Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-02-20
THE VANDERBILT BOYS.
WELL-TRAlNED WELL-BEHAvED AND
LEvEL-HEADED MlLLIONAlRES.
Cornelius and william X, the Present
Heads of the Vanderbilt Family-The
Training the Boys Received from Their

The young Vanderbilts-I mean Cornelius
and William K, the present heads of the
family--have "gone at it" as if they meant to
double the fortunes their father left them
right speedily. Indeed, l don't see how they
can help it, Cornelius Vanderbilt Is 40 now,
and he Is worth, suppose, at least $50, OOO,-
900, perhaps more. This, at compound inter-
est, should double every twelve years, which
would make il no less than $640, 900, 900 when
Mr.. Cornelius is 76 1t would increase a good
deal faster than that at the interest which he
is to-day eceiving on his stock and bonds
but there will come panics, reyerses, cata-
clysms, perhaps, and he can not safely count
on making more than $460, 000, 600 i'm thirty
six years.
These young men are exceptional charac-
tess They started in the path of life under
the iron rod of their remarkable grandfather,
the old commodore He didn't believe in
boys at ALL he didn't believe i'm anybody
much, and when Cornelius and William X.
got out of short clothes he said to their father:
"Look here Billy, boys are no good; there's
only one way TO save em, and that is by put
ting 'em at something, and making ern work
like the devil all the while Now, stick these
boys in somewhere, and make 'em come down
to it. Don't let up on 'em.
William II. was not half as hard and in
flexible as his father, but he was accustomed
to mind that gentleman-as obedient when
he was 40 as when he was 14-and he knew
perfectly that it was better to kick boy out
of doors than to pet him and give him money;
SO he told the boys as his father had told him,
that they "must support themselves
RESISTANCE TO TEMPTATION.
Cornelius got little clerkship in the Shoe
I, e.
four years he got there as early as any clerk,
and worked as late and as hard He allowed
himself no extra holidays, and neither his
father nor his grandfather did anything to
make his life easier. During these years his
uncle Torrance, going to Europe for the com
modore, invited "the youngster" to 60 with
him, and the grandfather relented and con.
sented The boy was delighted at the chance,
but the question of salary was involved. He
presented the matter to the president "You
can CO." said that amiable functionary, "but
Of course you will lose your salary, $3.50
That settled it. Cornelius turned his back on
temptation and declined to go.
When he was 20 he was made clerk 'at
the bottom of the ladder" in the Hudson River
railroad office, and his younger brother viii.
lam X, was put at work there the next
year. For more than eighteen years, now,
they have slowed down to it" in that great
concern, and they are far better trained than
their father ever was in all the details of the
business.
They are not fast men. They own no
yacht. They care nothing for clubs. They
are content with one wife apiece They love
their children, and each family, filing into
church, looks like pair of gently sloping
stairs. They care little for fast horses. They
do not swear. One of them is superintendent
of Sunday school, and both are deeply in.
volved in the various charities of the city.
Cornelius is first vice president and head Of
finance, and William K is second vice presi
dent and master of Transportation. Each
knows his business thoroughly The most
striking thing about either of them is that
they work as hard as if they were hired by
the job-which they are, by the way-and
that they are perfectly democratic and ac
cessible to anybody who has business with
them On the whole, the present seniors OF
the house of Vanderbilt are about the most
quiet, unassuming, well behaved, well
trained, and level headed of the New York
millionaires of the present day-Cor. Cincin.
natl Commercial Gazette.