href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@20151@[email protected]#James_A_Garfield" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">James A. Garfield.
Chester A. Arthur.
John A. Logan.
James G. Blaine.
Samuel J. Tilden.
Henry Ward Beecher.
James Watt.
George Stephenson.
Benjamin Franklin.
Eli Whitney.
Robert Fulton.
Elias Howe, Jr.
Isaac M. Singer.
Richard M. Hoe.
Charles Goodyear.
Prof. S. F. B. Morse.
Cyrus W. Field.
George M. Pullman.
Thomas A. Edison.

Why Some Succeed And While Others Fail.

Success And Failure.
Concentration of Effort.
Self-reliance.
Economy of Time.
Causes of Failure.

PREFACE.

Some succeed while others fail. This is a recognized fact; yet history tells us that seven-tenths of our most successful men began life poor. As our title indicates, we shall endeavor to show "why some succeed while others fail." Knowing that everybody desires success, and recognizing the old adage, "Example is the best of teachers," we have selected representative characters from the multitude of successful men who have climbed the ladder of success, beginning at the bottom round. These we have followed from childhood to manhood, dwelling at length on the traits of character that have made them so rich and successful, believing that a careful study will convince all that the proverbial "luck" had little to do with it. On the contrary, one is taught those lessons of self-helpfulness and self-reliance which are so essential to success in life's struggles. It is fearful to think how many of our young people are drifting without an aim in life, and do not comprehend that they owe mankind their best efforts. We are all familiar with the parable of the slothful servant who buried his talent—all may profit by his example. To those who would succeed, we respectfully present this volume.

INTRODUCTION.

Dear reader, it is a grave undertaking to write a book, especially is it so in writing a treatise on success and failure, as we have attempted to do in the work we hereby present you. It is a solemn thing to give advice. Experience teaches that no one thing will please everybody; that men's censures are as various as their palates; that some are as deeply in love with vice as others are with virtue. Shall I then make myself the subject of every opinion, wise or weak? Yes, I would rather hazard the censure of some than hinder the good of others.

There need neither reasons to be given nor apologies to be made where the benefit of our fellow-men is our aim. Henry Clay Trumbull says: "At no time in the world's history, probably, has there been so general an interest in biography as that which has