The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1917-06-08
People Worth While
A GIRL AND AN ALCOHOL LAMP


This is the story of genius thai
was lncubated by the warmth Of :
tiny alcohol lamp.
1t is the story of girl who, with
out friends or money, achieved what
she set out to achieve; who tasted
every privation and disbursement
and discomfort; who set out to reach
certain goal and let no obstacle in
the way turn, or tempt, her from her
purpose.
Her name is May Peterson, a good
American name. Put it away in
your little memory box. 1t may
serve as an inspiration when it
seems as if you can go on no farth-
er; when you must give up and turn
back. She never turned back. 1t
cannot be possible that the road you
travel is any sleeper or rougher than
hers, but she kept on going. And
she started from a travelling evange-
lists tent in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and
she did not stop until she reached the
Opera Comique in Paris. She was
the first American engaged to sing
in grand opera there in nine years.
had asked her what she thought
of the altruistic scheme of cities rails
ing money by popular subscription to
send its geniuses abroad for the de-
velopment of the spark within them.
Il am not sure it is best to be
helped" she replied thoughtfully.
circumstances, hard and trying,
make you do things you otherwise
might never know you could do. Pri-
vations and self-denial develop
strength and courage. had no help |
l can look back and see that to have |
been thrown on my own resources was
the best thing that happened to me-
Mary Peterson's father was a trav-
cling evangelist. When she was sew
en- she sang at one of his meetings,
and the effect was such an outpouring
of spiritual grace that thereafter he
took her with him on all his wander
ings, and she spent the next six years
in singing at camp meetings.. Then
he died, leaving widow and nine chill
dren and nothing else, and she had to
90 to work to help support the family.
She was given the position of Or
gani5t of the Methodist church in Osh- -,
kosh, where she took herself. so Sc |
riouslv that not for some years did !
she realize what ludicrous spectacle :
t must have been, a child of thir- Z
teen in charge of all the musical ac- :
5ivities of a church, including its +
luarrels! When she was fifteen she t
lad seventeen dollars saved. She put '
t in her pocket and went to Chicago. '
There she walked the streets look r
ing for work, and just when her E
seventeen dollars was almost exhaust r
I'd she found a place in choir at f
Two dollars a Sunday. She could :
lot live on that? No, she couldn't r
out one who lives in a bare little at t
tic, and eats only enough to keep i
body and soul together, can come I
yery near it, and May Peterson was =
living that kind of life. She work. +
ID up a music class to help out, and n
grew thin and pale, passing bakery a
with her eyes shut. But she !;
lever grew discouraged. She secur- f
d work as an accompanist in ex-
hange for vocal lessons from the best h
eacher in Chicago. and this was +,
ed letter day, for at last she felt !,
he was on her way! il
She saved three hundred dollars. r
low? By going hungry and wear =,
ng old clothes and walking to save II