might do tolerably good work with good tools, but 

 that it took a skillful one to do so with bad tools." He 

 used to tell us never to say "can't" but to try and 

 keep on trying until we could. 



Jacob Pearce was the first male teacher we ever 

 went to. His school was back of Friend Edwards' 

 house at the northwest corner of 5th and South Alley, 

 now Commerce St. Adjoining the school room he had 

 a little work shop in which he made cases and trays 

 for his minerals and cylinder electrical machines and 

 their fixtures. To encourage us boys to work he gave 

 us a small glass cylinder conditioned that we do all 

 the work of mounting without assistance. We were 

 at a loss to know how to turn the parts — cups and 

 journals for the ends of the cylinder, as father's lathe 

 was too high for either of us to do the turning and at 

 the same time tread the treadle, but a small stool was 

 made for one to stand on while the other worked the 

 treadle. While we were pegging on in this way, I 

 recollect father coming up and offering to help, 

 meaning by that to do the turning, but that was not 

 the bargain. Then father said the time had come 

 when the boys should have a lathe of their own, and 

 long discussions came as to the ways and means of 

 accomplishing this. The crank wheel seemed to be 

 the greatest trouble. Father finally concluded to 

 make one of wood and to get weight for the rim by 

 drilling auger holes in it cast full of lead. This wheel 

 was made in the garret shop and I have an idea that 

 it is still in existence. 



When we moved to the Market Street house just as 

 I was entering my 10th year and Charles was 12 

 years old, a fourth story had been added to the back 



buildings of the Market Street house for a private 

 shop for father and the boys' sleeping room. The 

 shop was lit by two windows and a skylight. Isaiah 

 Lukens had a set of patterns and father got him to 

 finish a set of lathe heads and rest carriers. He had 

 the crank wheel cast and fitted up at Oliver Evans' 

 shop at the junction of Ridge Road, 9th & Vine 

 Streets. This new lathe was put up in the new shop 

 at a height that we boys could use .... [Another] 

 crank wheel was made at which we boys helped, and 

 if my recollection is not entirely at fault the rim was 

 glued up out of mahogany that had been rejected for 

 paper mold frames. This was used to run a watch- 

 maker's lathe which was mostly used for light drilling 

 and for boring [andl polishing .... 



Among the tools most prized by the boys when in 

 the Mulberry Court garret shop was a miniature axe, 

 a present from Beatty the axe maker. Something 

 was to be done on the roof of the woodshed — I don't 

 recollect what — probably a boy's weather cock or 

 windmill. Some things for whatever it was were 

 thrown on to the roof before we climbed to it. Charles 

 told me to throw up the little axe which I had in my 

 hand. This was done but the roof was too steep for 

 it to stay there and it slid off and in falling struck 

 one of Charles' upper front teeth breaking it square 

 off close to the gum. This was a sad affair for it 

 was a second tooth and the only remedy was a false 

 one. I do not recollect what dentist killed the nerve 

 and reamed out a tapering hole for a wooden plug 

 by which the false tooth was affixed. The tooth would 

 sometimes twist around and Charles had frequently 

 to make new wooden plugs. [12] 



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