Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1880 — SIMON CAMERON, PRINTER. [ARTICLE]

SIMON CAMERON, PRINTER.

Interesting Autobiographical Sketch of His Start in LifeThe Philadelphia Proof Sheet prints the following letter from Gen oral Simon Cameron: Harrisburg, April 28, 1880. Dear Sir—Your letter of the 26th inst., inclosing the photo-electrotype of my identures, came duly to hand, and lam much obliged to you for it, and for the interest that inspired the friendly words of your note. -I very willingly comply with your request for some memoranda of that portion of my hfe when I worked at my trade. I was bound an apprentice to the printer’s trade, as the identures show, at the town of North imberland, Penn., on May 14, 1816. One year after this mv master, Andrew .Kennedy, gave up his business, and I was forced to look out for another place. Coming to Harrisburg in search of employment, I was engaged with Mr. James Peacock, proprietor and editor of the Harrisburg Republican, and also Public Printar, to serve with him the remainder of my apprenticeship, to-wit: three years. Thatldid. To fully learn the business it was then considered essential to master the working of the press. Old printers will understand better than those of this age of steam the severity of this part of the trade, even to young men with a robust physique. But owing to my ill '.icalth and physical delicacy of constitution, I was almost killed by this exacting labor That part of the busi : nesswhichl could do without this extreme labor—the type setting, etc. was always pleasant to me, for it gave ine all the opportunity a iean pursethen permitted to secure the ludiinents of education. Indeed, ■ this was why I chose this trade. After serving the teitm of my ap- ; preuticeship with Mr. Peacock, I worked journey-work with him. Considering Washington the center and focus of political efforts and in- j formation, and being at an early age > attracted to politics, I determined to try my chance for work wheie I ' could see the leading men and study ' the current of politics at the capital. > Going there, I found employment in ; the office of Gales & Seaton, publish- ' era of the National Intelligencer. Here I worked as did all other jour neymen, for $lO per week, laboring eleven hours a day. I noticed then as I have since, that the mon . who got on best where those who worked : the e long hours, and then at ‘over- i work” at twenty cents an nour. The ! idlers and discontentdd came to j nothing in the end. Here I found | Tillinghast K. Collins, who gave me i the benefit of his friendship aqd aid: and to this day I look back on the fifty or sixty workingmen in that printing house as, perhaps, the most intelligent I ever saw in a workshop. ; Many of them since filled places of honor and trust.

While working at Washington I I I heard that the Harrisburg Republi can on which I served myappren-l ticeship—was for sale, and I conclml- i ed to buy it if I could arrange to do i so. This was accomplished, and I j became Joint editor and proprietor ' with Charles Mowrey. I was short- , ly afterwards elected State Printer, | and was re elected for seven years i consecutively This was the period of my hardest labor. Ido not think that I slept more than live hours of the twenty-four on an average during that time; and then, utterly broken in health, I retired from the case with what was then a comfortablefortune—about $20,000. After that I enaged in other pur suits, aud prospered well, and I have always attributed whatever I was, and whatever I was able to do, to the warm and Intelligent friends I made in the old days when I was a journeyman printer and an employer of printers. How deep this feeling of respect foR my trade was upon me appeared in rather au amusing for n when I was on the way to Russia, in 1862, as the Minister of the United States to St. Petersburg. Waiting a few days - in London to recover rrorn thee eets of sea-sickness on myself and my family, I was invited to visit the office of the London Times. There a book is kent in which visitors are requested to register, giving 4heir titles, business ete., aud when I came to sign I instinctively put down my name. “Simon Cameron, Printer.”

All kinds of sewing done at Mrs. Colonel Healey’s Millinery Store, in the second story of Leopold’s stone building. Give her a call. The cheapest place to buy your watches, clocks and jewelry is at * Hamar’s. All watches and clocks repaired at Hamar’s warranted for one year. O. B. Mclntire, Banker and Real Estate Agent, Remington, has several choice and desirable town and country properties to dispose of on reasonable terms. He offers great bargains.

--The ladies of the M. E. church ! have decided to give a thanksgiv. ing supper, for the benefit of the! church, Thursday evening Nov. 25, 1880. The following committee is requested to met at the M. E. par sonage Saturday Nov. 20th at three o’clock P. M. Mistresses Peter" Rhoades, Chas. Benjamin, Fred Cole, Chas. Starr, M. E. Baylor, S. A. Hemphill and Arthur Cole, Misses Eliza Kirk and Lola Moss; Watson Kirk, E. H. Tharpe, R. P. i Benjamin, Lineus Martin and J. T. Abbett. Any others, who are interested in the success of said sup per, are requested to meet with the above committee to assist in ar- . ranging special committees and , making all necessary arrangements ! for the occasion.