Chapter 3 PATENTS THE GREATEST SOURCE OF WEALTH

"Upon what meat does this, our Caesar, feed, that he has grown so great?"-Shakespeare.

THE SOURCES OF WEALTH.

The diagram below shows very clearly the rich men of the world, and the source of their wealth: The cry nowadays is that there are no chances for accumulating wealth as did these people-in some ways this is right.

Three of the avenues to wealth are pretty well closed: Taking each up in turn we find

1st. Natural Wealth.

Secured by Mining, Drilling and Digging. Examples:

John D. Rockefeller,

Henry H. Rogers,

Barney Barnato,

and many others.

First.

Mines and Oil Wells are becoming scarcer every year, and there are few which remain undiscovered.

2nd. Real Estate.

Advances in value as by buying lots in a growing city and taking advantage of its growth. Examples:

Hetty Green,

The Vanderbilts,

Russell Sage,

and many others.

Second.

Real Estate takes an inside knowledge of conditions, which none but men who give the subject deep study can hope to acquire.

3rd. Transportation.

Steam Railways, Electric Railways, and Steamboat lines. Examples:

The Goulds,

Thomas J. Ryan,

E. H. Harriman.

Third.

Transportation requires big capital, and the small investor on the "outside" has no chance whatsoever.

4th. Patents.

Inventions on articles in use in the manufactures, the arts, the home. Examples:

Carnegie,

Edison,

Schwab,

Maxim,

Krupp,

Westinghouse,

Pullman,

Bell,

Welsbach,

Singer,

Hewitt,

McCormick,

Acheson,

Colt,

Marconi,

Bessemer,

and thousands of others.

Fourth.

PATENTS ARE TO-DAY THE GREATEST SOURCE OF WEALTH.

"Genius, that power which dazzles mortal eyes,

Is oft but perseverance in disguise."