“Cornelius,” said he, “is a remarkable youth. From his early boyhood,
I have seen in him signs of a peculiar ability. He has always been
passionately fond of mechanics, and once, when a boy, was found trying
to construct a steam engine out of an old saucepan. I have always hoped
that he would enter actively into the work of the road, and I believe
he has now begun a career that will prove both remarkable and glorious.
I believe that, by pursuing this course, he will be the greatest
railroad man of the age.”
“Where did he get this natural taste for the work, Mr. Depew?” I asked.
“From his father, who did much the same work, when he was young, that
Cornelius Jr., is doing now. But I believe Cornelius, Jr., takes an
even greater interest in the work. It is not a new duty with him, but
a natural ambition, and I believe that he would have become a railroad
man even if he were the son of the poorest parents in the land. He is
fitted by nature for such a career.
“His progress has so far been very satisfactory in every way. He has a
genius for mastering details, and has already learned the construction
of a locomotive. He has an inventive faculty, too, and has prepared
plans for a locomotive that will achieve greater speed with smaller
expenditure of coal. He expects to devote the next few years to
mastering every department of railroad business, and he will eventually
be competent to fill almost any position on the road. He will shovel
coal and dig in the trenches, and polish engines. He will lay rails and
take them up, and learn how to mend a cracked one. He will learn to
detect uncertain ground, too, and how to make it solid again. He agrees
with me that the way to make a workman respect you is to work with him.”