288 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-MASTERY
My bookselling took me to Bridgeton, New Jersey. It was
here that I got my first real start in making money. I had to be
away from home a great deal to do this work, but the sacrifice
was worthwhile. I earned enough money in a few weeks to
send more money home than I had contributed to the house-
hold in any year from my school teaching and newspaper
correspondence. After combing the territory in the Bridgeton
zone, I became interested in a newspaper in that city, the
Morning Star. It seemed to me that the editor and publisher of
this paper needed a helper. I called on him and told him so.
He said, "Heavens, young man, how can I hire you? I am not
earning enough money to pay for my own living!"
"That's just it;' said 1. "I believe together we can make
the Star a success. I'll tell you what I'll do:
''I'll work for you for one week for one dollar a day. At
the end of the week, if I have made good, I'll expect you to
pay me three dollars a day for the second week; and then, if I
continue to do well, I'll expect you to pay me six dollars a day
for the third week, and will continue from then on until the
paper makes enough money to pay me fifty dollars a week."
The owner agreed to my proposition. At the end of two
months, I was being paid fifty dollars a week, which in those
days was considered a big salary. I began to feel that I was well
on my way toward making money-but all I wanted it for was
to make my family more comfortable. Fifty dollars a week was
just four times as much as I had made teaching school.
My job on the Star embraced editorial writing (not very
brilliant), reporting (just ordinary), the writing and selling of
advertisements (fairly successful), proofreading, bill collecting,
and so forth. It kept me humping six days a week; but I could
stand it, for I was strong and healthy, and, besides, the work
was very interesting. I also contributed correspondence to the