The Saint Paul globe., 1904-11-20

men In the country, young Cornelius
still IN his teens, knew that his father
was short of funds. So one day he
crossed the ferry from Staten Island to
Manhattan island and applied for job
as a clerk in one of the banks. He had
some difficulty in reaching the presi-
dent Of the institution, but persisted
and was finally led into his presence.
After listening to the application the
banker asked the lads name.
Cornelius Vanderbilt" was the re-
ply.
Possibly related to Commodore Van
derbilt?',, questioned the banker some
what quizzically, whereupon the boy
said he was a grandson of the famous
railroad king, but explained that he
wanted to be employed, If at all, on
his own merits, and not because he had
a grandfather. He was taken on and
made good as bank clerk. Later
when his grandfather heard about 1t
and asked the young man to accept
minor place in the offices of the New
York & Harlem railroad at $4,000 a
year, he made good there, too.
William K. Vanderbilt and his son,
willie K.;" also the sons of Corne-
Illus the second, are all prominently
before the world, but only Cornelius
the second made good on his own mi
tiative, though the abilities of William
of very high order.
Cornelius The third, whose invention
of an improved locomotive firebox,
made some stir in the railroad world
a few years ago. is the only member
of the fourth generation of Wander
bilts who have ever seemed to take
life seriously, and even he appears
to have dropped out OF the running,
being now inclined to live chiefly for
S0Cia1 S11CPpSS and auprSaYnonf TT q
likely, though, that he Is one of those
who would have made good with the
half a chance" that is supposed to be
the portion of the youngster born with
plenty of ambition but no money.
When he was planning his firebox he
showed energy and pluck enough to
take a personal course at stocking q
locomotive just to see how steam was
kept up and to find out how i'm
provements might be made.
GouIds, Belmonts, "Jack" Morgan
George, Edwin, Howard or Frank
has made a failure, but only one,
George, has attained to anything that
might not be reached by any rich mans
son. When Jay Gould died 1t was the
general opinion that George would be
able to conserve the family fortunes,
but no one expected he would be able
10 DO more In TACT, II mas Often Deen
said that Jay Gould himself expected
no more. Yet George Could is one of
the great, strong forces In the railway
world today, and his dominance in the
field he has chosen for his own is ad-
mired by the strongest of his fellow
railway rulers, grudgingly, perhaps,
but none the less sincerely.
J. p. Morgan r-"Jaek'-promiseS
to become fine example of the sue
cessful son Of a great financial mag
nate, but II is yet too early to set him
down as an unqualified success. John
D. Rockefeller Jr., and Harry Payne
Whitney, son of William c. Whitney,
are practically In the same class. AS
all three of these young men have the
Of vast wealth and almost
boundless prestige behind them, how
ever, enough success to keep them
permanently in the public eye is virtu-
ally assured to them.
The Belmonts are very generally IA
miliar as the prominent sons of prom
inent man, but only one Of them, Au-
gust, has shown great initiative and
force. James Gordon Bennett, Of the
New York Herald, is one of the few
great newspaper mems sons who have
carried along their fathers life work
with credit. This he has done certain
ly. His paper was great in the elder
Benefits time, and It still holds its
place.
Many governors OF states have left
behind them sons who are as great as