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NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
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1
SOME SUCCESSFUL
AMERICANS
BY
SHERMAN WILLIAMS
Formerly Superintendent of Schools at
Glens Falls, N.Y.
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GINN AND COMPANY
BOSTON • NEW YORK • CHICAGO • LONDON
ATLANTA • DALLAS • COLUMBUS • SAN FRANCISCO
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LlBi^AR\
fi3B09A
ASTOR. LTNOX AND
flLDIN F./Jr.'CATIo:?-
R 1»'^2 L
Copyright, 1904
By SHERMAN WILLIAMS
ALL RIGHTS RESER\-ED
321. 1
?Ebe atf)enaeum 3^ttiS
(,INN AND CU.MHANV • PRO-
PRIETORS ■ BOSTON • U.S.A.
PREFACE
As superintendent of schools I frequently talked with
boys who were in doubt as to what they should do in life,
and who felt that there were very few opportunities in the
business world of to-day for those without money and influ-
ence. Of course there never was a time when the demand
for capable, industrious, energetic, and honest young men
so far outran the supply as at present. A personal talk
with a boy would generally convince him of this ; but for
one boy who would come and talk with me about it there
were probably several others who were also thinking, but
who would not come to me, and many more who were not
even thinking. This led me to do something in school in
the way of a study of the lives of men and women who had
made a success in life in the face of what are called adverse
circumstances.
When I began institute work I urged upon teachers the
importance of taking up this matter, and was met with
the statement that unless one had access to a fair library
the work could not be done, as there was no one book that
could be used to advantage ; that while there were many
excellent biographies and works of collective biography,
there was none which dealt with both men and women,
with those working in very different fields of labor, and
which dealt only with those who had had to make their
own way in life. It was desirable and almost necessary to
in
IV PREFACE
have a book which met these conditions. It was also desir-
able that it should deal only with Americans and with those
who were no longer living, as the complete life should be
studied.
I saw the force of these statements and have endeavored
to make such a book as these teachers feel they need. It
goes without saying that these sketches are so brief that
very much must be omitted in each life. Teachers should
encourage their pupils to read more complete biographies,
not merely of these men and women, but of many others as
well. A well-written biography is as interesting as a novel,
and far more profitable reading.
SHERMAN WILLIAMS.
May 2, 1904.
CONTENTS
Abraham Lincoln- . .
Peter Cooper ....
Mary Lyon
Horace Greeley . . .
Cyrus Hall McCormick
Frances Willard . .
Louisa M. Alcott . .
Alexander H. Stephens
Leland Stanford . .
Lawyer, Politician, and Statesman
Business Man and Philanthj'opist
Teacher •
Editor
Inventor
Reformer
Author
Lawyer and Statesman ....
Business A/an, Politician, and
Philanthropist
Ch.^rles Pratt Business Man and Philanthropist
Cornelius Vanderbilt . . Steamboat and Railway Magnate .
Eli Whitney Inventor
Henry Clay Lawyer, Politician, and Statesman
Benjamin Franklin . . . Printer, Inventor, Scientist, Author,
Politician, and Diplomat .
Page
7
Zl
45
55
79-
89
99
III
121
131
139
147
173
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
TO THE READER
This little volume tells the story of a few men and women
who began life under what are generally considered adverse
circumstances and who yet were remarkably successful.
The sketches cover a wide range of callings, extend over a
considerable period of time, and represent different portions
of our country.
These few men and women, however, typify a very large
class. More than three fourths of the leaders in industries,
professions, and other callings began life without money
or influence. You can scarcely find a single manager of
a great manufactory who did not come up from the ranks.
Permit me to call your attention to a few who have made
their way up from humble beginnings.
Philip Armour lived on a farm till he was twenty.
Oakes Ames, the great shovel manufacturer, was the son of a
blacksmith.
Henry Burden, the inventor and famous maker of horseshoes, was
a farmer's son. "^
Isaac Babbitt, inventor of the metal that bears his name, was a
goldsmith.
Ephraim Bell, founder of the celebrated agricultural works and
inventor of a reaper, a harvester, and a mower, began life as a
carpenter.
Charles Brush, the noted electrician, spent his early years upon
a farm.
I
2 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
George Henry Corliss, maker of the famous Corliss engines, began
life as a clerk in a cotton factory,
Alexander Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was
a rod man in the employ of the company of which he is now president.
Charles Cheney, the great silk manufacturer, began as a clerk at
fourteen and then worked at farming till middle life.
Alvin Clark, the first of the great opticians of that name, was the
son of a farmer.
Jonas Chickering, the great piano maker, was the son of a
blacksmith.
Samuel Colt, the noted manufacturer of firearms, went to sea as
a boy before the mast, and was afterwards a dyer and bleacher in
his father's factory.
Horace Claflin, the great merchant, began life as a clerk.
Andrew Carnegie began as a bobbin boy at a salary of $1.20
per week.
Henry Disston, manufacturer of the Disston saws, was a mechanic
working at day wages.
William E. Dodge, the wholesale dry goods merchant, worked in
a cotton mill.
Anthony Drexel, the great banker, was a poor boy working in his
father's office.
Thomas A. Edison was a newsboy.
John Fritz, the nestor of the iron trade, began life as a blacksmith.
Jay Gould was brought up on a farm, and became, first, a book- .
keeper, then a surveyor.
Daniel Faverweather, who left many millions to hospitals and
educational institutions, was first a farm hand, then a shoemaker,
then a tin peddler.
Collis P. Huntington, the great railway magnate, supported him-
self from the time he was fourteen.
Peter Henderson, florist and seedsman, was apprenticed to a
gardener in Scotland.
EHas Howe, inventor of the sewing machine, was the son of a
farmer, and was a working mechanic.
James Harper, founder of a great publishing house, was a farmer's
son, and was apprenticed to a printer.
TO THE READER 3
George Pullman, founder of the great Pullman company, at seven-
teen was working for a country merchant.
Asa Packer, founder of Lehigh University, first worked in a tan-
nery, then on a farm, and afterwards became a carpenter and joiner.
James Lick, of Lick University fame, was very poor when a young
man, and worked in a piano manufactory.
Isaac Rich, who gave one and a half millions of dollars to Boston
University, began life working in a fish stall.
Philo Remington, founder of the Remington company for the
manufacture of firearms, began life as a factory hand.
John Roach, the famous shipbuilder, came to this country penni-
less, at the age of fourteen.
John Rockefeller began life as an assistant bookkeeper in a com-
mission house at a salary of less than four dollars a week.
Charles Schwab began his career driving stakes^'at a dollar a day.
Samuel Sloan, the great railway president, was at first a clerk in
an importing house.
Isaac Singer, of sewing-machine fame, was a mechanic working
for daily wages.
Moses Taylor, the great merchant, began life as a clerk.
Herbert Vreeland, president of the Metropolitan Street Railway,
began life on a delivery wagon, afterwards worked in a gravel pit,
and then as a brakeman.
Lucy Larcom, the author, was the daughter of poor parents, and
at thirteen years of age entered a cotton factory as a common
operative.
George W. Childs, of the Philadelphia Pjiblic Ledger^ was an
errand boy. At thirteen he entered the navy, in which he remained
about a year and a half; he then became a clerk in a bookstore at
three dollars a week.
James A. Garfield was born in a log cabin. He worked on a farm
early in life ; later he was a wood chopper, and a mule driver on the
canal. He earned his first dollar by planing boards.
George Peabody, the great London banker, entered a grocery store
as a clerk at eleven years of age.
John Ericsson, of Monitor fame, was a poor boy, and early in life
worked in the iron mines of Sweden.
4 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Samuel Williston, who gave more than one and a half millions of
dollars for noble purposes, began work on a farm at ten years of
age, and remained there for six years at an average wage of seven
dollars a month,
Daniel Webster was the son of a poor struggling farmer.
Thurlow Weed as a boy was so poor that he had to wear old bits
of rag carpet tied on his feet in place of shoes and stockings. He
worked in a blacksmith's shop when only eight years of age.
Elihu Burritt, the youngest of ten children, was the son of a farmer.
At eighteen years of age he was apprenticed to a blacksmith.
Lucy Stone was born on a farm. Almost as soon as she could
walk and count she had to help in the work, driving the cows from
the pasture, dropping corn for the planting, and similar light work.
John Jacob Astor was the son of a butcher and worked with his
father till he was sixteen years of age. After he had worked for him-
self three years he had saved only seventy-five dollars.
Henry Wilson, the noted statesman, was the son of a day laborer.
At ten years of age he began work on a farm, and at twenty-one was
a shoemaker and cobbler.
This list might be extended indefinitely and include
famous lawyers, physicians, preachers, in fact representa-
tives of every calling.
It is worth while to note that these successful men have
been willing to begin their work by doing whatever they
could get to do, that they have been industrious, prudent,
economical, persistent, and temperate.
In closing I should like to call your attention to the
following from Andrew Carnegie.
It is not from the sons of the millionaire or the noble that the
world receives its teachers, its martyrs, its inventors, its statesmen, its
poets, or even its men of affairs. It is from the cottage of the poor
that all these spring. We can scarcely read one among the few
"immortal names that were not born to die," or who has rendered
TO THE READER 5
exceptional service to our race, who had not the advantage of being
cradled, nursed, and reared in the stimulating school of poverty.
There is nothing so enervating, nothing so deadly in its effects upon
the qualities which lead to the highest achievement, moral or intel-
lectual, as hereditary wealth. And if there be among you a young
man who feels that he is not compelled to exert himself in order to
earn and live from his own efforts, I tender him my profound sympa-
thy. Should such a one prove an exception to his fellows, and
become a citizen living a life creditable to himself and useful to the
state, instead of my profound sympathy I bow before him with pro-
found reverence ; for one who overcomes the seductive temptations
which surround hereditary wealth is of the "salt of the earth" and
entitled to double honor.
Statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park, Chicago
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
I 809- I 865
Perhaps the most striking character in all American
history is Abraham Lincoln. Few people have begun life
under more unfavorable circumstances. No other person
in this country beginning life under such conditions, ever
accomplished so much. Such a man with such a history
must always be a person of great interest to all who believe
in a "government of the people, by the people, and for
the people"; to all who believe that the world with its
opportunities for progress should be open to every child,
no matter how humble his origin.
Every boy who believes, as he should believe, that he is
" the architect of his own fortune," and who is ambitious to
make the most of himself, must be interested in the story
of Abraham Lincoln. His early life with its hardships,
its struggles, its lack of opportunity, must encourage one
who begins life under much more favorable circumstances.
His success under these conditions should stimulate every
ambitious boy to begin the struggle of life hopefully and
to continue it courageously.
Believing that the story of such a life is the birthright
of every American citizen, and that it is a calamity to miss
it, the writer is led to do his part in placing that story
within the reach of American children.
7
8 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Lincoln's Ancestry
Abraham Lincoln was the second child of Thomas and
Nancy Lincoln. His mother's maiden name was Hanks.
Though his parents were very poor and his father was
thriftless and without ambition, they came of good ances-
try. About 1640 three brothers of the name of Lincoln
came to Hingham, Massachusetts, from the west of Eng-
land. One of these, Samuel, was the ancestor of Abraham
Lincoln. Many of Samuel's descendants were prominent
men. One was a member of the Boston Tea Party and
was a captain of artillery during the Revolution. A great-
grandson, named Levi, a graduate of Harvard, was one
of the minutemen at Cambridge. He held several local
offices and was appointed Attorney-General of the United
States by Jefferson ; for a few months he was Secretary
of State. In 1807 he was lieutenant governor of Mas-
sachusetts. In 181 1 he was appointed associate justice of
the United States Supreme Court by Madison, but declined
to serve. For years he was considered the head of the
Massachusetts bar.
His son, also named Levi, a graduate of Harvard, became
governor of Massachusetts, and held other important offices.
Enoch, another son, was a member of Congress for eight
years and became governor of Maine.
Another son, named Mordecai, from whom Abraham
was directly descended, was the proprietor of numerous
iron works, sawmills, and gristmills. His son Mordecai
moved to New Jersey and from there to Pennsylvania.
Many of his descendants in the latter state have taken
prominent positions in public life. A son of this Mordecai
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 9
moved to Virginia. He had five sons, to one of whom he
gave one hundred and twenty acres of land situated in
what is now Rockingham County, Virginia.
Soon afterwards rumors of a rich western land called
Kentucky began to be circulated. The favorite route to
this new country was through Rockingham County, and the
newly arrived settler caught the fever of unrest and with
his wife and family moved to Jefferson County, Kentucky.
In 1778 he was killed by the Indians, leaving three sons
and two daughters. The eldest son, Mordecai, inherited
most of the large estate and became well-to-do. Very
little is known of the second son, Josiah. The daughters
married into well-known Kentucky families. The youngest
son, Thomas, the father of Abraham Lincoln, was, at ten
years of age, left to shift for himself, and was a wandering,
laboring boy before he had learned to read.
The ancestry of the mother of Lincoln is as follows.
Benjamin Hanks came to this country in 1699 and settled
at Plymouth, Massachusetts. He had eleven children,
one of whom, William, went to Virginia and settled near
the mouth of the Rappahannock River. William had five
sons, four of whom, about the middle of the eighteenth
century, moved to Amelia County, Virginia, where they
owned a thousand acres of land. Joseph, the youngest of
these sons, married Nancy Shipley, a sister of the mother
of Thomas Lincoln. About 1789 Joseph Hanks moved
to Kentucky and settled near what is now Elizabeth-
town. His youngest daughter, Nancy, was the mother of
Abraham Lincoln.
That such a man as Lincoln should spring from such
ancestry is in no way remarkable.
lO
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Lincoln's Boyhood
Abraham Lincoln's father was an ilHterate man who
learned to write his name in a bungling sort of way after
he was married. He seems to have been willing to work,
but was neither thrifty nor ambitious. He learned the
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Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace
trade of carpenter and cabinet maker. He married his
cousin, Nancy Hanks, in 1807. Abraham, their second
child, was born on the 12th of February, 1809. The name
Abraham had been common in both the Lincoln and the
Hanks families for generations.
The Lincolns lived far from any considerable settlement,
and Abraham was a well-grown lad when he first saw a
church. Both his father and his mother were religious ; but
religious services were rare, being confined to those held
ABRAHAM LINCOLN II
now and then by itinerant preachers. One of these, a Bap-
tist by the name of Elkin, aroused Abraham's interest in
pubhc speaking. Years afterwards, when Lincoln was Presi-
dent, he referred to Elkin as being the most remarkable
man whom he knew in his boyhood.
Not only the Lincolns but most of their neighbors were
very poor. Thomas Lincoln gave up his trade and took
to farming, and, when Abraham w^as about four years old,
moved his family to Knob Creek. The boy now began
to go to school, but the schools of that time bore little
resemblance to ours. There was no regular time for the
school to be in session ; it might continue for a few months
or a few weeks or even for a shorter time. The only thing
required of the teacher was ability to manage the older
boys. The schoolhouse was usually a log hut furnished
only with rough benches, a teacher's desk, and a box stove
or rude fireplace. Many of the pupils had no books.
It is said that young Lincoln was an apt pupil and learned
readily. His mother took great pains to teach her children
what she knew, and from her they learned much of Bible
lore, fairy tales, and country legends. Lincoln was wonder-
fully familiar with the facts and with the language of the
Bible. No doubt this came from his mother's training, as
perhaps also did his love for story-telling.
In 1816 the Lincolns moved to Spencer, Indiana, where
for nearly a year they lived in a "half-faced camp," a rude
cabin inclosed on three sides, the fourth being partly
screened by the skins of animals. In one corner was a
rough fireplace made of sticks and clay, also a chimney of
the same material. The furniture of the house was of the
rudest description and of home manufacture. The cabin
12
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
which later took the place of the "half-faced camp" had
no floor, door, nor window. Abraham slept on a bed of
leaves in the loft. There was no stairway, but in its place
were wooden pegs driven into the wall.
Lincoln was now in his eighth year. His dress con-
sisted of a shirt of linsey-woolsey, a homespun stuff made
from a mixture of cotton and wool, colored, if at all, with
dyes obtained from roots
and bark. He wore cow-
hide boots or moccasins,
deerskin leggins, a hunting
shirt of the same material,
and a "coon-skin" cap. He
never wore stockings until
he was a man. Now that
he was strong enough to
work he was put to such
tasks as bringing tools, car-
rying water, dropping seeds,
and picking berries.
There was plenty of food,
Half-Faced Camp ^^^^^ ^^ -^ ^^^^^ (^^^^^^^ ^^^^
and wild fruits were to be had in abundance. The potato
was the only vegetable raised to any considerable extent.
The everyday bread in the Lincoln family was corndodger,
wheat cakes being a dainty reserved for Sundays and spe-
cial occasions. Food was prepared in the simplest way,
owing to a lack of facilities, and the Lincolns were not the
only family who had none of our modern conveniences.
There was no stove, the nearest approach to one being
the Dutch oven. This, with an iron kettle, made up the
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
13
-outfit of most kitchens, with the exception of an old piece
of tin punched full of holes to serve as a grater, or, as it
was then called, a "gritter." Sometimes it was used to
make corn meal, but this was a slow and laborious process.
Most of the dishes were pewter; the spoons were iron; the
knives had horn handles. The War of 1 8 1 2 had just closed.
The embargo act had destroyed commerce. Few things
were manufactured in this country, and those imported were
too expensive for the use of the common people. Thorns
were used for pins, crusts of rye bread for coffee, leaves of
various herbs for tea, and corn whisky diluted with water
was a common drink.
During the summer of 18 18 a mysterious disease called
the ''milk-sick" broke out in Indiana. It seems to have been
something like quick consumption. Many died of it, among
the number the mother of Lincoln. There was no doctor
in that distant wilderness to care for the sick, nor could
a minister be found to bury the dead. Soon after the
death of his mother, Lincoln wrote what he says was his
first letter, — a letter asking his old friend. Parson Elkin,
to come and preach a memorial sermon, which the parson
did. It was a memorable occasion to Lincoln. He said
of his mother, ''All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my
angel mother."
Thomas Lincoln was left with the care of his two chil-
dren, Sarah, twelve years of age, Abraham, nine, and
Dennis Hanks, eighteen months younger. It was a hard
situation. The few comforts that had been known were
exchanged for a home more forlorn than you can possibly
imagine. But Thomas Lincoln did not allow anything
to worry him long. His was too easy a nature for that.
14 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
He hoped the good Lord would send them help somehow
and some day, but how and when he did not feel called
upon to be concerned about. In the fall of 1 819 he went
to Kentucky and married Mrs. Sally Johnston, a widow
with three children.
The new mother brought furnishings unknown in the
Lincoln home. There were tables, chairs, a bureau, cloth-
ing, crockery, bedding, knives, forks, and many other com-
forts which the Lincoln family had always done without.
Abraham was ten years of age when his new mother
came. They were good friends at once. Years afterwards
she said of him, *'He never gave me a cross word or look,
and never refused, in fact or in appearance, to do anything
I requested of him." He said of her, "She was a noble
woman, affectionate, good, and kind."
From the time he was ten till he was twenty-three
Lincoln was rarely idle. He learned to do all the kinds
of work which the early settlers, wholly dependent upon
themselves, must do, — to drive, to plow with the old shovel
plow, to use the sickle, to thresh wheat with a flail, to fan
and clean it with a sheet, and to take the grain to mill and
grind it. His father taught him the rudiments of carpen-
try and cabinetmaking. He became one of the strongest
and most popular *' hands" in the vicinity. Much of the
time he worked as a hired boy on some neighbor's farm for
twenty-five cents a day, the wages being paid to his father.
He served as hostler, plowman, wood chopper, carpenter,
and helped with the "chores."
Hunting was the most common sport of the day, but one
in which young Lincoln seems to have had little or no interest.
He was fond of fishing, swimming, wrestling, and jumping.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1 5
He ran races at the noonday rest. He was present at every
country horse race and fox chase. He enjoyed most the
occasions that brought men together, — the ''raismg," the
husking bee, the spelhng school. At all these he was very
popular. He was noted for his wit, his stories, his good
nature, his practical jokes, and a kind of rough politeness.
Lincoln says he went to school by 'kittles" and not more
than a year altogether; but he learned to read, to love read-
ing, and to love good books ; and if one does that and thinks
about what he reads, he is in a fair way to become well
educated. Lincoln had access to few books, but they
were good ones. He read them again and again and knew
them thoroughly. Among them were the Bible, ''y^sop's
Fables," '' Robinson Crusoe," " Pilgrim's Progress," a " His-
tory of the United States," Weems's ''Life of Washington,"
and the Statutes of Indiana.
Lincoln told a friend that he read every book that he
heard of in a circle of fifty miles from his home. He read
nights, and mornings as soon as it was light. He made
long extracts from what he read and discussed his reading
with others. Mr. Jones, the storekeeper, took a Louisville
paper, and Lincoln went regularly to read it. All the men
and boys in the neighborhood gathered at the store and dis-
cussed the contents of the paper. Lincoln read Cooper's
" Leatherstocking Tales " with rapturous delight. It is said
that he had a hunger for books that was almost pathetic.
He was not, however, a weak bookworm. He was fond
of athletic sports, excelled any boy of his age in wrestling,
and was a champion at every game of muscular skill.
At seventeen years of age Lincoln walked a long distance
to hear one of the famous Breckenridges of Kentucky speak
1 6 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
ac a murder trial. This speech seemed to arouse the latent
genius of the young lad, and from that time on he practiced
speaking. He would speak on any topic that had aroused
the interest of the neighborhood, — road building, school
tax, bounty on wolves, etc. His fondness for speech mak-
ing led him to attend all the trials in the neighborhood,
and to be often present at the sessions of the court held
fifteen miles away.
Lincoln could never be satisfied on any question till he
understood it thoroughly, nor could he give up a difficult
problem till he had mastered it.
When he was eighteen or nineteen years of age Lincoln
spent some months as a boatman on the Ohio and Missis-
sippi rivers. All that he saw of life in his early years,
outside his own neighborhood, was on these rivers, which
offered to the West of that day the only route to the outer
world. This river life was peculiar. There were all sorts
of craft, — steamboats, keel boats, flatboats, pirogues, tim-
ber rafts, "arks," "sleds," "Orleans boats," and "broad
horns." None of these ran on any time schedule. No one
was in a hurry. They stopped anywhere to let off passen-
gers. They tied up wherever it was convenient. This expe-
rience must have widened Lincoln's ideas of life.
In the spring of 1830 the Lincolns moved to Sangamon
County, Illinois. In the summer of that year the young
man started out to shift for himself. He left home empty-
handed. He had not even a respectable suit of clothes.
He had no trade, no profession, no land, no patron, no in-
fluence, but he was strong, good-tempered, and industrious.
He was already some months over twenty-one years of
age. The first work he did was to split rails in payment
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
17
for enough brown jean to make a pair of trousers, splitting
four hundred rails for each yard of cloth.
Lincoln was six feet four inches tall, and very proud of
his height, as well as of his strength. It is said that he
could outlift, outwork, and outwrestle any man he ever
met. His strength won him friends, but his good nature,
wit, stories, and skill in debate did far more for him.
In 1 83 1 Lincoln went again to New Orleans and remained
for a month. It was here that he first saw the horrible
side of slavery, — the negroes in chains, the whippings and
scourgings. In later life he often referred to this visit.
Soon after his return from New Orleans he became a
clerk in a store and mill at New Salem, Illinois. It was at
this time that he received the title ''Honest Abe." The
following incidents, characteristic of the man, show why he
was regarded as being unusually honest. On one occasion
he discovered that he had taken six and a quarter cents
too much from a customer. After the store was closed for
the day he walked three miles to return the money. On
another occasion his last transaction for the day was to sell
a customer half a pound of tea. In the morning he found
in the scales a four-ounce weight. Seeing his mistake of
the night before, he closed the store and hurried to deliver
the rest of the tea.
Since leaving Indiana, Lincoln had read but little. The
store life gave leisure for reading, and he began to look
about for books. More than ever did he realize that one's
power over men depends upon knowledge. He began the
study of English, walking six miles to borrow a copy of
Kirkham's Grammar, the only book on the subject in that
section of the country.
1 8 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
LiNXOLN IN Public Life
The Black Hawk War broke out in 1 832. Lincoln enlisted
and was chosen captain of his company. At the close of
the war he became a candidate for the legislature, but was
defeated, the only time he ever suffered defeat by a direct
vote of the people. His popularity where he was known
was shown by the fact that his own district, though opposed
to him politically, gave him two hundred and twenty-seven
out of three hundred votes.
Lincoln sought employment as a clerk, but being unable
to secure it went into partnership with a man by the name
of Berry and bought out, one after another, the three
grocery stores of New Salem. All his leisure at this time
was taken up in reading borrowed copies of Shakespeare
and Burns, and in studying law, which he now^ undertook
seriously. He bought of an emigrant a barrel partly tilled
with refuse. At the bottom he found a copy of Black-
stone's ''Commentaries," which he read with the greatest
interest. His partner's dissolute habits and his own absorp-
tion in his books were fatal to business, so that before long
Lincoln had saddled upon him a debt which it took him
many years to pay. In 1833 he was made postmaster, but
the office was worth very little financially.
The same year he was made deputy county surveyor. He
knew nothing of surveying, but in six weeks he had mastered
all the books he could get that treated of that subject.
This is another illustration of his power of application.
His surveys are said to have been remarkably accurate.
His pay as surveyor was three dollars a day, a far larger
sum than he had ever earned before.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1 9
In 1834 Lincoln was elected to the legislature and began
to study law as a matter of business instead of pleasure.
Twenty years later, when a young man asked him how to
become a lawyer, he recommended the reading of certain
books and then said, " Work, work, work is the main thing."
In 1836 Lincoln was reelected to the legislature, and
during the same year admitted to the practice of law. The
legislature that year contained many remarkable men. One
afterwards became President of the United States ; another
became an unsuccessful candidate for the same ofhce ; six
became United States senators ; eight, members of the
House of Representatives ; one, Secretary of the Interior ;
three, judges of the state Supreme Court. It is certainly
remarkable that so many able men should have been at the
same time members of the legislature of a young back-
woods state. The influence of close association with these
men during the formative period of Lincoln's life can
hardly be overestimated.
It was at this session of the legislature that an event
occurred which showed the thorough honesty of the man.
The delegation from his county had been pledged to use
all honorable efforts to secure the removal of the state
capital to Springfield. The matter was put into Lincoln's
hands. He was promised the support of influential men
if he in turn would support another measure which he
believed to be wrong. This he refused to do. The influ-
ence brought to bear upon him both by those who wished
the capital at Springfield and by those interested in the
other measure was very great. There was an all-night
meeting of interested members. Later there was another
meeting, at which there were present others who were not
20 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
members of the legislature but who were interested in one
or another of the measures being considered. A long session
was closed with the following declaration by Mr. Lincoln :
You may burn my body to ashes and scatter them to the winds of
heaven ; you may drag down my soul to the regions of darkness and
despair to be tormented forever ; but you will never get me to sup-
port a measure which I beheve to be wrong, although by doing so I
may accomplish that which I believe is right.
At the close of this session of the legislature Lincoln
moved to Springfield and became the law partner of John T.
Stuart. He was elected to the legislature in 1834 and
served till 1842. In 1842 he married Mary Todd, a bril-
liant, ambitious, and highly educated girl.
In 1 84 1 Lincoln's friends offered to support him for the
office of governor of his state, but he declined, as he wished
to so to Confess. He was elected a member of the House
of Representatives in 1846. At the close of his term in
Congress he seemed to have done with politics. His friends
wished him to take the governorship of the territory of
Oregon, believing that it would soon be admitted as a state
and that he could be elected to the Senate, but his wife
was unwilling to go so far west.
Lincoln had not yet paid all the indebtedness incurred
through the failure of the New Salem store years before ;
his father and mother were dependent upon him for many
of the necessaries of life, and in various ways he was help-
ing other relatives. His own family was growing and he
needed to be earning money, so he at once resumed the
practice of law.
Lincoln was very popular wherever he went. To all he
was sympathizing and kind-hearted. Upon the circuit he
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 21
was unassuming, kind, and friendly. He was remarkably
generous to young lawyers just entering upon their pro-
fession. It is said that no young lawyer ever practiced with
Lincoln who did not throughout his after life have a great
personal regard for him.
Lincoln had comparatively few cases of large importance.
In the main they were litigations about boundary lines,
deeds, damages by wandering cattle, and quarrels at county
festivities. When a client came to him his first effort was
to arrange matters so as to avoid a suit if possible. In a
law lecture given about 1850 he said:
Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise
whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is
often a real loser — in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peace-
maker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man.
There will still be business enough. Never stir up litigation. A worse
man can scarcely be found than he who habituallv overhauls the regis-
ter of deeds in search of defective titles whereon to stir up a strife
and put money in his pocket. A moral tone ought to be infused into
the profession which should drive such men out of it.
To the astonishment of his clients and the wrath of his
fellow-lawyers Lincoln was very moderate in his charges.
On one occasion Judge Davis remonstrated with him, say-
ing: ''You are pauperizing this court, Mr. Lincoln; you
are ruining your fellows. Unless you quit this ridiculous
policy, we shall all have to go to farming." Lincoln, how-
ever, made no change in his habits in this respect. In
1847 the total earnings of Lincoln & Herndon were only
about $1500. For the ten years preceding his election
as President, Lincoln's earnings averaged from $2000 to
^3000 a year.
2 2 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
The moral make-up of Lincoln is indicated by the fact
that he never undertook a cause of doubtful morality. He
was a very effective jury lawyer, largely because people
believed him to be thoroughly honest. His knowledge of
the common people and of human nature was remarkable.
He made more of the equities of the case than of the tech-
nicalities of the law. His chief strength was his skill in
examining witnesses. Judge Scott said of him that much
of the force of his argument lay in his logical statement of
the facts of the case. Besides, he had the faculty of mak-
ing the jury believe that they were trying the case and that
he was their assistant.
There has been a general impression that Lincoln never
rose to the first rank in his profession. This has probably
come from the fact that the public has been interested in
his political rather than his professional career. From 1 840
to 1 86 1 he had nearly one hundred cases before the Illinois
Supreme Court, though in this period he was two years in
Congress and spent much time in opposing the repeal of
the Missouri Compromise. This record was not exceeded
by any of Lincoln's Illinois contemporaries.
Among his important cases was one for the Illinois Cen-
tral Railroad, the case really involving the existence of the
road. Lincoln won the case and presented a bill for $2000.
The officer to whom it was presented said, "Why, this is as
much as a first-class lawyer would have charged." Lincoln
was incensed and withdrew the bill. Consulting with lead-
ing lawyers, they all agreed that $5000 would be a mod-
erate charge. Lincoln sued the company for that amount
and won his case. It is said that this is the only case in
which he sued for a fee.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 23
From 1 849 to 1857 Lincoln gave himself up to the practice
of his profession, but the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
in 1854 aroused him as nothing up to that time seems to have
done. He had early put himself on record in opposition to
slavery. The Illinois legislature passed resolutions in regard
to slavery of which Lincoln, then a member of the legislature,
did not approve. He and Daniel Stone were the only mem-
bers of the legislature opposed to them. They drew up and
signed a document protesting against the action taken.
At the time of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, which repealed
the Missouri Compromise, Richard Yates was a candidate for
Congress from Lincoln's district. Lincoln volunteered to
speak for him, the agreement being that he should make his
whole argument against the Kansas-Nebraska bill. Stephen
A. Douglas by his attitude on the bill aroused such antago-
nism that when he spoke in Chicago he was hooted from the
platform. His power over men was so great, however, that
he soon began to win his way again and had aroused much
of the old enthusiasm when in October he went to Spring-
field to speak at the annual state fair. He spoke for three
hours to a great crowd. At the close of his speech it was
announced that Mr. Lincoln would reply to him the next
day. Lincoln did so. Never had he spoken so well. He
surprised those who had expected the most of him. The
people were so aroused that Douglas felt compelled to
reply to him on the following day. These speeches on the
3d, 4th, and 5th of October really formed the opening of
the great Lincoln-Douglas debates. They made Lincoln
the leader in the fight against slavery.
Twelve days after his Springfield speech Lincoln made an-
other at Peoria. In that speech, speaking of slavery, he said :
24 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I
hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence
in the world ; enables the enemies of free institutions with plausibility
to taunt us as hypocrites ; and causes the real friends of freedom to
doubt our sincerity.
Lincoln was again elected to the legislature, but resigned
to try to secure his election to the United States Senate.
The first vote stood: Lincoln, 44; Shields, 41 ; Trumbull, 5.
The choice finally fell on Lyman Trumbull as a compro-
mise. There can be little doubt that it was fortunate
both for Lincoln and for the country that he was not
elected, as he was left free to do the work that he could
hardly have found time for had he been a senator.
A convention was held at Bloomington on May 29, 1855,
for the purpose of getting all who were opposed to the
Kansas-Nebraska bill to act together. There were pres-
ent Whigs, Democrats, and Abolitionists. The excite-
ment throughout the state over Kansas affairs had become
intense. The new state was in the hands of a pro-slavery
mob, her governor was a prisoner, her capital in ruins, her
voters intimidated. Charles Sumner had been assaulted
in the United States Senate. Paul Selby, who had been
expected to preside over the meeting, was struck down at
home by a cowardly blow from a political opponent. All
these things made the meeting one of great interest and
importance. A platform was adopted, delegates to the
national convention were chosen, and speeches were made.
All were earnest, but there was a feeling that they were
still Whigs, Democrats, Abolitionists, — members of sepa-
rate parties. There had not yet been spoken the word that
would fuse them into one body. At this point Lincoln was
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 25
called for, and coming forward he made what many regarded
as the greatest speech of his life. It has been known as the
"lost speech" because it was not reported. The reporters
were so carried away that they forgot to take notes. Mr.
Medill of the Chicago Tribune was there. He said :
I well remember that after Mr. Lincoln sat down and calm had
succeeded the tempest, I waked out of a sort of hypnotic trance, and
then thought of my report. There was nothing written but an abbre-
viated introduction. It was some sort of satisfaction to find that all
the newspaper men present had been equally carried away by the
excitement caused by the wonderful oration, and had made no report
or sketch of the speech.
" The greatest speech ever made in Illinois, and it puts
Lincoln on the track for the Presidency," was the com-
ment made by enthusiastic Republicans. In fact, at the
next national convention, held three weeks later, the first
Republican national convention, Lincoln was second on the
list of candidates, receiving one hundred and ten votes,
though he was not a candidate, no delegates had been
instructed for him, and he himself had no idea that any
one would vote for him. It was a spontaneous response
to his Bloomington speech, which, though not reported in
words, was enthusiastically written about in all the leading
Illinois papers, and was more talked about by those who
were present than any other speech that had ever been
made in the state. During the Fremont campaign Lincoln
made more than fifty speeches, all cool, argumentative, his-
torical. He was building for the future.
Soon after the inauguration of Buchanan, the Supreme
Court of the United States, in a decision of the Dred Scott
case, declared that a negro could not sue in the United
26 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
States courts and that Congress could not prohibit slavery
in the territories. This decision aroused the North as
nothing had done before. Douglas hastened home to calm
his constituents. Lincoln answered his speeches. The two
men became candidates for the United States Senate, and
the fight for the control of the legislature was really a
fight for the senatorship. The question at issue was that
of slavery. A series of joint discussions between Lincoln
and Douglas was arranged. These discussions aroused
the greatest enthusiasm. Perhaps nothing of the kind in
the history of politics in our country has equaled it. The
Republicans of Illinois supported Lincoln with unanimity
and with the greatest enthusiasm. On the evening of his
nomination Lincoln made an address which he opened with
the following paragraph :
A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe that this
government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I
do not expect the house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be
divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.
This was the keynote of Lincoln's campaign. It was fol-
lowed by the famous charge of conspiracy in which Lincoln
charged that Pierce, Buchanan, Chief Justice Taney, and
Douglas had carried out a carefully prepared plan to legal-
ize the institution of slavery in all the states, old as well
as new. This charge was argued with great skill.
In the second of the joint debates with Douglas, Lincoln
asked him this question, '' Can the people of a United States
territory in any lawful way, against the wishes of any citi-
zen of the United States, exclude slavery from its limits
prior to the formation of a state constitution ? " Lincoln
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 27
had consulted with several of his friends before asking the
question and they had all counseled against it, saying that
Douglas would say Yes and thus secure his election to
the United States Senate. Lincoln said that the question
would put Douglas in an embarrassing position. If he
answered No, the people of Illinois would never elect him
to the Senate ; if he said Yes, the South would never sup-
port him for the Presidency. Events showed the wisdom
of Lincoln's course. Douglas did answer Yes. The people
of Illinois did elect him to the Senate, and the South refused
to support him for the Presidency at the next election,
which resulted in two Democratic tickets and the election
of Lincoln. In a word, Lincoln won the Presidency by
losing the senatorship. Like all great men he was able
and willing to sacrifice the present for the sake of the
future.
In the fall of 1859 Lincoln made a speech at Cooper
Union in New York City to an audience that was notable
even for New York. There were present such men as
William Cullen Bryant, Horace Greeley, and David Dudley
Field. The speech made a great impression. In the course
of it Lincoln said, " Let us have faith that right makes
might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our
duty as we understand it."
This speech was followed by others in New England
which made Lincoln better and more favorably known in
the East and contributed not a little towards giving him the
nomination for the Presidency. This is no place to give
an account of the struggle between the friends of Lincoln,
Seward, and others at the national convention. Lincoln
was nominated and elected.
28 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Lincoln as President
Before Lincoln's inauguration several of the states had
seceded. Others were threatening to do so. The Repub-
licans were divided in opinion as to what should be done.
Lincoln's life was threatened and his friends insisted that
he should go to Washington at another time than had been
planned. There was much feeling over cabinet positions,
as is likely always to be the case. Not a few said that
Lincoln would be simply the tool of Seward ; but the men
appointed to cabinet positions were those whom Lincoln
had determined upon months before.
Lincoln closed his first inaugural address as follows :
I am loath to. close. We are not enenlies but friends. We must
not be enemies. Thoi^gh passion may have strained, it must not
break the bonds of our affection. The mystic chords of memory,
stretching from every, battlefield and patriot grave to every living
heart and hear^hston^'' all over this bnpad land, will yet swell the
chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by
the better angels of 'our nature. - ;
i
The general feeling that Lincoln would be President in
name only — a feeling which Seward shared, thinking,
apparently, that, he as Secretary of State would be the
controlling power in the n^v administration — was soon
dissipated. Perhaps no President of the United States
ever so completely overshadowed his cabinet as did
Lincoln, although it was made up of experienced and
remarkably able men. ' <..
For a long time Lincoln was in doubt as to the wisdom
of the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been dis-
cussed in the cabinet and which was a matter that many
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 29
people had close at heart. He heard all parties on the
question and gave it the most careful consideration, finally
issuing the proclamation on the ist of January, 1863, set-
tling a question that had long perplexed him.
At the dedication of the national cemetery at Gettys-
burg the oration was given by Edward Everett, the most
polished speaker of his time. It is now forgotten. Lincoln
spoke two minutes and said that which will always be
remembered. These are his words :
Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this
continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the prop-
osition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a
great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived
and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield
of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a
final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation
might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot hallow this
ground. The brave men, Hving and dead, who struggled here have
consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world
will httle note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to
be dedicated here to the great task remaining before us — that from
these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave the last full measure of devotion ; that we here
highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this
nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom; and that
government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall
not perish from the earth.
Lincoln was tender-hearted in the extreme. There are
numberless instances to prove this. He could never resist
the appeals of wives and mothers of soldiers who had got
30 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
into trouble. The following are a few illustrations of many,
many cases.
Let the execution of be stayed until further orders.
A. Lincoln.
Postpone the execution of two weeks. Hear what his friends
have to say in mitigation and report to me. A. Lincoln.
Suspend the execution of until further orders, and in meantime
send me a record of his trial. A. Lincoln.
The following extract from a letter is characteristic.
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement
that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the
field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of
mine which should attempt to beguile you from your grief for a loss
so overwhelming, but I cannot refrain from tendering to you the con-
solation which may be found in the thanks of the republic they died
to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish
of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the
loved and the lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have
laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
" The war is over " was the announcement made on the
14th of April, 1865. The edition of the morning papers
on the 15th stated that the President of the United States
was mortally wounded. Two hours later his death was
announced.
During the time that Lincoln was President he was
maligned, abused, vilified, and ridiculed as perhaps no other
man had ever been, but at his death all the nations of the
earth paid tribute to his character. As the years have gone
by the respect in which his memory is held has continually
grown and deepened, till his place in history as one of the
great benefactors of the world is universally recognized.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
31
The feeling that Lincoln had done his work, and the
regret that he could not have survived its accomplishment,
is perhaps best expressed in the following poem by Walt
Whitman.
«
O Captain ! my Captain ! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rock, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring.
But O heart! heart! heart !
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells,
Rise up — for you the flag is flung — for you the bugle trills.
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths — for you the shores
a-crowding.
For you they call, the surging mass, their eager faces turning.
Here, Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head !
It is some dream that on the deck
You've fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arms, he has no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won.
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells !
But I with mournful tread
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
Peter Cooper
32
PETER COOPER
1791-1883
Peter Cooper, manufacturer, inventor, and philanthro-
pist, was born on the 12th of February, 1791, in New York,
which city he saw grow from a town of twenty-seven
thousand inhabitants to the most important city of the
New World, with a population exceeding a million.
Peter Cooper came of patriotic stock. His great -great-
grandfather, Obadiah Cooper, came from England about
1662 and settled at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson. His father,
John Cooper, served in the Revolution for four years as a
lieutenant in the New York militia. His mother, Marga-
ret Campbell, was the daughter of General Campbell, who
served throughout the Revolution.
At the close of the Revolution Peter's father established
himself as a hatter in New York City. He prospered, and
accumulated what was for those days considerable prop-
erty, but, like many another, he was not willing to let well
enough alone. Instead of caring for his rapidly growing
business in the city, he sought for an opportunity to make
a home in the country, moved to Peekskill, which was then
thought to have a great future, established a small hat
factory, and opened a country store. Customers came from
the surrounding country and for a time he prospered. An
earnest Methodist, he built a church and invited all traveling
33
34 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Methodist ministers to make his home their stopping place.
The resources of the family were taxed to the utmost to
care for the numerous visitors.
Money being scarce, few of the customers of the store
or factory were able to pay in cash, so the good-hearted but
improvident Mr. Cooper trusted the farmers, and his little
fortune dwindled away in spite of hard work on the part of
every member of the family. Little Peter was put at work
in the factory pulling the hair out of rabbit skins before he
was eight years old. This was the beginning of a long life
of ceaseless labor, lightened by less than a year at school,
all told. But many boys of his time who afterwards became
successful men saw very little of schools.
Hoping to better the fortunes of the family, John Cooper
began the brewing of ale. Peter delivered the full kegs
and brought back the empty ones. This business, like
the other, proving unsuccessful, the family moved through
what was then almost a wilderness to Catskill, where Mr.
Cooper engaged in the manufacture of brick, at which Peter
as usual worked early and late.
But it seemed that nobody wanted brick. Hard work
could not insure success to a hopeless enterprise. The fam-
ily grew steadily poorer. Finally their debts were paid by
Peter's grandmother, and the family moved to Brooklyn,
then a little villao^e of two thousand inhabitants, where thev
again undertook the business of brewing and again made
a failure of it. The family moved once more, this time to
Newburg, and for the third time entered the brewing busi-
ness. This time it was a partial success, owing to the hard
work and good management of Peter, who was now old
enough to help in directing the business.
PETER COOPER 35
Peter was now sixteen years old. From his earliest recol-
lection his life had been a hard and at times almost hope-
less struggle. He had been at school but little. He had
never had a real holiday. But the experience which would
have crushed some was the training which led to his final
success, for it gave him fixed habits of industry, economy,
and perseverance.
Peter was always of an inventive turn of mind. He made
a sort of washing machine for use in his own home. This
was probably his first invention. He took an old shoe apart
to see how it was put together, and after that made the fam-
ily shoes and slippers, which were said to be as good as
those in common use. Once he made a toy wagon and sold
it for six dollars. In various ways he managed to save four
dollars more. Ten dollars seemed to him an immense sum
and he was at a loss to know what to do with it. Finally
upon the advice of a relative he bought lottery tickets. They
drew blanks, a result which he afterwards declared to be
the most fortunate event of his life, as it kept him forever
after from trying to make money through chance.
After this simple life of toil and hardship, Peter Cooper
went to New York at seventeen years of age as apprentice
to John Woodward, a carriage builder. He received twenty-
five dollars a year and his board. On this he not only lived
but even saved some money. He was at this time igno-
rant, uncouth, and 'awkward, but he was a thoughtful lad
and had many shrewd ideas. Even at this early day he
decided that the American people were willing to pay a high
price for an extra quality of goods.
While learning his trade Peter took up ornamental wood
carving, and earned some extra money by working at it out
36 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
of business hours. He also made several inventions, one
of them of considerable value. This was a machine for
mortising hubs, — a work which till then had been done by
hand. His prudence and economy pleased Mr. Woodward
so much that, when Peter was twenty-one, he said to him :
"Peter, you have done good work for me. I will build you
a shop and set you up in business for yourself. You may
pay me when you can." This was highly compUmentary
and a very tempting offer, but Peter's boyhood experience
had given him a horror of debt, so he decHned it.
At the close of his apprenticeship he went to Hempstead
to visit a brother, and while there secured employment in
a factory for making machines for shearing cloth. He
received a dollar and a half a day, which was very high
wages for that time. At the end of three years he had
saved enough money to enable him to purchase the right
to make and use, in the state of New York, a patented
machine for shearing cloth. He sold the first county right
for these machines for five hundred dollars to Mr. Vassar of
Poughkeepsie, the founder of Vassar College. In later years
Mr. Cooper liked to tell how elated he was over this sale.
On his return from Poughkeepsie he stopped at Newburg
to visit his parents. He found the family in great distress.
His father had become involved in financial difficulties and
was about to be sold out of house and home. Peter met
the most pressing debts and became responsible for the
others, which he finally had to pay.
About the time that he began the manufacture and sale
of the cloth-shearing machines he married Miss Bedell, a
lady of Huguenot descent. No act of Mr. Cooper's long
and prosperous life proved more fortunate than this. She
PETER COOPER 37
was an excellent wife and mother, and for the fifty-six
years that they lived together fulfilled all the duties of life
in the most exemplary manner.
Many improvements in the cloth-shearing machine were
made by its inventor, and the venture proved a very profit-
able one. The War of 18 12, which stopped all commerce
with England, greatly increased the manufacture of woolen
goods in this country and so made a large sale for this
machine. When at the close of the war the demand
ceased, Mr. Cooper had accumulated sufficient means to
enable him to go into other business.
Peter Cooper's payment of his father's debts was charac-
teristic of the man. He had the highest sense of honor.
In his old age he boasted that during a business career
of more than sixty years there was never a month nor
a week when every man working for him did not get his
pay, though at times he had as many as twenty-five hundred
in his employ. When it is remembered that during this long
period there were several remarkable financial panics, —
times when nearly every bank in the country suspended pay-
ment, — Mr. Cooper's financial integrity will be understood.
When the demand for cloth-shearing machines ceased,
Mr. Cooprer began the manufacture of cabinet ware and
furniture. He soon sold this business and bought a twenty
years' lease of two houses and six lots in New York where
the Bible House now stands. Here he built four large
wooden dwelling houses. Imagine wooden dwellings in
that place now ! He was successfully engaged in the gro-
cery business for the next three years, but this was not the
business for which he was best fitted. Long before he had
held that the American people were willing to pay high
38 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
prices for excellent goods. He saw that this country did
not make the best quality of goods. No satisfactory glue
was made by Americans. He bought a twenty-one years'
lease of a tract of land on what is now the section from
Thirty-First to Thirty-Fourth streets but which was then
far out of town on the old "Middle Road." Here he began
the manufacture of glue, oil, whiting, prepared chalk, and
isinglass. His factory stood where Park Avenue Hotel now
stands. Through the excellence and cheapness of his prod-
uct he soon controlled practically the whole trade of the
country in glue and isinglass. His success was due not only
to his inventive skill but also to his energy and industry.
For years he carried on his work without bookkeeper,
agent, or salesman. He was at his factory at daylight to
start the fires and prepare for the day's work. He went
about with a team to gather the hoofs of slaughtered cattle.
At noon he drove into the city to make necessary pur-
chases. All his evenings were spent at home, where he
found time to keep his books, answer correspondents, and
study new inventions. In course of time the business grew
to be so extensive and complicated that one man could no
longer attend to it, and he associated with him his son
Edward and his son-in-law, Abram S. Hewitt.
When his lease of the New York property expired the
business had so grown that a much larger plant was neces-
sary. Ten acres of land were bought in Brooklyn, on Mas-
peth Avenue, where the business is still carried on.
Mr. Cooper was too versatile and too energetic a man to
confine his thoughts and energies to a single subject. For
several years he had studied the iron industry of the coun-
try, and thought that he saw how it could be wonderfully
PETER COOPER 39
improved. In 1828 he bought three thousand acres of land
within the city hmits of Bahimore, on which he erected the
Canton Iron Works. This was the first great enterprise of
the kind in our country. At this time the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad was in process of construction. There were
many difficulties to be overcome, the chief ones being heavy
grades and sharp curves. Mr. Cooper's venture could not
be a success if the road should be a failure. The English
engineer Stephenson had said that locomotives could not be
run on curves of a radius of less than seven hundred and
fifty feet, but on this road was a curve with a radius of only
one hundred and fifty feet. Mr. Cooper did not believe that
the limit of invention had been reached. He planned and
built a locomotive, the first in America which would make
the required curve, thus saving the Baltimore and Ohio road
from bankruptcy and himself from great loss.
A few years later Mr. Cooper sold the Canton Iron
Works at a great advance on their cost, and took his pay
in stock of the Baltimore and Ohio road at $45 a share,
the par value being $100. Some years later he sold his
stock for ^230 a share. Nearly everything that Mr. Cooper
undertook prospered, not because he was fortunate but
because he studied conditions long and carefully before
going into an undertaking. After selling his Canton prop-
erty Mr. Cooper engaged in the manufacture of iron in
New York, and succeeded in using anthracite coal in pud-
dling iron. He also manufactured wire in Trenton, New
Jersey, and operated at Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, the
largest blast furnaces then in existence. In order to con-
trol the manufacture he bought the Andover iron mines
and built a railroad eight miles long to bring the ore to
40 SUME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
the furnaces. The whole plant \\*as afterwards known as the
Ironton Iron Works. It was here that the first wTOUght-iron
beams for fireproof buildings were made.
Air. Cooper was Air. Field's ablest helper in building
Liic Atlantic cable. When others became discouraged and
ad\-ised abandoning the enterprise, he never lost heart.
For twenty 3'ears he w^as president of the New York, New-
foundland and London Telegraph Company, and to him, as
much as to any one man, is due the success of the Atlantic
cable. Although the first one ceased to work after four or
five hundred messages had been sent, and the second w^s
lost when nearlv laid, Mr. Coopers courage did not fail
him. He saw that the work of the first cable had dem-
onstrated the practicability of the scheme and that success
depended only upon working out details.
Mr. Cooper was always deeph' interested in public affairs,
particularly in the affairs of his own city. He ser\'ed one
year as alderman and three vears as assistant alderman.
He was instrumental in getting paid fire and police depart-
ments, a good water supply, and free schools. In the latter
he took a great and lasting interest. He was a member
of the first board of commissioners of public schools.
He was an enthusiastic supporter of the war for the
Union, being the first man to pay money towards a war
loan. Being too old to sene himself, he sent about twenty
substitutes.
He believed that the general government should issue
pap>er money exclusively, and holding these views, con-
sented to become the candidate of the Greenback party for
the Presidency.
Cooper Union
41
42 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Cooper Union
Mr. Cooper's experience as a struggling apprentice had
shown him the needs and the hmitations of apprentices.
No doubt it was his interest in this class that led to the
establishment of Cooper Union. He wished to help those
apprentices who tried to help themselves. He also wished
to provide innocent and instructive amusements to take the
place of those that were coarse or vicious. In 1S54 he
began the erection of a six-story, fireproof building. Fully
completed and equipped it cost Mr. Cooper, with the land
it occupied, more than $900,000.
Cooper Union was established for the advancement of
science and art. At an annual meeting of the trustees
Mr. Cooper said :
Feeling, as I always have, my own want of education, and more
especially my own want of scientific knowledge, as applicable to the
various callings in which I have been engaged, it was this want of my
own, which I felt so keenly, that led me, in deep sympathy for those
who I knew would be subject to the same wants and inconveniences
that I had encountered — it was this feeling w'hich led me to provide
an institution where a course of instruction would be open and free to
all who felt a want of scientific knowledge, as applicable to any of the
useful purposes of life.
Having started in life with naked hands and an honest purpose, I
persevered through long years of trial and effort to obtain the means
to erect this building, which is now entirely devoted, with all its rents
ard revenue, of every name and nature, to the advancement of science
and art. Believing, as I do. that science is a rule or law of God by
which the movements of the material creation are rendered intelligible
to man ; that science itself is nothing more nor less than a knowledge
of this law or rule actually demonstrated by the experience of man-
kind ; believing this, I have given the labors of a long life to the
PETER COOPER 43
advancement and diffusion of scientific knowledge, feeling assured
that when Christianity itself is felt in all its purity, power, and force,
when it is relieved of all its creeds and systems of human device, it
will then be found to be a simple system — a science or rule of life
to guide and regulate the action of mankind.
It is difficult to estimate the value of Cooper Union ; this
great institution with its lecture hall, where instruction on
a great variety of subjects is absolutely free, its library,
its reading room, its day and evening classes in engineer-
ing, chemistry, natural philosophy, photography, telegraphy,
wood engraving, painting, and many other subjects. It is
impossible to tell how many have here had their first inspi-
ration in life, and how far reaching have been the conse-
quences.
The reception of the news of Mr. Cooper's death showed
what the world thinks of a good and unselfish man. People
of all classes mourned his death. Ministers of all creeds
praised him. Thousands paid personal respect to his mem-
ory. Courts, city councils, and legislatures adjourned, and
business houses were closed on the day of his funeral.
Three thousand five hundred students of Cooper Union
dropped flowers on his coffin.
The life of such a man as Peter Cooper is inspiring.
Contrast the life of a man who strives with untiring indus-
try to accumulate a fortune to be used in doing good to his
fellow-men with the life of one who accumulates a fortune by
questionable means for selfish purposes and with nothing
else in mind. Mr. Cooper will long be remembered. His
good work will continue indefinitely. In no fair sense can
he be said to be dead.
'T is ever wrong to say a good man dies.
Mary Lyon
44
MARY LYON
1797-1849
On the 28th of February, 1797, in the httle town of
Buckland, amid the mountains of western Massachusetts,
was born one who was, all things considered, perhaps the
most remarkable woman our country has produced. To
Mary Lyon is due far greater honor than has yet been
accorded her.
She was the fifth of seven children, only one of whom
was a boy. They lived in a little one-story farmhouse.
The father, Aaron Lyon, a good and earnest man, beloved
by all his neighbors, struggled to win from a sterile Massa-
chusetts farm support for a numerous family. He died at
the age of forty-five, leaving his family well-nigh helpless.
Mary was then not quite six years old.
'The mother was a remarkable woman. She carried on the
farm, supported the children, and kept the family together.
Though she worked early and late she was always cheer-
ful. There was no money for candy or toys for her little
ones, but they always had a beautiful flower garden, which
Mrs. Lyon said cost only a little extra work, and there was
fruit in abundance. In after years Mary said, " No such
strawberries ever grew anywhere else, never such rareripes,
so large and so yellow, and never were peaches so delicious
and so fair as grew on that favored farm."
45
46 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
One by one Mary's sisters married and left home. When
Mary was fourteen her mother married again and moved to
the state of New York, taking the two youngest girls with
her. Mary remained and kept house for her brother, who
was then twenty-three years of age. Later her brother
married, but she made her home with him until she was
twenty-one, when he moved to New York and the beloved
home was given up.
Mary Lyon's opportunities for gaining an education were
very limited. In her early days she had but little schooling.
While she was her brother's housekeeper she received a
dollar a week for her services. She used this money in
buying books and preparing for more advanced education.
She also earned, by spinning and weaving for the neighbors,
some additional money, which was saved for the time when
she could attend school.
There was little in her surroundings that tended to stim-
ulate the young girl. No one in her town had ever been
distinguished for education or for any accomplishment. It
would not have been strange had she led the life of those
around her. But she early showed that she possessed ex-
traordinary ability. She had a quick mind and a memory
that was phenomenal. In four days she learned what other
pupils took a term to master. She committed the rules of
Adams's Latin Grammar in three days. She made similar
progress in arithmetic. She was fond of school and in love
with learning, but the poverty of the family was so great that
but little of her time could be spared for study. The greater
part of her day was spent in sewing, knitting, and spinning.
When her brother married she was free to give her time
wholly to securing the desired education. She taught for
MARY LYON 47
a while for seventy-five cents a week and saved all the
money. She also worked during her spare hours at sewing,
spinning, and weaving. A friend said of her, " She is all
intellect and does not know that she has a bodv to care for."
When she was twenty years old she had saved enough
money to enable her to enter Sanderson Academy at Ash-
field. This was the first good school she had ever attended.
At the end of one term her money was all gone, but her
work had been so remarkable that the trustees offered her
free tuition for another term. She was by far the best
scholar in the school. One of her teachers said, '' I should
like to see what she would make if she could be sent to
college." But in those days there was not a college in all
this broad land of ours that would open its doors to a woman.
She left this school to engage in teaching, which she expected
to make her life work. She was known as the most gifted
^ pupil who had ever attended the academy. Between terms
she studied, giving especial attention to one subject at a
time. She spent some time studying science in the family
of the Reverend Edward Hitchcock, afterwards president of
Amherst College. She also devoted some time to drawing,
painting, penmanship, and other subjects.
At twenty-four years of age, having saved some money,
she attended a school at Byfield, kept by the Reverend Joseph
Emerson. Immediately after completing her year at Byfield
she was appointed an assistant teacher at Sanderson Acad-
emy, where she had once been a pupil. This was remark-
able, because no woman had ever before held the position.
A little later. Miss Grant, one of the teachers at Byfield,
started a school at Derry, New Hampshire, and chose Miss
Lyon as her assistant. She was very happy in her work
48 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
there, but as the sessions were held in the summer only,
she opened a school in her native town of Buckland. She
had twenty-five pupils the first term, and ninety the last.
A building was erected for the school. The pupils were
boarded for a dollar and a quarter a week, and Miss Lyon
charged twenty-five cents a week for tuition. In this way
people of little means were enabled to secure an education.
She was asked to locate there permanently, and might
have done so had not Miss Grant, who had had the sum-
mer school at Derry, opened a school at Ipswich, Massa-
chusetts, and invited Miss Lyon to become her assistant.
For six years they had a large and successful school.
Miss Lyon proved to be a popular and stimulating teacher.
She would often say :
Young ladies, you are here at great expense. Your board and
tuition cost a great deal, and your time ought to be worth more than
both : but in order to get an equivalent for the money you are spend-
ing, you must be systematic, and that is impossible unless you have a
regular hour for rising. . . . Persons who run around all day for the
half hour they have lost in the morning never accompHsh much. You
may know them by the rip in the glove, a string pinned to the bonnet,
a shawl left on the balustrade, which they had no time to hang up,
they were in such a hurry to catch their lost thirty minutes. You will
see them opening their books and trying to study at the time of general
exercises in school, but it is a fruitless race, they will never overtake
their lost half hour.
Mount Holyoke
It was while teaching at Ipswich that Miss Lyon formed
the idea of establishing a school for the higher education of
women. There was a prejudice against schools for girls.
Many prominent people thought it wrong for girls to have
MARY LYON
49
the same advantages in education as boys. Very few sym-
pathized with Miss Lyon in her views regarding higher
education for women. She was told that girls would never
^ become lawyers, or doctors, or ministers, and that there-
/ fore they had no need of a higher education. She was
asked if she thought women would be better housekeepers,
or wives, or mothers, if they were liberally educated. In
vain she talked with college presidents and learned minis-
ters. Nearly all of them were without interest in the mat-
ter. But Mary Lyon was not one to become discouraged
by opposition. She tried, but without success, to have the
school at Ipswich endowed. For two years she thought
and prayed over the matter.
She had the greatest sympathy for poor girls, and she
wished for '' a seminary which should be so moderate in its
expenses as to be open to the daughters of farmers and
artisans, and to teachers who might be mainly dependent
for their support on their own exertions." She said that
a school should be established in which the cost of tuition,
room, board, lights, fuel, and washing should not exceed
sixty dollars a year.
W^hen about thirty years of age she received an offer of
marriage that would mean for her a happy life. She said,
'' If I take the husband, I cannot have the seminary." She
did not hesitate in her choice, and it is well for our country
that she thought the seminary of the greater importance.
Had she married, it is probable that higher education for
women would have been delayed for a generation. Certainly
there would have been no Mount Holyoke Seminary, and
the inestimable good which that institution has done would
have been lost.
50 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Only here and there a person whom Mary Lyon con-
sulted believed it wise to establish such a school as she
had in mind. The more opposition she met with, the more
determined she became. To a friend she wrote :
During the past year my heart has so yearned over the adult
female youth in the common walks of life that it has sometimes
seemed as though a fire were shut up in my bones.
She resigned her position at Ipswich and went from house
to house collecting funds for the new school. Women gave
the first thousand dollars. In spite of indifference, opposi-
tion, and ignorance, the necessary funds were finally raised,
and on the 3d of October, 1836, the corner stone of the
building was laid. Miss Lyon wrote:
It was a day of deep interest. The stones and brick and mortar
speak a language which vibrates through my very soul. Had I a
thousand lives I could sacrifice them all in suffering and hardship for
the sake of Mount Holyoke Seminary. Did I possess the greatest
fortune, I could readily relinquish it all, and become poor, and more
than poor, if its prosperity should demand it.
Miss Lyon said that her salary should never be more
than two hundred dollars a year with board, and no assistant
could expect more than she received. She said that the
girls, whether rich or poor, must do their part of the house-
work. Her ideas were ridiculed. People said that teachers
could not be had for such salaries, and that girls would not
go to school and do housework. The history of Mount
Holyoke is the answer to these criticisms.
The school was opened in the fall of 1837. The grounds
and buildings had cost about ^70,000. While there were
accommodations for only about eighty-five students, more
MARY LYON
51
than three hundred appHed for admission, and one hundred
and sixteen were present at the opening. Three years later
the buildings were sufficiently enlarged to accomrhodate two
hundred and fifty students.
Students came not from Massachusetts alone but from
nearly every state in the Union and from several foreign
countries. While
Miss Lyon had
in mind the
young women
who were unable
to attend expen-
sive schools, and
for that reason
the expense was
limited to one
dollar and a
quarter a week,
from the outset
there were many
girls from
wealthy families,
and pupils left other popular and fashionable schools to
attend Mount Holyoke. The intellectual tone and moral
standing of the school were unexcelled.
,, Miss Lyon died March 5, 1849, having contracted a con-
tagious disease which broke out in the school a month
before. The mourning caused by her death was wide-
spread. All her pupils were her friends, and they were to
be found in every state in the Union and in many foreign
lands.
Mary Lyon Hall
52 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Few have done so much for others as did Mary Lyon,
and still fewer have started movements that continue to
grow and increase in usefulness. Her work has gone
steadily on. The school has grown from year to year.
Nearly half a million dollars is now invested in the institu-
tion. More than seven thousand students have been edu-
cated there, and nearly three fourths of them have become
teachers or missionaries.
Mary Lyon is dead, but who can say when her influence
will cease ? Every American girl who has received or is
receiving a higher education owes her a debt of gratitude
which can never be paid but which may be recognized by
" lending a hand " in forwarding the work which she began.
The work of Mary Lyon will be very inadequately
measured if one considers merely her life work and the
influence of Mount Holyoke, great as both of these are.
The record of her life will ever stand as an inspiration for
every ambitious American girl, and thousands will live
higher, nobler, and more useful lives because of hers.
That influence will never cease.
Few girls begin life under more unfavorable circum-
stances or have to surmount more formidable obstacles
than did ]\Iary Lyon. What girl would not think her life
a grand success were she able to accomplish even a hun-
dredth part as much good as did Miss Lyon ?
She gave her life for others, that those others might
know and have fuller, sweeter, and richer lives. The gift
was not in vain. She aroused and inspired thousands in
her lifetime, and they in turn touched others ; so that we
now have not only Mount Holyoke College but scores of
similar institutions, all doing a grand work; and this has
MARY LYON 53
come about sooner and the work is being better done because
Mary Lyon lived, and lived the life she did.
Mary Lyon, Catherine Beecher, and Emma Willard are
great names in the educational history of our country, but
that of Mary Lyon is easily first.
One of the few immortal names
That were not born to die.
Horace Greeley
54
HORACE GREELEY
1811-1872
Horace Greeley, the third of seven children, was bom
on a farm near Amherst, New Hampshire, February 3,
181 1. His father, Zaccheus Greeley, was of Scotch-Irish
lineage, the stock from which so many successful Americans
have sprung ; while his mother, whose maiden name was
Woodburn, was a woman of uncommon energy. She not
only cared for the family but also worked in the garden,
and on occasion in the field ; it was even said of her that
she could rake more hay than any man in the community.
Mrs. Greeley had a liking for books, and in the long even-
ings she would read aloud or tell stories or sing to her
children. From her Horace inherited his love of study.
He says that she was his first teacher, and that the stories
she told awakened in him a thirst for knowledge and a
great interest in history. He did not remember the time
when he could not read. His love for learning was instinc-
tive, and at two years of age he would pore over the Bible
and ask questions about the letters. He could read any
child's book at three years of age, and any book at four.
He never attended other than a j^ubUc school, and that
no great length of time. He received the greater part of
his schooling in a small one-story building containing one
room, with two windows, a door at one end and a great
55
56 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
fireplace at the other. Along the sides of the room were
a slanting shelf that served as a desk, and seats made of
** slabs" supi^orted by sticks set in auger holes. These
seats had no backs. The girls sat on one side of the room
and the boys on the other. The schoolhouse was impainted
and had no pictures or decorations. Plain as it was, it was
not unlike most of the rural schools of the time.
The farm on which Horace Greeley was born consisted
of fifty acres of rocky, wet, and uneven land four or five
miles from the village of Amherst. The farmhouse, half-
way up a high, steep, rocky hill, was small and unattractive.
The Greeleys' neighbors were hard-working farmers, neither
wealthy nor in want. It was a community of plain people
with no ideas of inequality. The district school gave them
their education, the village paper their ideas of the outside
world. They were orthodox in their religious views and
regular in their attendance at church. It was amidst such
surroundings and under such conditions that young Gree-
ley passed the first few years of his life.
He began school at three years of age and soon led his
class in reading and spelling, studies in which he always
excelled. He was a delicate but not a sickly child, tow-
headed, odd-mannered, with a lisping, whining voice. Then
and all through his life he was good-natured and not easily
provoked.
There were some twenty books in his father's house, which
he had read again and again before he was six years old.
Among the number was "Pilgrim's Progress." He had
read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is said that
he could spell every word in the Bible, but this, no doubt,
is an exaggeration. As he grew older he borrowed and
HORACE GREELEY
57
read all the books to be had in a radius of seven miles. In
the daytime he would lie under the shade of a tree and read
for hours at a time, forgetting even his dinner, noting noth-
ing till darkness came on. He would gather pine knots
to o-ive light for his evening reading, and be so absorbed
that the neighbors would come and go, eating apples and
drinking cider, without his liaving been conscious of their
Horace Greeley's Birthplace
presence. At a very early age he began to read the Fanner's
Cabinet, a weekly paper published at Amherst, containing
religious, agricultural and miscellaneous selections and a
few brief editorials.
The father of Horace Greeley was no better financier
than was his illustrious son in later years. Before Horace
was ten years old his father had speculated in lumber in a
small way and become bankrupt. His home and furniture
58 SOME SUCCESSFL L AMERICANS
were sold by the sheriff, and he vras obliged to leave the
state to escape arrest. S:"e of the debts that were not
settled then were paid b :.: - n thirty years later.
A few weeks after the sale of their home the Greeleys
moved to Rutland Count}', Vermont. The whole family
and all the household goods that the law had left them
were carried in one sleigh load.' They were very poor, so
poor that the children ate their porridge together from a
single tin pan, sitting on the floor as they ate. In spite of
their poverty they were happy, and worked hard and saved
some money. They li\'ed in the cheapest possible way.
It is said that in the summer Horace wore only three
articles of apparel, — a straw hat, usually in bad condition,
a tow shirt, never buttoned, and a pair of linsey-woolsey
trousers * r: in the legs, with one 1^ always shorter
than the other. Possibly it was this life that led to Mr.
Greeley's indiffCTence in the matter of dress in later years.
Greeley's Apprenticeship
When only five or six years old Greeley had determined
to become a printer, and he was grievously disappointed
because at the age of elev en he was refused a position on
account of his youth.
When he was niteen an advertisement appeared in the
Northern Spectatory published at East Poultne>% Vermont,
calling for an apprentice. One day Mr. Bliss, the manager
of the paper, heard a thin, whining voice say, "Are you
the man that carries on the printing office ? "
^Ir. Bliss saw before him a tow-headed, awkward, uncouth,
ill-clad, large-headed youth.
HORACE GREELEY 59
■'Do you want a boy to learn the trade?" the lad
went on.
" Do you want to learn to print ? " said Mr. Bliss.
'* I 've had some notion of it," was the reply.
Mr. Bliss asked some questions, among others what the
boy had read, to which Horace replied, " A little of 'most
everything." '* Further questions," said Mr. Bliss, " showed
that he had a mind of no common order, that he had acquired
an intelligence far beyond his years, and that he possessed
a degree of single-mindedness, truthfulness, and common
sense, which commanded respect and regard."
According to the terms of apprenticeship Horace was to
work till he was twenty years old and to receive only his
board for the first half year and his board and forty dollars
a year for the remainder of the time.
There was a village library at East Poultney that gave
Horace better opportunities for reading than he had ever
before enjoyed, and he afterwards said that he never read
with so much profit. He joined the village lyceum and
was a frequent speaker at its meetings. His extensive
reading, marvelous memory, and logical mind made him an
effective debater. Though he had a high-pitched and whin-
ing voice, and possessed none of the graces of an orator, he
w^as an interesting and fluent speaker.
People often made sport of young Greeley because of his
poor clothing. This he always took good-naturedly, saying,
''It is better to wear my old clothes than to run into debt
for new ones." During the whole of his apprenticeship he
lived in the most economical manner possible, sending all
his savings to his father to help make a home in the wilder-
ness of Pennsylvania, west of the Alleghanies. It is said that
6o
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Horace Greeley did not have fifty dollars' worth of clothes
during the whole time from his birth till he was twenty-one
years of age. He served as apprentice for five years, and in
that time he visited his parents but twice. Each time he
walked nearly the whole distance, about six hundred miles.
T^'^'^'"^'^
Greeley not only became the best printer in the office,
but did much toward editing the paper, some of the num-
bers beins: almost whollv his work. In Poultnev he was
regarded as a walking encyclopedia, and well-informed men
referred to him questions of history and politics. He was
HORACE GREELEY 6 1
positive in his convictions and ready to talk on any subject.
He rarely attended church, usually spending Sunday in
reading. He was a stanch Universalist, an ardent Whig,
and a radical anti-mason. He never used tobacco or alco-
holic drinks.
Early in the fifth year of his apprenticeship the paper on
which he worked was discontinued and he v/as free to do
what he chose. He had but little clothing and only twenty
dollars in money; but he had a good trade, good habits, a
strong, well-trained mind, and a great fund of information.
He first went to visit his parents and spent a few weeks
with them. Then he worked a short time at Jamestown,
New York, but was unable to get any pay, so went to Lodi,
where he worked for a few weeks for very small wages.
After this he went to Erie, Pennsylvania, and entered the
office of the Erie Gazette^ receiving twelve dollars a month
and board. During the seven months he remained here he
spent only six dollars. Of the eighty-four dollars earned
during his seven months at Erie he kept fifteen and gave
the rest to his father. After a few more days at home
he went to New York in search of employment. Walking
part of the time, and riding on canal boats and towboats
when he could, Greeley reached New York on August i8,
1 83 1, at six o'clock in the morning.
Many men who have achieved success in New York have
boasted of their humble beginnings, but it may be doubted
if any one ever began there under more unfavorable cir-
cumstances than did Horace Greeley. He had ten dollars
in money, a few shabby clothes, and not a friend or an
acquaintance in the whole city. He did not know a human
being within two hundred miles. Neither his person nor his
62 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
address was calculated to give any one a favorable impres-
sion. He had no letters of recommendation, no certificate
of his skill as a printer. In addition to all these hindrances
he had Httle faculty for pushing himself and making his
own way.
He engaged board for two dollars and a half a week at
a combination of boarding house and grogshop kept by
one McGolrick. For three days he sought emiployment in
vain. His money was almost gone and he had resolved to
leave the city, when a young Irishman told him that printers
were wanted at John T. West's. Horace was at the place
at half past five Monday morning, and sat on the steps
nearly an hour and a half before the doors opened. One
of the first of the workmen to come was a young Vermonter,
who took an interest in Greeley because they came from
the same state. He exerted himself in Greeley's behalf ;
but even with this advantage he would not have secured a
place had there not been a job on hand that no other printer
would take, — that of the composition of a polyglot Testa-
ment. It was very slow work and the best he was ever
able to do by working from twelve to fourteen hours a day
was to earn from five to six dollars a week ; but after this
work was completed he had several other jobs at various
places. His work in New York as a journeyman printer
lasted about a year and a half.
Greeley as Publisher and Editor
Mr. Greeley had made the necessary preparation for the
success that was to come to him. He knew his trade
thoroughly. He had read extensively, and digested and
HORACE CxREELEY 63
remembered what he read. At the lyceum at East Poult-
uQy he had had an excellent drill in public speaking, and also
some experience in writing for the papers. He had learned
to do hard work easily, and disagreeable work without annoy-
ance. He w^as economical and always good-tempered.
During 1832 Mr. Greeley had become acquainted with a
Mr. Story, who was the foreman in the office of the Spirit
of the Times. He had also made the acquaintance of
Dr. Horatio D. Sheppard, the originator of the idea of a
penny paper. After considerable consultation the firm of
Greeley & Story was formed, and they agreed to publish
a two-penny paper called the Morning Post. Dr. Sheppard
was to pay them for their work at the end of each week.
The enterprise did not pay and the paper was discontinued
at the close of the third week, but its failure did not seri-
ously interfere with the young firm. They were printing
Sylvester s Bank Note Repoi'ter and a small tri-weekly called
the Constitutionalist.
Mr. Story was drowned a few months after the partner-
ship was formed and his place was taken by his brother-
in-law, Mr. Winchester ; later a Mr. Sibbett was taken into
the firm, which was now known as Greeley & Co.
For a long time Mr. Greeley had wished to edit a paper.
The young firm had prospered and was worth about three
thousand dollars. Its members believed that they could
make a better family paper than was then in existence, and
acting upon that belief they issued the first number of the
New Yorker March 22, 1834. They started with only twelve
subscribers, but sold one hundred copies of the first num-
ber and two hundred of the second. For three months
they gained a hundred copies a week in their circulation,
64 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
and at the end of the first year they had four thousand five
hundred subscribers. Ultimately the circulation rose to
nine thousand. During the first year three hundred papers
gave the New Yorker eulogistic notices, and both the paper
and its editor became widely and favorably known. The
New Yorker was in the main a literary paper, though it had
a political department which was non-partisan. It came to
be recognized as an authority on political statistics, as in
later days was the Tribune. The first article by Dickens
that appeared in this country was published in the first
number of the Nezv Yorker.
Although the N'ezv Yorker became famous and influen-
tial, it was never a financial success. This was partly
because the firm made a better paper than they could
afford for the price, but largely because of Greeley's poor
financial management. Possibly the enterprise might have
made more money had it not been for the great panic of
1837, known as *'The Year of Ruin."
In the fall of 1838 Thurlow Weed and Lewis Benedict
of Albany called upon Mr. Greeley and asked him to edit
a campaign paper to be published at Albany for the pur-
pose of furthering the Whig cause and especially to discuss
such questions as the tariff and the United States Bank.
It w^as a movement preliminary to the great campaign of
1 840. The ousting of Mr. Van Buren was a matter of
special interest. The political fortunes of William H.
Seward were involved in the movement. The close rela-
tions of Weed, Seward, and Greeley, w^hich existed so long,
and which were ended years later by Mr. Greeley through a
letter famous in political history, had their beginning at
this time. A weekly paper called the Jeffersonian was
HORACE GREELEY 65
maintained for a year at the nominal subscription price of
fifty cents, the deficiency being met by several wealthy
Whigs. Mr. Greeley began the work with the understand-
ing that he should be paid what his services proved to be
w^orth, and he was finally given a thousand dollars. The
paper contributed largely to the Whig success in the state
that year, and to the election of Seward over Marcy for
governor. It was conservative in tone and wholly free
from personalities, in which respect it was the reverse of
its successor, the Log Cabin.
During the campaign of 1840 Mr. Greeley edited the
Log Cabin, one of the most remarkable and successful
campaign papers ever published. Beginning with a circu-
lation of nearly fifty thousand copies it grew to nearly one
hundred thousand before the campaign ended. General
Harrison was a poor man and at one time had lived in a
log cabin. A Democratic journalist commenting on the
man made this scoffing remark, '' Give him a log cabin and
a barrel of hard cider and he wall be content without the
Presidency." The phrase spread like wildfire. It led to
the choice of the name for Greeley's campaign paper. There
w^ere log cabins in every political procession of the Whigs,
and hard cider became a popular beverage.
The campaign was one of the most exciting ever known.
There were mass meetings, log-cabin raisings, caricatures,
epigrams, songs, jokes, Tippecanoe clubs, medals, badges,
flags, handkerchiefs, almanacs, etc. But it was Horace
Greeley and the Log Cabin that furnished the facts and
arguments which did most to arouse and increase popular
enthusiasm. Greeley comprehended the popular thought,
and his style took the fancy of the public.
66 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Mr. Greeley niade but little money out of the Log Cabin^
though he made a great reputation as an able editor, a
zealous politician, and a statistical writer of great force,
marvelous information, and marked ability.
The Tribune
Mr. Greeley had now prepared the way for the great work
of his life. To the qualifications he had when he made his
first business venture in partnership with Mr. Story he
had added much experience as a writer, speaker, and editor.
He was also widely known and had m^ny influential friends.
He resolved to establish a paper " removed alike from serv-
ile partisanship on the one hand and from gagged, mincing
neutrality on the other." The time seemed ripe for such a
movement. There were but two really live papers in New
York at that time, — the Siui, not then a strong paper,
and the Herald, which offended respectable people by its
indecency. Both these papers, though nominally neutral,
were in sympathy with the Democratic party. So there
seemed to be an excellent opportunity to start a strong,
clean paper. Whig in politics but m.oderate in tone. It
was under such circumstances that the first number of the
Tribune \\2iS issued on Saturday, the loth of April, 1841.
Even in those early days it was an expensive undertaking
to start a daily paper, but though Greeley had little money,
he was known to be a man of ability, industry, experience,
and the strictest integrity.
The paper began with six hundred subscribers. Five
thousand copies of the first number were printed, which
Mr. Greeley had considerable trouble in giving away. The
HORACE GREELEY 67
expenses for the first week were ^525, the receipts ^92.
This was not an encouraging beginning, but Mr. Greeley
did not belong to the class of men who give up easily.
Then he had the not uncommon experience of being helped
by his enemies. The Sii7i concocted a conspiracy to crush
the Tribune. The Sun was a penny paper with an immense
circulation, and it feared that the Tribune, also a penny
paper and much better edited, would lessen its popularity,
so attempts were made to bribe the carriers of the new
paper to give up their routes ; newsmen were threatened
with the loss of the Sun if they sold the Tribune ; boys
were hired to flog the Tribune newsboys. The Tribune
took steps to protect its carriers and told in its columns the
story of the persecution that was going on. The Ameri-
can public always desires fair play, so subscriptions to the
Tribune flowed in rapidly. Three hundred subscriptions a
day were received for three weeks. The paper began its
fourth week with an edition of six thousand, its seventeenth
with eleven thousand, all that its presses could print. The
amount of advertising had trebled notwithstanding the fact
that the rate had been doubled.
Mr. Greeley soon associated with him Mr. Thomas
McElrath, who had entire charge of all business matters,
and the success of the Tribune has been due to his good
business management hardly less than to the genius of
Mr. Greeley. It was a happy combination.
The good fortune, or good management, of Mr. Greeley
in securing efficient associates was shown in many other
cases besides that of Mr. McElrath. There were George
Ripley, " Father of literary criticism in the American
Press " ; Henry J. Raymond, who afterwards established
68 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
the Xew York Times ; Charles A. Dana, noted later for his
management of the Sun; Bayard Taylor, traveler, novel-
ist, poet, historian, and diplomat, whose first contribution
to the Tribime was Letters Afoot ; ^largaret Fuller, who
wrote on art and literature ; Richard Hildreth, historian ;
George W. Smalley, the noted correspondent ; William
Winter, dramatic critic ; John Russell Young, one time
managing editor of the Tribune, later editor of the Herald,
and afterwards minister to China; Charles Nordhoff, noted
author and correspondent, in recent years on the Herald ;
and manv others hardlv less able.
At the end of its second year the Tribune had a circula-
tion of twenty thousand. Mr. Greeley began the Tribune
Almanac in 1841, but until 1856 it was called the Whig
Almajiac. The Log Cab i 71 and the Xezu Yorker were con-
solidated to form the Weekly Ti'ibtcjie, the first number of
which appeared September 20, 1841. From the very out-
set it was influential and successful. It became the most
widelv circulated paper in the United States, running into
the hundreds of thousands. A semi-weekly edition of the
Tribune was begun ]\Iay 17, 1S45.
^Ir. Greeley has been called a man of ''isms," but the facts
hardly justify such a charge. He was a man with an open
mind, ready for new ideas, and if convinced that a thing was
right, he advocated it, no matter what others might do.
As he had been poor, very poor, himself, he felt keenly
the hard conditions under which the poor struggled, and
his sympathies led him to advocate any plan whereby their
condition might be improved. He became interested in
Fourierism, a sort of socialism, and entered into a contro-
versv over it with Henry J. Raymond. Though Greeley
HORACE GREELEY 69
got the worst of the argument, the discussion brought
about a better understanding of cooperation and did much
good. The great development of Hfe and fire insurance (a
form of cooperation) was no doubt due in a large measure
to the public interest aroused by this discussion.
From the first Mr. Greeley was an avowed and extreme
protectionist. His hard struggle with bitter poverty no
doubt intensified his ideas on this subject. He believed
in, practiced, and advocated total abstinence, but was not
at all extreme in his public utterances on that subject, as
he sometimes was on the subject of the use of tobacco,
which on one occasion he declared to be ''the vilest and
most detestable abuse of his corrupted sensual appetites
whereof man is capable."
Above all else Mr. Greeley was a reformer. Incidentally
he was an editor, lecturer, author, and politician. His views
upon temperance, tariff, socialism, capital punishment, slav-
ery, war, and all other subjects were determined by their
supposed value to humanity. He was by heredity, training,
and conviction a Puritan of the Puritans, but it was the
puritanism of the New, not of the Old Testament.
Mr. Greeley had a horror of debt. On one occasion he
said : "To be hungry, ragged, and penniless is not pleasant,
but this is nothing to the horrors of bankruptcy." He very
likely had in mind the bankruptcy of his father, which drove
him from his native state and brought the family to extreme
poverty, leaving debts to be paid many years later.
Mr. Greeley's penmanship w^as indescribably bad. It is
said that a letter of dismissal to one of his employees was
successfully used as a letter of recommendation. Number-
less humorous stories are told regarding his handwriting.
70 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
From his young manhood Mr, Greeley was always over-
worked, doing for years what most people would have
called too much for two men. The strain of a political
campaign was the last straw, and the breakdown would
no doubt have occurred had success instead of failure
crowned his efforts.
Murat Halstead in contrasting Greeley and Bennett
says: "James Gordon Bennett was a newsman; Horace
Greeley a man of opinions — ideas, if you please. Ben-
nett's paper had the larger circulation, Greeley's the greatest
influence."
Mr. Greeley cared little for money. He always voted
against any proposition to raise his own salary as manager
of the Tidbiine and against declaring any dividend upon
the Tribune stock, wishing to put all its earnings into
improving the plant. Even from his boyhood he seems
never to have been able to say No to a borrower. It is
said that from time to time he loaned at least $50,000 on
worthless pledges. He always knew that he was being
imposed upon, and once said : " Nine tenths of those
who solicit loans of strangers or casual acquaintances are
thriftless vagabonds, who will never be any better off than
at present, or scoundrels who would never pay if they
were able."
Of all the books written by Mr. Greeley "The American
Conflict " has probably the greatest merit, the first volume,
which deals with the causes that led to the Civil War,
being of especial value.
HORACE GREELEY 7 1
Mr. Greeley in Public Life
A sketch of Mr. Greeley that should omit his career as a
public man would be very incomplete, yet it is difficult to
sketch that phase of his life briefly or in such a way as
to make clear his motives. He was always interested in
public measures and in public life. If one remembers that
measures were much to Mr. Greeley and men but little,
his life will be better understood. One who would form a
just estimate of him must not forget his devotion to prin-
ciple, his love for his fellow-men, his hatred of sham, his
lack of culture, his ignorance of social life and customs,
and the persistence of early habits.
Mr. Greeley's first active part in politics in a large way
was during the Harrison campaign, when he edited the
Log Cabiji. During the campaign of 1844 he threw into
the contest all his strength and energy. He wrote, spoke,
and worked for the election of Mr. Clay with an ability and
endurance possessed by few men. He said : " From the
day of his nomination in May to that of his defeat in
November I gave every effort, every thought to his elec-
tion. ... I gave heart and soul to the canvass."
Four years later, when on the fourth ballot Taylor was
nominated and Clay defeated in his efforts to secure the
Presidential nomination of the Whig party, Mr. Greeley
left the convention hall in disgust, and it was not till four
months had passed that he could be induced to put the
name of Taylor at the head of his columns.
Mr. Greeley had always regarded slavery as wrong, but
considered it a question with which the North had little to
do. The seizure of Texas and the war with Mexico changed
72 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
his opinion, and he said that these movements with their
avowed purpose made the question of slavery one in which
the North must be interested. The murder of Lovejoy, the
death of Taylor, and the attitude of Fillmore drove Greeley
from the ranks of the "moderates."
Mr. Greeley had always been an independent Whig, and
with the disruption of that party went all that bound him
within any strict party lines. Nominally a Republican,
chiefly because of the attitude of that party on the tariff,
he frequently opposed Republican measures.
In 1848 he was elected to Congress to fill a vacancy,
and attended one short session of three months. Here the
habits of a lifetime controlled him. He was not absent a
day during the session and did not miss a single meeting
of his committee. He introduced a bill to facilitate settling
upon public lands. During the whole session he wrote for
the Ti'ibnnc. One article attacking the mileage system with
its abuses created great excitement and led to several bitter
debates in the House.
Before i860 Greeley had broken with Seward and
strongly opposed his nomination for the Presidency, though
New York was enthusiastic for him. Greeley attended the
convention as a delegate from Oregon, which favored the
nomination of Bates of Missouri, for whom he worked with
great earnestness, both because he believed him the best
man to nominate and because he thought it the most
effective way to defeat Seward. As frequently happens,
neither man was nominated, but instead Abraham Lincoln
of Illinois. Seward's friends felt, and rightly, that their
defeat was due to the efforts of Mr. Greeley. The poor,
friendless printer's apprentice had become one of the most
HORACE GREELEY 73
influential men of a great party, of the nation in fact.
The bitterness growing out of this contest, and the denun-
ciations of Greeley on the part of Seward's friends, led to
the publishing of a letter written to Seward by Greeley
November 11, 1854, announcing the "dissolution of the
political firm of Sew^ard, Weed, and Greeley by the with-
drawal of the junior member." Perhaps no private letter
ever made public created a greater sensation than did this.
Mr. Greeley was slow to believe that the South really
meant to secede. He was convinced that when the time
came to settle that question, if it ever did come, a majority
in nearly every state would be opposed to it, and that the
matter would end in talk. When it became evident that
secession was to come, Mr. Greeley was in favor of letting the
South go, not because he believed they had a right to secede,
but because he thought it not wise to try to hold them by
force. To understand his position at this time and reconcile
it with that taken later one must not forget his exaggerated,
almost fanatical ideas regarding individual liberty and his
horror of bloodshed, which went so far that he could not tol-
erate the idea of capital punishment for any crime. At this
same time with apparent inconsistency he said : '' I deny
to one state, or to a dozen different states, the right to dis-
solve this Union. It can only legally be dissolved as it was
formed — by the free consent of all parties concerned."
After the war had begun the Tribiuie kept at the head
of its columns ''Forward to Richmond," and did much to
create a public sentiment that made a premature movement
necessary. This resulted in the disaster at Bull Run, which
so affected Mr. Greeley that an attack of brain fever fol-
lowed, prostrating him for six weeks.
74 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
Throughout the war Greeley and the Tribune were thorns
in the side of the government. His criticisms of the actions
of the administration and the movements of the armies no
doubt afforded considerable comfort, if not aid, to the ene-
mies of the North. His peace mission, his urging of eman-
cipation, were premature, and harmed instead of helping,
but a purer patriot was not to be found. His errors were
those of the head and not of the heart.
Mr. Greeley opposed Mr. Lincoln's renomination. He
had never thought Mr. Lincoln a strong man, and was not
in sympathy with his ideas in regard to prosecuting the
war. In considering Mr. Greeley's course during the Civil
War one should remember that both his nature and his
calling tended to impress him with a sense of his own
infallibility. His frequent and sudden change of front
was no doubt due to a combination of honesty and
impulsiveness.
It is somewhat singular that while Greeley greatly offended
his party by his criticisms of the administration, he was at
the same time most bitterly hated by the South and its
Northern sympathizers.
At the close of the war Greeley advocated universal am-
nesty and impartial suffrage and, with about twenty others,
signed the bail bond of Davis, w^hich act caused almost uni-
versal indignation at the North. The abuse of Mr. Greeley
was unbounded, but he bore it like a hero, saying : '' Seeing
how passion cools, and wrath abates, I confidently look
forward to the time when thousands who have cursed, will
thank me for what I have done and dared in resistance to
their own sanguinary impulses."
HORACE GREELEY 75
This act of Greeley's was the most magnanimous and
disinterested of his whole life, and at the same time per-
fectly characteristic.
There was within the Republican party a strong oppo-
sition to the renomination of General Grant. Greeley was
bitterly opposed to it, but as time went on it was seen to
be inevitable, and a national convention of the Republicans
who disapproved of Grant's candidacy was called. Many
prominent Republicans were present. It was resolved to
nominate an independent ticket. Among the men voted
for for the presidential nomination were Charles E'rancis
Adams, Lyman Trumbull, David Davis, Andrew Curtin,
B. Gratz Brown, and Horace Greeley, — all Republicans
who had been and were very prominent and able men.
Mr. Greeley was nominated on the sixth ballot. He was
not present and it is not believed that he expected or desired
the nomination, but he threw his whole strength into the
movement, as into everything in which he took an active
interest. His nomination was indorsed by the Democrats
and he would probably have been elected had they given
him a cordial support, but he had been so bitter in his
attacks on the Democratic party in the years gone by that
it was not in human nature for all of them to forgive or
forget. For the first time in the history of our country a
Presidential candidate took the' stump in his own behalf.
Mr. Greeley spoke nearly every day for three months.
He received nearly three millions of votes and General
Grant something over half a million more. Mr. Greeley's
defeat was due to a widespread distrust of his good judg-
ment and to the wonderful hold of General Grant upon the
American people.
76 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
The strain of the campaign upon Mr. Greeley had been
greater than any one could pass through unharmed. His
wife died a month before election, and for a month preced-
ing her death it is said that he did not sleep more than one
hour out of the twenty-four. This and the work of the
campaign left him a broken-down old man, though only sixty-
one years of age. Insomnia followed, which resulted in
brain fever, and he died on the 20th of November, 1872.
The whole nation mourned ]\Ir. Greeley's death. All
partisan feeling vanished. The newspapers in all parts of
the country paid tribute to his worth. The Union League,
Lotos, and many other clubs and organizations of all kinds
passed resolutions of sorrow. Cornell L^niversity, of which
he was a trustee, did him honor. St. Louis, Albany, Indi-
anapolis, Nashville, and many other cities held memorial
meetings. John Bright sent a message of regret. Con-
gress passed resolutions of respect for his " eminent ser\'ices
and personal puritv and worth."
On the day of his funeral Fifth Avenue was blocked with
people for a mile. Stores were closed ; houses along the
route of the procession were draped; flags in the harbor were
at half-mast; bells tolled from one to three o'clock. There
were in the funeral procession two hundred and fifty car-
riages, containing the President of the L^nited States, gov-
ernors of many states, senators, and other friends.
All this was in honor of one who had made his way unaided
by fortune or friends ; whose opportunities were only those
of his own making ; one who through all his life had thought
more of others than of himself, and more of the truth than
of all else ; one who always dared to do the right as he saw
it, whatever the result might be.
■ HORACE GREELEY ^^
Greeley is a part of his country's history. Neither his
name nor his acts will soon be forgotten. The Tribune
which he established is his enduring monument. No life
furnishes more of cheer and encouragement to the young
man who has his own way to make in life and who is wall-
ing to work and wait, and work w^hile he waits.
Cyrus H. McCormick
78
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK
I 809- I 884
It is probable that there are few intelligent people in
this country to whom the name of Cyrus Hall McCormick
is unfamiliar. We owe to him, more than to any other
one person, what has been perhaps the greatest contribu-
tion to the material advancement of the United States.
He was born at Walnut Grove, Rockbridge County, Vir-
ginia, on the 15 th of February, 1809. Of Scotch-Irish
stock, he adds another to the list of successful Americans
of that sturdy ancestry. His father, Robert, had eight chil-
dren, of whom Cyrus was the eldest. Robert McCormick
was a farmer, but had on his farm workshops of some
importance, as well as a sawmill, a gristmill, and a black-
smith shop. These gave young McCormick experiences
and advantages which most farmers' sons do not have, and
which were well calculated to develop any latent inventive
genius that the lad possessed. His father was a man of
mechanical skill and inventive genius, and from him, no
doubt, the son inherited a bent towards invention. Within
themselves this family made in wood and iron many things
necessary for daily life.
Robert McCormick invented and built a thresher and
a hemp breaker. He also made some mill improvements,
and in 18 16 he constructed a mechanical reaper, which was
79
8o SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
built upon impractical principles, and after failing in the field
it was laid away, but Cyrus often saw this abandoned experi-
ment. No doubt young McCormick's inventive genius was
stimulated and directed by his father's experiments, and he
had also the valuable training that comes only through hard
work. Like all other workers on the farm, he was required
at seedtime and harvest to be in the field at five o'clock
in the morning. His only opportunity of obtaining an edu-
cation was that offered by the "old field school" on his
father's land.
He was very fond of watching his father's experiments
and of experimenting for himself. At fifteen years of age
he made a harvesting cradle, by the use of which he could
keep up with an able-bodied workman. The first invention
which he patented w^as a plow.
His father had expended a great deal of thought, time,
and money on an effort to make a machine that would reap
grain. Cyrus became interested in the same thing, and
though his father warned him against w^asting time and
money upon an idle dream, the idea of doing away with
much of the drudgery of harvesting led him to study the
ineffective machine that his father had made. The more
he studied the problem the more he became convinced that
it could be solved.
After much experimenting he made a reaper which would
cut straight grain very well, but which would not work if
the grain were wet, lodged, or twisted. It was clear that
such a machine was of little value. A satisfactory one
must meet whatever conditions existed.
By 1 83 1 Mr. McCormick had devised and made with
his own hands a reaper which did very satisfactory work ;
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK
8l
but it had some serious defects, so he made no effort to
patent it. A year later he had so far perfected the machine
that it cut fifty acres of wheat in a manner that fully estab-
lished its practical value. Still IMcCormick was not satis-
fied. He made further improvements, and in 1834 took
out a patent, but even then he was not ready to put the
Cyrus McCormick' s Birthplace
machine upon the market. It was not until 1840 that any
were sold.
About 1835 the McCormicks engaged in smelting iron
ore. That had become a very profitable business, and
seemed to promise more financial gain than the reaper.
Had their new business continued to prosper, it is quite
possible that we should never have had the perfected
reaper ; but owing to the decline in iron and because the
cost of transportation to market by wagon was more than
82
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
the value of the product, during the panic of 1837 their
venture ended in disaster. Then young McCormick, with
his father and brothers, began to manufacture reapers in
their own shops on the farm. How often it happens that
a seeming misfortune is a great blessing !
They had a primitive workshop at Walnut Grove and
made fewer than fifty machines the first year. They
worked at a great disadvantage, as certain heavy parts
Shop where First Reaper was made
had to be made at a furnace a considerable distance over
the mountain and the matter of transportation was a seri-
ous one. In the case of the finished machines it was even
worse, for it was in the West, with its great plains and
immense grainfields, not in the East, with its uneven sur-
face and small farms, that the reaper could be used to the
best advantage. Therefore the machines had to be drawn
by teams to the canal at Scottsville, from there floated to
Richmond, then sent to the coast, and from there sent
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK
83
First McCormick Reaper
on the ocean to New Orleans, and again reshipped and
sent up the Mississippi and Ohio to Cincinnati for sale.
It was clear that
it was a great waste
of effort to manu-
facture in Virginia
implements to be
used in the West ;
so young McCor-
mick started from
home on horse-
back, with a little
money placed in
his pocket by his father, and went to Cincinnati with the
view of arranging with some firm there to build the reapers
under his supervision. Here he made a contract with a manu-
facturer to build
some reapers, giv-
ing farmers' orders
for reapers as
security. Later he
went to Brockport,
New York, where
he contracted with
a firm to manufac-
ture reapers for
use in the wheat
Harvesting with Sickie in Algiers fields of western
New York, the makers to pay a royalty on each machine sold.
In 1 846 he began the manufacture of reapers in Chicago,
experience showing that to be the point most favorable alike
84
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
for manufacture and transportation. Mr. McCormick con-
tinued to improve his reaper and the demand for it con-
stantly increased. In 1 847 he sold seven hundred machines,
in 1 848 more than twice that number.
Having associated his two brothers with him, Cyrus
planned to introduce the reaper into Europe. In 1851
he exhibited it at the World's Fair at London, where it
was the most important American exhibit, and was awarded
the grand prize known as the Council Medal. The London
Harvesting with Cradle in West Virginia
Times said that the introduction of the iVIcCormick reaper
was worth to the farmers of Great Britain the whole cost of
the fair. From that day to this the reaper has received the
highest award at every fair and exposition at which it has been
shown, and has steadily grown in favor all over the world.
The great Chicago fire in 187 1 totally destroyed the
McCormick works, but they were rebuilt within a year,
and now cover more than sixty acres of floor space. The
reapers go to all parts of the world, not only to the more
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK
85
progressive countries, but to Egypt, India, and Persia as well.
Thousands have been sent to Russia and Siberia.
It would be a difficult task to determine the value of the
reaper to the world. As long ago as 1859 Reverdy John-
son, in an argument before the Commissioner of Patents,
declared that the McCormick reaper was worth $55,000,000
a year to this country. If that was so, it is worth very
much more now. About the same time William H. Seward
Modern Harvest Scene in New York
declared that the McCormick reaper moved the line of civi-
lization westward thirty miles a. year. Certainly it is not
too much to say that great areas of the West that are now
waving wheat fields would still be unsettled were it not for
McCormick's invention. It is estimated that the use of
the reaper saves in labor more than $100,000,000 annually,
counting a man's wages at a dollar a day. Its inventor
was elected a member of the Institute of France because he
had, so the French Academy of Science declared, '' done
86 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
more for the cause of ao^riculture than any other livins:
man." An honor worthily bestowed.
Mr. McCormick was an inventor and manufacturer, but
he was more. He interested himself in religion, education,
journaUsm, and politics. He was especially helpful to his
church and made valuable gifts to educational institutions.
The business, now carried on by his three sons, is grow-
ing in importance, and Cyrus Hall McCormick is still a
potent force in the development of our country.
The settlement of the great West is due in no small
measure to McCormick's great invention. We read every
season of the difficulty in getting a sufficient number of
laborers for the harvest. Suppose the great wheat crop
had to be cut by hand instead of by the reaper and its
modification, the great heading machine, that cuts, threshes,
winnows, and puts into bags five thousand bushels of wheat
in a day. Bearing this in mind and not forgetting the
gang plow and seed drill, we will have some comprehension
of what invention has done to make the great West of to-day
possible. While no one invention could have brought about
this condition of affairs, that of McCormick was by far the
most important and far reaching in its consequences.
Inventions and various labor-saving devices supplement
each other. The great wheat crops of the Northwest would
not be possible without the invention of McCormick ; but
the crop could not be brought to market without the rail-
road, and the cost of transportation would be prohibitive
but for the invention of Bessemer steel, and the full benefit
of that invention would not have been reaped so far as its
application to railroad transportation is concerned but for
the air brake of Westinghouse.
CYRUS HALL McCORMICK 87
It may well be said that Cyrus Hall McCormick is a
part of his country's history, of that part of its history
which will always constitute its chief glory, — the conquests
of the arts of peace. The name of McCormick will always
be among the very first in the long list of those who have
contributed to the industrial development of our country.
Frances E. Willard
88
FRANCES ELIZABETH WILLARD
I 839-1 898
The ancestry of Frances Willard was such that it might
have been expected she would concern herself more with
the welfare of others than with her own prosperity or
comfort. Among her ancestors on her father's side was
Major Simon Willard, of Kent, England, who settled at
Concord, Massachusetts, in 1634. His intellectual motto
was ''Truth for authority, not authority for truth." He
occupied many public positions of trust and always had the
confidence of the community in which he lived. Among
his immediate descendants were two presidents of Harvard
University, the Reverend Samuel Willard, pastor of the
Old South Church, Boston, who opposed the hanging of
witches, and Solomon Willard, of Ouincy, Massachusetts,
who designed Bunker Hill Monument and would accept no
compensation for the work.
Miss Willard's great-grandfather was for forty years the
pastor of the same church, and served as chaplain through-
out the Revolution. Her father was a refined, intellectual,
and religious man, possessing a fine mind and an inflexible
will. Her mother, Mary Thompson Hill, came from a very
gifted family whose ancestors were noted for moral courage.
So Frances Willard's education began, as Oliver Wendell
Holmes says every one's education should begin, a hundred
years before she was born.
89
90 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
It was in Churchville, New York, on the 28th of Septem-
ber, 1839, that Frances Elizabeth Willard first saw the light
of day. While she was very young her parents moved to
Oberlin, Ohio, and in the spring of 1846 they moved to
Janesville, Wisconsin, on the Rock River. Here they
spent twelve happy years in their *' forest home " of which
Miss Willard has so often written and spoken. Their life
was a very happy one. The children had to rely largely
upon themselves for their entertainment, a thing that always
tends to develop self-reliance. They had ^' Indian fights "
and played " city "and "fort " and occupied their time very
fully in other ways that did much to develop individuality.
They always celebrated their Fourth of July, though not
in the noisy manner with which most of us are familiar.
Very little was made of Thanksgiving or Christmas, and
nothing at all of New Year's.
Frances learned to read from T/ie Slaves' Friend and so
learned to hate slavery. All the children, when very young,
signed the total-abstinence pledge inscribed in the family
Bible. This was the pledge :
A pledge we make, no wine to take,
No brandy red that turns the head,
Nor fiery rum that ruins home,
Nor whisky hot that makes the sot,
Nor brewer's beer, for that we fear,
And cider, too, will never do ;
To quench our thirst we '11 always bring
Cold water from the well or spring.
So here we pledge perpetual hate
To all that can intoxicate.
Not only the ancestry but all the early life of Frances
Willard tended to make her what she was. One could not
FR.\XCES ELIZABEIH WILLARD 9 1
grow up in companionship with her father and mother, and
Hve the hfe they Hved, without hating that which was evil
and loving that which was good.
When Frances was fourteen her father and one of his
neighbors secured the building of a little schoolhouse in
the woods about a mile from their home. Here she and
her sister were instructed for a year, after which they made
a visit to the old home in the East, and then attended
a select school in Janesville. In 1857 they were students
in the Milwaukee F'emale College, where their aunt, Miss
Sarah Hill, was professor of history.
The two sisters hoped to continue their studies in Mil-
waukee, but their father desired a more strictly sectarian
school for his children and sent them to the Northwestern
Female College at Evanston, Illinois. Frances at this time
was in her nineteenth vear. She was soon an acknowledered
leader in school and active in all phases of school life.
She had early determined to become in some way a
force for good in the world, and as in those days there was
little open to women save teaching, it is not to be wondered
at that soon after graduation she began to teach school. In
her autobiography she says :
Between 1858, when I began, and 1874, when I forever ceased to
be a pedagogue, I had thirteen separate seasons of teaching, in eleven
separate institutions and six separate towns, my pupils in all num-
bering about two thousand.
In 1 87 1 she was elected president of Evanston College for
Ladies, for she was at this time becoming interested in the
"woman question," or, as she preferred to call it, the "human
question." It was because of the fact that the admission
of women to many of the so-called co-educational colleges
92
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
was nominal rather than real that Miss Willard and others
interested themselves in the establishment of a college for
women.
While Miss Willard was dean of the Northwestern Female
College the Woman's Temperance Crusade began. In Ohio
the streets of many of the cities and towns were filled with
women who went in processions to the saloons, singing,
praying, and pleading with the liquor sellers. While Miss
Willard took no part in this movement she was greatly
interested in it and gave her pupils in rhetoric such themes
as these : "John B. Gough," ''Neal Dow," and ''Does Pro-
hibition Prohibit.?"
When the move-
ment reached Chi-
cago the women
were rudely treated
by bands of rough
men, and this thor-
oughly aroused Miss
Willard. Soon after
she made a public
Miss Willard- s Birthplace address in which she
said that this was ''everybody's war." She declared that
she was with the temperance women " heart, mind, and
hand." She made several other addresses and her services
were much in demand. She said at the time, " To serve
such a cause would be utterly enthralling, if I only had more
time, — if I were more free." The freedom soon came.
She differed with the president of the university on matters
of college government, and the difference was so radical
that she resigned her position.
FRANCES ELIZABETH WILLARD 93
Her interest in the crusade led her to visit the East to
study the temperance movement and confer with the tem-
perance leaders in New York City, Boston, and Portland.
She saw the mission temperance work in the slums of
New York, attended at Old Orchard, Maine, the first
gospel temperance camp meeting ever held^-aad listened
to the story of the '' Maine Law " as told by Neal Dow.
After this visit Miss Willard was at a loss as to what she
should do. All her friends and acquaintances, save one,
Mrs. Mary A. Livermore, advised her to continue teaching,
especially as she was dependent upon her own exertions for
her support. Mrs. Livermore advised her to join the tem-
perance movement and predicted for her a great success.
While still undecided she received two letters the same
day, one offering her the position of lady principal of a
fine private school at a salary of ^2400 a year, with the
privilege of selecting such work as she chose, the other
from Mrs. Louise S. Rounds, of Chicago, begging her to
take the presidency of the Chicago branch of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union, admitting that it lacked
organization and financial resources, but saying, ''It has
come to me, as I believe, from the Lord, that you ought
to be our president." She declined the salaried position
with its many attractions and accepted the other. This
was the turning point of her life.
Of her action at this time she says :
No words can adequately characterize the change wrought in my
life by this decision. Instead of peace I was to participate in war ;
instead of the sweetness of home, never more dearly loved than I had
loved it, I was to become a wanderer on the face of the earth ; instead
of libraries, I was to frequent public halls and railway cars ; instead
94
SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
of scholarly and cultured men, I was to see the dregs of saloon,
gambling house, and haunt of shame. But women who were among
the fittest gospel survivals were to be my comrades ;* little children
were to be gathered from near and far in the Loyal Temperance
Legion; and whoever keeps such company should sing a psalm of joy,
solemn as it is sweet. Hence I have felt that great promotion came
to me when I was counted worthy to be a worker in the organized
House in which Miss Willard first taught School
crusade for " God and home and native land." Temporary differ-
ences may seem to separate some of us for a while, but I believe with
all my heart that farther on we shall be found walking once more
side by side.
Miss Willard entered upon her work with the utmost ardor.
At first she would not consider the matter of compensation,
but she had little means and she soon found herself walking
miles because she had not five cents for car fare, and going
to meetings hungry because she had not the price of a meal.
When this became known she was paid a moderate salary.
FRANCES ELIZABETH WILLARD
95
In 1874 she was made corresponding secretary of the Illi-
nois Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and in Novem-
ber of the same year, at a meeting held at Cleveland, Ohio,
for the purpose of forming a permanent national organization,
she was elected to the same office in that association. At
this meeting Miss Willard offered the following resolution,
which furnishes a clew to her spirit and principles.
Resolved^ That, recognizing that our cause is and will be combated
by mighty, determined, and relentless foes, we will, trusting in Him
who is the Prince of Peace, meet argument with argument, misjudg-
ment wath patience, denunciation wdth kindness, and all our difficulties
and dangers with prayer.
Within a few months after she undertook her work Miss
Willard practically^ controlled the work of the Chicago, Illi-
nois, and national organizations. In 1879 she was elected
president of the National Union, which position she held
till the time of her death.
It is not possible in this brief sketch to deal with the
details of Miss Willard 's work. With the White Ribbon
miovement, pioneer work in the West, visits to every prov-
ince of Canada, a tour through the South, campaigns for
constitutional amendments in many states, the editorship
of the Union Signal, wTiting several books, working for
the Temple, the National Temperance Hospital, and the
Woman's Temperance Publishing Association, she did more
than the work of three people and did it wonderfully well.
She was a marvelous organizer and a remarkable presiding
officer.
She believed in woman's suffrage, believed it to be right
in any event, and to be absolutely necessary to the passage
and enforcement of proper temperance legislation.
96 SOMK SUCCKSSFUL AMllRICANS
The culmination of Miss Willard's wink was the or^niza-
tioii of the W'orkl's Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
of which she was maiie president. The story of her visit to
England and her work there is another illustration of the
many-sided ability of the woman and of her tireless energy.
In h'cbruary, 1898, Miss Willard was attacked b)- influ-
enza, which her |)hysician did not think serious ; but the
strain of long-continued work led to her death on the 17th
of the month.
With the exception of Harriet Beecher Slowe, no other
woman was so widely known, and perhaps none was .so
beloved. The influence of her life cannot be measured.
She was an orator of great power and addressed more than
four thousand audiences ; she possessed great executi\e
ability, and hundreds of thousands of people are now work-
ing together for common ends because of her efforts. She
was lecturer, editor, preacher, presiding officer, organizer,
correspondent, and traveler, and in each capacity touched
and influenced thousands.
She was not interested in temperance alone, but worked
for equal suffrage, social jnirity, labor reform, — for whatever
she believed stood lor the ui)lifting of humanity. It was
not so much a movement or a cause that interested her
as the welfare of mankind. Her svnipathies and views
were broad. Unlike many, perhajjs most retormer.s, she
was always free from bitterness, and to this lact not a little
of her power was due.
A busier, i)urer, more devoted, and less selfish life has
rarel)' l)een lived.
The life of Miss Willard shows the marvelous jKJssibili-
ties of a single person who is willing to devote his entire
FRANCES ELIZABETH WILLARD 97
energies to a single purpose. While Miss Willard was a
woman of superior attainments, it was not so much her
ability as her supreme devotion to her work that wrought
the success she strove for. The same devotion on the part
of persons of less ability has brought the same degree of
success in many a narrower field.
Louisa M. Alcott
98
LOUISA M. ALCOTT
1832-1888
Louisa M. Alcott was well born. Although her father,
Amos Bronson Alcott, was an impractical idealist, he was
of good ancestry and a man of culture and refinement.
Her mother had a fine physique, untiring energy, and supe-
rior intellect. She was fond of writing, her letters being
remarkable for their wit and humor as well as for their
keen criticism and fine moral sentiments. Mrs. Alcott was
a daughter of Colonel Joseph May, a member of a noted
family. Through her grandmother, Dorothy Sewell, she
was connected with a family remarkable for its ability and
virtue. With such an ancestry it might well be expected
that Miss Alcott would be no ordinary woman.
The hardships and trials of her early life furnished her
with experiences that she made large use of in her writings.
They also contributed much towards her development.
Miss Alcott was perhaps the most popular writer for the
young that this country has yet produced. Her influence
has been great and beneficent. She has written effectively
because she has written chiefly out of her own experiences
and because her experiences have been similar to those of
thousands of other young people. The storybook child
speaks to the real child in a more effective manner than
any grown person could do.
loo S0M1-: si'CCKSSFn. \mi:ricans
Miss Ai.coit's Chhimiood
Louisa M. Alcott was born in (icrmantown, Pennsylvania,
November 29, i<S32. There were four other {lau<^^hters in
the family. Mr. Alcott went to (lermantown to take char<;e
of a school, but, like every other enterprise with which he
had to do, it was a failure. In 1S34 he moved to Hoston
where he aijain underto(jk the management of a school.
Here for a time he was partially successful, and his family
were fairly comfortable, though they lived to a large extent
upon boiled rice without sugar and graham meal cooked
and eaten without butter or molasses. This was parti)' due
to their poverty, but more particularly t(j the fact that
Mr. Alcott believed in a strictly vegetable diet. On one
occasion, when he was discussing its advantages, he said
that it would produce a sweet temper and go(jd disposition.
Little Louisa called out, " I don't know about that, father.
I 've never eaten any meat, and 1 'm often \ery cross."
The Alcotts allowed their children so much freedom that
some of their friends thought sufficient care was not taken
in regard to their associates. In reply to a cpicstion upon
that subject Mrs. Alcott replied:
I can tru.st my daughters, and this is the best way to teach them
how to shun these sins and comfort these sorrows. They cannot
escape tlie knowledge of them ; better gain this under their father's
roof and their mother's care, and so he protected hythe.se experiences
when their turn comes to face tlie world and its temj)tations.
Miss Alcott gives a charming picture of their early life.
She says :
Once we carried our breakfast to a starving family ; once lent
our dinner to a neighbor suddenly taken unjjrepared hv distinguished
LOUISA M. ALCO^rr lOI
guests. Another time, one snowy Saturday night, when our wood
was very low, a poor child came to beg a little, as the baby was sick
and the father had spent all his wages. My mother hesitated a little
at first, as we also had a baby. Very cold weather was upon us, and
a Sunday to be got through before any more wood could be had.
My father said, " Give half our stock- and trust in Providence; the
weather will moderate, or wood will come." Mother laughed and
answered in her cheery way, "Well, their need is greater than ours,
and if our half gives out we can go to bed and tell stories." So a
generous half went to the poor neighbor, and a little later in the
evening, while the storm still raged, and we were about to cover our
fire to keep it, a knock came, arid a farmer who usually supplied us
appeared, saying anxiously, " I started for Boston with a load of
wood, but it drifts so I want to go home. Should n't you like to have
me drop the wood here ? It would accommodate me, and you need not
hurry about paying for it." " Yes," said father, and as the man went
off he turned to mother with a look that much impressed us children
with his gifts as a seer, saying, " Did n't I tell you the wood would
come if the weather did not moderate?"
Mother's motto was "Hope and keep busy," and one of her sayings,
" Cast your bread upon the waters, and after many days it will come
back to you buttered."
Owing to Mr. Alcott's peculiar management the school
at Boston dwindled in numbers till it consisted of his three
daughters, a white boy, and a colored boy. In 1840 the
family moved to Concord. The cottage in which they lived
while there is described in " Little Women " as Meg's first
home. There was a large barn, which was a favorite play-
ing place for the Alcott children. They liked to act plays,
and dramatized many fairy stories. These experiences
were made use of by Miss Alcott in her books. While
here she developed a great fondness for animals, which
shows itself in her writings. She was very fond of out-of-
door life and says :
I02 soMi-: SI ( ( i.»i I I. \mi:ricans
I always thought I must have been a deer or a horse in some
former state, because it was such a joy to run. No boy could be my
friend till I had beaten him in a race, and no girl, if she refused to
climb trees, leap fences, and be a tomboy.
Miss Alcott went to scbool with the children of I^merson,
ami so came to know him well ami l(; love antl re\ere him
greatly. She knew him not as the wise j^hilosopher but as
the lovini,^ |)la\fellow of nouiil;' people, one who look them
to gather berries, or to a picnic at Walden Pond, where he
would tell them stories of Thoreau and his woodland pets.
She never liked arithmetic or grammar and dodged those
lessons whenever it was j)ossible. Inasmuch as her father
was almost the only teacher she ever knew, it is easy to
believe that she was generally successful in escaping any
study she found disagreeable. She liked reading, writing,
composition, history, and geograj^hy. One of her chief
pleasures was to listen to her father when he read aloud.
Her favorite books were " Pilgrim's Progress," Krum-
macher's " Parables," fairy tales, and the novels of Miss
Edgeworth. She says :
On Sundays we had a simple service of Hible stories, hymns, and
conversation about the state of our little con.sciences and the conduct
of our childish lives, which will never be fortrotten.
In i<S42 Mr. Alcott went to I-Jigland to meet friends
who, like himself, were much wrought iij) o\er a scheme
lor a social life on a higher scale. In 1S4:; this C()mj)any
of idealists began life on a farm near Concoid whii h they
called " b'ruitlands." The end of the experiment can easily
be imagined. 'Jhe life of the Alcotts there could not have
been a happy one. Miss Alcott has told the story in her
"Transcendental Wild Oats."
LOUISA M. ALCOTT
103
After the failure at " Fruitlands " the Alcotts returned
to Concord, where for a time they were so poor that they
had to be assisted by friends. A Httle later Mrs. Alcott
inherited from her father a small sum of money, with which
she purchased a place in Concord known as ''Hillside,"
where Hawthorne afterwards lived. Louisa was now nine
years old. The next seven years, which she passed in this
Home of Louisa M. Alcott
house, she declared to be the happiest of her life, notwith-
standing the fact that it took the utmost efforts of all to
keep the family clothed and fed. There was little work to
be had in Concord of a kind for which either Mr. or Mrs.
Alcott was fitted, and even the brave and cheery mother
at last despaired. On the advice of a friend the Alcotts
moved in 1848 to' Boston, where Mrs. Alcott secured em-
ployment as a visitor of the poor for a benevolent society.
A more suitable person for such a work could hardly have
been found:
I04 SOME SUCCKSSHI. AMIIRICANS
The relation between Miss Akotl and lier mother was
unusually close and sympathetic. Her mother (jften wrote
notes to her and lett them in her journal to be found
and read when alone. Conunentin<;- on this custom Miss
Alcott says:
I found one of my mother's notes in my journal, so like those she
used to write when she had more time. It uhvays encourages me, and
1 wish some one would write as helpfully to her, for she needs cheer-
ing up with all the care she has. 1 often think what a hard life she
has had since she married, — so full of wandering and all sorts of
worry ! so different from her early easy days, the youngest and most
petted of her family. 1 think she is a very brave, good woman, and
my dream is to have a lovely, quiet home for her; but I 'm afraid she
will be in Heaven before I can do it.
This dream of makin<,^ a happy home for her mother was
never forgotteti, and was always urgin^^ her on to greater
efforts. N(j doubt her final financial success pleased her
far more because of what it meant for others than because
of what it would do for herself.
Miss Alcott's literary work did not easily meet with suc-
cess. For many years she had to take up other pursuits
in ortler to earn a li\■in^^ She had much experience in
teachinf^^ school, l)ut it broii,L,dit her no enjovment. A).;ain
and af^ain she speaks of it in her journal, and never with
pleasure. On one occasion she says: "School is hard
work, and I feel as if I should like to run away from it."
Once, when she was more than ordinarih' wearied with
the work of teaching, she went as a companion for ;ui old
man and his sister. Her unhappy experience is told in her
sketch entitled "llow I Went Out to Serxicc." She earned
considerable money by sewing. On one occasion she was
LOUISA M. ALCOTT 105
a household servant for about four months, receiving two-
dollars a week as wages. During this time her father was
on a lecturing tour in the West, and her sister Anna was
teaching, while her mother took boarders. She writes in
her journal at the close of her term of service as follows :
Pleasant letters from father and Anna. A hard year. Summer
distasteful and lonely ; winter tiresome with school, and people I
didn't like. I miss Anna, my one bosom friend and comforter.
At this time Miss Alcott was anxious to become an actress
and hoped to rival Mrs. Siddons. The struggles that she
endured in her early life, and bore cheerfully, richly entitled
her to all the success that later years could bring.
Miss Alcott as an Author
Miss Alcott received $5 for her first story, which was
published when she was twenty years old. It had little
merit, and the same is true of all her early writings. Other
similar stories succeeded the first one at about the same
compensation. She was satisfied with the small sums earned
and the somewhat cheap notoriety her work brought her.
It was not till much later in life that she wrote anything
of real value. She came fully to realize the character of
her earlier work and spoke of it as '' trash and rubbish."
When she was twenty-two years of age Miss Alcott
published her first volume, a book of sketches called
" Flower Fables," for which she received ^32. From this
time on she made progress, though very slowly. About
this time she gives one quarter's earnings as follows :
teaching, $50; sewing, $50; stories, $20. When she was
twenty-seven she wrote a story for the Atlantic, for which
lo6 SOMK SrCCKSSFUL AMKRICANS
she received S50. This was a decitled advance in the
amount •»! money earned, and a <;reat one in reco^niition.
She had been writing stories Icjr \arious wcekhes, and tor
these she receixed from five to ten dolhirs each.
Miss Alcott headed her diary lor 1 .S60 *' A year of good
luck." Her father, whose hfe had been a financial failure
so far, was appointed superintendent of schools for the
town of Concord. This was a i)osition which was very
congenial to him, and it afforded him a small income.
Miss Alcott herself was doing better work and recci\-ing
higher compensation, while at the same time she was grow-
ing in reputation. During this year she began " Moods,"
her first novel. It was in this year that her sister Anna
was happily married.
Miss Alcott was not a scholar, nor was she a systematic
reader, but she read witlely and with intelligent apprecia-
tion. Her books are not ])oj)ular and successful because
of her literary ability, but because of her skill in making
use of her own experiences and in adding to these her close
observation of the lives of others. Mer sister Anna and her
brother-in-law appear as the hero and heroine of "A Modern
Cinderella," and are also found in "Little Women" and
"Jo's l^oys." She probably portra\s her own nature, as she
understands it, in the character of Sylvia in " Moods." In
this connection the following from her journal is of interest :
I think disappointment must he good for me. I !.,^et so much of it ;
and tlic constant thumpln;^ Fate ^ivcs me may l)e a mellowing proces.s,
so I shall l)c a ripe and sweet old pippin before I die.
In i(S62, when thirty years of age, Miss Alcott went to
Georgetown as an army nurse, but i)roved unequal to the
LOUISA M. ALCOTT , I07
work. In a short time she was taken down with typhoid
fever and came near dying. She was never so well after-
wards, though all her important literary work was done later.
Her vivid description of daily life in the hospital attracted
much attention, and she gave the story in a most effective
way in '' Hospital Sketches," her first real literary success.
The book was written at a time when every one was anxious
to learn as much as possible of all the phases of army life
and when the story of the sufferings of our soldiers touched
every heart. The book was exceedingly popular. Previous
to this she had experienced much difficulty in securing a
publisher, but from this time on several publishers were
constantly contending for her stories, and she was unable
to write enough to meet their demands.
In 1865 she went to Europe as companion to an invalid
lady. While abroad she met a young Polish lad in whom
she became much interested. He was the original of
Laurie in " Little Women." On her return she was
asked by Roberts Brothers to write a book for girls. She
began the work without enthusiasm and did not regard it
as a success when it was finished, yet "Little Women"
is beyond all question Miss Alcott's masterpiece. On
receiving the first copy she said :
It reads better than I expected. We really lived most of it, and
if it succeeds that will be the reason of it.
It is now thirty-five years since the book appeared, and it
is still the most popular girls' book that has been written
in this country. It is published in England as well, and
has been translated into several foreign languages, being
everywhere popular.
lo8 SOMK SUCCESSFl'L AMIIRK .\\S
At this time she was iccciviii<j^ S500 a year for the use
of her name aiul a httle echtorial work on Mirrys Miisntjn,
^20 apiece for two sliort stories each month lor the YoutJis
Compa)iio)i, and lr(;m $50 t(j ;r>ioo an article from other
sources. She had ])ecome financially independent. The
dream ot being able to care for her loved ones had been
realized. She says :
Yox years wc have not been so comfortable. May and I both
earning. Anna has her good John to lean on. The old people in a
cozy home of our own. '
The success of|" IIosi)ital Sketches" and the continued
receipts from " Little Women " enabled Miss Alcott to take
a second trip to Europe. While there she wrote :
No news save through N., who yesterday sent me a nice letter with
July account of 56212, a neat little sum for ''the Alcotts who can't
make money." With $10,000 well invested and more coming in all
the time, I think we may venture to enjoy ourselves, after the hard
times we have all had.
One result of this trii) to luuope was the publication of
"Shawl Straps." Miss Alcott herself was the old lady
of "Shawl Straps " and the Polly of the " Old-b'ashioncd
Girl."
In 1.S72 Miss Alcott wrote *' Work," which first apjK'ared
as a serial in the C/iristiiui r?iiofi. Vov this she receixed
$3000. luulicr in the year, just after returning from
luuope, she writes :
Home, and Ixgiii a new task. Twenty years ago I resolved to
make the family independent if I could. -At forty th.it is done.
Debts all paid, even the outlawed ones, and we have enough to be
comfortable. It has cost me my health, perhaps, but as I still livi-,
there is more for nie to do, 1 .suppose.
LOUISA M. ALCOTT 109
It is sad to think that success came to Miss Alcott after
she was in a large degree unable to enjoy it on account of
illness. She says :
When I had the youth I had no money ; now I have the money I
have no time ; if I ever do I shall have no health to enjoy life.
Her kindly feeling for others, always prominent, finds
expression as follows :
Roberts Brothers paid me $2022 for books. S. E. S. invested
most of it with the $1000 F. sent. Gave C. M. $100, — a thank
offering for my success. I like to help the class of "silent poor" to
which we belonged for so many years, — needy, but respectable, and
forgotten because too proud to beg. Work is difficult to find for
such people, and life made very hard for want of a little money.
Miss Alcott died March 6, 1888, mourned by many and
sincere friends. Through hundreds of short stories, as a
writer for St. NicJiolas and the YoutJi s Companion, as the
author of many volumes, she was loved by hundreds of
thousands of American boys and girls. ''Little Women"
is her great work. Among the most noted of her other
books are ''Little Men," "Work," "Hospital Sketches,"
" Old-Fashioned Girl," and " Shawl Straps." More than a
million copies of her books were sold, and not less than
;S200,ooo was paid her as royalty, a large part of which
was used in adding to the happiness and comfort of others.
Alexander H. Stephens
no
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS
1812-1883
At the close of the War of the Revolution a certain
Captain Stephens of the patriot army found himself almost
penniless. He had been one of the Jacobites who fled from
England to America, and had taken part in the French and
Indian War as well as in the later conflict. He settled in
what is now Taliaferro County, Georgia, and brought up a
family of eight children. One of his sons became a school-
teacher, and with his earnings purchased a farm' of one
hundred acres, where on February 11, 18 12, Alexander H.
Stephens was born.
The boy was weak and delicate from his birth. His
father was very poor, and from his earliest childhood Alex-
ander had to work, doing whatever his tender years and
frail body would permit. He had little opportunity for
acquiring an education, partly because he must. work, but
chiefly because there were no schools save what were known
as " field schools," which were usually presided over by very
inefficient teachers. Under such circumstances the weak
and sickly young Stephens, as a matter of course, failed to
acquire much of an education. He worked in the field,
the garden, and the kitchen. Up to the time of his six-
teenth year he had little acquaintance with books. But dur-
ing this time he had gained a practical knowledge, and had
III
112 So.Ml. >l (CKSSia'L AMl'kKANS
passed lluou^h experiences that trained and disciplined him
and prepared him for the stru<(gles that were to come.
Cast upon his own resources while still a buy, he learned
to endure pain antl to riL;ht a^^ainst bodily weakness, and
he acquired a strength of juirpose and a determination to
resist wroni^ beyond that wliieli comes to man\- even at
maturity. In his journal, written in later years, he .says of
the death of his father :
I was yoiini^, witliout experience, knew nothing of men or their
dealing.s ; and when I stood by his bedside and saw him breathe his
last, and with that hist Ijreath my last hope expire, such a Hood of
grief rushed into my lieart as almost to burst it. No kinguage can
tell the deep anguish that filled a heart .so young ; the earth, grass,
trees, sky, everything, looked dreary ; life seemed not worth living,
and I longed to take my peaceful sleep by my father's side.
After the death oi his father young Stephens went to
live with an uncle. He attended school and made very
rapid progress; he also went to a Sunday school, where his
unusual ability attracted the attention of two gentlemen
connected with the scho(jl, as well as that of the minister.
These gentlemen thought he might in time become a
preacher, and so resolved to send him to the University
of Georgia. Not knowing their purjxjse the young man
gladly accepted the opportunity.
In later years he j^assed the favor on to others. lie
repaid those who educated him. and in the course of his
life sent about tliirty ytjung men through college. In
regard to these he once wrote to an incjuiring fiiend :
About one third of these I have taken from the stump and put
through college. The other two tiiirds I assisted to graduation, most
of them at a medical college. Out of the wliole number only three
have failed to refund the monev. 'I lie three 1 have alluded to are, I
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS
113
think, scamps, except perhaps one. Nine of the number I assisted
are dead; five of these died before refunding — two while at school.
Only four of the number studied law. Six are preachers — four
Baptists, one Presbyterian, and one Methodist. One of them is (or
was when last heard from) a man of distinction in Tennessee — a
professor and an author. Another is at the head of a high schoolin
Mississippi, and another at the head of a high school in Georgia.
Take the whole lot, all in all, I think very well of them. The per
cent of black sheep in the flock is small — not more than one in twelve,
or thereabouts. Of the number I assisted in getting medical diplomas,
there are now living in the state six, all clever physicians of good
standing. Two of them died some years ago.
In one way and another Mr. Stephens assisted more than
one hundred and fifty young men in getting an education.
Of his college life Stephens wrote :
During the four years that I spent at college I was never absent
from roll call without a good excuse, was never fined, and, to the best
of my belief, never had a demerit marked against me in college, or in
the society — the Phi Kappa — to which I belonged. Not a word of
censure, or even reproof, was ever addressed to me by professor or
tutor ; and, while I was on good terms with the faculty, I was not
quite as good with the boys. . . . They were by far the happiest
days of my life.
Mr. Stephens was graduated with the highest honors of
his class. He was very poor, having hardly a penny in the
world, so he gratefully accepted an offer to teach a high
school at Madison, in his native state. He taught for a
time, but found that for him teaching was not the road to
success and decided to study law. He had saved enough
to support him for three months if he exercised the greatest
economy, and he determined to complete his law studies in
that time and to take his examinations at the end of it. He
succeeded in his efforts.
114 somp: successpxl amkricans
One of his earliest cases made him famous throughout
a large section uf the state. It was a suit by a mother to
retain the possession of her chiki, uliose guardian, its grand-
father, claimed it. The counsel lur the grandfather was a
lawyer of w ide reputation. Stephens prepared himself with
care, and his ^VQHt gift of eloquence was used to the best
advantage. He appealed directly to the natural sympathy
for the mother, but he stirred a no less natural sympathy
f(jr a young, ine.\i)erienced lawyer, slight and delicate, ])itted
against one of the ablest and most experienced men in the
state. Stei)hens' address is said to have been remarkable
both as a legal argument and as an elocjucnt appeal to the
sympathies of the jury and the court. Women \vei)t and
strong men were moved. The case was won.
This established his fame as a lawyer, and from that time
on he never lacked clients. lie devoted himself to the
practice of law till 1836, when he became a candidate for
the legislature. He was a Whig, but \er\' inde]K'ndent in
his political action. He was opposed by many strong and
influential men, but his popularity with the people secured
his election. For several years he served in the legislature,
part of the time in the lower and for a while in the uj)per
House. In 1S43 a vacancy occurred in the congressional
delegation of his state and he received the Whig nomina-
tion. His oj)i)onent was James H. Starke, one ot the best
known Democrats in the South. In accordance with the
custom of the time, young Stephens met his opponent in
joint discussion, traveling all o\er the state. The result
was the triiimpluuit election ol Stei)hens.
The fust speech he made in Ccjngress was characteristic
of him. Members of Congress had been elected on a
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS II5
general ticket, and the legislature of Georgia had refused
to divide the state into districts in accordance with the
congressional requirement. Having been elected on a
general ticket, it was held by many prominent members
of the House that he was not entitled to his seat. In the
discussion that followed Mr. Stephens actually took sides
with those who were trying to unseat him, and made a strong
speech for the district system. A majority of the House,
however, decided that the Georgia members had been legally
elected, and Mr. Stephens retained his seat. He served
seven terms in Congress before the war and five after it.
In 1866 Mr. Stephens w^as elected to the United States
Senate, but was refused his seat because the reconstruction
acts had not been fully complied with. An illustration of
the independence of Mr. Stephens is seen in his action in
supporting Mr. Winthrop of Massachusetts for Speaker
when the contest was between Winthrop and Vinton of
Ohio, and he knew that his constituents and nearly the
whole South were opposed to the Massachusetts man.
We know more of Alexander Stephens, his real life and
thought, through his correspondence with his half-brother,
Linton Stephens, than in any other way. They maintained
a long, voluminous, and sympathetic correspondence. When
Stephens was in sorrow he wrote to his brother Linton for
comfort ; when he was happy he wished to share his happi-
ness with him. Thousands of letters passed between them.
They discussed politics, religion, social life, and every ques-
tion in which either had an interest. Writing to his brother
once he made use of the following language :
I am getting tired of this place, and am beginning to think that
Congress is the last pLace that a man of honor and honorable ambition
Il6 SOMK SUCCESSFl'L AMERICANS
should aspire to. There is a recklessness of purpose here perfectly
disgusting and almost alarming. What will become of our country
and institutions I do not know. The signs of the times to me are
ominous of evil. I have ceased to take much interest in what is done
in the House. All is done by party will and for party effect.
His affection for his brother is shown bv the following:
extract from a letter, after the death of Linton Stephens,
to his friend Richard Malcolm Johnston :
The bitterest pang I have is that all the world to me is uuw desolate
1 have no one to whom I can talk and unbosom my woes. Hereto-
fore, whenever heavy afHictions of any sort came uf>on me, for thirty
years or more, he was my prop and stay. To him my thoughts con-
stantly turned for relief and comfort. Now that prop and stay is
gone. 1 am indeed most miserable. All around me is dark, gloomy,
cheerless, hopeless.
During Mr. Stephens' congressional service the question
of the acquisition of California and Mexico as United States
territories came up, and he took a very prominent part in
opjx)sition to such acquisition, against the wishes of many
of his party friends. Judge Cone, one of the leading |X)li-
ticians of Georgia, was exceedingly bitter and was reported
to have said that Stephens was a traitor to his countr)'.
Much controversy grew out of this, which culminated in a
personal attack upon Stephens by Cone, who was a strong
and pnverful man. Stephens was stabbed eighteen times,
one cut reaching to within a sixteenth of an inch of his
heart. The doctors declared that he would surely die, but
he recovered, though one hand was rendered nearly useless
from the cuts received. Stephens refused to prosecute
Cone, who esca|K*d with a fine of Siooo. Stephens never
spoke bitterly of Cone. On one occasion when he was
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS II7
writing with much difficulty he said : ** Poor Cone ! I 'm
sure he 'd be sorry if he knew what trouble I have to
write with these stiff fingers of mine."
Stephens was one of the first to fear the result of the
agitation of the slavery question, and although he believed
in the permanence of the institution, he never lost an
opportunity to counsel moderation and forbearance.
After the election of i860 Mr. Lincoln wrote to Stephens
asking for a copy of a speech that he had made, hi his
reply Mr. Stephens concluded with these words: ''The
country is certainly in great peril, and no man ever had
heavier or greater responsibilities than you have in the
present momentous crisis."
Mr. Lincoln replied as follows, the letter not being made
public till after Mr. Lincoln's death :
[For your own eye only.]
IVIy dear Sir : Your very obliging answer to my short note is just
received, for which please accept my thanks. I fully appreciate the
present peril the country is in, and the weight of responsibilit}' on
me. Do the people of the South really entertain fears that a
Republican administration would directly or indirectly interfere with
the slaves, or with them about the slaves? If they do, I wish to
assure you, as once a friend, and still, I hope, not an enemy, that
there is no cause for such fears. The South would be in no more
danger in this lespect than it was in the days of Washington. I
suppose, however, that does not meet the case. You think slavery
is right and ought to be extended, while we think it is wrong and
ought to be abolished. That, I suppose, is the rub. It is certainly
the only substantial difference between us.
Very truly yours,
A. Lincoln.
To the Hon. Alexander H. Stephens.
Il8 SOME SUCCKSSFUL AMKRICANS
Mr. Stephens labored hard in pubhc and in private to
prevent secession, but without success. Like most men of
the South he held himself bound by the action of his state
and reluctantly joined in the effort for disunion. It was
not his nature to do anything in a half-hearted way, and
when his state voted for secession he put forth his best
efforts for the success of the cause to which he felt himself
in honor bound.
He was chosen vice president of the Confederacy and
mi^ht have been its president had he felt physically able to
bear the burden of that office. Of the result of that long
and bitter contest this is no place to speak. *
After the close of the war Mr. Stephens again served in
Congress, making a faithful and wise representative. He
wrote a history of the Civil War. To the end his life was
an active one. For a time he edited a newspaper at Atlanta.
He opposed the election of Greeley, for which he was bitterly
denounced by Democrats, North and South. In 1882 he
was elected governor of Georgia, but died before the close
of his term of office. His funeral was attended by more
than fifty thousand j)eople. His memory was honored by
the adjournment of courts and public councils and by the
passage of resolutions throughout Georgia and in many
towns and cities in other states.
Alexander H. Stei:)hens had faults, as who has not.
He made some mistakes, as all mortals will. He seemed
at times to be vacillating, but it must be said that no
man ever knew him well who failed to love him. He
struggled with infirmities that would have crushed most
men. He was generous and forgiving. He was a bene-
factor to many, and never intentionally did harm to any
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS II9
one. His is a life that calls for much commendation and
little reproof.
A careful study of the life of Mr. Stephens will be in
many ways profitable. We will come to know a really
great and good man who won success in spite of many
obstacles and be stimulated thereby. We will become
better acquainted with an important period of our his-
tory and learn to understand better than some of us
now do the feelings of the Southern people just before
and during the Civil War.
Leland Stanford
130
LELAND STANFORD
1824-1893
Leland Stanford is an excellent example of what can
be accomplished by persistent effort. With no opportunities
in early life beyond what most boys may have, he made him-
self one of the leaders in the development of our country
and its resources.
The Stanfords are of English extraction. One of the
family settled in the Mohawk Valley as early as 1720, and
from him Leland Stanford was descended. Leland' s father
was a native of Massachusetts, but came to New York when
he was a boy. Leland was born at Watervliet, New York,
March 9, 1824. His father was an influential farmer, well
read for the times and interested in the welfare of schools
and churches. Leland's mother was a woman of good judg-
ment, strong convictions, and very fond of her' children, of
whom there were eight, seven sons and one daughter.
Leland, the fourth son, was a good worker on the farm,
though he loved books better than farming. He was ener-
getic, quick-witted, and cheerful. He was eager to obtain
a good education, and his parents were as eager as he, but
the family was large and the income small, and it did not
seem possible that they could send a son to college.
From boyhood Leland had an eye for business. When
he was only six years old he and his brothers were required
121
122 SOMK SUCCESSFUL AMI.RK ANS
to di^ llic horse-radish out of an old f;ardcn which it had
overrun. Wlun llic work was finished I. eland proposed
that the roots should be washed and taken to Schenectady
for sale. This was done and Leland's share of the proceeds
was twenty-five cents. Twi* years later chestnuts were very
plentiful, and Leland su<;L;estetl thai the brothers gather
all that they could and hold theni till tlie price was i^^xkI.
Thev realized twent\-li\e dolJLus from this work. Their
father encouraged his boys in such enterprises, believing it
a good prej)aration for the future business of life.
At fitteen years of age Leland was large and strong and
able to tlo a man's work on tlie farm. When lie was eicht-
een his father ])urchasetl an adjoining tract of woodland
and told him that if he woukl clear the land he miijht have
the wood and timber. Tall, \igorous, powerful, and eager
to earn money so that he might secure a better education,
he began the task. So hard ditl he work and so skillfullv did
he manage that when the land was clearetl and all expenses
were met he had left for himself the sum of i^26oo. He
used some of this money to pay his tuition at an academy
at Clinton, New York. lie disliked Cireek and Latin, but
was interested in science, particularlv in chemistry and
geology. He was a great reader and especially liked to
read the newsjxipers.
He had long been anxious to stnd\' law, and the wav was
now clear. After leaving the academy he entered the ofTice
of W'heaton, Doolittle, and Hadley, of Albany, and studied
with them for three years. He attended all lectures that
were given within his reach, and liked to discuss progress-
ive subjects. Later in life lu- studied sociological sub-
jects, reading such authors as Herbert .Sj)encer and John
" LELAND STANFORD 1 23
Stuart Mill. He was admitted to the bar in 1849. This
was the year of the great excitement over the discovery of
gold in California. Three of his brothers went to the gold
fields and urged him to go with them, but instead he went
to Port Washington, Wisconsin, where he opened a law
office. He was prosperous, earning $1260 the first year.
A year later he married Miss Jane Lathrop of Albany.
He did not find the life of a country lawyer very congenial,
yet very likely he would have spent his life there had not
his house, office, and library been destroyed by fire in the
following year. This apparent misfortune was a benefit
not only to him but to his country.
His wife returned to Albany to care for an invalid father,
and Mr. Stanford joined his brothers in California. For
four years he had charge of a branch store among the
miners in Placer County, besides being engaged in mining.
He shirked no labor and shunned no privation. In his
later life he spoke of these early days as follows :
The true history of the Argonauts of the nineteenth century has to
be written. They had no Jason to lead them, no oracles to prophesy
success, nor enchantments to avert dangers ; but, like self-reliant
Americans, they pressed forward to the land of promise, and traveled
thousands of miles when the Greek heroes traveled hundreds. They
went by ship and by wagon, on horseback and on foot, — a mighty
army, passing over mountains and deserts, enduring privations and
sickness ; they were the creators of a commonwealth, the builders
of states.
While in California Mr. Stanford was elected justice of
the peace, and though he had to deal with a turbulent
population, he was universally respected and not one of his
decisions was ever appealed from. He was energetic and
\
124 SOMK SUCCKSSFl'L A.Ml-RUAN..
a hard worker, but pleasant and kindly to all, and especially
ihouirhtful for those who had been less fortunate than him-
self. He studied his business carefully and made himself
thorou^dily familiar with the statistics of trade, the tariff
laws, means of transportation, markets, and all matters that
pertained to the successful prosecution of the work he had
in hand. He pro.spered to such an extent that within three
years he b()u<.,dit out his brothers and went east to bring
his wife to the Pacific coast.
Mr. Stanford was deeply interested in the Republican
party and was one of its founders. He was its first can-
didate for state treasurer in California, but was defeated,
as his party was hopelessly in the minority. Three years
later he was a candidate for governor, with like result for
the same reason. He was a delegate to the convention
that nominated Lincoln and worked earnestly for his suc-
cess. He did more than any other man to keep California
in the Union during the Civil War. James G. Blaine said :
Jefferson Davis had expected, with a confidence amounting to
certainty, and based, it is believed, on personal pledges, that the
Pacific coast, if it did not actually join the South, would be disloyal
to the Union, and would, from its remoteness and its superlative
importance, require a large contingent of the national forces to hold
it in subjection.
That this was not the case was due very largely to the
efforts of Mr. Stanford.
In 1S61 Mr. Stanford reluctantly consented to be again
a candidate for governor. He received about six times as
many votes as had been given him two years before and
was elected. He was in close touch with the administra-
tion at Washington, and though there, was at first much
LELAND STANFORD 1 25
disloyalty in California, he had at the end of his term of
office the satisfaction of feeling that no state in the Union
was more thoroughly loyal.
Under the management of Governor Stanford the state
indebtedness was reduced one half, many improvements
were made, the first normal school was built, and a state
militia organized.
Mr. Stanford decUned a renomination for the governorship
because he wished to devote himself to building a railroad
across the continent. At that time it was said that the idea
of building a railroad across the snow-capped Sierras was
'' a wild scheme of visionary cranks," and indeed it seemed so.
There were great heights to be scaled, wide, waterless deserts
to be crossed, savage Indians to be contended with, and vast
sums of money to be raised. But Leland Stanford was no
visionary. No one knew better than he the difficulties on
the one hand nor the future of such a road on the other.
Theodore J. Judah, a railroad engineer, C. P. Huntington
and his partner Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and others
joined with Mr. Stanford in this great enterprise, the suc-
cess of which meant so much to him, to them, to California,
and to the Union. Mr. Stanford was chosen president ;
Mr. Huntington, vice president ; Mark Hopkins, treasurer ;
James Bailey, secretary; and T. J. Judah, chief engineer.
At this time neither Mr. Stanford nor his associates had
great wealth, but they had faith, energy, and force of charac-
ter. They sought and obtained aid from Congress. They
received nearly nine millions of acres of land in alternate
sections along the line of their road, and from $16,000 to
$48,000 a mile for the road built, the amount paid varying
with the difficulty of construction. The enterprise was a
126 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
good one for the government, as it opened up vast tracts for
settlement and greatly lessened the cost of transportation
of government suj^plies ; and it doubtless so bound together
the East and the West as to prevent a secession of the Pacific
states. The road was begun in i ^6} and completed in 1869.
At times failure seemed certain. The work was a great
strain on those who had it in charge, and only Mr. Stanford
never lost failh. His iron will never yielded.
With the completion of this road Mr. Stanford turned
his attention elsewhere, becoming interested in other roads,
in a line of steamships from San Francisco to China, street
railways, wo(jlen mills, and the manufacture of sugar. He
purchased large tracts of land, in all nearly 100,000 acres.
He bought over 8000 acres at Palo Alto, where he made
his' summer home. Here he sought to plant every variety
of tree that would grow in California. Thousands were set
out each year. He was fond of animals and especially so
of horses, his establishment at Palo Alto for raising horses
being the largest in'iTbie world. He spent $40,000 on
experiments in instantaneous photography of horses, and
published a book entitled "The Horse in Motion."
In 1885 Mr. Stanford was elected to the United States
Senate and was reelected at the close of his term. His
most notable act was the introduction and advocacy of the
LandT.oan Pill, which provided that the government should
lend money to farmers, to half the value of their farms, on
mortgages bearing two per cent interest. Whatever may
be thought of the wisdom of the proposed act it certainly
was evidence of a philanthroiMC spirit.
The Stanfords were greatly beloved in Washington for
their cordiality and generosity. ICvery asylum and charity
LELAND STANFORD 1 27
hospital in Washington was remembered by them every
Christmas, and they were constantly giving to all chari-
table and philanthropic objects. They gave an annual din-
ner to the Senate pages, and both then and at Christmas
gave them all appropriate gifts. Each winter they gave a
luncheon to the telegraph and messenger boys, also gifts
of money, gloves, etc.
Mr. Stanford had one son, named for him, who died at
Rome in his sixteenth year. From this loss Mr. Stanford
Leland Stanford University
never recovered. The young man was tall, handsome, fond
of study, ambitious to be of use in the world, and of great
promise. Mr. Stanford established the university at Palo
Alto in his son's memory and named it for him.
Many friends had urged the Stanfords to give their
money for some other purpose than that of education, say-
ing that too much education would unfit people for labor ;
but Mr. Stanford thought differently, and -at the opening
of the university, speaking for himself and his wife, because
she had been his active co-worker, said :
We do not believe there can be any superfluous education. As a
man cannot have too much health and intelligence, so he cannot be
128
S0M1<: SUCCKSSKUL AMIORICANS
too highly educated. Wliether in the discharge of responsible or
humble duties, he will ever find the knowledge he has acquired
through education not only of practical assistance to him but a
factor in his personal happiness and a joy forever.
Mr. Stanford's kiiKJlv spirit was shown in tlie Senate on
the occasion of tiie nomination of Mr. Lamar lor associate
Iff vn
University Church. Leland Stanford University
justice of the Supreme Court. The nomination was
opposed by many because Mr. Lamar had taken an active
part af^ainst the Ignited States (hnin<; the Civil War. Mr.
Stanford .said :
No man sympathized more sincerely than myself with the cause of
the Union, or deprecated more the cause of the South. I would have
given fortune and life to have defeated that cause. Hut the war has
terminated, and what this country needs now is absolute and profound
peace. Lamar was a representative .Southern man and adhered to
LELAND STANFORD 1 29
the convictions of his boyhood and manhood. There can never be
pacification in this country until these war memories are obliterated
by the action of the executive and of Congress.
Mr. Stanford was by turns farmer boy, lawyer, railroad
builder, governor, and United States senator, but it is
because of his generous gifts that he is best known and
will be longest and most kindly remembered. And the
greatest gift of all, one that will never cease to be a power
for good, is the university founded in remembrance of his
son, an institution where no tuition is charged, where all
who will and who are properly fitted may attend. His
magnificent gifts to this school, nobly supplemented by
those of his wife, make it the most richly endowed uni-
versity in America. Who can estimate the value of a life
that culminates in such a grand work ?
Charles Pratt
'3°
CHARLES PRATT
I 830-1 89 I
Charles Pratt was born at Watertown, Massachusetts,
October 2, 1 830. His father, Asa Pratt, had a family of ten
children, and it was necessary that each child should learn
to help himself as soon as possible. Charles left home to
work for a near-by farmer when he was only ten years old.
Here he worked for three years, going to school for three
months each winter. Although he was not strong he was
very ambitious, and when only thirteen years of age he went
to Boston and worked in a grocery. After spending a year
here he went to Newton and learned the trade of a machin-
ist. All this time he was as economical as possible, hoping
to save enough to enable him to get a better education.
At length he was able to pay for a year's tuition at Wil-
braham Academy, where he lived for a dollar a week.
At the close of his year at school he went to Boston as
clerk in a paint and oil store. He had learned some things
thoroughly, among others to rely upon himself, to utilize
all his time, and to be exceedingly economical. All his
life long he could not bear to see anything wasted, time
least of all.
His year at school had intensified, instead of satisfying,
his thirst for knowledge, and in Boston he could have access
to the Public Library, where he spent most of his spare time.
131
1^2 SUMl. M CCKSSFUL AMKKK ANS
At twenty-one years of age he went to New York and
became a clerk for Schanck anti Downing, dealers in oil,
paint, and glass. Here, as always, he worked hard. It
was his theory of life that work should be both a duty and
a pleasure, and he fully realized his theory. \'ears after-
wards, when he wps ver\' wealthy, he said :
I am convinced that the ^^reat problem we are trying to solve is
very much wrapped up in the thouL,'ht of educating people to find
happiness in a busy, active life, and that the occupation of the hour
is of more importance than the wages received.
After working three years for Schanck and Downing, he
and two others benight out the business and established the
firm of Raynolds, Devoe, and Pratt, which continued for
thirteen years, after which the firm was divided and the oil
business carried on b\' Charles Pratt & Co.
When the oil fields of Pennsylvania began to be developed
Mr. Pratt was one of the first to see the possibilities of the
petroleum trade. He experimented in refining the oil and
succeeded in producing what he called "Pratt's Astral Oil,"
probably the best on the market. He took great pride
in it and was greatly pleased when he was told that the
Russian convent on Mount Tabor was lighted with Pratt's
Astral Oil. He said that he meant to see that the stamp
" Pratt " should be as good as the stamp of the mint. For
many years he was one of the officers of the Standard ()il
Company and a large shareholder in it. Little coidd the
delicate ten-year-old hired boy on a Massachusetts farm
have dreamed that he woidd one day be worth his millions,
the legitimate fruit of his own industry, enterprise, and
forethought.
CHARLES PRATT 1 33
He lived simply, took no pleasure in display, and had no
desire for a fine mansion. His home was to him the best
place on earth. His business, his home, his church, and
his philanthropy occupied his whole life. He was a man
of few words and of great self-control. He never forgot
that he had been a poor boy, and always sympathized with
those who were struggling with adverse circumstances. He
had no faith in any one who did not try to improve himself.
It is said that a young man once came to him for advice
as to whether or not he should go west. He questioned
the young man as to how he used his time, what he did
before and after business hours, and finding that he was
doing nothing in the way of self-education, said to him,
''No; don't go west. They don't want you."
Some of Charles Pratt's Sayings
There is no inherent reason why man should consider his daily-
labor, of whatever nature, as necessarily disagreeable and burdensome.
The right view is one which makes work a delight, a source of real
satisfaction and even pleasure.
The greatest humbug in the world is the idea that the mere pos-
session of money can make any man happy. I never got any
satisfaction out of mine until I began to do good with it.
The giving which counts is the giving of one's self.
A knowledge of household employments is thoroughly consistent
with the grace and dignity and true womanliness of every American
girl.
Home is the center from which the life of the nation emanates ;
and the highest product of modern civilization is a contented, happy
home.
134 SOMK SUCCKSSFIL AMKRIC'ANS
There is nothing under God's heaven so important to the individ-
ual as to accjuire the power to earn his own living ; to be able to
stand alone if necessary ; to be dependent upon no one ; to be
indispensable to some one.
Whatever I have done, whatever I hope to do, I have done
trusting in the Tower above.
Pratt Institute
r^ji" years Mr. Trait IkuI l)ccn thinking about indus-
trial education. lie knew that the great majority of men
and women must struggle for a livelihood, and he believed
that every one, rich or poor, should know h(jw to be self-
supporting. He therefore desired to found an institution
that would aid people in their efforts to fit themselves to
do their work in the best way. He sought all possible
means of informaticjn as to the proper course to pursue.
He traveled largely in this country, corresponded with the
heads oi the various technical and industrial schools, and
visited England, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Ger-
many to see what the Old World was doing to educate
people to be self-helpful.
On his return from luirope he resolved to build an insti-
tute where any one who wished to engage in " mechanical,
commercial, or artistic pursuits should receive theoretical
and practical knowledge." In 1885 he began the erection
of a building in Hrooklyn. He j:)rovided a machine shop,
a woodworking shop, a metal-working shop, forge and
f(nuidr) r(joms. A building for britkla\ing, stone carving,
plumbing, and the like was added. Later a high-school
building was erected. Tliere is also an art dejKirtment
with morning, afternoon, and evening classes. There are
CHARLES PRATT
135
courses in drawing, painting, clay modeling, architectural
and mechanical drawing, designing, wood carving, art needle-
work, and domestic science. There are day and evening
classes in phonography, typewriting, bookkeeping, commer-
cial law, German, Spanish, and vocal music. There is a
Pratt Institute
kindergarten department with a training class for teachers
and mothers. As many as twenty-eight hundred pupils
have been enrolled in the domestic science department in
a single year, and more than four thousand students in all
are receiving instruction.
Mr. Pratt had found the Boston Public Library so helpful
to him that when he came to New York he became greatly
136 SOME SUCCKSSFl 1. AMKRICANS
interested in tlic Mercantile Lil)nuv of tliat city. He felt
so strongly regarding the helplul inlkience ol good books
that he esta!)lishe(l a library in connection with his Institute
antl later opened a school lor librarians.
During his lifetime Mr. I'ratt gave $3,700,000 to the
Institute, but this was far from being his only g(^od work.
At Greenpoint he built a large apartment house, called the
"Astral," which is rentetl at low rates to workingmen and
the proceeds given towards the support of the Institute.
In connection with the Astral is a public librar)', which
at first was free to the occuj)ants of the building only,
but afterwards was made free to all residents of Green-
point. Over the fireplace of the reading room of the
Astral these words are cut in stone: "Waste neither time
nor money."
In closing his last address at the Institute, he said :
To my sons and co-trustees who will have this work to carry on
when I am gone I wish to say a word. The world will overestimate
your ability, and will underestimate the value of your work : will be
exacting of every promise made or implied ; will he critical of your
failings ; will often mi.sjudge your motives ; and will hold you to a
strict account for all your doings. Many pupils will make demands,
and be forgetful ol your service to them. Ingratitude will often be
your reward. When the day is dark and full of discouragement and
difticulty, you will need to look on the other side of the picture, which
you will find full of hoj)e and gladness.
Dr. C'uyler said of Mr. I'ratt that from him "innumer-
able little rills of bene\olence trickled into the homes of
the needy and the hearts of Xhc straitened And suffc-ring."
He gave to a great number of worthy causes, — to charity,
to education, to needy and struggling churches. lie died
CHARLES PRAIT 1 37
while at work in his New York office, on the 4th of May,
1 89 1. Almost the last words Mr. Pratt wrote were these
characteristic ones, " I feel that life is so short that I am
not satisfied unless I do each day the best I can." His
last act was to sign a check for the benefit of the Brooklyn
Bureau of Charities.
A beautiful memorial chapel has been erected by his
family on his estate at Glen Cove, Long Island, but com-
paratively few will ever see it or know of it. His real
monument is Pratt Institute, which will continue to be of
immeasurable benefit to the citizens of the United States.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
138
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT
1794-1877
Cornelius Vanderbilt was one of the most reir.arkable
men of business that this country has produced. His was
a constructive work, and the skill required to construct is
always greater than that required to destroy. It is said
that Mr. Vanderbilt originated little, but that he had a
genius for improving existing things and for foreseeing
what the drift of business would be. The story of his life
is interesting to all who care for the history of the indus-
trial development of our country.
Mr. Vanderbilt was born near Stapleton, Staten Island,
New York, May 27, 1794. He was descended from a Dutch
immigrant, Jan Aertsen Van der Bilt, who came from Hol-
land about 1630 and settled upon a farm near Brooklyn,
New York. Jan's grandson, the great-grandfather of Cor-
nelius, went over to Staten Island in 171 5 and became
the owner of a farm near New Dorp. The Vanderbilts
continued to live on Staten Island till the time of Cornelius.
The 'father of Cornelius was a farmer in moderate circum-
stances, who could have given his son a fair education, but
the lad's interest lay in other ways. He learned to read
and write, and that was about all, save that he had natu-
rally a genius for arithmetic.
The early life of Cornelius was spent on the farm or
in marketing its produce, the latter work leading him to
139
I40 SO.Mi: SrCCFSSFUL AMKRICANS
become very familiar with the water trafTic about New
York City. While still a mere boy he carried the produce
of his father's farm to market in a boat which they owned ;
he also carried freight for others, antl when opportunity
offerctl carried passengers also. The i)roduce was usually
sold in advance, but often Cornelius was given discretion
in the matter of sales, and early showed the business
shrewdness so characteristic of him later in life. He
became a close student of the market, and made little
ventures of his own with such success that at the age of
sixteen he became the owner of a better boat than his
father's. By the time he was eighteen )ears old he owned
two boats and was captain of a third. When he was nine-
teen he married his cousin, Sophia Johnson, who made a
prudent, thrifty wife and who contributed largely towards
the accumulation of his fortune. At the age of twenty-
three he was worth $9000, and was captain of a steam-
boat at a salary of ^1000 a year. This boat made trips
between New York and Brunswick, New Jersey, where
his wife kept a small hotel.
At a very early period in his career Mr. Vanderbilt
began to make a careful study of the means of trans-
portation between New York and the neighboring i)orts.
lie established lines from New Wnk to several places on
the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, for the pur-
pose of carrying freight and passengers. He had boats
built according to i)lans that were largely his own. These
boats were the very best of their class in regard to speed,
comfoit, and cai)acity.
When he was only thiity-three he leased liie ferry between
New York and I''lizabeth, New Jersey, and built new and
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT 141
better boats for the service. He met with such success
that two years later he entered into a successful competition
for the transport service of the Hudson. His training from
his early boyhood had fitted him for this task. He knew
all the details of the work, was thoroughly familiar with
the water ways about New York, knew where to find the
best possible equipment, had a wide acquaintance with all
classes of water men, and was therefore able to obtain the
very best help for all positions. He secured the most satis-
factory results from the work of his men because he always
recognized and rewarded faithfulness and efficiency, and
was utterly remorseless in regard to men who did not render
effective service.
When he was forty-five years of age he was thought to
be worth $500,000. He had so extensive a line of vessels
that he was universally known as ''Commodore." At this
time he disposed of his Hudson River interests and devoted
himself to extending and improving his traffic on Long
Island Sound,
Upon the discovery of gold in California in 1849 there
was widespread excitement, and thousands were anxious to
reach California as soon as possible. Transportation was
hard to secure. Vanderbilt immediately established a line
of steamers on the Nicaragua route to San Francisco and
made very large profits. Later he established a line between
New York and Havre.
In 1853 he sold out his Nicaragua line upon what he
considered very advantageous terms. He determined to
take a vacation, having worked for moYe than forty years
without rest and under circumstances that were very exact-
ing. He built a steam yacht upon plans that were largely
142 SOMR SUCCKSSFUL AMKRICANS
his own, surpassinf; in size and equipment any then in exist-
ence. This \essel he called the North Star, and in it he
took his family and a party of friends for a lon*,^ pleasure
trip to the Old World.
On his return to America he found that those to whom
he had sold the Nicarai^ua line were tryin<,^ to evade mak-
ing the payments as a«^reed upon. Most men would have
sought redress in the courts, but he at once established
a competing line and with his great resources and better
understanding of the business forced them into bankruptcy.
This gave him the complete contrf)l of a business so valu-
able that in the ne.\t eleven years his profits amounted to
$1 1,000,000. This made him one of the wealthiest men in
America, and it was the result of legitimate business enter-
prise on the jiart of one who began life with good health,
strength, tireless energy, and a genius for business, but
without money, special training, or wealth v and influential
friends. He had made his way unaided, in the face of
determined and powerful opposition.
All great men make mistakes and Wanderbilt was no
exception to the rule. At the outbreak of the Crimean
War he entered into C(jmi)etition with England for the
carrying trade Ixjtween luirope and the United States,
but owing to conditions which it is not necessary to
discuss here, the enterprise failed.
Mr. Vanderbilt was not slow to see that the railroads
were destined to interfere seriously with the water traffic
on the Hudson River and Long Island Sound. As early
as 1844 ^^^ began very quietly to buy shares in the New
York and New Haven Railroad. It was not until after the
close of the Crimean War in 1856 that it was observed
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT 143
that he was drawing out of the Sound traffic. In all these
years he had been quietly buying stock in the New York
and Harlem Railroad. The stock in both the roads men-
tioned was bought at a very low figure.
Mr. Vanderbilt had still too much invested in steamships
to put his energies into railroads, but the outbreak of the
Civil War created such a demand for steamships that he
was enabled to dispose of all the vessels he cared to part
with, and in 1863, when he was sixty-nine years old, he
entered upon a new career, one in which he was to achieve
his greatest success, make the most radical changes, and
accumulate an immense fortune. He became the greatest
and most successful railroad manager the world had known.
He differed from all railroad managers of that time in that
he improved the roads he bought, and brought them to the
highest degree of efficiency, while others made money by
"wrecking" roads. His chief business maxim was *' Do
your business well, and don't tell anybody what you are
going to do till you have done it."
The following incident illustrates Mr. Vanderbilt's deci-
sion and energy. With the first news of the appearance
of the Merrimac Mr. Vanderbilt immediately gave to the
government his steamer Vanderbilt, which cost nearly
a million dollars, and which he believed to be both the
strongest and swiftest ship afloat. He was sure that it
could run down the Mei'viniac, though both vessels might
be sunk by the collision. The success of the Mojiitor
made the trial unnecessary, and the Vanderbilt was put
to other service in which it was of great value to the gov-
ernment. For this gift Congress voted Mr. Vanderbilt a
gold medal.
144 SOMH SUCCESSFUl. AMKRICANS
The Harlem Railroad had been so mismanaged that in
1863 its stock was selling at $10 a share. Mr. X'anderbilt
bought a controlling interest in the road, and at the same
time bought shares in the Hudson River road at $75 a
share. 1 his was the beginning of a battle royal between
X'anderbilt and his business rivals. He obtained a charter
for a system of street railways in New ^'ork to connect
with his road, which sent its stock up to par ; but prominent
Wall Street operators and politicians entered into a combi-
nation against him, the politicians undertaking to secure
the repeal of his charter, while the operators were to force
down the price of the stock. This they succeeded in doing,
the stock going lower and lower, but X'anderbilt kept buying
it till he had the whole stock of the road, and the operators
who had sold short had to settle with him on his own terms.
By this time he had secured a controlling interest in the
Hudson River road, and he applied to the legislature for an
act providing for a union of the Hudson River and Harlem
roads under one management. Here he met the same kind
of opposition as before from those who had not yet learned
what kind of man thev had to deal with. The stock went
down, down below what it sold for before Mr. X'anderbilt
took hold of it, and again he bought all that was offered.
The contest went on until it was fcnmd that the men opposed
to him had contracted to sell twenty-seven thousand more
shares than had ever been issued. In order to avert a gen-
eral panic the " commodore " had to settle with the " shorts,"
but he did it at a price that brought him immense profits.
The two roads were made one, with Mr. X'anderbilt as presi-
dent of the new company. He surprised old railroad men
with the minuteness of his knowledge of railway construction.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT 1 45
Great improvements were made in every department. He
insisted that only the very best appliances should be used,
and that the employees should be well discipUned, faithful,
and efficient. This was a revolution in railroad management.
Soon Mr. Vanderbilt began to buy stock in the Central
road. Its managers decided to make war upon him and
arranged to send as much of their freight and as many
of their passengers as possible from Albany to New York
by water. This did not prove to be a wise movement, for
when the ice closed the river traffic Mr. Vanderbilt changed
the terminus of his road from Albany to the other side
of the river and refused to receive freight from the Central.
The result was that the stock of the Central fell rapidly,
the holders were anxious to sell, and Mr. Vanderbilt was
soon able to unite the Central with his other roads.
After this there was a long contest with the Erie, in
which Daniel Drew, Jay Gould, James Fiske, and others
were his opponents. The result of the contest was that
the Vanderbilt roads were left without an important rival
for the traffic between Buffalo and New York. Later con-
trol of the Lake Shore, Canada Southern, and Michigan
Central was obtained, and the magnificently equipped and
well managed Vanderbilt system was complete.
Business is a commercial warfare and, like other forms
of war, is not always conducted in the most humane manner.
While individuals may have suffered through Mr. Vander-
bilt's enterprises, the world at large is the better for his
having lived. He contributed much to the permanent pros-
perity of our country and set on foot enterprises which con-
tinue to be of great value.
Eli Whitney
146
ELI WHITNEY
1765-1825
Eli Whitney will always be known to the general public
as the inventor of the cotton gin, although his other inven-
tions are also worthy of mention.
He was born in Westboro, Massachusetts, December 8,
1765. His father was an influential farmer, though not a
rich one. Being a man of more than ordinary ingenuity, he
had a shop in which he repaired agricultural machinery
and sometimes, when he had spare time, made chairs and
wheels. In this shop Eli early learned to handle tools.
He made toy carts, sleds, kites, traps, and such other toys
and implements as boys are interested in. From early boy-
hood he was known as a mechanical genius. When only
twelve years old he made a very good violin. This attracted
so much attention that people came miles to see it. From
that time he did a very profitable business in repairing violins
and other musical instruments.
He had long been very eager to examine his father's
watch, and observing one Sunday morning that his father
was going to leave the watch at home, he feigned sickness
that he might have a chance to inspect it. He took it apart
and put it together again so skillfully that his father had no
suspicion that it had been touched. At that time Eli was
only about twelve years old. When he was thirteen his
I4S S(JMi: SUCCESSFUL AMKRICANS
father married a second time. Eli's stepmother had a hand-
some set of table knives of which she was very proud and
which she was very fond of exhibiting. On one occasion
Eli said : *' 1 could make as good ones if I had the tools,
and I could make the tools if I had the common tools to
begin with." This remark caused much laughter at Eli's
expense, but it happened that one of the knives was broken
a little later and Eli really did make one to replace it that
was exactly like the others, save the stamp on the blade.
During the Revolutionary War nails were very scarce,
and when he' was sixteen years old Eli began to manufacture
them. He carried on the work very profitably till the close
of the war, after which they were imported at a price which
made his labor unprofitable. Young Whitney also began
the manufacture of hat pins, and succeeded so well that he
soon had a practical monopoly of the business.
At nineteen years of age he determined to obtain a
liberal education. He had long desired this and his father
had sympathized with him, though he had been unable to
give the lad an education beyond that offered in the schools
of his own town. By the exercise of his mechanical skill
and by teaching school Eli earned enough to enable him
to prepare for Yale College, which he entered when he was
twenty-four years old. Manv of his friends tried to dissuade
him, saying, *• It is a great pity to spoil such ingenuity by
going to college."
He was a hard-working student and completed his course
in three years, standing well in his classes and excelling in
mathematics and mechanics. He showed his mechanical
skill when in college by repairing philosophical apparatus
that no one else in the place could j)ut in order.
ELI WHITNEY 149
At the close of his college course he went South to teach.
On the steamer with him was the widow of General Greene,
who was destined to have a great influence on his career.
When he reached Savannah he found that the position
of tutor, upon which he was counting, had been filled by
another. Being without money, occupation, or friends, he
was at a loss what to do. He made his situation known to
Mrs. Greene, who invited him to make her house his home
and advised him to study law. He accepted the home, but,
fortunately for him and for the world, circumstances led
him to abandon the study of law.
While he was making his home with Mrs. Greene he
showed many times and in many ways his remarkable
mechanical ingenuity. One day a number of gentlemen
were discussing at her house the condition of agriculture
in the South, and were expressing their regret that cotton
raising was so unprofitable owing to the labor involved in
separating the cotton from the seed. " It is a day's labor
to separate a single pound of cotton from the seeds," said
one. ''What a pity that there is no mechanical device for
doing the work ! "
At this Mrs. Greene said, ''Gentlemen, apply to my young
friend here, Mr. Whitney. He can make anything."
It happened that Mr. Whitney had never seen any cotton
as it comes from the plant, but when some was brought to
him he undertook the task of making a suitable machine.
He worked under great difficulties, as he had to make his
own tools. There was no wire to be had in Savannah, and
,he was compelled to draw wire for his own use. After
several months' work his machine was completed. With
the exception of Mrs. Greene and a neighbor named Miller,
ISO
SOMi; SUCCKSSFl 1 AM1:RU ANS
no one knew of his work. Mr. Miller, who afterwards mar-
ried Mrs. Greene, was a native of Connecticut and, like
Whitney, a j^raduate of \'ale. He was a lawyer by j)rofes-
sion and had a decided taste for mechanics.
Upon the completion of the cotton y;'m several prominent
<;entlemen from various parts of the state were invited to
Early Cotton Gin
be present at a test of its work. The experiment was a
complete success. The machine would do the work of
hundreds of men, and through its use cotton raisin*; became
innnenselv i)rofital)le. The value ol this invention, espe-
cially to the .South, can hardK' be estimated. No other
invention, unless it be the rea|)er, has added so much to
the wealth of th<- country.
ELI WHITNEY , 151
The cotton gin was invented in 1 793 . In 1 79 1 the United
States had exported less than_ 20,000 founds of cotton. In
1828 the crop was 270,000,000 pounds. In i860 it had
increased to 4,669,770 bales ; in 1899 to 1 1,335,383 bales,
a bale weighing a little less than 500 pounds.
In 1 81 5 the price of the cheapest kind of cotton cloth
was thirty cents a yard. In 1830 it was ten cents ; in 1840,
eight cents ; and it has sold as low as three cents a yard.
Mr. Whitney entered into partnership with Mrs. Greene
and Mr. Miller to manufacture and sell the cotton gin,
Mrs. Greene and Mr. Miller furnishing the capital. They
established a factory in Connecticut, but before the prepa-
rations for manufacture were completed his workshop was
broken into and his models stolen. Before his machines
were on the market several others, inferior to his, but made
from his stolen models, were on sale. He brought suits to
protect his interests, but the power of money, the injustice
of courts, and the devices of legal talent were so effective
that more than sixty suits were brought in Georgia before
a single decision could be obtained on the merits of his claim.
He finally established his rights so far as the validity of
his patent was concerned, but found it practically impossible
to convict any one for the violation of it, as in the face of
convincing evidence no jury would find a verdict for him.
Early in the controversy the factory in Connecticut was
burned and Whitney not only lost all that he had but
found himself $4000 in debt besides.
Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina bought
of Mr. Whitney the right to use the cotton gin in their
respective states. North CaroHna lived up to her agree-
ment. South Carolina, after paying part of the sum due,
152 SOME SUCCESSFIL A.Ml.KU AVS
refused to pay more ami brought suit to recover the amount
that had been paid, although this action was rescinded later.
Tennessee annulled her contract. So shamefully was W'hit-
ney treated, and to such legal expense was he put, that it
is said that when he applied for the renewal of his patent
in 181J he had n(jt received as much from his invention as
was saved in one hour b}- the use of his machines then in
operation.
It is almost inconceivable, considering the value of the
invention, the trifling sum that Whitney made from it, and
the trouble and expense that he was subjected to in main-
taining his claim, that a renewal of the patent would be
refused, yet such was the case.
The following extract from a letter from Whitney to
Robert Fulton is of interest because it shows the feeling
of the people of the South toward him and his invention.
At one time but few men in Georgia dared to come into court and
testify to the most simple facts within their knowledg;e relative to the
use of the machine. In one instance I had fjreat difficulty in proving
that the machine had been used in Georgia, although at the same
moment there were three separate sets of this machinery in motion
within fifty yards of the building in which the court sat, and all so
near that the rattling of the wheels was distinctly heard on the steps
of the courthouse.
Mr. Whitney added hundreds of millions (^f dollars to the
wealth of the country. The debts of the South were paid
otf by means of the cotton gin and its lands were trebled
in value. Vnv this he was rewartled by thirty years of
ingratitude and injustice.
While this hurt Mr. Whitney it did not embitter him.
As early as I79«S he felt that he had little hope of rea|)ing
any reward from his iinention of the cotton gin, anil ho
i
ELI WHITNEY
153
began the manufacture of firearms, establishing his factory
at East Rock, near New Haven, a place now known as
Whitneyville. He received from time to time several con-
tracts from the United States for the manufacture of mus-
kets. He introduced many ingenious inventions in the
manufacture of his guns, making them superior to any
before in use. He was the first to divide labor so as to
have one man make a single thing and so become very
accurate in his work. His skill in this particular and his
mechanical inventions enabled him to accumulate a fortune.
President Day of Yale College, in a eulogy delivered at
the death of Whitney, said :
The higher qualities of his mind, instead of unfitting him for ordi-
nary duties, were firmly tempered with taste and judgment in the
business of life. His manners were formed by an extensive inter-
course with the best society. He had an energy of character that
carried him through difficulties too formidable for ordinary minds.
With these advantages he entered on the career of life ; his efforts
were crowned with success. He had gained the respect of all classes
of the community ; his opinions were regarded with peculiar deference
by the man of science as well as the practical artist. His large and
liberal views, his knowledge of the world, the wide range of his obser-
vations, his public spirit, and his acts of beneficence had given him
a commanding influence in society.
There is, it must be said, a debit and a credit side to every
account, and even the invention of the cotton gin was not
an immediate and unmixed good. Previous to its invention
slavery, as an institution, was dying out in the South because
it was unprofitable. The enormous increase in cotton cul-
ture, however, made slavery very profitable ; so that it is
even possible to consider the cotton gin as one of the causes
that led to the great Civil War.
Henry Clay
'54
HENRY CLAY
1777-1852
Henry Clay was a man concerning whom great differ-
ence of opinion prevailed. Andrew Jackson, without doubt,
thought him the incarnation of all that was evil in public
life ; his intimate friends believed him to be the imper-
sonation of nearly all the virtues and talents committed
to mankind. Between these two extremes were many
differing opinions. *
The study of such a life must be of interest to those
who care for public affairs. Clay's long political career,
covering the most exciting period of American history and
dealing with the most intricate problems, notably that of
slavery, could have no other effect than to make for him
warm friends and bitter enemies. It was inevitable that any
man under such circumstances would not always be right,
would not always act wisely, would not always be consistent.
That Clay was patriotic and loved his country intensely
cannot be doubted ; that his very love for the Union may
sometimes have led to his adoption of questionable com-
promises, to unwise change in views, or at least to unwise
action, is perhaps true. It is not possible in this brief sketch
to present a complete biography, for that would necessitate
giving a history of the United States for nearly half a cen-
tury. During his long political life there was no limit to
155
156 SOMK SUCCESSFUL AMI-RICANS
the abuse heaped upon Clay by his enemies, or to the admi-
ration and laudation of his friends, who were affectionate,
devoted, and enthusiastic to a de<(ree never surpassed. At
his defeat for the office of President stron^^ men wept as
over the loss of a near and dear friend.
Henry Clay was born April 12, 1777, in Hanover County,
V'ir^nnia. His father, John Clay, was a Bajnist minister,
a man of excellent character and great dignity. He had a
remarkable voice and a fine deliverv, which his son also
possessed. He preached to a poor congregation, receiving
a meager salary, and at his death, which occurred when
Henry was only four ) ears old, his wife was. left with the
care of seven children and practically without means. She
is said to have been a woman of great executive ability and
many admirable qualities.
Under the circumstances Clay had little opportunity of
attending school ; two or three years in a log schoolhouse,
presided over by a man of questionable reputation, could
not have contributed much to his future greatness. When
not in school he was following the plow barefooted, or riding
a pony carrying corn or wheat to Daricott's mill on the
Pamunkey River. On his way to the mill he had to pass
through a swampy region known as the "Slashes," and
because of this he was known afterwards as "The Mill
Boy of the Slashes."
Clay was devoted to his mother, but he was separated
from her early in life by her marriage to Henry Watkins,
with whom she went to Kentucky. Mr. Watkins thought
very much of the boy and secured him a place as assistant
to Peter Tinsley, clerk of the High Court of Chancery.
This was when Clay was about fourteen years old. For
HENRY CLAY 1 57
the four years preceding this he had been a clerk in the
retail store of Richard Denby, in Richmond.
In his new position Clay felt his lack of knowledge more
than ever before, and put forth increased efforts to acquire
an education. While with Mr. Tinsley he was thrown in
contact with Chancellor Wythe, who became greatly inter-
ested in him and directed his studies. The chancellor
thought Clay an uncommon young man and prophesied a
brilliant future for him. After some years he advised Clay
to read law, which he did, applying himself with such energy
and enthusiasm that he was admitted to practice within
a year and when he was only twenty years old. At this
time Clay was a tall, thin, awkward, beardless youth, but
remarkably bright and enterprising. His friends wished
him to practice law in Richmond, but for some reason,
possibly to be near his mother, he soon went to Kentucky.
He settled at Lexington, near which place he spent most
of his life.
He did not go to Kentucky with any extravagant expecta-
tions. When an old man he said, '' I remember how com-
fortable I thought I should be if I could make a hundred
pounds a year, and with what delight I received my first
fifteen-shilling fee." For the purpose of improving in speak-
ing he joined a debating society soon after going to Lex-
ington, but owing to his modesty he took no part in the
debates till one evening the president of the society called
upon him to speak. He arose, greatly embarrassed, and said
"Gentlemei. of the jury," but noticing his mistake, and also
that the audience sympathized with him, he rallied and made
a brilliant speech. He was enthusiastically applauded and
warmly congratulated.
15S SOMK SUCCESSFUL AMERICANS
lie immediately be^an a lucrative practice. Even at that
early a^e he was "one of the most fluent and eloquent
speakers that ever addressetl a jury." lie early came in
contact with such able lawyers as John Hreckenridge, Felix
Grundy, George Nicolas, and William Murray, and on the
whole he was a greater power in the court room than any
one of them, though he never ranked with the great lawyers
of the country.
Clay was imaginative, eloquent, skillful in debate, ingenious
in his grouping and statement of facts, and i)lausible in his
reasoning. He was somewhat superficial ; })artly because
of his lack of education, ])artly because he was too fond
of society to give sufficient study to his cases, and partly
because he was not willing in all cases to follow his reason-
ing to its logical conclusion. There is some force in the
criticism once made of him, that he " was a declaimer rather
than a reasoner," but it must be remembered that he was a
very able man notwithstanding these faults, which he over-
came in a measure in his later life.
From the first Clay was greatly interested in j^olitics.
When he had been in Kentucky but a short time a conven-
tion was called to draft a new constitution. Clay earnestly
urged that j)ro\ision be made for the gradual emancipation
of slaves. In this he had almost no following, but he pre-
sented his views with great force, lie said that he had
always felt that slavery was wrong and a great curse to
all concerned with it. Vov taking this position he was
denounced as "a Southern man with Xorthern juinciples."
This, howe\ei', did not seem to lessen his p()j)ularity. In
fact there is in most nises admiration for a man who will
stand by his convictions even when he knows he is hopelessly
HENRY CLAY
159
in the minority. This Clay usually did regardless of the
consequences to himself. If there seemed to be some
exceptions to this when he was seeking the Presidency, he
suffered enough for it, and it was contrary to the general
tenor of his life. Later, on a famous occasion, he said, " I
had rather be right than President."
During Clay's time dueling was universally upheld in
the South, and under certain conditions a man had to fight
or be socially ostracized. On two occasions Clay accepted
a challenge, but he left no one in doubt as to his own con-
victions on the subject. He wrote :
I owe it to the community to say that whatever I may have done,
or by inevitable circumstances might be forced to do, no man in it
holds in deeper abhorrence than I do the pernicious practice of duehng.
Clay was elected a member of the Kentucky legislature
when only twenty-six years of age. Three years later he
was chosen to serve out the unexpired term of John Adair
in the United States Senate, being the youngest man ever
chosen to that office. In fact when he was sworn in he
lacked a little more than three months of reaching the con-
stitutional age, but the question of age qualification seems
not to have been thought of in his case.
Clay so prospered in his profession that when he had
been at Lexington only two years he felt justified in marry-
ing and buying an estate of six hundred acres near Lex-
ington, which he called Ashland. As Clay increased in
wealth he grew in popularity also, till he was by far the
most popular man in the state. He never became very
wealthy, because his hospitalities were always dispropor-
tioned to his means.
i6o
SOMK SUCCESSl L L AMI. KUANS
After serving out the unexpired term of Adair in the
Senate he was again elected to the Kentucky legislature
and ch')sen Speaker, which gave him the necessary training
for the position which was to come to him in the future,
•'-w
/
Ashland, the Home of Henry Clay
and in which he was to make his greatest rcputati(jn, —
the S])eakership oi the House of Representatives. In the
winter of 1809-18 lo he was again sent to the I'nited
States Senate to serve out the unexpired term (two years)
of Huckner Thurston. I le made sjK'eches in favor of encour-
aging American manufacturing industries, antl was recog-
nized as a rising man.
HENRY CLAY l6l
Upon the expiration of his term in the Senate he was
chosen a member of the House of Representatives and
elected Speaker. This was really the beginning of his great
career, his other service having merely prepared him for it.
At that time we were on the eve of a war with Great
Britain. Clay deemed war inevitable, and he more than
any other man was responsible for it. It is doubtful if war
would have broken out if he had used his influence to pre-
vent it. As it was, the majority in its favor was small both
in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. Later
Clay resigned the Speakership to act as one of the commis-
siotiers to arrange a treaty of peace between Great Britain
and the United States. The result of this treaty was to
leave all matters as they were before the war, not one of
our grievances having been redressed.
Upon the election of Monroe, Clay hoped to be made
Secretary of State, but Webster was given that place, while
Clay was offered the War Department and the Russian
mission, both of which he declined. He was again elected
to the House of Representatives and chosen Speaker by an
almost unanimous vote. When first elected Speaker, at the
age of thirty-seven, he was probably the most popular man
in the country, and almost to the day of his death he was
the most influential man in his party.
Clay was no doubt wise in declining the positions offered
him by Monroe and remaining in the House of Representa-
tives. The place that both nature and training had best
fitted him to fill was one where eloquence and the power of
swaying the feelings and passions of men counted for much,
rather than a position that called for executive ability and
the working out of details.
l62 .^UMh bLLCKSSFLL AMl.KK ANS
The war had hnnii^ht taxes, and taxes arc never popular.
The question to be considered was what method of raising
them would be least burdensome and offensive. Clay advo-
cated a system of protective tariffs, which he termed the
'•American system." To the i)erfection of such a tariff he
devoted himself at this time, and the subject was of great
interest to him throughout his future political career.
He came into conflict with the administration over the
question of internal improvements. Monroe contended that
the Constitution did not warrant the expenditure of money
for such purposes. This view was held of necessity by the
extreme states-rights people. Clay pnxrlaimed the great
destiny of the republic and urged the need of internal
improvements in order to develop the dormant wealth of
the C(juntry. Practically Clay held that whatever needed
to be done for the welfare of the country was constitutional,
unless the Constitution directly prohibited it. This was the
beginning of a long struggle between the "strict" and
"loose" C(jnstructionists, a struggle in which the "loose"
constructionists have usually won. Mr. Clay e\er rang the
changes on the imjxjrtance of opening up the West to
settlers from the East. In debating this question he said :
Sir, it is a subject of peculiar delight to me to look forward to the
proud and happy period, distant as it may he, when circulation and
association between the Atlantic and the Tacitic and the Me.xican
Gulf shall be as free and perfect as they are at this moment in
En^jland, the most hi;^hly improved country on the globe. Sir, a new
world has come into being since the Constitution was adopted. . . .
Are we to nej^Iect and refuse the redemption of that vast wilderness
which once stretched unbroken beyond the Allegheny?
The discussion over the admission of Missouri began in
1818. It was typical of those that followed for forty years.
HENRY CLAY 1 63
The population of the North was growing much faster than
that of the South, and the latter section felt the need of
more slav^e states, that they might at least maintain control
of the Senate. The result of a long and bitter controversy
over the question was the admission of Missouri with no
restriction as to slavery, but with an agreement that there
should be no slavery in any other part of the territory ceded
by France north of 36° 30', this being the southern boundary
of Missouri. This was the famous Missouri Compromise.
This struggle brought out the best energies of Clay, who
favored the compromise. He was untiring in his efforts,
worked with committees, interviewed individuals, and made
eloquent speeches in what he believed to be the interest
of the country. Clay was thoroughly patriotic and desired
above all else to preserve the Union, which he loved more
than he hated slavery. Clay's action during this contro-
versy won for him the title "the great pacificator."
In 1820 Clay retired from public life to retrieve his for-
tunes through the practice of his profession. Then, as now,
few public officials could live upon their salaries if they took
an active part in affairs. After three years of retirement
Clay was again elected to Congress and chosen Speaker.
The great debates which led to the tariff of 1824 were
participated in by Clay, notwithstanding the fact that he was
Speaker. During this session he made a speech on what
he called the "American System," which was the most elab-
orate he ever made. Of it Carl Schurz says :
His skill of statement, his ingenuity in the grouping of facts and
principles, his plausibihty of reasoning, his brilliant imagination, the
fervor of his diction, the warm patriotic tone of his appeals, make a
great impression.
1 64 SOME SICCESSFUL AMKKICANS
Clay, Adams, Crawford, and Jackson were candidates for
the Presidency in 1824. No one of them received a majority
of the electoral votes, so the election went to the House of
Representatives, which had l(j choose from the three receiv-
ing the largest number of votes. This excluded Clay, as he
stood fourth. Had the House been free to vote for whom
they chose, Clay would probably have been elected. As it
was, Clay cast his influence for Adams, who was chosen, to
the great disappointment of Jackson, who had received the
largest popular vote. Adams made Clay Secretary of State,
and Jackson and his friends charged that there had been a
secret bargain between Clay and Adams ; but it is clear now,
and ought to have been then, that there was no truth in
the charge. Jackson had always been a bitter enemy of
Clay, and Crawford was a hopeless paralytic. It is evident,
therefore, that Clay could not support any other candidate
than Adams. The reasons for Adams's appointment of Clay
as Secretary of State are given later in Adams's own words.
When Clay resigned the Speakership he received the
formal but hearty thanks of the House. He had made an
admirable presiding officer. It is d<nibtful if any holder
of the position has ever excelled him. His knowledge of
parliamentary law and tactics was such that he had never
been overruled. He was prompt in his decisions. In the
stormiest times he was fair, courteous, self-controlled, and
held the House in order.
The bitter and persi.stent attacks on Clay and Adams
that followed are worth reading as illustrating the theory
that "a lie well stuck to is as gocxl as the truth." It may
be that such reading will render one less liable to be carried
away by reckless charges against public officials. Towards
HENRY CLAY 1 65
the close of his term of office Adams referred to the attacks
on Clay in the following language :
Upon him the foulest slanders have been showered. The Depart-
ment of State itself was a station which, by its bestowal, could confer
neither honor nor profit upon him, but upon which he has shed un-
fading honor by the manner in which he has discharged its duties.
Prejudice and passion have charged him with obtaining that ofifice by
bargain and corruption. Before you, my fellow-citizens, in the pres-
ence of our country and Heaven, I pronounce that charge totally
unfounded. As to my motives in tendering him the Department of
State when I did, let the man who questions them come forward.
Let him look around among the statesmen and legislators of the
nation and of that day ; let him then select and name the man whom,
by his preeminent talents, by his splendid services, by his ardent
patriotism, by his all-enduring public spirit, by his fervid eloquence
in behalf of the rights and liberties of mankind, by his long experience
in the offices of the Union, foreign and domestic, a President of the
United States, intent only on the honor and welfare of his country,
ought to have preferred to Henry Clay.
In 1828 Jackson was elected by an overwhelming major-
ity. Washington, the Adamses, Jefferson, Madison, and
Monroe in forty-four years made seventy-four removals from
office, mainly for cause. This was an average of less than
two a year. In one year Jackson caused more than two
thousand changes upon the theory that '' to the victors
belong the spoils." Clay foresaw the evil consequences
that would arise from such a course and raised his voice
against it. He said it was ''a system of universal rapacity
substituted for a system of responsibility, and favoritism
for fitness." The course pursued by Jackson, the evils of
which Clay saw clearly, proved one of the most harmful,
and most enduring as well, of all the acts known to our
political history.
1 66 SOMi: Sl'CCKSSFUL AMKRICANS
In 1832 Jackson ran ap^inst Clay and was reclectod,
receivinj^ even a lar^^er majority than four years before.
Clay's defeat was due lar^^ely to the hostility of the South
towards his tariff views, but in part also to the controversy
over the United States Hank and to the anti-masonic move-
ment. It seemed as if so crushin;^^ a defeat must end the
political career of Clay, but he soon became again the most
conspicuous of all the public men of the country.
The outcome of the Presidential contest was the intro-
duction of a bill providiuL,^ for a sweepin«^ reduction of the
tariff. After lon^; and bitter discussion Clay introduced a
Compromise measure providinc^ for a twenty-per-cent reduc-
tion. This was ad )pted, thou<^h not satisfactory to either
the protectionists or the free traders.
A bitter debate ensued over the deposits in the United
States Bank. It lasted three months, and such able men
as Clay, Calhoun, Webster, and Ewin^^ spoke against the
administration ; but Jackson carried his point and overthrew
the bank through such exercise of power as no other Presi-
dent would have dared to exert. As a result of the various
conflicts with the administration, and the removals from
office which grew out of them, Clay moved that in all
instances of appointment to office bv the President, with
the consent of the Senate, the power of removal should be
exercised only by the consent of the Senate, save that the
President miglu suspend an official during a recess of the
Senate. I le must, however, within a month from the begin-
ning of its next session, rei)ort to the Senate such removal
and the cause for the same, and if the Senate failed to
approve, the official should be reinstated. Cla\' was induced
not to urge his amendment, but substantially the same act
HENRY CLAY 1 67
was passed during the administration of Johnson, more than
thirty years later.
In 1836 the slavery question, which had been quieted by
the Missouri Compromise, again arose in Congress, never-
more to be suppressed so long as slavery lasted in the United
States. Congress was flooded with petitions praying for the
abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the District of
Columbia. Calhoun denounced the petitions as being incen-
diary documents and moved that they be not received. This
was an arbitrary refusal of rights older than the government,
an act that no free people would submit to, whatever their
convictions might be on the subject of slavery. Recogniz-
ing this fact, Buchanan moved that they be received and
denied without reference to any committee. Clay, believ-
ing in the right of petition and not believing in slavery,
opposed both these motions, and moved that the petitions
be received. This motion was carried, but later Buchanan's
motion to deny the petitions without their having been
referred to a committee was also carried.
The anti- slavery discussion soon took another form. The
abolition societies began to circulate tracts and periodicals
through the mails. In Charleston a mob broke open the
post office and took such of these documents as they could
find and destroyed them. At a public meeting at which
the clergy of all denominations was represented the action
of the mob was approved. The postmaster assumed the
right to prevent the circulation of such literature and wrote
to the postmaster at New York asking him not to forward
it. He wrote for instructions to the postmaster-general,
who disclaimed power to exclude such matter from the mails,
but virtually advised the postmasters to do it on their own
i68 soMh srccKssiri. amkricans
responsibility. Calhoun introduced a bill to make it unlaw-
ful for any postmaster kno\vin<(ly to deliver to any one any
printed paper touchin^^ slaver)', in any state or territory
where such publications were prohibited. Clay denounced
this bill, claiming that it was unconstitutional and fraught
with danger to the liberty of the people. The bill was
defeated by a decisive vote.
As the discussion over slavery went on Clay seemed
gradually to come to the conviction that the Abolitionists
were dangerous people ; he also saw that he had greatly
injured his popularity with the slaveholders. In February,
1839, ^^ presented a petition from the inhabitants of Wash-
ington against the abolition of slavery in the District of
Columbia, and made a speech which appeared to be an
effort to win back what he had lost in urging the right of
petitioners to have their petitions presented and fairly dealt
with. The truth probably is that slavery was wholly repug-
nant to Mr. Clay as a man, but as a politician he dared not
always show his true feelings.
Clay failed to secure the nomination for the Presidency
in 1.S40. Some of Webster's friends, the anti-masons, some
of the anti-slavery Whigs, and those politicians who wanted
the most "available" man, united on General Harrison, who
was nominated and elected. Clay was angry and had some
right to be. His friends were angry, grieved, and disap-
pointed. Had Clay been nominated at this time, he would,
without doubt, have been elected, for the great panic of 1837
and matters growing out of it made it imi)ossible tor Van
Huren to be reelected. Clay, notwithstanding his disap-
pointment and his real grievances, gave a loyal supp(jrt to
the ticket.
HENRY CLAY 1 69
Harrison offered Clay the position of Secretary of State,
which he decHned, preferring to remain in the Senate. When
Congress assembled Clay introduced a bill to repeal the sub-
treasury act, but the Democrats had a majority in the Senate
and the bill failed. Harrison died a month after his inau-
guration and was succeeded by Tyler. Clay again introduced
a bill to repeal the sub-treasury act, which passed and was
signed. A bill to incorporate a new United States Bank
was passed and vetoed. As a result of the veto all Tyler's
cabinet save Webster resigned. The indignation of the
Whigs was intense. They no longer recognized Tyler as
a member of their party. The Whig papers throughout
the country denounced him. He was burned in effigy in
many places. Clay soon resigned from the Senate and
went to his home at Ashland.
Tyler signed a treaty of annexation with Texas. The
primary if not the sole purpose of annexation was the acqui-
sition of more slave territory. The treaty was very unpop-
ular at the North and correspondingly popular at the South.
At this time Clay was making a tour of the country. He
was at Raleigh, North Carolina, when the treaty was made
public, and he immediately wrote a letter to the Natio7tal
Intelligencer protesting against it. This letter was, of course,
unpopular at the South, and it was not liked at the North
because it did not give the extension of slavery as the chief
reason for opposing annexation.
In 1 844 Clay was nominated by the Whigs, and Polk by
the Democrats. The Liberty party nominated James G.
Birney. Clay was again defeated, chiefly because of his
letter to Stephen F. Miller of Alabama in which he dis-
claimed any personal objection to the annexation of Texas.
I70 SOME SUCCESSFUL AMKRICANS
This, without doubt, cost him the vote of New York, and
so the Presidency. Mr. Clay tried for the nomination again
in 1S48, but it went to (General Tayltjr. In 1S49 Clay again
returned to the Senate antl at once became foremost in all
debates. As was always the case when the discussion of
the slavery question became threatening, Clay had a com-
promise measure. This time he proi>osed, as measures to
please the North, the admission of California as a free state
and the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the Dis-
trict of Columbia ; to j)lacate the South he recommended a
more efficient law for the pursuit and capture of fugitive
slaves, and that Utah and New Mexico should be left unre-
stricted as to slavery. He ap}X'aled to the North to make
concessions, and to the South for peace. The debate that
followed was participated in by all the great members of
the Senate. The strongest speech against the measure
was made b\- Calhoun, the great exponent and defender of
slaverv. It was in this debate that Webster disappointed,
grieved, and angered many of his friends by denouncing the
Abolitionists and gTcatly modifying his previously expressed
views on the subject of slavery. Neither Clay nor Webster
had kept jxice with the growing anti-slavery sentiment in
the North, and the time was ripe for new leaders who would
more correctlv represent the people of that section. Not
only new leaders but also a new party was called for.
and in this debate the leaders, the harbingers of the party,
appeared, — Seward with his doctrine of a "higher law " and
Chase with a similar doctrine. Clay and Webster had had
their da v. The Whig party had outlived its usefulness.
Clay's health was broken by the strain of this session ( '.
C(jngress, and he was far less active in the next. He went
HENRY CLAY 171
to Cuba for his health, but derived no benefit from the trip.
He died at Washington, June 29, 1852. For thirty years
he had struggled unsuccessfully for the Presidency, which
could have added nothing to his fame had he secured it,
while failure to win it had brought him much unhappiness.
Clay in common with all mankind had his faults and fail-
ings ; he compromised his convictions at times because of his
craving for the Presidency, but always and everywhere his
love for the Union was unshaken and his patriotism beyond
suspicion. No man ever loved his country more or served
her better through a long life. No other American ever
exerted so great an influence for so long a time ; no other
name is more thoroughly or more honorably interwoven
with his country's history. If one now wonders at Clay's
apparently vacillating policy on the question of slavery, he
should not forget that it is difficult, if not impossible, for
those now living to appreciate the bitterness of those times
and the great danger of the disruption of the government.
Clay regarded the overthrow of the Union as the greatest
possible evil, and he was prepared to make any necessary
sacrifice to avert it. He said :
I owe a paramount allegiance to the whole Union, — a subordinate
one to my own state. When my state is right — when it has cause
for resistance, when tyranny and wrong and oppression insufferable
arise — I will then share her fortunes ; but if she summons me to the
battlefield, or to support her in any cause which is unjust, against the
Union, never, never will 1 engage with her in such a cause.
Benjamin Franklin
172
■ '71 '
i '' ■ ' (• -
)l
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
1 706- 1 790
For more than three centuries there Hved in the little
village of Ecton in Northamptonshire, England, a family
by the name of Franklin. In every generation the eldest
son became a blacksmith. Josiah, the father of Benjamin,
was a dyer, but on coming to America he became a tallow
chandler and soap boiler. Benjamin was his fifteenth child.
Franklin's mother was Abiah Folger and was Josiah's
second wife. Her husband was a rather narrow-minded
Puritan, although a man of sterhng character, and it is not
surprising, perhaps, that the young Franklin should have
revolted against the rigid beliefs of his father.
The boy's early life was a struggle with poverty, diffi-
culties, and hardships. The house in which he was born
was a two-story building of four rooms, — a kitchen, an
attic, and two other rooms, each twenty feet square. It
is a little difficult to see how a family of the size of
Franklin's could be made comfortable in such quarters,
but it seems to have been a happy home. It is true that
Benjamin quarreled with his half-brother James, and their
relations seem not to have been very cordial after that ; but
the Franklins were noted for strong family affection.
Benjamin had a good home, good instruction, and access
to good books. He was a precocious boy and inordinately
^73
»74
SOMK SL'C'CKSSFUL AMKRICANS
fond of rca(lin^^ When a man ^rown he said, "I do not
remember wlien I could not read, so it must have been very
early." In his boyhood he read Bunyan's '* Pil«;rim's Pro<^-
ress " and " lluly War,' Detoe's " Essay on Projects," Bur-
ton's" Historical C^)llections," Plutarch's '• Lives," Mather's
Birthplace of Franklin
From Antique Views of Ye Towne of Boston
'• Essay to do Good," and many other works. During his
whole life PVanklin was an omnivorous reader, not with
standing that he advised people to " read much, but n(jt
too many books."
He was not a particularK' promising young man, con
sidered from either a religious or a moral standpoint. He
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 75
had no sympathy with the theological doctrines generally
held in Boston in his time, and his conservative elders pre-
dicted that little good would be said of him.
When only seven years old Franklin was given his first
spending money and allowed to use it as he chose. The
following is his account of the affair:
When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday,
filled my pockets with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they
sold toys for children, and being charmed with the sound of a whistle,
that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered
and gave all my money for one. I then came home and went whis-
tling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing
all the family. My brothers and sisters and cousins, understanding
the bargain that I had made, told me that I had given four times as
much for it as it was worth, put me in mind what good things I might
have bought with the rest of my money, and laughed at me so much
for my folly that I cried with vexation, and the reflection gave more
chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.
This, however, was of use to me, the impression continuing on my
mind ; so that often when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary
thing, I said to myself, " Don't give too much for the whistle "; so I
saved my money.
As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of
men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for
the whistle.
At eight years of age Franklin was sent to a grammar
school. Afterwards he went to a famous school kept by
George Brownell, to learn writing and arithmetic. At ten
years of age he was taken from school and put at work in
his father's shop. This he hated and wanted to go to sea, as
some of his uncles had done. His passion for the sea was
so strong that his father feared the lad would run away, so
he looked about for some other business which might be
176 SO^MK SUCCKSSI-ri. AMKRICANS
more con^^Miial. I Ic finally concluded that as Ik'njamin was
so f(jnd of reading he mi<;ht like lo become a j^rinter, and
accordingly apprenticed him to his halt-brother James, who
had recently returned from ICni^dand, where he had learned
the trade. James I'ranklin was an excellent printer and
ditl some of the best work of his time.
Franklin was twelve }ears of age when he was appren-
ticed to his brother, lie was to serve till he was twenty-
one years old and to receive journe) man's wages during
the last year only. One of the advantages of the new work
to l-'ranklin was the increased opj^ort unities that it gave
him for reading. From this time he earned his own living
and relied upon himself. I lis brcjther, being a bachelor, had
to pav for his apprentice's bcjard, and Franklin, who had
been greatly impressed by a book adxocating a vegetable
diet, offered to board himself if he might be allowed half
of what his ])rother was then ixiying. Out of this small
allowance Iknjamin saved half and used it to buy books.
At the same time he was forming the habit of living on
simple fare, — a habit which he kej)t up for many years and
which no doubt contributed to his long life and good health.
In 1729 James T^ranklin began the i)ul)lication of a paper
called the Xi-i> Ru[:;la)id Couraiit, though his friends advised
against it, .saying that one paper was enough for America.
That seems strange adxice to us who are living at a time
when there are about twenty-five thousand papers published
in the rnitcd States. Ik'njamin wrote some anonymous
articles for his brother's paper, which attracted consider-
able attention. Al)out the same time he wrote some verses,
among them "The Lighthouse Tragedy." which his brother
printed, and which had a considerable sale. This made
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN I 77
Franklin a little vain, but his father read them over with
him and pointed out the faults so clearly that Benjamin
had no further desire to write verse. He then attempted
prose, and a young man named Collins and himself carried on
an argument through correspondence for mutual improve-
ment in writing. This work Franklin's father also criti-
cised, commending some things and condemning others.
About this time Franklin came across an odd volume of
the Spectator, and was so pleased with it that he resolved
to copy its style. To do this he would first write out the
story in verse, and then after he had almost forgotten
the prose, turn the verse into prose and compare it with
the original.
When Franklin was about sixteen years old, one of his
brother's patrons, Matthew Adams, came to regard him as
a very talented boy and invited him to make free use of his
library. From that time, so long as he remained in Boston,
Franklin reveled in books.
Soon after the establishment of the New England Cou-
rant, James Franklin became engaged in a controversy with
some of the most prominent Boston clergymen, and printed
an article which, by implication, reflected on the civil authori-
ties. For this he was taken into custody, imprisoned for
four weeks, and publicly censured. Neither the imprison-
ment nor the censure seems to have had much effect, for
he continued to publish many articles which shocked the
people and "injuriously reflected on the reverend and faith-
ful ministers of the Gospel and his majesty's government."
James was again imprisoned and forbidden to publish the
CoH7'ant, or any pamphlet or paper of like nature, without
its having been approved by the secretary of the province.
ijS somp: succkssful amkricans
At this time Bosttm was a town of about twelve thousand
inhalMtants aiul was practically ruled by the Cahinistic
ministers.
As James P'ranklin was not allowed to publish the Coii-
rafit, it was decided to issue it in Benjamin's name. It woukl
hardly have done to issue it in the name of an ai)prentice,
for that would have been a \ery jialpable evasion of the
order of the Assembly ; so Benjamin's indenture was can-
celed with the understanding that he was to si^n new arti-
cles which should be kept secret. Franklin edited the paper
during his brother's imprisonment, and was, jK-rhaps, the
youn<;est editor the country has ever kncjwn.
Alth(nigh the brothers were agreed in the fight with the
church and the state, they were at odds in most other
respects. James was overbearing, ill-natured, and abusive.
They had many quarrels and their father usually sided
with Benjamin. I^'inally their quarrels grew so bitter that
Benjamin, feeling sure that his brother would not dare to
present the papers that had been kept secret, declared that
his indenture had been canceled and that he was free to do
as he chose. His brother, however, had sufficient influence
to prevent his being employed by an)- i^wii else in lioston.
In this quarrel the father sided with James. Later in life
Franklin admitted that he had been wrong, and also that
he had given his brother much provocation. So strongly
did he feel this that he made good what he thought had
been James's financial loss in the matter.
Being unable to get work in Boston, Benjamin ran away,
going by sloop to New York. Here also he was unable to
obtain employment, so he went on to Philadelphia, where he
was employed by a printer by the name of .Samuel Keimer.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 79
Franklin was a man of far greater skill than any printer
then in Philadelphia, and was besides remarkable for his
wit, good nature, and intelligence. His work attracted
much attention. By chance a letter of his was brought to
the notice of Sir William Keith, governor of the province.
He thought Franklin a promising young man who should
be encouraged, and advised him to start in business on his
own account, promising him the public business if he did,
and also to aid him in all other ways in his power.
Franklin doubted if he could obtain any assistance, but
finally decided to return to Boston and see what he could
accomplish. He took a letter from the governor to his
father. His people were glad to see him, as they had heard
nothing from him since he left and were fearful that he
was dead. He received a warm welcome, but although his
father was very much pleased with the governor's good
report, he positively refused to give the young man any
money. He advised him to return to Philadelphia and by
hard work and strict economy to save money so that by
the time he was twenty-one he might go into business for
himself, promising to aid him then if necessary.
On his return Benjamin worked some time for Keimer,
but finally went to England, Governor Keith agreeing to
give him a letter of credit and letters of introduction to
a number of his friends. Franklin reached London on
Christmas Eve, 1724, only to find that he had been de-
ceived and that Governor Keith was wholly without credit
in that city. He at once secured employment at Palmer's,
a famous printing house. Here he was known as " the
water American," from the fact that he drank nothing
stronger than water. The other workmen were '' great
l8o SOMi: SL'CCKSSFUL AMKRICANS
guzzlers of beer," Franklin tells us. Me was asked if all
Americans were like him in the matter of drink, and replied,
** No, I am sorry to say that a great many of them are
like vou."
Alter spending eighteen months in London Franklin
had a gootl business offer from a Philadelj)hia merchant
and returned to that city; but his employer soon died and
he was again without work.
Keimer offered him good wages to superintend his print-
ing office and he accepted the position. He found that
Keimer had a number of apprentices at very small pay
but with an agreement to raise their wages as they increased
in skill. Franklin saw that Keimer's plan was to stimu-
hte his apprentices to make all possible progress, and then
as soon as the business was in good working shape to dis-
pense with his services, and it so proved. In fact, as soon
as Keimer felt he could get on without him he provoked
a quarrel and Franklin left, Keimer regretting that he had
bound himself to keep him as long as he did.
Franklin now planned to return to Boston, but Hugh
Meredith, one of Keimer's men, whose apprenticeship would
soon expire, came to him and proposed that they go into
partnership, Meredith's father to furnish the money. This
was agreed upon, and in the summer of i72cS ai)peared the
sign •' 1^. Franklin and H. Meredith." They received some
patronage from friends, but Franklin was not the kind of
man to rely upon such support. In December the annual
speech of the governor was printed by Andrew Bradford,
the public printer, in a very slovenly and bungling manner.
Franklin at once reprinted it, of course without pay, m
the very best manner possible, and sent a copy to each
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
l8l
member of the Assembly. The contrast in the work was
so great that Frankhn secured the pubHc printing for the
following year. Through the excellence of their work the
firm was given the public printing for Delaware and New
Jersey as well.
Franklin, remembering his boyhood experience with
the New England Conrant, planned to start a paper, but
Keimer, learning of it,
forestalled him and
late in 1728 issued the
first number of the
Universal Instructor in
All Arts and Sciences,
the Pe7insylva7iia Ga-
zette. It proved a losing
venture, and when the
thirty-ninth number
was reached the paper
was sold to Franklin,
who kept only the lat-
ter part of the title,
the Pennsylvania Ga-
zette. He made it a
semi-weekly paper for
a time ; but there did
Franklin s Printing Press
not seem to be a demand for such frequent publication, and
it was soon made a weekly again. The semi-weekly edi-
tion was the first published in America. The paper was
very popular and its circulation reached from Virginia to
New York, being larger than any other paper in the coun-
try. It was remarkable for its brilliant and original articles.
i82 soMi: surcKSSFUL ami:ki(a.\s
Franklin achieved this f^reat success when he was only
twenty-three years (jIcI.
Franklin's must successful jniblication was "Poor Rich-
ard's Almanac." It was be^un in December, 1732, and
continued for twenty-five years with an average sale of ten
thousand copies, which was very remarkable when we con-
sider the conditions at that time. The jxjpulation of the
country was small and widely scattered. The mail facilities
amounted to but little. Nearly all the people were poor,
and there was comparatively little reading done. The
almanac became one of the most influential publications
in the world. Seventy-five editions have been printed in
Fnglish, fifty-six in TVench, eleven in German, and nine
in Italian. It has been translated into Spanish, Danish,
Swedish, Welsh, Polish, Gaelic, Russian, Bohemian, Dutch,
Catalan, Chinese, modern Greek, French, German, Italian,
and phonetic writing. It has been i)rinted more than four
hundred times and is still p(jpular.
P^ranklin established printing offices in other places, put-
ting each in charge of some competent and promising jour-
neyman j)rinter, furnishing the capital and having a part of
the profits. In nearly every case the printer prospered so
that in a few years he was able to buy the establishment.
In Philadelphia iManklin organized a club known as the
Junto, composed of bright young men who met every
Friday evening. luuh member, in tuiii. was rec|uire(l to
bring for discussion some question of morals, politics, or
natural philosoi)hy. Once in three months each member
was required to read an es.say, taking whatever subject
he chose. This club not only was of great \ahie to its
members but also became a j)ower in I'hilaileli)hia.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 183
In 1730 Franklin married Deborah Reid, with whom he
lived happily for forty-four years. During their early married
life they lived in the most frugal manner over his shop. Their
furniture was limited in amount and of the plainest kind.
For a long time Franklin's breakfast consisted of only bread
and milk.
At thirty years of age Franklin had become one of the
leading citizens of Philadelphia. He owned a printing estab-
lishment, edited and published the Pennsylvania Gazette,
issued " Poor Richard's Almanac" annually, and was at the
same time postmaster of the city and clerk of the Assembly.
While Franklin wrote much on a great variety of sub-
jects and carried on an extensive correspondence with
learned men and societies, he is best known by his auto-
biography and as the writer of " Poor Richard's Almanac."
Among the brightest things written by Franklin are ''The
Whistle," ''The Dialogue with the Gout," "The Morals of
Chess," and several other essays written when he was in
France for the amusement of his intimate friends and no/"
intended for publication. He also wrote much on scientific
subjects. His letters to his wife when he was in Europe
are very interesting and are well worth reading.
The following extracts from " Poor Richard " show to what
extent Franklin's sayings have entered into common use.
Many a little makes a mickle.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Lost time is never found again.
There are no gains without pains.
One to-day is worth two to-morrows.
The doors of wisdom are never shut.
He that hath a trade hath an estate.
Constant dropping wears away stones.
184 soMi: srccESSFii. amkricans
A small leak will sink a great ship.
God helps them that help themselves.
Diligence is the mother of good luck.
Who dainties love shall beggars prove.
He that by the plow would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive.
The sleeping fox catclies no poultry.
Karly to bed and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
For age and want save while you may ;
No morning sun lasts the whole day.
Three can keep a secret if two are dead.
Plow deep while sluggards sleep.
And you shall have corn to sell and keep.
Fools make feasts and wise men eat them.
Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee.
Drive thy business, let not that drive thee.
Creditors have better memories than debtors.
\'irtue and a trade are a child's best portion.
Rather go to bed supperkss than rise in debt.
Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths.
Employ thy time well if thou meanst to gain leisure.
Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy.
Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge.
A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things.
li you would be wealthy think of saving as well as getting.
The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.
E.xperience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.
Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the used
key is always bright.
He that riseth late must trot all day and siiall scarce overtake his
business at night.
Hut dost thou love life, then do not scjuander time, for that is the
stuff life is made of.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 85
As Scientist and Inventor
At forty-two years of age Franklin took a partner to
look after the printing, that he might devote himself to
science. He was ah'eady widely known as a philosopher.
F^rom this time on his advancement in science was so
rapid that he was soon widely known throughout America
and Europe, and he became one of the most noted philoso-
phers in the world. He was elected a member of the
Royal Society of London in 1733, and the following year
it bestowed upon him the Copley medal for his discoveries
in electricity.
Both Yale and Harvard conferred upon him the degree
of Master of Arts. The Academy of Science of Paris
made him an associate member. All the learned societies
of Europe admitted him to their ranks. Kant called him
the ''Prometheus of modern times." Later the universities
of St. Andrews, London, and Edinburgh conferred upon
him the degree of Doctor of Laws. American universities,
colleges, legislatures, and literary societies gave him their
highest honors.
Franklin seemed to be always eager to know the why
and wherefore of every occurrence the meaning of which
was not clearly apparent. He sought at once to make
every new discoverv or idea of practical value to mankind.
His mind was so alert, his grasp so remarkable, his dis-
position to turn everything to practical account so pro-
nounced that had he lived in our time he might casilv
have rivaled Edison in the number of his inventions, and
had he chosen to use his genius to make money his wealth
might have been almost beyond belief. However, he never
l86 SOMK SUCCESSFUL AMKRICANS
patented an)thiii^^ or s()U<;lU in an)- way to profit by his
inventions. When the governor of Pennsylvania offered
him a i)atent for liis open stove he decHned it, saying, "As
we enjoy great advantages fr<jm the inventions of others,
we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by
any inventions of ours; and this we should do freely and
generously."
Just how generous this act was is shown by the fact that
a London dealer made some slight changes in the stove,
which l^'ranklin claimed lessened rather than increased its
value, patented it in England, and made a small fortune
from it.
Franklin once said : '* It is incredible the amount of good
that may i)e done in a country by a single man who will
make a business of it and not suffer himself to be diverted
from that purpose by different avocations, studies, or amuse-
ments."
Perhaps he himself, though he had many avocations and
studies to divert his mind, best illustrates his statement.
The almost incredible activity of his mind and the great
range of his thought are indicated by the following list —
for there is not space in this sketch for more than a mere
list — of the more important inventions and actions of
Franklin. In considering this it should be borne in mind
that this was the work of the leisure hours of a very l)U.sy
man who not only had his private business to look after but
who also devoted the best part of his life to the service of
the public. Well might Paul Leicester Ford call him the
•'many-sided l-'ranklin," and Bancroft say of him, •* Not
half his merits has been told." It seems incredible that one
man could do so much.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 87
He originated the lightning rod.
He promoted the early culture of silk.
He founded the American Philosophical Society.
He created the post-office system of America.
He was the first champion of reformed spelling.
He determined the temperature of the Gulf Stream.
He suggested the use of mineral fertilizers.
He introduced the basket willow into this country.
He was the first to make systematic use of advertising.
He recommended the use of white clothing for hot weather.
He laid the foundation for the University of Pennsylvania.
He discovered the identity of lightning and electricity.
He discovered that northeast storms may begin in the southwest.
He was the first to recommend the use of oil to make rough seas
smooth.
He was the first to recommend building ships with water-tight
compartments.
He founded the Philadelphia library, the parent of a thousand others.
He was the first to suggest that the aurora was an electrical mani-
festation.
He established and inspired the Junto, the most useful of all
American clubs.
He established the first fire company and the first insurance com-
pany in Philadelphia.
He published " Poor Richard's Almanac," which made thousands
of its readers better and stronger men.
He invented the Franklin stove, which heated rooms better than
was possible before and with the consumption of much less fuel.
He performed countless experiments, the most famous one being
that with the kite during a thunderstorm.
Franklin was in constant correspondence with scientific
men in all parts of the world. He wrote much on such
subjects as sun spots, shooting stars, Hght, heat, fire, elec-
tricity, air, evaporation, the tides, rainfall, geology, winds,
whirlwinds, waterspouts, ventilation, and sound.
l88 SOMi: SICCESSFUL AMKRICANS
Ab I'oLmcIA.N AM) DlTLOMAT
In speaking of public office Franklin said : " I never refused
one that I was capable of executing when public ser\'ice
was in question ; and I never bargained for salary, but con-
tented myself with whatever my constituents were pleased
to allow me." On another occasion he said, " I shall never
ask, never refuse, nor ever resign an office." Franklin
believed in the doctrine '• to the victors belong the spoils" ;
at least he practiced it. When he was postmaster-general
he appointed one of his brothers postmaster of Boston and
another postmaster of Philadelphia, and upon the death of
the latter made his widow postmistress, probably the first
woman in this country to hold a political office. Through-
out his life Franklin secured many political offices for his
relatives.
In 1736 he was chosen clerk of the General Assembly
of Pennsylvania, a pcjsition that he held for fourteen years
and one which gave him opportunity to widen his acquaint-
ance with public men.
In 1737 Franklin was made postmaster of Philadelphia.
In 1753 he was made postmaster-general of the colonies
for England.
In 1754 commissioners from the different colonies met
at Albany to confer with the " Si.v Nations " in regard to
defense against the French. At this Albany Congress
there were present as delegates twenty-five of the leading
men of the colonies, Franklin among the number. He
presented a plan for a general government, to be admin-
istered by a president-general appointed and supported by
the crown and a congress chosen by the assemblies of the
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 89
various colonies. This plan was unanimously adopted by
the congress but rejected by the government in England.
In 1757 Franklin was sent to England as agent for the
colonv of Pennsylvania and acted in that capacity year after
year. He also acted as agent for Massachusetts, New
Jersev, and Georgia. He put forth his best efforts to pre-
vent war between the colonies and the mother country,
going so far at times as to be distrusted by both countries,
but when war became inevitable he was foremost in all
efforts looking to the success of the colonies. He urged
their immediate union in the contest with England, as at
an earlier date he had urged their union for mutual help in
their contests with the French and Indians.
Franklin early said :
I have long been of the opinion that the foundations of the future
grandeur and stability of the British Empire lie in America ; and
though, like other foundations, they are low and little now. thev are
nevertheless broad, and strong enough to support the greatest polit-
ical structure that human wisdom ever yet erected.
Just before the outbreak of the Revolution, and after it
was evident that Franklin could no lons^er serve the colo-
nies in England, he returned to America and was chosen a
member of the Continental Consfress. He was at this time
sixty-nine years old and one of the most illustrious men in
America. He was made postmaster-general and also a mem-
ber of many important committees. As postmaster-general
he made great improvements in the service, lowered the
rate of postage, advertised unclaimed letters, increased the
number of mails, lessened the time of transmission, and
opened the mails to all newspapers. He personallv visited
every post office in the country save the one at Charleston..
190 SOMK SUCCKSSFl I. A.MliRICANS
He was elected a nicniber of the Pennsylvania Assembly,
chosen president of the Pennsylvania Convention, and made
chairman of the I'enns) Kania Committee ol Safety, with
duties similar to those of a governor.
Franklin was not a good speaker, lie says of himself:
"I was but a batl speaker, never eloquent, subject to much
hesitation in the choice of my words, hardly ctjrrect in lan-
guage, and yet I generally carried ni\- points." Jefferson
speaks of his service with h'ranklin and Washington and
says: "1 ne\er heartl either of them si^eak ten minutes at
a time, nor io any but the main point, which was to decide
the question."
It was desirable to cultivate the most friendly relations
with I'rance, and all agreed that Franklin was the man to
send there. He had traveled in that countr\, luid many
friends there, and knew llie language. The history of his
efforts in F^rance, which were crowned with success, is too
long to be told in detail here. His influence with the
F>ench ministry was very great. A historian of American
diplomacy says that F'ranklin is the only true dij)lomat
that America has j)ro(luced. His tluties as minister to
I^Vance were multifLU'ious. He was j)ractically Secretary
of the Na\\'. 1 le purchased supplies, fitted out ex])editions,
gave commissions, s(ild i)rizes, raised money, settled disputes,
in fact he was the American government in l^ance so far
as such matters were concerned. He was the greatest finan-
cier of the Revolution. While his personal contributions
were insignificant compared with those c;l Kobeit Morris, his
success in getting financMal aid from the FVench was mar\ cl-
ous, and without it the American cause must api)arently
have failed.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 191
Franklin was so popular in France that his picture was
found in thousands of French homes ; and the Franklin stove
was largely used, quite as much on account of its inventor
as on account of its value. Poets wrote sonnets in his honor,
noble dames addressed him in verse, and all classes sought
every opportunity to speak with him or to see him.
Franklin was benevolent, sincere, and just in his dealings,
abhorring deceit, tiattery, falsehood, injustice, and dishonesty.
He differed from most self-educated men in that he was
broad and liberal in his views, respectful towards the opinions
of others, even when he thought them wrong, and always
open to new convictions. When he was in Europe he became
intimately acquainted with Priestley, Price, Adam Smith,
Hume, Robertson, Burke, Pratt, Lord Kames, Buff on, Vol-
taire, and many other noted men.
When chosen president of Pennsylvania at the age of
seventy-nine he wrote to a friend in England :
I had on my return some right to expect repose ; and it was my
intention to avoid all puhlic husiness. But I had not firmness enough
to resist the unanimous desire of my country folks, and I find myself
harnessed again in their service for another year. They engrossed
the prime of my life. They have eaten my flesh and now seem
resolved to pick my bones.
The year proved to be three years, and at the end of that
time, at the age of eighty-two, he was chosen a member of
the constitutional convention, in which he rendered services
as valuable as any given during his long life. Many of
the more important features of the Constitution were pro-
posed and urged by him.
On his return from France in 1785 he was in the very
height of his fame. Every vessel brought him letters from
192 SOMK SlCC'KSSFl I .\.\I1:R1( ANS
the most famous men of luiropc. Kvcrv prominent person
\vh(j tra\ele(.l in America went to see liim. X'illa^es, towns,
and counties were nametl in his honor, lie was always
mentioned witii respect and regard. It was "the veneral)le
Dr. b'ranklin," "the revered j)atriot, Dr. l""ranklin," "our
ilkistrious countryman and friend of man," "the father of
American inde|)endence," etc.
In I 7<S7 he was chosen president of the first abolition
society formetl in this country. About five months beft)re
his death he signed, as president of the abolition society,
a memorial to Con*;ress in which he s;\itl : "That mankind
are all formed by the same Almighty beini.,^ alike objects
of his care, and equally desiij^ned for the enjoyment of
happiness, the Christian relii^ion teaches us to beliexe, and
the jjolitical creed of the Americans full)' coincides with
that position."
Not lon^ before his death Franklin wrote to President
Washington, saying :
.My malady renders my sittin;^ up to write rather painful to me.
Ijut I cannot let my son-in-law, Mr. Hache, part for New York without
congratulating you, hy him, on the recovery of your health, so precious
to us all, and on the growing strength of our new government under
your administration. For my own personal ease I should have died
two years ago ; hut tiiough those years have been spent in excruciating
pain, I am pleased to have lived tiicin. since they have hrous^ht me to
see our present situation. I am now finishing mv eighty-fourth year,
and probably with it niv career in this life: l)ut whatever state of
existence I am placed in hereafter, if 1 retain any nu-mory of what
pa.ssed here, I sliall with it n tain the esteem, respect, and affection
with which I have long been, my dear friend,
Yours most .sinccrelv,
Hi:NjA.>nN Fk.wkmn.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 193
During Mr. Franklin's last illness Washington wrote
him as follows : " If to be venerated for benevolence, if to
be admired for talents, if to be esteemed for patriotism, if
to be beloved for philanthropy can gratify the human mind,
you must have the pleasing consolation to know that you
have not lived in vain."
Frankhn died on the 17th of April, 1790. Twenty
thousand persons attended his funeral services. The bells
of the city were muffled and tolled ; flags on the shipping
were at half-mast ; cannon were discharged at the close
of the funeral ceremonies. Congress and the National
Assembly of France passed suitable resolutions. Scientific
and political societies did honor to his memory. Members
of Congress wore a black badge for thirty days. The
National Assembly of France put on mourning. This body
and the Community of Paris sent letters of condolence to
the President of the United States, the first time that a pub-
lic body of one country had paid homage to a private citizen
of another. The city of Passy, where he lived when in
France, gave his name to a street.
A list of the public positions held by Franklin will impress
upon one, more forcibly perhaps than all that has been said,
how large a part he had in making our country what it was
at the time of his death.
Justice of the Peace.
Postmaster of Philadelphia.
Colonel of militia.
Clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
Member of the Common Council of Philadelphia.
Member of the Board of Aldermen of Philadelphia.
President of Pennsylvania.
194 sOMK srccKssFii. \mi:ric\\ns
Member of a Committee to Canada.
Member of the Continental Congress.
.Minister to France during the Revolution.
Member of the Constitutional Convention.
Commissioner to negotiate a peace with I'.ngland.
Member of the .Secret Committee of Congress.
Chairman of the Committee of Safety for Pennsylvania.
Representative of Pennsylvania at the Colonial Congress at Albany.
.Member of the Supreme Executive Committee of Pennsylvania.
Member of the Committee of 'lliree to confer with Lord Howe.
Member of the Committee of Secret Correspondence of Congress.
One of a committee of five to draft the Declaration of I ndependence.
Agent to England for Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
and (ieorgia.
This conslitutetl a part ot the ijublie- work, ot a man wiio
.started out in life with no cchiration beyond that obtained
in an ordinary elementary school, one who had no influen-
tial'^ friends, and who cared for himself from the time he
was twelve years okl. It is j^ood to live in a country where
such things are possible.
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