The New York herald., 1922-05-07

j. Sweeney of Kansas City, Mo.
drama He began as poor boy; he
worked under burden for many years;
his education was not comprehensive He
did not educate himself first and then set
out to make his fortune He married first
and made his fortune next, and then set
out to keep ahead of his children in the
acquiring of knowledge of things in the
world. He is a success because he saw
He epitomizes his career:
II was sure there was demand for
what / had planned; I was sure it was
necessary; and there was never any
chance for it not to come out right"
His field Of success is odd. 1t is an au-
tomobile school.
Emory j. Sweeney was a chauffeur me
chanic ten years ago. He is worth $5,000,-
900 to-day, and his home is a mansion
Then he had only a job and dream.
Then he lived in dilapidated house in
poor part of Kansas City with his parents.
Now the building which houses his busi-
ness is known as one of the finest and
most beautiful in the middle West; and
his home is the show place of his city.
And what is more, the story of his
success is a tale which old men tell
ambitious sons, and the community in
which Emory j. Sweeney was born is as
proud Of him as 1t is of his beautiful home
and of the handsome Office building which
bears his name.
He began as mechanic in little motor
car repair shop. He had left school ten
years before that because the need had
family. Having made some progress. in
lifting the burden of poverty he began to
turn some thought to his own future. He
had started out as an apprentice mechanic,
mobile industry. He had made progress,
for he had mechanical turn of mind and
hand, and an aptitude to learn. And, foY
himself, he had a dream. Ten years ago
ut was uOin6 tWO thih6o. LII duuiIiOH "
his repair job he was the owner and chauf-
feur of taxicab That was to add to his
income
In the shop with Sweeney there worked
four other men. And to these four typical,
grimy mechanics he was a study. They
laughed at him and they failed to under
stand him. He was a mechanic just as
they were, with perhaps a little greater
inclination to be meticulous in his work.
And he talked mechanical talk with
them But he had no time for his asso-
ciates when he was not in the shop. And
the most amazing thing about him was
that he wore white collar and a cravat
while he worked, and If his clothes be-
came soiled, he put on clean ones imme-
diately. His overalls were always in clear
contrast to the grease spotted, limp gar
ments of the other four mechanics. And
he kept his hands and face clean. Natur-
ally the four mechanics accounted Sweeney
somewhat queer.
He says now that his success Is due to
his personal pride. He is the head of the
greatest automobile school in the country
an automobile school that occupies the
Sweeney Automobile School Building, a
multistoried structure that cost more than
a million dollars to build His progress
has been phenomenal.
Mr.. Sweeney says he learned in the little
automobile repair shop where he worked
with the four grimy mechanics that own
ers of cars after while showed prefer
ence for him because he was cleaner both
with their cars and with himself. Finding
that he was in demand, he opened little
shop of his own in an obscure street.
The times were propitious for him, for
the motor car industry was expanding,
and every year was bringing several thou
sand new cars to Kansas City The Kan
sas farmers and the Missouri farmers we're
coming to realize about that time that the
automobile and the truck and the motor