Himself his capital IN Character Education Section [column].

Title

Creator

Carpio, Restituto

Language

English

Source

The Young Citizen. I (6) July 1935

Year

1935

Subject

Perseverance (Ethics)

Ambition

Quality of life

Narratives

Santo Tomas, Juan

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

July, 1935 THE YOUNG CITIZEN i5 l CHARACTER EDUCATION SECTION Himself His Capital By Restituto Carpio M Y parents were so poor that they could afford to give m~ only an elementary school education. I did not know what to c!o when I graduated from the seventh grade. Oh! If I were only rich, I would be with my classmates in the high school. perhaps to pursue this or that cout.:.c in a college or university after graduation. At the time I heard of a school in Central Luzon where boys could work and study at the same time. I applied for admission in this school." "The work at the Central Luzon Agricultural School was a man's job. I was a student farmer. and I built my house, cleared the land, and plant~d it in rice. While here I learned that if a student were but industrious, he had a chance to rise in the world. A good piece of irrigated Lmd in Muaoz yields 300 co1vans of palay a hectare. In 1920 a ca van of palay cost Pl 0. At tbis rate one can de· cently live on a hectare of land." "At the end of the first year. I' decided to go to Mindanao. With the little share from my ear:-.ings realized out of my ri~e crop, I started for th:! south. However, upon reaching Misamis, I hJci barely enough money to keep me alive. So I went to work as laborer for a lumber company at Kolambugan. In order to save money, I practised rigid economy in food and clothing. The next yc.11 I started for Agusan where I cleared a forest for kaingin. I had two hectares planted to com. When I harvested my crop, [ found out that I had :-oe sacks of shelled com. I sold my com in Bukiduon for Pl 5.00 a sack, and I was so happy to receive ever so much money in my life. I got a homestead, I sent for my parents up north. and here" in Mindanao we are going to stay for good." That is the story of Juan Santo Tomas whol1• I met on a boat _when the writer was on his way to Mindanao in July, 19 21. I have not heard from him since. But it is safe to conclude that any person who has ambition. industry. perseverance, anJ thrift is bound to succeed like him. For it is good ambition to improve the condition of your living and to do well whatever you do. The World's Finest Gem ONE of the most precious things which money can buy is the diamond. In our country persons who have money usually buy a diamond ring, or a diamond earring. or a diamond pin, or a diamond necklace. Some of them think that buying a diamond is one good way of savin:; money. For inscance. when a person h<is a diamond ring he can use it for ornament; and when he needs money, he can always pawn it. A diamond as big as a mango seed costs as much as P200. A diamond as big as· a grain of corn selis as much as P2,000. One of the finest diamonds in the world is called Kohinoor. This word means "mountain of light." The Kohinoor was given as a gift to Queen Victor.:a of England in l 849. In the year 1905 there w~s discovered in Souch Africa a big diamon~. le was the largest diamond in history. It became the property of Sir Thomas Culli'nan. It is now known as the Cullinan dia· mond. It weighed 1.37 pounds. Its size was .:f inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and J.25 inches higli. Ir was presented to King Edward VII of England in l 907. Lasr year a poor farmer, 62 years old, by th.: ~~me of Jacobus Jonker, became the owner of a i:hamond almost as large as rhc Cullinan. Jonker had been looking for a large diamond ever sfnce ho: was yet a young man. But he was not lucky. Ho: worked hard in mines. He spent years searching for one. bur failed. So last year, 1934, he decided tv !caw mining and to become a farmer. Without much money saved, he settled down in a small farm, a poor man. One day there was a strong rain· and wind. Jonker sent his scrvanr, a negro boy, to ~orK in his small field. The boy picked up a stone of rhe size of a hen's egg. The stone looked different from the orhers. He scratched his head with it. Right rhen it began ro shine. He immediately took it cu his master. Jonker discovered ir to be the large diamond he had been looking for.. Its weight was 5 ounces. It was 2 3/4 inches long, 1 I /2 inch("> high. and about l inch wide. Jonker took it t0 a big diamond company in South Africa which paid him abour P630.000. A diamond just taken from the carrh is rough. It needs polishing. The company sent the Jonker diamond co New York to bE cur and polished. Now that it is polished. it will cost over Pl,000,000.

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