The Builder of the Tallest Building in the World.

Progress, Volume XIV, Issue 9, 1 May 1919, Page 501

The Builder of the Tallest Building in the World.

Getting Millionaire Woolworth to Talk. “Mr Woolworth will see you at his home for fifteen minutes from eight-fifteen to eight-thirty this evening. ” , - This was a message that Frank W. Woolworth’s secretary telephoned to B. C. Forbes, who has had more experience in interviewing millionaires than any other man in America. His protest that fifteen minutes was too short a time brought no hope from the secretary. Nor was Mr Woolworth, when Forbes met him that night, disposed to forget the limits that he had placed on the interview. He was sorry, he said, that he could not give Mr Forbes what he wanted, but he had made it a rule never to be interviewed. v

“The clock was rushing toward eight-thirty,” says Mr Forbes, telling the story in “Forbes’ Magazine,” “What must I do? What tack must I try? “I can understand exactly how you feel Mr Woolworth,” I essayed, “but I have found during my newspaper career that so many of the people who have not succeeded feel rather sore towards men like yourself who have made millions. They seem to thinkin fact, they often say— these rich guys just happened to be lucky and we wern’t.’ They seldom stop to think that most of the men who have built up great businesses had to suffer hardships and overcome innumerable difficulties in the early years of their life. As I understand it, you had your own share of difficulties to overcome?”

“Difficulties!” repeated Mr Woolworth, leaning forward on his chair and for the first time showing the slightest animation. “I should say I had. Why I was as big a boob as there ever was when I started out. There never was a greener hayseed than I was. Instead of having my pay increased I once had it cut because I was such a failure at selling goods. I know what it means—”

The builder of five-and-ten cent stores was off. It was nearly midnight when he finished and Forbes rose to go. All of which teaches the valuable lesson that, if you would get a man interested, get him to talking about himself early struggles, his family, his. ambitions. “What is your ambition?” was Forbes” last question. “To open a store in every town in the civilised world,” answered Woolworth. He has nine hundred stores alreadya reasonably igood start. Call the —Editor—“This isn’t poetry, my dear man; it’s merely an escape of gas.” Would-be Contributor I see! Something wrong with the —Boston Transcript. * * * # Human Limits was a perfect wonder, was the parliamentary candidate for a .certain-agricultural district. And he was never shy of telling the voters why they should return him as their M.P. “I am a practical farmer,” said he, boastfully at one meeting. “I can plough, reap, milk cows, work a chaff-cutter, shoe a horse fact,” he went on, proudly, “I should like you to tell me any one thing about a farm which I cannot do.” Then, in the impressive silence, a small voice asked from the back of the crowd “Can you lay an egg?”— Tit-Bits.

/ ' Germany’s Self-Conviction. War ( casting up the account) —“ And all these plus sipns simply make one great minus"— Ulk (Berlin)