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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 1920)
. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER ,25, '.1920. . THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, OREGON. die 1 Ph TTTl . fa Shows men and young men how to double, to treble their earning power. BY D. B. HARSH 1 Witt er t'UHimiwuimiiuiuuumiBn miBHUimiiwaimmimiiHJiiHuiiwuiiiii u MRRiimwfHflaKimwHiniMtin i fa J KX, ' f-' , w V - f"T-, E i i I I F i mnnimniutiiiiiiumiwiinHiiiiwiiiHiiiiuiiiuniiHaiuitiiinHiiumuiwiittiiiwiimHiiiw t L. L. Adcoz man who has done .more, perhaps, to make it easy for men and young men of average intelligence and grammar school training to earn big pay up to $100 a week and more than any other individual in the Pacific Northwest. THE stories of how big men have "gotten there" have won their success, al ways is interesting because their suc cess may serve to inspire us. From their stories we may obtain pointers that will help us to better our position in -life help us to obtain a greater share of the world's bless ings and wares. With this thought as my guide, I set out to interview L. L. AUcox, who in his particular line has become, per haps, the most shining light in America, if not the world. " Less than seven years ago he was a strug gling mechanic today he is busy placing men and yourg men of average education and intelligence upon the fascinating high way of success. Last year alone, he showed several hundred men how to earn double to treble what they ever earned before many Of them have already become better than $100 a week men and his method of "show how'required but twelve to sixteen weeks. Hijs occupation is the operation of an auto school -he calls it that, because, I assume, there is no other term that fits, but his meth ods and practices are so different from that of the conventional run of auto schools, that I feel he should find a bigger, more expres sive term "Maker of Men" "Builder of Success" something along this line, for his proposition certainly is different. But, instead of telling you the story in my way, I will put down as accurately as my memory and notes enable, the ideas and ideals of this man, Adcox, as he explained them to me. By profession or trade, he is a mechanic but, while he worked, he dreamed and when he got through work, he studied. Like quite a number of former general mechanics, he drifted into the auto game this was back a handful of years when the business was just beginning to "feel its oats" commenc ing to grow up. As the industry expanded which really was like the growth of a mushroom an al most overnight expansion the dearth of Pondering over the problem, he began to wonder if it would not be practical to open up an automobile school and teach his mechanic friends and others who wanted to learn, (the things he had learned through the dint of hard study and experiment. Upon investigation he found that in dif ferent parts of the country, others were at tempting this thing and they were making some progress a thing that moved him to an immediate decision. Without any ado, he "threw up" his job opened up as pretentious a school as the idea he had in the back of his head and his limited capital would permit. If this were fiction instead of the record of a man's accomplishment, we might end here with the statement that his progress was immediate and ever after he was a suc cessful man; but in real life, things do not go this way and it's with the problems of a man in real life that we are dealing. After he opened up his school there apparently is no other term for it was when his big trials and troubles commenced. In his effort to get started, he had done the obvious thing copied the other fellow he did the easy, convenient thing attempted to turn a repair shop, into a school. From the start, however, he made money but after a vear or so his conscience began to bother him he" alone, he found, was profiting a thing that would have 'satisfied most men but not this man, Adcox. He had set out to teach his friends and their friends the actual "know how" of automo bile repair practice and, in this, he was "falling down." He was trying with all his might, but his effort was in vain. He had set out to accomplish a worthy purpose his idea was right, but his method was wrong. So he sat down and thought the thing out. His con clusion was that the "repair-shop-school-idea" was wrong but this was the method of every other school in the country and it seemed strange that all could be wrong but the more he thought about it, the stronger became the conviction of the sound ness of his conclusion. So against the advice of friends and acquaintances, he cast overboard all those practices he had been How would you like to be able to double or treble your earning power make perhaps $100 a week or more? Hundreds of fellows have done it and, contrary to alj notions, it is not as hard as it seems. This story of the man, L. L. Adcox, provides an interesting insight into the ways and means he employs to make men and young men big money makers. It's a story no ambitious fellow should fail to read. capable, expert auto mechanics deeply im pressed him. Among all his mechanic ac quaintances, he shortly found he was the only one keeping pace with developments when deep-seated trouble developed in a machine, he was the only one equipped with the theory as well as the practice to locate and remedy it. employing those other schools ARE STILL EM PLOYING and backed his idea of a school inde pendent of any repair shop, against the field. On the start the task was an uphill one there was nothing to back him up excepting his deep rooted theory but degree by degree, he began to put the idea across. When his students graduated, they became successful they were able to go out and command good jobs at top pay. Their success attracted attention ambitious fellows followed their jead and they, too, became successful.' After a couple of years, the little school began to make such a showing that men and young men throughout the Pacific .Northwest who had mechanical leanings be gan to think of it first when considering a course' to fit them to enter the auto game. Toda th& Adcox Auto & Aviation School undoubtedly is tie largest school of its kind west of Kansas City and it gradu ates a larger percentage of students who make good in a big commanding way than any other auto school in America perhaps the world. As I was shown through the school there are cars of all kinds, motors of all kinds fours, sixes, eights and twelves, cut away and mounted on frames so that Adcox and his assistant instructors may invent special troubles to develop a man's skill and pro ficiency, complete electrical and battery departments all fitted up with down-to-the-minute equipment, Government airplanes and airplane motors all the actual property of the school, Adcox explained to me his methods of instruction. In his catalogs, letters and talks with prospective students, he does not agree to teach them everything there is to know in the automobile line which he declares, and we all know, would take several years to master but, rather, he teaches them the special ized subject of "Gas Engineering" which embraces "trouble shooting" and its remedy deals withstart- ing and ignition systems, valve timing, carburetor adjustment, etc., etc. This is a side of automotive equipment, taking in airplanes, automobiles, tractors, etc., about which very few men know a phase that' cannot be picked up because it' embraces theory as well as practice requires head as well as hand work with the result that a fellow who possesses this specialized- knowl edge is always in demand and at higher pay than is commanded by any all around man or man who has specialized on any other phase of the business. After seeing his wonderful layout of equipment with a valuation of thousands and thousands of dol lars, I went back to the office-where 1 was shown great long lists of successful graduates the names and addresses of hundreds of fellows who had never done more than ride occasionally in an automobile before coming to the Adcox School, but who now were expert "gas engineers," holding down good jobs in this most interesting of all lines of business, and making double to treble what they ever before had earned a great number earning more than a hundred dollars a week. As I was preparing to leave I suggested that there must be a lot of satisfaction in building up such an institution. "Satisfaction!" murmured Adcox, "why, I wouldn't trade places with 'John D.'!" So great has been the success of tins school and its" graduates that the heads of other schools in the same line from all parts of America are now visiting it studying its methods and practicesthat they may put them into effect. Descriptive of the school is a fine, big catalog which Adcox has prepared it is, I brieve, the largest and most complete book of its kind ever compiled, for it deals not only with the Adcox School, but provides a very clear in sight into the actual methods and practices of automobile schools in general. An idea of the size and completeness of the book may be gleaned from the fact that each copy costs Adcox a dollar but to all those who are ambitious to double, to.,. treble their earning powers, he will' send a copy absolutely free without any obligation whatsoever. If you have any mechanical inclinations, I cannot too strogly urge you to send for this book and read it through it's bound to prove an eye-opener and more than likely will prove the turning point for a big personal and money success for you as it has for other fellows. A handy' coupon is here provided clip it out and sign it NOW. r """""i 1 L. L. ADCOX, Pres., I 1 ADCOX AUTO A. AVIATION SCHOOL. w 1 Union and Wmco St., Portland, Oregon. I If vou will jend me a FREE copy of that fine, bi dollar book, jx number 3. of yours, I will return the favor by reading It. . Name . i I " '. t-sddre$$ ; , --J First Aviation School n the Pacific Northwest America's Foremost Ex-Army Experts the Instructors It ts the opinion of some of the best authorities that the Airplane business will grow as fast as the automobile business. The Opportunities for those who get in on the ground floor' are unlimited. Today there, are hundreds of mail, express and aerial pas senger lines in the United States. The Airplanes in actual use ron into the thousands. Thiqlc of it! Each plane must have a pilot, and thousands of ' mechanics are needed to take care of the engines. Airplane engines, unlike automobile engines, are overhauled every too hours, or less. Mechanics that overhaul airplane engines must be trained ex pirts not dubs like a good many untrained auto mechanics. An untrained auto mechanic may send a car out of the shop in very, poor repair as the automobile will Jump along even if only one cylinder is working, but the airplane will not fly unless the engine is in perfect running order. The airplane mechanic has to be'high-c!ass trained man and he commands big pay. 1 want to be honest about the airplane business frankly I do not believe the opportunities are as great right now in the airplane business at in the automobile business, but in the near future the airplane business will be as good as the' automobile business, probably better. And as I said before the biggest men in the auto game today are -the pioneers. You want to be t big man, don't you -then get into the airplane business now be a fioneer. You can learn every phase of airplane engineering and flying at my school. Address me today ask for my free Airplane folder Ro. 8. L L. Adcox, President, Adcox Auto & Aviation School, Portland, Oregon.- ,, . ,..