Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1920-05-19
By SHARLoT HALL

There's no doubt that preaching is
habit that grows-especially when
ONE of the incest folks YOU know
top you on the street to tell you how
much they liked it and encourage
-ou to Hit 'em again" And then
lifting on even a road election board
tort of interrupts the flow OF ones
thoughts. so that when you know
ou didn't say all you wanted to.
Ind some OF the people who are also
rying to get the right answers to the
problems OF these chaotic times say:
Well, what on earth is the matter
with us all any way" why then it
IS just human to want to tell what
is the nlatter-for OF course each
one of us has all answer OF some
soTte
Sitting on that elction board sort
of gave me an mixing of the answer
too-and | think it is the right ans
wer a man came along who didn't
have a vote because he could not
read and write-and he slammed into
the whole country for being upside
down and wrong side to, and laid the
blame on everybody i'll power any
where, and took shot at the aliens
who, according to his idea, were
crowding native born Americans off
the earth, and made me feel like a
highway robber for not being at
home feeding the chickens instead of
loafing a whole day and writing
down names in a book. In fact he
had just what is the matter with all
the strikers and discontinued folks
everywhere-he wanted someone to
hand him a brand new set OF oppor-
tunities because he hadn't bothered
to make use OF the ones he already
had and it made him mad to see
other folks getting ahead OF him.
He honestly and truly felt sorry
for himself. Born in America. raised
in America-and hadn't taken his
chance to learn to read and write
/ don't doubt he had been a child
in some place far from schools and
among poor people-but after he
was gone | sat and thought OF an
other old man. man SO well known
i'll Arizona, and in Prescott, that
lots OF you will probably recognize
him at once.
He ranks with the very greatest
mining men OF the day, he is spoken
of as a probable member of the next
cabinet if a certain favorite man is
chosen for the next president. he
was the first man in the United
States TO try profit sharing with his
water boy IN d grading camp. having
made his own living since he was
employees - and at sixteen he was
nine years old.
The camp cook saved for him
scraps OF brown butchers paper and
on this, after the men had their sup
per and gone 10 bed, the boy learned
to write his name. With the cook as
teacher he worked night after night
by the smoky lantern. lettering pa
tiently his struggling letters.
The grade boss caught him al work
one night and made fun OF him. What
do you think you are doing:" he jeer-
ed. I'm learning to write my name, -
the boy replied" and I'll be writing
that name al the bottom OF million
dollar check when you are water man
III a grade camp"
He lived to see just that day-and
to be the most American OF all the
Americans l have ever known. From
water boy to train man. on up into the
mines. out into business-he never
had to strike to get fair chance or
living wages because he struck out
for every chance to learn more and
make himself so valuable that en-
ployers were mighty glad TO get him.
He didn't stop to argue with him
self: "Aw. what good'll II ever do me
10 learn all that stuff: | amt never
goin' TO be nothin' but a common
guy anyhow" You bet he didn't. He
had plain hard sense enough to know
that no man Is ever common guy"
unless he Is willing 10 be.
Away out in the hills alone hold
ing down a lean prospect, he read
what few books and papers he could
get. and even committed good poetry
to memory. II didn't make him a
sissy" TO CLEAN from any scrap OF
newspaper the best things that had
been printed in this big fists and
brawny shoulders and swapping eyes
were lot more like a prize fighter
when at last he came in out OF the
hills
And years ago he sat at dinner with
some of the great men OF England
when one of them tried TO quote
~Gray's Elegy In a Country Church
yard"-and gave up at the first verse.
Then the big quiet. brown-faced Ari-
conan (as he was them took up the
words and completed the poem for
that tableful OF English men OF affairs.
He gave them an added respect for
America Just because he had made
good uses of his own chance as al
American.
When | hear people telling what
hard world this IS and how dis
honest all government is and how the
common people are crushed into the
earth and have to kill somebody to
get chance to be anything | always
think Of this fine old American who