The Young Miner; Or, Tom Nelson in California

Our young man Tom is in California to hopefully strike it rich in the gold fields. The story shows how he worked hard but also had plenty of help to get closer to his goal. I suppose the boys lapped up this sort of thing like cream back then, but there are more factors to success than just hard work. Tom was lucky with the people he met on his adventure, and the ending of the book would have been quite different and perhaps much more realistic if he had fallen in with different characters. I entertained myself even more while reading by searching out the Lesson in each chapter. They were not always spelled out and were never preachy, but they were there. Here is my list. Actually, quite a few of them would still be good advice today: Chapter 1: work hard and be reasonable with your expectations Chapter 2 : don\'t drink and don\'t gamble Chapter 3 : take care of your parents; and smoking is a bad habit Chapter 4 : don\'t rely on \'luck\' to create your future Chapter 5 : don\'t hang out with the bad guys Chapter 6 : don\'t sleep too soundly Chapter 7 : don\'t assume you are smarter than everyone else Chapter 8 : you will get what you deserve eventually in some form, whether good or bad Chapter 9 : you should be man enough to stare misfortune in the face when it is in front of you: don\'t run from it or think it is worse than it is Chapter 10 : be careful when answering the personal questions of a woman with a gun Chapter 11 : be careful what you wish for Chapter 12 : accept the responsibility for things that go wrong when under your care Chapter 13: accept the need to work Chapter 14 : when discussing mountains or trees or anything else, size is not everything Chapter 15 : if you meet a bear in the woods, don\'t turn and run away Chapter 16 : when you don\'t have everything you wish for, make do with what you have Chapter 17 : remember to do your duty when you need to, don\'t just stand around with your mouth hanging open Chapter 18 : use your common sense Chapter 19 : a bargain is a bargain Chapter 20 : sell when the price is right Chapter 21 : buy when the deal is good Chapter 22 : once again, don\'t gamble! Chapter 23 : don\'t think too much of the past, just vow not to repeat any foolish actions and then keep going forward Chapter 24 : do your best at all times Chapter 25 : never think of stealing Chapter 26 : pay your debts before buying things you don\'t need Chapter 27 : a dead river is the best place to find gold Chapter 28 : gold is only valuable for what it will bring Chapter 29 : appearances are deceiving Chapter 30 : a business man should not be completely hard-hearted Chapter 31 : be bold when bidding but don\'t bid if you don\'t have the money to pay Chapter 32 : do not misuse the advantages you are given in life