The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1890-11-19
OPPORTUNITIES OF TODAY,

Several Of the most famous workshops,
mills and factories of the world and
some of the largest stores had their be-
ginning in a small way, when their own
ers had scarcely any capital other than
skill, industry and probitv. Little by
little money was gathered for an extern
sion Of the works, the gains became
| larger, more money could be invested to
! cheaper processes or extend trade, re-
lations of business value were establish
ed, and so the business kept on expand
ing until acres of buildings took the
place of one small shop, and the income
began to be counted by millions instead
of hundreds. There are many great es-
adjustments, Of which this is Il general
outline history, sometimes varied by an
oppOrtune invention or circumstance
helping to a more rapid growth. But
when young man is shown one Of
these big workshops, with thousands Of
employees and every labOr-saving device,
he is very likely to say that there are no
such opportunities now as once existed
to thus build up a great business from
almost nothing that the age OF machin-
cry has come, and that one can not hope
to compete with the established factories
except by the use of a large capital at
the very beginning. There is little
thruth in this, because one could hardly
expect to succeed in building lOcOmo-
tives, for example, by hand work in com
petition with established works using
machine tools; but it is altogether over
Swallowed by the larger truth that now,
as heretofore, there is room at the top
for the young man Of probity, industry,
zeal and intelligence. Capital can be
obtained when the proper time comes by
the man who has these qualities, and
great enterprises be established by those
who start in life at the bottom round of
the ladder.
Thirty years ago the same objection
was made with apparently the same
force, yet within those thirty years in
stances can be found of poor boys rising
to become the great merchats or manu-
facturers of the country. If they had
considered that the opportunities to rise
had passed away with the first half Of
the century, they might have remained
behind the counter or at the workbench /;
/ but they were industrious, faithful, skill
! frrI nj IL i
and determined to succeed, and
opportunities came to them as they
may come to any boy of the present
generation who prepares himself to take
advantage of a change in the tide of for
tune. One Of the famous assayers of the
country started in a very small way, ex-
tracing the gold and the silver from the
sweepings of jewelry manufactures. 1t
required some years of honest dealing
/ before he could firmly establish a repu-
tuition for probity and skill that brought
him large consignments. Then his little
laboratory began to grow, he invented
new processes to help him IN his work,
his good name became known in distant
States and towards the close Of his life
more gold and silver passed through his
assay Office in year than through the
United States mint at Philadelphia
His great business success was due in
part to his industry, but also in large
part to his high character. Strangers
consigned to his assay-oiIice thousands Of
dollars worth of ore. No one save the
assayer could say how much silver and
gold he extracted therefrom, but men
learned to trust him on the strength Of
Interpolation and millions Of dollars worth
OF material were entrusted to him as to q
government mint. Can the young nler
OF to-day repeat that history Possibly
not in that particular line Of work. But
the same qualities may be depended
upon to bear similar fruit in any bust
ness undertaking. The impotence Of