“I was born at South Worthington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts,
February 15, 1843, on my father’s farm, called the ‘Eagle’s Nest,’ on
account of its high and rocky surroundings. At an early age, I went to
school, and, when I grew older, worked on the farm. I was sometimes
laughed at because I always carried a book around with me, studying
and memorizing as I worked. Yet I was dull and stupid, never stood high
in my classes, and could not grasp a subject as quickly as others. But
I would stick to it. I am just as dull now, but I preserve my old habit
of stick-to-it-iveness. If I am driving a tack and it goes in crooked,
I lift it out, straighten it, and send it home. That is one of my
golden rules that I force myself to obey.”