St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-10-23

tcopyright 1907 by Henry G. Pagani.)
face enough like Bismarck's to
make the resemblance startling,
slender, wiry. boyish figure topped by
white head, manner self-assured,
vat never coarsely aggressive. There,
An a nutshell, is the personality OF one
~ the most picturesque, interesting
Aeures in all New England-that of w.
7. Douglas Ex-Governor of Massachu-
sets.
But it is not chiefly as Ex-Governor,
or indeed as statesman at all, that the
world at large knows Mr.. Douglas. A
nuarter- mile of factories, yearly out
put of something over three million
nairs of shoes, and face that looks
mt from the advertising columns Oh
eight thousand newspapers-these are
the outward attributes that have made
the name of w. L. Douglas so familiar
from Maine to California.
The story of the man who could make
himself so well known; his secret OF
achievement, his life history and MS
hints on business success will not only
be of interest. but of profit to every
class Of reader.
For the description of hard climb,
of a winning fight against circum-
stances and the climbers" rules for
victory are always worth hearing. The
world loves fighter and takes an In
Eerest in his battles.
And w. L. Douglas Is fighter, as
even the most casual student Of human
nature coula CLEAN from one glance at
the strong, prominent jaw, the level
prows the firm set of the lips.
That cast Of features set Bismarck
TO toppling European thrones. The same
physiognomy with gentler mould OF
eve and MOUTH has caused Douglas to
reyoluuonize business, to wiring Weatn
from poverty and political power from
a State peopled by majority that dit-
fers from him in politics.
Bismarck tore down. Douglas has
built I'D. That is where the milder eye
and mouth come In.
There is a keyword to Douglass sue
cess, Of course. Several Of them, In
fact. The foremost is Advertising"
His Life Motto.
Newspaper advertising is his life
motto in business. First, be cure you
have something worthy to advertise.
Something just as good as you say II
is Struggle to keep it as good, and
then advertise it constantly. The
newspaper is the field in which my ad-
vertising has brought me the only per-
fectly satisfactory returns. And have
tried many lines before settling down
exclusively to that theory"
The same cradle served for New
England and for the man who was one
day to be Governor Of its Oldest State.
For 1t was in ancient Plymouth, scene
of the Pilgrims landing, that Douglas
was born, in 1916. His was as pathetic
and hopeless a childhood as ever DICK
ems pictured for David Copperfeld or
other Of his luckless roy heroes. That
Douglas rose from t to any later posi-
ton whatever speaks volumes for the
stuff he was made of.
In 1850 news came to Plymouth
woman that her husband, the bread
winner Of their large family, had been
drowned at sea. All The children were
young. The mother was almost with
out means. So two years later she
verbally bound OUT one of the brood
"a precocious boy of SEVENTH his
uncle, shoemaker. The chld's life
from then on became one long era o.
drudgery and hardship. His uncle SCI
hEl at once to pegging shoes by hand
This was task for grown workers
but the baby fingers were kept at thu
incessant toll of 1t from dawn to dark
No holiday, no let-up of any sort. and
worst of all, no wages.
The seven-year-old boy was carryint
unduly heavy weapons in his life-bat
tie. He has been carrying them eve
since. His ability to do so explains
why he became Governor William L
Douglas, instead OF merely Journeymai
Bill Douglas.
His uncle was a stern task-master
Apart from the shoe-pegging, the chilli
was called upon to perfn' m score o
equally severe duties. Among then
was the twice-a-day journey into tn
woods, in btterest New Englan'
winter weather, to cut and drag Il
wood for the shops fires.
Only at rare intervals was he allowe
to leave his workbench for the school
room. But at such periods he prove
so apt a scholar as to make up for tn
long lapses. He was greedy for educa
ton and seemed to absorb his scant
portion Of 1t without effort. 1t wa
only by this strange proficiency that h
Cleaned any learning at all.
For four years the slavery went OF
Then Douglas returned to his mother
But so valuable had he become in tn
shop that his uncle induced him I
come back to him at the munifcer
wage of IS a month. Until he was fl
teen he continued to work thus, all tn
time busy with new ideas along h
own line. These ideas were one day |
bear fruit.
Once, seeking to better himself. /
went to work in a Plymouth cotto
mill at 80 cents day This meant full
S month. and the 50 raise SCENE
mot unlike dream Of wealth. But IA