The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-12-24
FAILURE BROUGHT
SUCCESS TO HIM.
Collapse Of Early Business Ven
tuRe Made ShuItZ a Pickle
King.
MOTHER AND WIFE HELPED
Persistent Work, Honest Goods and
Old Woman's Cheerful Philosophy
Carried Him Through Adversely
to Great Prosperity.
By RICHARD sPILLANE.

By RICHARD SPILLANE.
Gcopyright. Mcclure Newspaper syndIcate.)
When the firm failed, Mr.. ShultZ
could not understand why people
didn't get excited and the newspapers
did not devote columns and columns
of space to the event. To him the
collapse was the most crushing dis
aster in commercial history. He was
only twenty-five and had been a part
ner less than eight months. He had
$500 in the concern, and that was
lot OF money to a youth who had been
working for small wages and had been
in America only a few years.
There are some sorrows that are
beRrable if they stir sympathy or in
terest of other people. 1t would have
been soothing to Mr.. Shultz If men
stopped him in the street and told
him how much they grieved over this
great business tragedy, but instead
they seemed callous or scornful. He
had to ask some of them II they knew
about it, A few said they expected 1t.
When he told them the failure was
complete surprise to him, they were
incredulous.
Deceived by His Partners.
Slowly the truth dawned upon him.
The firm had been in financial straits
for a long time. Both Hoffman and
Gerhardt had deceived him. Hoff-
man, for whom he had so much re-
spect, had lived beyond his means.
Gerhardt. who was out on the road
most of the time, was incorporate.
When they heard that the youth who
worked for them had come into an
inheritance of $500 on his twenty
first birthday, they deliberately set
their plans to get hold of his money
in order to tide them over. And now
the whole concern had gone to smash.
II would have not been so bad II
Shultz, glorying in the fact that he
had become a partner, had not mar
ried and had not brought his mother
over from Germany. To furnish his
new home had taken every dollar he
possessed. Now he was broke. What
to turn to he didn't know. The only
business he knew was in relation to
making preserves. His father had
been engaged in that line in the old
country. When Shultz came to Amer
lea it was to go to work for Hoffman
& Gerhardt.
The meeting of the creditors was a
lodge of sorrow." The men who had
trusted the firm couldn't see where
they could get ten cents on the dol
lar out of what was left. Hoffman
shrugged his shoulders and let it go
at that Gerhardt was maudlin to the
point of tears. Shultz was the only
one who acted manfully. He assured
the creditors that he would pay every
dollar he owed, some day. Then he
went home.
Best Thing for Him.
That failure, which seemed so crush
ing at the time, was the best thing
that ever happened to Shultz. His
wife and his mother did much to re
assure him. His mother had little
more than one thousand dollars laid
by as the result of many years o.
frugal living. She advised him to take
this and go in business for himself
She and his wife would make the pre-
serves, and he could sell them. The!
probably would have hard time, bu
somehow they would get along. ShC
had confidence in her boy and wal
more than willing to risk or sacrifice
in his behalf every penny of her saw
ings.
Shultz appreciated the fact tina
$1,000 was very little to start on, ant
that with household expenses and 9th
er incidentals every dollar woul'
count. He studied ways and mean
to meet the emergencys A brigh
thought came to him. He saw wa.
in which he could live year on cred
it. He went out and saw his butcher
and explained the situation and hi
plans in detail. He had been tradin
with the man for nearly year. H
asked the butcher to supply him wit
meat for a year on Shultz' pledg
that at the end Of that time he woul
get his money with interest. TIL
butcher shook his head. He didn'
want to trade on that basis.
That was depressing as starter
but the groceryman was more symp;
thetic. He was willing to take
chance. So was the baker. The
Shultz went to another butcher, Thi
man was willing to give credit to hiI
for three months. Next Shultz went
a dry goods merchant. This man hes
tated. but finally consented. The ma
who owned the house In which Shut
lived was a kindly soul and promise
to be patient in the matter Of rem
With housing, food and raiment pr
vided for, Shultz was buoyant. h
had genius for making preserve
His recipes were the best results I
centuries of German housekeepln
He could put up a catchup that woul
nut an edge on the most jaded app
tite. His sweet pickles were q d
light. His preserved fruits woul
warm the cookies Of the heart.
Old Mrs. Shultz and young Mr
Shultz cooked the fruit and cooke
the vegetables according to the tim
honored recipes. Shultz looked aft
putting the stun into the jars. He hs
very attractive labels printed. i
had his own ideas about advertisin
He nut his name in large letters
his labels and brought out prominer
Iy the fact that the preserves we
homemade. were of the purest