The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-10-24

however poorly made, is inclined to
worship his creator, seems frequently
to have foundation in fact. A self.
made man is apt to be poorly made, if
we refuse to consider making as some.
thing more than material success. He
is necessarily put forward as an exam
pie Of what industry, energy, pcrsever.
snce will accomplish; and all persons
who happen to be Of different mold,
who have had some early advantages,
are in danger of being hectored by his
sntecedents.
WEARIsONE ITERATION.
No wonder We grow weary Of hear.
ing Of Stephen Gira1d as a cabin boy,
and of his careful saving, until he had
enough to begin small business with
in Philadelphia. No wonder we are tired
Of reading references to Bcjamin. Frank.
lin, and Of his cutting wicks at the ago
Of ten in his fathers tal!ow chandlery.
No wonder We are surfe.ted with &C.
counts Of the manner in which John
Jacob Astor rose early and read the
bible IN his childhood, walked while a
mere lad to the coast Of Holland, and
embarked for London in = Dutch
smack.
True, Girard did die immensely rich;
true, Franklin did become a distin.
guished philosopher and diplomat; true,
Astor left an estate Of 10000, 900.
But their achievements had nothing to
do with their humble birth and early
penury. Thousands Of lads have been
cabin boys; have served in chandler
shops; have risen early and read the
biblc--not because they liked it, but
because they were compelled to--and
yet they did not get fame or riches.
The great majority Of the millionaires
Of Manhattan are selfmade, and most
Of them are 1lade after so wretched a
fashion that few acquainted with their
real life would care TO follow in their
footsteps.
JOHN JACOB AsTOR.
One Of the richest Of New Workers,
Wn. B. Astor, although not self.made,
inherited all his property from, self
made father. Cd John Jacob was
anything but an admirable character.
IT he had any exalted emotions, he
kept them carefully concealed that no
one ever suspected their existence. From
the first to the last he was 4 searcher
after shillings, his search ending only
with the cessation Of his breath. If
VIM. B. had not produced the paternal
phlegm aud cool blood Of his German
parent; if he had been, in other words,
thorough American, he would, likely
enough, have squandered the vast es.
tate bequeathed to him, and have died
long ago very poor devil. Instead of
squendering, however, he has amassed !;
has been Is anxious to keep dollar and
get another, as if his entire patrimony
had consisted Of fifty new pennies.
Supposed to be worth $50, 600, 900 now,
he - N octogenarian, feeble from years
and on the brink Of the grave. It is to
b hoped, when he looks back upon his
eighty years, that no has more salts.
faction in their contemplation than such
= career as his would justify him in
having.
ALEXANDER T. STEWART
Is = self'made man, so far as tho making
Of money goes. Left an orphan when =
child, he is reputed to have been edu.
Gated by his maternal grandfather, who
designed him for methodist preacher:
and to this end he was graduated at
Trinity college, Dublin. In 1923 be
quilted his native land, determined to
fix his home in tho new world. On
reaching the metropolis-he was about
~ then--he undertook private teaching
and after twelve months of such occu.
patton, gave it up, in order to enter 4
commercial house. He seems to have
obtained small interest in the firm.
and the talent he displayed for trade
plainly pointed out his vocation. He
had great skill in judging Of dry goods,
md he turned his skill to good account
BY buying at auction and selling At re.
tail. The margin Of profit was large,
and in this way, although his prices
Were moderate, he fixed the foundation
Of his fortune. He had intelligence
enough to know that fair dealing is tho
best policy. He never represented
what he sold to be better than it really
WAS; and thus, by his honesty, he &C.
autred reputation which has been Of
i1sstimable benefit to him.
In . few years he was enabled to buv
the lot in Broadway, between Read.
and Chambers streets. and to put up
the first marble building in that
thoroughfare. For considerable time
it WAS the pride Of the town and tho adj.
niration Of the country, although it has
been for years unconspicuous enough,
having been completed overshadowed
and eclipsed by larger and finer struc.
lures. Now devoted to his wholesale
trade, his retail business is carried on 1T
its architectural fellow, in the block
bounded by Broadway, Fourth avenue,
Ninth and Tenth streets,
\ GENIUS FOR ARCHITECTURAL nrroRxrrv
Stewart has . genius for erecting uelv
and dismal edifces. He appears to
have ono architectural idea, and TINT :.
Of . vast, cold, CHASTITY marble nile.
suEgesting gigantic tomb rather than
anything else: His recently completed
residence in Fifth avenue is also Of this
sort. 1t is said that he would have had
the Working Women's home Of The
same pattern, had he not been per.
snaded to alter his sterootypcd plan.
The result IL handsome iron building
in an unAnished state. Nobody seems
70 know whether it ever will be finished.
Stewart may know; but no is silent Is
the Sphinx on the subject. Nothing
has been done to the Home for many
months. As it was designed for semi.
benevolent purpose, perhaps it is natu.
lai enough that dry goods Dives should
de:ey IT. completion - lone: IN possible.
as may % IN extremely 1ibSfal per.
een: but biz rsputstian il otherxise.
Fhs great public Il unwilling 70 ~