The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1907-09-04

Copyright 1907 by Henry @. Pagani.)
A face enough like Bismarck's ia
make the resemblance startling, a
slender, wiry, boyish figure topped by
q white head, a manner self-assured,
yet never coarsely aggressive. There,
in a nutshell, is the personality Of one
of tho most picturesque. interesting
figures In all New England-that Of w
l.. Douglas, Ex-Governor OF Massachu-
sets.
But 1t Is not chiefly as Ex-Governor.
or indeed as statesman at all, that the
world at large knows Mr.. Douglas. a
quarter-mile OF factories, a yearly out
put of something over three million
pairs OF shoes. and n face that looks
out from the advertising columns of
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 his
hints on business success will not only
be OF interest, but OF profit to every
class Of reader.
For the description Of a hard climb,
OF a winning fight against circum-
stances and the climbers" rules for
victory are always worth hearing. The
world loves a lighter and takes an in
terest In his battles.
And W. l.. Douglas Is a fighter, as
oven the most casual student OF human
nature could CLEAN from one glance at
tho strong, prominent jaw, the level
brows, the firm set Of the lips.
That cast OF feature set Bismarck
to topping European thrones. The same
physiognomy with a gentler mould Of
eye and mouth) has caused Douglas 20
rcvolutionize business, to wiring wealth
from poverty and political power from
n State peopled by a majority hat diff
fers from him in politics.
Bismarck tore down. Douglas has
built UP. 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 sure you
have something worthy to advertise.
Something just as good as you say it
is. Struggle to keep 1t as good, and
then advertise 1t constantly. The
newspaper Is the field In which my adj
Vertising has brought me the only per-
fcctly satisfactory returns. And 1 have
tried many lines before settling down
exclusively to that theory"
The same cradle served for New
England and for the man who was ono
q to be Governor OF It's Oldest State.
Fol- Ii was In ancient Plymouth, scene
OF the Pilgrims landing. that Douglas
was born, in 1916. His was as pathetic
and hopeless n childhood as ever Dick
ems pictured for David Copperccld or
other Of his luckless boy heroes. That
Douglas rose from It to any later posi-
ton whatever speaks volumes for the
stun he was made Of.
In 1850 news came to n Plymouth
woman that her husband, tho 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, n shoemaker. The child's life
from then on became one long era Of
drudgery and hardship. His uncle set
hill at once to pegging shoes by hand
This was a task for grown workers,
but the baby fingers wero kept at the
i~ncessant toll OF 1t from dawn to dark.
NO holiday, no lct-up OF any sort. and.
worst OF all, no wages.
The sevcn-year-old boy was carving
unduly heavy weapons In his life-bat-
tie. He has been carrying them ever
since. Ills ability to do so explains
why he became Governor William l..
Douglas. instead of merely Journcyman
Bill Douglas.
Ills uncle was a stern
Apart from the shoc-pegging, the child
was called upon to perform a score OF
equally severe duties. Among them
was the twice-a-day Journey into the
woods, In bittcrest New England
winter weather. to cut and DRAG in
wood for the shops fires.
Only at rare intervals was he allowed
TO leave his workbench for tho school
room. But at such periods he proved
so apt a scholar as to make up for the
Ions lapses. He was greedy for educa,
tion and seemed to absorb his scanty
portion OF 1t without effort. 1t was
only by this strange proficiency that he
CLEANED any learning at all.
For four years the slavery went on.
Then Douglas returned to his mother.
But so valuable had he hccome in the
shop that his uncle induced him Ia
come back to him at tho muni6cent
wage OF s. a month. Until he was nf-
teen he continued to work thus, all tho
tim busy with now ideas along his
own line. These Ideas were ono day 10
bear fruit.
Once, seeking to better himself, no
went to work in a Plymouth cotton
mill at 80 cents a day. This meant fully
" n month, and the 50 raise seemed
not unlike a dream OF wealth. But fate