The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1931-02-05

WIFI Hdu TO OF
fer generally seemed to be stocked
UP with them. Not encouraging
to be sure.
But the youngster wasn't dis
couraged. He knew there was q
hrlsk market for him as a door tC
door salesman if he could hit or
wares that were somewhat out oil
the ordinary. lie put away the
staple articles of the trade and
stocked up on ehromos. He did q
land office business with them.
The boy, who later built up the
mail,order business of Sears. Roe.
buck II Company. got his first les
sons as a salesman at the age of
ten. lie learned then that there was
always a market if you had goods
people really wanted or could use.
Springfield was the place of his
birth. He was born in 1866 in a
house not far from the old home
of Abraham Lincoln. His father
was in the clothing business so
the boy seems to have come by his
ability as a salesman naturally
enough.
Even before he turned to selling
goods to the thrifty housewives of
the Illinois city he had earned
money. He got five cents an hour
for pumping church organ when
he was just about able to perform
the task.
While he attended public schools
ne earned money as a newsboy as
well as a salesman of chromos. He
sold pamphlet programs when the
Lincoln monument was dedicated
IN Springfield He earned S2.25
that day and had the added pleas
ure of getting a closeup of Presi-
dent Grant, the great hero of the
Civil war. The general was the
first man he ever saw wearing kid
gloves.
He was a busy and thrifty young
ster He had a chance to work as
a clerk in a fancy goods store DUR
ing his vacation when he was fif-
teen years old. Even at that age
he was known as a good salesman.
Otherwise he would not have had
such an opportunity.
He saved S25 of his first earn
ings in the store and used ii to buy
his mother tea set as a Gift for
the twentieth anniversary of her
wedding, much to her joy and to
the great surprise of his brother
and two sisters. He was already
a man in the eyes of the latter.
That year he went to New York
to work as clerk in the store of
his uncles. They thought the
youngster was deserving of a.
chance in the big city. He lived
frugally in the metropolis. devel-
oped his natural ability as a sales
man and saved his money. New
York, even in the early eighties,
had many destinations and time
wasting diversions for young men
from the country who thought
more of pleasure than of business.
The youngster from the West
was interested in little other than
business. He passed up any ex-
cessive recreation for the serious
task of learning his job thorough
ly and putting by his money. He
wanted to establish his own bust
ness. Even in those days it took
real money and good credit to open
a store of your own.
After six years as worker in
the establishment of his uncles he
decided he had enough money and
sufficient experience to take the
plunge. He was tWenty-one when
he opened his own clothing store.
He made money with his business
for four years. But he was look
ing for bigger worlds to conquer.
He had his eyes open for oppor-
tunity.
He heard of clothing manufac-
turer who couldn't fill his orders
for summer weight goods because
he was unable to meet the de-
mand. The young merchant decid-
ed that any business, where the
demand was greater than the sup
ply, was an excellent one with
which to tie up. He moved to Chi
cago to put his money and his en-
ergies in the manufacture of
His business prOspered from the
outset. r. w. Sears, pioneer in the
business and president
of Sears, Roebuck 4 Company, was
one of the young manufacturers
best customers. Sears, watching
the newcomer to the clothes MAX
ing business, was deeply impressed
Dy his direct methods and bust
less acumen. He found the young
non to be a person of few words
)ut mighty quick on the trigger
when it came to making decisions.
The ROsenwald concern did so
veil that when its directing genius
vas offered a chance by Sears to
,uy a half interest in the mail
,rder house for $4,000 he was
lble to finance the deal. That was
n 1895. The next year he became
Vice President Rosenwald. He
vas made president of the com
,any when Sears retired in 1908
Now the business is worth mil
ions of dollars and the boy who
old chrOmos at the age of ten is
levOting his vast fortune to phil
InthrOpy.
20 1890 by The North American
Newspaper Alliance.)