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。