Seven Years Old—First Money to Spend as He Pleased—Advice Gratis—Boy with Whistle—Benjamin Buys a Whistle—Going into the Concert Business—Scene in the Family—Tormented by John for Paying All His Money—Ben Breaks Down—Father and Mother Takes His Part—The Lesson He Learned—What He Wrote about It at Seventy-two Years of Age—When Boys Pay Too Dear for the Whistle—Dickens—Keeping the Secret—How the Secret Came Out.
IV. IN SCHOOL.
Uncle Benjamin and His Poetry—His Family—His Letter about Ben—Plans for School and Doctor Willard—Goes to School at Eight Years of Age—Description of His Father—Of His Mother—Inscription on Their Monument—Nathaniel Williams, Teacher—Description of School-house—His Scholarship High—His Teacher Praises Him—Led the School—Prophecies about Him—Webster—Rittenhouse—Stephenson.
V. OUT OF SCHOOL.
Poverty Forces Him to Leave School—His Mother's View—Hard Time for
Ministers—Brownell's School of Penmanship—How Ben Could Help His
Father—Boys Put to Work Young Then—His Obedience—A Well-Disciplined
Boy—Incident of His Manhood to Rebuke a Landlord—Robert Peel and
Harry Garland—The Eight Hall Brothers—His Progress.
VI. FROM SCHOOL TO CANDLE-SHOP.
Arrival of Uncle Benjamin—Opposed to Taking His Nephew Out of School—
Thinks Ben is Very Talented—Prospects of the Business—Benjamin's
Talk with His Mother—Blessings of Industry—Doctor Franklin's
Proverbs—Became Wiser Than His Father—Tallow-Chandler at Ten Years
of Age—His Father Saw His Dissatisfaction—Josiah, the Runaway Son,
Returns—Wanted to Go to Sea—The Proposition Vetoed—Uncle Benjamin
Against It.
VII. CHOOSING A TRADE AND STEALING SPORT.
Love of a Trade Necessary to Success—Following "Natural Bent"—Square
Boys in Round Holes—Smeaton—Benjamin Pleased with a New Plan—
Examining Different Trades—The Cutler, Brazier, etc.—Chooses Cutler's
Trade—Enters Shop on Trial—Disagreement on Terms—The Good It Did
Him—Sport on the Water—An Evil Proposition—Stealing Stones—The
Wharf Built—The Thieves Detected—How Benjamin's Father Found Him
Out—Benjamin's Confession and Promise—The End.