the americanization of edward bok-第4章

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II。　The　First　Job：　Fifty　Cents　a　Week

The　Elder　Bok　did　not　find　his　〃lines　cast　in　pleasant　places〃　in　the　United　States。　He　found　himself；　professionally；　unable　to　adjust　the　methods　of　his　own　land　and　of　a　lifetime　to　those　of　a　new　country。　As　a　result　the　fortunes　of　the　transplanted　family　did　not　flourish；　and　Edward　soon　saw　his　mother　physically　failing　under　burdens　to　which　her　nature　was　not　accustomed　nor　her　hands　trained。　Then　he　and　his　brother　decided　to　relieve　their　mother　in　the　housework　by　rising　early　in　the　morning；　building　the　fire；　preparing　breakfast；　and　washing　the　dishes　before　they　went　to　school。　After　school　they　gave　up　their　play　hours；　and　swept　and　scrubbed；　and　helped　their　mother　to　prepare　the　evening　meal　and　wash　the　dishes　afterward。　It　was　a　curious　coincidence　that　it　should　fall　upon　Edward　thus　to　get　a　first…hand　knowledge　of　woman's　housework　which　was　to　stand　him　in　such　practical　stead　in　later　years。

It　was　not　easy　for　the　parents　to　see　their　boys　thus　forced　to　do　work　which　only　a　short　while　before　had　been　done　by　a　retinue　of　servants。　And　the　capstone　of　humiliation　seemed　to　be　when　Edward　and　his　brother；　after　having　for　several　mornings　found　no　kindling　wood　or　coal　to　build　the　fire；　decided　to　go　out　of　evenings　with　a　basket　and　pick　up　what　wood　they　could　find　in　neighboring　lots；　and　the　bits　of　coal　spilled　from　the　coal…bin　of　the　grocery…store；　or　left　on　the　curbs　before　houses　where　coal　had　been　delivered。　The　mother　remonstrated　with　the　boys；　although　in　her　heart　she　knew　that　the　necessity　was　upon　them。　But　Edward　had　been　started　upon　his　Americanization　career；　and　answered：　〃This　is　America；　where　one　can　do　anything　if　it　is　honest。　So　long　as　we　don't　steal　the　wood　or　coal；　why　shouldn't　we　get　it？〃　And；　turning　away；　the　saddened　mother　said　nothing。

But　while　the　doing　of　these　homely　chores　was　very　effective　in　relieving　the　untrained　and　tired　mother；　it　added　little　to　the　family　income。　Edward　looked　about　and　decided　that　the　time　had　come　for　him；　young　as　he　was；　to　begin　some　sort　of　wage…earning。　But　how　and　where？　The　answer　he　found　one　afternoon　when　standing　before　the　shop…window　of　a　baker　in　the　neighborhood。　The　owner　of　the　bakery；　who　had　just　placed　in　the　window　a　series　of　trays　filled　with　buns；　tarts；　and　pies；　came　outside　to　look　at　the　display。　He　found　the　hungry　boy　wistfully　regarding　the　tempting…looking　wares。

〃Look　pretty　good；　don't　they？〃　asked　the　baker。

〃They　would；〃　answered　the　Dutch　boy　with　his　national　passion　for　cleanliness；　〃if　your　window　were　clean。〃

〃That's　so；　too；〃　mused　the　baker。　〃Perhaps　you'll　clean　it。〃

〃I　will；〃　was　the　laconic　reply。　And　Edward　Bok；　there　and　then；　got　his　first　job。　He　went　in；　found　a　step…ladder；　and　put　so　much　Dutch　energy　into　the　cleaning　of　the　large　show…window　that　the　baker　immediately　arranged　with　him　to　clean　it　every　Tuesday　and　Friday　afternoon　after　school。　The　salary　was　to　be　fifty　cents　per　week！

But　one　day；　after　he　had　finished　cleaning　the　window；　and　the　baker　was　busy　in　the　rear　of　the　store；　a　customer　came　in；　and　Edward　ventured　to　wait　on　her。　Dexterously　he　wrapped　up　for　another　the　fragrant　currant…buns　for　which　his　young　souland　stomachso　hungered！　The　baker　watched　him；　saw　how　quickly　and　smilingly　he　served　the　customer；　and　offered　Edward　an　extra　dollar　per　week　if　he　would　come　in　afternoons　and　sell　behind　the　counter。　He　immediately　entered　into　the　bargain　with　the　understanding　that；　in　addition　to　his　salary　of　a　dollar　and　a　half　per　week；　he　should　each　afternoon　carry　home　from　the　good　things　unsold　a　moderate　something　as　a　present　to　his　mother。　The　baker　agreed；　and　Edward　promised　to　come　each　afternoon　except　Saturday。

〃Want　to　play　ball；　hey？〃　said　the　baker。

〃Yes；　I　want　to　play　ball；〃　replied　the　boy；　but　he　was　not　reserving　his　Saturday　afternoons　for　games；　although；　boy…like；　that　might　be　his　preference。

Edward　now　took　on　for　each　Saturday　morningwhen；　of　course；　there　was　no　schoolthe　delivery　route　of　a　weekly　paper　called　the　South　Brooklyn　Advocate。　He　had　offered　to　deliver　the　entire　neighborhood　edition　of　the　paper　for　one　dollar；　thus　increasing　his　earning　capacity　to　two　dollars　and　a　half　per　week。

Transportation；　in　those　days　in　Brooklyn；　was　by　horse…cars；　and　the　car…line　on　Smith　Street　nearest　Edward's　home　ran　to　Coney　Island。　Just　around　the　corner　where　Edward　lived　the　cars　stopped　to　water　the　horses　on　their　long　haul。　The　boy　noticed　that　the　men　jumped　from　the　open　cars　in　summer；　ran　into　the　cigar…store　before　which　the　watering…trough　was　placed；　and　got　a　drink　of　water　from　the　ice…cooler　placed　near　the　door。　But　that　was　not　so　easily　possible　for　the　women；　and　they；　especially　the　children；　were　forced　to　take　the　long　ride　without　a　drink。　It　was　this　that　he　had　in　mind　when　he　reserved　his　Saturday　afternoon　to　〃play　ball。〃

Here　was　an　opening；　and　Edward　decided　to　fill　it。　He　bought　a　shining　new　pail；　screwed　three　hooks　on　the　edge　from　which　he　hung　three　clean　shimmering　glasses；　and　one　Saturday　afternoon　when　a　car　stopped　the　boy　leaped　on；　tactfully　asked　the　conductor　if　he　did　not　want　a　drink；　and　then　proceeded　to　sell　his　water；　cooled　with　ice；　at　a　cent　a　glass　to　the　passengers。　A　little　experience　showed　that　he　exhausted　a　pail　with　every　two　cars；　and　each　pail　netted　him　thirty　cents。　Of　course　Sunday　was　a　most　profitable　day；　and　after　going　to　Sunday…school　in　the　morning；　he　did　a　further　Sabbath　service　for　the　rest　of　the　day　by　refreshing　tired　mothers　and　thirsty　children　on　the　Coney　Island　carsat　a　penny　a　glass！

But　the　profit　of　six　dollars　which　Edward　was　now　reaping　in　his　newly　found　〃bonanza〃　on　Saturday　and　Sunday　afternoons　became　apparent　to　other　boys；　and　one　Saturday　the　young　ice…water　boy　found　that　he　had　a　competitor；　then　two　and　soon　three。　Edward　immediately　met　the　challenge；　he　squeezed　half　a　dozen　lemons　into　each　pail　of　water；　added　some　sugar；　tripled　his　charge；　and　continued　his　monopoly　by　selling　〃Lemonade；　three　cents　a　glass。〃　Soon　more　passengers　were　asking　for　lemonade　than　for　plain　drinking…water！

One　evening　Edward　went　to　a　party　of　young　people；　and　his　latent　journalistic　sense　whispered　to　him　that　his　young　hostess　might　like　to　see　her　social　affair　in　print。　He　went　home；　wrote　up　the　party；　being　careful　to　include　the　name　of　every　boy　and　girl　present；　and　next　morning　took　the　account　to　the　city　editor　of　the　Brooklyn　Eagle；　with　the　sage　observation　that　every　name　mentioned　in　that　paragraph　represented　a　buyer　of　the　paper；　who　would　like　to　see　his　or　her　name　in　print；　and　that　if　the　editor　had　enough　of　these　reports　he　might　very　advantageously　strengthen　the　circulation　of　The　Eagle。　The　editor　was　not　slow　to　see　the　point；　and　offered　Edward　three　dollars　a　column　for　such　reports。　On　his　way　home；　Edward　calculated　how　many　parties　he　would　have　to　attend　a　week　to　furnish　a　column；　and　decided　that　he　would　organize　a　corps　of　private　reporters　himself。　Forthwith；　he　saw　every　girl　and　boy　he　knew；　got　each　to　promise　to　write　for　him　an　account　of　each　party　he　or　she　attended　or　gave；　and　laid　great　stress　on　a　full　recital　of　names。　Within　a　few　weeks；　Edward　was　turning　in　to　The　Eagle　from　two　to　three　columns　a　week；　his　pay　was　raised　to　four　dollars　a　column；　the　editor　was　pleased　in　having　started　a　department　that　no　other　paper　carried；　and　the　〃among　those　present〃　at　the　parties　all　bought　the　paper　and　were　immensely　gratified　to　see　their　names。

So　everybody　was　happy；　and　Edward　Bok；　as　a　full…fledged　reporter；　had　begun　his　journalistic　career。

It　is　curious　how　deeply　embedded　in　his　nature；　even　in　his　earliest　years；　was　the　inclination　toward　the　publishing　business。　The　word　〃curious〃　is　used　here　because　Edward　is　the　first　journalist　in　the　Bok　family　in　all　the　centuries　through　which　it　extends　in　Dutch　history。　On　his　father's　side；　there　was　a　succession　of　jurists。　On　the　mother's　side；　not　a　journalist　is　visible。

Edward　attended　the　Sunday…school　of　the　Carroll　Park　Methodist　Episco