The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-02-29

"Take care of the pennies and the
pounds will take care of themselves"
The majority of the wealthy, infuen-
tial business men of the world have
commenced at the foot of the ladder
and climbed up round by round. A
few years ago Washington GLADDEN.
addressed letters to one hundred of
the leading wealthy men of New En-
gland, asking them questions about
their early life and how they gained
their wealth. Most of them replied
to the letters, and nearly all who did
reply commenced life poor, and the
majority of them were reared on
farms. They had been industrious,
frugal, avoided extravagant specula-
tions, and had done business on bus
ipess principles. Some of them Mr..
Gladden. knew personally, and they
were men of strict integrity, generous
without being extravagant, frugal
without being miserly, not given to
waste, nor spending money where it
would do no good. They were men
of good business capacity, and had
made political economy study. They
had adopted the honorable, legitimate
way of accumulating wealth, and
wealth they had gained as natural
consequence.
Some years ago l became acquaint-
ed with man who had accumulated
fifty thousand dollars in brief space
of time, comparatively, and was still
adding to his wealth. l made inqui-
ry about the man and learned these
facts: He came West, poor boy, and
took up little land. He was natur-
ally energetic, had good business
ability, possessed a fair education,
was honest in all his dealings, affable
in manners, kind-hearted and oblig-
ing, never given to dissipation, never
spending money where it would not
benefit himself or somebody else.
The little land he purchased, mostly
on time, soon increased in value, and
he sold it, paid his debts, and with
the remainder secured more land.
He soon opened land Office in the
village and bought and sold land as
he had opportunity, making little
on each sale. His business increased.
The people with whom he traded
found him honest and upright in all
his dealings, always true to his word,
and always attentive to his business.
And so they liked to deal with him.
The sharpers they avoided, and came
to this man to buy or sell their land.
Without much advertising or effort
on his part his business became
known and his reputation spread
abroad. Moneyed men East sent him
funds to be invested at a fair interest
on good security. AS the town grew
and the country filed up his name
became prominent, and he was elected
to offices of trust, being sent to con-
gress; but wherever he was placed
he always proved himself to be hon.
est, capable and gentlemanly. Out
of his accumulations he gave reason
ably for the public good. And the
result of all these things was that
he accumulated wealth. He is now
governor of his adopted State. In
his case was fully exemplified, "The
upright shall have good things in
abundance"
Victor Hugo, in his great story,
brings out the same thought in the
life of Jean Valgean, after he had
become a reformed man. His hon
esty, kindness of heart, inventive
genius and business capacities made
him friends, gave employment to men
and women, and added to his own
prosperity and wealth. Such course
of life will bring wealth to any one.
We need not go very far from home
to find living illustrations of this.
Most of the wealthy business men of
the country started out in life as poor
boys, and many of them poorly edu
Gated at that.
Every city has its solid business
men, and nine -tenths of them COM
menced poor and accumulated their
wealth by industry, frugality, bust
ness tact and generous planning.
There is no better way to rise in life
than this. Wishing never made
man millionaire, never earned dol
lar. 1t is the man who takes off his
coat, rolls up his sleeves, and enters
upon his chose work with a deter
mination to succeed, who finally sue
ceeds. need not specify examples.
They are as familiar as household
words.
To sum up the conditions of honor
able wealth:
A man must have some natural