The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1920-04-29
CLIMBING TO THE TOP.
Way is Open for Brains, Energy and
Perseverance,

In one of the magazines there was
story printed recently under head.
ing "Where They Were at Thirty
II dealt with men who have come
to be national figures in industrial al
\ fairs in America. -,
"Where They Were at Twenty
would be more interesting.
The present writer was over in New
York recently to see the man who IS
head of one of the greatest railroads
in the world and representative OF
John D. Rockefeller's big interests In
transportation lines.
Where were you at twenty" the
newspaper man asked.
TELEGRAPH operator at way sta
, ton on a railroad in Arkansas was
the reply.
where did you begin?" the great
est publisher in America, If not the
world was asked.
cat twelve years of age, with
capital of three cents" was the an
swer.
Are the opportunities today as good
as in days gone by? Assuredly. There
never was greater opportunity. From
out of the ranks of the office boys
the clerks, the railroad employees
the rodmen, the students the shop-
men, the factory workers, the sales
men of today, will come the greatest
captain of tomorrow.
The opportunity is bigger today be-
cause the active, the enterprlslng' the
alert and the capable stand out IN
vivid contrast at a time when there
is so much of inclination to shirk
and loaf on the job.
The shirker gets nowhere. Inc
worker climbs.
One of the partners of the banking
house of J. P. Morgan & co. was
reporter in New York getting $3V
week twenty years ago.
The head of the biggest life insur-
ance company in the world was
small town school teacher when ne
was twenty. Before that he WORKED on
a farm.
Frederick Underwood, president OF
the Erie Railroad, was a brakeman.
The president of the Fidelity Mu-
tual Life Insurance Co., OF Philadel-
phia. started his business career as
errand boy for John Wannamaker at
81 a week.
Thomas Edison was a train
butcher" selling candy, cakes, and
such things to railroad travellers.
Th. mayor of New York was 10
comotive fireman.
The greatest retail merchant the
world ever has known and VINO oleo
leaving $65, 100000, was hired hana
Ia a country store.
John Carty, one of the principal ad-
ministrative officers of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Co., rose
from a $5 a week job in the COM
&pany's Boston office.
D. c. Jackins, the biggest figure in
topper mining in America, was
arm hand in St. Clair county. mis-
6curi and got his start educationally
by studying at night by candle light
in the attic of the rude shack he call
ed home
Michael Idorsky Pupin, who de-
yeloped the long-distance telephone
was a porter in New YORK store.
Before that he was farmland.
George M. Reynolds, president OF
the Continental and Commercial Bank
of Chicago, the largest financial in
stitution outside of New York started
as an office boy for a concern IN
Panora, Iowa. :,
A list like this could be continued
The foregoing has been suggested
by a bit of stuff that came floating
in from Armour & Co., which shows
how nearly all the men in that mon
ster organization rose from small
jobs in the Armour plant. Fer in
stance:
Arthur Meeker, vice president
started at the bill desk. So did Ever
EFT Wilson, superintendent OF branch
houses and Frank w. Waddell, head
of the provision department.
+. Edison White, vice-president
spent his first years with the COM
pany as q clerk.
e. A. Valentine, vice president and
head of the soap works, made MS
start as a salesman.
Robert ]. Dunham, vice president,
began as a clerk, and Frederick w.
tCroll, vice president and treasurer,
as assistant to the paymaster.
Charles H. Mcdowell, president OF
the Armour fertilizer works, entered
the employ of the company as a
stenographer.
George B. Robbins. vice president,
was a clerk in the transportation de-
partment.
Jno. E. O'Hern went to Chicago
twenty-three years ago looking for a
job and found one in the Armour
olemargarine department at $1.75 a
day. Today he is general superintend-
end of sixteen Armour plants.
Myrick D. Harding, general super
intendent of the Chicoga plant, who
directs the work of 10000 men start
ed with the company as messenger
at SO a week.
Fred C. Shaw, division superintend-