The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-19
A NONOGENARIAN.
John |. Blair Tells Of Hi
Boyhood and His First
Start in Business.
BOY FATHER TO THE MAN
A Deal In Teaspoons That Proved
the Foundation Of. a Big
Fortune.
BOY FATHER TO THE MAN

Philadelphia was hardly as big as it IS
now, says the writer who tells the follow
ing story in the Philadelphia Press,
when, one evening, after many long hours
on the dirt roads of Western New Jersey,
a bow of IA. perched high on a load of
a drove into the town, tired and hun
CRY. but bright-eyed and shrewdly fore
casting in his youthful mind just how to
make the best use of his first visit to the
city-not scheming to have fun as most
boys understand it, but how tP do ousi-
ness that had brought him there, quick
est and most proitably. For this boy,
who was already pretty well known
throughout half a State, had begun TO
play the game of business early, and had
ever then been four years at the work OF
laying a fortunes foundation. LITTLE
John T. Blair, they called him then, and
those who knew him best predicted that
he would develop into an extraord4nary
man, while everybody agreed that ne
would surely be rich.
These predictions have proved true. Not
only has Little John l." got to be rich
he was a millionaire forty years ago, ana
doesn't know how rich he IS noW-put ne
had more of a hand in the material de-
velopment of the Republic, probably, than
any other man now living. He is only SIX
years less than 100 years old now. and On
his ninety-fourth birthday. which has
lust passed, he seemed quite strong
enough to last out the century. Almost
three generations of men AVE come and
gone since his first birthday, and ne mas
PLAYED a strong part among them all.
The railroads he has built are to be
found in almost every State; the cities
and towns that he has founded may be
erected number more than a hundred; he
has endowed colleges and schools; the
title HONORABLE was preixed to his
name many years ago., and he has known
8 H. rr~aa - ~ ri0 n ~
the present entur Of all these things
he is frank enough to say ne most de.
lights TO tell of his boyhood days, and
the tale OF the load of rags and the tea
spoons is his faYorite story.
He was sitting in his own little glass
room on the upper veranda of his man
sion at Blairstown, NJ j., where he could
where he played as a lad and before he
began his business life, when he told the
story to me.
1t was eighty years ago that the trip
was made, and It has remained fresh in
his memory because it gave him a chance
| to make a commercial hit that was rela-
lively of. great Importance, since through
memorable to his neighbors in Western
New Jersey, because, through that trip
| cut nails and teaspoons, till then prac-
p,saag w pn ! Their am reaeh. S ae lad g Ehen
been at work in a country store for four
| years, having begun at ten. and was get
ting, dissatisfied because ne thought his
| enterprise to push the business properly.
II told Dewitt said Mr.. Flair, in re-
| lating the story. sthat we ought to keep
sale in PhfIadeiphia. We had only the
| hand made, wrought nails, and they were
very high-so high as to keep many from
they had been cheaper. Dewitt held out
| a long time, burt he finally let me get a
load Of rag together, and take them to