[Sidenote: Making a Man]
Jim was ten years old when he was transferred from Webster Street School
in the East End of the city to Central School on Main Street. This
transfer was the culmination of a long series of misdemeanors on his
part and many untactful methods employed by his teachers. No species of
juvenile mischief remained untried by him.
He went into each room with a scarred record from his former teacher,
and was not allowed to forget the fact that he always did the wrong
thing. He was scolded daily, sent into the hall to stay for hours and
gaze benignly upon the works of art that decorated the walls, which of
course he didn’t do, not being deeply engrossed in art study. More
naturally he spent the time in mischievous pranks. He was whipped,
threatened, and denied the advantages of less energetic and less
talented pupils.
But with the transfer came a change in the boy’s nature. When he entered
Central School, Miss Burns grasped his hand and said, “Well, Jim, I’m
glad you’re going to be in our school. I know we’re going to get along
finely.” She treated him as if he intended to do the right thing, and
before long he actually thought he did so intend.
She had him go on errands for her when she saw he was getting restless,
or erase the blackboard for her after an exercise, which he did with
great dispatch, and before the end of the first day she had completely
won his respect and gratitude.
One morning on his way to school Jim heard his classmates planning
Christmas presents for their teacher. Immediately he began to contrive
ways and means for securing a beautiful necklace he had seen in the
jeweler’s shop—a necklace of gold and pearls. This was the only gift
that his active little brain could conceive of as being worth giving to
Miss Burns.
Only, he hadn’t the money to buy the necklace. His parents were
far-seeing in a financial way, and did not believe in bestowing
unlimited amounts of coin upon their children. So it was that Jim found
need to do something unusual in order to secure the coveted present. He
was not long in working up a paper route. He would rise early in the
morning and spend long hours delivering his papers.
In connection with this work he took orders for Christmas wreaths, then
secured a large quantity of holly from a wholesale man on market; his
little sister, Ruth, bought a supply of fluffy, flaming ribbon at the
Ten-Cent Store. Together they made the wreaths, Jim paying Ruth for her
artistic advice and time. In this way the wreaths cost less than the
ready-made wreaths, and Jim was able to secure a better price for them.
Thus Jim saved enough money to buy the necklace and also some lovely
presents for those at home.
You can imagine Miss Burn’s surprise when, among other gifts, she found
Jim’s necklace on her desk the morning before Christmas. Realizing the
value of the gift and Jim’s true devotion to her, she won from him the
story of his sacrifice. She said, “Oh, Jim, you don’t know how this
makes me feel,” and Jim went home at the end of the day with a beaming
face.
Jim’s sacrifice reacted upon himself, for this taste of his powers led
him into many fair means of earning money, and so launched him well on
what turned out to be a successful business career.
“Making faces” is essentially a little child’s offense, although
sometimes it persists in upper grades or even in the high school.