Radio Boys Cronies | Page 3

bees and the ram with keen concern. But Edison says his
mother used up a lot of arnica on his small frame after this double
encounter. The little lad early learned to observe that 'It's a great life if
you don't weaken!'
"Mr. Edison tells this story about himself:
"'Even as a small boy, before we moved away from Milan, I used to try
to make experiments. Once I built a fire in a barn. I remember how
startled I was to see how fast a fire spreads in such a place. Almost
before I knew it the barn was in flames and I barely escaped with my
life.
"The neighbors thought I ought to be disciplined and made an example

of. My mortified parents consented and I was publicly whipped in the
village square. I suppose it was a good lesson to me and made the
neighbors feel easier. But I think seeing that barn burning down made
me feel worse than the whipping,--though I felt I deserved that, too.'
"The Edisons moved to Port Huron, Michigan, and lived a little way
out of the town on the St. Clair river, where it flows out of Lake Huron.
The house was in an orchard, but within easy walking distance of the
town. There was no compulsory school law in those days and young
Edison did not attend school, but his mother taught him all she could.
She was a good teacher--she had taught school before she was
married--but even she could not be answering questions all the time.
There was a public library in town, so the boy spent a good deal of his
time there. He would have liked to read all the books in the library--but
he started in on a cyclopedia. He thought because there was 'something
about everything' in that, he'd know all there was to know if he read it
through. But he soon found question after question to ask that the
cyclopedia did not answer. Some of the books he took home to read.
"Mr. Edison, the boy's father, had built a wooden tower that permitted a
beautiful view of the town, River St. Clair and Lake Huron; one could
see miles around in Michigan and over into Canada. Mr. Edison
charged ten cents a head to go up and get the view on top of this tower.
Very few people came, so the tower was not a great success. But the
boy went up there to read, not caring so much for the view as to be
alone.
"Young Edison read all he could find about electricity. That always
fascinated him. But the father seemed to have a hard time making a
living and Al, as they called the boy, went to work. He began selling
newspapers in Port Huron, but there was not much in that, so he got a
chance to sell on the seven o'clock train for Detroit. He applied at the
Grand Trunk offices for the job and made his arrangements before he
told any one. He had to be at the station at 6:30 A.M. and have his
stock all ready before the train started, which compelled him to leave
home at six. The train was a local with only three cars--baggage,
smoking and passenger. The baggage car was partitioned off into three

compartments. One of these was never used, so Al was allowed to take
that for his papers to which he added fruits, candies and other wares.
"The run down to Detroit took over three hours. His train did not start
back till 4:30 in the afternoon, so the lad had about six hours in the big
city. He took all the time he needed to buy stock to sell on the train and
to eat his lunch. This left him several hours for reading in the Detroit
public library, where he found more books on the subjects he liked,
more answers to appease his never abating curiosity."
CHAPTER III
GETTING THE MONEY-MAKING HABIT
"Those were the anxious days of the Civil War," the lecturer continued,
"and every-one was worked up to a high pitch of excitement most of
the time. When it was rumored that a battle had been fought the
newspapers sold 'like hot cakes.' Any other boy would have been
satisfied if he could supply as many papers as people wanted and let it
go at that. But that was not the way with young Edison. He was not
content with hoping for an opportunity. He made his opportunity.
"In spite of his getting into trouble so often, Al was a most likable lad,
and a real boy,--earnest, honest and industrious. He had a big stock of
horse sense and a great fund of humor. Though his life seemed to be 'all
work and