He was a good painter, but during the winter he had very little work;
yet by the following plan it became the most profitable and busy season
of the year.
During the early fall he saw some of the auto owners and made an
arrangement to re-paint their cars during the winter. He made a study of
auto painting and was able to furnish as high class a job as the auto
owner desired. If the upholstering of the car was worn or of poor taste
he made suggestions for adding greatly to the beauty of the car. His
wife did the upholstering and acquired great skill in that work and the
profit from it went to her.
Cars painted and upholstered by him soon brought to him an excellent
reputation which brought him a very profitable business from year to
year.
PLAN No. 592. SUIT ORDERS PUT MAN THROUGH UNIVERSITY
He was one of the best dressed men in the university and knew what kind
of clothes a man could wear. There is no time in a man’s life when he
more desires to be well dressed than when he is in college.
This young man was popular in the school, and a very good mixer. He took
measurements for suits, and let every one know it. He not only put a
good suit on one but gave good style. If the hat, shirt and shoes did
not go with the suit, he did everything he could in a tactful way to
show what should be worn.
He worked for the business and secured it. His friends were very loyal
to him as through his advice their appearance was improved greatly.
Many young men represent laundries from near-by cities and earn their
way in that manner. Others make it a side line.
A good side line which will net many dollars during the school year is
making up posters or post cards.
PLAN No. 593. Y. M. C. A.--Y. W. C. A. PUT THEM THROUGH UNIVERSITY
I knew a young fellow who worked at the Y. M. C. A. at the university.
He was taking law. For his work in the association he was furnished with
a good room and board and his work there did not conflict with his
classes. He was an able assistant to the secretary and proved a very
valuable man.
This work qualified him to become a first-class secretary, after he
completed his course, which work enabled him to make a saving before
going into the practice and also made a host of friends, which is
essential to any man who would achieve success in the practice of the
law.
The Y. W. C. A. is represented in every large university, and there is
work for a few women who may in exchange for their services receive room
and board.
The above plans are a great advantage, as they not only qualify one to
earn an education but also prepare for a profession after their college
course is finished.
PLAN No. 594. WENT THROUGH UNIVERSITY BY APPOINTING AGENTS
Before his arrival John had married and was the head of a nice family of
three. He possessed a bright mind but had his own way to earn as well as
that of his family. This to most people is a barrier, but to John it was
not, and here is the way he did it:
Previous to entering the university he had sold books for a Chicago book
company. He requested the company to finance him for one year by
advancing $100 a month, for which he would secure and train agents
during this period. The offer was accepted and John went to work.
He soon developed into one of the most active men there. He was the
political head of the law department and had a voice in all of the
student activities. If anyone wanted anything he always saw John. In the
debating society he was also active.
The lively interest he took in important matters enabled him to secure
the services of many agents for summer work. He put out something like
100 men selling books during the summer. They all made sales, but fifty
of the number came back successful. John watched them all summer--was
out in the field with the men--encouraging them. When he found a man
failing he changed his territory and put him on his feet. He rendered a
great service to those fifty by enabling them to go through the
university as well as rolling up a nice profit for himself and the
company.
This man to-day is the head of that Chicago book company and has won for
himself a good success.
PLAN No. 595. WESTERN MAN’S WAY OF GOING THROUGH UNIVERSITY
This man was about thirty-two before any opportunity presented itself
for him to have a university education. He had finished high school, and
from that time became a worker. His hobby was speaking and writing, and
he had soon become the spokesman for the men he worked with. He was
sincere and earnest and won a good reputation among his fellow-workmen.
Several occasions presented themselves for him to champion their cause.
The members of his association, knowing his desire to go through the law
school, managed to finance him and he repaid them by assisting them in
whatever way he could. He finished his law course and began practice
with a large number of clients which guaranteed his future.
Many young men, while I was at the university, made it a point during
the summer to give addresses on temperance or some political subject, or
by public speaking assisted men who were either preparing or running for
public office.
PLAN No. 596. BIBLES PUT HIM THROUGH UNIVERSITY
He was a man past middle age, had never had any special advantages, but
had a remarkable will and was open and above board in his religious
faith. He believed the Bible was one of the best books ever printed and
he had a good understanding of it. So he met all students who were
inclined toward religion and obtained as many agents as possible to go
out with him to sell Topical Bibles. He put out a considerable number of
agents, worked with them, and encouraged them, and at the end of each
summer he put away $400 or $500 net.
As a salesman he was not above the ordinary, but believed in his book
and worked with it from summer to summer. The Topical Bible, he claimed,
not only put him through the university but in placing it among the
people he felt that he was doing a work worth while.
PLAN No. 597. INSURANCE PUTS MAN THROUGH UNIVERSITY
The second year of my course at the university I almost decided to sell
insurance. Several of the boys, the summer before, had piled up profits
as high as $800 net in that work.
Some of my friends went out and received training for two months before
the summer vacation. They sold insurance in communities where they were
well known. One of the boys, for his summer’s work, netted more than
$500. He sold exclusively to the farmers of Illinois.
A man who goes out during the summer from the university and makes a
good record, brings himself to the attention of the insurance company
and oftentimes secures some excellent opportunities after his college
course is finished.
PLAN No. 598. SANG THEIR WAY THROUGH UNIVERSITY
Four young men made their way through the university in about as
pleasant a way as possible--by singing their way through. This quartet
was excellent. On Sundays they sang for the church, and at any college
meeting they were always called upon. They put on several concerts
during the year and on several occasions they organized entertainments
in the near-by towns and were well rewarded by the receipts.
During their third year they organized a number of singers and arranged
for a trip to occupy several weeks and to cover many large cities. This
effort was very successful, and not only profitable to them but a very
good advertisement for the university.
These four singers not only defrayed all university expenses, but
secured an excellent opportunity to see different parts of the country
and had a saving to start with when their course was completed.
PLAN No. 599. ENTERTAINER PAYS WAY THROUGH UNIVERSITY
He could do sleight-of-hand tricks and was able to do some good hypnotic
work. He understood how to arrange for and advertise his plays.
He made it a point to give several entertainments each year in the
near-by cities. During Christmas time, spring vacation and summer he was
busy. The entertainments given at the university and the Saturday-night
performances in some of the adjacent towns were sufficient to defray all
his expenses.
PLAN No. 600. SOLD ALUMINUM WARE SUMMERS AND PAID UNIVERSITY EXPENSES
A tall, slender chap, whom I at first thought to be a rich man’s son,
told me that he had that summer made $550. On inquiring I found he sold
aluminum ware during the summer in Illinois. He not only worked in the
cities but in the country as well. He would find some housewife in the
city who would permit him to give a demonstration of his aluminum ware
cooking utensils. He would then get this lady to invite in a number of
her friends to see the demonstration. For this he would make a gift of
some one of his wares to the one who had favored him. He was enabled to
show the value of his wares and made many sales. A series of such
demonstrations in the various homes soon established the reputation of
his goods and created a good demand for them.
Through this plan he paid all college expenses, and had a small sum to
start in business with at the close of his college course.
PLAN No. 601. CHAMPIONING RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE PUT HIM THROUGH THE
UNIVERSITY
There are a great many different religious sects in our country, and
from our colleges and universities these sects obtain material that will
assist their causes.
Two of my friends at the university took a law and literary course
covering a period of six years. They were good speakers and had very
strong leaning toward certain religious beliefs. They made a very close
study of same until they became very valuable exponents for their
denominations. They were sent out on special lecturing trips and all the
time they could spare was put in at active work along that line. The
compensation they received from this work more than financed their
university course.
They obtained unusual experience in public speaking, which was later to
prove a great asset to them in legal work.
A man who is an able speaker on matters concerning the law, and who is
a champion of certain religious ideals can go into any community and in
a few weeks will be better known and more highly regarded than men who
have passed a life time there.
PLAN No. 602. COLLEGE ON STEREOSCOPIC VIEWS
Stereoscopic views are simple, but very important when one considers
that by their aid a student may defray the expenses to his coveted goal
the completing of his college course.
Jim was a big raw-boned fellow from Indiana. He was a man of wonderful
energy and enthusiasm. Life was new to him every minute. It seemed his
difficulty was lack of new opportunities for him to show what he could
do.
He had no money after paying for his books, but by waiting on table and
making himself generally useful he managed the first four or five
months, and then he became associated with a fellow-student who sold
views and thus made his way. Jim liked pictures of travel and felt that
he could easily sell such views, so he immediately obtained an outfit
and started after orders--and he got them. If anyone was a friend of his
they would soon hear about the views.
The following summer he went out into the farm country in Indiana. Lots
of views had been sold years before in that country but that was no
obstacle to him; people, he thought, must have more. His views were lit
up with his own imagination. He showed the religious people views of the
holy lands. Anyone who had any religion at all would yield him an order.
He came back that year having cleared more than $600.
PLAN No. 603. SMALL TOWN WEEKLY AND REAL ESTATE
He left his home in Iowa and dropped into a little western town of some
1,800 inhabitants. He had about $500 but that would not go very far. He
liked newspaper work as a profession, so he started a weekly publication
at which he worked hard and soon made it pay enough to provide himself
and family with a living. But that did not give him a future, so he
decided he would specialize in farm sales. He knew what a good farm was
for he had made a study of farming. He obtained everything the
government had to give on this subject, and advertised in his own paper.
In that way he soon became very well known by all the farmers in his
district and also had good connections with the farm banks.
He finally found a farm at a very low figure on which he obtained an
option for two years to purchase, and then decided what kind of a crop
should be put in. He did not have the capital himself so he went to some
people with money and explained to them the deal he had and how he was
to work it and told them that he needed capital and was willing to give
one-half the profits for the cash advanced on the crops, or, in case of
sale, one-half the amount made on the deal. His proposition was so good
he had no trouble getting the cash and said he never had any trouble in
financing his farm deals in that way. After obtaining the money, he
boosted the farm in his paper.
He claims he makes his sale when he buys the farm. If he is to sell the
farm on commission, he refuses to sell unless he is paid 5 per cent, and
the land must be priced right or he will not try to sell it. But he
claims the money is made when he buys. After the farm is bought he hires
all the work done and pays liberal wages and expects results. He secures
men who are trustworthy. The farm is cleaned up and put in order before
it is offered for sale.
Last year, for example, land that was being summer-fallowed he put in
peas which brought 60 cents a pound and produced 15 pounds per acre
which was a low yield yet it paid the following amount per acre:
$ .50 to drill
3.00 seed
.50 cut peas $9.00
.05 thrash $4.05
---- -----
$4.05 $4.95 net profit per acre.
He has two salesmen who average the year round nearly $400 a month, and
they find it easy to sell where they are the owners and operating their
own farms. This year they have three farms totaling 700 acres which will
net them more than $20,000.
Here is a man who started out with $500 in cash and now has an income of
not less than $15,000 a year. He says if he was without money to-morrow
he would work the local weekly and real estate business together.
PLAN No. 604. THIS LAWYER MADE MONEY BY KEEPING A DAILY RECORD
It is safe to say that nine-tenths of the members of the bar do not keep
daily records. This often determines whether or not the lawyer is a
success or failure.
When an estate is put into an attorney’s hands he should in these
matters have a daily record, and his charge should be based on this
record. But most attorneys go before the court, state generally how much
time has been consumed, and ask for say, $500; but instead of such an
allowance they usually get $100. The attorney might be entitled to the
$500 but he has nothing definite to show. In all probability the heir
and executor of the estate consumed much of his time, and had an account
of his time been kept and even a plumber scale of wages applied, he
might be entitled to $1,000.
The following is the kind of record one attorney used with profit to
himself. He had a loose leaf 8¹⁄₂x11, punched for filing away.
ATTORNEY
_Daily Record_
Month.............. Year, 191.. Posted............
Hours Name of person or Subject matter Who charge
work done
8.30 A.M.
to
6.00 P.M.
Memorandum.
If attorneys would keep records of this kind it would do away with
loafers, etc. in his office. At the end of each month do as the doctor
does--render a bill for services. In no event should a charge be made
for less than $5.00
If the bar of your community has no minimum fee get busy and have one
established and after this understanding is reached tell your clients
what the bar association requires and see that the newspapers give
proper publicity to your minimum fees. This kind of work will bring
about a better and more intelligent bar in your community as it makes
their work more profitable and they would put more time on reading law
and less on thinking about where the next dollar is coming from.
[Illustration: Plan No. 605. She is Busy Every Moment]
PLAN No. 605. LAWYER’S PLAN TO SAVE ON TYPEWRITING
A lawyer must have an office and a stenographer. Usually he can afford
his office, and as far as books are concerned he can obtain them on
time. But his stenographic help is always a problem as most of the time
he cannot afford to have a stenographer.
He may find that a large part of the time his stenographer is more of a
nuisance than a help. He is compelled to pay her $80 a month when over
half of the time she is without work.
This attorney obtained a dictaphone and experimented with it for about a
month. He accustomed himself to the use of it. When he kept the receiver
of the dictaphone against his upper lip his voice took very clearly, but
the stenographer who did his writing was not very familiar with the
dictaphone, so he found the names of offices that had dictaphones, which
information the companies selling dictaphones were glad to furnish. He
then got in touch with their stenographers to ascertain if they had time
to do extra work and found several willing to work for him. In this way
he was able to get a price of 12 cents per roll--which contains 800 to
900 words. The stenographer figured she could do about four rolls an
hour, which would give her about $4 a day.
The attorney dictated his work in his spare time. She called for the
records, did the work and returned the rolls, shaven and ready for new
dictation. It was a great advantage to the lawyer as he was only
charged for the time she was actually writing his work. As a matter of
fact, in using her extra time he could do twice as much as any other
lawyer and stenographer could do under the ordinary method of dictation
at one-third the cost. In that way all his work was done, when he had
business to pay for, and there was no overhead expense when he did not
have the business. This easily saved him $60 a month.
PLAN No. 606. LAWYER SELLS LAW BOOKS
This lawyer found that while our country was at war with Germany his
practice dwindled down to almost nothing. He loved his profession and he
had a professional pride that riveted him to his chair in the office. He
loved his wife and family too, and when they had to do without any of
the necessaries he felt it was up to him to move and move fast. He shook
himself until he had a real circulation and determined he would take a
trip into the northwest “for his health”--the real purpose being to sell
law books.
He started the first of the year and by May 1st had sold over $50,000
worth of law books. He was a man not afraid of a jury, and he was one
lawyer who knew business. Of the $50,000 worth of books he sold at least
$10,000 was his--all made within four months.
This young lawyer was allowed a trading privilege of $30, in the event
that it was necessary to make a sale. The point was that, so far as the
old books were concerned, it made little difference, but in this manner
he was sure to make a sale.
This plan was good and it took. There are many lawyers to-day out of
business and do not know it. A little adventure into the selling game
outside of their community would not only prove very profitable but
would act as a tonic and would enable them to find their real selves,
and they could come back to their practice with renewed energy and
perhaps a new viewpoint which would put them where they belong.
PLAN No. 607. SHEEP ON SUMMER FALLOW
Here is what one farmer accomplished:
“On September 1, 1913, I owned 123 head of sheep worth approximately
$613. During the following year I fed them $50 worth of feed and
pastured them on summer fallow. I figure they saved me $150 worth of
labor in eating off the weeds. During the year I sold $375 worth of
sheep and $125.80 worth of wool, and at the end of the year I still had
135 head worth $675. I therefore figure my net profit, exclusive of
labor, $660.80. I cannot understand why more farmers do not run sheep on
their summer fallow.”
PLAN No. 608. LIKES HOGS AND SHEEP
He made a living from stock, and here is his statement of what he did:
“Recognizing the necessity for more modern methods in farming, I started
in four years ago by fencing my 500-acre ranch with hog-tight woven-wire
fence. I also purchased a bunch of hogs and went in debt for both the
hogs and the fence. The first year I sold $1,400 worth of hogs and have
averaged $2,000 per year since. I also purchased some sheep and found
that by running them between harvest and summer fallow I was able to
keep down the mustard and weeds. In this way I made a profit on my sheep
from both wool and mutton. I am now out of debt and am satisfied that
stock farming pays. I believe that if diversified farming methods are
followed, sixty to eighty acres is enough for one family.”
PLAN No. 609. GOOD MONEY IN COWS
Here is what a farmer did with a few head of stock in Western Wisconsin,
and he gives an account of his work as follows:
“On October 1st, 1913, I owned eighteen cows, eight heifers, four calves
and one bull. The following year I fed $312 worth of pasture and $415
worth of feed, all of which, with the exception of $160 worth, was
produced on my farm. During the year my sales of cattle and dairy
products amounted to $1,200. At the end of the year I had remaining
twenty-two cows, eight heifers, three calves, one steer and one bull,
worth $2,040. I figured that I cleared $753, exclusive of labor.”
PLAN No. 610. HOGS ARE MONEY MAKERS
You will note that the following profit was made before we were thinking
of war. Hogs are always profitable. Here is Mr. Farmer’s statement of
what he did with a few hogs in Washington state.
“On September 30th, 1913, I owned twenty cows, thirty barrows and gilts,
and one boar, worth approximately $610. During the following year I fed
$704 worth of pasture and grain, all of which were produced on my farm.
On September 30th, 1914, I owned twenty cows, eighty gilts and barrows,
two boars and 120 pigs, which I figure worth $2,090, making a net profit
of $750, exclusive of labor.”
Why will people insist on living in the heart of the city, with poor
living conditions for their families, and work like slaves without a ray
of hope for their future, when the country is only a few miles outside
with good schools, plenty of fresh air, sunshine, hills, pastures, woods
and streams and always a good environment for the family, and the best
kind of a living and an easy possibility of plenty? Answer the question
if you can.
PLAN No. 611. INTERESTING POULTRY FIGURES
To show what a hen paid before the war, here are a few figures which
show the possibilities of the hen in the city.
“According to your request, you will find below data on my poultry
business: From Nov. 1, 1912 to Nov. 1, 1913:
Cost of eggs per dozen 16c
Cost of feed per head for the year $1.49
Net earnings per hen for the year 1.49
Number of eggs laid per hen for the year 111
Average price 37c
From Nov. 1, 1913 to Nov. 1, 1914:
Cost of eggs per dozen (includes interest on coops) 12c
Cost of feed per head for the year 70c
Net earnings per hen for the year $2.50
Number of eggs laid per hen for the year 107
Average price 37c
“One-half the hens for 1914 were the pullets of 1913 and were supposed
to fall off in production 20 per cent. The balance were pullets.”
The Department of Agriculture is back of you in any endeavor you may
wish to make in farming. If you want information on any problem, write
to the department and they will forward you an up-to-date book on the
subject. They have pamphlets prepared treating of the way to handle
chickens in the city, raising of fancy birds, and many other subjects
relative to the chicken.
PLAN No. 612. BELIEVES IN SHEEP
Many town people have an idea that before the war farming was not a very
profitable business, but that is not the case. Here is what one farmer
has to say:
“In 1913 I purchased 1,188 sheep, mostly lambs. In 1914 I clipped about
one dollar’s worth of wool per head and then sold 300 head at $4.75 to
$5.25 per hundred pounds. They were out nearly all winter at strawstacks
and grazing, my only expense being thirty-five tons of alfalfa at $10
per ton. You can easily see that I have made a very nice profit. I
believe that nearly all farmers should keep a flock of sheep.”
It is easy to understand why our great men and women of high talent in
all walks of life come from the farm. The business of farming enables
them to make the best kind of a living with much less wear and tear than
attends work in the city. He has time to think; nature is about him; he
is not worrying about his grocery bill and how he will get enough to eat
next week. His living is assured for a year. The sun, rain and land look
out for that. His wife is not worrying him about the latest style of
clothes for herself and children.
Try it out for yourself--get a few sheep and be independent.
PLAN No. 613. REMARKABLE YIELD FROM TWENTY-THREE ACRES
The following figures taken from a 23-acre tract, near North Yakima,
Washington, illustrates what can be accomplished in the irrigated
valleys of the Inland Empire, when intensified farming methods are
followed:
Six thousand boxes of apples, 10 tons of cherries, 400 boxes of peaches,
700 boxes of pears, 100 crates of small fruit, 1,800 boxes tomatoes, 40
tons of wheat and alfalfa hay, 15 tons carrots and mangel-wurzels, 2
tons grain and vegetables, 50 bushels corn, 400 pounds butter, 14 pure
bred Duroc hogs, 220 dozen eggs, one Holstein heifer and one colt.
PLAN No. 614. FOURTEEN HENS MAKE $3.33 EACH
Here is what a city man did, given in his own language:
“January 1, 1914, I had on hand fourteen pullets, worth $8.40. During
nine months I sold 12¹⁄₂ dozens of eggs at 35c per dozen, a total of
$49.87. I also sold $26.15 worth of chickens, and at the end of 9 months
I had remaining a flock of 48 pullets, 6 cockerels and 8 hens--62 in
all--worth 60 cents each or a total of $37.20.
During the nine months I spent $7.50 for eggs for hatching and also
$89.80 for feed. This makes me a profit of $57.50 from the original 14
fowls, or $3.33 each.
It should be stated that, in addition to the feed paid for, the stock
was supplied with table scraps, which cost nothing under the
circumstances and would have added largely to the feed bill had its
equal in feed value been paid for at market prices. However, I feel that
my experience illustrates a great saving in poultry feeding if table
scraps are utilized.”
PLAN No. 615. SHEEP MAKE MONEY FOR THIS MAN
Here is what this farmer has to say:
“In January, 1913, I owned a flock of ninety sheep worth approximately
$900. During the following year I purchased a buck for $32 and fed $50
worth of pasture and $80 worth of salable feed. I sold $225 worth of
sheep and $210 worth of wool and on October 1, 1914, I had 125 head of
sheep remaining, worth $1,250. I therefore figure my net profit,
exclusive of labor, $623. However, the sheep made me more money than
this, as I let them run on summer fallow and they saved me the expense
of cutting the weeds. It seems to me every wheat farmer should have some
sheep.”
PLAN No. 616. LIKES DAIRYING
This farmer makes the following statement:
“January, 1913, I owned 12 cows, 1 heifer, 2 calves and 1 bull, worth
approximately $916. During the following year I fed $135 worth of
pasture and $365 worth of feed, all of which, with the exception of $120
worth, was produced on my farm. During the year I sold $1,100 worth of
cattle and dairy products and on January 1, 1914, I had remaining 9 head
of cows, 3 heifers, 5 calves and 1 bull, worth $870. My profits
therefore, were $554, exclusive of labor, manure, etc. I have conducted
my dairy business as a side issue to my general farming and feel very
well repaid for the attention I have given to it.”
In many articles of this book I have given illustrations of profit in
farming before the war to show that regardless of the times there is
always money in farming.
PLAN No. 617. BEEF CATTLE IN FERRY COUNTY, WASHINGTON
This farmer gives his experience as follows:
“According to my experience here in Ferry County, a herd of cattle
doubles in three years, aside from keeping themselves. There is always a
cash market at your door for anything you have to sell. I have 1,100
acres of land and keep about 100 head of stock through the winter; raise
considerable small grain and feed up all my straw as well as what hay is
necessary. I now have a nice start in pure bred Short Horn Durhams of
milk strain, which gives me good milkers as well as big steers.”
PLAN No. 618. GOOD YIELDS OF WHEAT AND OATS
He made money before the war; what do you think he made during the war?
He tells what his farm did in the following account:
“I harvested 135 acres of wheat this year which furnished thirty-two
bushels per acre, a total of 4,320 bushels. It cost me $459 to grow it,
$200 for cutting and shocking, $345 for threshing. The interest on my
investment in land at $80 per acre, and on horses and machinery for two
years is $1,536. This leaves a net profit of $829 at 80c per bushel. My
oats made a yield of 50 bushels per acre.”
PLAN No. 619. $1,000 A YEAR FROM POULTRY
Here is what a small farmer accomplished in Washington state with
poultry in 1910, 1911 and 1912, when prices were much lower than now. He
gives his experience as follows:
“I will be glad to tell you the result from my poultry business. I began
January 1, 1910, with 250 hens, 19 roosters, 12 ducks and 20 bantams,
which I invoiced at $340. During the year 1910 I sold as follows: Market
eggs, $542.50; hatching eggs, $437.15; market poultry, $210.30; breeding
stock, $350.75; or a total of $1,541. The cost of maintenance during
this time, which includes feed, stock purchased, etc., was $840.50,
leaving a profit of $700.50.
“During 1911 my sales of market eggs were $631.65; hatching eggs,
$627.40; day-old chicks, $85; market poultry, $253.35; breeding stock,
$403.90; total, $2,001.30. Maintenance during the same time was $910.70,
leaving a profit of $1,090.60.
“Up to November 20, 1912, my sales for that year were: Market eggs,
$705.20; hatching eggs, $422.50; day-old chicks, $154.60; market
poultry, $235.80; breeding stock, $392.40; total, $1,910.50. My
maintenance was $895.75, leaving a profit of $1014.75. On November 20, I
sold my entire stock, which brought me $695.00, or a gain from my
original investment of $355.
“My total profit for the three years was $2,805.85, which, added to the
gain on investment of $355, makes a grand total profit of $3,160.85 or
better than $1,000 a year. I might also add that, aside from caring for
the poultry, I cultivated 11 acres of ground. The income from this and
from two Jersey cows was $500 a year.”
When a man takes a real interest in his work it is remarkable what he
can accomplish.
PLAN No. 620. BIG PROFITS IN TRUCK GARDENING
This man operates a truck garden with the following success. The figures
given are before the war prices. The soil resembles gravel and is
watered by pumps. Here is his account:
“I have been truck gardening in the vicinity of Spokane for twenty-six
years, and now have a small tract in the Spokane Valley and inside the
city limits. Here I find I can produce all of the crops that will grow
in this climate, but at present I am making a specialty of celery,
cauliflower and asparagus.
“Celery gives me a gross return of $600 to $1,200 per acre, and it costs
me from $300 to $500 to grow and market it.
“Cauliflower gives returns of $400 to $800 per acre, and it costs me
from $100 to $300 to grow and market.
“Asparagus yields 3,000 to 3,500 pounds per acre on an 8-year-old bed
which I sell at 9 cents per pound. It costs about 1¹⁄₂ cents per pound
to grow, cut and market, so that my profits vary from $225 to $265 per
acre. I figure the land on which I grow these crops worth $1,000 per
acre, making an investment charge of $60 per acre. I believe there will
always be a good market in the Inland Empire for garden products.”
[Illustration: Plan No. 620. The Early Tomato]
PLAN No. 621. PROFIT ON 130 ACRES OF WHEAT
This man was farming in the Palouse country, south of Spokane,
Washington. You can see what he was doing before the war, and you can
figure out for yourself what he made after the war began. Here are his
figures:
“I raised 4,030 bushels of wheat this year from 130 acres, an average of
thirty-one bushels per acre. It cost me $331.50 to raise the crop; $334
to harvest it, and $332.64 to thresh it. Sacks cost me an additional
$175.
I figure the interest on my investment in horses, machinery, and land at
$80 per acre would be $1,404 for two years. I have not sold my crop
yet, but at 80 cents a bushel it would net me $647. I expect to get $1
per bushel and this would make a profit of $1,453.”
PLAN No. 622. THREE CROPS IN ONE SEASON
He made a living on a small piece of land in the following manner:
“I have six acres of ground on which I am making a specialty of growing
cauliflower, celery and cabbage. I figure that I have cleared over
$1,500 this year, above all expenses. From one little plot, about 14x20
feet, I have sold a crop of radishes, spinach and endive, bringing me a
gross return of over $35.”
PLAN No. 623. BEEF CATTLE MONEY VELVET
The following is a little side money for the farmer. His statement is as
follows:
“On January 1, 1912, I owned ten head of beef cattle worth $500. During
the year I fed $60 worth of pasture and $150 worth of feed, all of which
was produced on my farm. During the year I sold $120 worth of cream and
traded $90 worth of cattle for hogs. On December 31, 1912, I had
nineteen head remaining worth $860. My profit for the year, exclusive of
labor, was $360. While this is not a very large amount, yet at the same
time I consider it velvet, and I gave but very little attention and time
to that part of my farming.”
PLAN No. 624. PASTURES ALFALFA
This farmer makes a good living on his small farm. Profit based on
prices before the war.
“I have thirty-five acres of alfalfa from one to five years old. I cut
two crops of hay each year, yielding from 2¹⁄₂ to 3 tons per acre, and
in addition pasture the third crop. I can sell all the hay I can raise
at from $9 to $10 a ton unbaled. At this rate it is bringing big returns
on $75 to $100 per acre land.”
PLAN No. 625. ALFALFA BRINGS GOOD RETURNS
This farmer does well with twenty-five acres based on prices before the
war.
“I have twenty-five acres of 4-year-old alfalfa on sub-irrigated land. I
cut two crops a year, averaging three tons per acre, and use the third
crop for pasture. I can sell my hay for from $10 to $14 per ton unbaled.
While there is not a great deal of alfalfa raised here I am sure that it
will do well and bring very good returns on the investment.”
PLAN No. 626. ALFALFA BETTER THAN WHEAT
Farmers in the Northwest country usually summer fallow, and many put in
alfalfa, which is a good crop for summer fallow and is profitable. Here
is what one man’s experience was whose profit is based on 1914 prices
for alfalfa:
“In 1913 I sowed sixty acres of non-irrigated land to alfalfa. I cut off
of it the first year 1¹⁄₄ tons per acre which I sold at $10 per ton,
making $900 gross returns. Besides my hay crop I sowed a field for
pasture during the fall, but cannot tell just what it was worth.”
PLAN No. 627. FARMS TOO LARGE
Here is what a woman did in the State of Washington, and the following
statement is in her own language. She must have made money on $2 wheat.
“Twelve years ago I started in owing $2,500 on 320 acres. Since then I
have purchased two more sections in Lincoln county, Washington, and two
sections in Canada and have never had a mortgage on my home place. The
money has all come from the ranch in Lincoln County.
“This year I had 85 acres of barley, which yielded 50 bushels per acre,
and 640 acres of wheat, which yielded 29 bushels per acre. I sold my
barley at $1.20 per hundred and my wheat at $1 per bushel. My 1913 crop
was still better, as part of my wheat made 52 bushels.”
PLAN No. 628. LIKES THE WEST
Here is what he did with $3,000:
“I came to the State of Washington twelve years ago from Central
Illinois with about $4,500. I purchased 160 acres at $50 per acre,
paying $3,000 down. I bought fourteen head of cows at a cost of $700,
sowed most of my land to grass, alfalfa, timothy and clover.
“The first five years I practiced dairying and mixed farming, selling
the whole milk, hay, small grain and potatoes. I also have a one-acre
orchard, which has produced an average of 200 boxes of apples per year,
besides what we used. Four years ago I bought 120 acres more, paying
$100 an acre. I now have a farm that is worth $30,000 and feel that I
have done very well, but no better than any one else can do who will
follow mixed farming and give it careful attention. I believe mixed
farming will pay anywhere.”
PLAN No. 629. FINDS HOGS PROFITABLE
He handled hogs as a side line, and his results run as follows:
“On October 1, 1913, I owned 11 sows, 90 gilts and barrows, 2 boars and
60 pigs, worth approximately $1,270. During the year following I
purchased $60 worth of hogs and fed $1,310.21 of feed, all of which,
with the exception of $310.90 was produced on my farm. During the same
year my sale of hogs amounted to $2,316.33, and on October 1, 1914, I
had 8 sows, 100 gilts and barrows, 2 boars and 8 pigs remaining, worth
$856. I figure my net profit, exclusive of labor $532.33--not very bad
for a side line.”
PLAN No. 630. BEEF CATTLE PAY WELL
Here is a man that made money during the war. This is what he says:
“In October, 1912, I owned three head of beef cows, worth $225. During
the next two years I purchased $721 worth of cattle. I do not have a
record of my feeding costs, but it would not be very much, as I pastured
them on cheap pasture most of the year and fed only a small amount of
hay for three months in the winter. During the same two years I sold
$827 worth of butter and cattle, and on October 1, 1914, I had sixteen
head remaining, worth $1,360. I figure my net profit, exclusive of labor
and feed, $1,241. I am now satisfied that I can make the beef cattle
business pay me a nice profit, and will go into it on a larger scale.”
PLAN No. 631. HE WANTED TO BE SECRETARY TO THE MAYOR
Every mayor’s office needs a secretary to look after the office and make
his dates and appointments for him, as this saves a great deal of time.
This kind of work calls for a man who has a neat appearance and is
genteel and makes a good impression; a man who understands all methods
of putting off callers whom the mayor does not care to see; who knows
how to find out whether the people calling on the mayor have come to
raise money, etc., ascertain the full nature of their business and make
proper arrangements for the mayor’s time. Such a person is a valuable
asset to the mayor and can save him a great deal of time.
This young man knew that there would be few men who were capable of
holding this position. He was a college graduate and stood well
socially, had a great deal of natural ability, and supported the mayor
in his election. He felt that if he was appointed secretary he could not
only help the mayor, but would give him a distinct political advantage.
He finally received the appointment and made good.
PLAN No. 632. BECAME COUNTY COMMISSIONER
I knew two men, one a secretary to the County Commissioner, and the
other in the auditor’s office. They each desired some day to be
commissioners for their county. They served in their respective
capacities for five to six years. This gave them a good income, a chance
to establish their homes, properly educate their family, and finally
they came to the conclusion that they were sufficiently well acquainted,
and capable of handling the office of county commissioner, and
proceeded to announce themselves as candidates for this office. They
worked jointly, each supporting the other, and in this way they had all
their friends in their joint support. They were not good speakers, but
they were well liked in the community and the years that they had served
the people, had proven of great value to them. Everybody knew them as
deserving. They had served the county for years, and why could they not
serve as commissioners in as good a manner as they had served in their
other positions? The men who were contestants for the office had had no
prior experience, and they used to good advantage the argument that
being trained in the line of work which they had done, that they were
better qualified than the other parties to serve the country’s needs,
and they succeeded on that program.
PLAN No. 633. A LAWYER BECOMES A JUDGE
To build up a political success one is invariably dependent upon his
friends, and an aspirant for office will be very much surprised when he
enters the race and finds how very few working friends he actually
possesses. He may be well known in the community, and have a good
reputation, but when he makes an attempt for public office, he will be
fortunate if he finds ten men of the thousands of his friends who will
come out and work conscientiously for him. This is especially true of
the man who lives in a large city.
This young lawyer was fortunate in respect that he had a father who had
won an enviable reputation before him, and with five or six friends who
would put their entire time at his disposal, concluded to make the race
for the judgeship. He put out the regular cards and allowed his friends
to deliver them, and put out the necessary literature. He then obtained
all the newspaper comments he could get, and he was fortunate in having
one friend who was a reporter, who assisted him.
He was not regarded as a public speaker, but his friends came to his
rescue on this point, and did everything they could to make up this
deficiency. Two of his friends knew politics; knew who controlled votes
and who did not. These two men worked unceasingly for his interests.
What I have stated is the general procedure of the man who intended to
make a political career a success, but his main dependence rested upon
his following the advice of his friends, who said: “Now judge make good
on the bench.”
He started in with a very ordinary experience, but he was courteous to
all. He made it a special point not to make a statement from the bench
that would be injurious to the attorney or would prejudice him with his
clients. He realized that when two attorneys stood before him arguing
for their respective sides, that one was sure to be mistaken. But, too,
he further realized that both sides of the question were serving to
bring about a right and proper decision in the matter, which was to
assist him in giving a right judgment.
No matter how tired he might be, or how put out with the arguing of
cases, he made it a point to be patient. Especially was this true of
young men who appeared before him, and in this manner he won high
appreciation of all members of the bar. Any time he was criticised, he
had hundreds of supporters of the bar to defend him.
Each time he comes up for election his success is assured. They know him
to be patient and courteous and a gentleman on the bench and thoughtful
of other people’s rights and interests, and also they know of his
sincere desire to bring about justice between the litigants.
There is no doubt about the integrity of the court, but often times a
word from the bench may be said in anger or impatience, which will
greatly prejudice the attorney who stands before him with his client.
And many times it is the cause of a loss of hundreds of dollars worth of
business to the attorney.
PLAN No. 634. AN ATTORNEY BECAME MAYOR OF A CITY
When he first started to practice it was very discouraging, as he was
limited in funds and had a family, and for that reason he took up work
in the city clerk’s office. In that capacity he could serve, and soon he
became the adviser of the city council. He was familiar with all of the
details of the clerk’s office and the doings of the council, and could
also advise them as well as the city attorney’s office. Often his
suggestions to the corporation council’s office, were gratefully
received. For seven or eight years, he met the public daily.
He determined to make the race for the office of commissioner, which
paid $5,000 a year. His friends were loyal to him. He was familiar with
politics from start to finish, and knew that he had thousands of votes;
he also knew that he had the kind of friends who would support him.
Assured of his friends’ support, he went about the city himself, making
a direct canvass for votes. He realized that every effort meant that
much more in his favor, even though he was quite sure of a certain
percentage. He felt that if he was once elected he could make a showing
that would keep him in office from year to year. He knew that he was far
more familiar with the work than any other candidate.
Most of the candidates were business men, who had had no prior
experience with the city government, and he argued that if he had served
the city well for ten years, that he would be better qualified to serve
the city than those who had had no prior experience.
To the surprise of a great many he was elected, and after receiving his
office, he was given one of the most difficult tasks, which he handled
with credit to himself.
PLAN No. 635. A LIVING OUT OF POLITICS
A great number of men and women in your community and state are making
their living entirely on politics.
If you are to choose this work for a living, it is necessary to bear in
mind that you must be an adherent of some particular party and you must
be enthusiastic for it from beginning to end, as leaving this party will
be considered a breach of good faith on your part, and you will lose
much of your friendship, which is essential to keep you in your
position. Also bear in mind, you who hold positions in political work,
that your previous work has a great deal to do with it. That is, you
must serve as an assistant, say, in the clerk’s office, the treasurer’s
office, the assessor’s office, and in this way you will acquire
thousands of friends. And then, the newspaper must not be lost sight of,
as a person may have thousands of friends in his community, and if for
some reason or other he has awakened the antagonism of the newspaper
men, he will find that it is one of his greatest difficulties, and may
even lose to him victory which should be rightfully his. Another factor
one must consider; he must have friends of the right sort. You may think
you have hundreds of friends who will get out and put in much time in
your behalf, but when once you depend upon them you will be surprised
how few there are. If you are fortunate enough to have ten men who will
get out and put in their time and really give you their support, you are
very fortunate indeed.
Then there is the following to be considered; you must take yourself
seriously--believe that you can be of real benefit to the community by
serving in that capacity. You must not leave your friends to do it all;
you must do everything you can to assist your friends. Get a car and
drive out into the country and get acquainted with the farmers.
If you have it in mind to win success you must not figure in days, but
you must figure in years, and build up slowly for the future.
Also have clear in mind that, once you are elected, the kind of service
you desire to give. You will find if you are fortunate enough to be
nominated and elected that the opportunities for real service in your
city, county or state, are very great. You will find that the usual
method followed by politicians is to work for the future, letting the
mistakes of the past take care of themselves.
You will find in public service that there is great opportunity to build
a reputation for doing things, and if you are in continual fear of
injuring somebody’s feelings while rendering a real public service, you
will not make a success.
PLAN No. 636. AN ATTORNEY BECOMES SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR THE CITY
He had no political standing but he knew the employes of the different
departments of the city, and thus he became aware of what could
be done for the city in the way of collecting back assessments,
supposedly-outlawed claims etc.
He made a memorandum of these as best he could from a superficial
examination, and took the matter up with the councilmen of the city. He
had the support of the councilman of his district who furnished him a
great deal of information. He then set about to become acquainted with
the councilmen of other districts, and was successful in winning some of
them to his support.
No sooner had he stirred up interest in this subject and got the matter
squarely before the council, than he was advised that there were other
attorneys who were seeking this appointment for the work to which he had
called the council’s attention, and was advised not only to submit a
commission proposition to the city council, but a salary proposition as
well. Finally, through the activity of his friends in the council, he
was named as special counsel for the city for a period of six months. It
was up to the attorney to make good.
He made his own investigations, obtained his own material, and brought
actions. He immediately got into contact with some of the newspaper
reporters, and showed them the work he was accomplishing, and had proper
attention directed to it.
At the end of six months he was able to make an excellent record, which
continued his work another six months, and in that way he continued
without any political standing, until he was appointed a regular
assistant in corporation counsel’s office at a salary of $200 a month.
This employment continued until new political lines were drawn and a new
corporation counsel put into office, after which he was continued as
special counsel. Each six months he made a showing, with the result that
he stayed in the office for two years, based entirely upon the showing
he was able to make at the end of each six-months’ period.
From this work he derived $175 to $200 a month, and won a good
acquaintanceship in his work and an invaluable experience. He not only
handled cases which brought him in contact with thousands of people in
the community, but he also received experience in the police court, and
in that way obtained an experience similar to that of an assistant in a
prosecuting attorney’s office. This plan could be followed in many of
the cities in our country, as there is always an opportunity to find
something wrong in the average city government, in remedying which an
attorney can render a good service. As a matter of fact, you can always
depend upon it that the mistakes of former administrations are left
alone, and to attempt to stir them up politicians of the city believe
will make unnecessary enemies, besides the reformatory work can be done
by a special counsel without injuring the future of the parties in
office.
PLAN No. 637. AN ATTORNEY BECOMES CHIEF JUSTICE IN THE PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS
To win this position in twelve years would seem impossible but if you
knew the man and the plan he pursued it would appear to you quite
possible.
In the university he developed himself in public speaking. He became a
good speaker, and before his term had expired had won a reputation as an
excellent debater. He was not of the argumentative type, but more of the
persuasive turn of mind. He endeavored to win people to his convictions
rather than to compel them to follow his ideas. He took an extra year at
the university and obtained a special degree. Before his school was over
he concluded that the Philippine Islands offered the best opportunity
for a young man in the law work, so he secured, through his connection
at the university, a position to instruct in a law school in the
islands, as the American law was to be followed there. From instructor
he was soon advanced to the head of one of the law schools, and within
twelve years after leaving the university he was appointed to the
position of associate justice of the supreme court in the Philippine
Islands. Being an American and familiar with the American laws, and
having specially qualified himself while at the university for this
work, he won, with little difficulty, the position which he now
occupies.
PLAN No. 638. A PHYSICIAN BECOMES CORONER
While at the university this young doctor learned something about
politics. As soon as he got settled in the community he made
investigations of the coroner’s office. When politics opened up he
became a candidate and made an original campaign for the office. He
could speak and tell stories far better than the average man, and he
made a good impression in his addresses. The political party arranged
dates for speakers, and being one of the best speakers he was called
upon in a great many cases. He made a clean campaign, not calling
attention to any weaknesses in the former holder of office and won the
support of his fellow doctors. He had an automobile and made it a point
to reach many of the farmers in his county. His campaign was successful.
In this way he won a good acquaintanceship in the country and obtained
an excellent experience. Usually the county records show that either the
Republican or Democratic parties, for years, have dominated the
situation, and it is a matter of getting the nomination on one of these
tickets. Nomination in these cases means, virtually, an election.
When he first came to the town he made it known he could speak and would
be an aggressive man in any campaign, and showed his strength by
addressing the various meetings that he attended, and in this way, got
recognition from the organization and everything was done to give him an
opportunity to have the nomination with as little competition as
possible.
PLAN No. 639. A DEACON MAKES MONEY ON TAX DEEDS
I met this gentleman in connection with some old back taxes which the
city claimed were against certain properties. He showed willingness to
pay the back taxes at once without any argument, and after making his
payment entered into a conversation with me relating how he had acquired
this property and how much he had made. One rainy day, he said, he
attended a sale at the courthouse, and there being no bidders present,
for the property there offered for sale, except himself, that he
acquired this piece of land for a $150, and two years later sold the
same piece of land for $3,000. He said that for the last six years he
had made his living by punctually attending these tax sales and, from
time to time, making good purchases. He took a great deal of the
property that, at the time of the purchase, he did not know what to do
with, but later used it for trading purposes and profited on it very
handsomely. He made more than $3,000 a year in that work alone. He
found, in attending tax sales, that about the same crowd were always
present, and soon he made arrangements with them for the purchases of
different properties that each wanted to secure. In other words, he
would not bid when another party wanted a piece of property, and the
other party would not bid when he wanted a piece of property, and in
this way, they obtained their property at a low price.
There is a Chicago corporation that follows this business entirely,
however in the connection with it, they purchase tax certificates. They
say that about 25 per cent of the property on which they purchase tax
certificates, come to them, and out of this they make very good money.
PLAN No. 640. THE DOCTOR MADE MONEY
When I was a boy about ten years of age, I well remember the new doctor
coming to the city. He received his furniture and appliances for office
use, and showed them to us with great pride. He started in and worked
very hard. His office was in a very unpretentious building in a small
Iowa town, and, naturally, the first year his practice was limited, but
everything he did he kept strict account, made his charges, and rendered
his bills. He was not very insistent on pay at once, but he was anxious
to render anyone service. No matter how far out in the country the
patient lived, he would make every effort to reach them. As a matter of
fact everybody knew that when they called him, he was always available
and would be there at the earliest moment possible. He followed this
practice for years, and saw to it that none of his bills outlawed, and
while he had to wait for his money, he made a charge sufficiently large
so that he could very well wait until they were able to pay him.
Five years passed and he had the reputation of being one of the busiest
doctors in the community. At a certain time each year he made it known
he was going away to take further instructions in medical work, and
gradually he became quite proficient in operating and started a small
hospital of his own where he could give the rural people the proper
treatment.
The farms in that vicinity began to increase in value. The people whom
he served a few years before, whom most doctors thought would be unable
to pay, became prosperous, and most all of the bills that this man had
rendered became an asset.
He not only obtained the experience and pleasure of rendering his
patients assistance, but he believed in the country as well, and to-day
he is one of the wealthiest men in that part of the country. He put his
fees into farm land which has increased in value from fifty dollars per
acre to three hundred dollars per acre. Any doctor can succeed in
following this plan in the community where he may be practicing.
PLANS No. 641 to 649 SEE GOVERNMENT SERVICE--PLAN No. 217
PLAN No. 650. HOW A DRUGLESS DOCTOR BUILT UP A PRACTICE
He and I were working together on a city newspaper as advertising
solicitors when one day he told me that he was studying nights to become
a chiropractic doctor. He said very little about it, because his wife
did not favor it. However, he had put his time to this study. He
continued his studies for six or seven months until he felt that he was
able to launch out for himself. The question then was, where should he
start. He had only a little cash and to stay in the city where he was
once an advertising solicitor, he felt it would be difficult for him to
build up a reputation as a drugless doctor. Of course, he resigned his
position as advertising solicitor and opened an office in conjunction
with a dentist in his own city. He secured his equipment and started
after the business. He made it a point first to see all of his friends
and let them know that he was in the drugless practice. He kept at this
work and got in touch with hundreds of people. He worked diligently with
his patients, and they told others, and after six months of hard work
holding the creditors back his business began to pay. Before the year
was over he had a practice that was paying from $500 to $800 a month.
After a couple of years of practice, he let it be known he was going
east to take advance work as a chiropractic doctor. He wrote letters to
all the people he had treated on his return.
He was always enthusiastic about his work and made a very careful study
on the subject of anatomy, and could talk creditably with any doctor. He
was very active in the welfare of the drugless doctor and did any and
everything he could to assist their mutual cause. He started without any
capital, the money for furniture was borrowed. He made up a card, giving
a certain number of treatments for a certain amount of money, sold these
to all of his patients, which gave him ready money. This was all done
without a line of newspaper advertising and with the opposition of the
medical fraternity.
PLAN No. 651. A LAWYER SPECIALIZES ON INSURANCE LAW
As soon as he had graduated he went into one of the leading law offices
of an insurance company and there made a two years’ study of insurance
law from the insurance company’s standpoint. He was given little
opportunity to progress in the business, and found himself at the end of
three years without any business of his own to depend on, so to get
recognition from the company seemed hopeless.
He did know “insurance law,” so he opened his law office. He saw the
other attorneys and made it known that insurance law was his specialty,
and that he would not infringe on any of their business, if they would
give him an opportunity to work with them on that law. Of course, it is
very difficult to get a lawyer to agree on any matter concerning
business that may interfere with his own, but they soon realized when
they received a case involving insurance they needed his services.
In a very short time the insurance companies became aware of this young
man’s ability and finally, one by one, he obtained their business. As a
matter of fact, you will find but a few lawyers who know anything about
insurance law. They cannot know much about it unless they make several
years’ study of the subject. However, when you once secure this business
it is permanent and will guarantee you a very good income, and it is
well worth a lawyer’s time and attention put to it to make himself
competent in this work. It will pay any lawyer to look around him and
see if there are any others in his community who are making a specialty
of this law; and if they are not, prepare for this work.
PLAN No. 652. HE BECAME A “TRIAL LAWYER”
No sooner had he graduated from law school, than he determined to become
a “trial lawyer.”
He studied law for two years with one of the leading Law firms in the
city. His income was small, but he was patient. He realized that he must
know a great deal about briefing, and this was a good way to obtain the
knowledge. After this he went into business for himself.
He had been in the practice only six months when an opportunity came to
him to become an assistant to the corporation counsel. This he promptly
availed himself of, and in a short time he was in receipt of an income
of $150 a month, with his office paid for and a chance to do work on the
side.
He retained this position for a year, and became acquainted with
hundreds of people of the right sort. He practiced in the police court,
and handled many matters before the council which required, on his part,
good ability as a speaker. He was from the South and loved anything that
had talk to it. After his experience with the city he went in for
himself and worked patiently for a year with little results. A case came
to him from the Italian section and he obtained such a favorable
decision that this case brought him much business, and soon he was in
receipt of a net income of $400 to $500 a month.
He made a specialty of evidence and mastered it so well that it required
little thought on his part to conform with the ordinary rules. He
understood cross-questioning, of which he made a very careful study. He
worked for years with his speech until he was able to present a matter
before the jury in a clear, concise and convincing manner.
This young man to-day, with the experience of twelve years, has made an
unusual success as a “trial lawyer,” and is getting his share of the
important cases.
Coupled with this ability he understands well the value of his services
and renders his charges on the amount of time devoted to his clients. He
keeps strict account in much the same manner as is set forth in another
article in this book, and he sees to it that for all services he renders
his clients are duly notified so they feel all along that their
interests are properly taken care of. And when the client knows the
amount of time the attorney has devoted to their interests they are
willing to pay a reasonable charge.
PLAN No. 653. AN ATTORNEY BECOMES A COURT CLERK
This attorney thought it was important to first serve as clerk for the
court, so he worked in this capacity for a year. In that manner he
became familiar with all the abilities of the men at the bar in that
community. He watched and observed how they conducted cases, and
discerned what abilities each possessed. He also became familiar with
their standing before the judges of the court, as well as their standing
before the bar. In other words, he learned many tricks of the trade, and
also became familiar with all the records of the court house, which in
after years was to be of advantage to him. He also enjoyed the
association of a judge who afterwards turned out to be a real leader in
national affairs.
With this training he went in business for himself. He possessed high
qualities as a business man, as well as those of a good lawyer. He was
not anxious for the trial work, and settled his cases as best he could
out of court if possible. He realized that being in court continually
would net but little money for him and his client. He was not a trial
lawyer, and did not care to make a reputation in that direction, but he
was well liked by all of his friends and close acquaintances: in fact,
they would do almost anything for him. He was a member of a church of
his neighborhood, and when it was necessary to have a certain man from
their district, he was selected by his friends to run for the office of
state representative and won by a large majority, and each time the
election came along he was re-elected representative, and finally state
senator.
He has built up a good, substantial law practice, and he has succeeded
financially in a way that is a surprise to all, however his fees were
not invested until after he had made a careful study of the business
into which he launched. Many lawyers believe that when they are in the
practice that it is not credible to them to know about the rules of
business, but this is a serious mistake. They should study those as well
as the law and know what their business opportunities are. If a man is
good enough to reach a right course in a lawsuit, there is no reason why
that man should not be as successful in reaching out and securing for
himself the right course in business.
PLAN No. 654. HE BECAME A LAWYER’S LAWYER
For years he had been a very successful trial lawyer, and because of
that success he had been approached by many lawyers to take up their
cases and put it through to a final success. He finally put his entire
time at the disposal of the lawyers of his city. He found in the city in
which he was practicing, had a population of about 400,000, that young
lawyers who have been in the practice for years have but little
experience in the trial court, and often have had but few cases and for
that reason make many mistakes. He was loyal to the attorney who
employed him and saw to it that they were not placed in an embarrassing
position. This brought him large and lucrative business.
I well remember his advice when in the university, how to prepare a
statement of facts. He first had the client make his statement, and
after it was made would ask the client to go home and prepare it in his
own hand-writing and submit it to him. He would have this typewritten
and later examine and question the client concerning it, and then he
would have him wait a few days and re-state the entire case again to
him. After this he would go over and make a statement of facts of the
case himself, and would repeat this from three to four times and have it
typewritten until he had an accurate statement of the facts, upon which
he built his theory of the law. He felt that no attorney had done his
duty until he had gone over the statement of facts in this manner.
From this plan alone, he realized more than $500,000.
There is an opportunity in many communities for attorneys of good
standing to render this kind of service to his fellow attorneys, and
there are always young men in the community who will avail themselves of
such services if you render this to them in a way that will not
discredit them before the bar and the court.
PLAN No. 655. A DOCTOR IN A SMALL TOWN MAKES A SPECIALTY OF SURGERY
Soon after his college course was completed he settled in a little town
of about 2,500 population in the state of Iowa, in the midst of a great
farming district. He liked the practice of medicine. At first he took up
general practice in the town and made it a point to respond to all calls
given him. He was business-like and gave people to understand that he
was to receive pay for his calls and rendered bills accordingly. His
genial manner won people’s confidence in his sincerity. Each year he
devoted about two months to preparing himself for surgery work, which he
intended later to make his specialty. Securing a dwelling house in a
town he started a small hospital. This gave him an opportunity to render
the proper service to the people of that community. Soon people found
that, instead of going to the large city, they could get as good if not
better service in their own home town from the local surgeon.
Throughout that part of the country he won a very high reputation, with
the result that he had more work than he could perform in his small
hospital, and later he bought an old business-college site and converted
it into an up-to-date hospital. After the establishment of this hospital
it occupied all of his time.
This was not done in a day, but by slow and careful building he attained
enviable success in his practice. His brother, who settled in the same
community, possessed greater ability as a surgeon, but because of his
lack of knowledge of business methods and the following out of a good
plan was not able to acquire the same degree of success.
PLAN No. 656. HE BECOMES AN ATTORNEY IN A SMALL TOWN
He came from the West to the university and as soon as his course there
was completed he at once returned, to one of the small towns, having a
population not exceeding 1,000. In this town there was one attorney, and
for that reason many men would not consider the place sufficiently large
for two lawyers. However, he made up his mind that this was his
opportunity. The town had a farming community around it which later
proved to be good.
The people of that community were very glad to have another attorney and
gave him a chance. The first year he netted more than $2,500; the second
year $3,500, and in the third year he sold out his business and went to
the county seat.
He favored prohibition, and went into the campaign as a prohibition
candidate for the office of prosecuting attorney, and won. That office
he held for two years, and enjoyed a good private practice at the same
time. Later he devoted his entire time to private practice, at which
time I visited with him. He averaged then $6,000 a year.
The opportunities to the lawyer are far greater in the small town than
in the larger cities. Out of my class of about 500 students, all of the
men who went into the small towns in the Northwest met with success.
Usually their incomes ran from $2,500 to $3,000 the first year.
The young attorney who bought my friend’s law business saw a possibility
of organizing a little trust company and formed a corporation,
interested parties in the town in the project and some outside capital.
After three or four years he is rated as worth not less than $75,000. He
was not only a good lawyer, but a good business man as well. These facts
are not exaggerated, but are plain truths, and there are many
opportunities for men to make the same success in many small communities
throughout the country.
A lawyer who has back of him a farmer’s bank or trust company is very
fortunate, as this is a leader to a large business.
PLAN No. 657. THIS LAWYER MADE MUNICIPAL LAW A SPECIALTY
He had been in the private practice of law for about five years and was
not doing well. He concluded to get into the corporation counsel’s
office and make municipal law his specialty. He was fortunate to get an
appointment and soon developed into a first class lawyer for the city,
and won a good reputation from his work done. The community in which he
resided had a population of 350,000 to 400,000, and after about two
years’ work for the city he went in practice for himself. He made a
specialty of the municipal law. Any matter that was to come before the
council, or any service that he might render people with reference to
city affairs, was the kind of business he was after. He used none but
creditable methods and he left no stone unturned which would bring him
in touch with business of the best character.
There are many ways an attorney, who understands municipal law, can
render service to the people in large cities. After five or six years of
private practice all the attorneys in his community would not take a
case involving city affairs unless they had his advice or he was put in
on the case. In return he sent cases to his fellow attorneys and did not
engage in any but municipal law practice.
Municipal law practice is very profitable, as the clients are invariably
able to pay for the service rendered.
The medical men have their specialties, other kinds of work has its
specialties and the lawyer is behind the times who does not consider
this when he enters the practice of law.
PLAN No. 658. A LAWYER MAKES A SUCCESS IN A LARGE CITY
This young attorney located in a small town in Oregon and there, with
the co-operation of one of the leading politicians of the state, was
able to build up a good practice.
His acquaintanceship and connection established him in the community of
15,000, in which he made his initial step, and soon he had a small, but
substantial practice. His plan was eventually to go into the city of
Portland. He possessed one excellent ability, and that was to make
friends. He was quiet in manner, a fair speaker and a good student. His
friends were people of the best class and meant much to his ultimate
success. In business he had good judgment.
After three years’ practice in the little town he went to the large city
and made his beginning. He was able to keep some of his clients from the
small town. He met people in the large city with whom his political
friends were on very good terms, and was able to get into connection
with a good law firm. He was not admitted in the partnership, but was
allowed an office in the same suite, and used their library and had the
privilege of their stenographer’s services. This association meant much
to him. After twelve years of building, he now enjoys a big practice and
is permanently established in the community, and counts many of the best
people of the city as his friends.
No, he did not take up politics and has taken no part in it. He has
aspirations in that direction, but he feels it is essential first to
have a strong financial standing before he enters into any political
campaign. “The average young lawyer does not realize how important it
is,” he says, “to establish, cultivate and make the best kind of people
their friends. They not only shape and mould the lawyer’s own life, but
are, by reason of their standing, able to determine what his success
shall be.” He believes that people are known by the friends. He says
this is particularly true in a large city. Fifty friends of the right
kind are worth a thousand that are not.
PLAN No. 659. THIS LAWYER WRITES FOR NEWSPAPERS
This lawyer says that one of the best ways of developing your abilities
is to write, and he found time in the establishment of his early
practice to write for the newspapers of his community. He lived in a
large city, and certain columns of the newspapers were usually open for
the discussion of public questions, and he took that opportunity to get
acquainted with the community. However, he was very careful to see to it
that he wrote only his own true convictions, and, when matters were
thrown open for public discussion he endeavored to suggest through the
columns some topic of general interest. He did not hesitate to write on
this subject, and made it a point to put forth an article of sufficient
strength and value which he could later support if it were attacked, and
in this way he engaged in many controversies in the community which
brought to him an increase of business. He also made arrangements with a
farm paper to answer legal questions in its columns, such as queries on
line fences, and the like, and made a nominal charge for the answers. He
answered a column to a column and a half of questions each month, and
made a certain charge for his opinion on other subjects which he could
not answer in the paper. This was all done under the auspices of the
farm paper. They were very glad to give him a certain amount per month
for this service. This brought him during the year considerable
business. He states that the income he can directly trace to this kind
of writing, netted him not less than $1,500 to $1,800 per annum. Also
from time to time, on certain matters of general interest, he would put
out a little pamphlet under his own signature and sell for a small
figure--10 or 15 cents. From this source he derived several hundred
dollars a year, as well as bringing his name before the community in a
novel and interesting manner.
During the first four or five years’ practice of any attorney, he can
very well afford to do this kind of work and it will help establish him
in his community. It will not only make him acquainted, but will at the
same time develop his ability as a writer and a thinker.
PLAN No. 660. HIS INTEREST IN POLITICS MADE HIM MONEY
He was a young fellow full of ambition and energy and was interested in
all subjects which came up for political discussion. He was especially
interested in matters in which the temperance issue was involved. He was
a “Progressive” and did not hesitate to tell people of his political
convictions. He was a good speaker and had trained himself in this work.
He could talk before any meeting or gathering and make a creditable
impression.
When I first saw him he was introduced as the “Boy Speaker” of that
community, and the speech he delivered was very good. He could excel
most of his seniors. Soon his services became much sought after by all
aspirants for office in his political party, and this won for him
recognition.
Coupled with this ability he worked hard for his friends. If a man has
friends, and they believe and have confidence in him, they will let
everybody know it, and they let everybody know that this man was the
right kind of fellow for public office. The result was that when his
friends were successful he had a selection of some of the employment
they had to offer, and as a result got an appointment as clerk to one of
the courts which gave him an opportunity to study first hand--the law.
He now enjoys an income of $100 a month, as well as the privilege of
studying and observing the way lawyers conduct their cases. He is
planning to later take up the law. He is associated with the various
judges of the superior court, and his friends are among the best people
of the city.
What he has done, many young men can do if they only have the initiative
to follow out the general plan which he has adopted.
PLAN No. 661. REPORTER LIVES FOUR YEARS IN WASHINGTON
This is undoubtedly a wonderful experience for any man. He was a
reporter on one of the daily papers, and was acknowledged as one of the
very best men in his profession. His income was small, but he counted
among his friends many of the best men in the community. Some of these,
of course, had ambition for public office. One in particular engaged his
services, and to give him as much favorable publicity as he possibly
could during his campaign for United States Congress.
This is an opportunity that is presented to many men who are on the
staff of large daily newspapers. He proceeded at once to do everything
he could. He advised the man running for office what things would make
good news matter and what steps he should take to enable him to get the
proper publicity in the paper. His advice was very good, as he was
experienced in newspaper work. This service had much to do with the
final success of the man winning the race for United States Congress.
With his success the reporter was appointed secretary to the congressman
and went to Washington and lived there for four years.
PLAN No. 662. CHEMIST FOR U. S. GOV. SEE PLAN No. 217
PLAN No. 663. THROUGH COLLEGE ON CLASS HISTORY
It is often supposed that a man who is not a good speaker and does not
show much enthusiasm will find it almost impossible to earn his way
through college but such is not the case.
This man was a good writer and a clear thinker. For each class that was
about to graduate he prepared a class history. This volume became more
valuable as the years went by, and he had no difficulty in placing it
with each member at a reasonable profit. There are many classes
graduating at a university and he derived sufficient income in this
manner to pay all university expenses.
PLAN No. 664. BOOSTER FOR BOARDING HOUSE PAID BOARD
He always managed to have fifteen or twenty boys who wanted to eat where
he ate. With this following alone any boarding-house was glad to give
him his board free. His board was two-thirds of his college expense, so
he arranged with a boarding-house each year to bring at least twenty
boarders to the house and keep up that average. This was a valuable help
to the man running the boarding-house. Every business must have its
booster or business-getter, so why not a college boarding-house?
PLAN No. 665. ATHLETIC ASSISTANT PAID UNIVERSITY EXPENSES
A man who takes an active interest in athletics can become a great help
by assisting the coach or manager. Two men defrayed all their expenses
at the university by acting as assistants in athletics. They enjoyed the
opportunity of many side-trips, and after their course was completed
received good offers through the coach and general manager.
Often this field of service is overlooked by those who must earn their
way through college. The opportunities for a good man to assist the
coach are numerous in baseball, on the track and in football, and there
is an opportunity to assist in the gymnasium.
PLAN No. 666. HE RAN A SALES COMPANY
About ten years ago I met a young man who was possessed of exceptional
energy and push. With him something must be done and the time to do it
was to-day. He ran a little collection company, and if he couldn’t get
prompt results he lost no time in bringing suit. The profits of the
business did not develop fast enough for him, so one day he quit this
work.
He felt that selling was his life-work. He had experience as an
auctioneer, but now he determined to become a real business doctor and
give people such treatment that they would know of his company
throughout the state. He made good, and last fall when I met him he was
making $8,000 a year, owned a house in the most exclusive part of the
city, had a fine car, and this is how he accomplished it:
He opened a cheap office, then had printed a post card with the picture
of an old doctor on a hurry call, printed in red, with wording as
follows “Let us head Old Doctor... your way. He is the original business
Doctor... Sales Company, Phone and address.” He obtained from Dun &
Company the names of the merchants in his city. With this card he got in
touch with the business.
Most merchants know little about advertising, and know little about
putting on a sale. Many merchants want to operate with less stock,
others wish to sell but can not.
The young man makes a contract with the merchant for twenty days if
possible. He receives 10 per cent of the gross sales. All advertising is
to be arranged and paid for by the merchant, and the agent’s entire
sales force is placed at his disposal.
A large sheet--24x36--is prepared and circulated by the local merchant.
He prints about twenty-five of these circulars on muslin cloth so that
the advertisement will remain in place on telephone poles, fences, etc.,
and the surrounding territory is circularized in this manner.
A page is bought in the local newspaper, and large cuts and vigorous
copy is put in the ads.
It is essential that a large crowd be present the first four or five
days, and here are a few of the many plans that bring them:
A prize of $10 to be given away, and those present Monday morning at 9
to 9:15 will receive tickets for the prize. Then he delivers the
tickets. The free ticket requires holder, who has signed it, to return
to the store at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon, when three judges, selected
from the people, are to conduct the drawing and award the prize. The
ticket holder must be there in person or the prize goes to someone else.
Just before the prize is awarded the agent makes the announcement that
the person who makes the closest guess on his weight will receive $10 in
gold. The people must call at the store and put their estimates in at 9
o’clock the next morning. At 2 o’clock the same day they must be present
if they wish to win the prize.
Before this second prize is awarded, he announces that $10 will be given
to the person who would make the best guess on the number of grains of
wheat a rooster will eat in three minutes. Next morning at 9 o’clock the
amount must be given at the store, and at 2 the prize is given out. This
insures a large crowd at the store for three days.
If it is near Christmas he lets everyone know there will be a turkey
chase in front of the store at ----. Six turkeys are placed on top of
the store and he is perched up on a box in front. He announces that the
first turkey that falls among them is anyone’s turkey that gets it. The
second is for boys up to 18 and the third is for women, the fourth for
the men, fifth for the girls, and the last for the old maids; he then
changes it to everybody. But before the sixth is dropped down he makes
the announcement that in on the cashier’s desk is a jar of beans and the
one who makes the best guess on the correct number of beans will get a
first-class rocking chair. This is important as it brings them into the
store after the turkeys are all gone.
He was not a card-writer but soon developed some skill which was of
great assistance in his work. He always arranges the stock so that it
shows to the best advantage. This work is very important and usually
takes three or four days. For this service he is paid 10 per cent of the
gross receipts and this amount is paid at the end of each day. His busy
season is from September to April 1.
In many cases after five days have passed, and he has made $500, the
owner of the store makes him a proposition to allow him to finish the
sale for the remaining fifteen days, which he usually settles for $300.
He not only handles merchandise, as above related, but auctions stock
for farmers at 3 per cent commission. He makes a specialty of
auctioneering hardware stores, and his success is extraordinary. He will
take up a knife, make a sale at a certain figure, and at once, and at
the same price, offers for sale all knives of the same kind. He sells a
tub at a certain figure and the balance go at the same price.
He is now going into the business of auctioneering real estate. He has
sold large tracts of land. He has on his staff six high-class salesmen
and he devotes his entire time to directing the sales work. He is doing
all in his power to educate those who think “sale” to connect that
thought with the name of his company.
Three of his seven years were hard, but the last four he has been able
to develop a net income of $8,000 per annum.
[Illustration: Plan No. 667. The Widow’s Idea]
PLAN No. 667. ENTERTAINS CHILDREN.
A mother with a little 8-year-old girl was compelled to earn her own
way. She had one asset--a home in a good neighborhood close to a school.
She was a good entertainer and the idea came to her: “Why not give
children’s parties four afternoons of the week?” She acted upon this
idea and gave parties for children from 1 to 5 o’clock Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, when school was closed, and when school
was in session she arranged for parties on Saturdays from 1 to 5 P. M.
She would entertain fifteen to twenty youngsters and give them a real
wholesome time. She charged 50 cents for each child. This gave the
mothers their Saturdays, and the way this lady conducted her parties was
instructive to the children. She taught them how to play games and
specialized in teaching good manners.
The mothers were very glad to take advantage of her parties. She
arranged to have a different lot of children each day.
While school was in progress and a mother found it necessary to be gone
all the afternoon, she arranged with her to have the child call at her
house after school and she would look after it until the mother called.
For this service she charged 25 cents. When the mother was to be gone
all day she would tell the child to call at the hostess’ home at noon
and eat her lunch, which her mother had prepared for her, and to stay
there after school until the mother called for her. For this service our
hostess charged 50 cents.
During the summer months her parties made her $30 a week, and while
school was in progress she made about $20 a week.
PLAN No. 668. RAISED CHICKENS
He resolved that chickens could be raised on a large scale.
He devoted 80 acres to them in the following manner. He planted wheat,
and immediately after doing so he put hundreds of young chickens on the
eighty acres to make their own way. He arranged for water and made a
large number of little houses on wheels wherein the chickens could roost
and lay. Each day he collected his eggs. When it was necessary, he would
move the houses about their length.
When fall came he sold all chickens that were over two years old and
saved this money to buy pullets with the following spring. The chickens
obtained plenty of food and the results were very profitable.
When winter came he had accommodations for their keep similar to that of
other chicken raisers.
The eggs he gathered he put in storage until the prices raised, at which
time he sold.
During the winter months he did not make any special effort to have the
hens lay.
PLAN No. 669. ADVERTISING PLAN TO GET ACQUAINTED
I met a young man in the Middle west who made a specialty of introducing
the men at the heads of business concerns to their customers. One at
first thought, believes that the heads of a great store, lumber company
or other business is known to all, but he is not known outside of fifty
or sixty families.
This young man has a contract with all the local weeklies in a district
that supplied purchases to the city he was working in.
He showed to merchants that he represented thirty or forty papers in the
territory that he sold to, which papers had a combined circulation of
30,000 homes, and that but few persons in these 30,000 homes knew what
he looked like or what his signature was like. So he suggested to Mr.
Merchant that he run a picture of himself with an invitation to the
people when they were in the city, to call at his store.
This plan netted our advertising salesman more than $150 a week. It not
only embraced the merchants, but included the professional class as
well.
PLAN No. 670. INFORMATION BUREAU
This man realized that the average merchant spends money in advertising
to get customers, so he organized an information bureau to do all in his
power to find customers for various merchants.
He employed girls to read several hundred newspapers, as the daily and
weekly papers contain much information which leads directly to business
advantages. He obtained from the county auditors a list of farmers in
each county, their names and addresses, the kind of farming they were
engaged in. In fact, anything from any source that could be put to the
advertisers’ use was obtained. In two years this service paid him more
than $500 a month.
A service of this character, intelligently used, is valuable, and almost
any city is a great field for it. Along with it one should run some kind
of a weekly publication in which he could carry advertisements and give
his information free to his advertisers, and in this way would realize a
higher rate for his information.
PLAN No. 671. ATTORNEYS BUILD LAW PRACTICE ON COLLECTION
These two attorneys realized that in starting in the law practice in a
city of 100,000 was a very difficult matter, and this is the way they
did it: They opened offices and started in the collection business. They
did not make it on a commission basis, but on a certain amount per week,
which would enable them to know just what their income would be.
They went among the cheaper stores of the community and secured their
collections at very low rates. One took one side of the city in the
morning and in the afternoon, the second took the other side of the
city, thereby leaving one man in the office all the time. Their law
office was a desk in a real estate man’s office. In this manner they
finally built up a large collection business from which came a good many
cases. In about a year they were able to have an office of their own.
With reference to the other expenses, they were both single men, and so
built a house outside of the city, somewhat removed from the business
section. They lived over a year and a half in this manner; did their own
cooking and so their living expenses were reduced to a minimum. They
took more collections, and continued to work. A few cases began to come
in; and they finally built a very good law practice. This took two or
three years, but when once acquired the business was permanent.
During the war, when business was slack, they resorted to the same
method of getting in touch with the public, and keeping a permanent
income flowing into the firm. While this plan is not strewn with roses,
yet if pursued with the same determination it will result in
establishing a practice in the large city.
PLAN No. 672. WOMAN BECOMES ISOLATION HOSPITAL NURSE
This woman was thrown on her own resources and had to devise ways and
means of making a living. The only field open to her at the time was to
take care of “Flu” patients. She was not a trained nurse, but found that
she could do this work very well. She worked hard for a few months, and
word was brought to the health officer of the city concerning her work.
They finally called upon her, and offered her a position in the
Isolation Hospital, to take care of smallpox patients. She went into
this work, not caring whether she got the small pox or not, and
fortunately, even though she had never been vaccinated, she seemed to be
immune, and for almost a year took care of the worst cases, and never
contracted the disease.
For these services she received $75.00 a month, including room and
board, and had a day off each week for herself. There was no night work
in her service, because the people who came to the hospital did not pay
any fee. Her salary was paid by the city.
In this hospital six or seven nurses are employed, so there is quite a
field available for women in this work. Grateful patients gave her tips
which ran as high as $25.00 to $30.00 a month.
PLAN No. 673. AN ATTORNEY REPRESENTS AN EXTREME POLITICAL PARTY
This man naturally was not content to follow the ordinary conservative
lines of winning success. He thought it was for him to represent the
extremest in politics, so immediately after graduation he associated
with people of that kind. He was always present at their meetings and
gave addresses. He championed their cause; and finally, when trouble
arose, he was named as their attorney. He entered heart and soul into
the fight, and made a reputation in this work.
His ambition was to make his office the headquarters of all labor
organizations. In several of his actions he was very successful. He was
especially good at gathering evidence, and was a good fighter when it
came to court.
In a period of five to six years, he won a national reputation, where
attorneys in the class he graduated were scarcely known outside of their
own community. He was a man who could not sit still in his office--he
had to have something doing all the time, and in his line of work he
found opportunity for the true expression of his nature. As a matter of
fact, the extreme element found it very hard to obtain the services of
an attorney, and especially one who had his views.
PLAN No. 674. ATTORNEY RUNS FARM
This attorney was practicing in a city, but felt that, in order to be
assured of a permanent success in that community, it was best for him to
have a farm close to the city. He secured a farm and made it his home.
It was on an electric line, and this made it easy for him to go to and
from the city, to attend to his business. His farm guaranteed him a
living each year, and during the time when wheat was up, he made big
profits from the sale of it. His living expenses were defrayed by the
farm, and, besides he was enabled to save some money each year, and
everything that he made from the practice of law was clear profit. This
enabled him to champion various causes that otherwise he could not have
afforded to do. It placed him in the position of an attorney with a
fixed income, and enlarged his field of activities, so that he could
build for years along certain lines, which is essential to any
professional man’s success. He did not have much capital in the
beginning, but he secured the farm on easy terms and was able to pay for
it in about five years, and had the farm clear of all debt. He
understood well the science of farming, took all the government reports
on farming and made himself proficient in that line. He secured many
clients in the community where he was farming. This gave him a great
advantage over his fellow-members at the bar.
The great trouble with the average lawyer is inactivity, and if he is
not active, he is like any other dead man--nobody knows of his
whereabouts and cares less, but if he is engaged in doing some
collection work, coming in contact some way or other with the public
generally, he will have business and it will continue to grow from year
to year.
PLAN No. 675. MANUFACTURING, ADVERTISING PLAN
In a city of about 125,000 inhabitants, a complete list of the names of
the manufacturers, their addresses and the names of business managers
and the telephone numbers was made, each on a card. These cards were
arranged alphabetically and a man was put on the ’phone for about ten
days inquiring of each firm what articles they manufactured, the trade
name of the article being put on the back of the card. The result was
that over 1,200 different kinds of articles were made by some 300
manufacturers. Then a dummy, made up, giving a page to the matter, the
size of a newspaper, and in the center was placed a cartoon favorable to
the manufacturer. This was to be sent to the people in the surrounding
towns. Each article made, was listed alphabetically with the name of the
article appearing first and after this the name of the company. These
1,500 articles made about two pages of matter. After 2,000 of these were
prepared by the printers the salesmen started calling on all
manufacturers in the community, at the rate of eight to twelve a day,
and presented his proposition to them, which was as follows:
To run in forty papers surrounding the town in which they were located,
going to something like 45,000 homes of farmers and people living in
small towns. For this they were to pay $10.00 a thousand. Most of the
manufacturers, rather than run a line or two, desired to run display,
putting in the picture of the article they made and a little statement
concerning its virtue of same and giving their addresses.
Five weeks of this kind of soliciting resulted in more than $1,000 worth
of contracts being signed up, and many thousands of dollars worth of
business prospects for in the future. The salesmen were taken off and
the general salesmen of the company followed up the prospects, with the
result that over six thousand dollars was made from the plan. This meant
a net saving on the part of the company of $3,500 to $4,000.
This is a good plan and a fair way to cover the people in the farm
community for the manufacturer. He then covered other classes of
advertising in the same way.
PLAN No. 676. HIGH-SCHOOL BOY EARNS WAY
He was a hard working young fellow, and he called upon the neighborhoods
in different parts of the city after his high school was out, and sold
brushes of different kinds to be used in the homes. He had a fair
introduction, and showed up the advantages of his brushes in a fair way.
Night after night, week after week, he continued this work. Saturday was
his best day, as he usually made three or four dollars on that day
alone. He netted from this work something like $10 to $12 a week. It was
hard work carrying a suitcase filled with brushes, from which he showed
his wares, but it paid his expenses through his high school and enabled
him to get his education. He stuck to his work and won out.
This is a plan that any young man of energy and push can follow at odd
intervals to make his way through high school.
PLAN No. 677. LAWYER GETS ON SCHOOL BOARD
After getting out of the law school he did not have sufficient funds to
open an office, so he became a teacher in one of the high schools in the
city in which he desired to make his home. After teaching for about two
years, he determined that he would go into practice for himself. This he
did. He felt that it would be an advantage to him to hold some kind of
public office, and so he ran for and secured a membership on the school
board. This position he was well qualified to fill, having taught for
several years preceding his study of the law. After that he joined an
athletic association and ran for office in the association and was made
one of its directors. In these two positions he enjoyed a good
opportunity for coming in contact with the best people of the city, and
when politics was alive, he was one of the main members of the political
organization, and had much to say about who should be elected to office.
He served as assistant prosecuting attorney for some time, got the
experience that he desired, and then continued with his practice. From
these offices, which have been a great advantage to him, he has won an
excellent reputation in the community.
PLAN No. 678. HE WANTED TO BE A LAWYER
He went into a railway office as stenographer and studied law as he
worked. He was a man of excellent appearance and untiring energy, and he
worked until he had passed the bar examination for his state. He
prepared to make himself a specialist on railway law, and continued
study for three or four years. During that time he acted as assistant to
the railway attorney, but instead of staying with the railway company
for years, as most attorneys do, he identified himself with one of the
best trial lawyers in his part of the state, who made a specialty of
damage suits. He was a valuable adjunct to this firm as he was familiar
with railway law.
By reason of the fact that he had a knowledge of railway law, from the
railway standpoint, he was very successful in his work.
PLAN No. 679. LAWYER BECOMES RAILWAY COUNSEL
After finishing at a law school, he obtained an appointment as assistant
to the counsel for a railway. He studied for two or three years, in this
capacity, and worked with the counsel of the railway until finally he
won recognition for his services from the company. The railway counsel
was changed, or left the service, and he became counsel for the railway
at that point.
This kind of work pays well, and he has an assistant or two under him,
and enjoys a good reputation in his community.
PLAN No. 680. NEWSPAPER MAN MAKES EXTRA MONEY
Reporters on newspapers make extra money by following the career of men
who are public spirited. They become familiar with their aspirations and
try to help them make good, by giving them all the newspaper support
they possibly can. Of course, this cannot be done without compensation,
and the reporter is paid extra for this work. It is valuable aid, for
the man who desires to attain political prominence. The reporter, as a
rule, is under-paid, and this enables him to increase his income
considerably.
The reporter’s advice alone is worth a great deal, as the average
aspirant for office does not understand what is, and what is not, a
good news article. The reporter can be absolutely fair with the paper
and render this service.
PLAN No. 681. HE BECOMES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SECRETARY
There is a large field for any man who has ambition for public work, in
the chambers of commerce of the various cities of our country. He can
identify himself as an assistant, or in some other capacity and win a
good reputation as a man of value in this work.
From time to time there are inquiries from this source for the right
kind of men for the work. The salaries are good, ranging from $5,000 to
$10,000 a year, and the work, itself, is extremely interesting.
This really is a first-class advertising man’s job. If a man understands
advertising, and understands the advertising of communities, there is no
reason why he should not be a capable man for this position, and such a
man usually knows what is good news value, and what articles can be put
in the paper, and what effect these various articles will have for the
benefit of his community. It is usually a business proposition and
supported by business men, exclusively; professional men and politicians
having little to do with this work and the young man who can make good
will soon find a position awaiting him.
I know a few men who have made excellent records in this direction and
are now the recipients of $8,000 to $10,000 a year. It took them at
least five to six years before they were qualified to hold a large
position. One started in as a newspaper reporter, and the other started
in as an editor of a paper, and finally developed into an advertising
man.
PLAN No. 682. LAWYER BECAME STATE REPRESENTATIVE
He was always the champion of the issues that arose in his particular
neighborhood club, and he finally decided that if he were a state
representative, it would be a beneficial experience for him, as well as
an avenue through which to become known in the state generally. So he
went about increasing his friendship, becoming acquainted with everybody
in his district, and finally announced himself as candidate for the
state legislature, and he was very much surprised at the ease with which
he won the election.
He was repeatedly returned to the legislature and has almost become a
permanent fixture in this capacity. He has always seen to it that the
newspapers give him proper mention, on any matter in which he is
engaged. He makes it a point to call the attention of the reporters to
it if it has any news value at all. By this studied effort and work on
his part he has made himself good timber for the United States Congress.
Not only that, but he has won a large friendship among the people of the
various states, which has brought him a good deal of valuable practice,
and has given him business opportunities.
A young lawyer makes a very serious mistake when he does not pay
attention to his opportunities in this direction.
PLAN No. 683. HE BECAME POLICE JUDGE
After winning an election as justice of the peace, it is always the
ambition of the justice to become police judge of the city. To win this
position does not only mean the increase of one hundred or more dollars
a month in salary, but also gives a good opportunity for a lawyer to
build up a reputation, which may lead to a judgeship in the superior
court. Of course, the mayor and city council of a city determine which
justice will be the police court judge, and a friendly standing with
them will aid in determining whether or not a candidate will be police
judge.
Most of the people of a city and the county know more about the police
judge than they do about the superior court judge. As a matter of fact,
the newspapers of the community give far more publicity to the doings of
the police court than do those of the superior court. Every little
matter that comes up before the police court, serious or otherwise, is
printed in the local daily, and all questions of any consequence that
are to come up will first take place before the police court. So a
lawyer, who occupies this position, and has good judgment, and takes his
cases seriously, has an opportunity to make a good record for himself,
and if he handles his opportunities in this position properly, he can
become judge of the superior court.
This work brings him in touch with all the police branches and their
work, and the county prosecutor’s office as well. As a matter of fact,
many persons in the profession believe that it is best for a man who
desires to become a superior court judge, to first become justice of
peace.
PLAN No. 684. ILLUSTRATOR FOR U. S. GOV. SEE PLAN No. 217
PLAN No. 685. HE WANTED TO BECOME CITY COMMISSIONER
There were at least thirty persons aspiring for the $5,000-a-year job
and he was but little known. Although he felt that he was strong enough
to get the nomination, yet most of his friends advised him that they did
not think that he could succeed, but they would do their best for him.
He went in for all there was in it; he worked both night and day; he
obtained the support of many young men in the city. He had stalwart
friends in the police department and with their support and the support
of their friends he gained the nomination.
With the nomination secured, he felt sure of election. However, he did
not give up his personal efforts but worked both night and day until the
night of the election, and then he did not give up until all of the
votes were cast. The way he had worked for himself was an inspiration to
his friends. However, it might be said that he had three or four friends
who were especially valuable to him, and knew the political situation
far better than he, and they did not hesitate to support him to the
limit, as they believed in him and felt sure that if once elected he
would make a good record. When the votes were counted, he had won by a
large majority.
Many men believe that it is unbecoming for them to work for themselves,
but this man did not think so. He felt that the enthusiasm of his
friends would lag if the man who was running for the office did not
believe enough in himself to work with them.
PLAN No. 686. HE RAN FOR JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
When he came into the community he was little known; in fact, up to the
time he ran for the nomination on the Republican ticket, he was scarcely
heard of, but prior to his nomination he billed the entire town. He had
small boards placed at the various bridges and public places in the
community with a large picture of himself, naming the office he desired
to secure. He also had the telegraph poles tacked with large posters,
bearing the same announcement. This publicity was so striking that it
caused a great deal of comment all over the city, and when the
nomination came up he secured it easily, and nomination in that county
meant--the election!
PLAN No. 687. HE FIRST BECAME COUNTY ASSESSOR
This attorney, from a financial standpoint, was not prepared to go into
the practice of law, so he became an aspirant for the office of county
assessor. He was not a good speaker, but he made up his mind to work
strenuously for this office, and so he obtained the support of ten or
twelve of his friends who worked for him, and, finally, he secured the
office.
Many of his friends could not understand why he wanted such an office,
but when once nominated and elected he had many people to appoint who
make the assessment of the property in the county. These men were
naturally people who supported him, and this enabled him to build up
very strong political support throughout the county with this support as
a nucleus which re-elected him many times.
PLAN No. 688. A MIDDLE-AGED LADY’S WAY OF MAKING A LIVING
The following is a plan that represents lots of hard work.
This woman believed she could sell goods direct and obtain higher-class
and better-grade goods by directly representing the factory. She made
arrangements with a certain factory, and started in to sell. She made a
specialty of women’s and children’s underwear, stockings, etc., and sold
large quantities.
In this house-to-house selling of these goods, she netted more than
$70.00 a month. In her travels she also found opportunity to sell other
products, such as honey and other household articles which she carried
as side lines. If there was a demand by her customers for goods she did
not carry she made it a point to get the desired articles for them.
PLAN No. 689. A LAUNDRY PLAN THAT PAID
This man ran a laundry in a city of upwards of 150,000 inhabitants, and
the population was increasing daily. He figured that if he could see the
newcomers before the other laundries did that they would just as soon
patronize him as the others, and yet he would like to know something
about their reputations as to payment before obtaining their business.
Therefore he got in touch with a first-class information bureau in his
city and secured all the names of people who came from the smaller towns
into the city, and as soon as he got their names and the town they left
he directed a letter to the editor of the paper in the town from which
they had come inquiring as to their present address and their reputation
for paying. After securing their address and statement as to their
reputation for payment of their bills, and if he ascertained that they
were good, he immediately called upon them at their new address in the
city, and obtained their business. He had no competition in his work and
this plan alone made his laundry a prosperous business.
It might be stated that if there is no information or clipping bureau in
your community, it would be well for you to take all of the newspapers
of the surrounding towns, which could be secured by direct subscription
or by going to the local newspaper where, undoubtedly, all of these
papers are sent in as exchanges, and by an arrangement with your local
newspaper, they would be glad to allow you to read and go over these
papers. The items in these papers will show the names of people who are
leaving the small towns and the communities to which they go; then find
out through the transfer men and companies where they are.
PLAN No. 690. HOW HE BECAME A BANKER
When I knew him at college he was a man of wonderful and unusual
strength and good nature. He was as democratic as a person could be, and
was liked by all who knew him.
If you were to pick out a banker in the crowd at school, he would be the
last man, perhaps, that you would think would follow the banking
business. After his college course he went into the stock business. He
was well liked by all of the stockmen in the district in which he lived,
and he had an acquaintance extending through the entire Northwest. But
the stock business did not particularly appeal to him. He then entered
into other lines of work and finally became closely associated with a
man engaged in the banking business. This man had taken over a bank in
one of the farming communities and asked this party whether he would
like to spend a part of his time in this little bank and see what he
could do in the way of assisting it. This work interested him from the
beginning. He immediately took possession of the bank as though it were
his own and began to build it up. In a short time he had doubled its
deposits. His record was so unusual that the head of the bank in the
city became interested, and as his showing continued the president of
the bank became convinced that he should be in the city bank, so he made
arrangements for him to come. He went at things with the same untiring
energy in the city bank, as he had in the country bank, with the results
that the deposits were greatly increased.
I remember one day going into this large bank and I was somewhat
surprised at seeing him as one of the managing officers of the bank. I
asked him how it came that he was there, and he told me that he had been
associated in the banking business for a number of years. The position
which he had obtained did not in the least effect his pride and he
possessed the same spirit, which manifested itself so agreeably in his
school days. He said he had been helped, and that it was his desire to
help others as he had been helped--that was his attitude in the banking
business. Instead of possessing the ordinary cold and distant attitude
of the average banker, he was the opposite. In his former work among the
stockmen of the Northwest he acquired a large acquaintance, and they all
thought a great deal of him, and had confidence in the institution with
which he was connected. They rather preferred to deal with a bank with
which he was connected.
Your friends often determine whether you are to be a success or a
failure.
PLAN No. 691. WONDER COVERS
“Wonder covers” for rolling-pin and bread-board are the invention of a
Maine woman, but anybody can make them. For the rolling-pin, the cover
is of stockinette or any elastic knitted textile fabric, made to pull
over the pin in a stretched-tight way, like a jersey sleeve, and tied at
the open end. The other part of the equipment is a mere square of canvas
(sailcloth), to lay upon the bread-board.
Provided with these covers the housewife can manipulate the softest
dough without any danger of its sticking to pin or board. But before
using nearly a quart of flour must be rubbed into the pin-cover the
first time it is slipped over the rolling-pin, and a little flour must
be rubbed into it the same way each time it is used. With careful use
the covers will stay clean a long time. When necessary to wash them, it
should be done with cool water and a small scrubbing brush. Then they
may be ironed. But the flour should be thoroughly washed out of them
before they are ironed.
PLAN No. 692. CHICKEN CANNED
Down in Alabama a woman makes a living by taking orders for canned
chicken and chicken by-products.
She puts one pound of meat in a number 2 can, and the gravy adds from 4
to 8 ounces, and she receives 80 cents a can for it. She claims that at
this price she makes good money and she does so by using the best of
soup meat in soups and gumbo. One rooster by this method brought her
$3.50.
The above price might be increased, and a little advertising and
personal sales work would develop a good business in any town.
PLAN No. 693. A GOOD FARMER USES OTHER PEOPLE’S FARMS
A young farmer was limited in capital and could not buy a good farm, so
he purchased a few acres in a good district and went to work.
He soon found that the farmers in his neighborhood did not understand
their business.
He took over a large neglected orchard for a crop arrangement and in a
short time had contracted for land for two to three years that the
farmers were neglecting, which gave him a large farm.
He went to work and in several years not only made a good saving but was
able to finance himself for a farm of his own.
PLAN No. 694. STARTED A CLOTHING STORE