The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1916-05-13
WORKED TO SUCCESS
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF
"sELF.MADE" MEN.
Some Of Those Who Have Pursued the
Way to Riches and High Position
Without Envying or lll-Treat-
ina others.


Newspapers of every great city con-
stantly are telling the stories Of self
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 di-
rection whose beginnings were in the
humble walks of poverty. Yet ranting
demagogues on soap boxes at street
corners are preaching the gospel of
envy dissatisfaction unreason, unrest,
Jasper" writes in Leslies.
The head of one of the successful
banking institutions in New York city
gave a dinner to a few of his associ-
ates the other evening. He is a 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, 1t
was revealed that this man of great
wealth had been a poor immigrant
boy. who got his start in life by sell
ing trifles from a peddler's pack un-
der the burden of which he trudged
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 young man to go with him and
carry a pack Next he began to make
his circuit with a horse and wagon,
then with a team of two horses, and
finally with an outfit of two wagons,
and thus, having accumulated the nee
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
other capital but character, good
health, industry and ambition. 1t is
still 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
change wrought by politics, the Office
boy lost his Job, but he did not lose
his grit. On the morning OF his dis
missal he said to one OF his associ.
ates: 81 got my blue envelope today"
The friend inquired: What are you
going to do?" He received the quick
response: 81 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. 1t is
the story of achievement, of pluck, OF
independence. courage and self-reli-
ance. Let any one Of my readers look
about in his own community and he
will find illustrations in a large or
small way. and perhaps he will find
one in his own career.
While so many envy the rich. too
few bear in mind that there Is no
royal road to wealth, that an ounce Of
pluck is worth ton of luck, and that
no other country In the world offers
greater opportunities than our own for
boy to rise from poverty to wealth.
Let everyone attend to his own knit
tinga let everyone believe in himself
and be the architect of his own for
tune.