If we proceed to the hilly country, along the banks of the Yadkin river, we shall meet with people, in various places, hunting for gold. This is found in small grains, mixed with sand, and sometimes in lumps of considerable size. Some persons have gone from New England to dig for gold in this state. I suppose they hope to get suddenly rich; but they had better stay at home; for where one man becomes wealthy by digging for gold, a thousand get rich by staying at home, and quietly cultivating their farms.
–The First Book of History,
for Children and Youth,
Samuel Griswold Goodrich
What was the author’s reason for writing this passage?
to explain to children the proper technique to mine for gold
to caution young people not to pursue gold mining as a way to become rich
to show young people that they were more likely to become rich by hunting gold than by farming
to warn young people to stay away from gold mining because the process was dangerous
