e class of professional mendicants that prey upon the
well-to-do and charitably inclined.

From time to time I have taken a whole month's batch of
appealing letters and have had them thoroughly investigated
by trained agents. Very few have been found to possess real
merit. Most of the appeals were from persons who would not
help themselves even with the aid of a helping hand.

Real charity is dispensed without the blare of trumpets.
Notoriety and professional philanthropy, indiscriminate
alms-giving in any guise, have always been repugnant to me.
I have never asked for any publicity for what I have done.
Silence has invariably been my rule and practise.

If I had my life to live over again I am sure I should not
attempt to move in what is termed "society." I would rather
be one of a few gathered together by a bond of friendship
than to partake of all the glitter and hollowness of what is
called the "Four Hundred." The friendship of a few outlives
life itself. Friendship remembers; society forgets. In the
home only is there true happiness. It is there that a man's
best ideas get their birth and grow.

If I had my life to live over again I would marry even
earlier than I did. The tender care of a good wife is the
finest thing in the world. I am thankful, indeed, that I
have had this in the fullest measure.

Thrift is the first element of successful manhood. When you
have made your fortune, it is time enough to think about
spending it. Two suits of clothes are enough for any young
man. The only thought that a young man need spend about his
clothes is to look out for bargains at the lowest price.

Let him be on the lookout for cheap hats, bargains in shoes,
knockdowns in suits. He is fostering business traits that
augur well for his success in years to come.

The boy who knows bargains in socks makes the man who knows
bargains in stocks.

Fifty cents is enough for a straw hat; it will last two
seasons. You can get for thirty-nine cents an unlaundered
white shirt which is excellent. You can get a good
undershirt for twenty-five cents. Silk is not for salaried
men. Fine clothes bring sham pleasure. Don't try to rival
the flowers of the field.

A rich man does not work for himself alone. He is really the
nation's agent. He turns his wealth over constant