The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-14
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.


The world has learned pretty well by
this time that Andrew Carnegie is a re-
markable man-remarkable for rising from
a small beginning TO great wealth, re-
markable for his munifcent gifts TO educa-
uonal and literary works. for his clear
thinking and speaking on topics OF gen
eral interest Not the least remarkable
thing about him is that in the multiplicity
Of other affairs and occupations he should
have developed an inclination and found
time 10 do something creditabe in the line
Of authorship. His Gospel of Wealth
and his Triumphant Democracy" were
widely read and much commented on, and
he has written some interesting hooks OF
travel. n new work by him entitled THE
Empire of Business is likely to attract at
tention as much by reason Of its contents
as from the name of the author. Mr.. Car
negie ought TO know something about bus
mess, and he shows that he does. In this
book he discusses the principles and ethics
of business rather than the details. Chap
ter L, entitled THE Road to Business Sue
cess is a talk TO young men based on
the experience of a long business career.
The next chapter treats of the needs ana
uses Of money and shows how the money
standard affects the credit of a nation The
common interest of labor and capital Is
treated from the viewpoint of their interde-
pendent relations. The author argues that
mutual trust is essential to the prosperity
of both, and that the employer who helps
his workmen through education, recreation
and social uplift helps himself. Under the
chapter heading OF Thrift as a Duty
are discussed the duties of rich men ana
the merit of thrift as a factor in clVlliZa-
ton. 1t is shown that saving is one of
the highest duties of citizenship and the
accumulation of competence a duty. In
considering the question of how TO win
fortune the advantage of an early start
is urged. The author does not think that
college education Is necessary 10 business
success, and points out that most Of the
successful men of to-day started as poor
boys. He thinks poverty an incentive 10
great achievement He holds that great
wealth brings great opportunities and re-
spOnsibilities. He treats the trust question
fearlessly, holding that combinations are
the order of the day and that their gen
eral effect is to increase production and
reduce prices The protective tariff policy
of the United States and the free-trade
policy of Great Britain are analysed and
their results compared. 1t is shown that
the same principles or thrift, energy, con-
cenratlon and brains that VIII VIII In one
branch OF business or under one economic
system will win under different conditions.
In the scheme of the worlds work il is
argued that the triple alliance Of labor,
capital and business ability are necessary
to produce successfully, that each is de-
pendent on the other, and combined they
are tnvincible A separate chapter is de-
voted to the history and development of
railroads. TO railroading in the future and
TO the needs and responsibilities Of railroad
men. The conditions of iron and steel pro-
duction and trade at home and abroad pare
fully set forth and the future of the metals
Would / Do with the Tariff if I Were
Car, the author emphasizes the adVan-
tage of taxing imported luXurieS heavily
and reducing the tax raw materials and
necessities. He cites what he regards
examples of correct and misappied tariffs.
Mr.. Carnegie's qualifications to discuss
these and kindred business questions may
be inferred from the fact that he himself
created a great business out of nothing.
He did not make his fortune by commits
sion as a banker, or bx handling mer-
chandise a trader, but by manufacture
ing raw material taken out of the earth.
He never speculated on a share of railroad
stock, though he owned complete rail
road, built expressly for the purpose OF
his own manufacturing industry. He built
mills but never sold them. lie created
his own line of lake steamships; he bought
land and mined his own ore and built up
from nothing a business which was event
ually sold 10 the steel trust for several
hundred millions. What man of this eX
perience has TO say upon the principles
and practice of business is worth reading.
Mr.. Carnegie believes the opportunities for
success in business are as good to-day as
at any previous time for those who possess
the qualifications and use the means neceS-
sary for success. He thinks there is still
room at the top and a place always open
Tor the exceptional man. Every employer
of labor" he says, lis studying the young
men around him most anxious to find one
Of exceptional ability. Nothing in the
world desirable for him and profit
able for him as such q man. Every man
ager in the works stands ready to grasp,
TO utilize the man that can do something
that is valuable Every foreman wants
to have unde- him in his department able
men upon whom he can rely and whose
merits he obtains credit for. because the
greatest test of ability in a manager is not
the man himself, but the men with whom
he is able to surround himself In enfOrc-
ing the virtue and duty Of thrift Mr. Car
-gie diferentiates 1T from avarice. He
does not think great wealth a desirable
object to aim at. 1T is not the aim of
thrift the duty Of men 70 acquire mil
lions. II is in no respect virtue TO set
this before us as an end. Duty to save
ends when just money enough has been
put aside to provide comfortably for those
dependent upon us boarding millions is
avarice, not thrift" Mr.. Carnegie advises
every man to master one business and de-
vote himself exclusively to that. IF he
be wise he puts all his eggs in basket
and then watches that basket" He thinks
one iron In the fire is enough, and says,
Il have never yet met the man who fully
understood two different kinds of bust
ness" He thinks the age of iron is pass
ing and that of steel is coming, and he
predicts that the United States will rule
the steel market Of the world. Farewell,
age Of iron" he says: "all hail king steel
and success to the Republic, the future
seat and center of his empire, where he is
to sit enthrOned and work his wonders upon
the earth Occasionally the author be
comes reminiscent and PHILOSOPHERS in a
confidential way. What are the advan-
tages a man receives from wealth is often
discussed he says, but the best of wealth
is not what 1t does for the owner but
what it enables him to do for others l
advance Of salary Of $40 per month. That
gave me an enormous revenue compared
with the s12o week at which | started in
the cotton factory. The book is published
by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York