Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-11-27
Began Lite in. Poverty.

1t is curious and instructive fact
that, of the world multimillionaires
at least four out Of five have been
Graded in cottages or poverty strick-
en- farm houses, and have commenc-
ed their strenuous climb Of the lad
der of riches from its lowest rung.
1t was a modest farmhouse in
Wellington county, Ontario. that
Jas. J. Hill, who today is perhaps
the most powerful railway magnate
in the world, first saw the light
nearly seventy years ago. At fif7;
teen he was toiling early and late in.
rffosaelds TO support his widowed
mother, and he thought his fortune
was made when he found employ
mept behind the counter of a small
country store. A few years later he
was glad to earn 50 a day a dock
laborer at st. Paul. Mimi, where,
after a romantic wooing, he married
pretty Mary Mahegan, maid-of-all
work at little hotel near the wharf
Today Mrs, Hill looks down from
her 100000 mansion on the scene
of her early humble labors.
Charles M. Schwab, Americas
"steel king" had for father a
struggling factory operative and
earned his first money by work
ing on neighboring farms and
driving the mail cart between
Cresson and Loretto. From plow
and cart he migrated to a small gro
Gerry store, where he sold tea and
sugar over the counter for So a
week; and he first set his foot on
the ladder of fortune when he was
engaged to drive stakes at dollar a
day for the Carnegie company.
Within twenty years after this hum
BILE start he was drawing a salary Of
SSOO,OOO year and owned more
millions than he had ever dreamed
of possessing.
Less than sixty years ago Mr..
Wanamaker, the millionaire "Store
King" was barefooted lad in the
streets of Philadelphia, thankful to
pick up crust or a cent by any
kind Of menial work. The son and
grandson Of poor bricklayers, il
seemed as hopeless for him to win
wealth as to capture rainbow; and
it was proud day when he carried
home dollar and a half, his first
weeks earnings as errand boy to q
bookseller.
Mr.. John D. Rockefeller, who ..is
credited with fortune Of $500
100000, began his sensational ca
reer by handling a hoe and driving
plow in Tioga county, until HI
was promoted to an Office stool il
Cleveland, Ohio, and he regarded
his fortune as good as made whel
} he purchased raft of hoop poles
steered it down the Ohio river am
sold it to miller for a profit of So
Mr.. w. A. Clark, who is said t
have made $5O,O0O,OO0 out of COP
, per, was farm laborer for many
, year-spending nine months on tn
: farm and three at school-until b
set his face toward the west in ques
II Of fortune. For two years he was
;, school teacher in Missouri and
. was only after. heartbreaking spe
d as a quartz miner that he got o
nodding terms with fortune in Nor
tana.
w. S. Stratton the we'll know
o "Gold King was one of the mir
Q children Of a struggling boat built
= - er, and forty years ago was workin
at a carpenters bench in Indian
a after six unpalatable months
in clerking in an Iowa store he drif
a ed, with SOCIAL his worldly po
y sessions-in his pocket, to Colorad
n, where he spent nineteen years in
lg !, fruitless search for gold, until "Stra
u, u toms i'll luck" passed into a proven
70 70 Equally hopeless we're the ear
he years of John W. Mackay, who W
e destined to make millions in Ca
ct fornia. Born in Dublin seyenty-f
m, years ago, his parents, despairing
he making a livingin Ireland, emigr'
he ed to America when the future o.
eshs was a boy of ten; aud thl