The first time I saw my work in type in the then flaming organ of freedom certainly marked a stage in my career.  I kept that “Tribune” for years.  Looking back to-day one cannot help regretting so high a price as the Civil War had to be paid to free our land from the curse, but it was not slavery alone that needed abolition.  The loose Federal system with State rights so prominent would inevitably have prevented, or at least long delayed, the formation of one solid, all-powerful, central government.  The tendency under the Southern idea was centrifugal.  To-day it is centripetal, all drawn toward the center under the sway of the Supreme Court, the decisions of which are, very properly, half the dicta of lawyers and half the work of statesmen.  Uniformity in many fields must be secured.  Marriage, divorce, bankruptcy, railroad supervision, control of corporations, and some other departments should in some measure be brought under one head. [Re-reading this paragraph to-day, July, 1907, written many years ago, it seems prophetic.  These are now burning questions.]

It was not long after this that the railroad company constructed its own telegraph line.  We had to supply it with operators.  Most of these were taught in our offices at Pittsburgh.  The telegraph business continued to increase with startling rapidity.  We could scarcely provide facilities fast enough.  New telegraph offices were required.  My fellow messenger-boy, “Davy” McCargo, I appointed superintendent of the telegraph department March 11, 1859.  I have been told that “Davy” and myself are entitled to the credit of being the first to employ young women as telegraph operators in the United States upon railroads, or perhaps in any branch.  At all events, we placed girls in various offices as pupils, taught and then put them in charge of offices as occasion required.  Among the first of these was my cousin, Miss Maria Hogan.  She was the operator at the freight station in Pittsburgh, and with her were placed successive pupils, her office becoming a school.  Our experience was that young women operators were more to be relied upon than young men.  Among all the new occupations invaded by women I do not know of any better suited for them than that of telegraph operator.

Mr. Scott was one of the most delightful superiors that anybody could have and I soon became warmly attached to him.  He was my great man and all the hero worship that is inherent in youth I showered upon him.  I soon began placing him in imagination in the presidency of the great Pennsylvania Railroad—­a position which he afterwards attained.  Under him I gradually performed duties not strictly belonging to my department and I can attribute my decided advancement in the service to one well-remembered incident.