Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-06-09
TO SUCCESS
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF
"sELF.MApE" MEN.
Some Of Those Who Have Pursued the
Way to Riches and High Position
Without Envyins or lll-Treat-
ina Others.

Newspapers of every great city con-
stantly are telling the stories OF sell
made men. We find presidents OF rail-
roads who began as switchmen. presi-
dents of banks who began as messen-
ger boys, publishers OF prosperous
newspapers who began as printers
heads of great enterprises in every oi-
rection whose beginnings were In inc
humble walks of poverty. Yet rantine
demagogues on soap boxes at street
corners are preaching the gospel OF
envy, dissatisfaction, unfeason, unrest
Jasper" writes in Leslie-s.
The head of one Of the successrui
banking institutions in New YORK city
gave a dinner to a few of his aSsoci-
ates the other evening. He is man
of large wealth and of commanding
influence in his line of enterprise.
Courteous and cultivated, he bore the
air of one who had begun life under
advantageous circumstances. YET
during the course of the evening, II
was revealed that this man OF great
wealth had been poor immigrant
boy, who got his start in life by SELL
ing trif1es from a peddler's pack un-
der the burden of which he trudgeo
through country towns. seeking his
customers along the highways and by
ways. His industry and ambition
made him so successful as pack ped
dler that in due time he was able to
hire a young man to go with him ana
carry a pack. Next he began to make
his circuit with a horse and wagon,
then with a team Of two horses, ana
finally with an outfit of two wagons,
and thus, having accumulated the nec-
essary capital, he was able to open
store, and from that to get into the
manufacturing line. Step by step, he
/ laid the foundation of his fortune, not
envying the success Of others, not
seeking to pull anyone down, not in
terfering with any competitors prog
ress, but persistently and patiently fol-
lowing out his own plans and carry
ing them to the fruition Of success.
What an inspiration there Is in this
example to the young men with no
other capital but character. good
health, industry and ambition. 1t Is
still a world of opportunity.
An orphan boy in 1890 was brought
to the secretary of states office in Al
bany, N. Y, by the head of that de-
partment as his messenger. With a
change wrought by politics, the ONCE
boy lost his Job, but he did not lose
his grit. On the morning CT his dis
missal he said to one of his associ-
ates: Il got my blue envelope today"
The friend inquired: What are you
going to do?" He received the quick
response: Il am going to work" In
few hours the lad had found a place
as messenger in the five-and-ten-cent
store in Albany. He died the other
day, leaving a large fortune. and at
his death was vice-president and treas
urer of the corporation which he be
gan to serve in the humblest capacity
Sixty years ago John D. Rockefeller
went to work in Cleveland as an as
sistant bookkeeper, and for the first
three months received only $50 as his
wages. The same story might be told
of nearly all the eminently successful
business men of this country. IL IL
the story of achievement, of pluck. Of
independence, courage and self-reli
ance. Let any one of my readers lool
about in his own community and he
will find illustrations in a large Of
J small way, and perhaps he will find
one in his own career.
, While so many envy the rich, tot
, few bear in mind that there is NJ
royal road to wealth, that an ounce o
. pluck is worth ton Of luck, and tina
no other country in the world Offer
greater opportunities than our own TO
a boy to rise from poverty to wealth
> Let everyone attend to his own knit
. ting: let everyone believe in himsel
, and be the architect Of his own fol
tune.