Press enter after choosing selection

Miscellany: An Apprentice's Way Of Acquiring A Library

Miscellany: An Apprentice's Way Of Acquiring A Library image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
June
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

'Wiiy. Frank Wilson! I-Iow- wherc on earth did you get all these books!- Here! what? Knickerbocker too! and ■the North American! Now, Frank, where did you get the money to buy all these? Why, 1 have ten dollars more a year th'an you; yet I have to send down to father for money, almost every month. Yoti take the Knickerbocker indeed! Why, there are none but 'Squire Waters and Doctor Marvin, in the whole town who think themselves able to have such a costly work, which is only meant for a few rich people to read. Pretty woll, eh? for n poor apprentice to a soap-boilcr! Where did you get that boók-öase, and all those books that you have got stuck up there? Let's see, Plutarclis Lires.' Who'she? what's that about? Rollirïs Ancient Ilistory! why didn't he write it in one small book, as well as to have a dozen about it? Gibboivs Rome.' t here's nosuch place in the United States. Why: mydear fellow, what a longlist ofoutlandish narnes you' ve got here! Let me sée - Milton, Shakspeare, Young, Pope, Dryden, Cowper, Bacon, JJockéj Goldsiriith, and all tlie ol'hcr Smiths in crèation, as well as those in America! ?ov, come: I wíll light my Havana, and sit down here, and give you a chance ío e.pláin how you, an apprentice, with only forty dollars a year. contri ve to scrape togefher a library half as large as Parson Dayton's. IFrancis Willson didnot inicmipt [lus interrogatory and cxclamatory medley of words f rom his comrade, by an explanation, iintïl lie had exhausled all his incoherent inquirios. Sitting down in the. profTered chair, and lichting his lonrrnine, L,, . D -. ' Ldward Saunders placed his feet upon his friend's clean desk, and seenied really lo be waiting for a delailed account of the modus opcrandi by which an apprentice could acquire honestíy such a collection of valuablc books. Nor did our Francia hesitate to gmtify his curiosilv. J3oth of ihe young men w.ere in the inidulo of iheir apprentiecshfp; and the most cordial intimacy had sufbsisted belween them iV.om their youth Edward was deficiënt in nothing so mach as inlhat economy so i jiecessary for an apprentice inexpending his small annuity; .and-Francis hit opon a yery successful method of adininistering to his young friend asalutary lesson upon this subject, while.he explained how even an apprentice could acquire .1 taste and the means for tho cultivation of his intellect. 'Edward,' said he, taking up his poncil, 'I will explain to you in figures, what seems to have excitcd your wonder, if you will permit me, by the way, to ask you a few simple questions in order to solve the problem. I sec you are very fond of smoking; how many cigars do you buy a week?' ' 'Six Havanas a week,' rgpéated Francis, putting it down upon paper, with as much formality ns ifhe was registering thp data of a problem; 'six a week, at two cents .a piece, amount to the. very trifling sum oisix dollars and twenty-fouv cents per annum. I suppose you spend a trijle at the fruit shops,' continued Francis. - 'Nothing worth mentioning,'. replied Edward, 'rather startled at the aggreate of such little items; 'all that I buy - apples, nuts, raisins, figs, oranges, &c. do not amount to ninepence a week, why, that is not half as much as Torn Williams, the goldsmith's apprentice, spends for juleps in half that time; and besides, Francis, you knov Inever taste a drop of any kmd of liquor - not even wine. You ccrtainly can't think I lack economy, Frank?' 'Ninepence a Week for nuts, raisins, oranges and figs.' repeated Francis, in a low cerioua tone, pronouncing tho items,oue by one as he wrote them down, with all the precisión and gravity of a clerk in a country store: - 'Nineponce a week amountto six dollars and fifty cents per annum; which added to six dollars and twenty-four cents pent for cigars, make tho trijlingayxm of twelve dollars undseventy-four cents for one year. Now Edward, see whnt I have obtained for just this.sum.' 'Here,' said he, taking down several neatly bound volumes of the N. American Review, anda handful of tlioso of the Knickerbockcr- !I have boughtall these, for a less sum than you have paid for cigars, nuts, &c. during the last year. ■ And as for these other books which you see here in my case, I will teil you how any ofher apprentice can do the same, with thirty-six dollars a year too. You know our masters are very industrious andisteady men; and are attentive to iheir business, and like to see their workmen so. They prefer also, to see them with abook in their hands, when thev havedone their work, rat her f han to be lounging about at íaverns or in vicious company. So wjien my mastersaw that I liked to road cvery chance I could get, and spend all the money 1 could spare for books,. he ofTored to give me nii)epence an ])our íbr nll the time fhat 1 would .work froin twelve o'clock til] one. p. ;,i. And that is the way, Edward, that I have bought all these books, which you thought I had borrowed, begged or stolen. I work every nooutime a halfan hour, and eafan enough every fortnight tobuy one of these boóks - Milton's Paradise Lost, for instance. To be su re, they are not bound in calf, nor are they gilt-edgcd; but tlioy conlainthe same matter as if they were, and that isenough for me.' Wben JJdvvard Saunders liad listenod to this vcry intorcsling and simple explanation of bis uncle's apprentice, and li'id pnssed 'his eye over all the fine books ia his little. library, he aróse suddenly at the very last words of Francis, and opening his little chamber. window, took out of his bat the half-dozen cigars which were to constitute his week's stock of comfort, and without saying a word, tossed them intothe garden. A new fireof animationlit up his t eye, as he darted out of the room, turning only at the door to say, 'lHltry if, Frank .. Edward Saunders, Esq., and the Ilon. Fr.ancis Wilson, never forget.in their intímate intercourse.in after life, their mutual computation ofthe cost of nuts and cigars, in the garret of the laíter.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News