Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-10-26
SELF MADE MEN

nou VINO, seemingly favored by WhaI 10
Isrmed good luck, have, before their prime
emerged from the narrow, rough paths of
poverty into the broad highway Of wealth
and social or political distinction.
Several of the widest circulated Illustra-
ted Journals of this city publish from
week to week, portraits and brief biograph-.
les of "Sslf Made Men," and the practice
has become so general that we, in common
with the public, are induced TO believe that
it is only another means of advertising ner-.
chants aud politicians.
The truly self made man is not inclined
to rush into print with thu boast of his orr
gin and his life struggles-he is not of the
Josiah Boundsrby class; on the contrary
the very hardships ke has encountered, the
obstacles he has overcome, and all the
troubles of the past are not forgotten in the
hour of his success; they are the monitors
ever present which have taught him reti-
cence, modesty aud firmuess. Others may
speak his praise, but he has the innate mod
esty not to repeat ii himself. and the firm
ness to forego thai arrogant citation which,
in the Bounderbys makes them and the very
name of "self made q by-word of con-
tempt.
Ia this metropolis, as in the leading cities
of the country, the average of self made
men so called, is large. But the genuine
"self NJ ade men"-those who have had no
aid from others, and whose every step has
been one Of toll, mental or physical, and
who do not.plscard their history and pay
literally for..the insertion of their Portraits
in every illustrated paper they can get ac-
cess to. are few These are the men whose
names in good lime become the nations
property ;they are the landmarks Of a peoples
greatness, and without seeking it BY their
own trumpet sounding, gail a fame and re-
putation substantial aud lasting.
We have within our memory e fe notable
instances in reference to this class of men,
and fIo among them We have taken the
liberty 10 select one which will serve as q
fair example of the rest.
Some fifteen years ago there sppeare in
the little town of Waterbury, Vermont, a
young man, quick With all the characteristics
Of the American, Who boldly began business,
not in the usual slow snd plcddlng manner
Of county merchant, but according TO his
own ideas, Beneath the energy and dash
with which he conducted his business, and
which to the older heads about him seemed
to be a reckless rushing to RUN, there was
that which they did not sea keen fore
sight, a. unsrriug ssgaeity and that pscu-
liar NapoieAnic attribute of executive GbIii-
ty which is az necessary to achieve success
as to vie battles i a csmpsigt
when scarcely tWsuty-opc wears of sge-
an age wheu most youths are either entering
life as clerks, or are beginning their educa
ton, aud whose ideas or plans for the fu-
,ure srA as vague aud misty as a fogbauk-
81 this sge be purct aied drug establish
ment in his native town. Thers was no
capital to sack him, save his own ibdonitA-
bic will to succeed, and his best friends we're,
ole youth, energy ard tact. Within five
years be found himself the entire owner OF
the establishment, free from al pecuniary
restraints, and With business connection
which included ell the lesding drug and
patent medicine houses of New England
He established branch house 10 Montreal
~hich added msterisliy to his reputation.
Still ell New England and the CaDadas
we're tho limited field for his attn bitious
mercantile spirit. SO casting abcu. him for
q larger arena, he naturally turned toward
that Mecca OF Fortuns-NeW York-and Lo
this city he came, where so many have come
| and where, through the genius aud CONNER
| cial ability of such men, the wealth of the
continent is fast beng concentrated. Tbi'
vas the field-this the proper abiding placs
| for such a man rs he whom we are citing al
| an example.
/ in HI zkF,a
of Demas Barnes & Co., at that time tn,
largest dealers in proprietary medicines il
this country even this did not satisfy him
determined as be was TO be the first, to b,
The ruling spirit of his peculiar department
of commerce, or 10 reigu alone, and with al
mbition, which but few men possess, 4
make himself name above and before al
others 10 the business to which be devoted
his energies, he soon succeeded in purehss
ing Mr.. Barnes interest.
With no restraint upon him he began b
once to re-organize the vast and com plicate'
business, and to arrange its details and de
partments according TO his own ideas, an
now thAs immense depository Of Medicine
and Druggists Suudries in College Plac
has become one of the features of the Met
ropolis. All will recognise. now that "
have named the place, Mr. John f. Henr
as the gentleman to whom this article refer,
BE is still in the prime of life, young and a
untiring and hopeful as when fifteen year
ago he began the world determined to carv
out his torture "up0u his own hook"
To those who are unacqusInted with tn
extent which Mr.. Henry has given to til
business of Proprietary Medicines, visit .
| al pian xriit he
ing this establishment, upon the first hooi
the lines Of desks, every one Of which is OF
cupied BY one or more clerks aud beckkeeE
ers-Ap perfect army Of occupation, remind
one of the busy throng of operators in
telegraph office. Yet there is no confusion
90 matter how many there are hurrying I
and fro, Fastening hither or thither, attend
ing to their various duties, everywhere il
this seeming chaos is the perfection Of orde
and regularity; for covering all and direc
Jog ell the multifarious operations is tn
Master mind who created this wondrou
medical mart. Each floor is devoted to
speciality, every grade and class of proprit
tary articles being arranged in their prope
department. There you can see every cor
ceivsble variety of valuable chemical an
medicinal preparation ever known, and al
aim ost endless variety of perfnmery an
toilet articles, imported, as well rs domestic
Mr.. Henry purchases all these staudar
articles of proprietary medicines in immens
quantities. and OF many of them he is virtu
ally the owner. He gives no small orders
he expends sometimes fifty and ore hundre,
thousand dollars for such articles for whicl
his keen business foresighs fOrstells q de
nard. This very boldness, accompsnie,
by shrewdness, wins. he, so far, has m ad
no error in his purchases, and his calculs
tions as to the sales aud increase of popu
larity of any new drug or patent medi
cine have as yet proved uniformly correct
At no time since he became the head of thi
great house has the stock on hand beef
below q quarter of q million of dollars
This stock, to use cant phrase of com.
merce, is turned" almost every month
Thus in the course of the year this bushes
reaches tho enormous amount Of botweel
three and four millions of dollars.
Now is not this something TO be proud o
this great business carried on by one o
our shrewd, modest and ambitious self mad
men?
Not only in business matters mas he mad
his name honorsd in the place which claim
| him . o,t,vaVs ha Il. las1sta k,-u.,lf -