WHY AMERICANS ARE THE RICHEST PEOPLES

                                                   THE RICHEST PEOPLES

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            ONE REASON WHY AMERICANS ARE THE RICHEST AND THE FREEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD- AND PERHAPS THIS IS THE ONLY REASON - IS THE FACT THAT WE THINK AND TALK AND ACT IN TERMS OF FREEDOM AND RICHES. OUR NATION WAS LITERALLY BORN OR OUR DESIRE FOR LIBERTY. OUR HISTORY BOOKS ARE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY. WE HAVE TALKED OF LIBERTY SO MUCH THAT WE HAVE IT IN ABUNDANCE. WE SHALL CEASE TO HAVE IT IF WE STOP TALKING AND THINKING ABOUT IT.

              HILL : MR. CARNEGIE, CAN YOU GIVE ME ILLUSTRATION OF HOW PEOPLE GET THAT ABOUT WHICH THEY THINK AND TALK?

             CARNEGIE : WHY JUST GO BACK TO THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY AND STUDY THE EVENTS THAT LET UP TO THE SIGNING OF THE DELARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. HERE YOU WILL DISCOVER SOMETHING THAT NEVER STUDENTS OF HISTORY OVERLOOK ENTIRELY - NAMELY, THE REAL SOURCE OF THE POWER THAT ENBLED GEORGE WASHINGTON'S ARMIES TO WIN OVER VASTLY SUPERIOR AND BETTER EQUIPPED ARMIES.

           THE POWER OF WHICH I SPEAK IS THE POWER THAT BEGAN IN THE ITSELF, THROUGH THE MASTER MIND RELATIONSHIPS OF THESE MEN, UNTIL IT GAVE THIS COUNTRY THE LIBERTY AND FREEDOM WE NOW ENJOY.

            HILL : WELL, MR. CARNEGIE, THIS IS CERTAILY A NEW STORY FOR ME. TELL ME HOW IT CAME ABOUT, IF YOU PLEASE?

             CARNEGIE : IT STARTED DEFINITELY WITH THREE MEN, JOHN HANCOCK, SAMUEL ADAMS, ADN RICHARD HENRY LEE, WHO COMMUNICATED FREELY, MOSTLY BY CORRESPONDENCE, EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS AND HOPES REGARDING THE FREEDOM OF THE COLONIES.

              FROM THIS PRACTICE SAMUEL ADAMS CONCEIVED THE IDEA THAT A MUTUAL EXCHANGE OF LETTERS BETWEEN THE PROMINENT PEOPLE OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES MIGHT HELP TO BRING ABOUT THE COORDINATION OF EFFORT SO BADLY NEEDED TO SOLVE THEIR COMMON PROBLEMS.

                 ACCORDINGLY, A COMMITTEE OF CORRESPONDENCE WAS ORGANIZED. THIS MOVE INCREASED THE POWER OF THE MASTER MIND ALLIANCE OF THE THREE MEN BY ADDING TO IT MEN FROM ALL THE COLONIES. THESE THREE MEN DID NOT CONTENT THEMSELVES BY MERELY WRITING LETTERS, BUT THEY KEPT UP THE AGITATION BY CORRESPONDENCE UNTIL IT LED, FINALLY, TO THE HISTORIC MEETING IN INDEPENDENCE HALL, IN PHILADELPHIA, AT WHICH FIFTY-SIX MEN SIGNED THEIR NAMES TO THE DOCUMENT THAT WAS DESTINED TO GIVE BIRTH TO A NEW NATION - THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. THEY WERE MOTIVATED BY AN ACTIVE FAITH.

                     HILL : THIS IS A THRILLING CHAPTER OF OUR HISTORY INDEED, MR. CARNEGIE, WAS IT ACTUALLY THAT SIMPLE?

                    CARNEGIE : IT WAS FAR FROM SIMPLE, BUT THE PRINCIPLE AT WORK ARE SIMPLE. WHILE THE LETTER WRITING PROGRAM WAS GOING ON, SAMUEL ADAMS AND JOHN HANCOCK CALLED A SECRET MEETING OF THEIR CLOSE FRIENDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUTLINING THE STEPS NECESSARY TO TRANSLATE THEIR DEFINITE PURPOSE INTO ACTION.

                   WHEN THE MEETING HAD BEEN CALLED TO ORDER, SAMUEL ADAMS LOCKED THE DOOR,  PLACED THE KEY IN HIS POCKET, AND CALMLY TOLD THOSE PRESENT THAT IS WAS IMPERATIVE A CONGRESS OF THE COLONISTS BE ORGANIZED,  AND INFORMED THEM THAT NO MAN WOULD BE PERMITED TO LEAVE THE ROOM UNTIL THE DECISION FOR SUCH A CONGRESS HAD BEEN REACHED. HERE IS MORE EVIDENCE OF ACTIVE FAITH.

                   THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF HANCOCK AND ADAMS THE OTHERS PRESENT WERE INDEED TO AGREE THAT, THROUGH THE CORRESPONDENCE COMMITTEE, ARRAGEMENTS WOULD BE MADE FOR A METTING OF THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, TO HE HELD IN PHILADELPHIA, SEPTEMBER 5, 1774, ALMOST TWO YEARS BEFORE THE ACTUAL SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

               REMEMBER THIS DATE, AND REMEMBER THE TWO DETERMINED MEN WHO BROUGHT IT ABOUT, FOR IF THERE HAD BEEN NO DECISION TO HOLD TO CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN NO SIGNING  OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. PASSIVE FAITH NEVER WOULD HAVE LET TO THIS DARING MOVE. 

                   HILL : I MUST SAY THAT WE NEED SOME OF THAT BRAND OF FAITH IN OUR NATION TODAY.

                  CARNEGIE : AGITATION WAS KEPT UP,M BY CORRESPONDENCE AND BY SECRET MEETINGS BETWEEN THE MEMBERS OF THE MASTER MIND ALLIANCE ORGANIZED BY HANCOCK, ADAMS, AND LEE, FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS, RESULTING IN THE FAMOS MEETING AT PHILODELPHIA IN 1776, BY THIS TIME THE MASTER MIND HAD GROWN TI FIFTY-SIX MEN. THE MEETING LASTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS, DURING WHICH THOSE MEN ENGAGED IN THE MOST STUPENDOUS ROUND-TABLE CONVERSATIONS KNOWN TO MODERN CIVILIZATION.

                  ON JUNE 7TH, 1776, RICHARD HENRY LEE RECOGNIZED THAT THE TIME FOR MERE CONVERSATIONS HAD COME TO AN END AND THE TIME FOR ACTION HAD ARRIVED. HE ROSE, ADDRESSED THE CHAIR, AND TO THE STARTLED ASSEMBLY  MADE THIS MOTION:

                  GENTLEMEN, I MAKE THE MOTION THAT THE UNITED COLONIES ARE, AND OF RIGHT OUGHT TO BE, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, THAT THEY BE ABSOVED FROM ALL ALLEGIANCE TO THE BRITISH CROWN, AND THAT ALL POLITICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THEM AND THE STATE OF GREAT BRITAIN IS, AND OUGHT TO BE TOTALLY DISSOLVED.

                 OUT OF THAT MOTION, BASED ON ACTIVE FAITH, WAS BORN THE WORLDS GREATEST NATION! OUT OF THAT MOTION WAS BORN THE SPIRIT THAT GAVE WASHINGTON'S SOLDIERS THE POWER OF WIN OVER SEEMINGLY INSURMOUNTABLE DIFFICULTIES. STUDY CAREFULLY WHAT HAPPENED AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THESE MEN DEVOTED NEARLY TWO YEARS OF HIGHLY CONCENTRATED EFFORT TO THE PREPARATION OF THEIR MINDS FOR THE PERFORMANCE, THROUGH ACTIVE  FAITH, OF A DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS TASK.

                HILL : DESCRIBING IT AS A DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS TASK, IS PUTTING IT MILDLY. EACH OF THOSE MEN WAS LETERALLY "STICKING HIS NECK OUT", AS THE SLANG SAYING GOES, FOR A HANGMAN'S NOOSE AS A TRAITOR TO THE CROWN.

              CARNEGIE : I HAVE TOLD YOU THIS BIT OF HISTORY BECAUSE IT IS IN A SIMILAR MANNER THAT ALL GRET LEADERS CONDITION THEIR MINDS FOR UNUSUAL TASKS. THIS IS HOW MEN ACQUIRE SELF-CONFIDENCE! THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE METHOD BY WHICH FAITH IS DEVELOPED THROUGH DEEDS.

             REMEMBER THE FACT THAT ACTION MUST FOLLOW THE ADOPTION OF A DEFINITE PURPOSE. WITHOUT ACTION, PLANS AND AIMS ARE FRUITLESS. THE THREE MEN WHO STARTED AMERICA ON THE ROAD TO LIBERTY AND FREEDOM MADE USE OF THE SELF-SAME PRINCIPLES OF ACHIEVEMENT THAT MUST BE USED BYT THE SUCCESSFUL LEADER IN BUSINESS IN ANY OTHER CALLING.

             IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-CONFIDENCE, AS IN ALL OTHER WORTHY UNDERTAKINGS, ONE MUST BEGIN WITH A MOTIVE BASED UPON A DEFINITE PURPOSE.             

            HILL : I BELIEVE I NOW UNDERSTAND THE PRODEDURE BY WHICH SELF-CONFIDENCE AMY BE ACQUIRED. NOW, MR. CARNEGIE, WILL YOU, FOR THE PURPOSE OF EMPHASIS, EXPLAIN HOW YOU APPLIED THESE PRINCIPLES IN THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR CAREER, WHEN YOU CONVERTED ALL YOUR HOLDINGS INTO THE UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION?

             CARNEGIE : FIRST, I APPLIED THE PRINCIPLE OF DEFENETENESS OF PURPOSE OF REACHING A DECISION TO CONSOLIDATE ALL MY STEEL INDUSTRIAL INTERESTS INTO ONE COMPANY AND TO SELL THE COMPANY.

               SECOND, HAVING DECIDED TO SELL, I CALLED CERTAIN MEMBERS OF MY MASTER MIND GROUP TOGETHER AND WE SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS IN ANALYSIS OF THE VALUES OF MY PROPERTIES IN ORDER THAT I MIGHT SET A FAIR BUYERS FOR THE PROPERTIES, AND ARRAGE WAYS AND MEANS OF APPROACHING PROSPECTIVE BUYERS WITHOUT PLACING OURSELVES AT A GREAT DISADVANTAGE, SINCE THE BYERS WOULD KNOW IN ADVANCE THAT WE WERE DESIROUS OF SELLING.

            THE COMPLETE PLAN REPRESENTED THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF THE MEMBERS OF MY MASTER MIND GROUP WHO SAT ON THE DISCUSSIONS, AND MYSELF, AND IT WAS SO DEVISED THAT INSTEAD OF OUR BEING IN THE POSITION OF OFFERING OUR PROPERTIES FOR SALE, WE WOULD BE APPROACHED BY THE BUYERS WITH AN OFFER TO PURCHASE THE PROPERTIES.

                 THIS WE ACCOMPLISHED WITH VERY LITTLE MANEUVERING, BY ARRANGING A DINNER IN NEW YORK CITY AT WHICH MY CHIEF MASTER MIND AID, CHARLIE SCHWAB, AND A GROUP OF WALL STREET BANKERS, WHOM WE HAD CHOSEN AS PROSPECTIVE BUYERS, WOULD BE GUESTS. MR. SCHWAB WAS TO DELIVER A SPEECH PAINTING A VIVID PICTURE OF THE GREAT POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH A CONSOLIDATION OF MY STEEL INTERESTS INTO ONE COMPANY, AS WE HAD PLANNED. THE SPEECH HAD ALL THE EARMARKS OF BEING SPONTANEOUS, AS  SCHWAB MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE PLAN HE OUTLINED COULD BE CARRIED OUT ONLY BY GAINING MY CONSENT, AND GAVE NO INDICATION THAT HE ALREADY HAD THAT.

                   THE SPEECH MADE SUCH AN IMPRESSION THAT THE MEETING LASTED INTO THE LATE HOURS OF THE NIGHT, AND BEFORE SCHWAB LEFT, THE BANKERS PRESENT AT THE MEETING, INCLUDING J.P. MORGAN, GAINED FROM HIM A PROMISE TO PLACE THE PROPOSED PLAN BEFORE ME AND TO DO WHAT HE COULD TO GAIN MY CONSENT TO IT.

                    NOT UNTIL LONG AFTER THE DEAL HAD BEEN CLOSED AND I HAD BEEN PAID OFF DID THE BANDERS LEARN THAT THE SPEECH WAS CAREFULLY PLANNED MONTHS IN ADVANCE.

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