Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-05
All From the Ranks

The directors of great metropolitan de-
partmcnt store are all men who have risen
from the ranks. Eleven met the other day
to choose the twelfth. At this meeting the
president of the company, who had started
as a messenger boy in that store, said: Gen
tiemen, no driftwood We have our own fuel
here. The vacant chair has got to be filled
from Altman material Go down to the base
ment for it if you want to, but don't go out
side these four walls" They elected a man
who had started with the firm as cash
boy He received at first 81 week. At
that time he was mostly red hair and
freckles. Today he is mostly efficiency His
election as a director represents a policy of
the company-the policy of promoting local
talent-but it also shows that one-time cash
boy was ready for the big job.
There was Frederick r. Morris, who died
recently. Sixty years ago he landed in Amer
lea penniless. lie got on. His boyhood quail
ties suggest those of Electricity Edison.
The story was told on this page a few
weeks ago of the kind of newsboy Edison was
when he was selling papers on a Michigan
railroad. The same kind of initiative and
courage which made it possible for him to
see the possibility of selling 1900 copies of
paper with startling news in it, where he
usually sold only two or three hundred
copies, has carried him to the position he now
occupies
Edison went out of the newspaper delivery
business in which he could have commanded
a great fortune. man of the same kind
remained in the business, and his will showed
that he had accumulated estate worth
81, 900 900. He was Frederick P. Morris pres
ident of the Long Island News Company. He
began at Sc a week. In the course of short
time he had charge of a route running from
Jamaica to Bay Shore, on Long Island. He
made his deliveries by horse. His competi-
tor on the same route went him one better
and got permission to run hand-car on the
railroad. Morris met this sort of competition
by chartering an old freight engine and had
the right OF way the track and outstripped
the hand-car. 1t was this kind of enterprise
that made him president of the news com
pany that covers Long Island and gave him
a large block of the shares Of the American
News Company.
Knew How, and Did 1t
The difference between him and the other
boys who were selling papers in the seventies
OF the last century was that he did not look
for some one else to tell him what to do. He
knew how to get on, and he got there.
In one city there is n school for office boys.
The boys learn many things in this school
besides faithfuness, industry and other alb
stract virtues, more to be desired in office
boys than much fine gold. Here is young
Finkelstein's record attached to his letter of
recommendation from the principal:
How to operate an adding machine, how
10 operate a telephone switchboard, how to
typewrite by touch system, how TO operate
an addressograph, how to speak properly
over a telephone.
Then the boy had added four notices that
the principal had originated for his students
as "Onicegrams":
Do things without being told
Always be willing TO help others
Don't leave OFF before you finished
Always be neat in appearance and always
be polite.
Every office boy knows that self-edueation
in office boy work is within his power. Those
"officegrams" for instance, are i'm no wise
mysterious and they are very effective But,
simple as they are. they are learned by prae-
tice but not otherwise.
Not even a hobo is barred from oppor-
tunity. The career Of John A. Kingsbury
is a story OF amazing adventures Of