Semi-weekly herald., 1913-08-25

one occasion 1t was ms RooO fortune
to number among his passengers the
great ironmaster. Mr.. Carnegie was
with the strong personality
and honest speech of young Schwab
and offered him position as hum
BILE stake driver in the engineering
corps of what is now one of the sub
sidiary companies of the United States
Steel corporation.
When barely 23 years old Schwab
had climbed to the position of chief
engineer and assistant manager of one
of the big Carnegie companies. Two
years later he was made superintend-
ent of the great steel rail plant of
the Edgar Thompson works in Pitts
burg, holding his. position until 1897,
when he became president of the Car
negie Steel company, and later, 1901-3,
head of the United States Steel cor
poration.
Andrew Carnegie has said Charles
NJ, Schwab is the most practical steel
man in the world. The men who have
worked with him and under him say
Mr.. Schwab would have succeeded in
any other line of business because he
started in the right way.
"Any young man can succeed in any
line of endeavor if he will do that
which is given him to do a little bet
ter than the average. 1t is the man
who succeeds, not the business"
That is Mr.. Schwab's recipe. AS a
stake driver he followed it; as one
of the directing forces of the steel
industry and financial power he has
never lost sight of it.
"No man can suggest another's oc-
cupation," he declares. Each of us
has to follow his own inclination and
tastes. They are ones best advisers
as to the kind of business to follow
"The one big mistake that many
young men make is that they seem tc
be trying to fit themselves for genteel
employment" said Mr.. Schwab warn
ingly. "'Kid glove jobs are poor
roads to success.
"The greatest opportunities of today
are in industrial pursuits. Take, fol-
instance, my general manager at
Bethlehem. A few years ago he was
a mere workingman earning 800 a
MONTH Now he has 10000 working
under him and his income is $4,000
year"
Mr.. Schwab is a believer in in
comes.
"All my men get incomes" he said.
"They don't get salaries"
But at the same time Mr.. Schwab
recognizes that mans capacity for
earning a salary" does not neces-
sarily have to end there. A letter
touching on this point from young
man who complained of his lot was
shown to Mr.. Schwab. The letter
read:
Being young man employed by a
restaurant firm my hours are very
long and my salary small. cannot
find the right way to succeed"
"a man who complains of his salary
and counts hours won't succeed" was
Mr.. Schwab's comment.
While Mr.. Schwab, as far as is
known, never attempted to point out
the pitfalls of the big city into which
so many young men are drawn, nev-
ertheless he has some very decided
views on the subject. An evidence of
this was shown when, during PAN
icky period in Wall street, the follow
ing letter from a young man was
called to his attention:
"Will you kindly inform me where
l can buy stock with the smallest
amount of money? If at the curb ex-
change, will you let me know what
the brokerage charge for buying and
selling is?"
A grim smile came to Mr.. Schwab's s
face. He hesitated moment while
examinin gthe letter, then said:
"The most costly thing this young
man can do is to speculate in a stock
market. Let him invest in a legiti-
mate business"
No more striking example of the
acute mental caliber displayed by the
worlds greatest captains of industry
is furnished than by Mr.. Schwab him
self. Not long ago he gave news
paper reporter what was considered
the most comprehensive yet terse in
terview on record. The reporter caught
Mr.. Schwab as he was leaving his
newly acquired Fore River Ship and
Engine company plant at Quincy,
Mass. He bower, put his queries, and
Mr.. Schwab answered, all in three
as follows:
"The new combination of Bethle-
hem and Fore River is going ahead.
No one ever knew me to go backward.
We never stand still in our business.
"Let Wilson go slow on the tariff.
81 pay SO much attention to busi-
ness l have no time to arrive at an
opinion regarding the threatened war