and closed the transaction. In these early days I was a good deal of
a traveller, visiting our plants, making new connections, seeing
people, arranging plans to extend our business--and it often called
for very rapid work.


RAISING CHURCH FUNDS

When I was but seventeen or eighteen I was elected as a trustee in the
church. It was a mission branch, and occasionally I had to hear
members who belonged to the main body speak of the mission as though
it were not quite so good as the big mother church. This strengthened
our resolve to show them that we could paddle our own canoe.

Our first church was not a very grand affair, and there was a mortgage
of $2,000 on it which had been a dispiriting influence for years.

The holder of the mortgage had long demanded that he should be paid,
but somehow even the interest was barely kept up, and the creditor
finally threatened to sell us out. As it happened, the money had been
lent by a deacon in the church, but notwithstanding this fact, he felt
that he should have his money, and perhaps he really needed it.
Anyhow, he proposed to take such steps as were necessary to get it.
The matter came to a head one Sunday morning, when the minister
announced from the pulpit that the $2,000 would have to be raised, or
we should lose our church building. I therefore found myself at the
door of the church as the congregation came and went.

As each member came by I buttonholed him, and got him to promise to
give something toward the extinguishing of that debt. I pleaded and