William E.Dodge once stated in a popular lecture that he began his career as a boy on a salary of fifty dollars a year, and his board--part of his duty being to sweep out the store in which he was employed.

He lived to distribute a thousand dollars a day to Christian missions, and otherwise objects of benevolence.
There are old men in Pittsburg (or were, not long ago), who remember the bright Scotch lad, Andrew Carnegie, to whom they used to give a dime for bringing telegraph messages from the office in which he was employed.
The benefits which he then derived from the use of a free library in that city, have added to his good impulse, to create such a vast number of libraries in many lands that his honored name throws into the shade the names of Bodley and Radcliffe in England, and that of Astor in America.

The mention of this latter name tempts me to narrate an amusing story of old John Jacob Astor, the founder of the fortune of that family, and a man who was more noted for acquiring money than for giving it away for any purpose.

Mr.Astor came to New York a poor young man.
His wealth consisted mainly in real estate, which he purchased at an early day.

When the New York and Erie Railroad was projected (it was the first one ever coming directly into New York), my friend, Judge Joseph Hoxie, called on Mr.Astor to subscribe to the stock, telling him that it would add to the value of his real estate.