How They Succeeded
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HOW 'THEY SUCCEEDED HOW 'THEr SUC-CEEDED LIFE STORIES of SUCCESSFUL MEN TOLD by THEMSELVES By ORISON SWETT MARDEN • EDITOR of "SUCCESS." AUTHOR if "WINNING OUT," ETC., ETC. .", ILLUSTRATED LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY BO$T-QN ., COPYRIG::IT, 1901, By LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RES ERVED CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE MARSHALL FIELD.....................•"." ..• 19 "Determined not to remain poor"... ".•".. "." 20 "Saved my Earnings, and Attended strictly to Business" "...•. ". 20 " I always thought I would be a Merchant" " 21 An Opportunity " "" 21 A Cash basis................................. 23 "Every Purchaser must be enabled to feel se- cure" :................... 24 The Turning Point........................... 25 Qualities that make for Success. .. .. .. .. .. ..•.. 27 A College Education and Business.•... ~ ... ".. 27 CHAPTER II " BELL TELEPHONE TALK 30 HINTS ON SUCCESS BY ALEXANDER G. BELL. A Night Worker............................. 30 The Subject of Success....................... 31 Perseverance applied to a Practical End. ..... .. 32 Concentration of Purpose..................... 34 Young American Geese....................... 36 5 Contepts BELL TELEPHONE TALK-(Continued): PAGE Unhelpful Reading............................ 36 Inventions in America........................ 37 T'he Orient... .................. ... ... ....... .. 38 Environment and Heredity. ................... 38 Professor Bell's Life Story................... 40 U I will make the WorId Hear it". ...........• 41 CHAPTER III WHY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LIKE HELEN GOULD 44 A Face Full of Character.................... 45 Her Ambitions and Aims.................... 45 A Most Charming Charity.................... 46 Her Practical Sympathy for the Less Favored.. 49 Personal Attention to an Unselfish Service..... 52 Her Views upon Education.................. 55 The Evil of Idleness........................ 56 Her Patriotism............................... 56 II Our Helen" ,.. 59 II America" ................. 60 Unheralded Benefactions...................... 60 Her Personality.............................. 63 CHAPTER IV PHILIP D. ARMOUR'S BUSINESS CAREER.. 65 Footing it to California...................... 68 The Ditch.. ............. .... ................ .. 70 He enters the Grain Market.................. 71 Mr. Armour's Acute Perception of the Commer- cial Conditions for Building up a Great Business ...............................• 72 6 Contents PHILIP D. ARMOUR'S BUSINESS CAREER- (Continued): PAGE System and Good Measure..... ............. ... 73 Methods..................................... 74 The Turning Point........................... 75 Truth 75 A Great Orator and a Great Charity.......... 75 Ease in His Work............................ 77 A Business King............................ 78 Training Youth for Business.. .............. .. 79 Prompt to Act............................... 82 Foresight 83 Forearmed against Panic..................... 84 Some Secrets of Success..................... 85 CHAPTER V WHAT MISS MARY E. PROCTOR DID TO POPULARIZE ASTRONOMy 87 Audiences are Appreciative. ................... 88 Lectures to Children.......................... 89 A Lesson in Lecturing..... ................. .. 90 The Stereopticon............................. 91 "Stories from Starland"..................... 93 Concentration of Attention. ................. .. 94 CHAPTER VI THE BOYHOOD EXPERIENCE OF PRESI DENT SCHURMAN OF CORNELL UNI- VERSITY 96 A Long Tramp to School.......... 98 He Always Supported Himself.. ............ .. 100 The Turning Point of his Life ~ 101 A Splendid College Record II II II .. 103 7 Contents CHAPTER VII PAGE THE STORY OF JOHN WANAMAKER 105 His Capital at Fourteen ,. 106 'Tower Hall Clothing Store 107 His Ambition and Power as an Organizer at Sixteel1 108 ·The Y. M. C. A 109 Oak Hall..................................... 10 9 A Head Built for Business 110 His Relation to Customers..................•• III The Merchant's Organizing Faculty II3 Attention to Details........................•• 115 The l\1ost Rigid Economy 115 Advertising ..•.... , ..•.••...••................ 116 Seizing Opportunities 117 Push and Persistence•..•..•.•..••...........• 117 Balloons •.....•..•••.. , e" ••• , ••••••••••••••• 119 "To what, Mr. Wanamaker, do you Attribute your Great Success?". H ,•••••••• ... ••• •• 120 His Views on Business. .•.••.••.........••. •• 121 Public Service.................................... 124 Invest in Yourself. ,. .•.. .......... ••.. 124 At Home...•...f .f' .•••• ,• •••• ••••• • ••••••••• •• 126 CHAPTER VIII GIVING UP FIVE THOUSAND A YEAR TO BECOME A SCULPTOR 129 CHAPTER IX QUESTIONISAND ANSWERS 139 ,BUSINESS POINTERS BY DARIUS OGDEN MILLS. Work II.",., /I /I , , •••• /I ••••.••••••••••••• 9 •• •• 139 8 Contents QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-(Continued): PAGE Self-Dependence "••.•',. •.•.•••. ". •. .. 140 Thrift .................••.•••• ".• _.•••.. _. ""• .. 141 Expensive Habits-Smoking.•.. "......"....... 141 Forming an Independent Business Judgment••. 142 The Multiplication of Opportunities To-day in America .•• ".••........... "•"". ". "..... 'O. 142 Where is One's Best Chance? The Knowledge oiMen.................•.•...... 'O •••••• 'O. 143 The Bottom of the Ladder..... u •• u ••••••• •• 144 The Beneficent I Use of Capital.•••" 145 Wholesome Discipline of Earning and' Spending. 146 Personal: A Word about Cheap Hotels 146 CHAPTER X NORDICA: WHAT IT COSTS TO BECOME A QUEEN OF SONG 149 The Difficulties 150 "The World was Mine, if I would Work" 152 U It put New Fire into me" 154 " I was Traveling on Air" " 156 In Europe.................................•.. 159 "Why don't you Sing in Grand Opera?". .. •. 161 This was her Crowning Triumph. ........... .. 162 She was Indispensable in H Aida"......... 166 The Kindness of Frau Wagner 167 Musical Talent of American Girls.. ......... •• 169 The Price of Fame.........................•" 170 CHAPTER XI HOW HE WORKED TO SECURE A FOOT- HOLD ..•••••.•......••................... 171 9 Contents HOW lIE WORKED TO, SECURE A FOOT- HOLD-(Continued): PAGE WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS. A Lofty. Ideal 172 Acquiring a Literary Style 174 My Workshop 175 How to Choose Between Words............... 177 The Fate following Collaboration. ........... .. 179 Consul at Venice 180 My Literary Experience 182 As to a Happy Life.....................•.•• 184 CHAPTER XII JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER ~85 His Early Dream and Purpose............... 186 School Days 188 A Raft of Hoop Poles 191 The Odor of OiL Ig2 His First Ledger and the Items in it. 193 $10,000 ..•................................••• 196 He Remembered the Oil.. .................. .. 197 Keeping his Head 197 There was Money in a Refinery.. ........... .. Ig8 Standard Oil................................. 200 Mr. Rockefeller's Personality 201 At the Office................................. 202 Foresight 203 Hygiene 204 At Rome I ••••• , •• , •••••••••••••••••••• 205 Philanthropy 206 Perseverance .. .. 207 A Genius for Money-Making 207 10 Contents CHAPTER -XIII PAGE THE AUTHOR OF THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC 209 HER VIEWS OF EDUCATION FOR YOUNG WOMEN. " Little Miss Ward" " ., 211 She was Married to a Reformer. ............ .. 212 Story of the' " Battle Hymn of the Republic"... 2 14 " Eighty Years young"..................•••. 2 1 5 The Ideal College..................•.•..•••.. 2 17 CHAPTER XIV A TALK WITH EDISON...............••••••. 220 DRAMATIC INCIDENTS IN HIS EARLY LIFE. The Library. ......................•...•.... .• 221 A Chemical Newsboy "............. .. 22.3 Telegraphy ~ ........................ .. 225 His Use of Money. ......................... .. 227 Inventions 228 His Arrival at the Metropolis. ~ ............ .. 2.3.3 Mental Concentration......................... 232 Twenty Hours a Day 231 A Run for Breakfast......................... 2.34 Not by accident andNot for Fun. ..........•.. 235 " I like it-I hate it".......................•. 2.36 Doing One Thing Eighteen Hours is the Secret. 237 Possibilities in the Electrical Field 238 Only Six Hundred Inventions.......•..-......• 238 His Courtship 'and his Home.......••.....•.•. 239 CHAPTER XV A FASCINATING STORY•...•••.....• 00 ••••••• 241 II Contents A FASCINATING STORY-(Continued): PAGE BY GENERAL LEW WALLACE. A Boyhood of Wasted Opportunities...••.•.•. 242 His Boyhood Love for History and Literature.. 444 A Father's FruitfulWarning. ... .. ....... .. ... 245 A Manhood of Splendid Effort... ...•....... •. 246 "The Regularity of the Work was· a Splendid Drill for ine"............................. 247 Self-Education by Reading and Literary Com- position .........................•.....•. 247 .(4 The Fair God".. ......................... .. 249 The Origin of "Ben Hue"..... ............ .. 250 Influence of the Story of the Christ upon the Author ..........••..•.....•....•...•.••• 251 CHAPTER XVI CARNEGIE AS A METAL WORKER 253 Early Work and Wages.. ..... .. ... .. ........ .. 254 Colonel Anderson's Books ',' . .• 255 His First Glimpse of Paradise................. 256 Introduced to a Broom. .... .. ..... •.......... .. 258 An Expert Telegrapher.............. ....•.. •. 259 What Employers Think of Young Men 261 The Right Menin Demand. ...... • .. ........ •. 262 How to Attract Attention•••. o. 0.' 0.000 ••• 0 •• 0 263 Sleeping Car Invention 0 ••• 0 • • • •• 2 64 The Work of a Millionaire.................•.. 266 An Oil Farm ,0 •••••••••••••••••••••• 0 •• 267 Iron Bridges ,..•...... o. 268 Homestead Steel Work....................... 269 A Strengthening Policy....... .............. .. 270 Philanthropy ..............•.................. 271 "The Misfortune