THE BOY WHO REMEMBERED

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 26 September 1925, Page 18

THE BOY WHO REMEMBERED

A boy whose memory was stored with old ballads sung by his mother, old tales told by his uncle, and familiar phrases fro,m Shakespeare and Burns from the lips of liis father, went to America when he was 111 years old. Surrounded by strangers, working as a weaver’s assistant in Allegheny for the sum of one dollar a week, the boy longed for the companionship of the books lie had known at home.

What was his joy to read of a Colonel Anderson who offered his private library of 400 books for the use of boys on Saturday afternoons. But the notice read, “Boys who have a trade.” The boy frqm Scotland had no trade, but lie had the love of books so keenly that In* wrote to the newspaper which printed the notice and asked the restriction to be removed, to include all working boys. ' When his request was granted, every Saturday afternoon found him waiting in line for a precious book. Among the first he chose, were Lamb’s Essays, Macaulay’s History and Bancroft’s History of the United States. The boy never forgot his gratitude to Colonel Anderson. He resolved, then and there, “that if ever wealth came to me, it should be used to establish free libraries, that other boys might receive opportunities similar to those for which we were indebted.” When wealth did come, one of the first uses he made of it was to establish a library in his native town* of Dunfermline, Scotland, and a second one in Allegheny in honour of Colonel Anderson. Then followed the great chain of public libraries which have done so much for the happiness and progress of the world. For the boy was Andrew Carnegie.