The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-01-01
SUCCESS IN LIFE.
Opportunities For the Young Men
Of To-Day.
rhs Proper Csurse TO Pursus II They
Would Succeed In Basiness - The
Growth Of Large Concerns from
Small Bsginning&

Several Of tho most famou sworkshops,
mills and factories Of the world and
some Of the largest stores had their be-
ginning in small way, when their
owners had scarcely any capital other
than skill, industry and probity. Little
by little money was gathered for an
extension of the works, the gains be-
came larger, more money could be in
vested to chcapen processes or extend
trade, relate Of business value were
established, and so the business kept
on expanding until acres of buildings
took the place Of one small shop, and
the income began to bo counted by
millions instead Of hundreds. There
are many great establishments of which
this Is q general outline history, some
times varied by an opportune invention
or circumstance helping to 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 great
business from almost nothing; that the
age OF machinery has come, and that
one can not hope to compete with es-
tablished factories except by the use OF
large capital at the very beginning.
There is a little truth in this, because
one could hardly expect to succeed in
building locomotives, for example, by
hand-work in competition with estab-
lished works using machine tools; but
it is altogether overshadowed by the
larger truth that now, as heretofore,
there is room at the top for the young
man of probity, industry, zeal and intel
ligence. Capital can be obtained when
the proper time comes by the man who
has these qualities, and great enter
prises be established by those who start
In life at tho bottom round Of the lad
der.
Thirty years ago, says the Baltimore
Sun, the same objection was made with
apparently the same force, yet within
these thirty years instances can be
found of poor boy 8 rising to become the
great merchants and manufacturers Of
the country. If they mad 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 work-benoh; but they
were industrious, faithful, skillful, and
above all seif-confldent 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 fortune. One of the ia
nous assayers of the country started in
very small way, extracting the gold
and silver from the sweepings Of jewelry
manufactures. I5 required some years
of honest dealing before he could firmly
establish reputation for probity and
skill that brought him large consign-
ments. Then his little laboratory be-
gan to grow, he invented new processes
to help him in his work, his good name
became known in distant States, and to-
ward the close of his life more gold and
silver passed through his assay oface
in year than through the United
States mint at Philadelphia. His great
business success was due in part to his
knowledge and skill, in part to his In
dustry, but also in large part to his high
character. Strangers consigned to his
assay Office thousands of dollars worth
Of ore. No one save the assayer could
say how much silver and gold he ex-
tracted therefrom, but men learned to
trust him and on the strength of his rep
utation millions of dollars worth Of ma
terial were intrusted to him as to Gov
ernment mint. Can the young man 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 business un-
dertaking. The impatience of young
men is often a bar to their success.
They want to make money rapidly and
establish great house Of some kind in
few years. There are exceptional cir
cumstances under which this may be
done, but the general rule is that sever
a! years are required to fully establish a
business reputation that can command a
large trade.
Quite recently in one Of the large
cities an old mercantile firm that had
been established for over half cent
ury, and was at one time at the head OF
all the wholesale establishments, was
bought out-stock, good will and fxt.
ures-by a young man who had started
a small store when this firm was at the
height of its power and business intlu.
ence. He did not dream at that time Of
competing with his great neighbor BE
was content to do the small. trade that
fell to his lot, he attended strictly tc
business and exerted himself to please
his customers. Slowly but steadily his
business expanded. Before many years
he became rival Of the older firm, and
then the unexpected though natural
thing happened. The younger man was
more enterprising and energetic thar
his neighbor who, firing of the struggle
after accommodating large fortune, re
tired from the field. In the business
world as in nature there is the period oi
growth and decay. Great business
houses may have fresh blood infused
into them and descending from father
to son may go ON growing beyond thu
lifetime OF their founder; corporations
give still longer time to the period O
growth. but decay comes to all of then