SMART YOUNG MEN WHO RISE BY THEIR OWN EFFORTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11980, 31 January 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

SMART YOUNG MEN WHO RISE BY THEIR OWN EFFORTS.

(Pearson's Weekly.) To save his blushes —he is now a popular M.P.—we had best call a certain gentleman Saunders. Though he does not mind telling the tale himself in private, he might not like to see his name staring at him from this page. One day, when 'Saunders was a young clerk, ne went to his principal and said he wanted! to be taken into the firm. His employer laughed. v Saunders thereupon said he was about to many Sir 'George Upton's daughter. That put a different complexion on the matter. Sir George was the ninth baronet, and a man of tremendous local influence. Within forty-eight hours, the would-be partner was informed that he would be admitted into the firm-. Later on, the indignant Sir George was somewhat mollified when Saunders explained that he would, of course, never have presumed to urge his suit, had he not been about to Ibe made a member of his firm. A half-unwilling consent was at length wrung from the old man. The most amusing part of the affair-, however, was that Miss 'Madeline and young Saunders had not met more than half-a-dozen times altogether. But the unabashed young fellow was fascinating, and distinctly handsome, and the girl wanted a lover badly ; besides, had not dear papa just told Mr Saunders she "might?" Six months later, in addition to being a member of the great firm of Towers and Lipscomb, the pushing young man had installed himself as THE BABONEt's EAVOUBITE SON-IK-LAW. But it is not always the smart young men who " get on "in this way. In a big city ofiice, a few years ago, one of the clerks was a great, hulking fellow, about twenty, who, though a good-natured, harmless enough sort of chap, was so dense and stupid as to be regarded as a sort of semiidiot. In the papers one morning was an advertisement for a private secretary ; no par>ticular qualifications appeared to be required, and the salary was stated at £IOOO a year. The bright idea occurred to one of the juniors to 'have a lark with " old Jass " —for Jass was the poor fellow's queer name. Soon everyone in the office was saying, " Jass, there's an ' ad.' in the paper this morning that'll just suit you; you try for it, old man." Poor Jass was bewildered at first, but at length was prevailed upon to copy out, in his big, round hand, a letter of application which had 'been specially composed for him—mis-spellings, grammatical mistakes, and ludicrous mis-state-ments just as they stood. When last heard from, Jass was yachting in the Mediterranean. The laugh was on his side, after all, though it is still questionable whether the stupid fellow ever realised there was anything to laugh at. The advertiser turned out to be none other than Mr R. D. Shuttleworth, the millionaire eccentric, and when he saw Jass HE ENGAGE!) Hill ON THE SPOT. Then there was the remarkable case of young Pickles, who, though possibly of ordinaiy intelligence, was certainly none too smart. Pickles was a railway employee in the Leeds district. His age was probably about twenty-two, but he only ranked as "boy porter." Yet the big country-looking lad was not without a certain ambition. He wrote an exceptionally good plain. hand, as so many working men do, and accordingly/Considered himself "scholar" enough for almost anything. However, old Baxendale, the local " selfmade man," took a fancy to the lad. Himself born and bred in a one-room cottage, the old man had " made his pile " as a tanner, and now he was reckoned to be worth close on £500,000. Throughout the district his name was one to conjure with. Said he to young Pickles one day, as the young man was showing him into a first-class compartment : " What does ta say, lad, to A JOB AT T' BANK?" Pickles, of course, had nothing to say except that he would 'be delighted, or uncouth words to that effect. So next day the old man dropped in at the bank, and explained to the manager that a new cashier named Pickles would be coming in about a fortnight. Baxendale, ifc should be stated, was chairman of the bank directors, and knew that the head cashier was about to retire. The salary attached to the post was £375 a year, and the poor manager, when he learnt who " Pickles" really was, was for I the moment rendered speechless. Incredible, however, though it may seem, the old man carried his point, sweeping all opposition before him, from manager and codirectors alike; the grinning Pickles, turned quite a gentleman, was pitchforked into the position.

At first, of course, everything had to be done for him ; but, as time went on, he improved greatly, and somehow managed to hold his post until his death a year or two ago in connection with the unfortunate Pennymoor shooting accident. Robert Hands, a young fellow in the employ of a maker of fishing-tackle in a Cathedral city, was a man of very different type. He had made repeated applications to -his employer for an increase in wages, but quite ineffectually. "No, Bob, I'm very sorry ) but business is much too slack," his employer had always said. At last the young man determined on a bold scheme.

In several successive issues of the princi- [ pal local journal he inserted six or eight advertisements. Each advertisement was under a letter and number, and purported to emanate either from rival firms in the vicinity, or from tackle-makers in London and different parts of the country. Hands also inserted one or two advertisements from journeymen in the trade, asking for employment, and stating very high wages. Altogether it cost the young man a matter of £4. But it was a profitable investment. His employer, who regulai-ly read the papers, grew alarmed at the apparent big demand for men, and thought the market rate of wages must surely be rising. Accordingly, when Hands, who was a firstrate workman, next applied for a. "rise," he got an increase of 10s a week. WITHOUT TIIE SLIGHTEST DIFFICULTY. In another and somewhat amusing case, James Evans, a singularly smart young man of thirty-two or thereabouts, in service as a valet, was so often refused an advance of wages, that he grew quite disgusted. He did not like, either, the way his employer treated him, more especially as the young gentleman in question was almost fifteen years his servant's junior. At last, Evans very properly determined that he would not only, if possible, get his "rise," but would no longer be ordered about like a dog; he would either mend it, or end it. So he took train to town—his j-oung master was staying at a country tutor's, where he was supposed to be cramming for the Army—and laid a statement of his grievances before his emplover's widowed mother, a lady well-known" in society.

Filled with indignation at her son's conduct, the mother's sympathies went out to the unfortunate Evans; and, to cut a long story short, being only a few years his senior, when she said something! which made him ask her to—not caring what people said—she married him. She had never seen her son's servant before, it should be remarked. Mrs Casson—now Mrs Evans—in addition

to possessing considerable property in her own right, had sole control over her son's estates, and, nob daring to offend his mother, | her graceless boy was obliged to treat his ! new father j WITH BECOMING BESPECT. Willie King, a Liverpool boy, lived at home with his parents, who were in comfortable circumstances, and from time to time his father missed sums of money in the most unaccountable manner. Altogether over £3OO was lost, and though detectives were called in, no clue was .ever obtained as to the thief; the fond parent never for a moment suspecting any of the servants, much less his own son. That was when Willie was a mere officeboy, about seventeen. Four years later, on the young man's twenty-first birthday, his father made him a handsome present and m return, received one of £3OO odd, with a further £7O or so by way of compound interest on the sum appropriated four years previously. J

Extraordinary as it may seem, the lad had utilised the money in the purchase of the stock, fixtures and goodwill of the tobacconist of whom he bought his cigarettes. At the time of his majority, he was running three thriving shops in an assumed name, giving all his spare time to the business, andi had in his employ two errand boys and seven young ladies.