The Autobiography of John Fritz

              42 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN FRITZ
whether I should get a job in Norristown (situations were not asked for at that time) or should have to go to Trenton and find out what the chances of work were there, with the probabiUty that owing to the general depression of business the result would be very unfavorable.
After the brief conversation before aUuded to, Mr. Moore and the other gentleman walked up to where I was standing and Mr. Moore introduced the gentleman with him as John Griffin, their general manager. I confess that I had some dread of meeting him, as the words general manager at that day seemed to my simple mind as though I were to meet a superciUous kind of a person who would hold one at a distance, but the contrary was the case. Mr. Griffin was a fine-looking, aft'able, and intelUgent gentleman; the last-named trait worried me, as I did not know how to talk to him. After some hesitation, I mustered up the courage to teU him what I wanted. He then asked me what I had been doing, and if I was afraid of hard work. I answered both questions in a mamier that seemed to be entirely satisfactory, and he told me to come to work the next morning.
When I entered the miU first to go to work, I fully reaUzed that I'was amongst entire strangers, without pres¬ tige to aid me or compass to direct my course, with mind untrained for systematic work or study, with but scant education and untrained talent. My thoughts naturaUy went back to the scenes of my boyhood days, and to the old home where my kind parents and my loving sisters and brothers still remained. My feeUngs at that time can be better imagined than described. I now fuUy reaUzed that I was enlisted, as a private, in the army for the great battle of Ufe, and I made up my mind that I would faithfully do my duty in whatever position chance might place me.
I was put to work by the foreman to assist the mechanics