allen l. moore
after graduating from a high school in 1907, i was thrown upon my own resources. the possibility of entering college and paying my own way seemed only a faint hope. i had read of such things but, at the time, it seemed too great a handicap with which to burden myself. for three years i worked at the collection window of the first national bank in my home town, and in september, 1910, quit my position and left for minneapolis, determined to take at least a year or two at the university of minnesota. i had four hundred dollars in my pocket, the result of three years’ savings. my first work was given to me by the secretary of the university y. m. c. a., and for two years i took care of the y. m. c. a. building and the university observatory on the campus. for this, i received twenty dollars a month, which helped considerably,—especially in view of the fact that i had joined a fraternity and my expenses were somewhat higher than the average. my first summer vacation was spent in a machine shop and i saved $150.00 from my summer’s wages. this and what i had earned while the university was in session paid my expenses 240 the first two years. by this time i had decided to finish my course at any cost. the second and third summer vacations were spent at outdoor carpenter work which proved both remunerative and healthful. in my junior year i was given the care of the furnace at the fraternity house, in which i lived, in return for my board. i was also advertising manager of the gopher, the junior annual, and solicited advertising on a commission basis. in the meantime, i was active in college activities and had been elected to an associate editorship of the minnesota daily, the student newspaper. in the spring of last year the students elected me to fill the position of managing editor, carrying with it a salary of twenty-five dollars a month. the amount has since been raised to thirty dollars a month for the nine months of the college year. at odd times i have done newspaper work for metropolitan newspapers. at the present time i am receiving, besides my regular salary, from five to eight dollars a week from minneapolis newspapers for reporting university news. the university is also paying me $5 a month for drilling as captain in the cadet corps, making my total earnings from $50 to $60 per month at the present time. i am carrying full senior work in the university and, although it keeps me busy handling it all, i expect to graduate next june without any conditions or failures.
what has been accomplished is no more than any young man can do. i have been especially favored 241 at all times with the best of friends, who have pushed me forward at every opportunity. a willingness to work is, i have found, the best asset.
university of minnesota,
minneapolis, minn.
