Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1881 — What He Did at Night. [ARTICLE]

What He Did at Night.

“Tell me how a young inair spends his evenings ahd I will tell you how lie will s|M‘U(l his life.” It is a wise saying, for horn’s of a young man are his dangerous hours, and make or mar his character for life. Towards the close of the last century, a boy was apprentice*! to a tobacconist in New Y’ork City. He did not know how to read, write or cipher. Neither his occupation nor his associations favored his purpose: but he was determined to learn wliat some one has wittily called the three it’s—resiling, ’riting, ’rithiuetic. After working twelve hours, he spent his evenings, not, as his fellowapprentices did, in amusements, but in studying the spelling-liook aim the arithmetic, and in copying tetters and syllables and words. In a year or two, he became proficient in these elements of an education. Then he l>egan the study of French. When lie could read in that language, he took up German. His father was a Frenchman, and his mother a German,a fact which doubtless, explains why he studied these two languages. In three or four years he found himself able to read English, French and German, but without books, and with no money to bui' them. He had, however, two brothers who were also tobaccopiste. He worked for them at night, after working all day for his own “boss.” For the small wages they paid him, he saved up enough money to buy a few books. Then he gave up night work and read his new books. When he had mastered them, he resumed his work in his brother’s shop, and liought more books. When lie became Jacob Lorillard, the millioihiaire, these liooks occupied the place of honor in Jiis library. For they were the memorials of his early ambition and industry.— Youth's Comjtanion.