him about $1.50 a week. After talking awhile Tucker repeated that he did not care about it. I left the store, almost crying, and went home. While on the way home I thought I would tell the paper man to deliver the papers to my house, continue to deliver the 5 same as usual, and pay out $10 or $15 from my own money, which I had saved up. I would not have taken this move if I had thought Tucker had any intention of keeping the route. I could tell by his talk, however, that if he could have gotten a couple of dollars from me for 10 the route, well and good, but if not he was going to let it go. The following week I got my papers from the wagon as usual. Some of the customers I had lost because the papers had not been delivered for a few days. The fol- 15 lowing Sunday I collected approximately $6. I kept $2 and started the next week with the other $4. I might say that I had to devote my spare time to the making of a truck capable of carrying about 60 Sunday papers. For the following six months I made $2 or $2.50 a week. Al- 20 though this was not much, it made me independent, and, secondly, caused me to begin to appreciate the value of money. During the next year and a half apartment houses were being built on Hemenway Street and its by-streets. I 25 saw the janitors of some of these buildings, and by giving a free paper or two every day to them I received the privilege of being the news agent of the buildings, which contain about twenty-five suites. I secured about four or five of these buildings, and my business began to boom. 30 Soon I was making, first, $3, then $4, and then $5 a week. Of course you must bear in mind that as the amount of papers increased, the expressage increased proportionally. Where at first I was paying 75 cents a week expressage, it was now $1.25; and then, besides, I had a fellow help me on Sunday. This cost me 50 or 75 cents. As my route increased I began to do business with a 5 different class of people. I had to keep after them constantly for my money. If I did not they would run up a large bill and then move before I heard of it. I was helped out a great deal by the janitors of these large buildings, who are in most cases hard-working men who would like Io to see what is due a man paid him. On the whole, I soon knew a lot I had not known heretofore about the ways of men. I certainly met a great variety of people whom I probably would have to meet sooner or later when I got out in the world. It's just as well to meet them while 15 young as when I'm old. During the next year I kept on building up my trade, and finally got a subscription order from the Monitor. This order was for the delivering of the Monitor to the office of the Wentworth Institute, which had just been 20 completed on the corner of Ruggles Street and Huntington Avenue, Roxbury. I delivered the paper to the office of the secretary. I soon began to sell some more papers to instructors in the school and to the office help. After a month or two the school opened, and students began to 25 attend their respective courses. I immediately asked the secretary for permission to stand at the main entrance and sell papers to the students as they left the building. He gave me permission, and I began to sell about 25 more papers in five or ten minutes every evening except Satur30 day, on which night I had the order cut down. By getting a few more apartment houses I soon began to make $7 a week, but I had to get up earlier in the morning, and I did not get through until 7 at night. Up to this time (1914) I had lived on Dempster Street, Roxbury, which was in my delivery section. My mother would get me up in the morning when the papers got to the house, but toward the latter part of September of the same year my mother and sisters deemed it wise to leave 5 this section and moved to Upham's Corner, Dorchester. I was against their moving, but the majority ruled, and I lost. My mother told me to drop or sell my route, but I had worked hard on the route, liked the exercise and work, and therefore could not see why I should give it up. The 10 result was I kept up delivering papers morning, evening, and Sunday in Roxbury. My living in Dorchester made it necessary for me to get up at half past five in the morning, get my breakfast, and go to Roxbury. My mother, of course, had to get up 15 also, but it was nothing new to her. I soon got used to my new regulations and did not mind them. I had my papers delivered to the house of a friend of mine, and started delivery from his house. At this time (1915) I was delivering about 115 papers in the morning and evening, with 300 papers on Sunday, collecting about $16 a week. 20 Toward the early part of this year an annex to the Wentworth Institute resulted in increasing my sales to about 60. I have begun to be recognized by the circulation departments of the different Boston newspapers to the extent 25 that I receive subscription orders from most of them. These orders call for the delivery of a certain paper to a person for a limited time. You are allowed to collect for the month or two that you deliver the paper. You are sure of your money at the office if the delivery has been 30 made. About four months ago, one Saturday, after getting through delivering papers, I went into one of the apartment houses for a drink of water. While getting my drink I noticed the janitor putting all kinds of papers, including daily and Sunday papers, in a big pile. I asked him if he would let me sort them out. He was willing. I sorted 5 them out and got returns to the value of about $1.50. Every Saturday since then I have devoted an hour or two on Saturday morning to the sorting of his papers, and in return give him a couple of cigars or extra papers. This brings me up to the present time. I now deliver 10 or sell 160 papers in the morning and get through about 8.20. At night I deliver 150 papers and get through about 6.30. On Sunday I deliver or sell 300 papers, employ two fellows to help me, and use three trucks in the carrying of the papers. I take in on an average of $20 on Sunday, but 15 if I collected for the papers sold at the Wentworth Institute and other places would collect close to $30. Nine dollars of this is sure, clean profit, the rest being used for the following week. My expressage now amounts to $2.35. In ending my story my advice to a newsboy is to keep 20 an account in a book of all the money that is owed you. Secondly, keep right after them for your money, reminding them, if necessary, that the papers cost you money. Ever since I have been in the newspaper business I have tried to keep bills in my head. I have done fairly well, 25 but will admit that not a few people have gotten away with money of mine. I lay the blame of this deficiency to the time I use in studying the lessons I have from school. If I did not have to study I could spend time in keeping track of the money owed me. I might say that the one 30 great thing that I have learned since I began to sell papers is the value of money-something that every young man should know. The outlines given in the following pages were prepared by high-school students and have been used in preparing written themes and giving oral presentations before classes. They are not submitted as models, but are printed as typical examples of what may reasonably be required of high-school students. WORKING IN A STORE I. Introduction. 1. How I got the job. 2. What the store was like. II. The first three days. 1. The difficulty in finding the groceries. III. Breakage of different articles. 2. My last broken article. IV. The orders. 1. Never to touch the cash register. 2. Always to count the change. V. The benefit of work. 1. Improves arithmetic. 2. Helps the memory. 3. Improves accuracy. A TRIP TO LEXINGTON PARK I. The car ride. II. The park. 1. The monkeys. 2. The other animals. |