Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-07-13
WEALTH DUE no 4 MIcnopE.
~Cbnuncey Depsw Advances New Theory
In Regard To M~iliionafres

LbuuhCey DepeW ADVANCES Now AueoIy
In Regard To M~tliionaires.
New York Journal: The power OF
making money is not an art or a sell
ence. 1t Is a microbe that is born lin
or develops In a man. IL he has 1t he
will wax wealthy: II not. he may sue
coed, but he viii remain poor.
The microbe spoke TO me twice In my
life. but / was deaf. Had l needed az
well as listened In one instance alone
| would have been worth $50, coo, 0o0 to-
day. Instead l am a poor man
1 have made a life study of men who
have acquired millions. All my inves-
legations convince me that a mcrobe
is responsible for great wealth. 1t al
most makes me believe in the PreSby-
terrain doctrine of generalization and
predestination, and that from all etei-
nifty certain men were ~foreodained and
predestined to become millionaires.
My son has n SIS coo mortgage to lift.
III he has the money inicrobe he Will
not only life II. but will lend money
To many others. IL he hasn't, he won't.
Take a recent example, my friend
Tony Aste, the bootblack, who won a
fortune this week on a horse race. Six
years S he began on a 81 note. He
cannot explain his good fortune. And
l have never met a successful man yet
who could give any lucid explanation
of how he piled up his millions. l tell
you It Is a microbe.
There was Commodore Vanderbilt.
He started with a little ferry, and when
he died his estate was worth $l0i, geo, :
600. He could not tell how he did IL.
/ have asked him.
William IL. Vanderbilt greatly in
creased that fortune. lie never could
tell me a reasonable reason for making
Investments that increased the Wander
bilt fortune until 1t was the greatest OF
It's day.
Thirty-four years ago / became coun-
sci for Commodore Vanderbilt. Money
attracts money, and in the years that
nave followed ] have met most OF the
American millionaires and many of the
old world. How they made their mon
ey has always been a study with me.
[ had excellent opportunities for inves-
tigating under circumstances that
guaranteed they would tell me the
truth.
Not one OF them gave me a reason
convincing TO cause me TO invest a dol
lar.
/ did not consider the man who
struck a mine or found oil. l studied
men OF Tony Aste's type, who startel
OH q 81 note or less. Each one said
that something told him that 1t would
be wise to build this line OF railroad OF
start q line OF boats to the West In
dies or buy his piece OF property IN
spite OF the fact that nothing con-
nected with the enterprises looked au-
spicious at the time.
Twice / have had the money microbe
knocking at my door. end / refused e
receive It. In one case l went TO m
friends and told them that the invest
ment would take all my savings. one
told me the patents were no good ant
another said the invention would never
be a success. In spite OF them l de
termined to invest until an old frien;
of mine heard OF my determination ant
convinced me that the move woulC
sweep away my savings.
l listened 10 him. That Is why i IL
not own one-sixth OF the Bell telephone
today. / could have had IL for $40, 900
1t Is worth $50, 900, 600 today. and tn.
dividends it has paid In the interven
Ing years are worth as much more.
| do not care TO tell what the othe
opportunity was because 1t woul
stultify me TO admit the great oppoc
tunity | overlooked.
Each OF those times the money mi
crobe spoke to me. The secret u
wealth IS to catch its accents as the,
fall, and heed them.