“I’ve often wished that I had clear, for life, six hundred pounds a year, a handsome house to lodge a friend, a river at my garden’s end.”–Jonathan Swift.

RECENTLY there lived a Scotsman who put ships on the sea and steel into ships and rocks into steel. He did these things in a big way and a successful way because he knew how to select the men who were to assist him.

This man did not say, as did Napoleon, “I made my generals out of mud” but he did make his generals out of the men who came to work for him, most of whom began in the most insignificant and unimportant jobs.

The abilities of these men were developed through their association with a man of great ability. A man who is now one of the highest officials of one of the big steel companies came to work for this developer of men as a crane man, earning two dollars a day. This crane man watched his foreman, took note of the doings of the superintendent, kept a weather eye on the general manager and whenever possible noted the acts of the big man, himself.

As he worked and saw how big men worked he followed them–he saw responsibility and shouldered it.

Acquiring the habit of doing things as the men higher up did them he soon found himself higher up–he experienced a change in his attitude of mind and his thoughts toward big business as he became a part of big business.

He was labor–he is capital.

The difference between capitalist and laborer is the difference between the man who spends all he earns and makes no effort to advance and the man who keeps a part of his earnings and also lays up daily an added store of knowledge of the business in which he is engaged.

It is estimated that there are 22,000 millionaires in this Country and at least 17,000 of them for?merly worked with their hands–they now work with their heads and their money.

Many laborers will never become capitalists which makes it all the easier for the earnest ones to reach their goal.

The race is free for all of those who can qualify.

The qualifications are honesty, steadfastness and a willingness to give and take.

The big prize is not a million dollars but is independence. If a man has health, a job and a desire to be some one and get somewhere the road is open to him.

A capitalist is merely a man who makes it a point to have something left out of his earnings after paying his current expenses.

“We are sympathetic, and, like children, want everything we see. But it is a large stride to inde?pendence,–when a man, in the discovery of his proper talent, has sank the necessity for false ex?penses.”–Emerson.

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Tags: The Secret of Wealth