Weekly Chemawa American., January 10, 1902, Page 4, Image 4

4
CHEMAWA AMERICAN.
He Was Willing to be a Porter.
A True Story. '
Theodohe B. Wilson.
"I met him one morning in December,"
paid a friend of bis, who relates the story,
"and he told me that he was worth one
hundred thousand dolla-rs' which he hsd
made in railroad stocks. A year later he
told roe he was :aot worth a dollar, and I
loaned him five d611rs to keep him alive.
"Soon after, I observed that he had been
brooding over bjs misfortunes until his
mind was almost unbalanced. I told him
that he must go to work. He replied that
he would try, and would not refuse any
kind of labor.
"Across the street he saw a man . rolling
barrels out of a store. He asked the man
if he knew of any work.
'.'I believe they want another porter
here," said the nmn, "that's the only work
I know of." .. In he went and secured the
position.
"He began the trucking and barrel-rol-liig,
which, for a time, tore the soft skin off
his hands and made his back stiff with
pain, v
"Bis employers were dealers in paint
and oil, in a large eastern city. Not very
long after my friend had taken the position
as a porter, a. vacancy occurred in the can
ning department. The new porter had
shown himself to be a particularly faithful
and intelligent man, and his employers de
cided to try him in the vacant place.
"For nearly a year he kept at his work.
The firm noticed that he was an exceeding
ly good man for the vla'ffrt, but there was
no vacant position higher up the ladder.
At length, the Civil War came, and the
paint-and-oil firm was caught .with large
outstanding sums in the South, and bpgan
to look about for some. representative to go
there. Someone suggested that, the super
intendent of the canniugrlepartrnent might
be a good man to send. He was' asked if
he could furnish references. He said., that
he could, and gave the names of some of
his friends. When It quiries were made,
his friends said that, he was an intelligent
and capable man, and could fill any posi
tion. ,
"He was sent on the difficult commis
sion. The markets were in a fitful con
dition, and those who were-owing the
firm hardly knew their own standiug and
the value of their stock from day to day.
But the agent acted discreetly. Where he
could not settle for cash, he took anything
the concerna had and turned it over. So
shrewd was his judgment thathecould not
only covr his claims, but in some cases
made enormously porfitable settlements.
One instance of this happened at New Or
leans. Through favors he secured, he was
permitted to negotiate with some houses
thpre which owed his employers, but had
nothing to settle with unless he could
take turpentine and linsend oil. Know
ing that these articles would bring four or
five times, in the. North, what they were
offered to him for, he accepted the of
fers. ' .
't length, all the business was settled
and he returned home, and was again
placed in the canning department. But
his employers sent for him, and said. "We
have a better place for you." They asked
him to figure up what his time was worth
from (he beginning. . They took him into
the office, and mrie him their credit, man.
"He served them in' that capacity for
some years at a fine salary. Before lie left
the firm, he was again worth one hundred
j
. thousand dollar'."
Not every young man who is willing to
bfgiu at the bottom and work can depend
upon similar advancement. But it is true
that, if a yung man has capacity, he is
far more likely to win if he is h'ot afraid of
hard and humble work. .Ex.
Teach Them to WorS.
AM In lim 3 .h " la, except Carlisle
Haskell and Hampton, are .ordered not to
go beyond the eighth grade in their liter
ary work, and the most of the school must
not exceed the sixth grade work. This Is
a wise order and should be complUd with
readily in all the schools effected.-- There