Excerpt from The Life, Labors and Travels of Father J. J. Upchurch: Founder of the Ancient Order of United Workmen

N looking over the material for the following pages, two courses seemed open to the Editor's choice, to rewrite the manuscript, cloth ing the substance of the narrative in language of his own, or taking it as he found it, to add the sub-headings, smooth out a wrinkle here and there, snip off the ragged edges, and put in a stitch or two occa sionally, but leaving it substantially as it was left by the writer himself. In the former case the work would have been that Of the compiler; in the latter it would retain its originality and be what it purported to be, the work of the Founder himself. Believing that the latter course would be the one most acceptable to those who will be most interested in it, i. E., the members of the great organization of which he was the founder, and that being the one most in accord with his own inclinations, he adopted it. The reader who comes to the book expecting to find a literary and intellectual gratification will undoubtedly be disappointed, except as it may be found in the glowing periods of his panegyrists. The hands of both Author and Editor were hardened by the handling of heavier tools at rougher handicrafts than the use of the pen and Authorship; and in attempting to solve the more serious problems of life, they had but little leisure to master the art of elegant literary com position. To the brethren, therefore, of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and kindred organizations, whose beneficent labors received their inspiration from his first cfi'orts, as alegacy from a father to his children, this little book, with all its imperfections, is commended by their brother and friend.

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