THE MAN WHO "THOUGHT" HIS WAY INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH THOMAS A.
EDISON
TRULY, "thoughts are things," and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with
definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a BURNING DESIRE for their translation into
riches, or other material objects.
A little more than thirty years ago, Edwin C. Barnes discovered how true it is that men really
do THINK AND GROW RICH. His discovery did not come about at one sitting. It came
little by little, beginning with a BURNING DESIRE to become a business associate of the
great Edison.
One of the chief characteristics of Barnes' Desire was that it was definite. He wanted to work
with Edison, not for him. Observe, carefully, the description of how he went about
translating his DESIRE into reality, and you will have a better understanding of the thirteen
principles which lead to riches. When this DESIRE, or impulse of thought, first flashed into
his mind he was in no position to act upon it. Two difficulties stood in his way. He did not
know Mr. Edison, and he did not have enough money to pay his railroad fare to Orange, New
Jersey. These difficulties were sufficient to have discouraged the majority of men from
making any attempt to carry out the desire.
But his was no ordinary desire! He was so determined to find a way to carry out his desire
that he finally decided to travel by "blind baggage," rather than be defeated. (To the
uninitiated, this means that he went to East Orange on a freight train). He presented himself
at Mr. Edison's laboratory, and announced he had come to go into business with the inventor.
In speaking of the first meeting between Barnes and Edison, years later, Mr. Edison said, "He
stood there before me, looking like an ordinary tramp, but there was something in the
expression of his face which conveyed the impression that he was determined to get what he
had come after. I had learned, from years of experience with men, that when a man really
DESIRES a thing so deeply that he is willing to stake his entire future on a single turn of the
wheel in order to get it, he is sure to win. I gave him the opportunity he asked for, because I
saw he had made up his mind to stand by until he succeeded. Subsequent events proved that
no mistake was made."
Just what young Barnes said to Mr. Edison on that occasion was far less important than that
which he thought. Edison, himself, said so! It could not have been the young man's
appearance which got him his start in the Edison office, for that was definitely against him. It
was what he THOUGHT that counted. If the significance of this statement could be
conveyed to every person who reads it, there would be no need for the remainder of this
book.
Barnes did not get his partnership with Edison on his first interview. He did get a chance to
work in the Edison offices, at a very nominal wage, doing work that was unimportant to
Edison, but most important to Barnes, because it gave him an opportunity to display his
"merchandise" where his intended "partner" could see it. Months went by. Apparently
nothing happened to bring the coveted goal which Barnes had set up in his mind as his
DEFINITE MAJOR PURPOSE. But something important was happening in Barnes' mind.
He was constantly intensifying his DESIRE to become the business associate of Edison.
Psychologists have correctly said that "when one is truly ready for a thing, it puts in its
appearance." Barnes was ready for a business association with Edison, moreover, he was
DETERMINED TO REMAIN READY UNTIL HE GOT THAT WHICH HE WAS
SEEKING.
He did not say to himself, "Ah well, what's the use? I guess I'll change my mind and try for a
salesman's job." But, he did say, "I came here to go into business with Edison, and I'll
accomplish this end if it takes the remainder of my life." He meant it! What a different story
men would have to tell if only they would adopt a DEFINITE PURPOSE, and stand by that
purpose until it had time to become an all-consuming obsession!
Maybe young Barnes did not know it at the time, but his bulldog determination, his
persistence in standing back of a single DESIRE, was destined to mow down all opposition,
and bring him the opportunity he was seeking.
When the opportunity came, it appeared in a different form, and from a different direction
than Barnes had expected. That is one of the tricks of opportunity. It has a sly habit of
slipping in by the back door, and often it comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or
temporary defeat. Perhaps this is why so many fail to recognize opportunity. Mr. Edison had
just perfected a new office device, known at that time, as the Edison Dictating Machine (now
the Ediphone). His salesmen were not enthusiastic over the machine. They did not believe it
could be sold without great effort. Barnes saw his opportunity. It had crawled in quietly,
