Little Visits with Great Americans, Vol. I (of 2)

About this eBook

Editor

Marden, Orison Swett, 1848-1924

Title

Little Visits with Great Americans, Vol. 1 (of 2) Or Success, Ideals and How to Attain Them

Credits

E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Emmy, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

Language

English

LoC Class

E660: History: America: Late nineteenth century (1865-1900)

Subject

United States -- History -- 19th century -- Biography

Category

Text

eBook-No.

48174

Project Gutenberg

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48174

Release Date

February 10, 2015

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.LITTLE VISITS WITH GREAT AMERICANS
2. 2.PREFACE
3. 3.CONTENTS
4. 4.INTRODUCTION
5. 5.BOOK ONE INSPIRATIONAL TALKS WITH FAMOUS AMERICANS.
6. 6.Success Maxims
7. 7.I Hard Work: the Secret of a Great Inventor’s Genius. — HIS GRANDFATHER WAS A BANKER. — HIS FIRST EXPERIMENTS. — A NOVEL METHOD OF TELEGRAPHING. — HIS FIRST PATENT. — POVERTY AS AN INCENTIVE TO EFFORT. — NEVER DID ANYTHING WORTH WHILE BY CHANCE. — OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE INVENTORS. — THE WIZARD AT HOME. — MRS. EDISON IS ALSO AN INVENTOR OF GOOD ABILITY. — RISES EARLY AND WORKS LONG.
8. 8.II A “Down-east” Yankee who Dictates Peace to the Nations. — THE MAN WHOSE GUNS WILL CLEAR A JUNGLE. — HIS BRAIN IS BUILT UP OF INVENTIVE CELLS. — BITING OFF THE DOG’S TAIL. — PAT’S ANXIETY TO TRY “THE BOSS,” AND ITS RESULT. — HOW THE MAINE “BACKWOODSMAN” CAPTURED A ROBBER. — FROM GAS MACHINES TO INCANDESCENT LAMPS. — THE GENESIS OF THE AUTOMATIC GUN. — AUTOMATIC GUNS MADE SMOKELESS POWDER INDISPENSABLE. — HOW LI HUNG CHANG BECAME INTERESTED IN MAXIM. — HOW A FIRST-CLASS FRAUD WAS EXPOSED.
9. 9.III A Poor Boy Once Borrowed Books Now Gives Away Libraries. — IT IS HARDER NOW TO GET A START. — MR. CARNEGIE’S FIRST WAGES. — HIS FIRST GLIMPSE OF PARADISE. — IT IS BEST TO BEGIN AT THE BOTTOM. — HE WAS AN EXPERT TELEGRAPH OPERATOR. — THE RIGHT MEN IN DEMAND. — HOW TO ATTRACT ATTENTION. — CARNEGIE AND THE SLEEPING-CAR. — THE MARK OF A MILLIONAIRE. — A FORTUNATE LAND PURCHASE. — THE HOMESTEAD STEEL WORKS. — A STRENGTHENING POLICY. — MR. CARNEGIE’S PHILANTHROPY. — CARNEGIE’S VIEWS ON THRIFT. — “THE MISFORTUNE OF BEING RICH MEN’S SONS.”
10. 10.IV A Good Shoemaker Becomes Detroit’s Best Mayor and Michigan’s Greatest Governor. — HOW HE BECAME MAYOR OF DETROIT. — A GREAT CHANGE PROPHESIED. — HE WAS NOT A DEMAGOGUE. — GOVERNOR PINGREE’S LUXURIOUS HOME.
11. 11.V Determined not to Remain Poor, a Farmer Boy Becomes a Merchant Prince — HIS PARENTS HELPED HIM. — ALWAYS INTERESTED IN COMMERCE. — HIS PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS. — PERSEVERANCE, MR. FIELD’S ESSENTIAL TRAIT. — QUALITIES THAT MAKE FOR SUCCESS.
12. 12.VI Honesty, the Foundation of a Great Merchant’s Career — A STANCH INHERITANCE. — HE WAS ALWAYS PROMPT. — STEP BY STEP UPWARD. — “WAKING UP” A TOWN. — SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES. — ECONOMICAL WAYS. — CHRISTIAN PHILANTHROPIST. — HIS ADVICE TO YOUNG MERCHANTS. — CONDITIONS THEN AND NOW. — THE VALUE OF “PUSH.”
13. 13.VII A British Boy Wins Fortune and Title by American Business Methods. — SIR THOMAS WAS WON. — WHEN HE BORROWED FIVE CENTS. — AMERICAN BUSINESS METHODS GAVE HIM HIS START. — HE OWNS NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED STORES. — CHANCES FOR YOUNG MEN TO-DAY. — “THRIFT IS THE TRUE SECRET OF SUCCESS.”
14. 14.VIII A Self-made Man who Strives to Give others a Chance — AN AGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. — THE FIRST HUNDRED DOLLARS. — TRAITS OF INFLUENTIAL MEN. — SOME SECRETS OF SUCCESS. — THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER. — A WORD ABOUT CHEAP HOTELS.
15. 15.IX Thrift, the Secret of a Fortune Built in a Single Lifetime. — HE BEGAN AS A GROCERY CLERK. — NO LUCK IN HIS ACHIEVEMENT. — STRICT HONESTY IS NECESSARY.
16. 16.X Cut Out for a Banker, He Rose from Errand Boy to Secretary of the U. S. Treasury. — WHEN YOU START IN LIFE IN A STRANGE CITY, DO NOT EXPECT “SOFT SNAPS.” — THE PUBLIC WOULD RATHER INVEST ITS MONEY IN MEN THAN IN FINE BUILDINGS.
17. 17.XI A Young Millionaire not Afraid to Work in Overalls. — FROM THE FOUNDATION UP. — WISE DEVELOPMENT OF INHERITED TENDENCIES. — HE WILL MASTER EVERY DETAIL. — WORKING AS A MACHINIST.
18. 18.XII A Messenger Boy’s Zeal Lifts Him to the Head of the World’s Greatest Telegraph System. — HE WAS SO POOR HE HAD TO DO HIS OWN COOKING. — IT IS WELL TO KNOW WHAT MEN HAVE ACCOMPLISHED. — HE TRIED TO DO MORE THAN HE WAS PAID TO DO. — THERE ARE AS GOOD CHANCES IN THE WORLD TO-DAY.
19. 19.XIII Enthusiasm for Railroading Makes a Section Hand Head of the Metropolitan System. — HE INHERITED A TASTE FOR HARD WORK. — HE LOVED HIS WORK. — A NICKNAME THAT BECAME A REAL TITLE. — AN IMPORTANT MISSION WELL PERFORMED. — HOW HE WAS ELECTED TO THE PRESIDENCY OF HIS COMPANY. — HIGH-PRICED MEN ARE IN DEMAND.
20. 20.XIV A Factory Boy’s Purpose to Improve Labor Makes Him a Great Leader. — LOOKS LIKE EDWIN FORREST. — HE WORKED IN A FACTORY AT TEN. — THE LATER ARISTOCRACY. — THE NEED OF ORGANIZED LABOR. — HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION. — FOR THE EIGHT-HOUR WORKDAY. — STRIKES AS A LAST RESORT.
21. 21.XV A Puny Boy, by Physical Culture, Becomes the Most Vigorous of American Presidents. — YOUNG MEN IN POLITICS. — OPPORTUNITIES AND TALENTS. — THE CITIZENSHIP THAT COUNTS. — THE BOYHOOD OF ROOSEVELT. — WHERE HE GAINED STRENUOSITY. — HE DASHED INTO THE VORTEX OF THE CHASE. — HE SHOWED PIONEERS HOW TO WINTER CATTLE. — HE CIVILIZED MANY “BAD MEN” BY HIS INFLUENCE. — “GAMENESS” WAS NEEDED; ROOSEVELT HAD PLENTY. — HIS FRONTIER LIFE WAS AMPLY WORTH THE WHILE.
22. 22.XVI A Brave Volunteer Fights His Way to the Head of the American Army. — SIX YEARS OF INDIAN FIGHTING. — HIS RECORD IN THE CIVIL WAR. — A LOYAL, DAUNTLESS LEADER. — A YOUNG MAN’S CHANCES IN THE ARMY. — CHARACTER THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE COURAGE. — COURAGE NATURAL TO AMERICANS.
23. 23.XVII Making the Most of His Opportunities Wins a Coveted Embassy. — A YOUNG LAWYER’S CHANCES THEN AND NOW. — ARE SPECIAL ADVANTAGES NECESSARY? — WHAT SUCCESS MEANS. — THE GOOD LUCK OF BEING PREPARED. — TURNING OBSTACLES INTO AIDS. — DOES LACK OF OPPORTUNITY JUSTIFY. — MR. CHOATE’S ANTECEDENTS. — DOES SUCCESS BRING CONTENT AND HAPPINESS. — THE DELUSION OF LUXURY AND EASE. — MR. CHOATE’S SHARE OF NEW YORK’S LAW BUSINESS.
24. 24.XVIII A Village Boy’s Gift of Oratory Earns Him Wealth and Fame. — HE HAD TO EARN HIS OWN WAY. — HE ENTERED YALE AT EIGHTEEN. — HIS BEGINNING AS AN ORATOR. — A SALARY OF .5,000 A YEAR. — OPPORTUNITIES OF TO-DAY. — THERE IS MORE THAN ONE KIND OF SUCCESS.
25. 25.XIX A Chance-Found Book the Turning Point in a United States Senator’s Career. — A SCHOOL TEACHER AT EIGHTEEN. — THE STRANGE RESULT OF A LECTURE. — HIS IDEA OF GENUINE SUCCESS.
26. 26.XX Varied Business Training the Foundation of a Long Political Career. — HIS START AS A BOY. — ALWAYS FOND OF READING. — A TASTE OF MINING LIFE — THE ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS. — ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN. — MR. PLATT’S CHARACTERISTICS.
27. 27.XXI A Magnate, the Courage of His Convictions Make Him a Reformer. — HIS FIRST SPECULATION. — AT WORK IN A ROLLING MILL. — A FORTUNATE MISFORTUNE. — “PROGRESS AND POVERTY” CHANGED HIS WHOLE LIFE. — HIS VOLUNTEER GERMAN FRIEND. — HIS FIRST SPEECH IN CONGRESS. — TOM REED LISTENED. — A PEN PICTURE OF TOM JOHNSON.
28. 28.XXII A Backwoods Boy Works His Way through College and Becomes University President. — HE ALWAYS SUPPORTED HIMSELF. — THE TURNING POINT OF HIS LIFE. — A SPLENDID COLLEGE RECORD. — COLLEGE-BRED MEN ARE IN DEMAND
29. 29.XXIII A “Jack of All Trades” Masters One and Becomes the Poet of the People. — THROWN ON HIS OWN RESOURCES. — WHY HE LONGED TO BE A BAKER. — THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DEPENDS ON THE FOUNDATION. — A LITERARY LIFE MEANS WORK. — A COLLEGE EDUCATION IS AN ADVANTAGE.
30. 30.XXIV A Farm Boy Who Devoured Books Writes One of the Greatest Poems of the Century. — THE MAN WITH THE HOE. — ONE OF THE GREAT POEMS OF THE CENTURY. — HIS MOTHER WAS BOTH PRACTICAL AND POETIC. — HE GAINED VALUABLE DISCIPLINE ON A FARM. — BYRON’S POEMS INSPIRED HIM. — ANSWERING HIS CRITICS. — SEED SOWN LONG AGO.
31. 31.XXV A Famous Authoress Tells Literary Aspirants the Story of Her Struggle for Recognition. — HOW HER BEST POEMS WERE WRITTEN. — THE CREED. — SHE IS A PRONOUNCED OPTIMIST. — DO NOT FEAR CRITICISM. — MERIT IS NOT ALWAYS DISCOVERED QUICKLY. — EDITORS ARE ANXIOUS FOR GOOD ARTICLES. — PERSEVERANCE COUNTS IN AUTHORSHIP. — WILL-POWER
32. 32.XXVI A Printer’s Boy, Self Taught, Becomes the Dean of American Letters. — EARLY IDEALS. — ACQUIRING A LITERARY STYLE. — HIS POEMS ALWAYS WERE REJECTED. — HIS FIRST EDITORIAL POSITION. — AN EXPERIENCE IN COLLABORATION. — THE REWARDS OF LITERATURE. — WHAT TRUE HAPPINESS IS.
33. 33.XXVII A Famous Novelist Atones for Wasted School Days by Self-Culture. — HE WAS A CARELESS STUDENT. — HE LOVED TO READ. — A FATHER’S FRUITFUL WARNING. — HIS FIRST LITERARY EFFORT. — THE ORIGIN OF “BEN HUR.” — CONVERTED WHILE WRITING HIS OWN BOOK.
34. 34.XXVIII A Social Leader, Having “Eyes That See,” Earns Literary Laurels. — HER FIRST NOVEL. — BOOKS SHE ENJOYED. — HER CHARACTERS ARE FROM LIFE. — IN LOVE WITH HER WORK. — SHE IS A GENTLE, FORCEFUL WOMAN.
35. 35.XXIX Painstaking, the Secret of a Celebrated Painter’s Success. — A MOST INTERESTING STUDIO. — HE WAS NOT A PRECOCIOUS BOY. — HIS WORK WAS ENCOURAGED. — HE ALWAYS TAKES PAINS. — PERSISTENCE AND HARD WORK COUNT.
36. 36.XXX A School Girl, Not Afraid of Drudgery, Becomes America’s Foremost Woman Illustrator. — ART IGNORES NOISE. — GIRLS’ CHANCES AS ILLUSTRATORS. — HOW SHE BEGAN.
37. 37.XXXI A Schoolboy’s Sketches Reveal the Bent of a Talented Illustrator. — REMINGTON’S SCHOOLBOY EFFECTS. — REMINGTON’S ATTENTION TO DETAIL. — HOW HIS WAR PICTURES ARE MADE. — COLOR OF THE PLAINS. — HIS FIRST SKETCH.
38. 38.XXXII Rebuffs and Disappointments Fail to Repress a Great Cartoonist’s Genius. — DAVENPORT’S UNIQUE STUDIO. — HE DREW CARTOONS IN SCHOOL. — HIS FIRST DISAPPOINTMENT. — AT TEN DOLLARS A WEEK. — HE WAS DISCHARGED IN CHICAGO. — IN CLOVER AT LAST.
39. 39.XXXIII Being Himself in Style and Subjects, the Secret of an Artist’s Wonderful Popularity. — A NATURAL ARTIST WILL NEVER REQUIRE AN INSTRUCTOR. — IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR MISTAKES, NO ONE ELSE CAN. — THE VALUE OF ARTISTIC INDIVIDUALITY. — WHILE STUDYING ART, ONE SHOULD WORK INCESSANTLY.

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