The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-09

for cash" He began to startie upper
and lower New York State by walking
up to factory owners and saying: 'T'll
give you . for the output Of your
factory for one year. How about it?"
The factory owner put his name on
the dotted line. Thereafter Mr.. Wool
worth eliminated jobbers and middlemen
and wholesalers. He took TIE entire fac
tory product, paying for IT with cash,
and consequently was able to sell nap
kins and gardeners canvas gloves and
doilies and baby toys and even shirt
waists and lace curtains for your tin
cints and my tin cints" And few
miles to the southwark F. NJ. Kirby was
doing the same thing. So was Kresge.
Fortunes Given to Clerks.
Kirby's original tinshop had spread so
far-Kirby also was now buying the
entire output Of factories by the year
that KIRBY was saying to clerks: you.
Weckesser (meaning F. J. Weckesser.
who at the time in mind was merely
clerk and then manager of Kirby
Store on the west side Of the public
| square, wilkesbarre, but now is direc-
tor Of the Woolworth Company. take
this store on the square, and I'll give
you $4,000 year II you make good. p"
And in no time young Mr. Weckesser.
the clerk. had built q beautiful home at
the corner Of Ross and River streets.
Wilkesbarre. and owned the .swaggerest
automobiles In town at q time when II
was wondrous thing to own a fiivver.
Kirby began to spread north. east.
south and west through Pennsylvania.
From a little frame house on n side
street in Wilkesbarre he moved to the
most pretentious stone house on the
river front. facing the swagger river
common. And as his activities spread
he began to overlap Woolworth. So did
kresge. who also was overlapping, run
into Woolworth. who was spreading
south in the meantime from New York
State.
They all got together in a conference
Woolworth and Kirby and Kresge Each
saw that the other was interfering.
I'll take the Southern States" said
Mr.. Kresge In effect. "I'll open stores
In Memphis. New Orleans. Birmingham
| and 30 on. I'll leave the North to you,
Mr.. Woolworth. and to Mr.. Kirby"
woolworth Gets the Metropolis.
Which was DONE Mr.. woolworth and
Mr.. Kirby talked things over. The result
was that they divided the Eastern States
into sections and each picked out the
various cities In which each would open
stores. Mr.. Woolworth. when 1t came to
drawing cities. picked New York and
Philadelphia. Mr.. Kirby got lesser
towns. and although he Immediately be-
gan to pile up more millions he was
known to lament to fellow townsnrcn In
Wilkesbarre his first sorrows over tho
fact that he did not have the New York
and Philadelphia pickings. Never.he-
less he made so much money In a short
time that soon he was a part OF the
Woolworth concern and had no regrets
ever after.
The fact that Mr.. woolworth got
favored spots on Broadway. Manhattan
and Chestnut street, Philadelphia, when
1t came to the dividing UP OF districts.
indicates that he was a bit more than
follower OF the Messrs Kirby and
Kresge. When three men unfold a map
of the Eastern States to divide up the
towns and one of them walks away with
New York and Philadelphia-with the
free consent Of the other two--one gath
ers that the New Philadelphia man
has bit of strength.
Mr.. Woolworth had all that. He had
been a bit ahead OF Mr.. Kirby and
therefore inmeasurably ahead OF Mr..
Kresge. But Mr.. Kirby and Mr.. Kresge,
who are still very active In the bust
ness. and Mr.. Woolworth. who was In
his office on the twenty fourth floor of
the Woolworth Building as recently as
last Thursday. always would be ready
to batter up any one who dared say
that one OF them was the greatest OF
the three.
To Mr.. Northumberland. must go
the honor OF thinking OF the five and ten
cent store" idea earlier, by a short time,
than even Mr.. Kirby. Mr.. Woolworth
was born on farm at Rodman. Jefrer-
son county. this State. on April IS. 1852
When he was years old his parents
moved to Greatbend. a few miles away.
He lived and worked on the rm until
he was FL years old, but was dissatisfied
with farm work because from early boy
hood he wanted TO go into the dry goods
business.
began as Errnnd Boy-NO Pay.
He studied In the district school in
winter and finally went through terms OF
business school" in WATERFOWL. In
March. 1873, he began life" in the Of
Aces OF a dry goods firm at WATERFOWL,
working for nothing as an errand boy
but studying the business. Finally, after
working for nothing for some time. he
nerved himself to ask for a salary Of $40
4 week as salesman.
Young Woolworth got the $40 a week
within short time he found himself
getting only IS a week. He worried 30
much over his failure as a salesman
that nervous prostration seized him.
He had to go back to the
family farm for almost a year.
But in 1877 he was back in Water
town again at a $40 a week salary. At
the end OF the year he had saved $50.
Then II was that he influenced his IA
Their TO go on his note 30 that he might
buy stock for store which he hoped
to open in Utica He had the same
thought in mind that young Kirby was
dreaming of in South Wilkes-Barre,
to open five and ten cent store"
He opened the store-and the rest is
great part OF the commercial history
OF America. His stores spread south
ward to Binghsmton, ". Y, to Scranton.
Pa, and to Wilkes-Barr They over
Tapped Kirby's stores.
What do you think OF the city since
you saw il last. Mr.. Baitour?' a re-
porter asked the British statesman
when Mr.. Balfour headed British mis-
sion to America just before America en-
tered the world war.
What am l to say" answered Mr..
Balfour as he stood on the City Hall
steps and gazed with bent neck toward
the gold and silver lacework of the
apex of tho Woolworth tower--"what
am I to say OF city that builds the
and calls II an office building"
AUGUST u. TURNER.
August D. Turner, for many years
rrauidant 80 the A1Had Arfga,a % IT. .,to,