Daily Republican., 1889-09-10
THE BEST BOYS STORY.
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That was what q lawyer said of this
story that j am to relate TO you; ssIt IA
the beat boys story that ever heaid,O
I'VE have had good many boys with us
from time to time" said Mr.. Alden, the
senior member Of large hardware estab-
ltshment in Market street, Philadelphia,
:'as apprentices TO learn the business.
What may surprise you is that we never
take country boys, unless they live in
the city with some relative who takes
care of them and keeps them home at
nlehte, for when country boy comes To
the city to live every thing Is new to him,
and he 10 attracted by every show win
dow and unusual sight. The city boy,
who Is accustomed to these things, cares
little for them, and II he has good
mother he 10 at home and in bed in due
season. And we are very particular
about our boys-and before accepting
ono as an apprentice we must know thai
he comes of honest and industrious
parents.
But the best boy we ever had is now
with us, and member OF the firm. He
Is the one man In the establishment that
] we could not do without. He was thir.
teen years old when he was apprenticed
70 US, and he was with US for eleven
yeare, acting for several years as sales
man. When be first came we told him
tnat ior long time his wages would bt
very small, but that II lie proved to bs q
good boy bis salary wouid be increased al
q Certain rate every year, and as II
turned out, when according to ngree.
mont we should have been paying him
nve hundred dollars year, we paid nine
hundred, and he meyer said word abou
an increase of salary. From the very
outset lie showed that he had an Interest
In the business. He was prompt In the
morning, and If kept little over time nj
night IL never seemed to make any diff
terence to him. He gradually came tc
know Where everything wOs to be found
ahd II Information was wanted, 1t was tC
this boy, Frank Jones, that every one ap.
plled. The entire esta bishment seemed
to be mapped out In his head, and every
tllng in 1t catalogued and numbered
Hts memory of faces was equally re-
markahle. He knew the name of every
man who came to the store to buy goods.
when he bought and where he came
from. l used often to say TO him Jones,
your memory is worth more than a gold
mine; How do you manage to remem.
berg
II make 1t my business to rememb Der,
he would say. Il know that II eau re.
member man and call him by name
when he comes into the store, and car
ask him how things are going on where
he lives, Twin be very likely to keep him
as customer
| "Aud that was the exact case. He made
friends of buyers. He took the same in.
tel est on their purchases as he took In tn,
store, and would go to no end OF troubis
to suit them, and to tuldll TO the lettel
everything he promised.
| "Well, affairs went on In this way un.
III he had teen with us eleven years
when we concluded to take him into the
flrul rs partner. We knew that he had
no extravagant habits, that he neither
used tobacco, nor beer, nor went to the
theatre. He continued as at the begin.
ming TO board mt home, and even when
his salary wEs the very lowest he paid
his mother two dollars o week for biz
board. lie was always dressed neatly,
aud we thought 1t was very probable
that he had laid up one or two Thousand
dollars, as his salary ior the last two
years had been twelve hundred dollars
So when we made him the offer to be
come partner In the business, aud sug
gested that it would be more satistactor,
II he could put some money into the firm
he replied:
"'if ten Thousand d dollars will be an,
object eau put in that much. l bayt
suyed out ot my salary niue thousnnt
four hundred, and my sister will let IN
have six hundred
81 can tell you that / was never NOR
astonished in my life than whei
that fellow said he cou put IN tel
thousand dollars, and the most OF 1t lii
own name. He hal never spent dollar
or twenty-five cents, or five cents for al
unnecessary thing, and had kept hi
money In bank where 1t had gathered
small interest. l am great believer IL
the Bible, you know, and always KEEP
two placarjs In big letters up in the store
that which Is least, is faithful also II
that which is much;' and on the other
He that is dlligent IN business, shall
stand before kings and not before mean
men, And Frank Jones' success wat
the literal iuldllment Of those two texts.
Ho has been faithful in the smallest
things as in the greater ones, and dil!.
gent in business. That kind of a boy
always succeeds" concluded Mr.. Alden.
A small boy OF ten, who had listened To
the story with eager eyes, as we'll as ears,
said:
"But we don't have any kings In this
country, Mr.. Alden, for diligent boys to
stand belorep
"Yes, we do" laughed Mr.. Alden.
I'VE have more kings here than in any
other country in the world. We have
money kings, and business kings, and
railroad kings, and land kings. and mer-
chant kings, and publishing kings, and
some OF them WELD an enormous power.