Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16

HAD TO HUSTLE FOR SUCCESS
Men Who Became Rich Buckled to
Work When They Were Young.

From Spare Moments.
1t Marshall o. Roberts who orlsi-
mated the idea of giving his store an air OF
prosperity by filling his counters with tie
appearance of goods. when he could not.
afford the actual stock.
In 1885 young Roberts hsd managed TO
scrape together a few hundred dollars. the
result of many years close saving, though
he was only twenty-one at the time He
had decided to try his hand at the hard
ware and shipping supply business.
The first thing was to find a suitable
building in a suitable location. But the
two requirements could not be found to-
gether. so he was finally compelled to take
a large building. In which his small stock
of goods seemed completely lost.
After arranging his shelves in every pos
sible way to make them appear to good adj.
vantage, he gave up in disgust.
They look like SO many samples" he
complained, and, II Is said Immediately
went out and ordered a load of bricks sent
to the store.
These he took one by one and neatly
wrapped, tying a sample of a nail or a
screw or a rivet to the end that would be
visible. The bricks were about the size of
many of his boxes, and when the shelves
were filled with them his store appeared
to be exceedingly well stocked. Naturally
customers were drawn to the firm that
kept the largest stock.
ACCOTulHR 10 the same authority Leland
Stanfords first earnings were the result of
digging horse radsh, washing 1t and carry
ing 1t to the nearest town. He received,
as his share of the enterprise, % cents. lie
was then six years old. In his eighth year
he worked hard gathering chestnuts which
he sold for SO.
During successive years he toiled on the
farm in the summer and attended school
in the winter. all the time dreaming of n
college education and later of becoming a
lawyer. When he was eighteen there WAS
no money in sight for the carrying out OF
his cherished plans, and the outlook to say
the least. was not encouraging. Conse-
quently he hailed with delight his father 3
oner to allow him the profits from clearing
a tract Of woodland recently purchased lie
was to have all he could make selling cord
wood.
He went at it with zest, hiring other
woodchoppers to help him, and before
year of the hardest kind of toll had ended
he had chopped and shipped more than two
thousand cords of wood and had in the
bank $1,000. He did not lose sight of his
purpose, but used the money to finish his
common school education and then at a law
school,
When Charles Tiffany, on $1,000 capital
borrowed from his father, established a
store dealing In ornaments and fine work
In gold and silver, right on the heels of the
great panic of 1887, he showed an under
standing of human nature that indicated
an original mind as well as an independent
one. His success almost instanta-
neOus. He appealed to a side OF human
desire that had been ignored and the re-
Spouse was heavy and continuous.
His use of the first great Atlantic cable
illustrates his shrewd business sense. Hard
ly had the attempt to lay the cable proved
failure before he bought all the unused
wire, had 1t cut up into different shapes
and sizes. attractivey mounted and offered
for sale as souvenirs. They sold like hot
cakes and Melted him a handsome sum-