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MARSHALL FIELD: THE WORLD'S
GREATEST MERCHANT

A MAN WHO BY LEGITIMATE MEANS BUILT UP A GREAT FORTUNE, IN THE ACQUIREMENT OF
WHICH HE HAS NEVER LOST THE CONFIDENCE AND TRUST OF HIS FELLOW-MEN; WHOSE
BUSINESS TRIUMPH HAS NOT BEEN BY MEANS OF FINANCIAL TRICKERY OR THE
EVASION OF HIS COUNTRY'S LAWS; ABOUT WHOSE FORTUNE (UNLIKE MANY
OTHER GREAT AMERICAN FORTUNES) THERE HAS NEVER BEEN
A SUSPICION OF TAINT.

A MAN WHOSE NAME IS SYNONYMOUS WITH BUSINESS HONOR AND INTEGRITY; WHOSE FAITH IN
CHICAGO HAS EVER BEEN STEADFAST AND TRUE; AND WHOSE LIFE WILL BE A BEACON
LIGHT TO GUIDE FUTURE GENERATIONS TO HONORABLE SUCCESS.-TRIBUNE.

In the death of Marshall Field, when Chicago flags appeared at half mast, all Chicago mourned, and all the world said, "a great and honest man has passed away"-we are freshly reminded, in these days of graft and suspicion, that all wealth is not ill-gotten.

Marshall Field began life as a farmer boy in Massachusetts, and died worth one hundred and fifty million dollars, every cent of which was honestly gained. He bore a reputation for absolute honesty. He was upright in his dealings. He was the largest taxpayer in America. He attended closely to business from the beginning of his career up to the very end, even to the beginning of his last illness, when he had reached seventy years of age. He positively refused all political honors. He generously contributed to all of Chicago's great civic and benevolent movements, preferring to do so unostentatiously. He was always ready with advice or council regarding public affairs, when he felt that he could help to solve the problem of existing evils.

He made many men rich; man after man, who had entered his service as a modest under employe, stepped out, years later, to live in retirement and ease on wealth accumulated in his employ.

The following from a letter written by Mr. Field gives lessons gleaned from his long and successful business experience that should be remembered by every ambitious man and

woman:

"In answer to the question, 'what are the essential elements of success for young men standing upon the threshold of a business career?' I would say, first, a young man should carefully consider what his natural bent or inclination is, be it business or profession; take stock of himself and ascertain if possible what he is best adapted for, and endeavor to get into that vocation with as few changes as possible. "Having entered upon it, then let him pursue the work in hand with diligence and determination to know it thoroughly, which can only be done by close and enthusiastic application of the powers at his command; strive to mas

ter the details and put into it an energy directed by strong common sense, so as to make his service of value wherever he is.

"The trouble with most young men is that they do not learn anything thoroughly, and are apt to do the work committed to them in a careless manner; forgetting that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well, they become mere drones and rely upon chance to bring them success.

"The young man possessing a conscience that cannot brook the slightest suspicion of wrongdoing, and which insists on steadfast and undeviating truthfulness, sturdy honesty and strict devotion to duty under all circumstances, has a fortune to begin with.

"The average young man of to-day, when he begins to earn, is soon inclined to habits of extravagance and wastefulness; gets, somehow, imbued with the idea that, irrespective of what he earns, he must indulge in habits corresponding to those of some other young man.

"The 5, 10 or 15 cents a day that are squandered, while a mere trifle apparently, if saved, would in a few years amount to thousands of dollars and go far toward establishing the foundation of a future career.

"Too few realize that in order to acquire the dollars one must take care of the nickels. Careful saving and careful spending invariably pro

mote success.

"A habit so formed in early life will prove of incalculable benefit to him in after years, not only in the amount acquired, but through the exercise of economy in small affairs he will grow in knowledge and fitness for larger duties that may devolve upon him.

"By following out these suggestions, however, aiming constantly to prepare himself for a higher place, instead of waiting for something to turn up, every young man will succeed to a more or less degree."

Such is the advice of the great Merchant Prince who won success through honest competition, and without the aids usual in the building of great fortunes.

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Sometimes one gains more by yielding than by opposing.

Learn from two school masters: Your own and others' experience.

Business and pleasure will mix about as well. as oil and water. Don't try it.

A good stock of common sense and conscience can start any man up in business.

Remember that if a thing is worth having, it is worth going after good and hard.

First control your temper and your tongue, if you would control people and conditions.

The greatest talkers are the smallest thinkers, Do not trust your interests to the man who has a great deal to say.

Try to see a path to prosperity leading from your present situation; it's there if you can just get your eyes opened to see it.

Do not take the small things of life with such terrible seriousness. Many an impending tragedy can be averted by a ready laugh.

Speak only good of the concern that pays you your salary. If you are dissatisfied, take the matter up with your employer, not the street.

Merit cannot advertise itself fast enough to keep pace with modern methods. It must be proclaimed.

The man who is popular with women is seldom liked by men. Does this betoken jealousy, or merely poor taste on the part of the women?

It pays to appear prosperous, but not extravagant. There's a great difference between smoking a good cigar and lighting it with a dollar bill.

What do you do with the time that's fully your own after the day's work is over? Your answer to this question will determine your fu

ture.

Remember it is the man who not only understands his business, but how to impress people with the fact that he does understand it, who succeeds.

What you think of other people has little effect on your career; what they think of you is of the most vital importance, and this is a matter in your own control.

If you are out of work, take whatever position you can secure, and then make it a good one. This is more to your credit than to step into a position already made good by another.

A man in a business for which he is not prepared is "up in the air" most of the time. He may occasionally blunder on to the right way, but such accidents will not be of sufficient frequency to insure success.

Know things of value. Many a man stocks his head so full of the kind of nonsense that makes him popular in society, that there is no room for the kind of sense that makes him in demand by great business houses.

When we are quite young we dream of some day, through our own or others' efforts, arriving at a pleasant condition of life when we shall stop and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. When we grow older we realize that there is no such thing as stopping at pleasant places. We must keep traveling to the very end, and even if it were possible to stop, we would find the beautiful flowers that caught our eye fast fading, the friends going on ahead, and a feeling of loneliness, and of being left behind on the trail, creeping over us, that would make us eager to be up and on with the throng. It's a continuous journey with few wayside rests; a pleasant journey if one has congenial companionship, and a mind clear as crystal, to reflect the beauties of sky and earth; but a wretched journey if content and peace of mind be not fellow travelers.

Common-Sense

ANOTHER MILE-STONE IN THE PROGRESS OF MODERN ADVERTISING, THE NEWEST BUSINESS-PROFESSION

For the first time in the history of educational movements, "Advertising and How It Should Be Taught" was made a vital subject for discussion at the National Commercial Teachers' Federation and its Affiliated Bodies, which convened in Chicago from December 26th to the 29th, inclusive. This marks a new era in advertising, the importance of which, to all lines of business, is readily appreciated by business men, and the influence of which will be felt throughout the coming years.

The Friday morning session was devoted entirely to this discussion, Mr. Edward T. Page, president of the Page-Davis School of Advertising, having been invited to conduct it.

Mr. Page's comprehensive and instructive paper, which is reproduced in part in the opening pages of this issue of COMMON-SENSE, was heard with an intentness that betokened a deep personal interest in this absorbing, though rather unique subject, which came for the first time before a large representative body of business college instructors. The latter part of the paper was devoted to explaining the process of advertisement building and construction of body matter, introductions, catch phrases, the coining of names, etc. An artist stepped to the blackboard and illustrated the Page-Davis method of Advertisement building, showing the process from beginning to end in a detailed and instructive manner, that was watched with the closest in

A lively discussion followed concerning the many points brought up in the paper, and many other points which furnish difficulties to the untaught writer of advertising matter. It was evident that college men who manage their own advertising, not having a technical knowledge of advertisment writing, meet many difficulties and disappointments which they readily realize would be overcome by a thorough understanding of this subject, even as they understand bookkeeping, stenography, etc.

There was evident a strong general sentiment in favor of establishing departments of advertising instruction in the business colleges of the country, and doubtless the effect of this discussion, the deep interest aroused in these eminent instructors by the practical suggestions made as to teaching advertising-will result in efficient advertising instruction departments in the most progressive of the business colleges of America. This convention has furnished another interesting mile-stone in the progress of the development of this business-profession, advertisement writing. The first school to teach the sub

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ject was founded in Chicago, the record of which rests in the archives of Chicago's Historical Society.

A COMPLETE COURSE IN SHORT STORY WRITING-PRICE $36 -GIVEN AWAY

We believe that if many who have taste for writing could secure careful training in this art, they would speedily take their places among those who are now enjoying excellent incomes from their pens. With this idea in mind, we now offer a complete course in Short Story Writing, by correspondence, with the Page-Davis School, Chicago, regular price $36.00, the merits of which you can fully investigate by writing to them, for the best character sketch and photograph of a man who has won his way to prominence. The sketch must be accompanied by one year's subscription ($1.00) to COMMON-SENSE magazine, and be received at this office on or before March 1, 1906. We want earnest, sincere sketches of men prominent in the public eye, which give not only the facts and accomplishments of their careers, but dwell on the strong points in their characters and business methods. You may choose business or professional men, statesmen, authors, any line whatever in which you find a character whose life furnishes a worthy example to others.

Length, between 1,200 and 1,600 words.

We will also give helpful book prizes to those whose sketches do not win first prize, but are worthy of publication. All who write acceptable articles will be compensated.

Send in your subscription at once and win the right to enter this contest, If you are already a subscriber, you may extend your subscription another year or enter the name of a friend. It will cost you only one dollar, and it may put you on the road to success as a magazine writer. This will be a valuable experience, to say the very least. You will find every issue of the magazine helpful. This is an investment where you can't lose. Address, Editor COMMON-SENSE,

88 Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill.

An observing person, that he may judge character, needs no long list of credentials, nor a photograph from the rogue's gallery, in order to place his man. A good square look in his eye, a few minutes' talk and he knows the hitherto stranger sufficiently for his needs. This being true, one thing should be studied and another remembered by every one who hopes to win the greatest measure of success. He should study the art of reading character, and he should bear in mind that this art is understood by most successful men, and therefore if he hopes to gain their approval he must cultivate traits of character that will speak in his favor.

"Gumption"

There is something of conciseness, incisiveness, and directness of going straight to the point without waste of words-in the style of a successful advertising man when he turns author which makes his books welcomed like hot cakes right off the griddle.

"Gumption" is the latest work-and the first piece of fiction-by that clever advertising man and writer of successful advertising books, Na

thaniel C. Fowler.

Its success was instantaneous-though hardly off the press, it is already heralded as one of "the best books of the year" The story is not unusual-a Yankee boy's rise through the usual Yankee boy's hardships, and shrewdness, to a position of responsibility in the world; but the style of telling the story from beginning to end holds the reader's constant attention.

It is interesting to know that the entire book was dictated to a stenographer during a Summer's cruise, often at the rate of 150 words a minute, and was accepted by the publisher within. 24 hours after it was received.

This goes to show that merit is what the publishers are after, and when it is evident, at a glance, as in "Gumption," there is seldom disappointment on the part of the author.

These paragraphs, taken at random, give an idea of the writer's breezy style:

"Father was a doctor-a genuine, hemp-sewed, corn-fed country physician, of the gray haired class of our oldest school. He neither wore kid gloves nor practiced in them. His patients either had to get well or die, with no loitering on the way. He felt the pulse with one hand and poured castor oil with the other."

"Put your trust in Castor,' was father's creed, and he lived it and administered it. Castor oil was both his diagnoser and his curer. He gave it anyway. If it worked, well and good; if not, he used some other lubricant, or else administered liberal doses of more energetic concoctions. There were no milk-and-water mixtures in his medicine-case.

But castor oil first; castor oil, the diseaseseeking chaser of everything within its reach; and by The Great Tablespoon it reached about everything.

"Woe to the shamming patient, the enjoy-sickness kind, with nothing the matter with him. Father made something the matter with him or made him feel there was something the matter with him, with relentless rapidity.

"Literally, father poured oil upon the troubles of suffering humanity."

"You always knew where mother was. She was where she ought to be, and never anywhere else. Her duty was cut deeply into the inner

tablets of her conscience, and neither change of time, nor experience, nor policy, nor modern necessity could switch her off the track her ancestors had spiked down for her to travel on."

"She judged not, neither was she judged. She lived a life of duty-doing as she saw it, actively opposing nobody and passively condemning the things universally called wrong. Conditions set her pace, and she never tried to lag or spurt. She was happy, for her trust in God was complete. If things went wrong, she told God about them; simply notified him, closed her Book of Concern, and trustfully went to sleep."

Later, in speaking of his brother, he says:

“With Walter, to want is to have. He knows his business as a sailor knows his harbor, and he seldom strikes a rock. When he does, he neither frets nor swears; he 'phones the wreckers, takes a perfecto from a box with his name on it, and lets others work while he smokes." Again, speaking of his childhood:

"When I was half-past-eight, my father began to hear the Boston bee buzzing in his ear. He wanted to be a city curist, to have regular office hours, and a uniformed attendant to open and shut the door and tell people he was engaged. So we moved to Boston."

There are many pretty thoughtful touches, as. when his father learns of the son's first love affair; the latter was eight years old at the time:

"He took me on his lap. He wasn't laughing then. Why did he wipe his glasses? I didn't know then. I will never know until I ask him in the Land of Explanations; and perhaps he won't tell me then, for there are gems which glow only in the dark-heartstring strains toɔ muffled for listening ears.'

All in all, it is a book that many will laugh over and many will appreciate for its deeper significance-a book well worth the reading.

"Gumption," by Nathaniel C. Fowler. Price $1.00. Small, Maynard & Co., Publishers.

Some Peaks and Canons on the Rio Grande Railroad

The railway companies are doing more toward acquainting the non-traveling element with the scenic beauties of mountains, streams and plains through their beautiful, educational advertising literature than has ever been accomplished by travel-writers and lecturers. One of the most artistic pamphlets to appear this year is a "New Year's Greeting," comprising some dozen pages of magnificent views along the Rio Grande; these exquisite half-tones include Pike's Peak, the Grand Canon of the Arkansas, Cure Canti Needle, Glenwood Springs, Sultan Mountain, Ophir Loop, and Castle Gate. Size, 12x14. The views can easily be detached, and are suitable for framing.

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