The Coolidge examiner., 1931-01-16

fer generally seemed to he stocked
up with them. Not encouraging,
to be sure.
But the youngster wasn't dis
cOuraged. He knew there was q
brisk market for him as a door to
door salesman if he could hit on
wares that were somewhat out of
the ordinary. He put away the
staple articles of the trade and
stocked up on chromos. He did a
land office business with them.
The boy, who later built I'D the
mail-Order business Of Sears, Roe
buck Il Company, got his first les
sons as a salesman at the age of
ten. He learned then that there was
always 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 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 a church organ when
he was just about able TO perform
the task
While he attended public schools
he earned money as newSbOy as
well as a salesman of chrOmOs. He
sold pamphlet programs when the
Lincoln monument was dedicated
in Springfield He earned 1925
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 busy and thrifty young
ster He had chance to work as
clerk in fancy goods store dur
ing his vacation when he was fif-
teen years old. Even at that age
he was known as good salesman.
Otherwise he would not have had
such an opportunity.
He saved $25 of his first earn
ings in the store and used it to buy
his mother a tea set as 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
man in the eyes Of the latter.
That year he went to New York
to work MS clerk in the store of
his uncles. They thought the
yOungster was deserving of a
chance in the big city. lie 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 fascinations 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 busi-
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 a 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
clothes.
His business prOspered from the
outset. r. w. Sears, pioneer in the
mail-Order business and president
of Sears, ROebuck & Company, was
one of the young manufacturers
best customers. Sears. watching
the newcomer to the clothes max
ing business, was deeply impressed
by his direct methods and bust
ness acumen. He found the young
mon to be a person of few words
but mighty quick on the trigger
when it came to making decisions.
The Rosenwald concern did so
well that when it's directing genius
was offered a chance by Sears to
buy half interest in the mail
order house for $4,000 he was
able to finance the deal. That was
in 1875. The next year he became
Vice President Rosenwald. He
was made president of the COM
pany when Sears retired in 1908.
Now the business is worth mil
lions of dollars and the boy who
sold chromos at the age of ten is
devoting his vast fortune to phil
anthrOpy.
"a 1880. by The North American
Newspaper Alliance0