The Washington herald., 1914-03-22


than had any other man up to that time.
"But in the spring Of 1876 he put out
400 acres OF wheat on q rock prairie farm
near GAINESVILLE. broke 13o acres my
salf. Sinclair didn't need my help. but
he believed In bringing up boys and girls
to work and he kept me moving as
matter Of discipline. thank him for his
training In that respect. Labor is the
greatest blessing ever given to mankind.
But am not going into that subject just
now.
with him. l thought. however, that I
should like to be a sailor. The old man
didn't say much. but toward the close
Of the season he got mo a place before
the mast on a sailing vessel In Lake
Michigan. / have always believed that
he had some private arrangement with
the captain. At all events, was kept on
deck. well forward, and almost froze to
death. The treatment was successful.
though I didn't lose Interest In ships. and
not a great while afterwards owned q
vessel carrying lumber to Chicago and
bringing merchandise back.
The wheat crop was only a makeshift
with Sinclair. laundering was the Sc
rious business of his life. II caused him.
az I have said. to settle in the North
west. While the wheat was growing he
explored the woods. Also he came into
relations with Daniel Wells, jr., who was
Maine man himself"
And who dying at last" said. left
81. 7.ooo,ooo?"a
Though I am the chief executor Of
his estate" Senator Stephenson warily
answered, Il never counted the millions
going to his heirs Wells was a finan-
cier,' Senator stephenson continued.
Needless Of the interruption. while Sin
clair was an outdoor man. practical, un-
firing. and wise He could read a stretch
Of timber land as though II were a news
paper or a book.
81 was trained by Sinclair. going with
him into the woods. driving a six-ox
team, learning how to judge standing
pine. and TO sell II after u was cut down
and run through the mill. Sinclair want
ed to keep me. Maybe he was a little
selfish In that respect
How He Got His Millions.
81 realized. too, that my association
with him did me a great deal of good.
II gave me standing with other lumber
men. had fifteerf>or twenty good offers
to go into business before came Of age.
In time I got into logging on my own
account Then bought pine land. Lit
tie by little expanded my operations"
did you th1nk IN those DAYS tnat you
would become a multimillionaire?'
''One could travel a week during my
youth before finding a man who was
worth $4,000. and when such man was
found people pointed him out as a hu-
man curiosity. Ten-thousand-dollar men
were scarcer In those times than are
10000 900 men now"
''Is the day of big fortune-making over
In this country
NO There have always been rich men
and poor men, and there always will be.
Divide all the property in the United
States this week and a year hence there
will be rich men and poor men Just as
before. Rich men are necessary to So
ciety, and so are poor men, Rich men. or
their children, become poor and poor men
become rich. II Is an endless process of
change. and has been going on ever since
the dawn of civilization
Thrift can't he legislated into the
hearts and minds OF human beings. Nor
can industry. Some men are ambitious
to get ahead and are willing TO work out
their destinies. Other men don't care, or,
IL caring not to that degree which calls
for self-denial and unremitting toll.
Il hope that l am not an old foGy. 1
don't fe< like one no matter what / am
called. One can't stop the current that is
sweeping on. The man who tries TO do so
will be drowned and his body will he cast
back upon the shore. That i know, but
I can properly tell what 1 have seen and
what l see now. We say that living Is