“I am just as ready now as I ever will be. There is no time like the
present.”
Like an oasis in the desert is the experience of a man, the
accumulation of whose wealth has been on lines parallel with the
conducive rather than counter to the welfare of mankind. This is what
Mr. Mills says on the subject:—
“A man can, in the accumulation of a fortune, be just as great a
benefactor of mankind as in the distribution of it. In organizing a
great industry, one opens up fields of employment for a multitude of
people who might otherwise be practically helpless, giving them not
only a chance to earn a living for themselves and their families, but
also to lay by a competency for old age. All honest, sober men, if
they have half a chance, can do that; but only a small percentage can
ever become rich. Now the rich man, having acquired his wealth, knows
better how to manage it than those under him would, and having actual
possession, he has the power to hold the community of his employees
and their interests together, and prevent disintegration, which means
disaster so much oftener to the employee than to the employer.”
Volumes of fascinating matter could be written of the career of Mr.
Mills, but the purpose of this article is a talk with, rather than a
talk about him.
“To what formative influence do you attribute your material success,
Mr. Mills?” I asked.
“I was taught very early that I would have to depend entirely upon
myself; that my future lay in my own hands. I had that for a start, and
it was a good one. I didn’t waste any time bothering about succession
to wealth, which so often acts as a drag upon young men. Many persons
waste the best years of their lives waiting for dead men’s shoes; and,
when they get them, find them entirely too big to wear gracefully,
simply because they have not developed themselves to wear them. I have
never accepted an inheritance or anything but goodwill from my family
or relatives.”