Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-11-07
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie on the Secret of
Success in Business.

An auureSS recently uellNereu 10
the students of a Pittsburg college by
Andrew Carnegie, of the great steel
manufacturing firm of Carnegie Bros.
e. Co., limited, closed with these re-
marks, bearing on the methods by
which success in business can be
achieved, and which are full of prac-
teal sense.
Do not hesitate to engage in. any
legitimate business, for there is no
business in America, i do not care
what, which will not yield a fair
profit if it receives the unremitting
and exclusive attention and all the
capital Of capable and industrious
men. Every business will have its
seasons Of depression-years like the
present, during which the manufact-
urers and the merchants are sOrely
tried-years when mills must be run,
not for profit, but at loss, that the
organization and men may be kept
together and employed, and that the
concern may keep its products in the
market. But on the other hand,
every legitimate business producing
or dealing in any article which man
requires is bound in time to be fairly
profitable, if properly conducted.
And here is the prime condition of
success, the great secret: concentrate
your energy, thought, and capital ex-
clusively upon the business in which
you are engaged. Having begun in
one line resolve to fight it out on that
line, to lead in it; adopt every i'm
prOvement, have the bestmachinery,
and know the most about it.
The concerns which fail are those
which have scattered their capital,
which means that they have scatter
ed their brains also. They have in
vestments in this or that or the other
here, there, and Everywhere. Don't
put all your eggs in one basket is all
wrong. tell you, put all your eggs
in one basket, and then watch the
basket. Look round you and take
notice; men who do that do not often
fail. 1t is easy to watch and carry
the one basket. 1t is trying to carry
too many baskets that breaks sOmany
eggs in. this country. He who carries
three baskets must put one on his
head, which is apt to tumble and trip
him. One fault of the American bus
mess man is lack of concentration.
. To summarize what l have said :
Aim for the highest; never enter a
bar-roOm do not touch liquor, or, if
at all, only at meals never speculate;
never endorse beyond your surplus
cash fund; make the firms interest
yours; break orders always to save
owners; concentrate; put all your
eggs in one basket keep expenditure
always within revenue; lastly, do not
be impatient, for, as Emerson says,
"nO one can cheat you out of ultimate
success but yourselves"
/ congratulate you upon being born
to the ancient and honorable degree
ofpoverty which renders it necessary
that you should devote yourselves to
hard work. trust that few, if any
Of you, have the misfortune to berich
mems sons; for, believe me, such are
heavily weighted in the race. A
basketful of bonds is the heaviest
baske a young man ever had to car.
ry. He generally gets a staggering
under it. We have in this city credi.
table instances of such young men
who have pressed to the front ranks
of our best and most useful citizens
These deserve great credit, much
greater credit than will be yours when
you occupy similar positions. But
the vast majority of the sons of rich
men are unable to resist the tempta'
lions to which wealth subjects them
and sink to unworthy lives. Iwoul6
almost as soon leave a young man 6
curse as to burden him with the al
mighty dollar. 1t is not from this
class that you have rivalry to fear
The partners sons will not trouble
you much but look out that some
boys poorer, much poorer, than your
selves, whose parents cannot afford t.
give them the advantages of a course
in this institute, advantages which
should give you a decided lead in the
race, look out that such boys do not
challenge you at the post and pas
you at the grand stand. Look Ou
for the boy that has to plunge int
work direct from the common school
and who begins by sweeping out thu
office. He is the probable "darl
hOrspO that Won had better watch