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Sparks, William Henry, 1800-1882

"The Memories of Fifty Years Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent i"


No amusements attracted him. He was never at any place of public
resort. He was the talk of the town, though none had seen him unless
they visited the little, dirty, inky office in which he was employed.
He never seemed to know he was an object of curiosity, and when--as
sometimes was the case--half a dozen persons would come expressly to
see him, he never turned his head from his work, or seemed to be
conscious of their presence.
In this office his progress was very rapid, and it was not very long
before he became the foreman in the composing-room. He continued in
that capacity until he became the owner of the entire establishment.
Not content with the life of a printer, he disposed of his printing
establishment and paper, and came to New Orleans. Before leaving
France he had read some law, and now he applied himself closely to its
study. In a short time he rose to distinction, and was in a lucrative
practice. It was a maxim with Judge Martin never to be idle, and never
to expend time or money uselessly. He found time from his professional
duties to write a history of Louisiana, which is, perhaps, more
correct in its facts than any history ever written.


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