New-York tribune., 1902-01-23

Who. by Pluck, Foresight ana Energy, Have
dustry and Finance. BY James Burnley; With
pp tx, 5l2. Philadelphia; J. B. Lippncott Com
pany.
The fascination Of the stories OF men who have
risen from obscurity to influence and wealth
through force of character sagacity and skill in
the conduct of great enterprises seems TO be a
never ending one. 1t has resulted in the COM
pilation of numerous books describing the rise
Of the great American captains Of industry. who
are, with few exceptions. of this type They
have for the most part. made their own fortunes
through their own power and intuitive grasp OF
the opportunities that presented themselves. in a
country and in a century that have offered,
doubtless more Of such opportunities than have
ever arisen before elsewhere. The subject is
a tempting for the thoughtful student of
men and economic conditions. In the mean time
public curiosity and interest fed by such
biographical compilations as this of Mr.. Burn
ley's which is one Of the most attractive in out
ward appearance. and of the most careful
IN preparation. of the many that have made
their appearance. There many portraits in
half tone Of varying degrees of excellence, the
best being excellent reproductions of photo
graphs and giving an adequate idea of the ap
pearance Of the men described.
remark credited to Mr.. John D. Rockefeller
receives continual confirmation in the biog
rspties here contained:
II is a noticeable fact that the country men
are crowding out the city fellows who have
wealthy fathers They are willing to do more
work and to 90 through more for the sake of
winning success in the end Sons Of wealthy
parents haven't a ghost Of a show in comparison
with the fellows who come from the country
with the determination to do something in the
world.
Much more than hard work has gone 10 create
the great fortunes Of these American million
aires; but that is element that will be found
never lacking in the lives Of men who have
amassed wealth themselves. Another is the
erring perception Of opportunity and the mas
terful seizure of il. Andrew Carnegie. mill boy.
messenger boy and local railroad superintendent
worked hard. but ii was his boldness in propos-
ing 10 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company 10
build the iron bridges they had decided to sub
stitute for wooden that brought him into the
position 10 lead in Pittshurg's great industry.
John D. Rockefeller hard working farmers boy,
Office boy, produce merchant saw in the pan
demonium of confusion and distraction" in which
the oil business existed in the early sixties the
possibility of bringing order and of devising that
great engine of industrial power. the trust; that
has since become dominant. George NJ. Pull
man, also a farmers boy. then a Chicago build
er. was so bumped on a so-called sleeping car
that he approached the railroad companies with
plans for Improvement that frightened them
with their cost. His Pioneer was a practical
exposition of the belief he had acquired that
''only the best was good enough for Americans
The belief has been justified in more ways than
in railway travelling; but ali of Mr.. Pullnans
persistence was needed to give that belief an op-
portunity for realization The persistence not
only succeeded, but the railroads scepticicm
helped to build up Mr.. Pullman's fortune by re-
fusing purchase Of the cars or even partnership
in running them. and in bringing about the
adoption of the mileage system on which Pull
man cars have always been run.
The energy and insight that have enabled
great businesses to be built up out Of nothing
are associated generally with close attention TO
detail. Thus of Mr.. Philip D. Armour it Is
said that there was no detail small for him
TO attend to. no undertaking too great for him
10 grappIe with" When W. A. Clark went from
his banking office in Butte City into the devei-
opment Of Montana mines he first came to New
York to take a course in the School Of Mines at
Columbia College. When James ]. Hill was
building his Great Northern Railroad he was
far more than the organizer Of the work; he saw
10 every detail Of it being carried out:
So thoroughly did he cover the ground, and so
complete an acquaintance did he reveal with
every requirement, that ii seemed to the workers
as If there were two three Mr.. Hills running
around at their heels and directing them He
was ubiquitous. here to-day and gone to-mor-
row. and back again the day after, appearing
and disappea ring like ghost Sometimes he
made long journeys on SIedgeS Drawn Dy uoSs
beating through the snow and ice from point to
point; sometimes he had to dodge a party OF
opposing Indians, or impress his strong indl-
viduaiity upon them and fight his way through
them: and sometimes he had endure thirst
ard fatigue in the scorChing summer heats for
long spells But his enthusiasm kept him up
through all.
And in general it is a conclusion enforced by
q reading Of such books this that the en-
thusiasm that keeps the ambitious up is an
indispensa BILE adjunct his success. The fact
is that many qualities may be found in the
characters of the most successful men which
seem to have contributed in almost an equal de-
gree TO their prosperity; but no analysis can ex-
tract the one essential quality of genius which,
in this line in other lines of human activity.
achieves the highest results Hard work. ener-
gy. attention detail. sustained enthusiasm,
have all been expended by many men, with re-
suits Of varying importance; the one thing that
cannot be set down in words is that which.
added to all the others, has spelled success.