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。
Helost87centsofthatontheveryfirstventure。
Howfortunatethatyoungmanwholosesthefirsttimehegambles。Thatboysaid，“Iwillnevergambleagaininbusiness，\'\'andheneverdid。Howcamehetolose87cents?Youprobablyallknowthestoryhowhelostit——becauseheboughtsomeneedles，threads，andbuttonstosellwhichpeopledidnotwant，andhadthemleftonhishands，adeadloss。Saidtheboy，“Iwillnotloseanymoremoneyinthatway。\'\'Thenhewentaroundfirsttothedoorsandaskedthepeoplewhattheydidwant。Thenwhenhehadfoundoutwhattheywantedheinvestedhis62
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，didyoueverreadthatwonderfulbookofRiishismemoryissweettousbecauseofhisrecentdeath，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。