THE STORY OF ARTIFICIAL SILK
made a scanty living. They were very
pOOT.
When young John was nine, his father died.
John went to work as a bobbin-boy. He
never had any schooling, although he eventu-
ally became one of the most learned men in
Great Britain.
He was fond of reading, and he found
several good friends among his fellow-workers,
who gave him lessons in the evening.
When he was 16, he was struck with the
beautiful orange colour of a dress worn by
his little step-sister. At once, he resolved to
be a dyer. He spent all his spare money,
which was not much, for dyes. Soon after-
wards, he became an apprentice in a dye-
shop.
At 23, he married Mary Wostenholme.
On his way to buy a wedding licence, he
stopped at an old bookstall and bought a
book that shaped his career—" THE CHEMICAL
PockET-Booxk,” by James Parkinson.
This old and forgotten book was published
in 1803. It set Mercer on fire to try new
experiments in producing beautiful colours.
0