第2章

Thehistoryofthethousandsofmillionairesshowsthattobethecase。

ThemanovertherewhosaidhecouldnotmakeanythinginastoreinPhiladelphiahasbeencarryingonhisstoreonthewrongprinciple。

SupposeIgointoyourstoreto-morrowmorningandask，“DoyouknowneighborA，wholivesonesquareaway，athouseNo。1240?""“Ohyes，Ihavemethim。Hedealshereatthecornerstore。""“Wheredidhecomefrom?""“Idon"tknow。""“Howmanydoeshehaveinhisfamily?""

“Idon"tknow。""“Whatticketdoeshevote?""

“Idon"tknow。""“Whatchurchdoeshegoto?""

“Idon"tknow，anddon"tcare。Whatareyouaskingallthesequestionsfor?""

IfyouhadastoreinPhiladelphiawouldyouanswermelikethat?Ifso，thenyouareconductingyourbusinessjustasIcarriedonmyfather"sbusinessinWorthington，Massachusetts。

Youdon"tknowwhereyourneighborcamefromwhenhemovedtoPhiladelphia，andyoudon"tcare。Ifyouhadcaredyouwouldbearichmannow。Ifyouhadcaredenoughabouthimtotakeaninterestinhisaffairs，tofindoutwhatheneeded，youwouldhavebeenrich。Butyougothroughtheworldsaying，“Noopportunitytogetrich，""

andthereisthefaultrightatyourowndoor。

Butanotheryoungmangetsupoverthereandsays，“Icannottakeupthemercantilebusiness。""(WhileIamtalkingoftradeitappliestoeveryoccupation。)“Whycan"tyougointothemercantilebusiness?""“BecauseIhaven"tanycapital。""Oh，theweakanddudishcreaturethatcan"tseeoveritscollar!Itmakesapersonweaktoseetheselittledudesstandingaroundthecornersandsaying，“Oh，ifIhadplentyofcapital，howrichIwouldget。""“Youngman，doyouthinkyouaregoingtogetrichoncapital?""

“Certainly。""Well，Isay，“Certainlynot。""Ifyourmotherhasplentyofmoney，andshewillsetyouupinbusiness，youwill“setherupinbusiness，""supplyingyouwithcapital。

Themomentayoungmanorwomangetsmoremoneythanheorshehasgrowntobypracticalexperience，thatmomenthehasgottenacurse。

Itisnohelptoayoungmanorwomantoinheritmoney。Itisnohelptoyourchildrentoleavethemmoney，butifyouleavethemeducation，ifyouleavethemChristianandnoblecharacter，ifyouleavethemawidecircleoffriends，ifyouleavethemanhonorablename，itisfarbetterthanthattheyshouldhavemoney。Itwouldbeworseforthem，worseforthenation，thattheyshouldhaveanymoneyatall。Oh，youngman，ifyouhaveinheritedmoney，don"tregarditasahelp。Itwillcurseyouthroughyouryears，anddepriveyouoftheverybestthingsofhumanlife。Thereisnoclassofpeopletobepitiedsomuchastheinexperiencedsonsanddaughtersoftherichofourgeneration。Ipitytherichman"sson。Hecanneverknowthebestthingsinlife。

Oneofthebestthingsinourlifeiswhenayoungmanhasearnedhisownliving，andwhenhebecomesengagedtosomelovelyyoungwoman，andmakesuphismindtohaveahomeofhisown。Thenwiththatsamelovecomesalsothatdivineinspirationtowardbetterthings，andhebeginstosavehismoney。Hebeginstoleaveoffhisbadhabitsandputmoneyinthebank。Whenhehasafewhundreddollarshegoesoutinthesuburbstolookforahome。Hegoestothesavings-bank，perhaps，forhalfofthevalue，andthengoesforhiswife，andwhenhetakeshisbrideoverthethresholdofthatdoorforthefirsttimehesaysinwordsofeloquencemyvoicecannevertouch:“Ihaveearnedthishomemyself。Itisallmine，andIdividewiththee。""Thatisthegrandestmomentahumanheartmayeverknow。

Butarichman"ssoncanneverknowthat。

Hetakeshisbrideintoafinermansion，itmaybe，butheisobligedtogoallthewaythroughitandsaytohiswife，“Mymothergavemethat，mymothergavemethat，andmymothergavemethis，""untilhiswifewishesshehadmarriedhismother。Ipitytherichman"sson。

ThestatisticsofMassachusettsshowedthatnotonerichman"ssonoutofseventeeneverdiesrich。Ipitytherichman"ssonsunlesstheyhavethegoodsenseoftheelderVanderbilt，whichsometimeshappens。Hewenttohisfatherandsaid，“Didyouearnallyourmoney?""“Idid，myson。

Ibegantoworkonaferry-boatfortwenty-fivecentsaday。""“Then，""saidhisson，“Iwillhavenoneofyourmoney，""andhe，too，triedtogetemploymentonaferry-boatthatSaturdaynight。

Hecouldnotgetonethere，buthedidgetaplaceforthreedollarsaweek。Ofcourse，ifarichman"ssonwilldothat，hewillgetthedisciplineofapoorboythatisworthmorethanauniversityeducationtoanyman。Hewouldthenbeabletotakecareofthemillionsofhisfather。Butasaruletherichmenwillnotlettheirsonsdotheverythingthatmadethemgreat。Asarule，therichmanwillnotallowhissontowork——andhismother!

Why，shewouldthinkitwasasocialdisgraceifherpoor，weak，littlelily-fingered，sissysortofaboyhadtoearnhislivingwithhonesttoil。I

havenopityforsuchrichmen"ssons。

IrememberoneatNiagaraFalls。IthinkIrememberoneagreatdealnearer。Ithinktherearegentlemenpresentwhowereatagreatbanquet，andIbegpardonofhisfriends。AtabanquethereinPhiladelphiatheresatbesidemeakind-heartedyoungman，andhesaid，“Mr。

Conwell，youhavebeensickfortwoorthreeyears。

Whenyougoout，takemylimousine，anditwilltakeyouuptoyourhouseonBroadStreet。""

Ithankedhimverymuch，andperhapsIoughtnottomentiontheincidentinthisway，butI

followthefacts。Igotontotheseatwiththedriverofthatlimousine，outside，andwhenweweregoingupIaskedthedriver，“Howmuchdidthislimousinecost?""“Sixthousandeighthundred，andhehadtopaythedutyonit。""

“Well，""Isaid，“doestheownerofthismachineeverdriveithimself?""Atthatthechauffeurlaughedsoheartilythathelostcontrolofhismachine。Hewassosurprisedatthequestionthatheranuponthesidewalk，andaroundacornerlamp-postoutintothestreetagain。Andwhenhegotoutintothestreethelaughedtillthewholemachinetrembled。Hesaid:“Hedrivethismachine!

Oh，hewouldbeluckyifheknewenoughtogetoutwhenwegetthere。""

Imusttellyouaboutarichman"ssonatNiagaraFalls。Icameinfromthelecturetothehotel，andasIapproachedthedeskoftheclerktherestoodamillionaire"ssonfromNewYork。

Hewasanindescribablespecimenofanthropologicpotency。Hehadaskull-capononesideofhishead，withagoldtasselinthetopofit，andagold-headedcaneunderhisarmwithmoreinitthaninhishead。Itisaverydifficultthingtodescribethatyoungman。Heworeaneye-

glassthathecouldnotseethrough，patent-

leatherbootsthathecouldnotwalkin，andpantsthathecouldnotsitdownin——dressedlikeagrasshopper。Thishumancricketcameuptotheclerk"sdeskjustasIentered，adjustedhisunseeingeye-glass，andspakeinthiswisetotheclerk。

Yousee，hethoughtitwas“Hinglish，youknow，""

tolisp。“Thir，willyouhavethekindnesstosupplymewiththomepapahandenwelophs!""

Thehotelclerkmeasuredthatmanquick，andhepulledtheenvelopesandpaperoutofadrawer，threwthemacrossthecountertowardtheyoungman，andthenturnedawaytohisbooks。Youshouldhaveseenthatyoungmanwhenthoseenvelopescameacrossthatcounter。Heswelleduplikeagobblerturkey，adjustedhisunseeingeye-

glass，andyelled:“Comerightbackhere。Nowthir，willyouorderathervanttotakethatpapahandenwelophstoyondahdethk。""Oh，thepoor，miserable，contemptibleAmericanmonkey!Hecouldnotcarrypaperandenvelopestwentyfeet。

Isupposehecouldnotgethisarmsdowntodoit。Ihavenopityforsuchtravestiesuponhumannature。Ifyouhavenotcapital，youngman，I

amgladofit。Whatyouneediscommonsense，notcoppercents。

ThebestthingIcandoistoillustratebyactualfactswell-knowntoyouall。A。T。Stewart，apoorboyinNewYork，had$1。50tobeginlifeon。

Helost87<1/2>centsofthatontheveryfirstventure。

Howfortunatethatyoungmanwholosesthefirsttimehegambles。Thatboysaid，“Iwillnevergambleagaininbusiness，""andheneverdid。Howcamehetolose87<1/2>cents?Youprobablyallknowthestoryhowhelostit——becauseheboughtsomeneedles，threads，andbuttonstosellwhichpeopledidnotwant，andhadthemleftonhishands，adeadloss。Saidtheboy，“Iwillnotloseanymoremoneyinthatway。""Thenhewentaroundfirsttothedoorsandaskedthepeoplewhattheydidwant。Thenwhenhehadfoundoutwhattheywantedheinvestedhis62<1/2>

centstosupplyaknowndemand。Studyitwhereveryouchoose——inbusiness，inyourprofession，inyourhousekeeping，whateveryourlife，thatonethingisthesecretofsuccess。Youmustfirstknowthedemand。Youmustfirstknowwhatpeopleneed，andtheninvestyourselfwhereyouaremostneeded。A。T。Stewartwentonthatprincipleuntilhewasworthwhatamountedafterwardtofortymillionsofdollars，owningtheverystoreinwhichMr。WanamakercarriesonhisgreatworkinNewYork。Hisfortunewasmadebyhislosingsomething，whichtaughthimthegreatlessonthathemustonlyinvesthimselforhismoneyinsomethingthatpeopleneed。

Whenwillyousalesmenlearnit?Whenwillyoumanufacturerslearnthatyoumustknowthechangingneedsofhumanityifyouwouldsucceedinlife?Applyyourselves，allyouChristianpeople，asmanufacturersormerchantsorworkmentosupplythathumanneed。ItisagreatprincipleasbroadashumanityandasdeepastheScriptureitself。

ThebestillustrationIeverheardwasofJohnJacobAstor。YouknowthathemadethemoneyoftheAstorfamilywhenhelivedinNewYork。

Hecameacrosstheseaindebtforhisfare。ButthatpoorboywithnothinginhispocketmadethefortuneoftheAstorfamilyononeprinciple。

Someyoungmanhereto-nightwillsay，“WelltheycouldmakethosefortunesoverinNewYorkbuttheycouldnotdoitinPhiladelphia!""Myfriends，didyoueverreadthatwonderfulbookofRiis(hismemoryissweettousbecauseofhisrecentdeath)，whereinisgivenhisstatisticalaccountoftherecordstakenin1889of107

millionairesofNewYork。Ifyoureadtheaccountyouwillseethatoutofthe107millionairesonlysevenmadetheirmoneyinNewYork。Outofthe107millionairesworthtenmilliondollarsinrealestatethen，67ofthemmadetheirmoneyintownsoflessthan3，500inhabitants。Therichestmaninthiscountryto-day，ifyoureadthereal-estatevalues，hasnevermovedawayfromatownof3，500inhabitants。Itmakesnotsomuchdifferencewhereyouareaswhoyouare。

ButifyoucannotgetrichinPhiladelphiayoucertainlycannotdoitinNewYork。

NowJohnJacobAstorillustratedwhatcanbedoneanywhere。Hehadamortgageonceonamillinery-store，andtheycouldnotsellbonnetsenoughtopaytheinterestonhismoney。Soheforeclosedthatmortgage，tookpossessionofthestore，andwentintopartnershipwiththeverysamepeople，inthesamestore，withthesamecapital。Hedidnotgivethemadollarofcapital。

Theyhadtosellgoodstogetanymoney。Thenheleftthemaloneinthestorejustastheyhadbeenbefore，andhewentoutandsatdownonabenchintheparkintheshade。WhatwasJohnJacobAstordoingoutthere，andinpartnershipwithpeoplewhohadfailedonhisownhands?

Hehadthemostimportantand，tomymind，themostpleasantpartofthatpartnershiponhishands。ForasJohnJacobAstorsatonthatbenchhewaswatchingtheladiesastheywentby；

andwhereisthemanwhowouldnotgetrichatthatbusiness?Ashesatonthebenchifaladypassedhimwithhershouldersbackandheadup，andlookedstraighttothefront，asifshedidnotcareifalltheworlddidgazeonher，thenhestudiedherbonnet，andbythetimeitwasoutofsightheknewtheshapeoftheframe，thecolorofthetrimmings，andthecrinklingsinthefeather。Isometimestrytodescribeabonnet，butnotalways。Iwouldnottrytodescribeamodernbonnet。Whereisthemanthatcoulddescribeone?Thisaggregationofallsortsofdriftwoodstuckonthebackofthehead，orthesideoftheneck，likearoosterwithonlyonetailfeatherleft。ButinJohnJacobAstor"sdaytherewassomeartaboutthemillinerybusiness，andhewenttothemillinery-storeandsaidtothem:

“Nowputintotheshow-windowjustsuchabonnetasIdescribetoyou，becauseIhavealreadyseenaladywholikessuchabonnet。Don"tmakeupanymoreuntilIcomeback。""Thenhewentoutandsatdownagain，andanotherladypassedhimofadifferentform，ofdifferentcomplexion，withadifferentshapeandcolorofbonnet。“Now，""

saidhe，“putsuchabonnetasthatintheshowwindow。""Hedidnotfillhisshow-windowuptownwithalotofhatsandbonnetstodrivepeopleaway，andthensitonthebackstairsandbawlbecausepeoplewenttoWanamaker"stotrade。Hedidnothaveahatorabonnetinthatshow-windowbutwhatsomeladylikedbeforeitwasmadeup。Thetideofcustombeganimmediatelytoturnin，andthathasbeenthefoundationofthegreateststoreinNewYorkinthatline，andstillexistsasoneofthreestores。ItsfortunewasmadebyJohnJacobAstoraftertheyhadfailedinbusiness，notbygivingthemanymoremoney，butbyfindingoutwhattheladieslikedforbonnetsbeforetheywastedanymaterialinmakingthemup。Itellyouifamancouldforeseethemillinerybusinesshecouldforeseeanythingunderheaven!

SupposeIweretogothroughthisaudienceto-nightandaskyouinthisgreatmanufacturingcityiftherearenotopportunitiestogetrichinmanufacturing。“Ohyes，""someyoungmansays，“thereareopportunitiesherestillifyoubuildwithsometrustandifyouhavetwoorthreemillionsofdollarstobeginwithascapital。""

Youngman，thehistoryofthebreakingupofthetrustsbythatattackupon“bigbusiness""isonlyillustratingwhatisnowtheopportunityofthesmallerman。Thetimenevercameinthehistoryoftheworldwhenyoucouldgetrichsoquicklymanufacturingwithoutcapitalasyoucannow。

Butyouwillsay，“Youcannotdoanythingofthekind。Youcannotstartwithoutcapital。""

Youngman，letmeillustrateforamoment。I

mustdoit。Itismydutytoeveryyoungmanandwoman，becauseweareallgoingintobusinessverysoononthesameplan。Youngman，rememberifyouknowwhatpeopleneedyouhavegottenmoreknowledgeofafortunethananyamountofcapitalcangiveyou。

TherewasapoormanoutofworklivinginHingham，Massachusetts。Heloungedaroundthehouseuntilonedayhiswifetoldhimtogetoutandwork，and，ashelivedinMassachusetts，heobeyedhiswife。Hewentoutandsatdownontheshoreofthebay，andwhittledasoakedshingleintoawoodenchain。Hischildrenthateveningquarreledoverit，andhewhittledasecondonetokeeppeace。Whilehewaswhittlingthesecondoneaneighborcameinandsaid:

“Whydon"tyouwhittletoysandsellthem?Youcouldmakemoneyatthat。""“Oh，""hesaid，“I

wouldnotknowwhattomake。""“Whydon"tyouaskyourownchildrenrighthereinyourownhousewhattomake?""“Whatistheuseoftryingthat?""saidthecarpenter。“Mychildrenaredifferentfromotherpeople"schildren。""

(IusedtoseepeoplelikethatwhenItaughtschool。)Butheacteduponthehint，andthenextmorningwhenMarycamedownthestairway，heasked，“Whatdoyouwantforatoy?""

Shebegantotellhimshewouldlikeadoll"sbed，adoll"swashstand，adoll"scarriage，alittledoll"sumbrella，andwentonwithalistofthingsthatwouldtakehimalifetimetosupply。So，consultinghisownchildren，inhisownhouse，hetookthefirewood，forhehadnomoneytobuylumber，andwhittledthosestrong，unpaintedHinghamtoysthatwereforsomanyyearsknownallovertheworld。Thatmanbegantomakethosetoysforhisownchildren，andthenmadecopiesandsoldthemthroughtheboot-and-shoestorenextdoor。Hebegantomakealittlemoney，andthenalittlemore，andMr。Lawson，inhis_FrenziedFinance_saysthatmanistherichestmaninoldMassachusetts，andIthinkitisthetruth。Andthatmanisworthahundredmillionsofdollarsto-day，andhasbeenonlythirty-fouryearsmakingitonthatoneprinciple——thatonemustjudgethatwhathisownchildrenlikeathomeotherpeople"schildrenwouldlikeintheirhomes，too；

tojudgethehumanheartbyoneself，byone"swifeorbyone"schildren。Itistheroyalroadtosuccessinmanufacturing。“Oh，""butyousay，“didn"thehaveanycapital?""Yes，apenknife，butIdon"tknowthathehadpaidforthat。

IspokethustoanaudienceinNewBritain，Connecticut，andaladyfourseatsbackwenthomeandtriedtotakeoffhercollar，andthecollar-

buttonstuckinthebuttonhole。Shethrewitoutandsaid，“Iamgoingtogetupsomethingbetterthanthattoputoncollars。""Herhusbandsaid:“AfterwhatConwellsaidto-night，youseethereisaneedofanimprovedcollar-fastenerthatiseasiertohandle。Thereisahumanneed；

thereisagreatfortune。Now，then，getupacollar-buttonandgetrich。""Hemadefunofher，andconsequentlymadefunofme，andthatisoneofthesaddestthingswhichcomesovermelikeadeepcloudofmidnightsometimes——althoughIhaveworkedsohardformorethanhalfacentury，yethowlittleIhaveeverreallydone。

Notwithstandingthegreatnessandthehandsomenessofyourcomplimentto-night，Idonotbelievethereisoneintenofyouthatisgoingtomakeamillionofdollarsbecauseyouarehereto-night；butitisnotmyfault，itisyours。I

saythatsincerely。WhatistheuseofmytalkingifpeopleneverdowhatIadvisethemtodo?

Whenherhusbandridiculedher，shemadeuphermindshewouldmakeabettercollar-button，andwhenawomanmakesuphermind“shewill，""

anddoesnotsayanythingaboutit，shedoesit。

ItwasthatNewEnglandwomanwhoinventedthesnapbuttonwhichyoucanfindanywherenow。Itwasfirstacollar-buttonwithaspringcapattachedtotheouterside。Anyofyouwhowearmodernwaterproofsknowthebuttonthatsimplypushestogether，andwhenyouunbuttonityousimplypullitapart。ThatisthebuttontowhichIrefer，andwhichsheinvented。Sheafterwardinventedseveralotherbuttons，andtheninvestedinmore，andthenwastakenintopartnershipwithgreatfactories。Nowthatwomangoesovertheseaeverysummerinherprivatesteamship——yes，andtakesherhusbandwithher!

Ifherhusbandweretodie，shewouldhavemoneyenoughleftnowtobuyaforeigndukeorcountorsomesuchtitleasthatatthelatestquotations。

Nowwhatismylessoninthatincident?Itisthis:Itoldherthen，thoughIdidnotknowher，whatInowsaytoyou，“Yourwealthistooneartoyou。Youarelookingrightoverit""；

andshehadtolookoveritbecauseitwasrightunderherchin。

Ihavereadinthenewspaperthatawomanneverinventedanything。Well，thatnewspaperoughttobeginagain。Ofcourse，Idonotrefertogossip——Irefertomachines——andifIdidI

mightbetterincludethemen。Thatnewspapercouldneverappearifwomenhadnotinventedsomething。Friends，think。Yewomen，think!

Yousayyoucannotmakeafortunebecauseyouareinsomelaundry，orrunningasewing-machine，itmaybe，orwalkingbeforesomeloom，andyetyoucanbeamillionaireifyouwillbutfollowthisalmostinfallibledirection。

Whenyousayawomandoesn"tinventanything，Iask，WhoinventedtheJacquardloomthatwoveeverystitchyouwear?Mrs。Jacquard。Theprinter"sroller，theprinting-press，wereinventedbyfarmers"wives。Whoinventedthecotton-ginoftheSouththatenrichedourcountrysoamazingly?

Mrs。GeneralGreeneinventedthecotton-

ginandshowedtheideatoMr。Whitney，andhe，likeaman，seizedit。Whowasitthatinventedthesewing-machine?IfIwouldgotoschoolto-

morrowandaskyourchildrentheywouldsay，“EliasHowe。""

HewasintheCivilWarwithme，andofteninmytent，andIoftenheardhimsaythatheworkedfourteenyearstogetupthatsewing-machine。

Buthiswifemadeuphermindonedaythattheywouldstarvetodeathiftherewasn"tsomethingorotherinventedprettysoon，andsointwohourssheinventedthesewing-machine。Ofcoursehetookoutthepatentinhisname。Menalwaysdothat。Whowasitthatinventedthemowerandthereaper?AccordingtoMr。McCormick"sconfidentialcommunication，sorecentlypublished，itwasaWestVirginiawoman，who，afterhisfatherandhehadfailedaltogetherinmakingareaperandgaveitup，tookalotofshearsandnailedthemtogetherontheedgeofaboard，withoneshaftofeachpairloose，andthenwiredthemsothatwhenshepulledthewireonewayitclosedthem，andwhenshepulledthewiretheotherwayitopenedthem，andthereshehadtheprincipleofthemowing-machine。Ifyoulookatamowing-machine，youwillseeitisnothingbutalotofshears。Ifawomancaninventamowing-

machine，ifawomancaninventaJacquardloom，ifawomancaninventacotton-gin，ifawomancaninventatrolleyswitch——asshedidandmadethetrolleyspossible；ifawomancaninvent，asMr。

Carnegiesaid，thegreatironsqueezersthatlaidthefoundationofallthesteelmillionsoftheUnitedStates，“wemen""caninventanythingunderthestars!Isaythatfortheencouragementofthemen。

Whoarethegreatinventorsoftheworld?

Againthislessoncomesbeforeus。Thegreatinventorsitsnexttoyou，oryouarethepersonyourself。“Oh，""butyouwillsay，“Ihaveneverinventedanythinginmylife。""Neitherdidthegreatinventorsuntiltheydiscoveredonegreatsecret。Doyouthinkitisamanwithaheadlikeabushelmeasureoramanlikeastrokeoflightning?

Itisneither。Thereallygreatmanisaplain，straightforward，every-day，common-senseman。

Youwouldnotdreamthathewasagreatinventorifyoudidnotseesomethinghehadactuallydone。

Hisneighborsdonotregardhimsogreat。Youneverseeanythinggreatoveryourbackfence。

Yousaythereisnogreatnessamongyourneighbors。

Itisallawayoffsomewhereelse。Theirgreatnessiseversosimple，soplain，soearnest，sopractical，thattheneighborsandfriendsneverrecognizeit。

Truegreatnessisoftenunrecognized。Thatissure。Youdonotknowanythingaboutthegreatestmenandwomen。IwentouttowritethelifeofGeneralGarfield，andaneighbor，knowingIwasinahurry，andastherewasagreatcrowdaroundthefrontdoor，tookmearoundtoGeneralGarfield"sbackdoorandshouted，“Jim!

Jim!""Andverysoon“Jim""cametothedoorandletmein，andIwrotethebiographyofoneofthegrandestmenofthenation，andyethewasjustthesameold“Jim""tohisneighbor。

IfyouknowagreatmaninPhiladelphiaandyoushouldmeethimto-morrow，youwouldsay，“Howareyou，Sam?""or“Goodmorning，Jim。""

Ofcourseyouwould。Thatisjustwhatyouwoulddo。

OneofmysoldiersintheCivilWarhadbeensentencedtodeath，andIwentuptotheWhiteHouseinWashington——sentthereforthefirsttimeinmylifetoseethePresident。Iwentintothewaiting-roomandsatdownwithalotofothersonthebenches，andthesecretaryaskedoneafteranothertotellhimwhattheywanted。

Afterthesecretaryhadbeenthroughtheline，hewentin，andthencamebacktothedoorandmotionedforme。Iwentuptothatanteroom，andthesecretarysaid:“ThatisthePresident"sdoorrightoverthere。Justraponitandgorightin。""Ineverwassotakenaback，friends，inallmylife，never。Thesecretaryhimselfmadeitworseforme，becausehehadtoldmehowtogoinandthenwentoutanotherdoortotheleftandshutthat。ThereIwas，inthehallwaybymyselfbeforethePresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica"sdoor。Ihadbeenonfieldsofbattle，wheretheshellsdidsometimesshriekandthebulletsdidsometimeshitme，butIalwayswantedtorun。Ihavenosympathywiththeoldmanwhosays，“Iwouldjustassoonmarchuptothecannon"smouthaseatmydinner。""

Ihavenofaithinamanwhodoesn"tknowenoughtobeafraidwhenheisbeingshotat。IneverwassoafraidwhentheshellscamearoundusatAntietamasIwaswhenIwentintothatroomthatday；butIfinallymusteredthecourage——

Idon"tknowhowIeverdid——andatarm"s-

lengthtappedonthedoor。Themaninsidedidnothelpmeatall，butyelledout，“Comeinandsitdown!""

Well，Iwentinandsatdownontheedgeofachair，andwishedIwereinEurope，andthemanatthetabledidnotlookup。Hewasoneoftheworld"sgreatestmen，andwasmadegreatbyonesinglerule。Oh，thatalltheyoungpeopleofPhiladelphiawerebeforemenowandIcouldsayjustthisonething，andthattheywouldrememberit。Iwouldgivealifetimefortheeffectitwouldhaveonourcityandoncivilization。AbrahamLincoln"sprincipleforgreatnesscanbeadoptedbynearlyall。Thiswashisrule:Whatsoeverhehadtodoatall，heputhiswholemindintoitandhelditallthereuntilthatwasalldone。Thatmakesmengreatalmostanywhere。Hestucktothosepapersatthattableanddidnotlookupatme，andIsattheretrembling。Finally，whenhehadputthestringaroundhispapers，hepushedthemovertoonesideandlookedovertome，andasmilecameoverhiswornface。Hesaid:“I

amaverybusymanandhaveonlyafewminutestospare。Nowtellmeinthefewestwordswhatitisyouwant。""Ibegantotellhim，andmentionedthecase，andhesaid:“Ihaveheardallaboutitandyoudonotneedtosayanymore。Mr。

Stantonwastalkingtomeonlyafewdaysagoaboutthat。YoucangotothehotelandrestassuredthatthePresidentneverdidsignanordertoshootaboyundertwentyyearsofage，andneverwill。Youcansaythattohismotheranyhow。""

Thenhesaidtome，“Howisitgoinginthefield?""Isaid，“Wesometimesgetdiscouraged。""

Andhesaid:“Itisallright。Wearegoingtowinoutnow。Wearegettingverynearthelight。

NomanoughttowishtobePresidentoftheUnitedStates，andIwillbegladwhenIgetthrough；thenTadandIaregoingouttoSpringfield，Illinois。IhaveboughtafarmoutthereandIdon"tcareifIagainearnonlytwenty-fivecentsaday。Tadhasamuleteam，andwearegoingtoplantonions。""

Thenheaskedme，“Wereyoubroughtuponafarm?""Isaid，“Yes；intheBerkshireHillsofMassachusetts。""Hethenthrewhislegoverthecornerofthebigchairandsaid，“Ihaveheardmanyatime，eversinceIwasyoung，thatupthereinthosehillsyouhavetosharpenthenosesofthesheepinordertogetdowntothegrassbetweentherocks。""Hewassofamiliar，soeveryday，sofarmer-like，thatIfeltrightathomewithhimatonce。

Hethentookholdofanotherrollofpaper，andlookedupatmeandsaid，“Goodmorning。""I

tookthehintthenandgotupandwentout。

AfterIhadgottenoutIcouldnotrealizeIhadseenthePresidentoftheUnitedStatesatall。

Butafewdayslater，whenstillinthecity，IsawthecrowdpassthroughtheEastRoombythecoffinofAbrahamLincoln，andwhenIlookedattheupturnedfaceofthemurderedPresidentIfeltthenthatthemanIhadseensuchashorttimebefore，who，sosimpleaman，soplainaman，wasoneofthegreatestmenthatGodeverraiseduptoleadanationontoultimateliberty。

Yethewasonly“OldAbe""tohisneighbors。

Whentheyhadthesecondfuneral，Iwasinvitedamongothers，andwentouttoseethatsamecoffinputbackinthetombatSpringfield。AroundthetombstoodLincoln"soldneighbors，towhomhewasjust“OldAbe。""Ofcoursethatisalltheywouldsay。

Didyoueverseeamanwhostrutsaroundaltogethertoolargetonoticeanordinaryworkingmechanic?Doyouthinkheisgreat?Heisnothingbutapuffed-upballoon，helddownbyhisbigfeet。Thereisnogreatnessthere。

Whoarethegreatmenandwomen?Myattentionwascalledtheotherdaytothehistoryofaverylittlethingthatmadethefortuneofaverypoorman。Itwasanawfulthing，andyetbecauseofthatexperiencehe——notagreatinventororgenius——inventedthepinthatnowiscalledthesafety-pin，andoutofthatsafety-pinmadethefortuneofoneofthegreataristocraticfamiliesofthisnation。

ApoormaninMassachusettswhohadworkedinthenail-workswasinjuredatthirty-eight，andhecouldearnbutlittlemoney。Hewasemployedintheofficetoruboutthemarksonthebillsmadebypencilmemorandums，andheusedarubberuntilhishandgrewtired。Hethentiedapieceofrubberontheendofastickandworkeditlikeaplane。Hislittlegirlcameandsaid，“Why，youhaveapatent，haven"tyou?""Thefathersaidafterward，“MydaughtertoldmewhenItookthatstickandputtherubberontheendthattherewasapatent，andthatwasthefirstthoughtofthat。""HewenttoBostonandappliedforhispatent，andeveryoneofyouthathasarubber-tippedpencilinyourpocketisnowpayingtributetothemillionaire。Nocapital，notapennydidheinvestinit。Allwasincome，allthewayupintothemillions。

Butletmehastentooneothergreaterthought。

“ShowmethegreatmenandwomenwholiveinPhiladelphia。""Agentlemanovertherewillgetupandsay:“Wedon"thaveanygreatmeninPhiladelphia。Theydon"tlivehere。TheyliveawayoffinRomeorSt。PetersburgorLondonorManayunk，oranywhereelsebuthereinourtown。""Ihavecomenowtotheapexofmythought。Ihavecomenowtotheheartofthewholematterandtothecenterofmystruggle:

Whyisn"tPhiladelphiaagreatercityinitsgreaterwealth?WhydoesNewYorkexcelPhiladelphia?Peoplesay，“Becauseofherharbor。""

WhydomanyothercitiesoftheUnitedStatesgetaheadofPhiladelphianow?Thereisonlyoneanswer，andthatisbecauseourownpeopletalkdowntheirowncity。Ifthereeverwasacommunityonearththathastobeforcedahead，itisthecityofPhiladelphia。Ifwearetohaveaboulevard，talkitdown；ifwearegoingtohavebetterschools，talkthemdown；ifyouwishtohavewiselegislation，talkitdown；talkalltheproposedimprovementsdown。ThatistheonlygreatwrongthatIcanlayatthefeetofthemagnificentPhiladelphiathathasbeensouniversallykindtome。Isayitistimeweturnaroundinourcityandbegintotalkupthethingsthatareinourcity，andbegintosetthembeforetheworldasthepeopleofChicago，NewYork，St。Louis，andSanFranciscodo。Oh，ifweonlycouldgetthatspiritoutamongourpeople，thatwecandothingsinPhiladelphiaanddothemwell!

Arise，yemillionsofPhiladelphians，trustinGodandman，andbelieveinthegreatopportunitiesthatarerightherenotoverinNewYorkorBoston，buthere——forbusiness，foreverythingthatisworthlivingforonearth。Therewasneveranopportunitygreater。Letustalkupourowncity。

Buttherearetwootheryoungmenhereto-

night，andthatisallIwillventuretosay，becauseitistoolate。Oneovertheregetsupandsays，“ThereisgoingtobeagreatmaninPhiladelphia，butneverwasone。""“Oh，isthatso?Whenareyougoingtobegreat?""“WhenIamelectedtosomepoliticaloffice。""Youngman，won"tyoulearnalessonintheprimerofpoliticsthatitisa_primafacie_evidenceoflittlenesstoholdofficeunderourformofgovernment?Greatmengetintoofficesometimes，butwhatthiscountryneedsismenthatwilldowhatwetellthemtodo。

Thisnation——wherethepeoplerule——isgovernedbythepeople，forthepeople，andsolongasitis，thentheoffice-holderisbuttheservantofthepeople，andtheBiblesaystheservantcannotbegreaterthanthemaster。TheBiblesays，“HethatissentcannotbegreaterthanHimwhosentHim。""Thepeoplerule，orshouldrule，andiftheydo，wedonotneedthegreatermeninoffice。

IfthegreatmeninAmericatookouroffices，wewouldchangetoanempireinthenexttenyears。

Iknowofagreatmanyyoungwomen，nowthatwoman"ssuffrageiscoming，whosay，“I

amgoingtobePresidentoftheUnitedStatessomeday。""Ibelieveinwoman"ssuffrage，andthereisnodoubtbutwhatitiscoming，andI

amgettingoutoftheway，anyhow。Imaywantanofficebyandbymyself；butiftheambitionforanofficeinfluencesthewomenintheirdesiretovote，IwanttosayrightherewhatIsaytotheyoungmen，thatifyouonlygettheprivilegeofcastingonevote，youdon"tgetanythingthatisworthwhile。Unlessyoucancontrolmorethanonevote，youwillbeunknown，andyourinfluencesodissipatedaspracticallynottobefelt。Thiscountryisnotrunbyvotes。Doyouthinkitis?

Itisgovernedbyinfluence。Itisgovernedbytheambitionsandtheenterpriseswhichcontrolvotes。Theyoungwomanthatthinkssheisgoingtovoteforthesakeofholdinganofficeismakinganawfulblunder。

Thatotheryoungmangetsupandsays，“TherearegoingtobegreatmeninthiscountryandinPhiladelphia。""“Isthatso?When?""“Whentherecomesagreatwar，whenwegetintodifficultythroughwatchfulwaitinginMexico；whenwegetintowarwithEnglandoversomefrivolousdeed，orwithJapanorChinaorNewJerseyorsomedistantcountry。ThenIwillmarchuptothecannon"smouth；Iwillsweepupamongtheglisteningbayonets；Iwillleapintothearenaandteardowntheflagandbearitawayintriumph。

Iwillcomehomewithstarsonmyshoulder，andholdeveryofficeinthegiftofthenation，andI

willbegreat。""No，youwon"t。Youthinkyouaregoingtobemadegreatbyanoffice，butrememberthatifyouarenotgreatbeforeyougettheoffice，youwon"tbegreatwhenyousecureit。Itwillonlybeaburlesqueinthatshape。

WehadaPeaceJubileehereaftertheSpanishWar。OutWesttheydon"tbelievethis，becausetheysaid，“PhiladelphiawouldnothaveheardofanySpanishWaruntilfiftyyearshence。""

SomeofyousawtheprocessiongoupBroadStreet。Iwasaway，butthefamilywrotetomethatthetally-hocoachwithLieutenantHobsonuponitstoppedrightatthefrontdoorandthepeopleshouted，“HurrahforHobson!""andifI

hadbeenthereIwouldhaveyelledtoo，becausehedeservesmuchmoreofhiscountrythanhehaseverreceived。ButsupposeIgointoschoolandsay，“Whosunkthe_Merrimac_atSantiago?""

andiftheboysanswerme，“Hobson，""theywilltellmeseven-eighthsofalie。Thereweresevenotherheroesonthatsteamer，andthey，byvirtueoftheirposition，werecontinuallyexposedtotheSpanishfire，whileHobson，asanofficer，mightreasonablybebehindthesmoke-stack。Youhavegatheredinthishouseyourmostintelligentpeople，andyet，perhaps，notoneherecannametheothersevenmen。

Weoughtnottosoteachhistory。Weoughttoteachthat，howeverhumbleaman"sstationmaybe，ifhedoeshisfulldutyinthatplaceheisjustasmuchentitledtotheAmericanpeople"shonorasisthekinguponhisthrone。Butwedonotsoteach。Wearenowteachingeverywherethatthegeneralsdoallthefighting。

Irememberthat，afterthewar，IwentdowntoseeGeneralRobertE。Lee，thatmagnificentChristiangentlemanofwhombothNorthandSoutharenowproudasoneofourgreatAmericans。

Thegeneraltoldmeabouthisservant，“Rastus，""

whowasanenlistedcoloredsoldier。Hecalledhiminonedaytomakefunofhim，andsaid，“Rastus，Ihearthatalltherestofyourcompanyarekilled，andwhyareyounotkilled?""Rastuswinkedathimandsaid，“"Causewhenthereisanyfightin"goin"onIstaybackwiththegenerals。""

Irememberanotherillustration。Iwouldleaveitoutbutforthefactthatwhenyougotothelibrarytoreadthislecture，youwillfindthishasbeenprintedinitfortwenty-fiveyears。Ishutmyeyes——shutthemclose——andlo!Iseethefacesofmyyouth。Yes，theysometimessaytome，“Yourhairisnotwhite；youareworkingnightanddaywithoutseemingevertostop；youcan"tbeold。""ButwhenIshutmyeyes，likeanyothermanofmyyears，oh，thencometroopingbackthefacesofthelovedandlostoflongago，andIknow，whatevermenmaysay，itisevening-time。