
This clerk then effected the turning point in
my life by appointing me as his deputy and
sending me to Chattanooga. | intended to !,
become a lawyer and knew that my official
association with judges and lawyers would
be of more value to me than my complete
university course.
read law at night and pursued my legal
employment during the day, and contin-
ued in this practice until my admission tothe
BAR shortly after my twenty-hrst birthday.
| lived within my fees that first year
through a period not very golden. My
fees for twelve months work amounted to
$685.. My first clients were. generously
appointed by the judges, and | used to de-
fend negroes for all sorts of big and little
crimes. Young lawyers were glad to get
this chance to appear in court and try their
skill in criminal trials. There never was any
money in it, but | accepted the assignments.
Collecting debts was one of my early pro-