The Washington herald., 1917-05-11
How One Young Man Rose
IN the World.
By oRIsoN sMETT MARpEe.


Thousands Of young reIlows are won
dertng how Il was that a young and
unknown man. Thomas Cochran, vas
recently selected TO be a partner IN the
great hrm OF J. Pierpont Morgan and
Company
The immediate cause Of the eleva-
uon Of vhe new partner TO a prize
position. which has been the envy and
despair Of so many ambitious young
men, was the efficient and resourceful
way In which he handled a high-class
apartment house IN New York This
attracted the attention OF Mr.. Dawson
OF the Morgan firm, who was then
president OF the First National Bank.
hr. LaMonte, vice president OF the
pressed by this young mans way OF
doing things
In going back over Mr.. Cochran's
early career. however. We find that he
was always attracting attention be-
cause he was always doing things
which showed that he was bound for
the top; and he was always willing 20
do anything that would take him there.
In other words. he had the right
spirit from the start. He faced life
and its tasks in the right way. and
was eager TO improve TO do HIS part
IA mans part in a manly way.
When his fathers business In St
Paul became embarrassed young
Cochran, then a student at Yale, left
college and went to his fathers res
cue. He took the entire burden Of the
business upon himself. arranged with
the creditors. distributed the assets.
which were not nearly enough to pay
the debts, and assumed the balance
OF the obligations himself He was
not obliged TO do this. being in no
way responsible for his fathers debtA,
but he was determined that they should
be paid in full, dollar for dollar, 50
that no shadow should rest on the
family name.
To do this he sacrificed his own Smbi-
tions and did all sorts Of things 10 earn
the necessary money. He worked In a
hardware store for several years, and
tutored boys who were preparing for col
lege in the evening. He also made some
money by iy screen patent and in one
way and another worked incessantIy until
he had paid on every cent OF the debts he
had assumed.
Young Cochran had been as loyal 10 his
friends as he has been to his father, and
has done all sorts Of things to help them
when they were down and out lie is
always ready to pun a friend out OF a
hole. and has succeeded IN helping 10 put
more than one who failed on his feet
again
This loyalty to friends a. well as his
devotion 10 principle and high ideals, has
been one OF the secrets OF his advance
But in addition TO his sterling foundation
of character he had an unshakabIe faith
that he would make a place and a name
for himself: and have never known a
man to accomplish anything worth while
who did not believe in himself. who did
not have a great faith in his future.
IL is faith in oneself that gives con-
hoence to push ahead. and e is the hs bit
or throwing ones whole being into what
ever one does, and doing Il as well as Il
can be done that attracts attention ana
commands success. II Mr.. Cochran had
handled the New York APARTMENT house
as most young men would have handled
Il; II he had done the other thinrs in his
life as the majority Of youth and young
men do them, he would never have at
tracted the attention that led 20 his be-
coming Mr.. Morgan's partner
In interviewing many successful men.
and In reading the life stories Of Others
have found that the rise Of a lArF. per-
centaEe OF them begin BY their attract
ing the attention OF someone who was
looking for the sort OF material that was
in them.
Now, my young friends who are envy
ing Mr.. Cochrsn's great luck" you never
know how many men may be watching
your way OF doing things But YOU NAV
depend on II your luck will htne. on
the result Of their observations. In other
words, your rise or fall is decided BY one
person-yourselt.
Co-pgrrht. lsTl