The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-07
How He Learned the Alphabet.

How He Learned the Alphabet.
ClaXton at an early age wanted to learn.
There was chance for school or even
Sunday school, but as a little fellow when he
carried water to the field hands he took
spelling book along and puzzled over the
words. Later his duty was to take the chill
dren of the family to school, and by listen
ing to the scholars and asking questions he
began to find out what some of the strange
symbols in his dog cared book stood for. II
was so he learned the alphabet, and he could
put some of them together and comprehend
the words
when I got that far" said Gardner in
describing his childhood, II thought / had
about all the learning I needed and decided to
graduate. / didn't understand half the words
I could spell, but l could spell them. and
was satisfied with that. In later years |
could spell out the words in the Bible or a
newspaper and get dim comprehension of
the sense, but it was very dim. as knew
the meaning of so few words"
Gardner was between 10 and Is years old
when the Emancipation Proclamation was
issued. This is only guess for he does not
know the date of his birth. Family tradition.
however, would give him present age of ~.
which would mean that he was nearly H.
His mother was dead. Several months after
the proclamation he took his brothers and
sisters to his father He was pursued and
the family OF his former owner, but the
Freemen's Aid Board gave him into the Gus
tody of his father.
The owner of the plantation where his
father had been a slave was called Yankee
because he had come from north of the
Mason and Dixon line, and he allowed Gard
ner and his sister to remain with the father.
After a while the father married again and
the two children went to live with their
grandmother in Augusta
From Roustabout to Postal Clerk
Gardner went to work doing a little Of
everything He started TO attend the Theo-
logical School in Augusta. but after few
months decided he did not want to be either
a preacher, or doctor or a lawyer, so he
quit. But he had learned how to read
little bit better and how TO write, after a
fashion
There was a carpet-bagger postmaster in
Augusta. and he put Gardner To work as a
roustabout and then a clerk He became IN
time the registry clerk, and then worked FOR
a time as substitute postal clerk on train
running out Of Augusta. He talks proudly Of
the time when he was able to cancel 1870
stamps per minute with the old fashioned
hand stamp. He made friends with the post
master. and used TO have many vacations
out with The latters children while the post
master did the work around the office.
time the postmaster was n victim OF the
Turn the Rascals Out movement, and all OF
his proteges went with him. Gardner went
TO Louisville and became n Pullman porter.
having in that capacity gone pretty well
over the country. In this period he married,
his wife now being dead. She left no chill
dren.
During the World War he was employed at
Army headquarters in Jeffersonville. Ind.
and when mustered out went TO Asbury Park
TO live with his sister. and from there came
here lie has worked az a porter and rs
switchboard operator In an apartment house
and Is now employed as porter at Roosevelt
Hospital. He entered the Y. NJ. G. A. School
on f35th street this fall to learn how 10
read and understand what he reads, also 10
learn how 60 figure, though he will not admit
that the latter Is because he needs this
knowledge TO handle personal investments
and accounts. His eyesight Is falling so that
he will not be able 10 use his new learning
largely but he s. determined TO show that he
can make good.