‘92 TOM’S EXPERIENCE 
— “Certainly, I understand that, sir. We have now 
about nine hundred dollars in the savings bank.” 
‘And your property here is worth how much?” 
‘‘T paid $1,800 for it, and have made a good many 
‘improvements since. I think I could sell it for 
‘$2,000, maybe a little more..” 
“And you have been in business here ten or twelve 
years ?”” 
‘Yes, nearly fifteen.” 
‘So that, besides supporting your family, you have 
laid up about $200 a year.” 
“Yes, sir, that’s about it.” 
’ “ And you have generally lived well?” 
‘Yes, sir, we have lived plainly and comfortably, 
but we have economized closely and worked hard, 
and we feel that, somehow, we ought to be getting 
ahead more than two hundred dolJars a year, Iam 
not quite forty years old, have good health, and if | 
keep it I can do a good many years’ work yet. There 
are three or four other mechanics in town who feel 
very much as I do about this matter, and we have 
talked together a good deal about it during the last 
year or so, and had almost made up our minds to go 
to Dakota, when we met with an article in a Chicago 
workingman’s paper that rather discouraged us. | 
wish you would read it and tell me what you think 
of it?” , 
And he handed me a well-worn paper containing 
the following: 
“Tt takes money to start a farm; it takes training 
